El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-15
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

WY HAVE all heard and read
M much of the ancient religion
of India Tt is the land of
the great Vedas, those remarkable
works, old 5000 3. c., containing not
only religious ideals for perfect life,
but also facts which all the sciences
have since proved true Electricity,
radium, electrons. airships-all seemed
10 be known TO the seers who formu-
lated the Vedas.
It is something of a shock to one
who has read the Vedas-(even though
he knows OF the decadence of India)
TO ind in that land a score of conflict
ing creeds, the awful ignorance of wo-
man. THE unutterable evils of child
marriage and enforced widowhood,
and the prevailing worship among the
masses of animals and emblems-
These conditions with caste preju-
dices which divide India into number
less sects have plunged the once great
land into an abyss OF superstition and
degeneracy, impossible to understand,
until seen.
The beautiful ethics of the Vedas
are utterly misrepresented by the most
powerful of all the sects-the Brah-
minis. who claim to illustrate and teach
them; yet who. in their temples, dis
play those emblems and animals as
objects of worship, against which the
Vedas plainly protest. Buddha, who
gave his whole life effort, 5000 B. c.,
TO reviving the beautiful philosophy
and who left the world religion al
most identical in its principles with
that which Christ taught later, is to-
day worshiped only in name in India
by millions of people.
Priesfs's Interpretation.
For his noble creed they accept the
Interpretation of priests, and follow
the useless forms and mechanical cere-
monies laid down for them-form and
ceremonies devoid Of all the spirit
which was infused into a Jecadent re-
ligion by the great and divine teacher.
AS a result of those debased condi-
lions, there has arisen a young school
OF materialists in India school
which denies everything spiritual and
believes in nothing save human
achtevements-that most petty and
trivial Of things.
But now comes Light, on the Path,
n the organization known as Arya
Sama3, a society composed of some Of
the most virile and brilliant young
mea and mature men Of modern India
The Arya Samaj movement is very
recent movement, the first Samaj hav->
ing been established in Bombay in
1878 A D.; but it preached an ancient
faith Swami Dayanand, the revered
founder Of the Arya Samaj, never
claimed credit for teaching a single
new doctrine; in fact he was ever re-
rninding his hearers that the object
that he had set before himself and
the Arya Samaj was to resuscitate
the religion of the old Arya San1aj
that has been taught, to them by the
Vedas. The Arya Samaj, thus. is a new
movement; but believes in and preach
es the ancient Vedic religion, which it
is from this standpoint, an Arya Sa-
majist will repudiate the suggestion
that his religion is a variety Of what
is known as Hinduism.
He maintains that what now passes
current as Hinduism is but a corrupt
form of the ancient Vedic religion
which il is the supreme function of
the Arya Samaj to set forth in its
primitive purity.
Diwin Chand one of the pillars of
the organization, gives the following
nine rules Of the society.
The Arya Sanaj is new movement, !
but it believes in and breaches an |
ancient faith.
The-Arya Samaj is a theistjc move |
ment, that believes in one Omnipresent /
and An-seeing personal God, who ami /
mates, sustains and controls the uni /
verse. To Him alone is worship due.
The Arya Samas believes In the We |