१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

ADDING FUEL TO FIRE
And this idea the Christian missionaries began to streng-
then themselves. In their street preachings at various
places, they used to say openly that India would soon be
Christianised. The Sirkar had already begun to pass one
law after another to destroy the foundations of the Hindu
and Mahomedan religions. Railways had already been
constructed, and carriages had been built in such a way as
to offend the caste prejudices of the Hindus. The larger
mission schools were being helped with huge grants from
the Sirkar. Lord Canning himself distributed thousands of
Rupees to every mission, and from this fact it is clear that
the wish was strong in the heart of Lord Canning that all
India should be Christian. Why, if the would-be converts
are afraid that they would lose their property by conver-
sion, a law shall at once be passed to prevent this !
Hardly had the missionaries exhausted their sermons
and lectures, when news came that a law had been passed
that all the rights and privileges of converts to the property
of their unconverted relatives should remain intact even
after conversion. Another fact also came to light, that
huge salaries were to be paid to the bishops and even
archbishops from the Indian treasury. The insistence of
every Englishman, from the highest officer in the Govern-
ment to the commonest missionary of the towns, had
reached such a pitch that the white superior in Govern-
ment offices began to insist on all the “ black ” clerks
under him to become Christian ! While the officers were
ready to lay the axe at the root of India's religions, at the
expense of India's money, themselves living on the fat
of India—the Government did not move at all in the
matter. For, what was the Government but Lord Canning
and his councillors ? And, this Canning and this Council
had surpassed all other officers in their holy zeal for
conversion and were feeding the missionaries with lakhs
of Rupees—those missionaries who defiled the people and
heaped unrestrained abuse on their sacred religions. Under
such circumstances, the people were reasonably afraid that
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