The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-06-11

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toes In his left hand he held package
Of bamboo leaves ON which were writ
ten the words of the lesson, each stu
dent holding a similar package Of BAN
boo leaves The high priest first read,
and then one Of his students read. A
group of as finely formed young men as
l ever saw surrounded the venerable in
structor. The last word Of each sentence
was intoned. Not able to understand
what was said, there is look of Ian
guage and intonation that is the same
among all races. That the Buddhists
have full faith in their religion no one
can dOubt-that is, in their opinion,
the way TO heaven. What Mohammed is
TO the Mohammedan and what Christ
is TO the Christian, Buddha is 20 the
Buddhist.
l cannot pass from this portion Of the
work without quoting characteristic,
ejaculatory outburst concerning the
beautiful trees that embower this To-
cality SO densely:
"Oh, the trees Of Ceylonl May you
live to behold the morning climbing
down through their branches, OF the
evening tipping their leaves with am
Der and goldl Iforgive the Buddhists for
the worship of trees until they know Of
the God who made the trees +"
In India the author found rich ma
terial. The horrors and grim grandeur
of pagan superstition struck him more
forcibly than anything else. The ghast
ly burial rites Of this peculiar people
riveted his attention in most urpleas
ant way, held him by spell Of horror.
His account Of Hindoo funeral, couchcd
i'll crisp, Photographic English, is very
gem Of simplicity and strength Here is
a part Of il:
"We got into boat and were rowed
down the river Ganges until we came
opposite TO where five dead bodies lay,
four of them women wrapped in red
garments and man wrapped in white.
Our boat fastened, we waited and watch
ed High piles Of wood were on the
bank. and this wood is carefully weigh
ed 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 little and then thrown
into the Gauges. Bat where the relatives
Of the deceased are well 70 do an album
dance of wood in pieces or feet long
is purchased. Two or three layers OF
sticks are then put on the ground TO re-
ceive the dead form. Small pieces of
sandalwood are inserted TO produce fra
GRANGE. 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 il is bathed with the
water Of the Ganges. Then several more
layers of wood are put upon the body,
and other sticks are placed on both sides
of il. but the head and feet are left ox-
posed Then quantity of grease suf.
ficient to make everything inflammable
is put on the wood and into the month
Of the dead. Then one of the richest
men in Benares, his fortune made in this
way, furnishes the fire, and after the
priest has mumbled a few words the
eldest son walks three times around the
sacred pile and then applies the torch,
and the fire blazes up, and in a short
time the body has become the ashes
which the relatives throw into the
Ganges.
But the temptation to further expa-
tiate upon the varied delights afforded
the reader of this wonderful and valu-