Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1923-04-26

IL appears not 10 run WelI--tno song
mean, and perhaps they abandon
/ it. Who knows but that Miss Pig
gott's inscription ("And you'll be in
Scotland before me') in the auto
graph book recurs to their mind?
Benares, Very Sacred City
To the Hindu, Benares is a very
sacred city. The Ganges, which
came down from heaven (but do
not all rivers come from heavenly
is sacred exceedingly. We are visit
ing in Benares on the Ganges. The
first stop is at the London Mission
|ary society's compound, but the
missionary and his wife are away
till late in the afternoon. How the
natives receive us and show kind
ness might be interesting, but ev-
erything can't be told, at least not
everything at once, so get in the
tonga Can Indian cart in very COM
mon usage) and let us drive about
some. Now we shall get out and go
down to the edge of the water
where great, overgrown skiffs with
high upper decks can be rented for
a trip both up and down the stream.
First we are rowed upstream past
the bathing CHATS" or places where
the blinded heather very vigorous
ly demonstrates the darkness of his
heart and very loudly cries to those
who have ears, for the redeeming
gospel of Jesus Christ. which
teaches better than to think bath
ing in the germ-laden water of an
oriental river takes away SIM
Here they are, many of them,
though only a very few in compari-
son to the immense hosts which
sometimes come Men and women
are standing in the edge of the river
religiously bathing. They work at
at it. They are in earnest. If
there be merit flowing downstream
they are going to have some of it.
They dive and they swim. They rub
and they scrub. The body is usual
ly or always nude except at the
loins. Here is man washing his
mouth; yonder is an old woman
cleansing her hair. Is it soap or is
it clay that makes that dirty yellow
"suds9" Some have finished their
bath and are rubbing or being rub
bed with oil. These fellows seem to
be simply sitting in the sun, per-
haps in "holy" meditation, but we
must go on.
stop at Temples
Now we have stopped at some
temples near mosque (Moham-
medan "church") and the heather
is busy with his offerings and SER
vice. Here are idols and flowers
and drums and folks and dirt, and
ignorance, and beggary, and the
condemnation of God. (What are
you doing to change it?) AS we en-
ter, fellow very promptly hires or
appoints himself to guide us. Some
one says in plain English: "Head
priest" Well, "head priest" rapid
ly leads us about and we are seeing
not much of anything and enjoying
it none too greatly. Here and there
somebody asks for backshish and
they ask very boldly. Obligingly
they stipulate one rupee as the coin
desirable and with equal facility
the Yankee trots along and in just
little while it is all over-except,
of course, the backshish. Though
he is "head priest his modesty
does not sufficiently overcome his
inclination, to prevent an appeal for
cash. But he has done a service
and should have something for it.
AS coin is being produced he men
tions one rupee and does not accept
the smaller piece rendered. Mr..
Yankee is not overly eager to spend
money on heather priests anyhow,
and says ''Thank you;" deposits the
coin in his pocket and goes onward
with the result that Mr. Head
Priest suddenly becomes reconciled
to the smaller coin-which he does
not receive.
Burning of Dead Bodies
The boatmen had taken us past
the burning CHATS and we had twice
seen preparation to burn a corpse,
but did not see enough to satisfy,
so we go with the cart driver and
walk down to the place where a
pyre has been built of wood arrang-
ed in orderly fashion, and the torch
is being applied. Just at hand, an
other pyre is being constructed
They arrange the wood in a rec
tangle, laying it somewhat in the
shape and size of a grave that is fill
ed about twice as high as you are
accustomed to seeing at home. The
corpse has been brought to the river
on a crude bamboo stretcher and is
wrapped in deep purple cloth, per-
iopo q NiiOOP NObIOA lie
bearers have simply put it down on
the ground while they go about
their task as a blacksmith or other
workman performs his accustomed
duty. None of the family seem to
be present. There are no mourn
ers. The men at the first pyre who
had their corpse laid on and cover
ed with wood when we arrived, are
busy making the fire go. They have
what looks like bundles of switches
with the bark peeled off, which they
are using to encourage the flames
which are now mainly at the feet.
The other workmen reach the
place to deposit their corpse and
one takes hold at the feet, the 9TH
er at the head, and the hidden form
is laid on the wood. More wood is
being laid over it to complete the
transformation from flesh to ashes
and vapOr. 1t will require about
three hours and then the remainder
of the Goals will be thrown with the
ashes into the sacred" Ganges. A
man (who roughly pounds a boy
who has offended) is standing in
the water with shallow basket.
He stirs up the bottom of the
stream and salvages the fragments
of charcoal which come to the top.
There are many other places here
on this terraced bank for burning,
and day after day they are borne,