Evening star., 1914-07-19

4 X
Two interesting byways in this mazc
OF religions are the memorial gateways
and the prayer wheels. When the orr
entails wish to commemorate any one
they erect one of these huge gateways.
ornately lacquered and carved and pos
sessing. at the top. one or more naring
towers. The Inscriptions above these
gateways are of semi-religious char
acter. They represent. in a way. the
meeting place of religion and sentiment.
much as the God Bless Our Home
mottoes which hang in occidental apart
ment houses.
The prayer wheel is a never-to-be-for-
gotten institution. 1t is the original
time saver, made of metal and wood and
operating something like spindle. The
little wheel has 4 leaden weight attached
to it, and around the sides are written
oriental prayer. One revolution OF
the wheel constitutes one prayer A per-
son who is expert can pray for a COM
,nunity of several thousand people. CIV
ing each his individual prayer. with
relatively little effort. Thus it will be
seen that when a priest accepts aims
and nearly all of the Buddhists are
alms-takers-he has merely to give the
wheel little fiirt. and honor is SATISFIED
He has not been an object of charity.
He has given a prayer in return.
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Near these is the carved figure OF
gong bearer, one of the important func-
tfonaries in the temples of the east. BY
the gong the worshipers made known
their presence to their deites. It was
the equivalent to the professional in a
Christian church. The gong bearer holds
his gong high above his head while he
strikes it with short bit of wood.
"Varuna," the Hindu god. mentioned
in the Vedic hymns, is also on exhibit
ton "varuna" is one of the most
powerful of all the deities in Hindu
mythology. He rides a strange sea
monster that is part fish and part
reptile, and about his head is a sort
of crown. Like most of the Hindu be-
ings, he possesses four arms, and IN
one of his hands he has a moose with
which to catch the wicked. Mythology
credits "Varuna'' with being a white
man. but the bronze which the museum
has of him gives no inkling OF his
color.
brought from some home, which has "A
huge cup. with long curved base,
held in it's mouth. The turtle is an
adjunct of mythology, but in the mu-
scum it is not described. being one of
a large collection of household orna-
ments
1t is but step from the cases of these
idols to the new building where are in
stalled the queerest of all idols. the totem
and house posts of the Alaskan Indians.
These are combinations of religion and
heraldry. AT the base is some animal.
and piled upon it all sorts of images.
One of the house posts is a huge. fiat
slab of cedar dedicated to the sea mon
ster called 'Tsemos.' There is a head
at the top and two queerly-shaped hands.
All the way down the board are queer
faces, Sriniacing and glaring. and at the
hpff rWn
After trip around one finally comes
upon the last of the images. 1t is in the
rotunda of the old museum. and it stands
much higher than any of its competitors
Below il a fountain flows. keeping up n
never-ending accompaniment. The shield
and the sword and the helmet tell their
story. 1t is copy of the goddess OF
liberty which stands above the CAPITOL
dome. And it appeals to the visitor as
the one idol In all this wilderness of i'm
agery which will live forever.