The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-05

Buddhist hell. The plains below lie
as hot as the burning deserts OF Aus
tralia, where Mark Twain says they
| feed the hens ice to keep them from,
! laying boiled eggs.
| India is the wettest land upon earth
and the driest 1t has provinces, such
as B!kaner. where II does not rain for
| thirteen months In succession, andoth-
er places where It pours all the time.
| There are localities in the Hinlalayas
| where six feet of water have been
known to fall in the space of twelve
| months.
| The country Is one of great deserts
and mighty rivers. of soils which have
| been cultivated since the dawn OF his
tory and OF wastes which the plow o.
man has never turned. Physically
| speaking, 1t is world.
| The People Swarm
| 1t Is also world from the stand
| point Of humanity. 1t is one of the
most crowded parts Of the globe. 1t
has three times as many people as the
| United States and farming localities
where there are more than one man to
| the acre.
Altogether india has more towns and
| villages than there are people in Bos-
ton. Baltimore or st. Louis, and 1t has
cities OF large size the names OF which
we hardly know. The greater CAL
cutta, including the suburbs and near
| by towns is as large as greater Chlca-
go. Bombay is bigger than Boston,
and Madras equals Cleveland in Size.
| The popula ton is rapidly growing. 1t
| has increased 100000 within the
past thirty years and Is now 30o,000.-
| 600 all told.
| India Is not like China, In that 1t is
made up of one race Of the same color
and features, with the same language,
| religion and customs 1t Is composed
| of a score of nationalities and of so
| many religions and castles that they can
| hardly be numbered. There are tribes
| here which look like our American
/, Indians, others which resemble Chin
csc, scattering places where tho people
| have blue eyes and brown hair, and
| many localities where their skins arc
as black as a negros. There are more
races in Hindustan than on the CONT
nent of Europe. and as to tongues
there are something like 100 different
dialects, and languages are spoken by
millions which are not understood by
the others.
Land OF Many Gods.
AS to religions, India has more strange
gods than any continent upon earth
There Is no place where the faith OF
the people so varies and none "here
mans belief means more to himself and
his family. The religions are sc
strange that a book as big as a four.
dollar Bible might be written apou'
them and not tell 1t all. lndla has
| 100000, 900 Inndoos divided up into
castles, many of which number mil
| ~, ,oflQ N
| the sultan of Turkey has subjects ano
about 100000 Buddhists
In addition to this there are several
million Slllhs. moro than million
jams. and in the neighborhood OF l0o.-,
900 Parsces. who believe In the faith Of
| zoroaster. worshiping fire. There are
among the aborigncs of the backwoods
nature worshipers known as Anlmists
to the number of 100000 and moro
1 they believe In spirits and witchcraf'
and offer bloody sacrifices to then
4 devil-like gods There are nlso ls,oo'
Jews and 100000 Christians OF various
sects. 1t surprises mefto find so many
/ Christians in India They are mostly
4 Roman Catholics and HISTORIANS, al
\ though there are Mcthodists Baptists
Presbytcrians and other branches OF
the Protestant faith. Isee that Bishor
Thoburn says that there arc now hhou'
IL million OF native Protestant CHRIST
ians and that the Christian population
has Increased 100000 In, the space O.
ten years. Our missionaries are alive
and they are doing great good
a City of Palaces.
u Calcutta Is one df the chief seats o.
the Unrest, ! do not wonder at II
There Is no place where the difference
OF conditions Is more pronounceael
4 These IIindoos arc among the poofsss'
peoples on earth, Among them are MI.
ilions who always go TO bed hungry
and IN the slums here are people wnf
count their bites to sec whether thea
will have enough for the morning. q
the same tlme Calcutta has It's fsan'