The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-04-02
A MODERN HINDU RE-
FORMER.
BY CHARLES WOOD.

his home in Calcutta. I had heard
that be Was in retirement, such
was the term used, -and might re-
fuse to see any one; and, mistakipg
at first the house where he once
lived for his present residence, q
tall, stout Indian Baboo, OF whom
| made inquiries as be Was about
stepping into his pslanquin, turned
upon ms rather sharply, and said,
May l ask why you wish to see
Chunder Sen" To which question,
considering my nationality. there
could be but one appropriate reply:
MAY I enquire why you ask 2"
"Oh," answered the Baboo, II am
relative. and 1 doubt if he will see
you; but I will with pleasure direct
you to his house." A comfortable
European house it was, somewhat
better even than most American
societies provide for their mission
aries. though they are nearly always
of good size and appearance, IS they
should be. / took it for granted,
though foreign missionaries do not
live ordinarily in native houses,
that an Indian reformer would have
a purely Indian home; but this
reformer has been to Europe. has
associated more or less all his life
with Europeans, and has gradually
and almost necessarily substituted
occidental comfort for oriental sim.
plicity. I was shown into just such
a drsWing-room as one might find in
almost any Of the smaller London
houses, with the one exception OF q
large tiger skin stretched upon the
floor, which did service as a rug. AL
most Immediately Keshub Chunder
Sen entered: be was a tall, we'll.
formed man, with q tendency to
over-stoutness; coffee colored skin
eyes of the deepest black and fast;
Ing with fire; a handsome face, of
the eastern sort, full of animal life
and passion, yet the face OF q posi-
Bile mystic; long, delieately formed
hands, such as men Of the west
rarely, il ever, possess. A good type
of the oriental; dressed, too, as a
native gentleman. A long, loose,
toga-like garment, lighter than any
fabrics ever used by us, supplied the
place of the much more numerous
and much less comfortable and
graceful articles which make up the
ordinary costume In every country OF
Europe.
His welcome was very cordial.
He said nothing about his "retire-
ment," but began at once to ask the
usual questions which are put to all
travellers, in English as pure and
grammatical as one would hear in
Oxford or Cambridge. though with
out that certain accent or infection
OF the voice which one rarely finds
except among native born English.
men. He spoke with perfect tree
dom. and with that openness OF man
ner which invites questioning When
l asked if a member of the Brahmo
Somsj would ever speak of himself
as Christian, be said, with smile,
''Oh no, that is term of narroWness;
the Christian must hate" | won
dered from what sources ne bad
formed this idesJ "the Hindu and
the Buddhist and the Mohsmmedan,
but We honor ell. Christ is to as the
greatest. his life is the purest. but he
Is only prinaus inter pGres. Remem-
boring what had heard about bis
l inquired if asceticism
found any place in their system.
'NOt with the meaning which is
given to that wori." wac
dis reply: I'VE believe IN and sdvo-
cate the greatest simplicity of life;
re live on aims, we eat no meat. and
here are times when We go into the
to be alone for dsys."
Then be showed me a picture OF
himself and his wife, seated on the
Tiger skin which vas under our feet,
spread apparently on some hilltop OF
sand, in a barren Indian desert. He
held in his hand, so the picture
represented him, the ektGrG. An in
trument of a single string. the
,nly one, I believe, ever used by tue
8rahmo somaj. "We sometimes
pend hours in that position" he
aid, 'communing with the H.
inite.''
Do you believe, l asked, in modern
evelations ? 1t was somewhat gen.
,rally thought in Calcutta, had
ound, that whenever Keshub Chun-
Ter SENS authority was questioned
" the Brahmo Somsj, be had the
labit of falling back upon revela-
ION Just received as the motive and
authority OF his action. Certainly"
le said; "God has not become dumb: !
re speaks now as of DID," You LAt0
1 said. "On. yes; we
re sending them into nearly everT
,art of India, and they are meeting
with good success" But,
sked, what il one of these men
hould say, I have had a revelation
o 60 to AlIababsd, when the
hurch wishes him to work In
,richinoply? He would be forced
0 YIELD" was the answer. 1--WE
TouId not believe in q revelation
f that sort, in opposition to the
pinion of the whole church."
his might lead, I suggested. to
chisuas. Have you ever had any
vision into parties in the Somai :