Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-07-25
HIND00 SACE'S MISSION
How Hon. P. Ramanathan Hopes
 to Spiritually Aid Mankind.
BY UNITING RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS

BY UNITING RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS Method Indicated by CeyIon's solic-
 itor General, Now Visiting the Unit
 cd States, to Bring the Thought of
 the Orient end the Occident Into
 Harmony, Also Promoting Between
 The" srothe.,, Love.
 There Is, I believe. no deeply and sincerely religious man who does not
 feel profound interest in all sincere
 religious life. and I feel therefore quite sure that visit to the United States
 from man in the highest degree rep resentative of the ideals of the spirit
 ual life of India. pre-eminently the
 land of lofty spiritual ideals, will have great interest, says Myron H. Phelps
 in the Christian Register. I refer to
 Hon. F. Ramanathan, K. C., C. Nj. G., solicitor general of Ceylon, who re- gently arrived in New York, and will probably spend eight or ten months in the United States.
 Mir. Ramanathan is the leading man of the Hindoo population 8bout one half of the whole of CeylSn. being a prominent member of what has long been the chef Hindoo family, both iD
 wealth and distinction. of the island. From 1879 to 1892 he represented his race in the legislative council, and since the latter date has been solicitor general of the colony. He was dele gate to the last anniversary celebra- tion in honor of Queen Victoria.
 But it is on his learning and spiritual insight that Mir. Ramanathans chief claim to distinction rests. His repute as a spiritual teacher is very high among his countrymen. In this re spect he is esteemed to be one of the greatest men in all India. Those who know him well. indeed, refer to him as one of those sages who have en- dowed India with the profound and mysterious majesty of spiritual wis dom-as, In short, Brahma- -jnani. or knower of Coda term descriptive of the highest spiritual development to which man can attain.
 Most important for us. Mir. Ramana- than Is perfect master of the English language, which he speaks even with out a foreign accent, and he has sound and scholarly culture in the sci ence and literature of both the east and the west. He Is therefore fitted as no one who has preceded him in visit ing our shores to be to us a perfect in- terpreter of eastern ideas and modes of thought. His distinction and wealth are, of course, in large measure guar antees for the sincerity of his efforts in his views of philosophy and and he is very winning and attractive speaker and a man of great charm of manner and personal charac- ter. He is therefore. think. e1cep- tionally wei! qualified to secure the respect and affectionate re- gard of Americans.
 I have still to mention what is per haps Mir. Ramanathan's chief claim to a cordial reception from westerners, the fact, namely, that he has made critical, extensive and sympathetic study of the Christian Scriptures and has written exhaustive commentaries on the gospels of St. Matthew and St. John and a portion of the Psalms of David. These works display spirit of the deepest reverence. and. as the author Is thoroughly imbued with the deas of Indian civilization and wholly oval to them and to the Indian Scrip lures, bis interpretation of the Bible is a harmonization of the two | religious systems. He finds in the of both the old and New i the leading doctrines of ] he sages of India found in the great 1 Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and l other sacred writings in Sanskrit and | Tamil.
 The esteem in which MT. Ramanathan | s held among his countrymen Is indi- | .ated by the fact that since his com i nentaries on the gospels appeared or i hodox pundits of India have for the l lrst time in history undertaken to i these Scriptures, following i 'ir. Ramanathan's interpretation, into he Indian vernaculars in order that hey may be carefully read and studied y the people of India Heretofore the Bible has been q sealed book O them. the mlssionary' translations laving no value to orthodox Hindoos.
 Nr. Ramanathan has thus indicated | l practical method for bringing the bought of the east and west into har- nony and promoting between them CO., peration and brotherly love more lopeful than any which has hereto ore been suggested. It is much to be Ioped that the Christian church of the vest may meet these generous and advances in the spirit in which they are proffered-in the spirit. indeed. already shown by that most whole soillad and Uheral man Dr ]