Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-02

humanity, mixed with the glorious red of
nature, filled one almost with a feeling of
worship, and the muttering of the PRAYERS
of thousands, with their strange incanta-
tions and mysterious postures, threw an in
describable weirdness over the scene.
Fantastic and foolish as some of the
actions seemed could not forget that this
spot is to one-sixth of the human race the
holiest place on the surface of the whole
world, that out of every six men. women and
children on Gods good earth one believes
that if he washes here his sins float away on
these waters to the sea, and that if his ashes
are here buried his soul goes straight to
heaven. If the Hindoo in accents of PRAYER
utters the name of this river within 100
miles of its banks the act atones for the sins
of three previous lives, and if he has his
head shaved at point which lies two hours
ride by train from where am now writing,
and the hairs fall into the stream, for every
hair that floats away he will have a million
years in paradise. This place is at Allaha-
bad, where the river Jumna flows into the
Ganges, and here at certain times of the year
thousands of Hindoos NAV be seen on the
banks of the river holding their heads over
the water and allowing BARRIERS to shave
them, as it were, into heaven.
Faith and Works Hand in Hand,
And do the people really believe this? I
assure you they do, and their belief is a
practical one, too. 1t is not a faith without
works by any means. This town of Benares
has population as big as that of Pittsburg,
Cincinnati or Washington. Just now the
mornings are cold and the air is raw and
piercing. 1t is the duty of everyone of
these people to come before their breakfasts
and bathe IN the Ganges. Ifound the banks
of the river filled with them this morning
The city lies close to the river and for three
miles along its banks are great temples,
from the walls of which stone steps lead
down into the Ganges, going under the
water and out into the bed of the stream.
Each of these temples has perhaps 100 of
these steps from its base to the water, and
these three miles of such steps were filled
with worshipers. All were Hindoos and
none were clothed in anything but the
thinest of cottons. There were shriVeled
old men aud women wrapped around in
the single breadth of dirty white cotton,
standing up to their waists in water
and holding their long. thin, bony arms
upward while with chattering teeth they
muttered prayers to the gods silva and
Nlshnu. Now and then they ducked down
into the water and as they came up thew
gasped and looked colder than ever There
were plump girls, whose nut-brown skins
gllstened as the water trinkled down them.
and whose bright eyes flashed a half
rouglsh glance at me between their PRAYERS
As they raised their arms l noted that each
had gold and silver bracelets upon them.
and some of the country maIdens had
bracelets one after another from the wrist
to the elbow and from thence on TO the
shoulders. Many wore great nose rings
and as they threw back their heads 1 could
see that their ears were punctured with
many holes and that each hole contained
bit of gold or silver. Most of them, how
ever, hid their faces, and not q few were
high-caste Hindoo maidens. As they
stepped out of the water their bare limbs
shone under the sunlight and against the
dark brown background flashed heavy sill
men, and as rule they huddled up in little |
groups BY themselves. At many of the |
temples there were ledges built out over the |
river, and here men gathered up water in |
their hands and muttered prayers over it.
Each man and woman had brass jar, and
as they left their bathing they carried some
of the holy water to aid them in their wor-
ship in the temples. There were thousands
OF maid servants carrying great bowls of
Ganges water on their heads and steadying 1
the burden with one brown, bare arm as
they walked up the steps. The costume of
the Hindoo is a picturesque one. 1t is one
long strip of cloth wound about the person
SO that the legs and arms are bare. Some
times bright colored shawls are added BY
ihe Weather, and bright turban or cap
covers the head.
Mixed with this paudv. su1ashiuo. sauk.