The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-19

Talmage today delivered the third Of his
series OF round-the-world sermons through
the press, the subject being the Burning
of the Dead" and the text: "They have
hands. but they handle not; feet have they.
but they walk not; neither speak they
through their throat. They that make
them are like unto m."-PsaIm CIV,
Z. s.
The life OF the missionary is a luxurious
and indolent life. Hindooism is a religion
that ought not to be interfered with.
Christianity is guilty of an impertinence
when it invades heathendom. You must
put in the same line Of reverence Brahma,
Buddha. Mohammed and Christ. To re-
flute these ISLANDERS and blasphemies now
so prevalent, and to spread out before the
Christian world the contrast between
idolatrous and Christian countries, I
preach this third sermon in my round-the-
world series.
At the Headquarters of HeathendOm.
In this discourse take you to the very
headquarters Of heathendom, to the very
capital Of HindoOism, for what Mecca is
to the Mohammedan, and what Jerusalem
is TO the Christian, Benares, India, IS to
the Hindoo. We arrived there in the even
ing, and the next morning we started out
early, among other things to see the burn
ing OF the dead. We saw it, cremation,
not as many good people in America and
England are now advocating it-namely,
the burning Of the dead in clean and or
derby and refined crema tOry, the hot fur
mace soon reducing the human form 10
powder to be carefully preserved in an
urn-but cremation as the Hindoos prac-
tice it.
We got into a boat and were rowed down
the river GangeS until We came opposite
10 where five dead bodies lay. four Of them
women wrapped in red garments and a
man wrapped in white. Our boat fas-
tened. we waited and watched. High piles
OF wood were on the bank, and this wood
Is carefully weighed on large scales, ac-
cording as the friends Of the deceased can
afford to pay for It. In many cases only
a few sticks can be afforded, and the
dead body Is burned only little and then
thrown into the Gauges. But where the
relatives Of the deceased are well-tO-do an
abundance Of wood in pieces four or five
feet long is purchased. Two or three lay
ers Of sticks are then put on the ground 10
receive the dead form. Small pieces of san
dalwoOd are inserted TO produce fragrance.
The deceased Is lifted from the resting
place and put upon this wood. Then the
cover is removed from the face OF the
corpse, and it is bathed with water Of the
Ganges. Then several more layers OF wood
are put upon the body, and Ocher sticks
are placed on both sides of it, but the head
and feet are left exposed. Then a quantity
Of grease sufficient to make everything in
fiammable is put the wood and into
the mouth of the dead. Then one Of the
richest men in Benares, his fortune made
in this way. furnishes the fire. and after
the priest has mumbled few words the
eldest son walks three times around the
sacred pile and then applies the torch, and
the fire blazes up. and in a short time the
body has become the ashes which the
relatives throw into the Ganges.
vile Stream.
We saw floating past us on the Ganges
the body of a child which had been only
partly burned because the parents could
not afford enough wood While we watched
the floating form Of a child a crow
alighted upon it. In the meantime hun
dreds Of Hindoos were bathing in the
river dipping their heads, filing their
mouths, supplying their brass cups. NUT
tering words C so-called prayer. Such a
ming.ing of superstition and loathsome-
ness and inhumaniSy I had never before
seen. The Ganges is 20 the Hindoo the
best river Of al the earth, but TO me It is
the vilest stream that ever rolled It's stencil
in horror to the sea. I looked al along the
banks for the mourners for the dead.
saw IN two of the cities nine cremations.
to friends: How is this? Have the liv-
ing no grief for the dead?'' I found that
the women do not come forth on such Oc-
casions, but that does not account for the
absence Of all signs Of grief There Is an
other reason more potent. Men do not see
the faces Of their wives until after mar
rage. They take them on recOmmenda-
ton. Marriages thus formed, of course,
have not much affection in them. Women
are married at seven and ten years Of
age and are grandmothers at thirty. Such
unwise.y formed family associations do not
Imply much ardOr or love. The family so
poorly put together, who wonders that it
is easily taken apart? And so 1 account
for the absence of all signs OF grief at the
cremation of the Hindoos.
Benares is the capital Of Hinduism and
Buddhism, but Hinduism has trampled
out Buddhism, the hoOf Of the one mon
ster on the grizzly neck Of the other mon
ster. 1t is also the capital Of filth. and
the capital Of malodors, and the capital of
indecency. The HindOOs say they have
300, ZOO, 900 gods. Benares being the head
quarters of these deitieS, you will not be
surprised to find that the making Of gods
Is a profitable business. Here there are
carpenters making wooden gods and brass
workers making brass gods, and sculptOrs
making stone gods, and potters making
clay gods. 1 cannot think of the abomi-
nations practiced here without a recoil of
stomach and a need Of cologne. Although
much il said about the carving on the
temples of this city, everything is so vile
that there is not much room left for the
aesthetic. The devotees enter the temples
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. unclothed and depart
begging. All that HindOoism can do for
a man or woman it does here. NOtwith-
standing all that may have been said in it's
favor at the parliament Of religions in
Chicago. IL makes a man a brute and
woman the lowest type of slave 1 would
rather be a horse or a COW or a dog
in India than be a woman. The greatest
disaster that can happen to a Hindoo is
that he was born at all.
Curious Sights.
Benares Is imposing in the distance 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 a 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 attractive. The seeming
gold In many cases turns out to be
brass. The precious stones in the wall
turn out TO be paint. The marble is stuc-
co. The slippery and disgusting steps
lead you to images of horrible visage, and
the flowers put ON 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