Impact of William Ward on William Carey

By Derek Armstrong

William Ward’s A View of the History, Literature and Mythology of the Hindoos: Including a Minute Description of Their Manners and Customs, and Translations from Their Principle Works is his crowning achievement in describing the Hindu culture in the early 19^th century. Initially Ward published, in Serampore, the second volume of this work in 1815 and followed with the first volume in 1818.

Certainly a reason Ward would have for writing such a lengthy work would be to help with understanding of the Hindu religion, which the Serampore missionaries fought against on a daily basis. Much of the traditional practices opposed by the missionaries are covered, from suttee and infanticide to the festival of Juggernaut. Ward even goes to the lengths of telling an estimation of how many lives are lost annually to these acts.¹

Part of what the missionaries aimed to achieve was an end to the needless killing, and often murder, of innocent Hindus. Ward’s work could help those back in England or America, if not those working in India, to understand the great need for the work the missionaries were doing, as well as support for it.

Ward went on a fundraising tour of the United States and parts of Europe shortly after the second edition was fully published in 1819 in order to help support the newly founded Serampore College. This work would undoubtedly have been helpful in such a venture. While on the tour Ward was able to raise $26,000 and returned to India in 1821. Unfortunately Ward’s health had not been good for some time, and though he improved while away, he died in 1823.²

Certainly Ward’s impact on Carey was tremendous. Without the Master Printer Ward, Carey would have had much difficulty in printing his Bengali Bible, let alone any of the other works he completed. Ward’s work would have reflected the people that Carey was working with, teaching and preaching to and would have garnered understanding among those who read it to a deeper appreciation of the work being done at Serampore.

Ward’s work was published in later editions and in more volumes, a set of his four volume work is also housed at the Center for the Study of the Life and Work of William Carey, D.D., which could show the success Ward had with the work.

¹ http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/ward2/religion.htm. Accessed on January 8, 2009.

² Ibid.