The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-09-07
THE OLD BENAREs.
The Place where GantamR Taught EEla
Beautiful Philosophy.

The Place where Gautama Taught Haa
beautiful Philosophy.
But had forgotten to speak uf Sar-
nath, the old Benares of many ceptu-
rics ago. II lies some four miles out
of ,hc present city. and IL all cultlvat-
ed over. except where great besps of
broken brick mark the spot where its
costly ediliccs once stood. A lofty old
round tower-looklng structure. about
hundred feet Ia diameter aud over
that In height, solid mass Of brick.
marks the spot where Gautama taught
his religion. and probably beneath Il
were buried some Of his bones or hair.
A part of its outer easing of stone u In
good condition. exhibiting exquisite de-
sign aud finish Ia its elaborate and intri-
cate carving. il Is said To be over tw o
thousand years old. aud IL probably the
original ''stupa" from which the pHgo-
tus of Burmah were modelled. they.
however. taking more Of bell form.
II was u touching thing 10 sit under
this old ''stupa. ard go back In fancy
twenty odd centuries. and to imagine
myself listening to the gentle tones Of
this mau. who abandoned the luxuries
If princely possessions. the power of
royal position. Ia become for long years
rccluse. that he might spin from his
brain the thread which binds and
unites man 10 his God; and who.
nfter he believed he had found
the soft, silken bond. gave him
self mp To life of labor and deprivn-
linu while he preached his beautiful
philosophy teaching loveliness Of
spirit. absolute purity of life. love TO
God md buundless charity toward
all living things Here close by he
li'"d for many years, 'ounding n rclig-
ion which has m'f.S ys'aries than any
nther faith prnfesstd by men; here he
preached that eNqui.ile charity which
can give pain to nothing breathing the
breath of life-whIch can take life
from no thing into which God has
blown breath: which teaches that no
living thing Is so degraded that il mas
not hold soul which God has created
and which can never die. Here he
lived. who to-day Is worshiped by
countless millions rs god. Here he
walked and here he sat. uttering those
nAxims which soon crystalized into a
faith. and this is claimed to be the
Light of Asia. - | sat and thought
Around me were more than dozen
little boys and girls, bright, but all
begging 1.-THE. healthy aud pretty.
bat all stepped in poverty and igno-
rance. and all followers of Buddhn. or
rather the children of his followers
How much hnd his teaching to do
with their dcgradation9 Though his
philosophy be So beautiful; though his
religion be So full of clariiy-that
quality which proves that man l. akin
tn Deity; though he taught love for God
and for every thing He has created.
vet his religion has depressed and re-
pressed his folluwtss. He taught that
life of purity was life of tranquility
and nf calm. inactive reflection.
Man must constantly step for
waitl He must not stand still. The
moment he pauses ia an onward pro-
gress. that moment the dead
weights of the earth from
which he sprnng begin To pull him
downward. His mental as well ns his
ph, steal being sprang from germ Of
lifc--ile by side with which WAS the
germ of decay. When growth stops.
decay begins its deadly work. Gau-
tama may have caused the Light Of
Asia tn spread over the mighty East.
II was light beautiful, poetic. calm
and sweet; il was not n light To yivify
the dead into life; il was not light
which warns the torpid into activity.
II lacked glow and WAS without intens.
ity. The pale moon rises in the east.
spreads its mild light over a sleeping
world. and all nature continues il.
slumbcr. The sun rises later; its i'm.
tense rays not only Tighten. but warm
nature. and all its children awaken
from slumber into activity. man and
beast, tree aud flower. Buddhism may
have been the Light of Asia" hut il
was not till close to the Mediterranean
new aud better brightness was born
that ''the light of the world arose
Under the sweet, calm light the eartl
lies in the lap of lethargy. from
which it may not for ages free itself
Under the other, the warm. burning
hight. the West marches with gian
strides. -C Carter H. Harrison, an Chicdg,
MJjI