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pressing certain doubts with regard to the Shastrus /* "to which the writer invited an answer through the same channel . " Shivu-Prusad Surma
accordingly sent a reply in the Bengally language , but the Missionary Editors refused its insertion ; upon which he formed the resolution of publishing the whole controversy with an English translation in a work of his own , to
be called " The Brahmunical Magazine . 95 The reprint of the English translation is the pamphlet before us , which contains all that was written on both sides . In the first No . of his Magazine , the author replied to the arguments of the newspaper against the Shastrus , or immediate explanations of the Veds , the original Hindoo sacred books ; and in the second No . answered the objections against the
Poorans or Tuntrus , or Historical Illustrations of the Hindoo Mythology . The Missionaries replied in their periodical work , tc The Friend of India , " No . 38 . Our author made a rejoinder , constituting the third Number of his Magazine . Of this , the Missionaries took no notice . " To
my great surprise and disappointment ( says Shivu-Prusad Surma ) the Christian Missionaries , after having provoked the discussion , suddenly abandoned it ; and the third Number of my Magazine has remained unanswered for nearly two years . During that long period the Hindoo community , to whom that work was particularly addressed , and therefore printed both in Bengallee * and English , have made up their minds that the arguments of the iJrahmunical Magasine are unanswerable . "
To whatever cause this capricious conduct of the Missionaries is owing , it has been an occasion of triumph to their Hindoo opponents . The present writer concludes his preface with an air of satisfaction , both as to himself and his religion :
" It is well known to the whole world , that no people on earth are more tolerant than the Hindoos , who believe all men to be equally within the reach of
* An uniform orthography in Anglo-Hindoo words is much to be desired . We have seen in our day several modes of writing the most common of them . Eiv . .
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Divine beneficence , which embraces the good ' of every religious sect and denomination ; therefore it cannot be imagined that my object in publishing this Magazine was to oppose Christianity ; but I
was influenced by the conviction that persons who travel to a distant country for the purpose of overturning the opinions of its inhabitants and introducing their own , ought to be prepared to demonstrate that the latter are more
reasonable than the former . * In conclusion , I beg to ask every candid and reflecting reader , Whether a man be placed on an imperial throne or sit in the dust—whether he be lord of the whole known world , or destitute of even a hut , the commander of millions , or
without a single follower—whether he be intimately acquainted with all human learning , or ignorant of letters—whether he be ruddy and handsome , or dark and deformed ; yet , if while he declares that God is not man , he again professes to
believe in a God-Man or Man-God , under whatever sophistry the idea may be sheltered , can such a person have a just claim to enjoy respect in the intellectual world ? And does he not expose himself to censure , should he , at the same time , ascribe -unreasonableness to others
?"—Pref . to 2 d edit . pp . 2 , 3 . We have always given the Missionaries in India credit for pure Christian motives , and we are ready to applaud their valuable labours in
the translation of the Scriptures : but we apprehend that they have been from the beginning completely mistaken with regard to the intellectual state of the Hindoos . They have a very different work to accomplish in Hindoostan from that of their
brethren in the South Sea Islands . They have no barbarians to astonish by their science or mechanical arts , or to allure to a new religion , by setting it off with all the attractions of the advantages and comforts belonging to civilization . The Hindoo Brahmin
boasts of his learning , and considers himself more refined than his European masters . He is a metaphysician from the cradle . He has his sacred books , far more numerous than those
of the Christians , and pretending , at least , to a higher antiquity than any other writings . His habits are temperance itself , and these form him to endurance , while the institution of caste makes him almost inaccessible to religious temptation , and ensures , according to human calculations > his
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Review . ~ + East-thdm Unitarian Tracts * 355
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1824, page 355, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2525/page/35/
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