Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-05-16
THE GREAT MOGULS.
TIE PROGRESS WHICH INDIA MADE
UNDER THEIR RULE

The Monuments of Akbar the Great, Who
Welded the Earring Communities Into a
Mighty Empire, and WHO Was One of
the Wisest and Best Men of His Time.
When we visit Agra and Delhi, we
come in contact with the empire of the
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 to themselves the three highest
grades-those of priests, warriors and
husbandmen - and assigning to the
fourth, the lowest, the non-Aryan abo-
rigines of the soil. The highest caste,
the Brahmans--had developed great
religion and created literature which
in these days commands the admiration
Of scholars. Buddhism arose, attained
great power, but was driven out of In
dia after fiourishing Is centuries-from
600 B. G. to 900 A. d. The country was
divided into many kingdoms which con-
tended with each other with varying
fortunes. And ingenious people in fer
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 Punjab.
The Mohammedan incursions began
early in the eighth century and con-
tinued for roo 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 Turk slave, and the Kutub- Minar,
one of the loftiest and most beautiful
towers in the world, commentaries his
name in Delhi. Timour (Tamerlane), the
Tartar, came i'll 1893, but the traces he
left were plundered temples and DESC
late cities. Many other waves of con-
quest followed through the Afghan
passes from the teeming hives of Tar
tary. 1t was a man of the house of I'll
mour-Babar, ''the Lion," sixth in de-
scent from Timour-who founded the
Mogul dynasty. He found India divided
between the local Mohammedan kings,
his conquering predecessors, and Hin
doc princes. His conquest was easy, but |
it was his grandson, Akbar the Great,
who welded the jarring communities
into a mighty empire. Akbar was one
of the ablest and wisest men of his age.
He reigned from 1856 to 1906, so that |
he was a contempory of Queen Eliza
beth of England Akbar was man of
liberal views and statesman of the
highest type. He was a great paciffcator |
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 a HindOo; another is said to have |
been Christian. Finding that no creed |
was exclusively true, he finally estab-
hshed a new state religion which he
called ''the 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
ative men see Of the divine soul that
animates the universe, while he was
himself wOrshiped by the ignorant null
titude, though it is doubtful how far he
encouraged this popular alteration of his
person.
He did much to correct the practices
of the Hindoos. 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 remar-
riage of Hindoo widows, and although
unable to abolish widow burning on the
husbands funeral pyre he took steps to
insure that the act, if committed, should
be voluntary. He abolished the hated
tax on non-Mussulmans and had the
Eiindoo sacred books translated into Per-
Sian. He who reads the life of Akbar to-
SsNy IiG WAS OiIS vi tilS IuOSb
enlightened monarchs of his age-one
of those great men fit to command and
to found an empire. And it was Al1bar
who really established the empire of
the great moguls, whose magnifcence
we still trace in the unrivaled architec-
tural monuments Of Agra and Delhi.
Akbar built the great fort at 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 in
the last hundred years until his seven
teenth successor was banished to Ran
goon in 1857 for completely in the sepoy
mutiny and died in 1S62.-Cor. Boston
Herald.