New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-02-25
"The Offerings or the Dead"

Among the many relapses to heathen
custom Of the wandering lsraelites, as
recorded in the one hundred and sixth
Psalm, it is stated that 'They Joined
themselves unto Baal-peor. and ate the
offerings Of the dead Probably few
among us fully realize how tremendous
a proportion of the worlds worship, in
all ages, and in all countries, has ever
been. and even continues to be, lavished
on deceased ancestors. Next to the
simplest forms of nature worship must
assuredly rank that only Of the great
departed-the heroes arc exalted to tho
rank of demi-gods-but the human an
cestors of every degree. Time would
retrospective glance over bygone ages,
to note the place held by this reverenoo
among all the mightiest races Of the
earth. We find it in the rude worship
of African tribes. when the careless
slaughter of snake or crow Is sufi-
cient to exasperate races who believe
that under these forms their ancestors
are guarding them from harm. And in
many Pacific isles that reverence takes
almost identical forms, and the fear OF
angering the dead. and the necessity OF
propitiating them, is q perpetual care
overshadowing the living.
10 turn to the more elaborated sys-
TENS of civilized man, we cannot but
note how largely homage to tho dead
enters into the devotions of the living.
Look, for instance, at India, and tie
Brahminical teaching on this subject
accepted by two hundred millions Of
our fellow-subjects. They are laugh.
that no matter how good q man has
been, If his funeral rites are not proper.
ly conducted, and his cremation is neg.
lected, he becomes a malignant demon
(unless indeed his remains should find
their way to the holy River Ganges).
The man who dies violent death-b6
the hand of the executioner, by suicide,
or by accident-and whose corpse Il
net rescued and duly honored, becomes
Bhuta, !. c., an evil demon. Should
it be impossible to recover the body,
his SON ought to make an image o.
| sacred kusa grass to represent him.
| and cremate that in his stead.
Among the unhappy demon-spirita
are numbered all those who have died
without leaving sons to make ofEerinRl
on their behalf; therefore the ancient
Vedas provided for special services o.
extraordinary length, and most intri
cate ritual, to be conducted by 16 class.
es of priests. These continued fol
weeks, and sometimes even for years
their object being to obtain from thu
favor of the gods an unbroken line o.
descendants for three generations, il
order to secure tho proper performance
| of funeral rites. As every man wa.
bound to secure the happiness of thre<
past generations, so he himself was de
pendent on the three that came aftel
him, and thus were seven generation
ever linked together.
In those ancient days, 800 B. c., er,
cattle had become objects of worship
a COW was sacrificed at funerals thal
the dead might feast on the aroma, ~
doubtless the survivors did on the sub
stantial reality; portions were alst
placed in the hands and on other part
of the corpse, which was then burned
and the spirit was waited upward OF
the smoke. Then for many days thu
family daily offered balls OF rice at th.
place of cremation, that the germ OF ,
new body might feed thereon an<
develop; till tins was accomplished
the dead was restless, disembodies
ghost, incapable Of suffering hell O
enjoying heaven. After this III
ashes were collected IN an urn ant
buried, and thenceforth periodical Of
ferings of water and rice balls wer
offered, with prayers to all the dead re
lations Of the three last generations
who then, as now. were wholly de
pendent on the living for the supply o
all things needful 70 them, as well q
for their deliverance from purRatory.-
G. z. Gordon Cummings, u tie Births
Quarterly Revieu.