The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-07-02

arc exposed at the street ccrnsra efe
the lingams, such representations Of
parts of the human body a. would
bring the police Of any American or
European city about the ears OF
priests and vendors alike. The Ne
paulise temple. though containing
some fine carvings. is so covered with
obscene figures that European ladies'
are NO longer allowed to enter, and
European men. unless coarse and vul-
gar, would blush to be seen by any Of
their kind there.
When one comes to the banks OF the
Ganges. he sees Hinduism In Its most
Characteristic guise, for here to its
holy waters come tens Of thousands
Of pilgrims every year to wash away
their sins. They battle In It. they
throw It over their heads In ecstasy.
they dip beneath its waves In holy
glee. they drink its horrible mixture OF
water and dirt at the mouth OF the
city sewers, and then they shiveringly
stand upon the steps of the bathing
CHAT and put on their strips OF dry
cloth.
Many OF the pilgrims are old men
and women, who have journeyed hun.
dreds of miles. and whose tottering
steps will hardly support them to the
bank Of the sacred stream and out
again. But no matter, their sins have
been washed away In its dirty water.
and near by is the burning CHAT where,
in a few days or weeks at most. their
poor old bodies will be laid on a pile
of blazing sticks, while curious tour
lists look with morbid eyes and hear
"the old thing sizzle," as / heard one
man express It. No reverence, NO
solemnity, no respect for the dead is
inculcated by such a disposition OF
the bodies in the most sacred spot in
all Hinduism. Cremation is very well,
but such cremation!
The Monkey temple is another show
place for all visitors, where grinning
simians that vault and caper over the
walls. and hang by their tails from the
trees within the enclosure, are con.
sidered sacred and worshipped as
gods. While the monkeys and cows
are petted, the rest of the animal ere.
alton is hardly treated indeed. The
little racks of bones, called horses,
that drag around the Benares vehicles,
are starved and beaten till they fall
in their tracks, and then they are
left to die in agony, for It is sin
in Hindu eyes to kill and put them out
Of misery.
Human animals are scarcely better
treated. They live in squalid quarters.
in filth and wretchedness. In compar.
ison with which the worst purlieus IN
our most ill-goyerned cities would be
comfort and decency. They live on
eight cents day, and their wages
will average one-hundredth part Of the
worst paid laborers in America.
Yet these are the results Of tho
philosophy and religion that are laud-
ed In some quarters In Boston and
other American cities; religion that
sends its missionaries to the west to
be petted and adored by some foolish
men and Anticipated women.
Compare such city as / have de-
scribed with any city in America. how
ever much ashamed we may be Of
some Of our municipalities. Compare
Boston with Benares, and we have
cleanliness instead of filth. stately
instead Of obscene temples,
beautiful cemeteries instead Of horri-
BILE public burning-ghats, universal ed
ucation In place of almost universe.
illiteracy, fair days wages for fair
days work instead Of starvation for
man and beast. To say the least, the
contrast is not favorable to Benares.
Copyright. 1870 by Joseph B. Bowles.)