Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-08-20

the Christian at Work. From recent one
we make the following extract, in which
she describes religious gathering:
And now TO turn TO a sad sight which l
witnessed during my visit TO Allahabad.
1 went down 10 sec the meLd, at which
thousands of pilgrims had collected from
all parts OF the country. 1t is held on the
strip or tongue of sandy ground which
runs out between the two rivers. Here are
erected long rows of booths or stalls, aud
the merchants from all parts of the conli-
nent bring their wares here for sale. Beg
gars innumerable, with all sorts of diseas-
es and delormities, exposing these TO the
public eye TO attract attention, ply their
trade. Most of these sit on the ground
near the public road, with large filthy
cloth spread on the ground. They sit on
one end of this, and it is kept from blow
ing up by large stones set at the other end.
On this cloth are different little piles of rice
and wheat, and a variety OF other different
kinds of grain, with one little pile OF pice,
(this is a small copper coin, rather less in
value than our cent? this pile, however,
was very small, and another pile of cow
ries; this is a shell which Is used as a coin;
L believe forty of them make pice.
Pilgrims who go there for religious pur-
poses generally buy rice at the stalls, and
as they pass they will throw a few grains
on the pile of each of these beJgars, as it
is considered an act of merit to help each
but half dozen grains, yet from the multi
itude that pass the aggregate amount be-
comes considerable. The purpose for which
pilgrims come here is this: they are told
that if at this season of this year they bathe
at this spot and are shaved, for every hair
they shall have year of happiness in one
of the heavens of their gods. So ON one
portion of the grounds you will see some
three or four hundred BARRIERS busiy occu-
pied shaving the heads of men, women and
children, and it was marvellous TO see the
immense piles of hair collected. You
could hardly believe it possible. Each one
of these BARRIERS is obliged to pay tax of
eight rupees TO be permitted to ply his
trade here. Each man also who has 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 TO get near any of
TIE booths to see what they had for sale.
But we saw the thousands bathing, and tho
thousands being shaved. But OF the sad
dest sight of all was one street which APP
peared TO he entirely devoted 10 fakirs, or
religious mendicants or devotees-men
who are supposed by self-intlicted tOrtures
| 10 have become very holy, and to have
| overcome all the passions and appetites OF
| the body. There was arrayed long row
of booths, in which were some of the most
hideous images of the gods, and each holy
| man sat on the ground in front of his own
particular god, which is also his personal
| property. He is the priest who receives all
| gins offered at the shrine of his god. Most
| of them were seated on filthy cloths, on
which were piles of rice, grain, cowries
and pice, like the beggars, only their piles
| of offerings were much larger, than those
of the latter. They were also in many cas-
es surrounded by a number of their disci-
| pies, who profess a profound admiration
| thpnt and "a hose Inty il il In nIipu6
| all their personal wants, and who are fed
and sustained by the gifts presented TO the
holy men. But to describe these men
themselves.
They were about the vilest looking crea-
| lures that it is possible TO describe; ii
makes one shudder that humanity could
be so degraded, and that, too, under the
| sacred name of religion. These men were
| all of them most entirely nude-none OF
| them had any covering but one filthy little
| piece of rag, not more than a Zig leaf, and
| this was all the clothing they wore winter
and summer. There were about three hun
| dred of these wretches, and each one had
| become very holy by some method OF self
torture. Their hair and boards were all
| long and matted with filth ; their bodies
smeared with mixture of cow-dung and
ashes some of them had a thick mixture
of whitewash or white plaster, with one,
two or three broad stripes like blood down
| the forehead. In fact, every one of them
was most loathsome 10 look upon.
One man ielt very sorry for. His body
| was all most foully smeared, but his face
was tolerably clean, and his hair and his
| beard were all shaved oil. He was an old
man, with really a very mild, benevolent
expression. He sat on bed of ashes, with
| four fires built around him on either side (;
not of course close enough TO burn him,
but close enough to scorch him and cause
great suffering; and of course he could
| not move TO relieve the pain, as the fire was
on either side. He sat all the time with
his eyes fixed on the ground, apparently
never moving muscle, except when he
would take up some Of the smouldering
ashes and place them on his bare bald head.
| He would keep them there Till they were
| cold, then remove them to replace them
| with others equally hot.
AS l stood and look ed at this man could
| only think OF Job. The same bowed, de-
| jected form; the same sad, mOurntul, yet
patient, almost holy expression that You al
ways imagine saint Of God had L could
| not but ask myself might not this man re-
ally be in earnest in thinking he was thus
acceptably worshping his god? And if so,
would not he rise up at the last day in con-
| domination of many a one in our Christian
| land who never knew what self denial was
for the sake of Christ? There was another,
a miserable looking creature, who for ma
ny years had held his arms up over his
head with his hands crossed. At first,
TO have his hands bound 10 poles, to keep
them up till they stifiened 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 were
| grown three or four inches long. A third
had stood on foot for years; he had sort
| OF frame made to which he was fastened
by a rope tied around his waist, and from
the upright part 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 a
time Another laid contentedly covered
up with mud, as if he had been buried,
with Just 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 10 the roof of hut,
| and had hung with his head downward for
eight hours every day. But it would be
| impossible for me to dest ribe all the fear
| full self-imposed tortures that were suffer-
| ed by these poor creatures in the name of
religion-thus, as they supposed, purchas-
ing for themselves future happiness. o,
how longed for them to know that
'Jesus paid it all,
All the debts they owed"
and all they had TO do was to believe and
| live. 1 would cry out: "HOw long, o
Lord, holy and true, shall Satan thus tri-
umph? Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly
| and claim these Kingdoms for Thine own.
May thy church awake, grid on her armor,
and go forth conquering and to conquer"
The longest night in Norway lasts
three months; and when a young man
goes to see his girl, her mother, before re-
firing, tells her not to ruin her health by
sitting up more than two months.
"A Great Darlington young man could
not get up courage enough 10 "pop the