The herald., 1897-05-16
RELIGION AS A SYNONYM FOR
EDUCATION

TQ0 woman 3 COISucS6 AclQ III 0du
Francisco a few days ago, which here
after will be memorable because of the
INDIAN Brahmin's or Bromacharin's on
slaught on the women Of the Occident,
as a Synonym for Education" That was
the subject the gentleman from near the
black hole Of Calcutta was to have
spoken on. 1t is a profound and timely
topic.
Religion ought to be the full synonym
for education. 1t always has been and it
is. That is, beyond mere physical train
ing such as comes naturally to the hui
man being in his earlier years and after
wards in his vocatfons whereby he lives,
or artidcially in the gymnasium. Even
this physical development ought to be
part Of the religion Of every man and
woman In this eense-that it should be
q sacred duty to give the body all the
training possible without infringing on
other duties. This ie what makes religion
SO exceedingly important matter. The
training, the developing and making Of
the man depend on his religion.
This Hindoo was shocked to see
women Of the Occident wearing feathers
as an adornment. To him 1t is sacrilege
in the truest form. His religion has edu-
Gated him to abhor it. 1t goes to the
deepest roots Of his faith. The Brah-
minical religion teaches that all forms
Of matter are but fringes to the garments
In which death clothes itself. All forms
Of life are direct emanations from the
very center Of all that is divine,
they are parts Of the divine and are d.
vine. Some Of his countrymen wear thin
wells before their mouths and nostrils
80 as to prevent the destruction even
1nvoluntarily Of the lowest life that in
habits the earth. They bear q broom
with which they sweep path lest they
should crush worms as they walk and
thus destroy a particle of the divine life
that sojourne here awhile, preparing by
incarnation after incarnation to be
again absorbed with the great central
heart of deity again. That is his religion.
But the same creed teaches the Hindoo
mother to take her babe to the Ganges,
the sacred river, and drown 1t or cast
1t to crocodile as religious act AS
sacrifice which will win her favor in the
eyes OF the highest unseen forms Of deity
that inhabit eternity, behind the veil Of
matter where human eyes would be
blinded in the excessive light. The same
creed teaches the Hindoo widow to
mount the funeral pyre and die rather
than survive her dead husband. That is
the same religion.
In Egypt three thousand years ago re-
ligion taught that the members of the
royal family were SO near akin to deity
that they could not marry outside their
own blood. Father married daughter
and the son his mother. That was re-
ligion and such was the education re-
ligion gave.
So when we come to speak of religion
as the synonym of education, and
therefore seek to make all education
religious and all religion have bearing
on our education in every day life, it will
be Just as we'll to reflect as to what we
are to regard as religion and what re-
ligious system we are to encourage, OF
course all religions are to be tolerated
so long as they are not destructive to
public morals.
But there is in these days form Of
religious liberality that has run wild
and Of religious eclecticism that has
gone to seed. The inviting of this irasci-
BILE Hindoo to lecture before this collec-
ton OF women, whose faith rests on the
Hebrew and Christian sacred writings.
is an example Of this. The TRADE his
narrow bigotry led him to indulge in
5uetifies condemnation of the too broad
spirit of tolerance which led to the in
citation. He had none of that spirit Of
tolerance. and his notions Of spiritual