The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-03-28
PROF. SANDERS LECTURE
Continued From Ninth Page

dren in the streets, by bullock drivers
on the road, by coolies working in the
fields. They seem to owe their popular
ity to the fact that they clothe simple
religious ideas in q native dress.
Let me illustrate by two intensely
devotional lyrics. The first one may be
freely translated as follows; 20 my
gracious Lord-thee will l always
praise, thee l will always praise-the
god of rosy feet, whom all celestials
are wont to adore-the beloved one to
whose adorable feet his servants come
for refuge-the will ever praise, thee
will l praise" The idea of Divine
protection, of adorableness and of sur
passing loveliness could not we'll be ex-
pressed more effectively to Hindu.
Another devotional lyric reads as fol-
lows:
Praise, may your grace abound, o
Lord! Look openly upon me-"
20 Lord of Lords, who continues to
regard me-a worthy wretch as the APP
pie of his eye.
o wise one, just one, holy Bible one,
Lord of one cloth,
Q most adorable, O thou that hear
est the praises of thy servants praise.
These are rather exceptional lyrics
and yet the appreciation of moral and
spiritual conceptions is natural to the
Dravidian mind. They are at heart a
sober and moral race. The most popu-
lar literary work in all South India Is
the Rural of a famous poet-philoso-
pher, Tirnvalluvar, who lived about
900 years ago. 1t is regarded as
standard of literary and moral excel
lence among the Tamil people. Yet il
is nothing other than a series of ethi-
cal proverbs or essays in poetica
form. I translate the first:
AS is the first of all letters or
earth; so the Almighty is the first one
in the universe.
1t is fitting that one who aspires te
be wise should adore the blessed fee
of the great fountain of pure knowl-
edge.
If one Of us should visit village
school in Northern Ceylon and a prom
Using lad was put forward to make {
recitation the chances are that HI
will stand very straight, fold his arm!
ASH % usoue ulu eA!s o. 'poom sul u
| tightly and chant a dozen or so o
| stanZas from the Rural.
The justification Of the high esteem
| in which the Rural is held requires /;
quotation from a chapter of saying
| on gratitude. I follow metrical blu
accurate rendering by Mr.. Cover o
Madras.
"a benefit conferred where none ha
been received.
| Is greater worth than e'er could b
| achieved
| BY giving heaven and earth.
| And should the gift be made in tim
| of bitter need
| Tho it be smaller than the smalles
| seed
You cannot weigh it's worth.
Who counteth not how great retur
his gift will bring
Shall find 1t weighed by others, as
thing
More heavy than the sea.
We should not measure kindness b
it's money cost
But by the need and worth of thos
it crossed
When rushing to their aid.
Remember all thy life the kindnes
of the good;
And him who helped (thee) whe
thou lackedst food
Count as thy dearest friend.
His love, whose hand hath wipe
away the falling tear
Can never be forgotten, neither here
Nor in the seven-fold birth.
A single benefit, conferred in forme
time
Will hide, as if in death. a preser
crime
| Fen though thy blood is spill.
He that hath broken every law of &c
or man
May yet escape, yet none may scar
the ban
Who payeth good with i'll.
AS an exposition of ethics the abo,
is not beyond criticism, but it serves
call attention to the decided bent of IL
Dravidian mind toward ethical prol
lens.
I cannot leave this nobler type
folk literature without mentioning tt
works of the poets who appeal to IL
best minds of the race. Their poem
deal much with the doubts and stru,
giles of the soul, with its deepest e,
periences, it's noblest aspirations. The
are more or less sensuous in expresc
and pantheistic in thought, b,
J they exert very profound il
fluence upon spiritually mindt
: Dravidians Mr.. Cobban of Madras r.
lates how friend of his went one dis
to village bazaar at time when bu
mess was usually very slack. T
found the bazar-man seated, with ey
closed and body swaying, as he chan
ed one of Tayumanavar's poems, Il
tears streaming down his cheeks. T.
2 friend did not venture to disturb Il
deep and devout enjoyment of the wo
. shipper.
The venerable scholar, Bishop Cal
well of Tinniveliy has called attenti
to the fact that many of these poer
) register a protest against idolatry.
. quote his free translation of one stan
from Sivavakyer:
'How many various flowers
: Did I in bygone hours
Gull for the gods and in tJnir hon