Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-16
A GREAT RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL.
Rev. T. 8. WynkOop's Account of
bible Distribution In India.


the Rev. T. S. Wynkocp, formerly the pas
tor of the Western Presbyterian Church in
this city, and now the secretary of the
branch of the society in India. The article
Is as follows:
In the Hindoo month of Magh, which COR
responds to parts of January and February,
there is held in Allahabad, at the junction
or the rivers Ganges and Jumna, great
religious festival, or Mela. AS this sacred
spot has been for at least 1900 years a
favorite place of pilgrimage, this Atela.
which lasts a. month, attracts a vast num-
Der of Hindoos from all parts of India. 1t
is especially frequented by the Faldrs, or
religious mendcants, who come singly, or
in great companies to the number of many
thousands, exhibiting almost every form of
asceticism and self-torture
The routine - devotion at the Mela be-
gins with the alteration of the GangeS as
the pilgrims reach the river bank. Then
follows, in the case of a large proportion of
the pilgrims, the shaving OF the head which
is performed by the BARRIERS in large open
space set apart for that purpose in the Meta.
After this the pilgrims proceed to the spot
| where the waters of the two rivers mingie,
where they battle with many prayers and
sacred rites. Then they visit at their leis-
ure the various shrines, especially a remark
able Underground temple, in which is found
the famous Akshaya Briksha. or Tree of
Immortality.
A Great Multitude.
"On Monday. the 9Th of February, of
the present year. which was the great day
of the Mela, there were perhaps two mil
lion persons present. No one who has ever
seen the sight can forget the vast thrcng
spread out far as the eye could reach,
along the river bed. upon the embankment
| across the plain. AS We stood upon bas-
ton of the fort overlooking the meeting of
ha ylyt yAaHe. J.
dense. we were overwhelmed with sense
Of multitude. The noise of this mass of
human beings came to us like the roar of
4 mighty cataract. Now and again process
sions of Fakirs, preceded by elephants rich
ly caparisoned and bearing the chief men
of the various orders. found their way
slowly to the place of bathing. Up and
down the river went boats with thousands
of passengers. The shallow waters near
the shore were full Of bathers in a dense
crowd. Some We're singing, some Were pray
ing. All were full of earnestness and en-
thusiasm. Difficult as IL Is for Christians to
understand such q ritual as this brings to
multitudes OF Hindoo devotees a sense of
duty done, an assurance of sins washed
away, and the favor of the gods secured.
las many of the pilgrims remain for sew
eral days. staying in the city. encamped
in huts of grass prepared for the occasion In
the open meadows. the Mela affords a IA
sionary, and fer the faithful Bible col
porteur. In fact, an extensive ba-
zaar is one Of the features of the
Mela, where hundreds of merchants
sit In their booths, selling grain, sweet
meats, books, clothing, jewelry and the like.
Here may be found a large collection Of
Hindoo idols for sale. some carved in stone,
others cast in brass. copper and silver with
rosaries and other articles of pious use.
Just outside the bazaar, where the roads
leading to the Mela come together, places
are assigned to the missionaries where
they pitch their tents. and from which they
address the passers-by, many of whom stop
to hear the preaching and to engage per-
hapS in conversation. This is especially the
case IL a harmonium or other musical in
strument is used TO accompany the singing
Of our Christian hymns.
Within the Reach of All.
q II should like to take my readers for an
hour to one of these tents, in front of which
the colporteurs of the North Indian Aux
Hilary of the British and Foreign Bible So
ciety have placed a table on which are
copies of the Word Of God in many Indian
tongues-Ilindi, Punjabi, Mahrathi, Ben
eali, as we'll as English. Here one may
purchase the whole Bible. a New Testa-
ment, or various portions. 1t is no longer
thought advisable to give away these por-
lions; but by the liberaity of the Bible So
ciety the prices are set far below the actual
CT st of production, and well-printed copy
of one of the Gospels may be had for the
equivalent of an English farthing. Let us
is at the harmonium. A chorus of Chris
tan voices is heard above the noise of the
crowd. They are singing to Indian
melody q well-known hymn, the burthen of
which is
In Jesus Christ is life and peace"
Attracted by the singing, fifty, a hun
dred. two hundred of the pilgrims. gather
about the tent. They are nearly all men,
but a group OF women standing near are
doing their best to catch the words of the
song. When it is finished, one of the cate
chists explains in few words the chief
doctrines of the Christian faith; one living
and eternal God, our Heavenly Father, who
willetn not the death of sinner, but that
he should turn from his evil way and live;
one incarnate Savior, whose blood, shed in
atonement for human guilt, is the only
cleansing Of the sinful soul; one Holy Ghost,
working with divine power for righteous
ness In the hearts OF all who believe and
the faithful Christian to a blessed immor-
tality.
Receiving the Gospel.
Then a colporteur Of the Bible Society
holds up the Word Of God. He reads few
words from Its blessed pages. This is a
faithful saying. and worthy Of all accepta-
ton, that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. of whom am chief Come
unto Me. all We that labor and are heavy
laden. and Will give you rest I am the
light Of the world; he that followeth Me
shall not walk In darkness. but shall have
the light Of lif&' Watch the faces Of the
listeners. Most Of them are plain people.
village folk, to whom 1t seems a new and
mysterious message. They have never
heard the like before. VIII 1t be too much
for them to spend piece or two and carry
home, perhaps hundreds Of miles away, the
little book which contains such heart-moy-
Ing words?
Others are refined In dress and bearing.
They are of some higher caste, and have
heard of the Christian religion; perhaps
they have some imperfect knowledge Of it's
teaching. Here is an opportunity to possess
the book. which by some is SO highly
priced, by others as severely condemned as
subversive OF the national religion and the
social customs that have come down from
the remotest antiquity. Some Of these per-
sons are scornful, and almost angry A few
would gladly silence the Christian speakers.
and prevent the bystanders from purchas-
Ing their books. But the mass of the people
are anxious to hear and will not allow the
speakers to be interrupted.
DO you see yonder one Of the pilgrims.
little apart from the crowd, but standing
where he can hear distinctly? How eagerly
he listens, drinking in every word, The
preacher tells Of peace to the troubled con-
science, Of sin forgiven. and grace Ia-
slowed; O.; fellowship with God and a
blessed immortality. 1t Is truly q gosueI
glad tiding5 to tho weary soul This ,n,,