The Mediterranean Sea

P&O Steamship Khedive, c1876,
P&O Steamship Khedive, c1876, Public domain image.

More than a change of weather, these “European waters” marked a turning point in Mozoomdar’s living conditions and resolve. Having moved to a cabin further below deck that afforded him additional space and refuge from the summer sun, he resumed preparations for his lectures.Note: 27Ibid, 26. PCM’s writing during this time indicates that he was preoccupied by issues of character. In a letter written to Saudamini, he lamented the difficulty of maintaining upright behavior amid the “luxury and sport and decadence” of those aboard the ship.Note: 28Ibid. Yet wariness of the passengers did not detract from Mozoomdar’s respect for the crew. In an article penned for The Interpreter, titled “The Organisation of a British Ship,” he lauded the captain and staff for so efficiently distributing and pursuing their responsibilities:

There is no interference, no idleness, no intention to deceive, no insolence, or insubordination. And that is the secret of Government, either in the church, or in the state, or in the household…. [Only then] can the bark of life steer on its onward course and reach in safety its remote destination.Note: 29Mozoomdar, “The Organisation of a British Ship,” The Interpreter 2, no.1 (1893): 29.

Here, as elsewhere, Mozoomdar saw in his surroundings the reflection of God’s teachings. Using the relationship of captain and crew as an example, he encouraged complete trust and obedience to God, the figurative captain at the helm of the “bark of life.”


  1. Ibid, 26.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Mozoomdar, “The Organisation of a British Ship,” The Interpreter 2, no.1 (1893): 29.