Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-10-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION.
Address by tho HindOO Orator H..~,
Sheshadri-ClOstn;, Exercises

Address by tho Hindoo Orator N.,>v,,
Sheshadri-ClostnS Exercises.
Thursday 1ftsrncoa.- a bvmn or
two had been sung by the Convention
Prof. W. G. Fischer sang the solo. HMake
Room FOX Jesus" and this was followed
by the hymns ''UOw can l live vithout
Jesus, Bringing in the Sheaves, and an
invocation by Rev. Anstadt.
The newly elected officers of the conven.
tiOn were announced and took their seats.
President Whitney making a brief ad-
dress.
The president then introduced to the
audience the distinguished HindoO con-
vert and missionary, Rev. Narayan She
shadri. who appeared arrayed in ORR
entail costume with great white tur-
ban on his mead, a loose sack coat of pecu-
liar cut, under which was . white skirt
reaching nearly to his knees, and under
this pair OF loose fitting trousers. The
reverend gentleman is little below the
medium height, has a,large and finely dc.
veloped head covered with black hair, a
dark and swarthy face of Oriental type, an
irOn-sray moustache. but no other beard,
piercing black eyes, and strongly marked
features. with {. decidedly honest and be.
ncvOlent expression. AS soon as he CON-
menced 10 speak it was evident that he
was suffering from very bad cold, his
voice being harsh and husky. He spoke
with good deal of difficulty, but without
any rant. and with little sesticulatiOn. He
spoke English very tluently, and the only
noticeable accent was his German-li like
pronunciation Oi the tn.
He said no had been requested to tell
how the gospel had reached him, aud how
he had been enabled to impart it to others.
He said he was born a Brahmil, class of
the Hindoo people who are regarded as be-
ing above all other classes-l class holding
Il much loftier position than the Pharisees
held among the Jews. The Brahmin's 3
were believed to have proceeded directly
from the mouth of the God Brahma. A
second class are supposed to have pro-
cecded from his arms. third from his
thighs and u fourth from his feet. The
lowest class of HindOOs are regarded as
outcasts and are called 1.-THE accursed
ones;" but foreigners are regarded as be.
ing far lower even than these. The Brah-
minis receive the worship of the classes be-
low them having come from the mouth
~.
For long time, the speaker said, he was
proud to believe Limselfa god and to receive
the worship due to divine being.
Men and women appeared before him
and wol SHIPPED him; they came in the
utmost humility they wore no shoes or
stockings, their feet being cncascd in little
bags, something like slippers. Before
coming into his presence these were taken
OIL and their feet were covered with flowers
and sandal wood, and thus they came into
his presence and bowed before him and
him. He, of course, fancied
himself person OF great Importance, and
received their worship as though he were
u god. Owing to English influences in In
lila many Brahmins learn the English Ian
.uage, as it gives them many advantages.
He too wished to learn the language
though lie wished to avoid the Christian
institutions, because if it were
known he had visited them his honor and
power would be destroyed. Finally, how
ever, bcin. unable to get instruction in
English elsewhere, he went to Bombay and
took instructions at the missionary insti-
ton, which Dr. Murray Mitchell and others
we're master teachers. He wanted none of
their religion, but only knowledge of
heir language and so. avoiding the Bible
ind ail religious instructions, he
applied Limsclt to grammar, arithmetic
and other branches, and soon
required some knowledge of these, but
arcfully avoided all Bible lessons or any
eligiOus instruction. Believing himself
o be god lie needed none. But Cod has
gondrOus ways of emptyins out mems
Onceit. In common with all Brahmin
hildren he was familiar with HindOO
uperstisi0ns us narrated in their sacred
writings. Some of these legends are so pal
ably ludicrous and false that he could not
elievc them. Here the learned speaker
arrated ut length some of the HindOO
,gentls, one of which was about the God
lsasti swallowing up all the oceans at
hrec mouthfuls another about Il giant
Tho sleeps six months at q time and
hakes the world with earthquakes
very time he snOres another about the
'icke'ncss and terrible punishment of a
OF nlonkey-gOd, with a very
ing tail, who expiated his sins by having
ssgs saturated with oil tied around his tail
nd then set on fire and afterwards had
fountains piled upon him, q separate
lountain for every separate hair ON his
Ody. These stories were not calculated
} lavorably impress the student after
nOwledgc and afforded no consolation.
o turned to the Brahmin philosophers
Ill found them divided into two classes
10 thcistical and athcistical. The doc
ines of the former taught him
lat God was responsible for
'crything q; that mans weakness, folly
ld sin are Gods weakness, folly and
Il. TIE philosophy of the Buddhists or
heists, on the other hand, taught him
at there Wit, 10 personal god, and yet
ey worship not only Budelha, but their
vi ancestors. In India q man cannot live
ithout religion of some sort; he must be-
Brahmin, or Parsee, Or MOhammedan CT
lddhist, vi something else; hc cannot
t along. as lie does sometimes in the
nited States, without any religion and
, finally he was led to the Bible and
i,ti it, and studied it and was converted.
9 reai the prophets with especial interest,
ID these parts of the Bible more than any
EN- had been literally fulfilled, and
many incidents recorded in them SEEM
to show that God, and not man, had
vcrncd, that he could not disbelieve.
lo promises, oil Noah, Abraham, Isaac,
cob AID other patriarchs had been SO
orally fulfilled that they compelled be-
f. Gods will, and not mans, was en-
aticaiy marked i'm the selection of
dah instead of Benjamin, and David in
,ad ol his elder brothers as Gods
oscn Instruments. Had mans judgment
vcrncd. Jerusalem and not Bethlehem
'uld have been the birthplace of the
rd. The speaker then mt considerable
'gth narrated his religious experience,
We very interesting account of his
ais in being obliged by his conversion,
break up his family connections, to
We father and mother, sisters and broth