The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-01
THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA.

ing.on and Oregon.
THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA.
A Returned Missionary Tells Of tho
Peoples Err0Ds and Devotion.
The services of the congregation Of the
| First Christian church were held in the
! Armory yesterday and were Of . more than
. usually interesting character. At II q. m.
| and 7:30 p. m. the Rev. Ben Mitchell, q
missionary returned from q seyen-years'
Gsy in India, spoke Of the religions Of
| tbs: country. and At $50 his wife spoke to
| women only of the condition of the female
| portion of the population Of Hinduism.
| A the II O'Clock service q good audience
vas present and some fine music was given
| b. Prof. Backmann's orchestra and the
| chorus Of twenty voices. which is now
| maintained by this church.
Mr.. Mitchell chose a. . text the words.
| go ye, therefore, and teach all the ma
ions, bsptixing them in the name of the
| Father and the Son and Of the Holy
| Ghost"
He began his discourse by saying that
those who had never lived In foreign lands
| bed no idea of the debt We owed to Christ.
/ The degradation OF midas millions was
the result Of their religion. They ate,
lived, walked in religion, for they were .
deeply religious people. India, he said,
had one-half the area of the United States.
9Th population Of 2SS, 0O0. 900, only per
ant Of whom could read and write.
soaking Of this last fact, he quoted .
hend who had declared he did not believe
= foreign missions: IF the people OF
lpdia wanted the Gospel, why didn't they
mad it" This the speaker criticised as
% exhibition of the prevailing ignorance
ksarding the Hindoos. He said there
vas no scarcity of missionaries, but no
money to send them with.
The speaker began his descriptions Of
Indian religions with the fire worshippers.
These people believe in a Supreme Being
vho at one time created two other gods,
one Of darkness and evil and the other of
lsht and goodness. The strife between
Aese two must continue till the goo OF
rciness triumphed and every man was
Messed. The speaker emphasized the
sori man." since the fire worshipers
nd Hindoos generally believed that
. woman was the lowest thing
God made. 'If Christ died for u.s."
said he. then he surely died for every
| poor woman in India" The fire worship.
srs had sacred fires lit in their temples,
which they claimed to have received from
heaven. The last three years Of his stay
10 India, the speaker said. he had spent
among the fire worshipcra They also wor-
SHIPPED the sun and stars as embiems Of
the god of light The most earnest wor.
slippers he ever saw were the heather in
sAis land Of India Speaking of the fire
sorshipers' burial services, the speaker
Md that woman was not permitted TO
attend funerals. since they say she would
dsfle both living and dead. He then de-
e'ibet the custom Of giving dead bodies
rer to the vultures practiced by the fire
sorshipers.
The speaker then touched on Moham-
nedanism. This religion, he declared,
vas the greatest mixture of truth and
hsehood ever known. These people re-
Eected Jesus as prophet. They taught
nat there were five methods of salvation
Fayer. fasting. being charitable, making
pilgrimage 10 Mecca. and fighting the
inhdel. Prayer was done every day. and
eceupation and pray. The great Moham-
hedan fast Of Ramadan lasted twenty-eight
ays great thing in the terrible
climate of that country. In the
.smmer. he said. that with care they could
eing down the temperature inside the
house to Iii dogs. Yet in that weather
es bad seen men die from heat and refuse
water. this being denied between sunrise
shd sunset during the Ramadam. On the
weston of Mohammedan charity. he said
aa no one IN Christian lands knew what
ameant, what sacrifices were endured for
lie told Of some poor Hindoos who.
wing interested in the mission work Of
sne OF his friends. came to him and gave
.m about sl2 for its aid. II sfterward
.fned out that this was all the money
1ey had. They apologixed for the small
se" OF the sum. saying that next year
aey would eat less rice and give more
sae fourth means of finding grace in
soasinmedanism were to go TO Mecca,
,aa the nth TO die in battle for the faith.
ne concluded his mention of Moham-
@eashism by saying that if Christians
we nat as earnest as they they would
'a' the world to Christ in five years. After
rev general remarks on the question OF
"sagei'z7ng work the service closed.
/ ihe afternoon service Was conducted by
Mitchell and was exclusively for
.'men' being treatment of the condition
semen IN India The evening service
s<esh at =. IN. Mr. Mitchell selected as
- Aeme the massage from Romans
sfe Paul says that tho Gospel is Z" a
W. 10 Them that accept" He began by
Nea'lon OF theosophy and . mention Of
Aposures. He stated that the theory
founder was that the only way to
s'niess was 10 live in solitude. The
s.sa'peFs OF Idols. of whom there were
c@"eo IN India. Their theory of the
e'eAa Vas = threefold one: Brahma.
a"a' e!va--cEeator. preserver and
Soyer. They have. however. the
les Tor Sl, 90 gods and some 81, ooo, 0po
'aed They are the manifestations of
'A'es o! TIE central deilies.
"a ''s tAe speaker produced a little black
-. which he said was the goddess of
kPox When smallpox comes they
a. me oest they have and give IL 20 the
O. Pleading ard praying 10 j, Ia remove
sP'aenlc They often pray TO il for
"a AZ time while their women
sni die al home. These homes, said
rae not oyer-com.ortable, being simply
- OF woven cane or bamboo. covered
mud. On the Maud hoor Of this