The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-11-28

the Presbyterian and the Congrega-
tional bodies, men full of zeal in the
service of their Master and earnest
and sincere in their belief that the
whole heathen world was doomed to
perdition and that faith in Christ
and union with the Christian church
were the only means by which this
doom could be avoided.
Let us retrace, in imagination, the
decades of our century and endeavor
to look with the eyes of the first gen
Grafton of missionaries upon the
strange and wonderful things which
they beheld. Needless to say they
were shocked beyond the power of
expression at the low forms Of idola-
try which everywhere prevailed
among the lower classes. Huge idols
with hideous features and forms were
erected in the numerous temples of
the land. Throngs of worshipers
brought their flowers and fruits and
other offerings wherewith to propiti-
ate the deity. In some places, as at
the Kali Chat in Calcutta, COWS and
sheep or goats were sacrificed. At
the famous Durga Pooja the whole
population became wild with relig-
ious excitement for ten days together
paying honor to the image Of the
goddess. In many temple the
Lingam represented the undying
power of reproduction of the univer-
sal Life and was worshiped by multi
tudes OF women desirous of offspring.
On certain occasions the devotees of
the gods inflicted upon themselves
physical tortures, such as dagellation,
swinging by hooks from trees and
other forms of suffering. All these
and numerous other strange forms of
religious worship and observance
amazed and Mortified the pious and
supplemented missionaries of the
Gospel, and it is not surprising that
theysspronounced the whole mass of
Hinduism one great unspeakable
superstition.
Amongst the officials of the Brit
ish East India Company there were
men of broader sympathies. if less
Christian zeal, than the missionaries
Prominent amongst these was Sir
VIM. Jones, the founder of the Royal
Asiatic Society He and many other
men of similar mind began to exam
inc the monuments of the ancient civ
ilization of that interesting country.
Scattered amongst the numberless
hordes of Hindus of various caste, col
or and language they found people
of fine intellectual countenance, fair
complexion and noble manner. These
were the Brahmans, the custcdisns of
the ancient Hindu literature and
learning, the priests and pundits of
the nation, the representatives on
earth of the eternal Brahma. The
English searchers after truth sought
the acquaintance of these Brahmans
and tried to penetrate to that foun-
tain Of Oriental knowledge and wis
dom of which they We're the keepers.
In many cases the result was an ad-
miration of the ancient philosophy,
science, and literature of the Hindus
which was expressed in no stinted
measure. The Sanscrit language
was the most complete and perfect of
the ancient classic tongues. The
systems of philosophy were worthy
to be compared with those of Plato
and Aristotle. The religion, as inter
preted by intelligent Brahmans, was
not degraded and degrading super
stition but lefty spiritual discipline
by which the soul of the individual
might become harmonized with the
Eternal Spirit.
1t is easy to see that tthe sentiments
of the missionaries, who were filled
with consuming zeal to make con
verts to Christianity, could not agree
with those of the philosophical En-
glishmen who studied sympatheti-
cally the great epics of India, the
Mahabharata and the Rhamayana, or
the philosophical systems founded
upon the ancient sacred Vedic hymns.
The missionary zeal for proselytiz.
ing, founded upon narrow ortho-
doxy which consigned all "heathens"
to eternal perdition, except such as
believed in the orthodox interpreta-
ton of Christianity, would make no
ompromise with either the higher or
the lower Hinduism. The profound
Brahmanical philosopher came under
the ban as we'll as the illiterate and
low caste laborer. At the same time,
it must be admitted that the mission.
aries of Christian orthodoxy com