The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-02-14

Above all was canopy resting on 12
columns of gold, the canopy fringed
with pearls. Seated here, the emperor
on public occasions wore crown con-
tanning, among other things, the Koh-
moor diamond, and the entire blaze of
coronet cost $40 35O,O 900. This superb |
and once almost supernaturally beau j
tiful room has imbedded in the white
marble wall letters of black marble, |
which were translated to me from Per- !
sian into English as meaning:
If on earth there be an Eden of bliss
That place Is this, is this, is this, is this |
But the peacocks that stood beside |
the throne have flown away, taking all
the display with them, and those white
marble floors We're redeemed with
slaughter, and those bath rooms ran
with blood, and that Eden of which the
persian couplet on the walls spake
has had it's flowers wither and its fruits
decay, and l thought while looking at
the brilliant desolation and standing
amid the vanished glories of that
throne-room that some one had better
change little that Persian couplet on
the wall and make it read:
If there be place where much you miss,
That place is this, is this, is this, is this
As came out of the palace into the
street of Delhi, / thought to myself
paradises are not built out of stone;
are not cut in sculpture; are not paint
ed on walls: are not fashioned out of
precious stones; do not spray the cheek
with fountains; do not offer thrones or
crowns. Paradises are built out of ma
lures uplifted and ennobled, and what
architects compass may not sweep,
and sculptors pencil may not sketch,
and gardeners skill may not lay out,
the grace of God can achieve, and if
the heart be right all is right, and if
the heart be wrong all is wrong. Here
endeth the second lesson.
But will not yet allow you to leave
Delhi. The third thing you must
see, Or never admit that you have been
in India, is the mosque called 1umma
Musjid. 1t is the grandest mosque l
ever saw except St. Sophia at Con-
stantinople, but it surpasses that in
some respects, for st. Sophia was orig
inally Christian church and changed
into a mosque, while this of Delhi was
| originally built for the Moslems.
AsI entered 1000 or more Moham-
medans were prostrated in worship.
| There are times when 5000 may be
seen here in the same attitude. Each
stone of the floor is 8 feet long by l *
wide, and each worshiper has one of
these slabs for himself while kneeling.
The erection of this building required
5000 laborers for six years. 1t is on a
plateau of rock; has four towers rising
far into the heavens: three great gate
honor the memory of the prophet OF
many wives; Is domes, with spires gold
tipped, and six minarets. What a
built up immensity of white marble
and red sandstone? We descend the 4C
marble steps by which we ascended
and took another look at this wonder
of the world.
As thought what a brain the archi'
+, tect must have had who first built that
mosque in his own Imagination, and as
| / thought what an opulent ruler that
must have been who gave the order fol
such vastness and symmetry, l was re-
minded of that which perfectly ex.
planned all. The architect who plan
ned this was the same man who plan
ned the Taj-namely, Austin de Bor
deau-and the king who ordered the
mosque constructed was the king who
ordered the Ia namely, Shah Jehan
As this grand mogul ordered built the
: most splendid palace for the dead wher
: he built the TAI at Agra, he here or
dered built the most splendid palace
I of worship for the living at Delhi. SCI
here what sculpture and architecture
| can accomplish. They link togethe
| the centuries. They successfully def!
, time. Two hundred and eighty year
t ago Austin de Bordeau and Shah Jehal
quit this life, but their work lives ant
i, bids fair to stand until the continent
crack open, and hemispheres go down
S and this planet showers other world
I with its ashes.
J, l rejoice in all these big buildings
= whether dedicated to Mohammed o
s Brahma or Buddha or Confucius or rs
d roaster, because as st. Sophia at Cor
: stantinople was a Christian churc
! changed into a mosque and will yet b
: changed back again, SO all the mosque
), and temples OF superstition and sin wi
: vet be turned into churches. Nhe
5, India and Ceylon and China and Japa
t are ransomed as we all believe the
d will be, their religious structures wi
g all be converted into Christian asylum
l. and Christian schools and Christian
/ braries and Christian churches. Bui
p at the expense Of superstition and sil
n they will yet be ,edicated to the Lon
i Almighty. Here endeth the thin
< lesson.
is As that night we took the- railrof
train from the Delhi station aud sllt
o out through the city now living w
y the vaster cities buried under thi: a
o. cient capital, cities under cities, III
d our travelling servant had unrolled "
er bed, which consisted OF a rug and tv
IT blankets and pillow, and as we we
n worn out with the sightseeing OF t.
ID day, and were roughly tossed on tn
a. uneven Indian railway, soon fell in
is a troubled sleep, in which. / saw al
;" heard in confused way the scenes al