The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-12-22
HEATHEN CUSTOMS.
Dr.. Talmase Tells How the Elm
docs Dispose Of Their Dead.
Dsasrss, the vile Metropolitan stronghold
Of Idolators. VIII Yet C~apitulats
to ~Christ-Heroic Work Of
Missionaries.

to Christ-Heroic Work of
Missionaries.
The third sermon of his round-the-
world series given to the press by Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage was upon the sub
ject Of Burning the Dead" the text
being from Psalms, cxv. 10: "They
have hands but they handle not, feet
have they but they walk not, neither
speak they through their throat. They
that make them are like unto them"
Following il the sermon:
The life Of the missionary Is Q luxu-
rious and indolent life. Hindoolsm is
. religion that ought not TO be inter
fered with. Christianity is guilty Of
IN impertinence when it invades
heathendom; you must put in the same
line Of reverence Brahma, Buddha,
Mohammed and Christ. To refute
these ISLANDERS and blasphemies, now so
prevalent, and to spread out before the
Christian world the contrast between
idolatrous and Christian countries, /
preach this sermon in my ''round-the-
world" series.
In this discourse I take you to the
very headquarters of heathendom. to
the very capital of Hindooism; for
what Mecca Is to the Mohammedan,
and what Jerusalem is to the Christian,
Benares, India, Is to the Hindoo. We
arrived there in the evening, and the
next morning we started out early,
among other things to see the burning
Of the dead. We saw It, cremation, not
-. 5000 ~A4~1n L. nop{Oo and
England are now advocating 1t. name
ty. the burning of the dead In clean,
orderly and refined ~cresmatory. the
hot furnace soon reducing the human
form to . powder to be carefully pre-
served In an urn, but cremation as the
Hindoos practice It. We got into Q
boat and were rowed down the river
0Anges until we came opposite to
where Eve dead bodies lay, four Of
Of them women wrapped in red
garments, and q man wrapped
In white. Our boat fastened,
We waited and watched. High piles
Of wood were on the bank, and this
wood il carefully weighed ON large
scales, according - the friends Of the
dsceassd can AFFORD to pay for It. In
many cases only . few sticks can be IT.
fordsd, and the dead body IL burned
only . little, and then thrown into the
0snseA. But where the relatives Of
The dsceased are well to do, an sbun-
dance Of wood In pieces 4 or s feet long
4 purchased. Two or three layers Of
sticks are then put on the ground to
eocoivs the dead form. Small pieces Of
sandal wood are inserted to produce
fragrance. The deceased IL lifted from
the resting place and put upon this
wood. Then the cover Is removed
bathed with the water of the 0anges.
Then several moro layers Of wood T
put upon the body, and other sticks Are
placed ON both sides Of 1t, but the head
and feet are left exposed. Then .
quantity Of grease sufficient TO make
everything innammable il put ON the
wood, and Into the mouth of the dead.
Then one Of the richest men in
Bonsres, his fortune made In this way,
furnishss the FIRE, and, after the priest
has mumblsd . few words the eldest
son walks three times around the
sacred pile, and then applies tho torch.
and the Ere blsxes up, and in . short
time the body has become the ashes
which the relatives throw into the
8aAgsA
We saw floating past Us on the Ganses
the body Of . child which had been on
y partly burned. because the parents
eould not afford enough wood While
watching the floating form Of the child
. crow alighted upon It. In the mean
time hundreds Of Hindoos were bath
ing in the river, dipping their heads,
6lling their mouths, supplying their
brass cups, mnttering words Of so-callsd
pcaysy. Such . mingling of supersti-
ton and losthsomeness, and inhuman-
ity ! had never bsfors seen. The
Gaugss IL to the Hindoo the best river
Of al the earth. but to me 1t IL the
vilsst stream that ever rolled Its stencil
In horror to the ses
Benarss 10 the capital Of Hindooism
and Buddhism, but Hindooism has
trsmpled out Buddhism, the hoof Of
the one monster on the grizzly neck of
the other monster. It Ia also the
capital OF nth, and the capital Of NAL
odores, and the capital Of ~indscency.
The Hindoos say they have SOC, 900. 900
gods. Bsnares being the headquarters
81 these dsitiss you will not be sur
prised TO find that the making Of gods
10 . profitable business Here there
are ssrpsntsrs making wooden gods,
and bras workers Masking brass gods,
and SCULPTOR making stone gods. and
potters making clay coda Icannotthink
of the denominations practiced here
without . recoil Of stomach and . need
Of cologne. Although much IL said
about The carving on the temples Of
this city, everything IL % vile that
there d not much room left for the
aesthetic.
Benases Il imposjng In the distance
. you viii look 1t It from tho other
sids Of the 0angsa The forty.ssvsp
gAsts. or flights Of stone steps rssoh.
tng from the waters edge TO the build
ae high up ON the banks, mark . place
Tor the ascent anddescent Of the sublim-
ltisa The eye II lost in the bewildsr-
ment Of tombs. shrines, minarets, PAL
aees end temples. II Is the gloriAca-
tisa Of stsps. the triumph Of stsirwsys.
But looked ct close by, the temples,
though large and expansive, ere sny-
thinG but attractive. The sesmtag
Rold IN many ~ turns out to be
brssA The precious stones in the wall
turn out 70 b paint. The marble 10
staeso: The slippery and di.gustiag