Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-12-25
LECTURED ON INDIA
Soami Ram Proves an Entertain
ing Talker.


Soami Ram, of India, gave q
very interesting and instructive
talk on the customs, religion and
mode of living in his country,
last Tuesday evening in the Hotel
Corvallis parlor.
+ Soami Ram is graduate of a
Hindoo university and was for
FIVE years professor in the col
lege where he received his edu-
cation.
In speaking of the missionary
work being carried on in his
country by American mission
aries, Mr.. Ram said that the life
of missionary in India is very
easy one. They do practically
nothing but live in fine bunga-
lows and live like princes. They
accomplish scarcely anything in
the matter of their supposed duty
that of saving souls. All their
work is confined to the slums,
the better classes of India will
not give missionary an audi
ence. Soul savers from the Uni
ted States treat the Hindo as an
inferier, consequently are dis
liked by the natives.
I'm India man must forever
be what he is born. A merch-
ch nt's son must necessarily be a
merchant; a laborer's son a la
borer; a Brahmin's son always
Brahmin; the daughter of pub
lie woman must be the same as
her mother. When members of
one caste come in contact with
members of another, they con-
slider themselves defiled. A mer-
chant could never enter the house
of the Brahmin, nor touch the
hem Of his garment. No caste,
however low, can come in con-
tact with the foreigner or have
aught to do with him, for in so
doing he becomes an outcast.
"For this reason the mission
aries you send to those darkened
people have their hands tied.
They cannot mix with them or
go among them freely. The few
whom they have succeeded in
converting to Christianity form
caste to themselves and are os-
tracised by the Hindoos. They
are simply labelled Christia IS,
and can do no further good for
they cannot work among their
own people.
Soami RAMS mission in Amer
ica is to make arrangements
whereby the young men of high
caste in India can be brought to
educated in American
style and then return to his owr
country and teach among his owr
race and people. In this way
great deal more good would be
derived than from the present
state of affairs. A Hindoo would
listen to the teachings of his own
countryman when he would ig-
more a missionary
Soami Ram then pointed out
the vast amount of money that
is being expended annually to
keep these Americans in the for
=ign countries and all for naught.
His plan of educating his coun-
trymen in America and taking
them back to India would save
the American people thousands
Of dollars each year.
Mr.. Ram scofed the idea that
is believed by the great majority
Of American people-that of the
Hindo mothers sacrificing their |
babies to the sharks and croco-
ailes OF the Ganges river. He
said such a thing was never pos
sible and would wager that there
IS not a shark or crocodile in the
whole Ganges river, He said
that the majority of the histories
and travels written on India were
greatly magnifed, being done for
effect.
While giving his very interest
ing talk Mr.. Ram wore red tur-
ban-the Hindo way of showing
ais respect. The head dress is
when disrespect is mani
tested. He has been in America
about year and although he has
! decided foreign accent, yet is
able to speak huently in our Ian
guage.
J. Edwin Johnson, valedictorian
IF last years graduating class at