nfluence inland.

Further up the Persian Gulf missionaries have long been established on
the islands of Bahrein, which are under British protection.

Continuing our journey eastward, we can dismiss the Shiahs of Persia as
outside our pan-Islamic calculations, for their pilgrim-centre is at
Kerbela, some twenty odd miles west of the Euphrates and the site of
ancient Babylon. This centre has been visited by missionaries.

Afghanistan and Beluchistan both bar missionaries, but there are C.M.S.
frontier posts from Quetta, in British Beluchistan, to Peshawar, near
the Afghan border. They do good hospital work, otherwise their
evangelising activities over the border are confined to native
colporteurs and the circulation of vernacular Scriptures. There is a
fierce and barbarous Turcoman spirit in both countries which their
respective rulers (the Khan of Kelat and the Emir at Cabul) do their
best to keep within bounds, aided by British Residents. Missionaries
seem to think this spirit can be exorcised by their entrance into the
arena. You might as well throw squibs into a cage full of tigers.

On entering India (that vast hunting-ground of many sects and creeds),
Moslem and missionary are almost swamped in the flood of Hinduism. There
is no restriction on the activities of either within the four corners
of the King-Emperor's peace, and there is very little antagonism between
the two in so big a field, where both are doing good work. Although the
Moslems outnumber the Christians by seven to one, the honours of war go
to the missionaries. Their highly-organised medical and educational
missions do excellent work--the Zenana Mission is, in itself, a
justification of Christian mission work in India to any humanitarian
with some knowledge of _zenana_ conditions. The Moslems, on the other
hand, in spite of their high standard of education, in India show a
tendency among their less educated classes toward the caste prejudices
of Hinduism, which are dead against the teaching of Islam and a handicap
to any social organisation.

Few people realise what a huge proposition the Indian Empire is to solve
in its entirety, with its population of 315 millions, of whom over 90
per cent. are illiterate. Of the more or less educated residuum, not
quite 90 per cent. are Brahmins having little in common with the huge
uneducated bulk of the population, which is chiefly agricultural and, by
its patient toil, supplies most of the wealth of India. Ye