Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-05-19
Tina Idol Car of the Rindoos,'

Va uNys "uCu iao plSaty.
The Idol Car of the Iiind00s.'
The Missionary Herald for February
gives the following interesting intelligence.
Dr. Scudder, in Company with his son, Wis.,
aied Cojeyeram, AZ miles from Madras.
This spot is considered by the Hindoos q
holy place, and an annual festival is held
The in honor of Vishnu. which brings to-
gather large number OF dolatrous wor.
shippers. DR.. Scudder and his son deter
mined to proceed thilher and bear testimony
sg inst The follies Of abe people. From
the j,urnal Of the son of Dr.. Scudder, we
give the following account of she drawing
of,h idol carr
''rhis is enc uf the great days of the
feast, and is signalized by the drawing the
car. Early in the day we went out 10 wit
mess the imposing spectacle. Tho bright
: sun thai Jehovah made, flooded sky and
earth with etfulgence- Were it not an in.
anima;e luminary, surely it would have
v,i!ed its face with midnight sorrow, as it
& zed upon the scene that passed before my
eys. How shall we describe ii? vast
:. multitude. whose heads ere like the wav.
ing ears Of wheat upon an illimltable grain
f,.d, filed up the broad avenue along
which the huge car was drawn. 1t was
Indeed mighty structure, towering above
9 tops of the palm trees. 1t was gaudi-
ly decked with crimson trappings; and
glit,ering umbrella adorned its pinnacle.
i.s massive wheels moved slowly and ma
j 'sticaly through the sand. Monstrous,
misshapen forms, like dragons of giant
$ re, grnned and leered hideously on lis
lolr sides; and images of horses, in eaping
attitude, were pr, jected from his 'front.'
O. the fore part Of the car, about half way
Up the edifee, Brahmins stood waving long
sni graceful deer hair brushes to the crowd
below, willie men, packed on the sides OF
lhs car, busted the nselves in letting down
ropes With bags attached, and drawing up
the spoi!s which the people deposited in
the n.
"Four cables of enormous size, such as
10 ship on the ocenn carries, stretched far
tw.y in front OF the car, lying like ana
co idas on the necks and heads Of the half
maddened throng, who grasping them, and
bearing upon them with their full strength,
moved the towering vehicle slowly along
Between the rope were Brahmins, old and
young, waving cloths and sticks hung with
small whito banners, cheering the Iaalti.
tude forward in their task. Now the
throng would stop, weary with their labor;
and now the shout would rise up with a
grea. rush Of voices along the cables, and
once more they would give their shoulders
10 tie toisome work. | never saw such a
sight. TIE ocean-like crowd parted and
met around The cur, like The waters around
an island The old, the middle aged, the
young were there. Aged Brakmins, with
white hairs, were there; and there, toe
were infants, y ing on the necks Of delicate
women.
"Anong the deluded worshippers, SOW
some who bore native cocoa nuts in their
hands. These they cracked, and then
held the discovered portions, with uplifleG
arm, before their idol god Others stooe
at some distance in advance Of the car
shrowing themselves flat upon their faces
in the hot sun, to do homage 10 the sense
less image.
"My soul was filled with horror at Ihi.
sight. Having been occupied several days
together with my father. in preaching
against idol worship, and proclaiming The
true God, fe!ta little apprehension before
going out, lest meet with some insult OF
violence; but when bebeld this scene, in
dignotion took the place of apprehension
i ielt that was not afraid OF them, and il
there was augh. for.which could lay down
my life, II would be possible for me 10 dc
it m testimony against this abominable
idolatry.
81 saw other things of painful interest
d. 1f l. e..
,astic, and sotno in hideous habilaments
passed here and there among the people
sinkling their cymbuls and collecting aims
In one group saw on aged man, beating
time on the cvmbal, while two boys per
formed most groesque dance to the de
light Of the older, and the offright Of tt,
younger persons ofthe crowd. One fth'
boys had on great red flaming mask
made like boar's head; and the other ua
dressed like an old man with flowing beard
The manned, the deformed crept along
asking uln1s. One mendcant passed me
through whose cheeks and mouth notice
that an iron rod was passed. Elephant
moved hither and thither 10 beg. On
came up TO me, and putting out his trunk
uttered low noise at the command of tn
diver.
'sOn:lhe evening Of the following Cay
the brethren set out upon their return |
Madras During the eight days whic
they spent at Conjeyeran, they preache
the gospel to more than two thousand pc
7sons. in abeu: $50 companies. The
we're all good readers, selected from Il
crowd BY q Test applied by native Chri
ian.''
Thackeray, thr ugh the mouth of M
sCbaHies Yellowplush, describes sea,sic
ness, as 'ea lealen, in fhe fust place singln
n the next place panefui, and q. last COZ
pletely overpowerin." /"