The Scottish Presbyterian missionary Alexander Duff (1806-1878) was a pioneer of Christian education in India and a foremost leader of the world missionary movement of his day.

Alexander Duff was born in Moulin on April 25, 1806, into a pious family. He was a brilliant student at St. Andrews University. He was ordained in 1829 and immediately volunteered for missionary service in India. The first foreign missionary of the Church of Scotland, Duff stayed in India until 1863, although his term of service was twice interrupted by long furloughs (1834-1839 and 1850-1855) necessitated by overwork and ill health. During his stays in Scotland, he organized the home base and tried to lay a firm foundation for the work overseas.

Duff was firmly convinced that education was the key to responsible missionary work and nation building. Without minimizing the vital importance of a whole network of vernacular primary schools, he focused his attention...