The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-01-19
flowers to garland all the worlds

beauty.
But in the evening, riding through a
cinnamon grove, ! first tasted the
leaves and bark of that condiment so
valuable and delicate that transported
On ships the aroma of the cinnamon is
dispeled il placed near a rival bark. OF
such great value is the cinnamon shrub
that years age those who injured it in
Ceylon were put to death. But that
which once was a jungle of cinnamon
is now n park of gentlemen's resi-
dences. The long. white dwelling
houses are bounded with this
shrub, and all other styles Of growth
c~ongregated there make a botani-
cal garden. Doves called cinnamon
doves hop among the branches, and
crows. more POLITICALLY styled ravens,
which never could sing, but think they
an, fly across the road giving full test
of their vocables. Birds which learned
their chanting under the very caves of
Heaven overpower all with their grand
march of the tropics. The hibiscus
dapples the scenes with its scarlet clus-
tiers. All shades OF brown and emer-
aid, and saffron, and b%rilliance:
melons, lines, magnosteens. Gus
t~ard-apples, guavas, pineapples,
jessamine so laden with aroma they
have to hold fast to the wall, and be-
gonias, gloriosas on fire, and orchids SO
delicate other lands must keep them
under conservatory. but here defiant
of all weather, and flowers moro or
less akin to a~zaleas, and h~oneysuckles,
nnsl HAyaa an1 f- .- --
themums, and rhododendrons. and fox
gloves, N pansies. which dye the
plains and mountains OF Ceylon
with Heaven. The evening hour
burns incense of all styles of
aromatics. The c~onvolvulus, blue
as If the sky had fallen, and
butterflies spangling the air, and arms
of trees sleeved with blossoms, and
rocks upholstered Of moss, oommin-
Cling sounds, and sights, and odors,
until eye, and ear, and nostril vie with
each other rs to which sense shall open
the door to the most enchantment.
A struggle between music, and per-
fume, and irridescence. Oleanders
reeling in intoxication of color. Great
banyan trees that have been changing
their mind for centuries. each century
carrying u a new plan of growth,
attracted our attention. and saw us pass
in the year of 1894, as they saw
pass IA generations of 1874 and 1904.
Colombo is so thoroughly EMPOWERED
in foliage that il you 90 into one of
its towers and look down upon the city
Of one hundred and thirty thousand
people You can not see q house. Oh,
the trees Of Ceylon! May you live to
behold the morning climbing down
through your branches, or the evening
tipping their leaves with amber and
gold! l forgive the Buddhist for the
worship Of trees until they know of the
God who made the trees. ] wonder not
that there are some trees in Ceylon
called sacred. To me all trees are sa-
cred. wonder not that before one of
them they burn camphor flowers, and
hang lamps around it's branches, and
one hundred thousand people each
year make. pilgrimage to that tree.
Worship something man must, and un-
til he hear of the only Being worthy
of worship, what so clevating as a tree!
VIVA. q majestic doxology speads out
in its branches! What n voice when
the tempests pass through it! How it
looks down upon the cradle and
the grave of centuries. As the
fruit of n tree unlawfully eaten
struck the ace with woe, and the uplift-
ing Of another tree brings peace to the
soul, let the woodman spare the tree,
and all nations honor it, II, through
higher teaching, we do not, like the
Ceylonese, worship IL! How c~onsolatory
that when we no more walk under the
tree branches on earth. We may see the
tree of life which bears twelve man.
e Of fruit, and yields her fruit every
month, and the leaves of the tree are
for the healing of the nations!.
Two professions ! saw In Ceylon
within one hour, the first led by q Hin
doc priest, o huge pot Of flowers on his
head, his face disfgured with holy
decorations. and his unwashed fol-
lowers beating as many discords from
what are supposed to be musical instru-
ments, as at one time can be induced to
enter the human ear. The procession
halted at the door of the huts- The occu-
pants came out n made obeisance aud
presented small contributions. In re-
turn therefor the priest sprinkled ashes
upon the children who came forward,
this evidently q form of benediction.
Then the procession, led by the priest.
started again: more noise, more ashes,
more genufiection. However keen
one's sense OF the ludicrous, he could
find nothing to excite even q smile in
the movements of such o procession.
Meaningless, oppressive. squalid, filthy.
| sad.
Returning to the carriage, we rode
ON for a few moments, and we came on
another procession, q kindly lady lead
ing groups of native children all clean,
bright, happy, laughing. There seemed
as much intelligence, refinement and
happiness in that regiment Of young
Cingalese, as you would find in the
ranks Of any young ladies' seminary
being ch%aperoned on their afternoon
walk through Central park, New
York. or Hyde park, London.
The Hindoo procession illustra-
ted on O small scale some
thing of what Hindooism can do for
the world. The Christian procession
illustrated IN a small scale something
Of what Christianity can do for the
world. But those two professions
were only-fragments of two great pro-
cessions ever marching across our
world; the procession blasted OF super
stitIoa and the procession blessed of
Gospel light. saw them in one after
moor In Ceylon. They are to be seen
in all nations.
Nothing is of more thrilling interest
than the Christian achievements in
this island. The Episcopal church
was here the National church, but
disestab lishment has taken place, and
since MIR. Gladstone's accomplish
rnaRt Of that fact in 1880 all denomin9-
tions are on equal platform, and all
are doing mighty work. America is
second to no other nation in what has
been done for Ceylon. The S~pauldings,
the Howlands, the Doctors Poor. the
| Saunders and others lust as good and