The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-04-17
Relic Worship.

In the lonely forest depths we note
from affair the summit of some huge
dome of solid brickwork, and on a
nearer approach find that it is sur
rounded by some wonderfully carved
stone pillars and stairs, and every
thing to prove how unsparingiy
human labor has been lavished upon
it and then we learn that all this
honor is bestowed on the collar bone,
or some other portion of a Buddhist
saint. But as to the reputed tooth Of
Buddha himself, it's history, and the
wars which have been fought for the
honor of its custody would ill o
volume Even at the present day the
worship of the tooth is a strikingly
picturesque scene, with surroundings
of priceless, quaint ecclesiastical
jewels, and other temple properties.
ycllow-robed priests, gorgeously at
tired Cingales mobiles, richly caparison-
ed elephants. aud graceful pilgrims,
male and female, approaching in
crowds, each bearing an Offering of
fragrant flowers carried high above
the head, to be laid in alteration be-
fore the Holy Tooth. Gifts of moro
permanent value are not lacking,
though the Offering of costly jewels is
less frequent than of yore. Far away
to the north, among the mountains of
Thibet, Buddhist relic worship takes
another form. On the death of a good
Lama, whose ~sanctity may allow
reason to believe that he has attained
to the Buddha-hood, or some approach
to that exalted perfection, his body is
burned by his priestlv brethren and
the ashes being mingled with clay, are
worked up into balls. and then form
ed into sacred medallions, which are
preserved in the temples with %rcverent
care. All this seems natural enough
when we regard it as part of the system
of a false creed. But when we recol-
lect how strangely similar to this is
the practice Of two great branches of
the Christian Church--ths Greek and
the Latin-we can not fail to perceive
that here is something which we are
wholly at a loss to reconcile with tho
simple teaching of Christianity as in
culcated by Its founder. When we
think of the hydra-headed martvs
whose heads, hair, limbs, fingers,
even toe-nails, are treasured as price
less relies in so many different church,
es-of the miracles supposed to have
been wrought by them of the toll
some pilgrimages undertaken by the
devout to enable them to worship and
present their offerings before the
shrine so richly endowed, and to claim
the intercession of the dead and
when we know that all this is going
on around us at the present day we
feel hat in nc sense can ancestor
worship be said to have died out
among us. Looking back to the days
of Constantine, we learn that the
generation of relics was carried to such
q pitch that It WAS solemnly decreed
in council that all affairs beneath
which none were found should be
demolished, as a church without
relies could not be ~consecrated. And
even in the present day the church of
Rome requires that some holy tooth,
hair, or nail, shall, on the consecra-
ton of every new church, be carried
in solemn procession by the priests to
the altar, and therein, in Il duly pre-
pared niche, shall be deposited by
the bishop, (who stands mitreless to
receive that precious reliquary, and
who may possibly hope that his own
bones may some day receive similar
honor.) Having duly offered incense,
he anoints the covering stone with
holy OIL. and so seals the relic tomb,
while solemn anthems rise and pray
ers are duly said quarterly Reuiew.