The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-26

Col. C. II. French's Lecture at the
Y.M. C. A.

Y. VI. c. A.
COL c. H. French of Chicago gave his
lecture on India, Illustrated with stereop-
ticon views yesterday afternoon at the
mems meeting of the Y. NJ. c. A. An ex-
eeptionally large audience was present and
enjoyed thoroughly che lecture, which,
both in matter and Illustration, is one of
the best that has been heard here this
season.
owing to the absence of Secretary H. NJ.
Johnson, the services We're in charge Of
Mir. W. B. Stubs, who introduced Col.
French, stating that the lecture would be
a gospel service in the real sense of the
word, and that he hoped his auditors
having heard and seen the awful condi-
tions that exist in India, would realize
the necessity of doing something for the
sllleViation of both the spiritual and ma
terial wants of the people and would show
such recognition by their acts.
Col Frenchs lecture consisted of an
historic and geographic sketch of India,
profusely illustra ted by excellent pictures
India, he said, which has an area of l.
10000 miles, has been the theater of
most eventful history, and to-day, from
any and all standpoints may be called
the epitome of the whole world. Its his
tory in the form of tradition began 1000
years before the Christian era, and hun
dreds of years before the foremost coun-
tries of the Western world were known
10 exist India was a land of civilization
and culture, greatly advanced in the arts
and sciences and having a most profound
philosophy, whose subtle deductions are
often to-day in new guise presented to
the public, frequently as the product of
the modern and Occidental mind.
a popularity of India is that it has had
no historian in the accepted sense of the
\.
compared to Homer and Sophocles but
never Thucidldes or Herodotus, and
Indians when asked for a history of their
land and race refer the enquirer to some
epic or tradition often almost if not quite
unintelligible owing to the superstitions
with which they are all interviewer
Continuing his historic sketch, the lee
turer said that India, then the store
house Of the wealth of the world, was in
vaded during the Eleventh Century by
the Mohammedan hordes of Afghanistan
and the northern countries and so great
was the export of the people who had
been enslaVed that women sold in the
markets OF Persia for ninety cents apiece.
England secured her first possessions in
India in 1899. when trading company Sc
cured grant of land one mile wide and
six miles long near where the city of
Madras now stands. At present a large
part of the country is under her direct
rule and fifty-three feudatory states owe
her allegiance.
1t is customary to think of India as be-
ing of one people, one language, and one
religion, but this idea is quite erroneous,
said Col French, the populations of the
different parts of the country being as di-
vergent in physique, customs, and belief as
though they were of another country. OF
the many religions the three grea lest are
the Buddhist, the Mohammedan, auG the
HindOO the last haipc- in MT Of
bers the most magnificent religion in the
world
The lecturer gave some interesting facts
about the magnificent Gauges in which ev-
cry pious Hindoo hopes and strives 10
battle at least once before he dies, being
possessed of the belief that so doing
opens to his soul after death the regions
of the blest So firm is this belief rooted
in their faith and such efforts do they
make to carry out the rite, that it is on
record that a man living 400 miles from
the river and being parlyzed in the legs.
and having no means of conveyance, yet
reached the river of his desire by rolling
over and over the entire distance.
Col. French described the fakirs and
holy men, of whom he showed a number
of pictures. The Parsees also came in for
considera BILE notice, being described as the
kndest hearted people in the world despite
the fact that they worship fire and the
the vultures on the famed towers of ST.
lence" rather than profane the fire by
burning them or offend the earth by their
burial
Among the most interesting and beau
tiful of the pictures shown were those
of the city sof Delhi, which the speaker
defined as the Rome of Asia, and its mas
sive fortress built by one of the Grand
Moguls ere yet had departed from him
and his race the ma gnifcent though des-
potic power that had made such buildings
possible
A picture of the celebrated monkey
temple and gardens of Benares was also
shown, but by far the most beautiful
of the pictures was of that most beauti-
full of architectural creations, the Tai
Mahal, or Jewel of the world the superb
and unrivalled mausoleum, built by Shah
Jehan of Agra for his favorite wife and
on which 10000 men were employed for
twenty-five years.
Col. French gave the same lecture dur
ing the evening at the De Soto. He will
give three lectures to-day, at the Odd
Fellows Hall, for the school children.
%-&e