Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-12-17

lament of religions in Chicago, it makes
man brute and woman the lowest
type of slave. would rather be horse
or COW or dog in India than be a
woman. The greatest disaster that can
happen to Hindoo is that he was born
at all.
A City of Illusions.
Benares is imposing in the distance as
you look at it from the other side of
the Ganges The AZ CHATS or flights of
stone steps, reaching from the waters
edge to the buildings high up on the
banks. mark place for the ascent and
descent of the sublimities. The eye is
lost in the bewilderment of tombs,
shrines, minarets, palaces and temples.
It is the Qualification of steps, the tri-
umph of stairways. But looked at close
by the temples, though large and ex-
pensive, are anything but attractive.
The seeming gold in many cases turns
out to be brass. The precious stones in
the wall turn out to be paint The mar
Bile is stucco. The slippery and disgust
ing steps lead you to images of horrible
visage, and the flowers put upon the
altar have their fragrance submerged
by that which is the opposite OF aromat-
les.
After you have seen the CHATS the
two great things in Benares that you
must see are the Golden and Monkey
temples About the vast Golden temple
there is not as much gold as would
make an English sovereign. The air it
self is aspbyXiated. Here we see men
making gods out of mud and then put
ting their hands together in worship of
that which themselves have made. Sa-
cred COWS walk up and down the tenn
pie. Here stood fakir with a right
arm uplifted and for so long time
that he could not take it down, and the
nails of the hand had grown until they
looked like serpents winding in and
around the palm.
The god of the Golden temple is ST.
va, Or the poison god. Devils wait upon
him. He is the god Of war, of famine,
of pestilence He is the destroyer He
has around his neck a string of skulls.
Before him bow men whose hair never
knew a comb. They eat carrion and
that which is worse. Bells and drums
here set up racket. Pilgrims come
from hundreds Of miles away, spending
their last piece of money and exhaust
ing their last item of strength in order
to reach this Golden temple, glad to die
in or near it and have the ashes of their
bodies thrown into the Ganges
The Monkey Temple.
We took a carriage and went still far
ther on to see the Monkey temple, SO
called because in and around the build
ing monkeys abound and are kept as So
cred. All evolutionists should visit this
temple devoted to the family from which
their ancestors came These monkeys
chatter and wink and climb and look
wise and look silly and have full pos
session of the place. We were asked at
the entrance of the Monkey temple to
take off our shoes because of the sacred
ness of the place, but small contribu-
ton placed in the hands of an attend
ant resulted in a permission to enter
with our shoes on. AS the Golden tenn
pie is dedicated to silva, the poison god,
this Monkey temple is dedicated to ST.
vas wife, q deitess that must be propi-
tiated, or she will disease and blast and
destroy. For centuries this spitfire has
been worshiped. She is the goddess of
scold and slap and termagancy. She is
supposed to BE-, q supernatural Xantippe;
hence to her are brought flowers and
rice, and hero and there the flowers are
spattered with the blood of goats slain
in sacrifice.
AS we walk today through this Mon
key temple wa must not hit or tease Or
hurt one Of them. Two Englishmen
years ago lost their lives by the NAL
treatment Of q monkey. Passing along
one Of these Indian streets, a monkey
did not soon enough get out Of the way,
and one of these Englishmen struck it
with his cane. Immediately the people
and the priests gathered around these
strangers, and the public wrath increas-
ed until the two Englishmen were
monkey No land in all the world so
reveres the monkey as India, as no 9TH
er land has a temple called after it.
One of the rajahs of India spent 10O,-
900 rupees in the marriage Of two mon
keys. A nuptial procession was formed
in which moved camels, elephants, I'll
gers, cattle and palanquins Of richly
dressed people. Bands Of music sounded
the wedding march. Dancing parties
kept the night sleepless. 1t was 10 days
before the monkey and Donkeyess were
free from their round of gay attentions.
In no place but India could such car
nival have occurred. But, after all,
while we cannot approve of the Monkey
temple, the monkey is sacred to hilari
ty. defy any one to watch a monkey
one minute without laughter. Why was
this creature made? For the worlds
amusement. The mission of some ami
mails is left doubtful, and we cannot see
the use of this or that quadrdped or this
or that insect, but the mission of the ape
is certain-all around the world it en-