Asheville daily citizen., 1894-08-27
DISCONTINUED WITH THE GODS
Hindoos Constantly Struggling between
Poiytheism and MonOthcism.

Polythcism and MonOthcism.
The gods of India are everywhere,
and yet they seem to be nowhere. The
religion has been one long winter OF
discomfort; one prolonged struggle on
the part of the people to worship many
gods under many shapes, while al
ways on the point of believing in ono
single divine essence rs the cause and
creator of ull things; hand to hand
fight between polythcismand monothc-
ism, in which the priests have contin-
ually endeavorcd to play the part OF
conciliators. Vishnu and silva arc now
the chief contending parties, and the
priests have tried to make them agree
by adding third supreme deity in the
shape of Brahma OF this fact ingen-
ious searchers after collateral evidence
Of Christianity have made capital, say
ing that Brahma, Vishnu and silva arc
inscparable, and that the Hindoos are
evidently in possession of the dogma OF
the trinity, says a writer In the Cen
tury. AS matter of fact this Is pure
nonsense, and contains as much truth
as the parallels that have been drawn
between Christ and Buddha, Christ and
Krishma, Napoleon the Great and
Apollo. Archbishop Whately. in his
great squib, showed once and for all
the ubsurdity Of such demonstrations.
For the chief Of Buddhist institutions
was the monastery, and In no Catholic
country have tho mendicant and priest
ly orders ever nourishcd in such num-
bers In such wealth or In such power
Us they did in India during the eight
or nine hundred years which elapsed
from the rise to the extinction Of Budd-
hism.
Tho monks took the vows of poverty
and mcndicancy rs individuals, but the
order, as a body, owned vast estates,
magnificent buildings and untold
riches. Their error lay In sevcring
themselves too much from the people,
in making their religion too abstract
for popular comprehension, in leaaing
lives which werc too secluded to admit
of any breadth Of view and too well
provided with good things for any great
intellectual activity. They have left
but little behind them worthy to bt
ranked as literature. In countrie:
where people live much in the open air
dress simply when they dress at all ant
cat what they can get, it requires little
effort OF imagination or skill Of pen t.
make them seom as primitive as one
pleases. AS q matter Of fact, whereof
Is very easy to live, or, at least, whert
little thought or labor is requisite t.
obtain the means OF living, nation on
dowcd with any natural activity Is very
likely to devote Its energies to intel
lectual pursuits; and the result Is sure
to be state Of national thought which
In despite of scanty clothing and rice
for breakfast, dinner and supper, will
turn out the very reverse Of primitive
India is such country, and, SO far a
the Aryans are concerned, always ha
been. What 1t was before the Arynl
conquest we have no means Of know
ing, but it Is not ut all likely that th'
modern religions and customs belonged
to the aborigines prior to that date. !
seems much more natural to suppos'
that the Vedio hymns and the Vedi
faith-if we may so call it--werc at al
times tho exclusive property Of tn
higher class OF Aryans and that popu
lar religions existed among tho masses
as they do now, simultaneously witt
the highly-civilized belief Of tho Vedi
Drahmans. Tho word brahmana, o
designating member of the priastl
caste distinguished from the brahmar
the officiating priest and singer Of tn
sacred verscs), Is found only in the YER
latest Of tho hymns, showing that n
such distinction was necessary befor
the fusion Of the classes which probt
bly, accompanied tho southwark migrf
tlon.