Dr. Scudder's Tales for Little Readers, About the Heathen

In Short

This non-fiction work serves as both a detailed missionary tract and a catalog of foreign religious customs, written directly to American Sunday school students. Combining ethnographic observations compiled from contemporary writers with fervent evangelical exhortations, it details the social systems, worship practices, and daily life of the Hindoo population alongside brief glimpses of Burmah and China. The author uses these striking, often tragic accounts of non-Christian rites to convince young readers of the immediate necessity of personal faith, tithing, and devoting their lives to global missionary service.

The Story

The narrative arc begins with an intimate, domestic childhood memory, establishing a personal bond with the reader before pivoting outward to a sweeping survey of non-Western culture and religion. The progression moves systematically through the physical, social, and spiritual landscape of India. Early sections carefully delineate the visible aspects of daily life, including personal ornaments, caste-specific forehead marks, modes of dress, housing, and complex etiquette. These details lead into explanations of structural societal traditions, such as arranged marriage, widowhood, and the strict boundaries of the four main castes created from the body of Brumha.

As the text deepens, it transitions from outward customs to the complex domain of religious worship. The argument presents a vast, confusing pantheon, focusing heavily on specific rituals, public festivals like Pongul, and the worship of sacred creatures and rivers. Particular attention is paid to the intense physical devotions performed for divinities such as Durga and Karle, including hook-swinging and self-mortification, as well as historical accounts of widow-burning. Throughout these descriptions, the exposition continually pauses to contrast these practices with Christian doctrines, framing the rites as heartbreaking delusions born of a lack of scriptural knowledge.

In its concluding movement, the focus shifts from observation to action. The text turns directly toward the Western church, reviewing the labors and triumphs of missionaries across India, Ceylon, Burmah, and China. It showcases letters and examples of young children who have sacrificed personal luxuries—such as candy, toys, or new books—to earn money for tithing and Bibles. The argument culminates in an urgent, direct appeal to the reader's conscience. Warning of the eternal stakes of the soul and the finality of the judgment seat, the author urges immediate repentance, regular tithing, and a commitment to enter the mission field.

How It Unfolds

The domestic opening The author recalls learning childhood prayers at his mother's knee, using this personal memory to establish a warm, direct dialogue with young readers before introducing foreign lands.

Observing daily customs The text details the physical appearances, distinctive ornaments, elaborate greetings, and strict social etiquette that govern daily interactions and family life across different castes.

Mapping the religious pantheon Detailed descriptions outline the vast collection of deities, temple architecture, daily sacrifices, music, and seasonal festivals like the three-day celebration of Pongul.

Documenting painful devotions The focus turns to intense religious rites, describing self-torture, hook-swinging rituals, deception by local priests, and the historical practice of burning widows on funeral pyres.

Demonstrating missionary impact Accounts from Ceylon, Burmah, and China illustrate the transformative effect of gospel teachings on individuals, including a young girl who converts her mother through persistent prayer.

Mobilizing the young reader The narrative concludes with real letters from children who saved their pennies, challenging the reader to dedicate their own funds, prayers, and lives to the missionary cause.

The People

The Missionary Author He acts as the central guiding voice and narrator throughout the work. Driven by a deep sense of religious urgency, he aims to educate Western youth while persuading them to dedicate their wealth, prayers, and future labor to foreign missions.

The Young Christian Reader Framed as the primary recipient of the book's message, this composite figure represents the ideal Western child. They are repeatedly challenged to reflect on their spiritual privileges, give up small luxuries like candy, and choose between personal selfishness and divine service.

The Hindoo Widow Appearing in illustrative narrative accounts, she represents the tragic human cost of traditional rites within the author's argument. Dressed in fine apparel before the funeral pile, her initial composure gives way to terror, serving as a dramatic plea for evangelical intervention.

The Little Girl of Oodooville A thirteen-year-old student at a Ceylonese boarding school who gives her heart to Christ. Despite her mother's initial anger and threats of punishment, her persistent weeping and night-long prayers ultimately lead her mother to abandon idol worship and embrace Christianity.

In Its Own Voice

Married women wear an ornament peculiar to themselves... This ornament is never taken off, unless her husband dies.

After a husband's death, the woman is stripped of her special jewelry, has her head shaved by a barber, and enters a life of social degradation.

In a great vessel, filled with water, they put saffron and other things... go around the cows and oxen belonging to the house several times, sprinkling them with water.

This ritual takes place during the third day of the Pongul festival, when livestock are painted, adorned with garlands, and honored by the household.

The giving of not less than one-tenth of all you earn, for charitable purposes, is the principle which I wish to have impressed fully on your minds...

The author urges young readers to establish a lifelong habit of systematic tithing to support international missionary labor.

What It's Really About

Underneath its ethnographic descriptions and anecdotes, the book is an extended argument about Christian stewardship, personal responsibility, and spiritual urgency. It posits that spiritual knowledge carries a profound moral obligation: those who possess the Bible are directly responsible for the salvation of those who do not. The text frames global missionary work not merely as an abstract institutional effort, but as a vital, immediate duty belonging to every individual, regardless of age or wealth. By contrasting Western privilege with the intense, costly devotions of non-Christian worshipers, it challenges readers to evaluate their own devotion, arguing that true faith requires tangible sacrifice, financial generosity, and personal dedication.

Why Read It Today

This text offers modern readers an unvarnished primary view into 19th-century American evangelicalism and the cultural assumptions that drove the international missionary movement. It provides a striking look at how foreign cultures were translated, framed, and presented to young audiences in Sunday schools during the period. The prose moves at a lively, conversational pace, combining vivid observational detail with direct, uncompromising appeals to the reader.

Reading the work today requires navigating historical attitudes that are distinctly product of their era. The narrative presents non-Western religious traditions through a lens of stark, exclusive theology, frequently viewing complex cultural systems with harsh judgment. Yet, for readers interested in religious history, the sociology of childhood indoctrination, or 19th-century Western views of Asia, it remains a compelling historical document. It reveals the extraordinary lengths to which early missionary writers went to stir the sympathies, open the purses, and shape the worldviews of the generation rising in their pews.