The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-16
Scenes ON the Ganges.

The great sight Of Benares is the bath
ing in the Ganges. We rose carly an
drove down to the river, and, getting
boat, were rowed slowly for hours mn an
down the stream, It is lined with tenn
Piles and palaces, which descend to tn
water by flights of steps or ghauts, whic]
at this hour are thronged with deyou
Hindoos. By hundreds and thousand
they come down 10 the rivers brink
men, women and children. and wade in
not swimming, but standing in tile water
plunging their heads and mumbling thei
prayers, and performing their libations b,
taking the water in their hands and cast
ing it toward the points of the compass a
an act of worship to the celestial powers
especially to the sun.
As the boatmen rested on their oar
that we might observe the strange scene
C. started with horror to see a corpse il
the water. It was already half decayed
and obscene birds were tiuttering over it
But this is too common sight in Benarel
to raise any emotion in the breast eff til,
Hindoo, whose PRAYER is that he NAV Ji,
or the banks of the Ganges. Does hi,
body drift down with the stream. or be
come food for the fowls of the air. his
soul floats to its final rest in the Deity a,
sure as the Ganges rolls onward to the sea
But, look here Is another scene. VIZ
are approaching the Burning ehaut. and
see piles of wood and burning bodies and
smoke and flame. / babe the boatmau
draw to the shore that we might have d
clearer view of this strange sight. Walk.
ing along the bank, we came close to the
| funeral piles. Several were ready, wait
| ing to be lighted. It is the custom OF
| the Hindoos that the nearest male rela.
| tive applies the torch. Here was a body
just dressed for the last rites. 1t was
wrapped in coarse garments, perhaps all
that affection could give. Beside it stood
q woman watching it with eager eyes,
Ies. any ruue mana should toucn the form
wnicn, tnougn dead, was sui beloved,
anu was soon 70 DC put asnes, ana noat
away upon the BOSOM OF lhe sacred river
announcer PIE was already ilghted, and
burning herceiy: l stooo close 10 1t TIL
uriVen away ny neat ana smoke. AS the
,ames eioseu ROUND the form, portiohs OF
.ne pogy were exposed. NOW tne mar
was C'nsuuieu III nash, leaving .he pare
sk9il no" lne IeeI showed from me other
eIu VI sne PIE. ~ was gnastly sigDt;
Iii, ~ noli III Su'eli niieu .he an, anu
s.ni Tue piic gioweu IKE furnace,
cracking win tne intense heat, and shot
uus tongues oI name anat seemed eager 10
iiGa ~ every ulop VI Dlood.
ernaps no Stranger Gan enter INTO the
ieeling WIN Wnlcn tne oeyoat Hlndoo re-
gaaus tn i sacred river. HoWeVeN we ap-
Pioacn t.e great river OF inala, we nnd
Meal'n u reservations gatherlng around IL
such as belongs 10 no other river on the
laee ~ tne ear!h; No olner Is so inti-
uaa1iy uonlec'eu WIN tne history ana tne
WHOLE ne Oh people. olner rivers nave '
a poe;,oai VI pa'rio.,c ass1cia.ions. Inc
an IL is9auS Mp. "a'cll On .ie liper'
D o. ;ne nou pea1 uermans keep walcn on tne
iiit, Hor u rxrstGHSe, 4St IL III
these respects, the only river in the world
which approaches the Ganges is the Nile.
What the Nile is to Egypt, the Ganges is
to part of India, giving life and verdure
to plains that but for it were desert. As
it bursts through the gates of the Hlma-
layas, and sweeps along with resisiless
current, cooling with its icy breath the
hot plains of India, and giving fertility to
the rice fields of Bengal, it may well seem
to the Hindoo the greatest visible emblem
of Almighty power and infinite benln-
cence.
But it is more than an emblem. The
ancient Egyptians worshiped the Nile as
god, and in this they had the same feel
ing which now exists among the Hlndoos
in regard tc the Ganges. 1t is not only
sacred river because OF its associations; IT
is Itself Divine, flowing, IKE Inc river OF
~ = L.. al Il wan