Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-08-11
The HORRORS Of IdoIatry.


Miss Harriet Britain is writing some in
teresting letters, depicting life in India, 10
the Christian at Work. From a recent one
we make the following extract, in which she
describes a religious gathering:
And now 10 turn TO q sad sight, which
witnessed during my visit to Allahabad.
went down 10 see Che mcia, at which thou-
sands Of pilgrims bad collected from all
/ parts Of the country. 1t is held on the strip
or tongue Of sandy ground which runs ont
between the two rivers. Here are erected
long rows of booths or stalls, aud the mei-
chants from all parts Of the continent bring
their wares here for sale. Beggars innu-
inerable, with all sorts Of diseases and defoim-
tiles, exposing these TO the public eye TO at
tract attention. ply their trade. Most Of
these sit ON the ground near the public road,
with a large, filthy cloth spread ON the
ground They sit on one end OF this, and IL
is kept from blowing up 10y large stones set
at the other end. On this cloth are different
little piles Of rice and wheat, aud % variety
Of other different kinds of grain, with one
little pile of pice, (this is small copper
COIN rather less in value than one cent? which
pile, however, was very small and another
pile Of cowries; this is shell which is used
as a coin believe forty Of them make
picc.
Pilgrims who go there for religious pur-
poses generally buy rice at the stalls, and a
they pass they will throw n few grains on
the pile of each OF these hcggnrs, as it is con-
sidered aa act Of merit 10 help each one
and though each person passing gives but
half dozen grains, yet from the multitude
that pass the aggregate amount becomes con-
siderable. The purpose for which pilgrims
come here is this they arc told that if at
this season of the year they bathe at this
spot, and are shaved, for every hair they shall
have q year of happiness in one of the hcay-
ems Of their gods. So on one portion of the
grounds you viii see ONE three or four hun
dred BARRIERS busily occupied shaving The
heads of men, women and children, and it
was marvellous 20 see the immense piles OF
hair collected. You could hardly believe il
possible Each one Of these BARRIERS is
obliged 20 pay tax of eight rupees 10 be
permitted 10 ply his trade here. Each man
also who has a shop here is obliged to pay
the government for a license TO sell his goods.
The shops or booths are arranged in regular
streets.
There was an immense crowd the day we
were there. It being one of the great days;
it was almost impossible 10 get near any Of
the booths to see what they had for sale
But we saw the thousands bathing, and the
thousands being shaved. But o the sad-
dest sight Of all was one street which ap.
peared to be entirely devoted TO falire oi.re-
ligious mendicants or devotees--men who
are supposed by self-indicted torturcs to have
become very holy, and to have overcome an
the passions and appetites Of the body.
There was arrayed long row Of booths, in
which were some OF the most hideous images
.ft g. l..1
ground in front of his own particular god.
winch IS also his personal property. lie j.
the priest who receives all gifts offered at
the shrine of his god. Most of them were
seated On filthy cloths, on which were piles
Of rice, grain. COW ries and pice, like the beg
gars, only their piles Of offerings were much
larger than the latter. They were also, in
many cases, surrounded 10y a number Of their
disciples, who profess profound admiration
for them, and whose duty it is 10 attend to
all their personal wants. and who are fed and
sustained by the gifts presented to the holy
men. But 10 describe these men themselves.
They were about the yilest looking crca-
lures that it is possible to describe; it made
YOU shuddcr to think that humanity could
be so degraded, aud that, too, under the
sacred name Of religion. These men were
all Of them almost entirely nude--uone of
them had any covering but one filthy little
piece of rag, not more than a fig leaf, and
this was all the clothing they wore. winter
aud summer. There were about three hun
dred of these wretches, and each ole had be-
come very holy 10y some method of self-tor-
ture. Their hair and boards were all long
and matted with filth their bodies smearcd
with mixture of cow-dnng and ashes; some
of them had thick mixture Of wlntewash,
or ttlt f.lu usffh ftrp fitraa
broad stripes, like blood, down the forehead.
In fact, every one of them was most loath.
some to look at.
One man felt very sorry for His body
was all most foully smeaed, but his face was
tolerablv clean, aud his hair and his beard
were all shaved off. lie was an old man,
with really a very mild, benevolent expires
sion lie sat on a bed of ashes. with four
fires built around him on either side; not, OF
course, close enough TO burn him. but close
enough 10 scorch him, and cause great sui-
ferng and of course he could not move to
relieve the pain, as the fire was on either
side. lie sat all the time with his eyes
fixed ON the ground, apparently never NOV
ing muscle except when he would take up
some OF the smouldering ashes and place
them on his bare, bald head. lie would
keep them there tin they were cold then re-
move them, TO replace them with others
equally hot
As stood and looked at this man could
only think of job. Tho same bowed, de-
iected form; the same sad, mounful, yet
patient almost holy expression that you al
WAYS imagine that saint of God had and
| could but ask myself. might not this
man really be in earnest in thinking he was
thus acceptahly worshippng his god And
Is - 10 4 10,
condemnation of many a one in our Christian
land, who never knew what self-denal was
for the sake Of Christi There was another,
a miserable looking creature, who for many
years had held his arms up over his head
with his hands crossed. At first, when he
began to do this he was obliged to have his
hands bound to poles, to keep them mp till
they stiftened in that position Another
there was who had kept his left arm up in
this position, and it had all shriveled up,
and his finger nails had grown three or four
inches long. A third had stood on one foot
for years he had sort of frame made to
which he was fastened by rope tied around
his waist, and from the upright part a piece
came out ON which he leaned his arm. They
said he had been in this position for eight
years. and that he never slept for more than
five minutes at time. Another laid CON
tentedly covered up with mud, as if be had
been buried, with just a place for him to
breathe and he laid thus every day, for eight
hours in the day. And they told me of
another, who had his feet fastened to the
roof of a hut, and had hung with his head
downward for eight hours every day. But
it would be impossible for me to describe all
the fearful self-imposed tortures that were
suffered by these poor creatures, in the name
of religion-thus, as they supposed, pur-
chasing for themselves future happiness. o,
how longed for them to know that
" Jesus paid Il all,
All the debt they owed"
aud all they had to do was to believe and
live. ! would cry out =" How long, o Lord,
holy and true, shall Satan thus triumph ?
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly and claim
these kingdoms for thine own. May thy
church awake, gird on her armor, and go
forth conquering and to conquer"