Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1865-08-30
The Idle Gau.
NUMBER XVIII.

what are sometimes called the Sacred
Cattle of India; and he promised to re-
turn to the matter again as it led to an
interesting subject-interesting because
it gives us glympses back into an ancient
world and discloses che faint traces of
more ancient religious thought.
The researches of Layard among the
ruins of the ancient Nineoch, brought to
view, sculptures in stone of human
headed Bulls, of gigantic size and so
covered with emblems as to show that
they were somehow connected with re-
ligious worship, not as idols, but as SYM
bOlic representations speaking to the eye,
the qualities of supreme spiritual power.
The less informed mass may have SO re-
garded them as to worship the mere ex-
teTnal form, for the less informed of
every age, lose the inner spiritual truth
and became literal and sensuous. This
connection ofthe Bull with sacred subjects,
and as a correspondence with spiritual
truth and worship was widely spread,
throughout the East and that it had also
spread into Egypt, one may see by the
account given of the Golden Calf. And
from the account of the God Iswara, in
the Hindoo system, travelling on the
Bull Nandi, we can see the deep hold,
the form would have on the Oriental
mind. In the laspe of time, this feeling
led the mass of people except of the
lowest grade of outcasts to avoid the pro-
duct Of the coW-as food. The flesh of
the animals would be avoided as food for
another reason it was one of their COM
mandments not to take animal life, and
in their doctrine of the Transmigration
of souls through various classes of ami
mails, according to the quality of its life
while in a human body they came to
think that every animal contained the
soul of former human being. The race
of cattle, sometimes called Sacred, were
supposed to contain the soul Of a Brah-
man the superior caste in India, and to
these more than common regard was
paid, and hence, more than from any
other cause, the sacred cattle gained their
rank.
If the lesson Will be needed, the civil
lied world, as it calls itself will learn not
to disregards the mental habits, of a great
and numerous people with which 1t
comes in contact and which it may at
tempt to sway. The people of India are
divided into castles, and certain acts Of
impurity. even of touch, are held as
| pollution, and cause the degradation Of
the unfortunate victim, so that his rela-
tions will forever disown and shun him
The great revolt Of the Sepoys in India,
was caused mainly by a belief among
them, that the cartridges which they
would be required to bite in loading theil
mnskets had been CREASED with beef ia
low. Orthodox contempt for Pagar
ideas may think itself degraded by Civ
ing any heed to their notions and that i
would be even a cunning thing to over
come their prejudices by circumvention
This disregard of the long settled menta
habits of people, whether a needless
act or studied act, produced the grea
and bloody revolt in India. The history
of the world shows that whole people
will almost insensibly take on the exter.
nal forms of another religion, but tina
the lapse of long ages will not suffice tC
remove the continued sway of their ole
tenets, which will be cherished in the
household, secretly taught from father tt
son, and from mother to child.
All nations value themselves chiefly
and they underrate all other nations o.
which they know but little. And oul
own people when looking upon cOllec
ton Of animals from other parts of The
world, and among them cattle of an un
usual form, as Sacred Cattle which the
people of India are said to worship, vii
readily give credence to the story. Blu
from what the IDLE MAN has here said
they may learn that the long settled
thinkings of a people cannot be rudol!
! torn away without evil results, and tina
.; if we would do them good by removing
] evil and displacing error, We must do i
. gently and in patience.