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, preëminently, 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.
I would not say that a man who has not a good command of the vernacular of a people cannot be to them a good missionary; for a few of the best missionaries I know, speak the vernacular wretchedly. But I _do_ emphasize the fact that proficiency here is of prime importance and I would also add that it should be the first work of a missionary after entering his field. To dawdle with the language the first year, is, generally speaking, to fail in acquiring it at all.