St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-05-01
Heathenism in India.

Heathenism i'm India.
IMOncure COnways Indian Correspondence in
Philadelphia TiInes.l
As we pass through the streets if
they can be so called, they are eight
or ten feet wide, between booths brist-
ling with begging hands-we come
upon lane of bowling malformations,
mOnstrOsities, madnesses. One hag
has no legs, another no thighs /; armless
boys, legless men, several whose arms
end in bone or thin legs i'll clubs an
epileptic crOne, beating her head
against the ground; another, who re
sembles a black ball on two bones ah.
it was horrible, horrible As, scatter
ing pice to each, we pressed beyond
these raving sufferers, their cries sound
ed as if gathered in one sharp agOnized
voice-the blood d-cuIdling scream of
some monster. But now we are caught
in Il crowd if anything still more un-
canny. 1t is a crowd of frantic women,
fresh from the annual holy orgies at
Sagar (mouth of the river), all strug-
Cling to get near yOn entrance to the
shrine. The slight, sometimes semi
transparent, garment each wears Is
nearly torn off some of them, but they
forget that and everything else as with
shouts and cries they push and elbow
each other. A path is labOriously made
for us, until finally we reach the por-
ticO. beyond which our profane feet
cannot go. l do not wonder they
should conceal the interior of the tenn
pie, but rather that they should reveal
so much. Strange, for instance, that
Kali should ever be unveiled The
goddess is now only five or six yards
away, but for time quite shut from
our view by dense wall of naked
backs, every muscle in which is cor
rugated by the effort to get nearer to
Kali. | was almost in despair of see
ing Kali at all, but DR.. Hunter held a
silver talisman in his hand, at sight of
which three stalwart worshipers leaped
upon the stone platform and pun
meled away at the wall of backs until
an impression was slowly made. One
after another veered to the side, aud
through IL rift in the hag g-ridden mass
beheld the face and upper form of
Kali. 1t is. perhaps, well enough that
| am unable to convey her face to your
readers iconographically. They will
have one nightmare the less. Her
visage, of ogreish size, is black as tar,
save for three huge bloodred eyes
Zone in the forehead), red eyebrows
and red tongue lolling down and
dripping blood on her breast. Two
erect cobra-heads make the Ornamen-
tation of Kali's checks, and crown of
gold and red, haloed with black smoke
RAYS, is on her head. She had four
tjeweled arms and hands of these two
bloOd-red are held one upward, the
other downward the others bear re-
spectively Il reeking rapier and the
head it has Just cut off. Her form,
below the breast, is in a sort of pit,
where several people stood making Of
ferings. 1t so happened that while |
was gazing the head of one of those
who had got so close turned, and | be-
held, beside the fearful face of Kali,
the countenance of a young woman,
which seemed to me-possibly by con-
trast--almOst beautiful.
When | had made few notes of the
details about Kali and her shrine we
drew off little way and then for the
first time caught sight of an animal
sacrifice. | cannot Obliterate from my
eyes the frightful scene. For space
of twenty feet the pavement was wet
with blood, and all around were strewn
| the decapitated kids in their last con.
vulsions. There was a wooden wise to
! hold the animals neck, and beside il
an executioner with sword ever busy
| As | turned away there rose before mt
the great face of Buddha. From sucl
a scene as this it was that his hear
recOiled and bade men harm nothing
| that had life =; from that hideous three
eyed fury he turned and said to the
covering masses "Behold, bring yOI
glad tidings: there is no God
One sad thing | afterward saw was /;
sacred cactus tree, the Mousa, snp-
posed to be the ''mother of all ser
pents." all over which were suspended
bits of brick, etc, each of which repre
sented prayer for offspring. Therein
lay the sadness. The chief horror o
the Hindu man or woman is to be with
out children their eternal salvation
depends on having children. POssibl,
this superstition has been the cause o
: that element OF lust which is so promi
DenI ID InelT IesIlNalS. hflSHNd AM
the dancing maideus are borne in thei
professions. The linga, the Youi ar
ubiquitous, nor are they generally spir
ituaiized. The worst fruit of this wOT
ship of procreation is a population Il
go. 900 900, when half as many wOul
he more than enough. India is paupeI
lied by over population and by som
! instructive logic the Hindu saints al
. mendicapGs. What can be done fo
E the swarmiDg population whose relig
ion is prOcreation and their moral
mendicaeyR Cruelty and lust are twin
t The struggling for existence ami
' swarming populations sometimes grow
: savage, and so we find silva and Ka
once sanctifying Thuggee aud tempt
{ prostitution. The effect of EDglis
a rule in arresting death by tribal war