Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-16

N OMBAY, India. - Religion is the
X basis of all social and political
~ life in the east and in India 1t Is
the controlling factor in every propieH.
OF the 300, 900. 900 of people in the lndlan
empire more than 200, 100000 are H1ndus
i'm religion. subject to the Brahmanical
priesthood. Mohammedanism ranks
next with over 6000O,000 followers
There are about 10,000000 Buddhtsts IN
Burma and Assam, but none in mora
proper. The Christians have 30OO'OV9'
the Sikhs 100000, the jams l,oOO,ooV'
while there are 10000 Parsees and less
than 10000 Jews. In addition to the
believers in these organized religions
there are about 100000 of Indians VINO
are classed as Anlmists--people VINO
Worship animals or plants, idolaters OF
the most primitive kind.
The Hindu religion Is development
of an ancient faith which found ex-
preston in the Vedas, sacred hymns
written probably fifteen centuries be-
fore Christ Under the influence of
Christian teaching and western ciVlll-
zation there has been a movement
among the better educated Hindus 10
return to the pure religion OF the Vedas,
but II has reached but very few or the
people. I'm theory the Hindus recognize
a Supreme Being, represented III
trinity of chief gods-Brahma' Vlsnnu
gods but his worship has fallen into
disuse on account Of the sectarian
activities of the followers of the second
and third persons in the triad Ihere
are only four temples in all India now
dedicated to the worship of the supreme
god of the Hindu theology.
| Hinduism is essentially eclectic ara
II reserves the right to select and adopt
/ TnliP1On. L =,
therefore, tolerant in theory and IN Iact
| to All other beliefs, although this toler-
ance does not prevent unceasing nate
! And war between Hindus and MosleIns'
| buddhism has disappeared from Indla'
swallowed UP by the religion II was IN IN
| tended to reform. Yet Budana re-
! mains and is worshipped as one OF tnr
thousand and eight lncarha'iohs u
! Vishnu, ,,,
The religion is divided into many
hra rches but the two greatest sects
are Sivaism and Vishnuism-th names
given the cults of silva and Nlshhu'
| silva is the god of destruction anu re-
production, and his worship, IN tnou-
sand forms and under many naIres' 70
,,,ost nonIlar He REQUIRES little cere-
nonial only a few flowers and oblatloh
| If water. while Vishnu must be wor-
Skinned with a ritual of great lengtn
and intricacy silva represents tne
river of life and the destroyer, ne
| typifies the endless and pltiless success
sion of change which life presents 10
| tho oriental mind. The Brahman PM
o.o,be,, secs in him the suprme all
cod the worker of Brahma's VIII ana
fhe fountain of the universe of actlvity.
| r.ba ionorant villager, on the otnef
hand. associates silva with the mystery
! Of reproduction and makes his worship
revoltingly obscene.
Vishnu is less mystical and more hu.
man. He has come to earth as man
| or an animal many times, ana ne Is
ossociated with scores of deml-gods
taisen from the valhalla of anclen'
Hindu traditions Vishnu is reposeIul,
! silva is active. Vishnu Is kindly anu
induIgent silva is Jealous and revenge,
ful Vishnu rewards kindness any
| charity, silva must he propltitteu
These two great sects are dlviueu iIio
| nun1berless smaller divisions, tne lueals
| falling lower and lower with 'iiN
of the worshipper. o,d
Much may be said, and much Is salo
Nv educated Indians and learned Eng
| lish-speaking Yogis, or holy men, ~
| favor of the beautiful philosophy OF tns
unity of God and the brotherhood oi
! man. which is taught by the lew oi
| the higher orders of Hindus. But Iol
| tbe great multitude, for all but 1ooO'
| of the 200 900. 900 of Hindus. the rellgloI
is degrading. immoral, obscene, crue
| and utterly repulsiVe.
It's temples are given over TO the mos. mos
revolting immoral practices, its priests
are leeches who suck the blood or the
people under them. its teachings have
not one ray of light for the common
man. 1t compels infant marriages tina
the Brahmans may be sure OF the mar.
riaee fee before the children die. Ano
then IL prohibits the remarriage or =
widow because it was her sin whicf
brought about the death of the nus,
band The millions of degraded ant
outcast widows of India, thousands o.
them. under s years old, are a suff1cien
condemnation of Hinduism and II:
filthy. greedy, "twice-bor priests.
Mohammedanism in India is In de
cline. lust as It seems to be In othel
parts of the world The erstwhile SUI
perioritv of the Moslem over the Hindt
was credited to his better habits o.
life. but he is not keeping pace in lat'
wears The Mohammedan eats meat
and is not restricted to narrow clrcl'
in selecting a wife, so that as a class
the Moslems are physically mucl
stronger than the Hindus But ther
religion is more conservative when th'