He is also
called upon to furnish a working equipment of truth to pastors, preachers
and teachers. He should be conversant with the Bible and with the various
theories of interpretation. He should be possessed of a clear system of
theology and should understand the best methods and principles of
Christian work.

For the attaining of all this, the missionary must continue as an earnest
student, he must maintain upon the field thorough habits of study. His
missionary life, itself, should be to him, not only an interpreter of what
he formerly studied, but an incitement to further regular study. Many
temptations overtake the missionary to intellectual indolence as well as
to intellectual dissipation. He is in danger, under the pressure of other
interesting work and distractions, either not to read anything very
seriously or to read in a haphazard, desultory way. The latter is
specially a dangerous habit on the mission field. The missionary needs not
only to cultivate habits of study and to devote certain hours daily, so
far as possible, to that habit; he should, preeminently, keep before him
some definite aim or ideal towards which all his reading should be
directed. If he be specially a preacher, he should conscientiously and
thoroughly prepare his sermons as if he were to preach to the most
cultured audiences; or, if he instruct his agents, he should make
previous, elaborate preparation for the same.

He should take an intelligent interest in, and make a thorough study of,
the people, their social and religious customs, their economic conditions,
their educational efforts, their history,--these and many other studies
will furnish abundant and abounding interest to the thoughtful missionary
and will add to his power in his work. In all these respects, no people on
earth are more interesting than those of India. And for successful
spiritual work among them the missionary needs to study these side issues
more than he would, perhaps, among any other people.

He will find it of much help if he is apt at acquiring language. A good
and usable knowledge of the vernacular of the people is a most important
avenue of access to their mind and heart. The acquiring of a living
language is a very different thing from the study of a dead language. A
man may be a success in the one and a failure in the other. A good ear is
of paramount importance in a first-class facility for acquiring and using
a modern vernacular.

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