Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-07-19

PRODUCTION these turbaned teacher,
from the east proceeded to overruI
the continent. At first they laboret
in the more populous cities. Nov
they are gathering disciples In the
smaller towns and villages. On theil
banners and gowns some Of these
cults are emblazoning the serpent al
their symbol, which should remind
modern daughters Of Eve of her ex
perience in Eden. In certain circles
the yoga class Is as popular as the
class for the study OF Browning OF
Shakespeare. This is the Swamis
favorite way of reaching the public
Yoga promising the secret Of con
Quering natural law with consequent
health and long life is a lure es'
peeially fascinating to the feminine
mind. Nearly all of the converts
are women with here and there a
college professor or professional
man with tendencies toward mystic
ism. Yoga Is a subtly dangerous
knowledge for any but the best bal
anced brains. Among the early con
verts were the following:
( Miss Sarah Farmer. wealthy New
England spinster who gave her for.
lune to the founding Of Green Acre,
Later her religious studies unbalanced
saer mind and she 10 now an inmate
OF the insane asylum at Waverly
Mass. Mrs. Ole Bull OF Cambridge,
Mass, widow Of the world-renowned
yiolinist. was another convert who
gave several hundred thousand dol.
lars to the Vedantist society, but her
will was set aside by the courts on
the ground OF mental incapacity and
undue influence. A few years ago
Miss Aloise Reuss, a cultured woman
of Chicago. was carried screaming
from the Mazdaznan temple Of the
sun in that city, to be incarcerated
as raving maniac in an Illinois
asylum. Mrs. May Wright Sewell,
club woman of national repute, ID an
other sufferer from the practice Of
yoga. More recently the handsome
and cultured wife Of President Win
.hrop q. Stone Of Purdue university,
Indiana, abandoned husband and
children to join the sun worshippers.
DR.. Stone went before the board of
he Presbyterian church and an
bounced, Il am utterly crushed; l
want your prayers and your sym
oathy. love my wife. She Is as
dear to me as she everWas. hope
she will yet come to her senses and
return to me and the boys Many
such illustrations could be given.
After a bitter experience Mrs. Re-
oecca Cohen, a prominent Jewess Of
New York City, moaned, "This new
religion seems to me to be OF the
devil. 1t has disgraced my sister and
aiken her from her people"
Only in hriefest fashion can I in
dictate further incidents Of this heath
IN invasion of America. The Swamis
leave behind the hideous images OF
India, but they find that there is a
type OF western mind peculiarly sus-
ceptible to the lur OF their mys-
FERROUS philosophy. The descent from
the fascinating mental appeal to the
baser sensuality Of heathenism is So
gradual that those ignorant Of the
goal are not alarmed at the process
Of descent. When Swami Viveken-
anda returned to India he boasted
that some of his fair American con-
verts were already even as the
Nautch girls of the heather temples.
Bharti of Los Angeles claims five
thousand converts In this country.
Krishna Ia his god. Krishna was the
lord of love, more properly lust. Dur
ing his career on earth he took un-
to himself 10000 wives and left 3d.
900 sons to perpetuate his memory
according to Indian theology. His
iavorite consort was Rhada. The Los
temple is called Rhada-Krish-
ma in memory of this god and his
favorite wife.
Another teacher, by name Han
aish, has gathered, 80 he claims,
lac, 900 Americans in the worship Of
the Lord God Mazda, and the daily
OF the sun. There are
Mazdaznan centers in thirty Of our
A