The Government, however, made good these
property losses. In the fall, the missionaries
resumed aggressively missionary worL

October 25th, 1857, is a date to be remem-
bered by all interested in the development of the
Mission. On that Sabbath day, two men, the
first fruits of missionary service, stood up to-
gether to receive baptism. The positions occu-
pied in Indian society by these two converts
gave a significance to this service, which only
those acquainted with the meaning of the In-
dian caste system will appreciate. One, Ram
Bhajan by name, was an educated high caste
Hindu. The other, Jauhari, was an aged ig-
norant member of the despised Chuhra class of
outcastes.* Thus, at the first accession to the
Church, the future of the Mission's work was
fully safeguarded against the evil which char-
acterized Romish missions, — ^that of permitting
within the Church caste distinctions. Thus,
too, did God grants at the outset, in these two
converts. His pledge of success among the low

• For description of Chohras, see pages 63, 228, 229.
THE SIALKOT MISSION 19»

and degraded at the bottoiti of Indian societj,
and the low and degraded at the top of Indian
society.
A church building which was much needed
in Sialkoty was at last completed, all the funds
for this having been secured in India. On
August 14th, 1859, this church building, the
Mission's first, was dedicated.
The Mission school for non-Christians in
Sialkot, continued to be well attended, although
the avowal of Bal Krishn, one of the Brahman
boys, of himself as a Christian, brought the at-
tendance down, temporarily, from ninety to
fifteen. This young lad withstood severe oppo-
sition confessing Christ, but subsequently ike
Mission lost sight of him entirely.
