The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-12-19


as you look at it from the other side OF
the Ganges. The forty-seven CHATS,
or flights of stone steps, reaching from
the waters edge to the buildings high
up on the banks, mark q place for the
ascent and descent of the sublimities.
The eye is lost in the bewilderment OF
tombs, shrines, minarets, palaces and
temples. 1t is the glorifcation of steps,
the triumph Of stairways. But looked
at close by, the temples, though large |
and expensive, are anything but at
tractive. The seeming gold in many
places turns out to be brass. The pre-
cious stones in the wall turn out to be !
paint The marble is. stucco. The
slippery and disgusting steps lead you
to images of horrible visage, and the
flowers put upon the altar have their
fragrance submerged by that which is
the opposite Of aromatics.
After you have seen the CHATS, the
two great things in Benares that you
must see are the Golden and Monkey
Temples. About the vast Gold Temple
there is not as much gold as would
make an English sovereign. The air
itself is asphyxiated. Here we see men
making gods out of mud and then put
ting their hands together in worship
of that which themselves have made.
Sacred cows walk up and down the
temple. Here stood fal1ir with a right
arm uplifted, and for so long time
that he could not take it down, and the
nails of the hand had grown until they
looked like serpents winding in and
around the palm.
The god of the Golden Temple is silva,
or the poison god. Devils wait upon
him. He is the god of war, of famine,
of pestilence. He is the destroyer. He
has around his neck string of skulls
Before him bow men whose hair never
knew comb. They eat carrion and
that which is worse. Bells and drums
set up racket. Pilgrims come from
hundreds of miles away, spending their
last piece of money and exhausting
their last item of strength in order to
reach this Golden Temple, glad to die
| III VI uCdT ~, duu hdNo bllO doilco VI
their bodies thrown into the Ganges.
We took carriage and went still
further on to see the Monkey Temple,
so called because in and around the
building monkeys abound and are kept
as sacred. ALI evolutionists should
visit this temple devoted to the family
from which their ancestors came. These
monkeys chatter, and wink, and climb,
and look wise, and look silly, and have
full possession of the place. We were
asked at the entrance of the Monkey
Temple to take off our shoes because of
the sacredness of the place, but small
contribution placed in the hands of an
attendant resulted in permission to
enter with our shoes on. As the Golden
Temple is devoted to silva, the poison
god, this Monkey Temple is dedicated to
Siva's wife, deitess, that must be
propitiated or she will disease, and blast
and dstroy. For centuries this spit
fire, has been worshipcd. She is the
goddess of scold, and slap and ter
migancy. Sheis supposed to be super
natural Xantippe; hence to her are
brought flowers and rice, and here anG
there the flowers are spattered with
the blood of goats slain In sacrifice.
AS we walk to-day through this Mon
key Temple we must not hit or tease
or hurt one of them. Two Englishmer
years ago lost their lives by the NAL
treatment of monkey. Passing along
one of these Indian str reefs, a monkey
did not soon enough get cut Of the way
and one of these Englis hmen struck il
with cane. Immediately the people
, and the priests gathered around these
strangers and the public wrath in
creased until the two Englishmen wer,
pounded to death for having struck {
, monkey No land in all the world 81
reveres the monkey as India, as nj
other land has temple called after it
One of the rajahs of India spent 100,
| 900 rupees in the marriage of two mon
keys A nuptial procession was formed
! in which moved camels, elephants
] tigers, cattle and palanquins of richly
J dressed people. Bands Of music soundet
| the wedding march. Dancing partie
] kept the night sleepless. 1t was twelv
5 days before the monkey and monkeyes
were free from their round of gay at
' tentions In no place but India coul
r such carnival have occurred. But
D aftersall, while we cannot approve o
t the Monkey Temple, the monkey is sa
. cred to hilarity. I defy any one t,
watch monkey one minute withou
laughter. Why was this creature
S made? For the worlds amusement
a The mission of some animals
S left doubtful and we cannot Sc
: the use of this or that quadruped, o
4 this or that insect, but the mission Q
q the ape is certain; all around the worl
: it entertains. Whether seated at tn
t top Of this temple in India, or cuttin
' up its antics on the top of hand
s organ, it stirs the sense of the, lud
d crous; tickles the diaphragm into each
S ination; topples gravity into play, an
i accomplishes that for which it was ere
ated. The eagle, and the lion, and tn
n gazelle, and the robin no more certainl
s have their mission than has the NOR
Q key. But it applies to low form @
9 Hindooism when this embodied mimicr
4 of the human race is lifted into woi
d ship. In one Of the cities, for the frs
s time in my life / had an opportunity G
= talking with Fahir, or Hindoo VIII
Q has renounced the world and lives o
O aims. He sat under rough coverin
/ on platform Of brick. He was COY
s cred with the ashes of the dead, an
: was at the time rubbing some more (
s those ashes upon his arms and Leg
2 He understood and spoke English.
/ said to him: "How long have you bee
Il seated here?" He replied: "Fiftee
/ years" sHave those idols which Sc