The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-04

Bcnarcs is the sacredest place IN India, Is
the statement iu one o. Phillips Brooks letters
Ga the September Century There are i've
thousand Hludoo temples in Bcnares Il ~
the very Back BAY Of Asia. You stumble al
every step % = temple vita lie htdeoua Idol.
II you hear O gentleman or lady mutterng
behind you IN the street they are not abusing
You. but only saying prayers 10 Nishnu Or
silva who has q little shrine somewhere in
the back yard OF the next house.
i went down 90 the Ganges. where hundreds
ana hundreds or people were bathing IN me
sacred river PILGRIMS from all over India
had come to wash their sins away and were
scruDbing themselves as thick as they could
stand for two miles along the bank Of the
stream. II is beautiful religion. at least IN
this. that II keeps its disciples always wash
ing themselves.
BY AMI by we came to ga piace,where in
little hollow by the rivers side pile Of wood
was burning; two men were waving big
piece OF cloth TO fan the fame. and gradually
as il burned you caught sight through the
hame OF strange bundle lying in the midst
OF the wood and slowly catching fire, Then
you knew that it was the funeralplle 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 waters. Then came another curious
and pathetic sight. Close by the side OF this
burning pile was another all prepared,
but not yet lighted. Soon / saw a man
leading a little naked boy some years
old into the water. He washed the little chap
al 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 OF straw, and
showed him how to stick IL into the midst OF
the wood until the whole caught hre. II was
a widOwer showing his small son how to set
his mother on fire. The little fellow seemed
scared, and cried, and when they let him go
ran up to some other Children probably
cOusinS-whO put his clothes on for him, and
SQUaffe0 heels and On1ptlV
watched the flames.
While this was going on they had brought
down the body Of child perhaps seven or
eight years old. and for it they built another
pile OF wood close to the water. Then they
took the body into the stream and bathed it
Tor moment, then brought il out and laid 1t
on the wood. The father Of the child went
INTO the water and washed himself all over.
After he came out the priest at the altar
chanted prayer for him. Then he went up
TO an old woman who sold straw, aud bought
bundle. haggling sometime over the price.
This he lighted at the burning pile Of the little
Roy mother, and with it set his own child s
pile in flames. They had covered the little
body with bright red cloth, and il was the
BY this time another body. a wasted
and worn old man, had come, and
they were already bathing him in the Ganges,
while some men we're gathing up the ashes
(of somebody who were burned earlier In the
day and throwing them in the river where
they float to certain bliss. So it goes on all
the time, while crowd is gathered around,
some laughing, some praying, some trafflck-
ing some begging. While we looked on, an
interesting looking fakir came up with a live
shake pleasantly curled around his neck, and
begged an aims while the boys kept behind
pulling the tail Of his hideous necklace TO
make him mad. and just down the slope be-
side the water the mother was being burned
by the little boy. and the child by her father.
This is not cheerful letter. out on less
serious occasions the Hiudus are a most
amusing people. On these cool mornings the
whole population seems to go about with its
bedclothes around its head and legs all bare.