Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-06-17
Fs4.Ko, NEVADA, FRIDAY, IUNE IL. 1910


passengers Fastening to the sacred
places. In train of l2 cars all
but four and often all but three
are third class for the trains are
all packed with Hindus. The
religious ceremony of the Hindus is
most repulsive. 1t is far from
being beautiful and the surround
ings tend to make it degrading.
Temples are carved with repre-
sentatiOns most indecent. They are
infested with cows and monkeys.
There is the COW temple and the
monkey temple. In the latter the
monkeys are tame and come to eat
from ones hand, the food that is
offered. In one place punkah (fan)
is constantly in operation over one
Of the sacred cows. Near Benares
is Sarnath-deserted and in ruins
the birth place of Buddhism. Here
Buddha preached his first sermon
and founded a religion that made
deep impression upon the Javanesein
remote ages and holds sway in Japan
today. Sarnath was probably the
old site of Benares and was at the
time of Buddha very flourishing
city and important or he would not
have come here to establish his
religion. An old torso of Buddha
with Brahmanical thread is
evidence that Buddha was a Brah-
min.
From the reports by those who
know, the priests of India are a
liccntious lot-and the dancing
girls of the temple are of like
character. Their worship is vile
beyond description but in all this
everything is viewed from the
Anglican stand point.
On several occasions at Benares
and other places, we had opportuni-
ties to see the Nautch dancers.
These Nautch girls are not par
ticularly attractive and are always
barefooted with great anklets of
bells and rings on every toe, nose.
par opI Gpr,,r ,;pre Tb,;, I,; =.
is plastCred down with oil and they
are always gaudily dressed, often
times in tinsel. Her wierd and
mysterious chant is somewhat
soothing but little of it will suffice
for long time. The natives,
however, sit and listen to it all
night while she continues to chew
the betel nut between times. The
Hindu idea of holiday or a good
time is to squat down on a soft
blanket, eat sweets and listen to a
Nautch girl.
One does not have to search long
for a barber in Benares. They are
everywherc-hundreds Of them on
the banks of the sacred Gangcs.
Their outfit is very simple, without
mirror AMI with the calf of the leg
J for a strip. When one has bathed
he squats down in front of the
barber who also squats down and
he is shaved on head, face, ears
nose and under the arms. 1t is a
complete shave.
From Benares we proceeded direct
t. Agra. omitting Cawnpore and
Lucknow from our itinerary. They
are interesting cities only from a
mutiny standpoint. Every English
man makes pilgrimage to the well
where his countrymen were so
mercilcssly thrown and where they
cast themselves into frightfu !
grave but Agra was the goal of our
Indian trip and so we fastened on
satisfied with merely passing
through the points Of mutiny
Interest. This crystalized marble
pile with its minarets towering
high above the dome came into
view through the haze mist long
before we reached the city. AS
we approached the dome seemed tc
be out of all proportion with the
rest of the building but IL was only
because the vegetation prevented q
view Of the entire building.
v Yours truly,
George II. Greenfield.