The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-06-28

ing their souls. 1t is in a sense the
ocean Grove or ChautauQua of Hin
dustan. The town has more than
100000 and poor and rich visit It
from religious motives Many of the
ra1ahS and princes have villas here.
and the river is walled with temples.
rest houses and beehives of humanity
oeio1sihS TO clubs. These buildings
wall the river for three miles. and
they have steps ging down under he
water lar out into the stream. which
are hlled with bathers washin away
their sins.
Among the Bathers.
II you nave any doubt that the Hin
docs believe their sins are washed
away by the Ganges. come with me
70 the river. We shall take a launch
and ride down among the bathers and
see whether their actions prove their
belief. The mornings here are cold
ana raw. We put on our oVercoats
ana shlVer as We sit on the deck. 1t
Is the duty OF the Hindoo worshipper
to take a bath before breakfast. The
sun is just rising but we find the
stream full. The steps are crowded
with worshippers clad in the thinnest
OF cotton. There are shriveled old men
and women wrapped in a single
breadth of dirty white stuff standing
waist deep in the water, and holding
up their long, thin, bony arms. while
with chattering teeth they mutter
prayers to their DDS. Now and then
they duck down into the water, com
ing up gasping and looking colder
than ever. Such bathing for you and
me Woul mean death. 1t may mean
death to them, but death here is sal
vatiOn.
There are also plump girls and
young men. The nut-brown skins of
maidenS shine as the water trickles
over them, and their bright eyes flash
at US as they whisper their prayers.
They raise their arms toward heaven
showing gold and silver bracelets, and
some have gold rings from their
wrists to their elbows, and thence to
their shoulders, Some wear gold nose
rings, and others have ear
which hang to their shoulders. Not a
few hide their faces. They may be
high caste Etindoo maidens. Women
as a rule do not battle with the men.
They are huddled off in groups by
themselves. They come dow in par
ties, each carrying a brass jar to take
back some water to aid them in their
worship at the temples
AS we go down the river we see that
the bathers keep on their clothes as
they enter the water, although these
clothes are often no more than a
breach clout. The Hindoos hin it
indecent to go naked into the Ganges,
and they were very indignant at some
Englishmen who bathed here not long
ago perfectly nude They call the river
Mother Ganga, and when they step
down into it speak of being embraced
by the goddess.
The women bathers are usually clad
in only one garment n this a cotton
sheet, which clings to their bodies,
AS they leave the turn their backs to
the men and, removing the cloth,
wash 1T and themselves while they
~-o- FNL~-- 10 - F~-
the exposure Of anything but their
faces, and a woman may pull the
cloth from her bosom to cover her
eyes. AS to the old Women some OF
those here have planned all their
lives for his bath in the Gauges.
Upon the train which brought me to
Benares were six who We're at least
three score and ten. AS We stopped
at the station these women went out
together, each carrying a brass pot
in which she expected to bring some
Gauges water back home.
How he River Saves the Dead.
AS our boat goes onward we pass
temple after temple, on the steps of
which sit h~alf-naked priests with
boxes of red paint before them, mark
ing the believers with the signs of the
gods A little farther on we come to
a break In the buildings. There is a
galley in the heart of the city lined
with what look like bonires or camp
fires. Now we are nearer and can see
that the wood of each fire has been
piled up in a square, and on the top Of
each lies d corpse. Those are the
bodies Of the dead who are being
turned on the banks of the Ganges
that their ashes may loaf out upon
the waters and their souls go straight
to heaven. I have seen cremation in
many lands, but nothing like this. The
bodies are burned right out in the
open, and the nearest relative of the
dead lights the fire. The wood is usu-
ally arranged by Don1s, q certain caste
who, according to the Hindoo rites,
can start ones soul best toward heav-
en-. They work for a price, and at SO
much they furnish the fire for the
burning. We can see some standing
about.