Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
THE SACRED BENAREs.
One Of the Late Phillips Brooks Let
tiers From India.

OAS ~ INC AaeC DHOOAo Acts
tiers From India.
From the Century.
This is the sacredest place in India.
There are 5000 Hindu temples in Renares
1t Is the very Back bay Of Asia You
stumble at every step on a temple with its
hideous idol. II you hear q gentleman or
lady muttering behind YOU in the street.
they are not abusing YOU. but only saying
prayers to Vishnu or silva, who has a lit
tie shrine somewhere IN the back yard Of
the next house.
I went down to the Canges, " here hun
dreds and hundreds of people were bath
ing In the sacred river. Pilgrims from all
over India had come TO wash their sins
away, and were scrubbing themselves "a
thick as they could stand for two miles
along the bank Of the stream. 1t is a
beautiful religion, at least in this, that it
keeps its disciples always washing them
selves
BY and by we come to a place where in
little hollow by the rivers side pile Of
wood was burning; two men were waving
a big piece Of cloth to fan The flame. and
gradually. as 1t burned, you caught sight
through the flame Of a strange bundle ly-
ing. in the midst of the wool and slowly
catching fire. Then you knew that IL was
the funeral pile of some dead Hindu who
had died happy in knowing that he would
be burned beside the sacred river, and that
his ashes would be mingled with Its Wa
tiers. Then came another curious ami pa
thetic sight. Close by the SIDE of this
burning pile was another. all prepared. but
not yet lighted. Soon ! saw II man leading
a little naked boy Of some four years old
into the water. He washed the little chap
all over. then stood him up beside the pile
Of wood; priest up above on a high altar
said some prayers over him, and The man
gave the little boy blazing bunch CT
straw, and showed him how to stick Il into
he rntSst "a the Npna until Yk,A Who'll q
caught fire. 1t was a widower showing his
small son how to set his rroIher on fire.
The little fellow seemed scared, and cried,
and when they let him 80 he ran up to
some other children-probably cousins
who put his clothes on for him, AMI theii
he squatted on his heels. and quietly watch
ed the flames.
While this was going ON they had
brought down the body % a child perhaps
seven or eight years old, and for II they
built another pile of wood close TO the wa
ter. Then they took the body into the
stream and bathed it for moment. then
brought 1t out and laid II On the wood. The
father Of the child went into me water and
washed himself all over. After he came
out the priest at the altar chanted prayer
for him. Then he went cp To an old wo-
man who sold straw, and bought a bundle,
haggling some time over the price. This he
lighted at the burning pile Of the little
boys mother, and with il set his own
child's pile in flames. They had covered
1t was the prettiest funeral pile Of all.
By this time another body, a wasted end
worn old man, had come. and they were
already bathing him in the >Janses, while
some men were gathering up the ashes (of
somebody who was burued earlier in the
day. and throwing them into the river.
where they float to certain bliss. So II
goes on all the time, while Il great crowd is
gathered around, some laughing. some
praying. some trafiicking, some begging.
While We looked on, an interesting looking
fakir came up with a i've snake pleasant
ly curled around his neck, and begged an
aims while the boys behind kept pulling
the tail Of his hideous necklace to make
him. mad, and just down the slope beside
the water the mother WIS being burned by
the little boy, and the child by her father.
This is not a cheerful letter. but on less
serious occasions the Hin'lus are a most
amusing people. On these cool mornings
the whole population seems TO go about
legs all bare.