Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-13
The Hindoos.

When asked by Mohammedans or Christians
to change their religion they freely admit that
other mems religions are best for them they
only claim that Hindooism is best for Hindoos
10 put off their religion and put on that of the
Christians seems to them as absurd as it would
be to put off their light and graceful cotton
garments, SO well suited to the climate and to
put on swallow-tail coats and stove-pipe hats ;
and nearly as impossible as to change their
bronze and black complexiops, which wear 50
well, even into old age, for the marble faces
of Europeons, which are only good while youth
and health remain. As well renounce themsel-
yes as their religion, which enters into their
laws, manners, Notwithstanding their ma
tlonality, their civilization-forms the ground
work of all their selt-respect
One day, $fter noisy and idolatrous pro-
cession of the IIindoos had taken place, happen
ing to meet u Brahmin whom we had often met
for the purposes Of business, we inquired of
him why it vast that his people worshipped idols.
His reply would have done honor to Plato.
g What you see is only the outside of our reli-
gon, the costume, the fashion of the common
people Men of sense everywhere, in all rell-
gons, worship the One God. Our outside ways
and forms are strange to you, as yours are
us; but, underneath all this outside show and
dress, we unite in the same substantial truth. "
But why allow these idols, and especially such
coarse and foolish ones? "Children have dolls
and toys to help out their thoughts, and so the
common people must have their idols, often
rude ones Why do you not teach them bet
ter? That is hard take from them their
idols, their outside forms and helps, and we
take from them also the internal reality we
confuse their weak and ignorant minds Igno-
rant and foolish people will and must have
foolshness in their religion In your country
have not the ignorant people foolish notions and
ways in religion ?" This home thrust was as
unexpected as it was effective.
With his utmost tenacity of his right to be
let alone in his religion, the Hindoo never as
sumes that the religions of other men are bad
and false. He believes that to them their reli-
gions are true and sacred as his is to him. He
, is educated to hold firmly his own religion, and
to respect the conscences, feelings and preudi-
ces of others. We are educated to believe that
we have in our religion monopoly of all reli-
glous truth and merits; that other religions are
false and wicked that it is one of our solemn
duties to invade the religions of others, to thrust
faith upon them in all ways except by force.
1t is not enough that we prefer Christa nifty
above all other religions we are called upon
to hate other religions Even from Unitar ian
, writers, often charged with carrying their lber
ality to such an extreme as to evince indfer
ence to all religion, we could make quotations
. showing that the also might take lessons in lib
, erality from the Hindoos. The example of the
Hindoos proves that boundless liberality to 9th
er religions is entirely consistent with the mos
argent, aed even fanatical attachment to onel
e own The 60 CREASED cartridge" rebellion is O
S itself sufficient proof that the Hindoos are mo-
chargeable withreligious intolerance. Neither
need anybody be, though liberal and tolerant
t to the widest extent Strange that we should
d be importinginto New England facts and argu
= ments from the antipodes to prove a point like
G this.-Christian Examiner