The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-02-09
THE BRAHMO SOMAJ.
a Succinct Account Of dIe New aud =
trRcfIVe TheIstic BeIigI "a of IDd.H.


Every year, about Christmas, write
Moncure ID. Conway in one of his letter
from London, a little pamphlet is sent
around to those interested in the religi-
Gus phenomena OF India, giving some ac-
count of the years progress of the Brah-
mo SOmaj, Theistic church of that coun-
try. This year we learn that their
blanches-that its churches, each of
which has small affiliated societies
amount to one hundred. This repre-
sents the labors OF forty-seven years, and
the results are not small if the condition
of India and the far-reaching nature OF
the religious and social heresies or the
new society are taken into consideration.
THE FOUNDER.
The Brahmo Somaj owes its origin to
Rajah Ram Mohun Roy. He founded,
three and half years before his death
(Jan. %, 1830), what he called society of
God, and the anniversary is still kept
with great solemnity, called Maghotsab
(feast of Magh, or January, and lasting
about a week This rajah had for his
object 10 induce MS cOuntrymCn to for
sake idOlatry and to unite persons Of all
creeds in a simple mOnotheistic worship.
He translated the moral portions of the
| New Testament, ,omitting all miracles as
| tending in his opinion, ia foster belief in
similar miracles told Of Hindu gods, and
| therefore likely 10 encourage superstition.
/ The untimely death Of the raah let the
! society without leader for
nine years, when there arose an
able man, Dehandra Nath Tagorc,
who gathered up the society, cs-
tablished a journal, printed some treat
ises for distribution, and did the still
more important work of inducing the
wOrshipers TO give up their belief in the
divine authority OF their bible (the
vedas). After the BrahmOs ceased, thus,
to be vedantic sect, they hourished
steadily, and had already a good many
branches when their present leader,
BABU KEsHUB CHUNDER SEN,
united with them. Before his time it
had been chiefly an intellectually heretical
movement, but Sen was much impressed
with the Inconsistency Of their position
with many of the customs and practical
principles of India, which had grown
out of the old creed. 30 he hogan to
preach of a new line of reform, the abol-
ition of caste, and the emancipation Of
the women from /eZana. This gradually
caused a divergence between the CON
servativc and progressive elements of the
Somai, and at length the younger wing
detached itself-eleven years agO-leav-
ing behind all the property, but carrying
off all the vital principles of the move
ment The present "BTahma Somaj of
India" is this fresh organization of 1866,
which elected unanimously God as "the
head of the Somai," and has never had
any human president. The principles of
the society were successfully started in
the same year by Sen at the opening Of
the Metropolitan church of the society
in Calcutta.
"To day, b. divine grace, the public
worship Of God is instituted in these
premises for the use of Brahmo commu-
nifty. Every day-at leat every week
the
ONE ONLY GOD
without a second, the perfect and infinite,
the creator Of all, ommiprescnt, almighty,
all-knowing, all-merciful and all-holy,
shall be worshiped in these premises. No
created object shall be wOrshiped here.
No man or inferior being or natural OBJ
ject shall be wOrshiped here, as identical
with God or like unto God, or as
an incarnation of God; and no
prayeror hymn shall be offered or chanted
unto or in the name Of any except God.
No carved or painted image, no external
symbol which has been or may hereafter
be used by any sect for the purpose of
worship, or the remembrance Of par
ticulaT event, shall be preserved here. No
creature shall be sacrificed here. Neither
eating nor drinking, nor any manner Of
mirth or amusemen,s shall be allowed
here. No created being or object that
has been or may hereafter be Tidiculed or
cOntemned in the course OF the divine
service to be conducted here. No book
shall be acknowledged or revered as the
infallible word of God yet no book
which has been or may hereafter be aC-
knowledged by any sect to be infallible
shall be ridiculed or condemned No
sect shall be ridicuied, vilified OF hated.
No prayer, hymn, sermon or discourse to
be delivered or used here shall counten-
ance or encourage any mannor OF idola-
try, sectarianism or sin. Divine service
shall be conducted here in such spirit and
manner as may enable all men and women,
irrespective of distinction Of caste, color
and condition, TO unite in the family,
eschew all manner Of error and sin, and
advance in wisdom, faith and righteous
ness. The congregation or Brahma Man
dir of India shall worship God in their
premises according TO the rules and prin-
ciples hereinbefore set forth. Peace
peace peace!'
SPREAD OF THE NEW GOSPEL.
Rabu X. c. Sen also laid down (in
1869 eight general precepts enjoining
daily prayer, loving every one as broth
er or sister, truthfulness, kindness, JUS
tice, forgiveness of injuries and peace
making, self restraint, ssand chastity, do
nestle affection and flial reverence.
Here is observable among them as among
other Oriental nationalist q strong love
Of Christ asso ciated with an antipathy
to any kind Of christianity. They
are teetOtalers, and are fighting vigor-
ouslv against the drinking habits
which the English have imported. They
are doing 20 much for all moral and so
cial reforms, especially such as promote
the education and welfare of women,
that the British authorities in India
have OF late been recognizing them as an
important force in public affairs. Lord
Mayo and Lord NOrthbrook, especially,
them a great deal, and no
doubt the present victory will find them
G Gually useful. II is not little remark
a ble that the Brahmos should have al
re adv obtained from the English govern
ment in In dia that which the teetotalers
have for years vainly striven in England
strong restriction on the sale Of
ALCOHOL LIQUORS.
In Calcutta and HOwrah all sales Of
spirits are forbidden under heavy fines,
between "sunset and sunrise" and debts
for liquor are not recoverable by law
and for every municipality there is a
permissive prohibition law, by which the
Justices can withdraw ali licenses TO sell
spirits if they think the good Of the COM
munity requires it. may add that the
Brahmos are always pretty generally
vegetarians, in this they have not seen
fit TO depart from the custom of their
country. Babu Keshub Chunder Sen
told me that his first sight Of an English
table loaded with meats made him shud-
der, aud it seemed TO impress him as q
kind of cannibal feast. That this sect
will ever he able 10 command the future
of India is not probable, for they stand
in an attitude of suspicion and dread to-
ward the sciences of this country, for
which the youth of India are so hungry;
4 L L A N.s.asr aHaar