The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-12-21

stroy! lie SAD, nc; they only repre-
sent God. There is but one God"
Question. When people die, where
do they go 10?
Answer. That depends upon wha
they have heen doing. If they have beer
doing good, to heaven; if they have
been doing evil, to hell.
Q.-But do you not believe in thu
transmigration of souls, and that aftel
death we go into birds or animals o.
some sort?
Ayes; the last creature a man il
thinking of while dying is the one into
which he will go. If he is thinking of &
bird, he will go into bird, and if hi
is thinking of COW he will go into 6
COW.
Q.-I thought you said that at death
the soul goes to heaven or hell?
Ale goes there by gradual proc.
ess. 1t may take him years and years.
Q.-Can any one become Hindooi
Gould become Hindoo?
A.-Yes, you could.
Q.-How could become Hindoo?
A.-By doing as the Hindoos do.
But as I looked upon the poor, filthy
wretch, bedaubing himself with the
ashes of the dead, i thought the last
thing on earth would want to become
would be a Hindoo. I expressed to a
missionary who overheard the converse
tion between the fakir and myself my
amazement at some of the doctrines the
fakir announced. The missionary said,
''The fakirs are very accommodating,
and supposing you to be a friend of
Christianity he announced the theory
of one God, and that of rewards and
punishments. "
There are, however, alleviations for
Benares. I attended worship in one of
the Christian missions. The sermon,
though delivered in Hindoostanee, of
which l could not understand a word,
thrilled me with its earnestness and
tenderness of tone, especially when the
missionary told me at the close of the
service that he recently baptized man
who was converted through reading one
Of my sermons among the hills of In
dia. The songs of the two Christian as
semblages | visited in this city, al
though the tunes were new, and the
sentiments not translated, were uplift-
ing and inspiring to the last degree
There was also a school of 600 native
girls, an institution established by ra-
jah of generosity and wealth, gradu-
ate of Madras university. But, more than
all, the missionaries are busy, some of
them preaching on the CHATS, some of
them in churches, in chapels and ba-
zaars. The London Missionary society
has here its college for young men and
It's schools for children and its houses Of
worship for all. The Church Missionary
society has its eight schools, all filled
with learners. The evangelizing work
of the N'esleyans and the Baptists is
felt in all parts of Benares. In its
mightiest stronghold Hindooism is be-
ing assaulted.
Maligned Missionaries.
And now as to the industrious ma
lignment Of missionaries: Ii has been
said by some travellers after their return
to America or England that the mis-
sionaries are living life fnll ef ipdes
lence and luxury. That is falsefbod
that would say is as high as heaven if
1t did not go down in the opposite di
rection. When strangers come into these
tropical climates, the missionaries do
their best to entertain them, making
sacrifices for that purpose. In the city
Of Benares a missionary told me that, a
gentleman coming from England into
one of the mission stations of India, the
banded together to enter
tain him. Among other things they had |
a ham boiled, prepared and beautifully |
decorated, and the same ham was pass
ed around from house to house as this |
stranger appeared, and in other respects
D conspiracy of kindness was effected. |
The visitor went home to England and |
wrote and spoke Of the luxury in which
the missionaries of India were living.
Americans and Englishmen come to
these tropical regions and find mis-
;ionary living under palms and with
different styles of fruits on his table
md forget that palms are here as cheap
rs hickory or pine In America and rich
fruits as cheap as plain apples. They
ind here missionaries sleeping under
ounkas, these fans swung day and night
~ coolies, and forget that cents day
8 good wages here, and the man finds
himself. Four cents day for a coach
nan, a missionary can afford to ride.
There have been missionaries who have
,ome to these hot climates resolving to
i've as the natives live, and one or two
ears have finished their work. their
hief use OH missionary ground being
hat of furnishing for large funeral
he chief object of interest. So far from
living in idleness, no men on earth work
o hard as the missionaries now in the
oreign field. Against fearful odds and
With 8, 600, 900 of Christians opposed to
80, 900, 900 of Hindoos, Mohammedans
nd other false religions, these mission
ries are trying to take India for God.
,et the good people of America and
sngland and Scotland and all Christen-
ON add 80 q per cent to their appre-
iation of the fidelity and conservation
( foreign missionaries. Far away from
ONE, in an exhausting climate, and
to send their children to Eng
and, Scotland or America SO as to es-
ape the corrupt conversation and he ,