The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-21

Col. oicott, resolved 70 reform Budd-
hism. Enough OF hfs Christian train
Ing and Occidental heritage remain
cd with him to convince him that
faith. II II have not works, IL dead"
He established Buddhist College, in
which boys and young men were to
be instructed Ia the ordinary branches
Of learning and in the pure precepts
Of their fathers ancient faith. Soon
after came Mrs. Marie Hi6sins, also
On American. who established q SINH
lar college for girls. The yellow -robed
monks rubbed their eyes in wonder,
ana then they too caught some OF the
inspiration Of the western blood In an
eastern religion.
A great Buidhist Theological semi
nary was established here In Colombo.
clohe TO Col. oicott's college. Young
men were trained for the monastic life,
tho sacred Pail language was revived
aud taught to all corners. New Tenn
pies were built and old ones were
purged OF their Hindu ordinations.
disestablish the Church Of England.
and Buddhists gained the right to hold
ONCE under the government without
prejudice on account Of faith. A prince
Of the reigning royal family OF Siam
came TO Colombo and became q monk.
The piety and learning Of the Ceylon
monks was spoken OF throughout the
Buddhisttc world, and the pilgrims
from Japan. China. Thibet. Burma and
Siam began to flock here. The temple
OF the Tooth at Handy. where re-
puted tooth OF the great teacher 10
enshrtned, regaineJ It's old religious
prominence. And this great revival Of
Buddhism, the first sign of vitality
displayed by dying religion In
more than q thousand years, ~ uni
MA - tai
ionese gentlemen Of culture. men who
have won their degree at Cambridge
and who would be at home In any
drawing room In the world. express
gratitude to Visiting American that II
was the United States which sent
man to revive the national religion.
The British government was Jun
spoke darkly of Russian spies in
jackets Of stars and stripea" and
some radicals even accused thu Ameri-
cans OF trying to annex the people OF
the British Empire. ut that opposi-
ton hasz passed away long ago.. Col.
olcott's college has expanded into
more than 400 Buddhist schools for
boys In csylon. Mrs. Higgins college
still lourishes. and the education OF
mon throughout the island. something
that Buddha did not contemplate. and
which no oriental religion has ever
encouraged.
In this same Garden of Eden the
American laboreFs In the Christian
vineyard are also hard at work. This
American mission in the north OF the
island is taking outcast boys and girls
educating them, giving them English
names, ana setting them out on the
road to prosperity.
In Colombo there 10 an old Dutch
Presbyterian church, the congregation
dating from l643. The present church
building was erected In l749 and 10 the
largest and handsomest building in
the city. 1t contains the tombs Of
admirals-- q mighty host. It's people
are all "burghers" descendants Of the
old Dutch colonists. They havs for.
gotten their ancestral tongue and
speak only English. Their minister In
"Pdre" st. Clair, an American but
three years out OF Princeton.
The Y. M. c. A. in Colombo 10 q
fourishing organization with hand
soma building a dormitory, restau-
rant, nightsohool ana the best gym
nasium east OF SueE. Its membership
Is made UP OF representatives OF seven
religions and fifteen races The entire
Y. NJ. C. A work in the island 10 under
the direction of w. w Cfutchfeld
sometime football player with Wand
erbilt University. He was preceded oy
man from Alabama OF whose work
the highest native official in the island
Buddhist, said: Mr.. Hart jid mora
good In ~Ceylen than any other man
who has come here In many years"
Mrs. Higgins, formerly a clerk In
the Postoface Department at WASH
ington, is working on with her Budd.
hist girls school, Col. Olcott is dead
but his work lives and fiourishes: the
Dutch burghers church is preparing
to become an integral part5 Of the
American Presbyterian church. the Y.
M C. A. boys are learning religion
and athletics from American precep-
tors and American missionaries are
lifting up the degraded low-east tribes
for whom nothing was ever done be-
fore whether the footprint on the
peak 10 that Of Adrm or Buddha or
Yishnu, only the pilgrims care. But
there is no doubt that today Ameri-
can influence is the most potent In
the confused religions of this island.