The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-02-01

AMIDST Wnlcn missionaries work, and
against which they must strive, is him
dered by the simple fact that were
to write plainly what / saw as the
prominent feature of Hindu worship
in Benares this paper would not be
permitted transmission through the
mails. The commonest object of wor-
ship may not even be limited at; while,
SO far from writing a description of
the sculptures on the walls of one
temple, they may not even be recalled
without disgust. 1t is distinct
ascent to contemplate the sacred
monkeys that fill one temple-more
than 200 of them scampering about
the trees and the courts-or the
sacred cows and bulls that abound
throughout the city. When a wealthy
Brahman dies, bull is turned loose
in the city to wander through the mar
row streets and to pillage, undisturbed,
from the bazaars. The molten calf
which the backslidden Israelites wor-
shipped is also here. to be purchased
as a household god.
The Quarrel In the Temple.
At the famous Cow Temple" saw
and heard a row that would have at
tracted a mob anywhere in Christen-
dom. A woman worshipper wanted to
go into the inner shrine, but the
priest contended that she had not
paid enough money. She shrilly in
sisted that she had, and tried to force
her way past the priest. The latter
thereupon struck her a resounding
blow In the face, but even this could
not deter the intending worshipper,
and when / left, after watching the
muss for ten minutes, the noise of the
wrangle still filed the temple; al.
though the other worshippers seemed
to mind it as little as did the we'll
i fed cows that filled the temple court
Being on the Safe Side.
Within the compass of one briei
| article it is impossible to give more
| than mere glimpses of the religious
life of this sacred city and its myriad
pilgrims, bent on making the 45-milt
round of holy places. The objects Of
generation are innumerable. Here are
a dainty pair of feet, carved in higf
relief-not impressed into the white
marble-which are worshipped as the
footprints of Vishnu. Nearby art
Suffice stones, marking the sites where
widows inundated themselves upoI
their husbands funeral pyres. Inn
ages of countless sorts, are wreathet
In flowers, showered with rice, GOV
cred with holy water. and made obei
sance to. A Hindu Is not going Il
take any chances; he worships what
ever is likely to be sacred, from
Buddhist statue to Christian church
to speak only within my own knowl
edge. AS one said, You never cal
tell, and it is best to be on the SAT-
side" The tracts which saw mis-
sionary distributing among the pil
grims on the river bank were eagerl,
sought for and read.
For theoretical Hinduism the reade
must be referred to- the encyclopedia
this is not the place to attempt eve
an outline of it's main features. muc
less a description of the principa
members of its gallery of innumerabl
gods. Woven into the religion is tn
caste system, which hopelessly shut
; OF one for life in the caste into whic
he was born, so that Brahman
contaminated by the very shadow OF
sweeper. theoretically, there ar
four grand divisions of caste, actual,
there are thousands of castles, and
never heard of European who a
tempted to understand all the cast
!. marks which Hindus paint upon thei
.. faces, heads, arms and chests.
One advantage of caste has bee
. mentioned to me by British army of
GERS: IF it were not for the cast
system. which breaks the people U
!. into irreconciliable sections, Englan
would not be able to hold India for 81
, months"
Il Theosophy's FIourlshIng College.
y Theosophy, which here claims to b
r practically, pure Hinduism, has esta
0 lished a great college at Benares. Il
{ Central Hindu College," with 700 st
+ dents and fine equipment Of bull
y ings. Mrs. Annie Besant, hersel
+ whom the late Col. Olcott nominate
|. at the direction of the 'Mahatma!
/, as president of the Theosophis
8 (although not all of the Theosophis
b seem inclined to ratify this choice
resides here and Is the head of the &C
, lege. The day of my visit to the CT
t Iege she was In Madras. the wor
y headquarters Of theosophy. so my
d terview was with her assistant, Z
Englishwoman dressed in a salmo
, colored kimono. with q white philo