The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-08-09
THE MISSION OF HON. P, MAMMALIAN
Homes to Spiritually Aid Mankind by Unifying Relig
ious Systems. Method Indicated by him TO BRING
Thought of Orient and Occident into Harmony.

insight that Mr. Ramanathan's 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 we'll, indeed, refer to him
as one of those sages who have en-
lowed India with the profound and
mysterious majesty Of spiritual wis
dom-as, in short, a Brahma-Jnan1' or
knowsr of Coda term descriptive OF
the highest spiritual development to
which man can attain.
! Most important for US, Mr.. Ramana-
| than is a perfect master of the English
Language, which he speaks even with
out a foreign accent, and he has q
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
expounding his views of philosophy and
religion, and he Is very winning and
attractive speaker and a man of great
charm Of manner and personal charac-
ter. He is therefore, think, excep-
tionally well qualified to secure the
attention, respect and affectionate re-
gard of Americans.
I have still to mention what Is per-
haps MI Ramanathans chief claim to
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 q portion Of the Psalms OF
David. These works display spirit
Of the deepest reverence, and, as the
author is thoroughly imbued with the
ideas of Indian civilization and wholly
loyal to them and to the Indian Scrip
lures, his Interpretation Of the Bible Is
essentially a harmOnizatiOn of the two
religious systems. He finds in the
teachings of both the Old and New
Testaments the leading doctrines Of
the sages of India found in the great
Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and
other sacred writings in Sanskrit and
Tamil.
The esteem In which Mr.. Mammalian
is held among his countrymen is indi-
Gated by the fact that since his COM
mentaries on the gospels appeared or
thodox pundits of India have for the
first time in history undertaken to
translate these Scriptures, following
MI. Ramanathan's Interpretation, into
the Indian vernaculars in order that
they may be carefully read and studied
by the people of India. Heretofore the
Christian Bible has been a sealed book
to them, the missionary translatiOns
having no value to orthodox Hindoos.
Mr. Ramanathan has thus indicated
a practical method for bringing the
thought of the east and west into har-
mOny and promoting between them CO.
operation and brOtherly love more
hopeful than any which has hereto
fore been suggested. 1t is much to be
hoped that the Christian church of the
west may meet these generous and
broadminded advances in the spirit III
which they are proffered-in the spirit,
indeed, already shown by that most
whole souled and liberal man, DR..
Charles Cuthbert Hall, president of the
Union Theological seminary, who re-
Gently delivered i'll India the lectures
provided by the Barrows foundation,
wherein he announced as his platform
the absolute and cordial brotherhood
OF the adherents of the western and