The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-04-05
NUMBER II

| temple al lO clock in the morning, we
find it crowded with worshippeIs. Men
and women of all ages and conditions
are here, This temple has been dedica.
ted to silva, the god of destruction. 1t
is really a cluster of buildings, made OF
stone, with steeples expressive of taste
and beauty. But oh, the tumble, the
confusion, the wretchedness! We had
little dreamed that such a state of things
did still exist, Here we look through a
dark avenue of stone, and, 10, there i.
the image of the god they worship. Its
swinish chops and snakish eyes present
horrid aspect. Can it be possible that
human beings are bowling before that
horrid Ohject2 Yes, by the thousands
daily. In one of the courts forty kids
have already been sacrificed this morn
ing to atone for the sins of miserable
wretches. Just now two more innocent
creatures are led hither. The slayer il
at hand, swarthyl looking fellow. A
woman takes the goat and slips its neck
do gn between two standards. and now
the executiOner lifts his heavy blade and
sewers the head from the body, looking
around. as much as to say, Was not thai
well done? Now about twenty women
scramble and clutch for the different
parts, The dogs are here to lap up the
blood. As we observe the sacrlticers
their faces are serious, and their mien
implies, there, it is done; we are glad
to be freed from shifting cunsciences
Now, perchance, These pilgrims have
walked hundred miles to secure this
requital of some terrible wicke1ness
Some of the blood of the kids will be
mixed with sacred ashes, and the priest
will put daub of 1t on their foreheads
between the eyes, and then they will re
turn home with Joy and thanksgiving
Such is the experience almost every day
OF the year at this temple and thousands
of others in the land. Lrpers and beg
gars are here in throngs. Some have
come with their beds, it would seem to
stay. Why, look at the vermin on some
Of them! They do not believe in taking
the life of any living thing, unless it be
as an offering to Brahma, or some of his
deities. Only see that poor coolie on
that bed in nude state. He has been
forced by higher caste, who is the
owner of his bed, to lie down there for
a few hours to feast and satisfy the hun
ger of the animal life, so that by and BY
he can retire and remain at ease How
gracious and humane is such conduct
Still it is religious in this land.
As we go to one of the Chat cremation
places we meet with a lot of hangers-on
who advance toward every new conner
with pieces of boz e, hoping to obtain
one or more pics for the same. This
place has been supplied by the Govern
ment, with two others, to meet the de-
| do Of fhia Cifu Eprt,,nrI,, hn 40, 4
were thrown into the river on the part
of the Brahmans, but as this practice
was forbidden by the Government, then
they would take their cOrpses to the
banks of the river and burn them,
throwing the ashes into the sacred
stream. But this proved to be great
nuisance, and so three buildings have
been erected at the expense of the Gov
ernment, requiring all cremations with
in the city to take place IN these. To
our surprise as we pass behind the build
ing, we find two piles of wood burning
in the open air and human body being
consumed in each. Burning in this way
is barbarous in the extreme. We had
expected to see kilns and CRATES for Gre
mating. but instead the bodies are han
died by these roughs and poked about
as though they had served no high pur
pose. While observing these sights, a
father comes bringing in his arms the
remains of his infant to be consumed.
He seemed very tender of the little
body, and we are unable to understand
how he could consign the same to these
apparently Indifferent coolies; but he
did so, turning away in tears.
| Under porch close by was a young
woman, said to be in dying state by
her priest, who had been hurried hther
so that as the breath left the body it
might be handy already for burning.
Such are some of the scenes in this
capital city that show the condition of
society. The bonds of caste are as of
iron and firmly riveted upon the peo-
pie.
Possibly the English Government,
from the fact of its class idea, is not do.
ing the work which ought to be done in
regard to this great incubus.
In the line of public improvements
great progress has been made here, 80
we can but wonder, as we look at the
Post Office building (Which covers the
BLACK Hole" of Calcutta. where the
one hundred and fifty-six persons were
nearly all suffOcated in 1855, the Gov
ernor's residence, the market, the muse.
um, telegraph building, the city build
ing, the Court House and the large mer
chandise blocks, that there should be
such grand structures in the midst OF
such population, most of them being
Hindoos and MOhammedans. OF the
800, 900, less than 10000 are Europeans,
illustrating the fact that it is brains, not
hands, which rule the world. There is
evidently here king behind the throne
or business and affairs would not move
on as they do, without any apparent
friction.
The complaint is general that the
times are dull and hard, The remark is
often dropped, You Americans played
the mischief with us after your war in
producing so much cotton. We cannot
grow it as cheap as you, and so we are
made to suffer at your expense:' II is
now very dry here, for no rain falls
from the first of November to June.
The seasons are three, the cool, the
rainy and the hot, but Americans would
be likely to say they have but one, aud
that is hot; for now it is their cool seas
son, and yet, in the middle of the day,
liz is like our hottest weather in Au
gust.
The English meet with great draw
backs here on account of the castles and
the languages, for the Hindi, the Hin
dustani, BengaIi, Tamil, Canarisi and
Marathi are all spoken, besides the
English, German, French and Spanish.
This motely con usion of tongues works
against the progress of education.
While the English is gaining ground
slowly, still it must be long while be-
fore it can be the language of the land
1t is said not more than one out of fifty
among the natives can read and write.
So mental darkness is still lingering
here. IL is true there are what are called
Government, schools which signify they
are in part only supported by the Gov
ernment, There is no such thing as
compulsory education, Really the Gov.
ernment does not believe in it, 1t spurns
the idea that educated labor is the
cheapest in the end.
Now the common laborer can be Sc
cured cheap. The carpenter, tinsmith
and bricklayer command about twenty
five cents per day.
Because Of the cheapness of labor
manufactures are being rapidly intro
duced into the country. In the suburbs
of this city there jute or paper mills
and cotton factories. In the country
there must be toward a hundred of the
latter.
The Government owns the soil. and so
most of the revenue comes from the
land. For few years past the expendi.
lures have exceeded the income. This
makes many of the people restless and
suspecting. Even some of the natives
{ declare that they are now taxed beyond