The Ordway new era., 1911-12-29


annals of the British crown
that the English emperor Of In
dia went there to be crowned In the
heart of his vast Asiatic dominions.
and there to receive tho acclamations
and homage Of over 300.000.000 OF
his subjects.
Tho first recognition Of tho Indian
empire in England was in 1877 when
Disraeli. then prime minister Of Eng
land. persuaded Queen Victoria, as
matter of policy and to conciliate the
natives, to allow herself to be pro-
claimed empress at Delhi. the ancient
seat Of the famous Great Moguls. Al
4 means Of reconciling the people to
British rule the stately ceremonial was
an immense success. and the later
proclamation of King Edward by Lord
Curzon still further solidihed the 10y
atty Of that land Of splendor. squalor
and mystery.
A Battlefield Of Races.
A great mass OF entirely Legendary
history Of the aboriginal Inhabitants
exists In mythical and religious mar.
rative. but the first authenticated rec
ords go no further back than the third
century before Christ. This beautiful
and mysterious land has been q con-
tinual battle ground for contending in.
vaders. attracted BY It's fertile plains
and enormous wealth. Hindu and Mo-
hammedan. Mongol and Tartar.
Frenchman and Englishman. have
waged fierce wars for It's possession.
erecting dynasties and empires amid
the ruin and desolation Of devastated
country.
Prior to the nrst Mohammedan In.
vasion At the beginning Of the eleventh
century, India was the seat Of numer-
Gus Buddhist Kingdoms NO one OF
which would seem to have attained
any definite overlordship. The found
ers belonged to invading branches Of
the Aryan race and were the ancestors
Of tho Modern Hindu. The Sultan
Mahmund was the frst conqueror who
permanently established the Moham.
medan power in India. about the year
1000. During the next 700 years fire.
quent invasions BY the followers Of
Mohammedan frightened the strong
hold Of that religion on the country.
About this time. a series of fierce
inroads by the Mongolian and Tartar
hordes from the north threatened the
Mussulman domination and involved
the country in fresh miseries.
The Mohammedals. however, retain.
ed the empire until 1926 when Barber
scholar. diplomatist and warlike de-
scendant Of Tamerlane-again invad-
ed the unhappy country. defeated the
Sultan lbrahim on the plains Of Delhi
and became the first Of the Great Mo-
guls. His grandson. the celebrated
Akbar. was the greatest Asiatic mon.
arch OF modern times. He brought
the whole Of India under the Mogul
sway. ruled with wisdom. vigor and
humanity. encouraged literature and
education. and. although a Moham-
medan. treated other religions with
wonderful tolerance. Akbar's grand.
son, the Emperor Shah Jehan, is main.
ly remembered for the building OF the
extraordinary and beautiful mauso-
leum at the Tai Mahal. Twenty thou.
sand men were employed on it inces-
sanity for 20 years. and 1t Is probably
the most beautiful building in the
world. 1t was designed for the em.
peror and his favorite wife.
His son. the famous Aurungrzebe,
usurped the imperial power In 1867.
and ruled With energy and effect for
half a century. He cleared his way TO
the throne by the murder Of his three
brothers and is also believed to have
poisoned his father. He was the most
powerful of the Grea, Moguls. but the
fraud and treachery by which he es.
tablished his empire engendcred hat.
red and distrust among his subjects
At his death the gigantic en-.
pire rapidly fell to pieces.
The East India company had been
incorporated under a charter granted