Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-11-02
Tho Fenst Of Lnrrernant.


From Notes OF Tourist IN the London Times
l saw nothing at all like licen.
tiousness during my tour and it is
a curious fact that this is the one
festival that empties all the zenanas
The women rive in crowds, mum.
bering fom thirty to forty each, il
some cases from long distances, each
woman bearing her Offering OF rice
flowers, fruit, etc, for the god. Nc
good Hindoo dares to refuse his wife
permission to assist in doing honor
to Juggernaut, and i. is possible that
there may be improprieties in some
way before the mass of the people
reach home, though l am convinced
that there is nothing of the kind on
the scale supposed by many good
people IN England, and what there
is must be apart from the festival.
The temple is q large enclosure,
and, when l saw it, was lighted up.
The enclosure was literally filed
with people, mostly, if not entirely,
women and children, all stretched
on the ground, asleep or trying to
sleep. Not a foot of the enclosure
was uuoccupied, In front Of the car
there is a much larger space Of ground
open TO the road, and it was similar
ly crowded, and SO we're the sides of
tho roads, highways and byways, Tor,
am sure, two miles. The full moon,
shining from a cloudless sky through
the picturesque bamboo, plantain,
and cocoanut palm on the white COW
erings-I can hardly say dress-and
uptutued faces the latter the very
picture OF placid serenity supplied
light and shade for a picture to which
the practical life Of Europe has no
counterpart, or anything at all APP
preaching one,
For about half a mile on each side
Of the car the centre OF the road was
densely crowded with men of all
casts and positions in life, laughing
and chattering with a noise that re-
sembled nothing so much as the dis.
tant roar Of the sea. And still the
bands OF women came stlolling in
from every road that led to the tenn
pie and the car and right glad many
OF them seemed when they had re-
lieyed themselves of their loads, and
thrown themselves down at the road
side to pass away the few hours be-
fore morning. They all-men and
women-courteously made way for
our horse, slowly led along the road.
They made way also for each other.
There was no drinking, no quarrel
ing, a few merry-go.rounds going
round, a few peep-showsopen, books,
and a thousand other articles for
sale several native Christian preach
ers denouncing J0ggernaut sturdy,
and no one interfering with them in
the least, but in many cases listening
quietly, and going away as quietly.
That is the scene, roughly sketched,
Of the night before the bathing of
Juggernaut.
l do not think there is a people in
the world who would so patiently
have heard their god denounced un-
der the very shadow of his temple
on the sacred ground certainly-on
the night before his great festival.
1t is a marvellous scene, and would
make the fortune OF a good artist
who could hit upon such a night for
a sketch as a few friends and l had
~ co., visv shis yaar om hnund
to sly that I believe the festival to
have been oftener dreadfully carica-
tnred than even passably, fairly por.
traYed in England. l am sure that
If Dean Stanley had been present,
and master Of the Bengalee tongue,
he would no more have preached to
that people than l would.