The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-21
IN CEYON SPICY ISLE
u The MANY GODS or EDEN

Colombo, Ceylon July 2i.--Millions
and millions OF the devout Christians
OF the Orient and al of the followers
OF the Prophet Mohommed believe
that the island of Ceylon 10 the Gar.
den of Eden In which the human race
first came to consciousness. Connecting
Ceylon with India. and the mainland
OF Asia. is q low-lying chain OF is-
lands and sanj-banks known 40
Adams Bridge. In the southern part
of the island is beautiful mountain
which has been known for centuries
as adams Peak" railroad built
like the Florida Keys road to Key
West will soon run across Adam
Bridge to connect Eden with Asia, ana
the angels with the flaming swords
who stand at the gate will be made
to do signal tower service for q goveri-
ment railway. The high slopes of
Adrms Peak are devoted to growing
tea for the afternoon deiectation OF
some daughter of Eve who has long
ago forgot the garden. the serpent and
the exile. But despite all these "mo-
dern" improvements and Developments
Ceylon Is still q Garden OF Eden. al
though II IL much confused as to VINO
IL the Master Of the Garden.
Near the top OF Adams Peak there
is a depression in the stone which
resembles q foot-print.--the track left
by a giant In the form OF man. GOOD
Moslems and the vast majority OF
oriental Christians firmly believe that
II is the foot print Of Father Adrfn
when he turned to leave his Paradise.
Good Buddhists believe that IL 10 the
imprint of the bare foot OF 0uatRma
Buddha who brought the entighten-
ment of his wisdom to Ceylon DeVout
Hindus believe that the footprint Ia
that OF one of the thousand ana eight
manifestations of the second person In
the Brahminical trinity.
So pilgrims OF every religion make
their way to Adrms Peak to pray for
the salvation OF mankind at the spot
where many of them believe the hrst
sin came into the world. The Chris
tian and the Moslem hold to the same
theories of the beginning OF the hui
man race, and the Buddhist and the
Hindu have the same traditions OF
the dawn of history. All OF them as
eribe to Ceylon the honor OF being the
Oldest seat of man.
Here they are today, IN this beauti-
full island, two million Buddhists, a
million Hindus. a half,million Chris
tians and q quarter of million Mo-
hammedans The Buddhists are the
Sinhalese, the original Inhabitants
of the island, who maintained Sc
barate royal existence here for twenty
five centuries and who boast the OLD
est. continuous. authentic written his
tory Of any people in the world. The
Hindus, or Brahminical worshippers,
are the Tamils, invaders from Iniia,
some of whom came centuries ago as
mara uding warriors and some OF whom
came last week ana the week before
as coolie laborers imported by the
tea planters.
The Christians are of many and
diverse varieties. The great majority
of them are Roman Catholic natives,
both Sinhaless and Tamil. descendants
of those ancient people who were forci-
bly, converted by Portuguese soldiers
or others genuinely converted by
Saint Francis Javier did splen-
aid missionary work - eylon. There
are Dutch Protestant descendants OF
the men who ruled Ceylon when II
was q Dutch colony. Others are An
glicans. Presbytsrians. Methodists and
Baptists, the result of English occupa-
ton, Scotch banking and American
missionary effort
Buddhism IL the prevailing religion,
and 1t is the most influential in shap-
ing the destinies of the people here.
Buddhism in Ceylon survives in @
purer form than in any other country.
In Japan, Buddhism exists only as u
supplement to the Japanese Shinto. In
China, Buddhism 10 only thu spiritual
vehicle to carry along the Waterfalls
tic philosophy Of Confuctus. In India,
where Buddhism was founded, the
Brahmins have plotted its purer doc
trine from the minds and memory OF
the people. In Ceylon, Buddhism APP
proaches most nearly to the purity OF
its ancient teachings. The Buddhist
monA-clad in his flowing yellow robe
which leaves one arm and shoulder
bare, holding under his clerical cloth
the begging boyl which Is the symbol
of his humility, protected from the
sun by an inevitable palm-leaf fan
may be seen everywhere about the
island. He Is a man of influence and
he bears himself accordingly. But II
is not the yellow-robed monk, nor YET
to an impeacable and interrupted
priesthood that Ceylonese Buddhism
| owes its high standing.
Twenty-Five years ago Buddhism was
moribund In Ceylon. Hardly a monk
could be found, the temples were
given over to the professation OF the
Hindus and their disgusting worship
Everybody recognized that Buddhism
was dying out In Ceylon just as II
had already died Ia India.
Then came Colonel Henry 8. olcoti
an American who had proclaimed him
| self q disciple OF Madame Blavatsky
the founder of the Theosophical Society
| The essence of the teachings OF
Buddha.s-that life 10 sorrow. that life
| 10 the result of desire. that desire will
cease when man 10 sinless. that the
end TO be striven for. through count
less lives and reincarnations, is per-
| lection, and that the reward Of per
lection is the lifting of the burden Of
sorrow called life" and annthiIAtine
absorption in 'Nirvana"-appsaleo
strongly to Col. olcott, although many
of his fellows in the Biavatsky move.
ment looked more favorably to the
Hindu faith.