The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-06-13
THE GREAT MOGULS.
THE PROGRESS WHICH INDIA MADE
UNDER THEIR RULE.

che wisest and Best Men OF Hls Time.
When we visit Agra and Delhi. we
come In contact with the empire Of she
great moguls, the very name Of which
strikes upon the mind with picturesque
effect For many centuries after the Ar
yam invasion of India the country had
developed under their rule. They had
established the caste system. appropri-
ating 20 themselves the three highest
grades-those Of priests. warriors and
husbandmen - and assigning TO the
fourth. the lowest, the non-Aryan abo
rhymes of the soil The highest caste,
the Brahmans-had developed q great
religion and created q literature which
In these days commands the admiration
Of scholars. Buddhism arose, attained
great power, but was driven out Of In
dia after hourishing Is centuries-from
800 B. G. TO 900 A. ID. The country was
divided into many kingdoms which con
tended with each other with varying
fortunes. And ingenious people in afer-
tile land created great wealth, which
was too often taken away from the pro-
ducers by oppressive rulers. India offer
ed great temptations TO the ConQueror.
Alexander the Great penetrated to the
Indus and left colonies which survived
for some time, but left no traces but the
science of astronomy, their coins and
the subtle influences of their art, still
observed in the remains of the Punjah.
The Mohammedan ~incursions began
early in the eighth century and con-
tinuedsfor 700 years Several Moham-
medan kingdoms were established of
longer or shorter endurance The dy-
nasty Of the slave kings was founded in
1906 by Kutab-ud-din, who began life
as o Turk slave, and the Kutuh- Minar,
one Of the Hottest and most beautiful
towers In the world, commentaries his
name in Delhi. Timour Tamerlaneb the
Tartar, came In 1893, but the traces he
left were plundered temples and DESC
late cities Many other raves OF con-
quest followed through the Afghan
passes from the teeming hives OF Tar
tary. It was O man of the house of tt
mour-Babar, .tthe Lion, " sixth In de-
L WGCUt fA1OA4 444U0&-W4k0 AGGMAM&& ~
Mogul dynasty. He found India divided
between the local Mohammedan kings
his conquering predecessors, and Hin
doc princes His conquest was easy, but
IL was his grandson, Akbar the Great.
who welded the Earring communities
into a mighty empire. Akbar was n
of the ablest and wisest men Of his age.
He reigned from 1865 to 1905, 90 that
he was a contempory Of Queen Eliza
beth Of England Akbar was . maa of
liberal views and . statesman OF the
highest type. He was q great pacificator
and organizer. Babar had favored the
Mohammedans, but Akbar brought the
Hindoos also into public employment
and established the foundations OF his
empire ON equal justice TO all races and
creeds. His own religious views were
liberal, and he delighted to bring to-
gether the Representatives Of different
religions and discuss with them the
tenets of their faith One Of his wives
was q Hindoo; another Ii said to have
been o Christian. Finding that no creed
was exclusively true, he finally estab-
lished o new state religion which hs
called tthe Divine Faith, /" based upon
reason and comprising the best prac.
tices of all known forms OF belief He
worshiped the sun as the best represent
alive men see OF the divine soul that
animates the universe, while he WINS
himself worshiped by the ignorant mul-
titude, though IL ID doubtful how far he
encouraged this popular alteration OF his
person
He did much TO correct the practices
Of the Hindooa He forbade trial by or
deal, animal sacrifices and child mar.
riages, one Of the evils Of the present
time In India. He legalized the reamar-
riage of Hindoo widows, and although
unable u abolish widow burning ON the
husbands funeral pyre ne took steps TO
insure that the act, III committed, should
be voluntary. He abolished the hated
tax ON non-M ussulmans and had the
Hindoo sacred books translated into Per-
sian. He who reads the life of Akbar to-
day finds that he was one of the most
enlightened monarchs Of his age-one
Of those great men At to command and
20 found an empire. And IL was Akbar
who really established the empire BIT
the great moguls, whose m~agnifcence
we still trace In the unrivaled architec-
tural monuments of Agra and Delhi.
Akbar built the great fort nit Agra and
the marvellous buildings at Fatchpur<
Sikri, his favorte residence. The other
world famous constructions were by his
successors His line continued with va
rying fortune, but falling into decay la
the last hundred years until his seven
teenth successor was banished to RAN
COON In 1857 for completely In the sepoy
mutiny and died In 1e62.-Cor. Boston
Herald.
Pats NIishap.
A story is told Of two Irishmen who