Connecticut western news., 1894-12-20

 temples About the vast Golden temple there Is not as much gold as would make an English sovereign. The air it. self is asphyxiated. 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 ple Here stood fakir wish right arm uplifted and for so long a 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 Si- 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 string of skulls. Before him bow men whose hair never knew 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
 
 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 ill and around the build ing monkeys abound and are kept as sa- 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- tion placed in the hands of an attend ant resulted in Q permission to enter with our shoes on. As the Golden tenn pie is dedicated to Siva, the poison god, this Monkey temple is dedicated to Si- vas wife, 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 supernatural Xantippe; hence to her are brought flowers and rice, and here and there the flowers are spattered with the blood of goats slain in sacrifice.
 As we walk today through this Mon- key temple we must not hit or tease or hurt one of them. Two Englishmen years ago lost their lives by the mal- treatment of a monkey. Passing along one of these Indian streets, monkey I o% e,aka <Npt 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 pounded to death for having struck a monkey. No land in all the world so reveres the monkey as India, as no oth- CT land has temple called after it.
 One of the rajahs of India spent 100, 900 rupees in the marriage of two mon- keys. A nuptial procession was formed in which moved camels, elephants, ti- gers, cattle and palanquins of richly dressed people. Bands of music sounded the wedding march. Dancing parties kept the night sleepless. It was 12 days before the monkey and monkeyess 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. I defy any one to watch a monkey one minute without laughter. Why was this creature made? For the world s amusement. The mission of some ami mals is left doubtful, and we cannot see the use of this or that quadruped or this or that insect, but the mission of the ape is certain-all around the world it en- tertains. Whether seated at the top of this temple in India or cutting up its antics on the top of hand organ, it stirs the sense of the ludicrous, tickles the diaphragm into caohinnation, top that for which it was created. The ca gle, and the lion, and the gazelle, and the robin no more certainly have their mission than has the monkey. But it implies low form of Hindooism when this embodied mimicry of the human race is lifted into worship.
 An Obliging Falir.
 In one of the cities for the first time in my life I had an opportunity of talk ing with fakir or Hindoo who has renounced the world and lives on aims. He sat under rough covering on a platform of brick. He was covered with the ashes of the dead and was at the time rubbing more of those ashes upon his arms and legs. He understood and spoke English. I said to him, "How long have you been seated here?'' He replied, Fifteen years. !" Have those idols which see power to help or de- stroy?" He said, "No; they only repre- sent God. There is but one God" Question. When people die, where do they go to?
 Answer. That depends upon what they have been doing. If they have been doing good, to heaven; if they have been doing evil, to he'll.
 Q.-But do you not believe in the transmigration of souls, and that after death we go into birds or animals of some sort?
 A.-Yes; the last creature man is thinking of while dying is the one into which he will go. If he is thinking of Q bird, he will go into bird, and if he | is thinking of a COW he will go into 8 COW.
 Q.-I thought you said that at death the soul goes to heaven or hell? Ale goes there by a gradual proc ess. It may take him years and years. Q.-Can any one become Hindoo' | Could I 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 E would be a Hindoo. I expressed to z missionary who overheard the conversa l 4:ez. l>a4zxzaa.. Ral ,,.=z-alf