Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-01-11

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is an island small Of girth, but 900 feet
high. It declines into the marshes of
mangroye But the whole island is one
tangle Of foliage and verdure; convolv-
ulus creeping the ground; MOSES climb
ing the rocks; vines sleeving the long
arms of the trees; red flowers here and
there in the woods, like incendiary's
torch trying to set the groves on fire
cactus and acacia vying as to which can
most charm the beholder; tropical bird
meeting particolored butterfly in jungles
planted the same summer the world was
born We stepped out Of the boat amid
enough natives to afford all the helpwe
needed for landing and guidance. You
can be carried by coolies in an easy
chair or you can walk, if you are bless
ed with two stout limbs, which the
psalmist evidently lacked, or he would
not have so deprecated them when no
said, 1.-THE Lord taketh no pleasure in
the legs Of a man." We passed up some
stone steps, and between the walls we
saw awaiting rs cobra, one Of those
snakes which greet the traveller ofttimes
in India Two Of the guides left the CO.
bra dead by the wayside. They must
have been Mohammedans, for Hindoos
never kill that sacred reptile.
And now we come near the famous
temple hewn from one rock Of porphyry
at least 800 years ago On either side Of
the chief temple is a chapel, these cut
out of the same stone. So vast was the
undertaking and to the Hindoo was so
great the human impossibility that they
say the gods scooped out this structure
from the rock and carved the pillars
and hewed its shape into gigantic idols
and dedicated it to all the grandeurs.
We climb many stone steps before we
get to the gateways. "he entrance to
this temple has sculptured doorkeepers
leaning on sculptured devils. How
strange! But have seen doorkeepers Of
churches and auditoriums who seemed
to be leaning on the demons of bad ven
tilation and asphyxia. Doorkeepers
ought to be leaning on the angels Of
health I'D comfort and life All tie
sections and janitors of the earth who
have spoiled sermons and lectures and
poisoned the lungs of audiences by inef-
fciency ought to visit this cave CT Ele-
phanta and beware Of what these door,
keepers are doing, when instead Of lean
ing on the angelic they lean on the de-
m0niac.
In these Elephanta caves everything
is on a Samsonian and Titanian scale.
With chisels that were dropped from
nerveless hands at least eight centuries
ago. the forms Of the gods Brahma and
Vishnu and silva were cut into the ever
lasting rock. silva is here represented by
a figure 16 feet inches high, one-half
man and one-half woman. Run line !
from the center Of the forehead straight I
to the floor Of the rock, and you divide
this idol into masculine and feminine.
Admired as this idol is by many. it was
to me about the worst thing that was
ever cut into porphyry, perhaps because
there is hardly anything on earth so OBJ
jectionable as a being half man and half
woman. Do be one or other, my hearer.
Man is admirable, and woman is admi-
rable, but either in flesh or traprock a
compromise Of the two is hideous. Save
us from effeminate men and masculine
womenl
sculptured Gods.
Yonder is the King Ravana worship
ing. Yonder is the sculptured repre-.
sentatation of the marriage Of silva
and Parhati. Yonder is Daksha, the
son of Brahma, born from the thumb
of his right hand. He had 60 daugh-
ters Seventeen of those daughters were
married to Kasyapa and became the
mothers Of the human race. Yonder is
a god with three heads. The center god
has a crown wound with necklaces OF
skulls. The right hand god is in par
oxysm Of rage, with forehead Of snakes,
and In its hand is a cobra. The left
hand god has pleasure in all its fea-
lures, and the hand has flower. But
there are gods and goddesses in all di-
rections. The chief temple Of this rock
is 1870 feet square and has 26 pillars
rising to the roof. After the conquerors
Of other lands and the tourists from all
lands have Clipped and defaced and
blasted and carried away curios and me-
mentos for museums and homes there
are enough entrancements left to detain
one unless he is cautious until he is
down with some Of the malarias which
encompass this island or get bitten with
some Of its snakes Yes, felt the chilly
dampness of the place and left this
congress Of gods, this pandemonium OF
demons, this pantheon Of Indifferent
deities, and came to the steps and look
ed off upon the waters which rolled and
flashed around the steam yacht that
was waiting to return with us to Bonn
bay. As we stepped aboard, our minds
alled with the idols Of tthe Elephanta
caves, was impressed as never before
with the thought that man must have
a religion of some kind even if he has
20 contriye one himself, and he must
nave a god even though he make 1t
with his own hand. rejoice to know
ne udy Will COluc Wuch NhO OhO CSN -
the universe will be acknowledged
throughout India
That evening of our return to Bonn
bay visited the Young Mems Chris
tian association with the same appoint
ments that you find in the Young Mems
Christian associations Of Europe and
America, and the night after that ad-
dressed a throng of native children who
are In the schools of the Christian mis-
sions Christian universities gather un-
der their wing Of benediction host OF
the young men of this country. Bom-
bay and Calcutta, the two great COM
mercial cities of India, feel the eleyat-
ing power of an aggressive Christianity.
Episcopalisn liturgy, and Presbyterian
Westminster catechism, and Methodist
anxious seat, and Baptist waters OF con-
secration now stand where once basest
idolatries had undisputed sway. The
work which Shoemaker Carey inaugu-
rated at serampore, India, translating
the Bible into 40 different dialects. and
leaving his wornout body amid the ma