The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-25
ON BUDDHISM.
A Native of India Lectures in the
Assembly Hall.
His Mission Here to Examine the Artesian
Wells and Other Industrial De-
vices Of the West.

Rev. Navayan Sheshadri, D. D., who is in
this city with his son, Yeshwantras Shes
hadri, lectured at the Assembly hall last
evening on India, speaking more particu-
larly on the religion of Buddha and con-
trasting it with Christianity.
Rev. Sheshadri was converted to Christ
tianlty and adopted the Presby terrain faith.
He has been laboring near Bombay, India.
When he began his labors, there were but
two Christians there, and neither of these
were able to read. Now there are over two
thousand, and hundreds of them can read
the Hindoostan translation of the Scrip
lures.
His son, Yeshwantras Sheshadri was
for some time connected with the English
army in India, but went to England, where
he attended school at Oxford and at the
Royal Agricultural college at Gloucester
The father and son are now travelling over
the United States with view to introduce
Ing into their country some of the useful
implements and appliances for lessening
labor and increasing production for which
this country is noted. They are examining
the artesian wells in this locality for the
purpose of introducing the same into
India.
In introducing his lecture Reverend She
shadrl, read verse from the 116 Psalm
II will take the cup of salvation, etc.,
81 was" he said, "an Indian Aryan.
While we are Aryans we are not very diff
ferent from you; you are our second
cousins. Your forefathers-what were
known as the Hindoo- Germatic nations
went west Our forefathers taught orally
what the four great books of Vedas con-
tain.
I'm no other country is there so much
caste as in India. The creator of the world
was Brahma. Out of his body came the
various classes. The Brahmins coming out
of the mouth are considered the highest
class l am of The highest class, having
came out of the mouth. 1 was as bigoted
and superstitious as any Brahmins, but l
began to empty myself. The Hindoo re-
ligion deals in the ridiculous. One monkey
god brought in a world on the palm of his
hand and one on each hair of his body.
Legends of that kind are very common
Herbert Spencer finds great deal of
thought in the Hindoo philosophy. 1 have
| thrown away their system of philosophy
because it teaches that mans ignorance is
Gods ignorance; that mans folly is Gods
| folly. [ cast it away. l studied the first
gospel in the great Bible and it was a great
benefit to me.
"The miracle Of the resurrection was
great news to me.
| III 1910 1 WAS leu TO embrace the Lord
Jesus Christ. 1t was civil death and 1 had
to give up ones father and sisters. They
looked upon me as if was a wild beast and
if it was not for the strong government
there l might be torn to pieces.
"Some of the most baleful customs ex-
listed among them. Human sacrifices were
common among them, Some fine goddess
thirsted for blood, and young boys had tc
sacrificed to her. If a husband died the
wife was burnt on the funeral pyre of hel
husband. These practices We're abolished
by the government. But there is still a
crying evil. That is child widows. There
is practice of men of seventy marrying
girl of nine years of age. This custom is
also being done away with by the chile
widows re-marrying.
Sometimes the secular press astonish
US by saying that Protestant missions
have proved failure. They are not {
failure. We have put into circulation mil
lions of books printed in a language my
people can readD