Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-12
WORSE THINGS IN THE WORLD.
Two of the Saddest Sights BeheId by Mr..
Conway in His Tour of the World.
Pail 1fnM Gnzetke

Snow that you have wandered around
our planet" said a recent visitor TO the
hOspitable London study of Mr.. MOncure
ID. Conway, "what in the course of the
whole Journey impressed you most pain
fully"
1.-Two things" said Mr.. Conway. "First.
the Standardization of the Sandwich Isl,
ands, and, secondly, the spectacle nre-
scented at Benares and other great Indian
cities OF religion gone rotten. OF the two,
the former, of course, was much tho
smaller; but anything more miserable
than Honolulu on the Sabbath could hard
ly be imagined. These islands. usually
so bright and gay, seemed to be under the
influence of weird enchantment, The
windows were shut; no life was heard in
the streets; a sombre gloom filled the air:
the atmosphere was sultry in the extreme.
but no ice could be procured for love or
money. Missionaries from Boston, a city
where the cOncert-room and the picture
gallery are open on Sunday. and where
the inhabitants have completely freed
themselves from the old Blue laws. and
descended upon this hapless island in the
far Pacific, and established the Sabbath
as a dread demon before whose glance all
mlrth and Innocent pleasure fled far away.
A Sabbath, like great false God, was
enthroned In their midst, and woe be to
those who did not bow down to it in wor
ship. A more authentic incarnation of
the Vlslble-lnYisible l have seldom beheld.
1t was Omnipresent. You could not es
cape from 1t, overshadOwing as it did
every street cOuntenance. Liberalism
waSSet up to be worshiped at the ex-
perse OF the true spiritual religion. The
idol reigned supreme.
"The other was far more DaiufnI tn mo
not only because it has much greater pro-
portions, but on account of the cruel con
trast 1t afforded between the ideals of nv
lifelong study and the reality of the pres
ent day. Along those Shelves said Mr..
conway, pointing across the billiard
table, you will find all the sacred books
OF the East, over which | have pOred and
eXulted Tor years. The noble aspira lions
OF those ancient writers, the glowing poe
try OF the Nedas, the sublime imagery of
their seers, have become part of my life.
Nor can | ever sufficiently acknowledge
my Indebtedness for the spiritual life
which they have impaired. But when /
went 10 the great cities, the pilgrim sites
to which throng every year millions of
those who profess to follow the faith of the
men who wrote those books, and mingled
with the vast professions of wOrshipers
at the shrines sacred to the deities
whose praises are sung by the Hindoo
poets, then, alas! the contrast between
the real and the ideal was heartbreaking.
In all those teeming myriads of worship
ers not one man, not even one woman,
seemed to entertain the shadow of con-
ception OF anything ideal, or spiritual, or
religious, or even NEUROLOGICAL, in their
ancient creed; not one glimmer of the
great thoughts of their poets and sages
lightened their darkened temples. To all
OF them the great false god which they
wOrshiped, hulk of roughly carved wood
or stone, appeared to be the authentic
presentment of some terrible demon or in
visible power who would treat them cru
ely If they did not give him some melted
butter.