Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-06

tells US is the richest man. in India but I
don't know who he is and never heard Of
The merchants of Muttra all seem pros
porous. The city is visited by hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims every year, all of
whom bring in more or Less money, and
the houses and shops are of much more
permanent and imposing order of architec-
ture than those of Delhi, Agra and other
places 1t has the appearance of being
rich community.
The shade trees alopgcthe streets swarm
with monkeys and parrots, which are
sacred. and when You come here you
mustn't jump if grinning monkey drops
down upon your shouiderssin most casual
manner and chattersn in your ear. These
animals are very tame. They are fed by
the pilgrims, who gain great merit with
the gods thereby, and the river is filled with
sacred turtles, which are also objects OF
great interest and devotion.
The Car of Juggernaut Fiction.
Only two towns in India are more sacred
than Muttrs One is Benares and the other
is Jagermath, or Juggernaut, which is about
$50 miles south of Calcutta on the shore of
the Bay of Bengal There is the great idol
which we have all heard about from the
missionaries, but regret to say that there
has been a good deal of misrepresentation
and exaggeration. When l was a hy l
read in Sunday school books the most heart
tearing tales about the poor heather who
cast themselves down before the car of Jug
gernaut and were crushed to hfeless pulp
under it's monstrous wheels. This story has
been told thousands of times to millions OF
Mortified listeners, but an inquiry into the
fact does not confirm 1t. 1t is true that on
certain holy days the great image of Jug
gernaut or Jagernath, whichever way you
choose to spell it, and j. weighs many tons,
is placed upon car and the is drawn
through the crowded streets by thousands
OF pilgrims, who cast flowers, rice wheat,
palm leaves, bamboo whisps, sweetmeats and
co., ~, ,rs<N, 11xy ",
the throng that presses around the image
some one is thrown down and has the life
trampled out of him; on several occasions
people have been caught by the wheels or
the frame of the car and crushed, and at
rare intervals some hysterical worshper
has fallen in fit of epilepsy and been run
over, but the official records, which began
in 1918, show only nine such occurrences
during the last eighty-six years.
The American Methodists commenced
work here in 1887. mo educational or
evangelical work had ever been attempted
previous to that time, but the men and
women who came were wise, tactful and in
dustrious and the result may be seen in
dozen or more schools, with several thou
sand pupils a fouriShing,. Self-Supporting
church, a medical mission, a deaconesses'
home and training school, printing estab-
Eshment and bookshop which is self-sup-
porting, and a large number of earnest, in
telligent converts. Wherever you go in
heather lands you will find that wisdom,
any direction, always show good results,
but all missionaries, regret to say. are not
endowed with those qualities, and the con-
sequences are sometimes deplorable. by
their works We shall know them"
Moslem University and Printing Press.
At Aligarh, a town Of $1,000 Inhabitants
OH the railway between Agra and Delhi, is
very rare and indeed unique institution
"a Moslem university and printing press
the only ones in India, and the only ones in
the world established and conducted on
modern lines. It is modelled upon the Eng
lish universities. 1t has an English presi-
dent and dean and several English profess
sors, all of them graduates of the Uni
yersity of Cambridge. The preparatory
school has an English head master and as
sistant. and in the faculty is a professor CT
physical culture, who has brought manly
sports among the students to a standard
unequaled elsewhere in India The Aligarh
University has the best foot ball team and
the best cricket team in the empire
This remarkable Institution was founded
in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a Mo-
hsmmedan lawyer and Judge on the civil
bench. for the education Of his coreligion-
lists in order that they may take places in
the world beside the graduates of English
and European universities and exercise
similar influence. He recognized that the
Moslem pOpula ton. of India must ,degen-
crate unless 1t was educated, that it could
not keep pace with the rest of the world.
He was shocked at the ignorance and the
bigotry of his fellow Mohammedans and at
their stubborn conservatism. He was
sincere believer in his own religion, and in
sisted that the faith Of Islam. properly un-
derstood. was as much in the interest or
truth and progress In every branch OF hui
man knowledge and activity as the Chrls-
tan religion. and he devoted his entire FOR
tune and collected contributions from rlch
Mohammedans for the esta blishment OF
school that should be entirely up to date
and vet teach the Koran and the ancient
traditions of Islam. So.
There are now about 800 students, VINO
come from the most important Mohan-
medan families in India. They live To-
gether in dormitories built about the col
lege dine in the same refectery and enjoy
a. healthy active college life. Foreign ana
Christian professors fill the chairs OF SCI
ence matthew attcs and languages, Whlle
able mullahs give instruction In the Koran
and direct the students in the daily exercise
of the Mohammedan rites
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan met with bitter OPP
position and luminosity from the conserVa-
tive element of his faith, and while some OF
his opponents admitted the purity and no,
bility of his motive, he was often accused
OF apostacy but his noble - was spared
until March $685. and he was permitted 10
SEQ his institution enjoying great popular
Inv and usefulness. There Is at present
movement among the Mohammedans OF
India for the higher education of the mem
hers of that sect. 1t is the fruit OF ms
lahors and the men who are leading 1t are
graduates of the Aiigarh college.