January 3rd, 1913

THE inclusion of the Rev. Father Strong, of the Oxford Mission to Calcutta, in the New Year Honours is not merely a tribute to him and to the Mission of which he is a member, but also to the work of the communities in India. The Kaisar-i-Hind medal is a highly esteemed award to those who have served India, and certainly no service could be of more value than that which is given by the Community at Barisal. The work comes here in close touch with the lives of the humbler people, and is thus complementary to the work at Calcutta and in Dacca, which deals more directly with the cultured section of native life, especially through the able little magazine "The Epiphany" and the control of hostels for University students under the supervision of Father Browne, the superior. At Barisal the community faces the problems of Bengalee life. It supplies the medical, the physical, the religious needs of the people. The beautiful church is conducted in full sympathy with legitimate national aspirations and with rich love for the Indian people. The industrial schools and the village schools are widely recognized as models of their kind. Father Strong has guided this difficult work with knowledge and insight, and the fact that the Indian Government has recognized the value of his work does credit, not merely to him and to the Community, but to the Indian Government itself.