The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-12-28

as the Garden of Eden, where Adam
and Eve had their troubles.
Returning to Columbo late in the
night, the next day we visited Victoria
Park, Cinnamon Garden, and in the
afternoon took another train ride |
along the beach to Mount Layinia.
A vote of thanks is due Mr.. Chester
A. Davis of Salem, Mass, consul of
the United States, who dropped the
Royal "Nibs" etiquette and came on
our ship, introduced himself and gave
us desired information with an earn
est invitation to call. This young man
is a politician of the higher order,
and Massachusetts should feel proud
of their distinguished son in the
orient.
Plumbago is one of the extensive
exporting minerals from Ceylon.
In the evening is our time for leav-
ing a port We bid a farewell to
Ceylon and our next stop was at
Diamond Harbor. 40 miles from Cal
cutta. Our boat is now drawing 80
feet of water, and very few harbors
will admit her. Going to Calcutta in
launches, where we were located at
! the Great Eastern, Continental and
Grand Hotels, after doing the
city we went to DarfeeIing to look
at natures masterwork, the Hima-
alays Whoever takes the early noun
tain ride to Tiger Hill and sees the
sun rise on Mount Everest and
watches peak after peak of the snowy
range lit UP before the sun itself is
! visible, will never witness anything
more awe-inspiring and sublime. The
descent from this mount of vision as
the morning light steals over the val
! leys, is fully as impressive. No Won
der the Hindoos locate their deities,
Brahma the Creator, Vishnu, the Pre-
server, and SILVA, the Destroyer.
/ Among these imperial Himalayan
peaks, physically at least, they are
nearer to Heaven than any other part
of the earth. Benares is the Holy
City of the Hindoos. 1t is the Mecca
of their pilgrimages and the goal o.
their religious aspirations. An ex
crusion was made by boat up thu
Ganges by the Bathing Chats Of the
!, Holy City" to witness thousands o
Hindoos and religious deyotees bath
: ing in the sacred stream and numbers
: of the dead being cremated and thei
? ashes scattered on the river
We visited the ancient Hindoo oh
/, servatory, the Monkey Temple, tn
! Mosque, the Well of Wisdom, Sacre
j Bull, Golden Temple and the celebrat
i ed brassware shops of Bensyes, all
> much interest but the seemingly pect
liar religious costumes and habits a.
tract the attention of tourists. On
5 singular thing about our mission W
y have found and went to hundreds Z
churches where our people, malntal
$ and have never seen protestant mi
: sionary, nor has this vast crowd eve
$ had one call upon them. am afra1
s our missionaries after living in tn
o gentle climate fall in the ways an
IS habits of their oriental associates an
t do not care to associate with Amel
e cans. Mr.. Sparks, banker, FRO
n Xenia. Ohio and pays one half of tt
't entire salary of (minister) mdssio
IS airy in India and one in Mexico, ne
IS built large expectations to see him
k Ceylon. he found a neat brick churt
n being looked after by a very polite n
d tive, who informed Mr.. Sparks tn
,e / the law had lately been removed I
lie shooting elephants and the mlnist
t. was spending the winter on II
IL southern part of the Island and makll
i'd a success killing elephants This
IS i Nov. 18th Sunday but we are at C'
to cutta, directly under Keokull and tn
i'd call it Monday, but we are not goll
III to change the name OF our days (un
IN we get to Hong Kong, then we
n gain our day by going to bed Mond
a evening and getting up Wednesd
as morning instead of Tuesday and tn
I'd when we get to the United States o
ho names for the days will be correc
If This afternoon we visited Jal
tx Tenple of the Hindoos which W
!. very fine. The Millionaire girls a
"a men all shed their shoes to go IL
q this temple. but put on their shoes
- go into the burning watts to see THU
hv people piled on wood and cremat
~, niled on wood and cremated.
~ We visited the Great Banyan tree a
~ Black Hole of historic fame today a
a. will finish India today and will ST
= for Rangoon tonight.
]. D. RABo
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