Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-12-22

uOc5 f.NES. MISUNDERSTANDING ali tliaS ili.f
have been said In its favor at the par.
lament Of religions in Chicago. it makes
man brute and woman the lowest
type of slave. Iworld rather be horse
or q COW or dog in India than bs q
woman. The greatest disaster that can
happen to Hindoo is that he was born
at all.
A City Of Illusions.
Benares is imposing in the distance as
you look at it from the other side OF
the Ganges. The AZ CHATS or flights of
stone steps, reaching from the waters
edge to the buildings high up on the
banks, mark place for the ascent and
descent q the sublimities. The eye is
lost in the bewilderment of tombs.
shrines, minarets, palaces and temples.
1t is tho glorification Of steps, the tri-
umph of stairways But looked at close
by the temples, though large and OK
ponsive, are anything but attractive.
The seeming gold in many cases turns
out to be brass. The precious stones III
the wall turn out to be paint. The mar
BILE is stucco The slippery and disgust
ing 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 aromat-
les
After you have seen the CHATS the
two great things in Benares that you
mast see are the Golden and Monkey
temples. About the vast Golden temple
there is not as much gold as would
make an English sovereign. The air it.
self 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. Sa-
cred cows walk up and down the tenn
pie. Here stood fakir with 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 i'll and
around the palm.
The god of the Golden temple is 81
va, or the poison god Devils wait upon
him. He is the god of war, of famine,
of pestilonce. He is the destroyer. He
has around his neck a string of skulls
Before him bow men whose hair never
knew a comb. They eat carrioi n
that which is worse. Bells and drul.
here set up racket Pilgrims come
from hundreds Of miles away, spending
ing their last item of strength in order
to reach this Golden temple, glad to die
III or near it and have the ashes of their
bodies thrown into the Ganges.
The Monkey Temple.
We took Il carriage and went still far
thcr cn to see tho Monkey temple, SO
called because i'll and around the build
ing monkeys abound and are kept as sa-
cred. All 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 pos
session of the place. We were asked at
the entrance of tho Monkey temple to
take Off our shoes because of the sacred
ness Of the place, but small contribu-
ton placed i'll the hands of an attend
ant resulted in permission to enter
with our shoes on. As tho Golden tenn
pie is dedicated to silva, the poison god,
this Monkey temple is dedicated to ST.
vas wife, deitess that must be propi-
tiated, or she will disease and blast and
destroy. For centuries this spitfire has
been worshiped. She is the goddess of
scold and slap and tcrmagancy. She is
supposed TO be supernatural Xantippe;
heGce TO her are brought flowers and
rice and hero and there the flowers are
spGttered with the blood of goats slain
in sacrifice.
key temple wo must not hit or tease or
hurt one Of them. Two Englishmen
years ago lost their lives by tho NAL
treatment of monkey. Passing along
one Of these Indian streets, monkey
did not soon enough get out of the way,
and one of these Englishmen struck it
with his cane. Immediately the people
and the priests gathered around these
strangers, and the public wrath increas-
ed until the two Englishmen were
pounded to death for having struck
monkey. No land in all the world so
roveres the monkey as India, as no 9TH
or land has temple called after it.
One of the rajahs of India spent 100,-
900 rupees in the marriage of two mon
keys. Anuptial procession was formed
i'll which moved camels, elephants, Ii
gers, cattle and palanquins of richly
dressed people. Bands of music sounded
the wedding march. Dancing parties
kept the night sleepless. TWAS IL days
before the monkey and monkeyess were
free from their round of gay attentions.
In no place but India could such car
nival have occurred. But, after all,
while wo cannot approve of the Monkey
temple, the monkey is sacred to hilari-
ty. ] defy any one to watch a monkey
one minute without laughter. Why was
this creature made? For the worlds
amusement The mission of some ami
mails is left doubtful, and we cannot see
the use of this or that quadruped or this
or that insect, but the mission Of the ape
is certain-all around tho world it en-.
tertains Whether seated at the top of
this temple III India or cutting up its
antics on the top of hand organ, it
stirs the sCEse of the ludicrous, tickles
the diaphragm into exclamation, top
pies gravity into play and accomplishcs
that for which it was created. Tho ca
gle, and the lion, and the gazelle, and
tho robin no more certainly have their
mission than has the monkey. But it
implies low form of Hindooism when
this embodied mimicry Of the human
race is lifted into worship.
An Obliging Fakir.
In one of the cities for the first time
in my life had all opportunity of talk
ing with fakir or HindoQ who has
renowned the world and lives on aims
Ho sat under rough covering on
platform Of brick. He was covered with
tho ashes of the dead and was at the
time rubbing more of those ashes upon
his arms and legs He understood and
spoke English. / said to him, How
tong have you been seated here?" He
eplied, Fifteen years. " ''Have those
dols which | see power to help or de.