New-York tribune., 1884-02-02

KESHCB CHUNDER SEN.
proG,.s,r mar v.,L,r IN Tae Pals nan 0auae.
India has lost her greatest son, Keshub Chunder
Sen. His of the few names known NOT on
! ly most widely among the two hundred ana nIty
millions who are said TO inhabt the vast lndian
Empire, but familiar even 70 European ears. Many
OF MS saw him during his stay In England 10 isfo,
/ listened TO him, admired aud loved him, ana not
few have ever since remained united with HIM
! by the bonds of real friendship. IL we look
aronnd for true greatness. not only IN bngand OF
Europe. but in the whole civilized world, and II we
try TO such greatness not by mere or
popularity. but honestly and. 10 say, historical
ly taking into account the character OF the WORK
done and the spirit in which it was done, few.
| believe, would deny that IL was given TO keshub
Chunder sen 10 perform one Of the greatest works
/ IN our generation and that he PERFORMED II nobly
| and we'll Like all great men, he had warm friends
! and bitter enemies. He himself was proud OF
! both and thoug fully aware of the greatness OF
/ the work committed to him. and quite conscious
Ut his worth and dignity, he far more frequent
/ " protested against exaggerated praise tbah
! against unmeTIted blame. No doubt the contfo-
/ vcrsy between his followers ana opponents
will continue long after his death, nor rs IL
! likely that pOsterty will be more forbearln ng
10 bis weaknesses t1an it has lately proved ltse 10
he in the case of other religions rei0rnerS such as
| Wickclf or Luther. But If We deduct an equal
| share on both sides-On the side of eNaggefated
praise as we'll as On the side Of unmerted blame
| there remains sufficient amount OF independent
! contemporary Judgment to secure TO keshub Cnni-
der Sen the first place among his s1elloW-cOuntrSnei
aud pre-emncnt place among the best Of mankind.
!, He was born in 1888, aud thus completed bls
fOrty-tifth year On tint 10Th of December. lie re-
| ceiyed what may be called an Ango-indisn cduca-
| ton at Calcutta, and with ali honest mind like
his, such an education sudiced 20 make belief III
the popular religion of his friends and cCunnymen
impossible to him, He socn broke with !dolatry
and caste but, his mind being deeply religious De
sought help and light from the friends and follow
/ crs of RammOhun Roy RammohuD Roy was the
representative of that great religious reform which
was the natural result Of the contact between
| Christianity, Hinduism, aud MahometanISln IN
| India. As men of education and refinement, ham
mOhun Roy and his friends shranh almost instinct
lively from all that grossly ldOail0us Ia the re-
| ligious system by which they found themselves
| surrounded, and they had the courage to renounce
openly all that simply repul5ive IN the religion
OF their countrymen. But beyond that he and his
! immediate followers declined TO go. Much as they
admired Christianity they would not embrace u
religion that came to them as the Ieugl0n OF 1of-
eigIers and presented itself 10 their eyes IN the
! lives Of their new conquerOrs and rulers as NOT
always superior to their own code OF rellglon aud
! morality. They were satisfied with "A reform OI
their own national religion, and in order to carry
! that through they boldly took their stand Oh their
| own old sacred books, the Vedas. For them they
! claimed and for time claimed successfully, the
! same revealed character which the missionaries
claimed Tor the Old Testament and the New,
After RanmOhun ROy's death IN 1888 the CnuTch
which he had founded under the name OF the BIah-
ma-Somaj languished for time for want oil a
head 1t was chiefly supported, so far as It's mate
rial wants were concerned, by Dyarkanath lagore;
| who like RammOhun Roy, died III England, ana
! lies buried in Kensal Green. More important sup
port, however came to the Brahma1 1Somal from
! TagOre born in 1919. He. being young man OF
great wealth, suddenly. at the age of twenty, per-
ceived the vanity OF al earthly pleasures anu Ge-
voted the rest OF his life to search into his own
! being aud its relation TO tho Divine. lie Decanl"
the founder Of the Tattyabodhnf Sabha, the Truth
! teaching Society, and became nleinoer, ana soon
| the recognized leader, of the Brahma-SoDIaj. Il
was through his influence chiefly that the mem
| beTs of the New Church surrendered their oellef
| in the revealed character of the Nedas. ihiS was
| an enormous step in advance. The BrGhIna SOlnal
| then found itself Church without Bible, ana
Debendran4th Iagorc, hayingnothIng now between
himself and his God, felt himself inspired with
new life, full of new hopes aud hlgher ASPIRATIONS
Young men gathered round him, and among them
the most eminent was keshub Chunder zen. ne s90h
became the intimate friend of Debendrana;h Ia
gore who being fond of solitude aud retirement
left tho mana cement Oft be society aud OF its jour
nal to Keshub Chunder Ben ana MS young Soin, lc
paniOns. The young VINE, however, proved 700
strong for the old bottles. Keshub Chundor sen
became more and moro intolcrant of all that par,
took of the old leaven, aud ut last even ms old
friend. Debcndranath Iagorc, had TO break with
his oyer-zealons pupil. The conservative members
OF tho Brahma-S0ma werc willing to give mp a.,
that was dOlatrOus aud pernicl0us, butthey would
not surrender all their national customs. In spite
Of many efforts at reconciliation, the break came
| in 1866. Keshub Chunder Son became the head OF
the new society. called the Brhma-SomaJ OF fndll,
while the DebendranAth Tagore renalned the lead;
or of what was now called the Adi-Bramah- -SornfJ
namely, the First Bramah-SOmsj.
While Debeudranath 1ngore retired more ana
more from society, Kcslub Chuuder Sens name has
been befOr tho world ever since. lIo and many Of
I
and became preachers, teachers, aud missionaries
they published books of theistic texts taken from
! all The Sacred Books of the world. They built n
new prayer hall aud their vigorous leader, by his
/ marvellous elOqucnce, not only in Beng4ll but N
! English Won thousands of hearts for his cause.
! New journals were started. new schools OpeB-
/ cd and great efforts made 10 raise tho woIuen OF
India 30 rs to make them tit felowlabOrers IN the
/ canse OF religious and social reform. Lastly III
/ 1870. came Keshub Chuuder Seus triumphant
! tourney to England. whore he won the respect and
love Of hundreds and thousands from the highest to
/ the lowest His success was extraordinary; ms
! speeches as Outbnrsts OF religious tervOr, were
! quite as extraordinary ~ those of hossuthS as
specimens of political cl0Guence. what II called q
! new chSin has taken place. and more advanced
/ society has been formed, called the SadhGTan So
NAL or The Catholic SonAi At present these three
Somaes are naturally opposed to each other, but
to luy mind they seem only branches Of ono YiEGr-
Gus trcc-the tree that was planted by Rammollun
Row I'm different ways they all serve the same
purpose and tend to realize the dream OF new
religion for India and for the whole world, relg
ion freed from the cOITuptiOns of the past call
Them idolatTV or caste or verbal inspiration or
priestcraft and founded belief in one God, tho
same In the Vedas the same in the Old, the sane
In the New Testament the same III the Koran the
same also in the hearts of those who have 2" long
er any Yedas between themselves and their Cod
| NOSLEu FANATICS IN CONST4NTIN0PLE.