Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-12-22
BURNING THE DEAD.
REV. I. De Writ TALMAGE EXPLAINS
THE tslMooo CREED.


REV. I. De WITT TALMAce EXPLAINS
THE HlMDoo CREED.
10 Comparison Bct.csn Heather Beliefs
and the Christian Faft;,--A City of Itloia-
ters- India's Religious stronghold Being
Undermined by Efforts of Missionaries.
BROOKLYN, Dec 1G.-Rev DR.. Tai
mage today delivered tho third of his Sc
ries of round the world sermons through
tho press. the subject being THE Burn
ing of the Dead, Z" and the text: "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. -
Psalm CIV, Z. s.
The life of the missionary is luxu-
rious and indolent life. Hindooism is q
religion that ought not to be interfered
with Christianity is guilty Of an i'm
pertinence when it inyades heathendom
You must put in the same line of reyer-
ence Brallina, Buddha, Mohammed and
Christ To refute these ISLANDERS and
blasphomies now so prevalent and to
spread ont before the Christian world
the contrast between idolatrous and
Christian countries l preach this third
sermon in my round the world series
In this discourse l 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 tho Christian, Benares.
India, is TO the Hindoo. We arrived
there in the evening. and the next
morning We started ont early, among
other things to see the Burning of the
dead. We saw it, cremation, not as
many good people in America and Eng.
land are now advocating it--namcly,
the burning of the dead i'll clean and or,
derby and refined crematory, the hot
furnace soon reducing the human form
to q powder to be carefully preserved
in an urn-but cremation as the Hin
docs practice it.
We got into boat and were rowed
hONt tIo iANNt NJdiiSts ulltli NC NQuft
opposite to where five dead bodies lay,
four of them women wrapped i'll red gar,
ments and man wrapped in white.
Our boat fastened, we waited and
watched. High piles of wood were on
the bank, and this wood is carefully
weighed on large scales, according as tho
friends of tho deceased can afford to pay
Tor it, In many cases only few sticks
can be afforded, and the dead body is
burned only little and then thrown
into the Ganges, But where the rela-
tivcs of the deceased are well to do an
abundance Of wood in pieces four or five
feet long is purchased. Two Or three
, layers Of sticks are then put on the
ground to receive the dead form. Small
pieces of sandalwood are inserted to
produce fragrance. The deceased is lifted
from the resting place and put upon
this wood. Then the cover is removed
from the face of the corpse, and it is
bathod with water of the Ganges. Then
several more layers of wood are put
upon the body, aud other sticks are
placed on both sides of it, but the head
and feet arc left exposed. Then a guam
tity of grease sufficient to make every
thing inflammable is put on the wood
and into the mouth of the dead. Then
ono of the richest men in Benares, his
fortune made in this way, furnishes the
fire, and after the priest has mumbled
n few words, tho eldest son walks three
times around the sacred pile ard then
applies the torch, and the fire blazes up,
ard in short time the body has be-
como the ashes which the relatives
throw into the Ganees.
The Sacred River.
Wesaw floating past Us on the Ganges
the body of child which had been only
partly burned because the parents could
not afford enough wood While we
watched the floating form of tho child
n crow alighted upon it. In the mean
timo hundreds of Hindoos Were bathing
i'll the river dipping their heads, filling
their mouths, supplying their brass
cups, muttcring words of so called
prayer. Ouch mingling of superstition
and loathsomeness and inhumanity /
Altitk i4bNti Dtlbit Gttlls IlO tIttiiSN1 Is VI
the Hiudoo the best river of all the
earth, but to me it is tho vilest stream
that ever rolled its stencil i'll horror to
tho sea. l looked all along the banks for
tho mourners for the dead
saw i'll twoof the cities nine orema-
tions, but in 10 case a sad look or
tear. | said TO friends: "How is this?
Have tho living no grief for the dead:n
| found that tho women do not come
forth on such occasions, but that does
not account for the absence of all signs
of grief. There is another reason more
potent, Men do not see the faces of their
wives until after marriage. They take
them on recommendation. Marriages
thus formed, of course, have not much
affection i'll them. Women are married
at Z and 10 years of age and are grand
mothers at 30. Such unwisely formed
family associations do not imply much
ardor of love The family SO poorly put
togsther-who wonders that it is easily
taken apart? And so l account for the
absence of all signs of grief at tho Gre
nation of the Hindoos.
Benares is the capital of Hindooism
and Buddhism, but Hindooism has
trampled out Buddhism, the hoof of the
one monster on the grizzly neck OF the
other monster. 1t is also the capital of
filth, and the capital Of malodors and
the capital of indecency. The Hindoos
say they have 800, 600, 900 gods. Ben
ares being the headquarters of these
deities, you will not be surprised to find
that the making of gods is profitable
business Here there are carpenters
making wooden gods, and brass workers
making brass gods, and sculptors max
ing stone gods, and potters making clay
gods. | cannot think of the aboinina-
tions praaticed here without a rocoil @!
stomach and need of cologne. Al
though niuch is said about the carving
OIL the temples of this city, everything
i so vile that there is not much room
left for tho aesthetic. The devotccs en-.
ter the temples nineteen-twentieths uu
clothed and depart begging. All thar