Christian missions in the Telugu country - Uecf.net

Poor
relief.
i8o MISSIONS IN THE TELUGU COUNTRY
country cloth of which it is generally made lasts a long
time ; moreover, our Christians are themselves mostly
weavers. Their houses, too, are built by their own
hands, and the land on which they are built is allotted by
custom to the caste, and is held rent free. Again, the
food of the people consists mainly of the various kinds
of grain which are grown in the fields of the village. Our
people themselves work in the fields, and receive grain at
certain times as wages. All these things go to Ughten
the burden of their poverty, but the fact remains that for
a great part of the year many get but one meal a day,
and that not a large one.
Nevertheless the part that the Mission has to under-
^g^Q jj^ ^jjg matter of poor relief is not so extensive as
might appear, and this for the following reasons. In
the first place, India has no Poor Law, but the custom
is everywhere recognised that it is a man's duty to
support even his most distant relations who are in want.
This custom is well observed, though it is also sometimes
abused, especially among the higher castes.
Again, India is mainly agricultural, and labour on the
land is much more common than any other form of
labour. Almost all the people in our villages are brought
up to it, and at certain times there is a great demand
for labour, so much so that even artisans wiU leave their
occupations to work on the land.
Even in times of scarcity the Sudi'as, so long as their
stocks of corn last, will help those who usually work
for them. Among the merchants, too, and among other
well-to-do persons, the merit of giving to beggars is
strongly believed in, and the children of the poor are