Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-09-06
daintles and l,ixurlcs that they become
burdcned with fat"


gods than worshlpcrs In India. Beast
worship seems to be natural to the
fIindoo, md 1t is certainly one of the
'ounuation stones Of Brahmanism Fol
lowers OF the purcr forms of that faith
may say that the sacred bensts are
only symbols and not gods, but a re-
ligion must be judged by the effect
which 1t has on the mass Of its
devotces. The monkey, the crocodile,
the crane, the ibis, the cobra and other
serpcnts are among the creatures that
share with the bull the reverence of the
people. If not their worship. Bcnares
Is the headquarters Of all the numer-
GUS cults of I'rahmanism that especinI.
ly worship ono or other of these sacred
beasts.
One OF the holiest places In Benarcs
Is the Doorga Khond, Of monkey tenn
pie. The monkey comes next to the
Brahmanco bull In order Of sanctlty.
An English resident In the city assured
the writer that anybody who killed or
even Ill treated monkey would run Il
very good chance of being torn TO
pieces by the fnnntical natives. Tint
is not generally true Of India, for
have seen monkeys killed there with.
out any trouble resulting, but believe
1t Is true of Bennres.
Al the Doorga Khond hundreds of
monkeys are kept US pets by The
priests. They run about all over the
place just as they please and are never
Gagged OF restrained In any way. AS Il
consequence they nrc jolly, good ten
pered little fellows, quite unlike the
savage. sulky brutes you see In mn
American 200. 1t Is Il mistake TO sun
pose That q monkeys nature Is essen
TALLY vicious.
The temple is simply n large paved
yard surrounded by high walls on
which there arc n lot of wooden boxes
and houses In which the monkeys live.
There Is big tank for the monkeys to
drink from md swim in, if they choose
TO do so, ana huge bnnyan free gives
them nll the gymnostic exercise they
want. Visitors are welcomed, but they
arc expected to buy food for the mon
keys from the priests Mt nm cxorbitnnt
price. As soon ms they get inside tho
monkeys mob them, climbing all over
them. snatching the food from their
hands and then scnmpcring off to cat
1t In the banyan tree
These monkeys and all of their kind
the grayish brown, short tailed common
monkey of northern India-are sup
posed to be the descendants OF IIunu-
man, the monkey god of southern In
din. According TO the myth Of the
Israhmans, Thurman aided Rama to
conquer Ccylon by building bridge Of
rocks from India to that Island. His
image Is to be seen in most Iiindoo
temples IN the form of man with n
black monkeys face and tail.
Sacred monkeys scampcr along the
streets and over the housctops in most
Indian cities and villages. The shop
Keepers are constantly worried by their
foraginG escapadcs, but they dare not
resent them any more than those of the
sacred bull. These monkcys are often
the companions of the lcrmits and
fnkirs with which India swarns, and
they are the chief part Of the congrc-
CATION in many temples where they arc
fed and protected.
Tanks in which sacred crocodilcs arc
kept are attached TO some temples in
Bcnarcs. In former days they were fed
with children and other human sacri-
fees. but the British government,
though very indulgcnt toward native
superstitons. will, Of course, not allow
that now Some Anglo-Indians assert.
however. that such sacrifices are still
made on the sly Whether this is true
OF not. II is fact TINT many fnnntical
Iiindoos would not kill crocodile
which had killed their wife or child.
Some IIindoos are unspeakably cruel
to animals that are not sacred, but in
general the faiths of India cnjoin kind
ness to dumb animals rs religious
duty. Buddhism does SO most en-
phatically. for the whole tendency Of
Its teaching. rightly given. is to make
man gentle and mild. The Parsees
are noted for thcir kintllincss to all
creatures, man and beast. and they
give largely out Of their boundless
wealth to the support of the Jain tenn
pies, which are perhaps the most de-
lightful places In all India.
All the best elements in Brahmnnism
flock to the Jain cult MS the needle
flies to the mngnct Tho jams recog-
nizc MI the gods Of the uindoo creed
wear the Btallmanical thread and ad-
here to Ilndoo caste law. Yet they
are utterly unlike the average Brah-
man. They have agreed to ignore NIL
that Is vile in Brahnanism and to de-
vote themselves to all that Is noble.
They reverence the sacred animals,
but they give to the worship n prac-
teal twist by adorlng nil animals, all
living creatures, and by making veter-
mary surgery Mt once their vocation