The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-11
DISCONTINUED WITH THE GODS
HindOo- Constantly Struggling Bstwesn
PoIytheisIr and MonotheisJn.

Hindoo. Constantly Struggling Bstwesn
PoIytheisIr and Monotheisn-
The gods Of India are everywhere,
and yet they seem TO be nowhere. The
religion has been one long winter Of
discomfort; one prolonged struggle on
the part of the people TO worship many
gods under. many shapes, while al
ways on the point of believing in one
single divine essence as the cause and
creator of all things; a hand 10 hand
fight between polytheisn and nonothe-
ism, in which the priests have contin-
ually endeavored TO plsy the part q
conciliators. Vishnu and silva are now
the chief contending parties. and the
priests have tried to make them agree
by adding a third supreme deity IN the
shape of Brahma. OF this fact ingeu-
ious searchers after collateral evidence
Of Christianity have made capital, say
ing that Brahma, Vishnu and silva are
inseparable. and that the Hindoos are
evidently in possession of the dogma OF
the trinity, says a writer IN the Cen
fury. As a matter of fact this - pure
nonsense, and contains as much truth
as the parallels that have been drawn
between Christ and Buddha, Christ and
Krishma, Napoleon the Great and
Apollo. Archbishop Whately, in his
great squib, showed once and for all
the absurdity Of such demonstrations.
For the chief Of Buddhist institutions
was the monastery, and in no Catholic
country have the mendicant and priest
" orders ever hOurishea In such num-
bers. IN such wealth or in such power
es they did in India during the eight
or nine hundred years which elapsed
from the rise TO the extinction Of Budd-
hism.
The monks took the vows Of poverty
and mendicancy as individuals, but tho
order, as a body, owned vast estates.
magnificent buildings and untold
riches Their error lay in severing
themselves too much from the people,
In making their religion too abstract
for popular comprehension, IN leading
lives which were too secluded TO admit
" any breadth OF view aud too well
provided with good things for any great
Intellectual activity. They have left
but little behind them worthy 10 DO
ranked as literature. Ia countries
where people live much in the open air,
dress simply when they dress a. all and
eat wha. the can get. i- require Ht.e
effort Il Imagination OF st-iD ~ pen %
make them seem IS primitive as one
pleases. As matter Of fact, where D.
is very easy 70 live, or, At least, whore
little thought or labor IS requisite 20
obtain the means Of living, a nation en-
dowed with any natural activity IL very
likely to devote its energies 20 intel
lectual pursuits; and the result Is sure
% be a state OF national thought which,
in despite Of scanty clothing and rice
for breakfast, dinner and supper. viii
turn out the very reverse OF primitive
India rs s1ch country, and, so far as
the Arysns are concerned, always has
been What IL was before the Aryan
conquest we have no means Of know
ing, but 10 Is not CT all likely that the
modern religions and customs belonged
TO the sboTigines prior 70 that date II
seens much more natural % ArPpose
that the Vedio hymns and the Nedi2
faith-if we may SO call it--wers 81 al
times tho exclusive property Of the
higher class Of Arysns aud that popu-
lar religions existed among tie masses,
Is they co now, simultaneously with
the hixhly-civilized belief q the Esdic
Brahuaaas- Tho word b-zhmana, 20
designating a member q the p-t%stly
caste distinguished from the braAman.
the Officiating priest and singer 4 TIE
sacred verses. IS found Only IL tie very
latss, q tbs hymns, blowing that DO
such distinction was Necessary t'@toTs
the fusion of the classes which p-oba-
bly, accompanied the H.outAwara uigra-
.fcu