Democratic messenger., 1894-12-22
BURNl.iG THE DEAD.
REV. T. DE WITT TALMAGE EXPLAINS
THE HlNDOO CREED.

No Comparison Between Heather Beliefs
and the Christian Eaith--A City Of IdoIa-
In,iia's Religious Stronghold Bei x
Undermined by Efforts OF Missionaries.
BRookLYN, Dec. l6.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage today delivered the third of his Sc
ries of round the world sermons through
the press. the subject being ''Thc Burn
ing of the Dead, 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 cxv, :, 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
pertinencc when il invades hcathendom.
You must put in the same line of rcver-
encc Brahma, Buddha, Mohammed and
Christ. To refutc these ISLANDERS and
blasphcmics now so prevalent and to
spread out before the Christian world
the contrast between idolatrous and
Christian countries | preach this third
sermon in my round the world series.
In this discourse l take you to the
very headquarters of heathendom, to tho
very capital of Hindooism. for what
Mecca is to the Mohammedan, and what
Jerusalem is to the Christian. Benares.
India, is to the Hindoo We arrived
there i'll the evening and the next
morning we started out 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-namely,
the burning of the dead in clean and or
derly and refined crematory, the hot
furnace soon reducing the human form
to powder to be carefully preserved
in an urn-5ut cremation rs the Hin
docs practice it.
We got into boat and were rowed
down the river Gangcs until we came
opposite to where five dead bodies lay,
four of them women wrapped in red gar
ments and y man wrapped i'll 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 the
friends of the deceased can afford to pay
for it. In many cases only n few sticks
can be afforded. and the dead body is
burned only u little and then thrown
into the Ganges. But where the rcla-
tivcs of the deceased are well to do an
abundance of wood i'll 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 il is
bathcd with water of the Ganges. Then
several more layers of wood are put
upon the body. and other sticks are
placed on both sides of it, but the head
and feet are 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
one of the richest men in Benares, his
fortune made in this way. furnishes tho
fire, and after tho priest has mumbled
few words. tho eldest son walks three
times around the sacred pile and then
applies the torch. and the fire blazes up,
and in 10 short time the body has be-
come the ashes which the relatives
throw into the Ganges.
The Sacred River.
We saw floating past US on the Ganges
the body Ga child which had been only
partly burned because the parents could
not afford enough wood. While We
watched the floating form of the child
crow alighted upon it. In the mean
time 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. Such mingling Of superstition
and loathsomeness and inhumanity
had never before seen. The Ganges is to
the Hindoo the best river of all the
earth, but to me it is the vilest stream
that ever rolled its stencil i'll horror to
tho sea. looked all along the banks for
tho mourners for the dead.
l saw III two of the cities nine crema-
tions. but i'll no case d sad look or q
tear. / said TO friends: How is this?
Have the living no grief for the dead?"
found that the women do not come
forth OH 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 OH recommendation. Marriages
thus formed. Of course. have not much
affection in them. Women are married
at and 10 years of age and are grand
mothers at 80. Such unwisely formed
family associations do not imply much
ardor of love- The family SO poorly put
together-who wonders that it is easily
taken apart! And so / account for the
absence of all signs Of grief at the ere
nation of the Hindoos.
Benares is tho capital of Hindooism
and Buddhism. but Hindooism has
trampled ont 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. 900. 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 gcds. and sculptors max
ing stone gods. and potters making clay
gods. | cannot think Of the abomina-
tions practiced here without recoil OF
stomach and a need of cologne. AL
though much is said about the carving
OH the temples of this city, everything
is SO vile that there is not much room
left for the aesthetic. The devotees en-
ter the temples nineteen twentieths un-
clothed and depart begging. All that