The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-01-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Tho Burning Of tho Dead .

The life OF the missionary is n luxurious
and ind0lent life. Hindooiem Is n religion
that ought not to be interlarod with. Chris
tianity Is guilty OF an impertinenea when It
invades heathendom. You must put in the
same line Of reverence Brahma. Buddha.
Mohammed apd Christ. To reiute these
SANDERS and blasphemies now so prevalent
and to spread out before the Christian world
the contrast between idOatrous and Chris
tian countries preach this third sermon 10
my round the world series.
In this discourse take YOU 10 the very
headquarters OF heathendom. 10 the very
| capital OF Hindooism. for what Mecca Is to the
Mohammedan, and what jerusalem is to the
Christian. Benares. India, is to the Hlndoo.
We arrived there IN the evening" and the
next morning we started out early. among
other things to sect the burning OF the dead.
We saw II. cremation. not as many good
people In America and England ara now ad-
vocating ii--namely the burning OF the dead
IN clean and orderly and refined crematory,
the hot furnace soon reducing the human
form to powderto be carefully preserved
in an urn-but cremation as the Hlndoos
practice It.
We got into boat and we're rowed down
the river Gauges until we came opposite 10
where Eve dead bodies lay. four Of them wo-
men wrapped in red garments and n man
wrapped IN white. Our boat fastened, we
waited and watched. High piles of wood
we're on the bank, and this wood Is carefully
weighed on large scales, according as the
friends of the deceased can afford to pay for
It. In many cases only few sticks can bo
Afforded, and the dead body Is burned only
little and then thrown into the Ganges.
But where the relatives of the deceased are
we'll to do an abundance of wood in pieces
four or i've feet long is purchased. Two or
three layers of sticks nre then put on the
ground to receive tho dead form. Small
pieces OF sandalwood are inserted to pro-
duce 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 moro layers OF
wood are put upon the body, and other
sticks are placed on both sides OF 1t, but the
head and feet are left exposed. Then a
quantity of grease sufficient to make every
thing inhammable Is put on 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 mumblsd q few words,
the eldest son walks three times around the
sacred pile and then applies the TORCH and
the Gre blazes up, and in a short time the
body has become the ashes which the rela-
lives lnTOW INTO inc GHuEbS.
Benares is imposing in the distance as you
look Of Il 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 tho sub
llmities. The eye is lost in the beWilder-
ment OF tombs, shrines, minarets, palaces and
temples. It is the Qualification 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 ia the wall turn out to
be paint. The marble is stucco. The slip
perry and disgusting steps lead you to images
Of horrible vlsage. 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 Golden temple there is not as much
gold as would make an English sovereign.
The air itself is asphyxiated. Here we sec
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
q fakir with right arm uplifted and for so
long time that he could not take ii down,
end the nails of tho 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 pestilenee.
He Is the destroyer. He has around his
neck string of skulls. Before him bow
men whose hair never knew q comb. They
eat carrlon and that which is worse. Bells
and drums here set VI, racket. Pilgrims
come from hundreds Of miles away, spend
ing their last piece of money and exhausting
their last item of strength in order to reach
this Golden temple, glad 10 die in or near it
and have the ashes Of their bodies thrown
into the Ganges
We took a carriage and went still farther
on to see the Monkey temple, so called be-
cause in and around the building MONKEYS
abound and are kept as sacred. All evolu-
tionists should visit this temple devoted to
thefamily 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 this temple to take of our
shoes because OF the saeredness OF the place,
but small contribution placed in the hand
OF the attendant resulted in permission TO
enter with our shoes on. AS the Golden
temple is dedicated TO silva, tho poison god.
this Monkey temple is dedicated to Siva's
wife, deiess that must DO propitiated, Oh
she will disease and blast and destroy. For
centuries this spitfre has been worshiped.
She is the goddess OF scold and slap and
ternugancy She Is supposed to be a super.
natural Xantippe; hence to her are brought
flowers and rice, and here and there the
flowers are spattered with the blood OF Seats
slain in sacrifice.
AS we walk to-day through this Monkey
temple SO must not hit or tease or hurt ono
OF them. Two Engishmen years ago lost
their lives by the maltreatment OF monkey.
Passing along one Of these Indian streets, a
monkey did not soon enough Get out OF the
way, ana one OF these Englishmen struck it
with his cane. Immediately the people aud
the priests gathered around these strangers,
aud the public wrath increased until thetW0
Engishmea were pounded to death fer hev-
ing struck a monkey. No land in all the
world SO reveres the monkey as India, as no
other land has atempe called after it.
One OF the raiahs OF India spent 100, 900
Y71naan in rho rnarfio era of frY-a rnrni-nx-o A