Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-10
WHERE BIG CROWDS GATHER
India Acknowledged the Leader in Mighty
Assemblagss Of People.
RELIGIOUS BATH CALLS OUT A MILLION
some OF the Greatest Gatherings Of
People In This Country-chicaEO's
Columbus Day ana the Dewey
welcome,

The greatest crowd that ever collects is
that one which comes together once every
twelove years at the festival Of Kumbh
Mela at Allahabad, India.
1t is a religious AFFAIR, this bathing festi-
val and 1t Is estimated that not less than
1,COC,oOO Hindus form the crowd that comes
from all over India to battle at the juncture
OF three rivers-the Ganges, the Jumna and
the Sarawati. Do not be disappointed II
you are not able to locate the last named
stream on your map Of India Only a
Hindu fanatic can see this river Joining
with the other two. 1t exists only in the
fgmenas Of superheated religious imsGin-
alton.
1t is proper to take q dip in the Ganges
at all times, for the river Is sacred day in
and day out; but every twelve years ones
sins are to be washed away by plunge
into the water where the three rivers Join;
hence the crowd that undoubtedly holds tho
worlds record for size,
1t doubtless also holds the record for
picturesqueness noises, fanaticlsm Of q re-
ligious character and types.
On every side are to be seen religious
fakirs smeared with ashes, others doing
penance for their sins on beds Of sharpened
spikes, while others torture themselves
In the numerous ways characteristic OF the
Hindu fanatic. Turbaned caterers to the
wants Of the inner man are plentifully
sprinkled about, bargains are driven at the
edge of the sacred waters and the noises
Of traffic mingle with the groans Of PEN
itents the shouts Of bands marching to the
bathing, the shuttle OF hundreds Of thou
sands of moving bare and sandal-covered
feet. There are thousands OF sightseers, OF
course, many being travellers attracted to
the spot through desire to get a view Of
i,ooo0OO people. which is possible from the
roofs OF buildings not very far distant
India is, indeed, the land Of big crowds.
New York reads with wonder the morn
ing after an important election OF the jam
the night before along certain parts of
Broadway and in newspaper row. Chi
cago is openly proud Of the pushing crowds
that surge in its State and other central
streets on special occasions. They are re-
markedly large crowds-for America-but
they would not secure even passing COM
ment in Northern India. There the streets
of the cities are damned from house line
to house line, from early morning till late
at night in the mere transaction Of the
days work A view Of one of these every
day crowds going about its business cannot
fail to inspire one with a feeling Of awe
at thought OF the vast, compact population
which makes such crowds common.
Northern midas real crowds collect on
the festival days. Then, in the words Of
an English oflcer who has grown weary
trying to convey some idea of the size
Of these crowds they are mo- dmentally
enormous" The thousands OF every day be-
come tens OF thousands, side streets as
well as the principal thoroughfares are
TANNED. and to an Occidental It would
seem that all the swarthy Caucasians OF the
universe have been brought together in one
spot.