Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-01-10
aR1rRNING OF THE DEAD"
,,oot Of Rev. DR.. Talmege's Ser
0'' mon Through the Press.
IN. ~ His visit to Sacred Ben ;rs'
he noscrlbes the Hindo0 Cren,a-
,iops-some denominations OF
Hindooism on the Banks
of the Ganges.

the World sermons through .ne ,io,s
~ n. Talmage chose for his subject tn
npnrn;np of the Dead the text being
.Tnov have hands but they handle not fee
love they but they walk not. neither speal
. 49,. through their throat. They tnat max
. .aeg are like unto them. Psalms cxv,7,s-
~ The life of the missionary is a luxur
,ons and indolent life; Hindooism is ;
,,irion that ought not to be interfere'
I'm. Christianity is guilty of an i'm
.arHnence when it invades heather
aom. YOU must put in the same line
:, reverence Brahma, Buddha, Mo
s,mmed and Christ. To refute these
sanders and blasphemies now so preva
NIL and to spread out before Tho
tristan world the contrast between
aaatrous and Christian countries,
,ssch this third sermon in my Round
he World" series.
In this discourse ! take you to the
sry headquarters of heathendom, to the
very headquarters of heathendom, to
NE yerv 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 evening, and the next morn.
inc we started out early, among other
things to see the burning 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 order
" and refined crematory, the hot fur
mace soonreducing the human form to a
powder to be carefully preserved in an
urn. but cremation as the Hindoos prac-
tice it. Wei got into boat and We're
rowed down the River Ganges until we
came opposite to where five dead bodies
Law four Of them women wrapped in
red garments, and man wrapped in
white. Our boat fastened, we waited
and watched High piles of wood were
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 be afforded. and the dead
body is burned only a little, and then
thrown into the Ganges.
But where the relatives of the de-
eased are well-to-do, an abundance of
wood in pieces four or five feet long is
Purchased. Two or three layers of
sticks are then put on the ground to
receive the dead form. Small pieces of
sandalwood 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 Gauges. Then sew
eral more layers of wood are put upon
the body and other sticks are placed on
both sides Of it, but the head and feet
are LETT exposed. Then a quantity Of |
grease sufficient to make everything
inhammable is put on the wood and |
INTO the mouth of the dead. Then one
q the richest men in Benares, his for
hne made in this way, furnishes the
me- and, after the priest has mumbled
aiew words, the eldest son walks three
nmes around the sacred pile. and then
applies the torch, and the fire blazes up
and IN short time the body has be-
come the ashes which the relatives
throw into the Gauges.
We saw floating past us on the GAN
ees the body of child which had been
0niy partly burned, because the parents
could not afford enough wood. While
We watched the floating form of the
snd crow alighted upon it. In the
meantime hundreds of Hindoos were
va'alng In the river, dipping their
y hlling their mouths, supplying
'lef GRASS cups, muttering words OF
'vcaliea prayer. Such a mingling of
superstition, and loathsomeness, and
humanity / had never before seen.
lie uanges is to the Hindoo the best
.nsr o. all the earth, but to me it is
M' west stream that ever rolled its I
'sach IN horror to the sea. / looked
sslaong the banks for the mourners
y Tue dead. saw in two of the cities /
!, l-le cremations, but in no case a sad
y. Or tear. ! said to friends: sHow
a I. Have the living no grief for |
y y uead'' found that the women do |
a. d. cUlne forth on such occasions, but
i, aOes not account for the absence {
walls signs of grief.
ID Tyre is another reason more potent.
NM, s+us not see the faces of their wives
on : a'er marriage. They take them
49, .'ssommendation. Marriages thus
nv eu' OF course, have not much af-
}, t'1On In them. Women are married I
r,,p Msen and ten years of age, and are I
It,auilothers at thirty. Such unwise.
MIL ,t.inea marriage associations do not I
! p ~ much ardor of love. The family I
NJ, te \. put together-who wonders {
nj ~ - ~ so easily taken apart? And
/ NV rtVount Tor the absence OF all signs i
Oos a'ion Vi the Hin
ii Aa p IS the capital of Hindooisln {
ra,n buddhism, but Hindooism has /
ma ! f'eu OUT buddhism, the hoof of the i
tho '.is'er on the grizzly neck of the /
m ~. 11s.er' It is also the capital OF 9
h a. al4 the capital of malodors. and s
Nv tbar ai oi lndecency. The Hindoos t
ares I ~. nave SOo,ooO,ooo gods. Be t
sitiss Oeihg the headquarters of these b
nd tb,.y q, will not be surprised to a
lble hrs we making of gods is prof. o
lakjna BUSINESS , Here are carpenters e
! mpI. wooden gods, and brass work v
Ing GRASS mods o-l / 4