Evening star., 1927-10-16

than any Other religion ever given 10 mdnklHu
The Age Of the MOguls
After Asoka India passes out of the light;
for thousand years know almost nothing
of her vicissitudes. Doubtless warriors came,
and replaced one another in that dull military
parade which smpetons call history. In I'll
A. D. the Mohammedans appeared; after 800
years of bloody strife they established them
selves as rulers, set up their capital at Delhi,
and collected taxes. To this day one-fifth Of the
Hindus are Mohammedans. Then in 1898 (how
the busy centuries shrivel into empty moments
when they are faraway and strange) the Mon.
gols broke over the barriers, and poured like
prairie fire over the plains killing and plunder-
ing ruthlessly. so that Tamerane might collect
taxes in his turn. For $50 years the inva.
sion continued, and battle piled upon battle un.
til in 1926 Baber founded the Mogul dynasty
and enjoyed, after a lifetime of war; four years
of peace. No wonder the Hindus are quiet and
subdued!
Every state begins with violence and meows
into liberty. One would never believe that the
enlightened Akbar, who ruled India from 1856
to 1905, part of the barbaric dynasty Of
the Moguls Akbar left victorious battlefelds
to become great executive, q wise judge and
q tolerant ruler. While Catholics were mur-
dering Protestants in France Q572) and Prot
estants (under Good Queen Bess) were murder
ing Catholics in England. and Philip II was
burning Jews in Spain, and Bruno and Galileo
we.e suffering in Rome. Akbar invited to
conference the representatives of all religions.
pledged them to peace. issued edicts Of tolera.
ton for every faith and every philosophy and,
as evidence Of his impartiality, married wives
from the Brahman, Buddhist. Mohammedan
and Christian faiths. Finally he invented d
religion of his own, and every morning offered
public worship to the sun.
Being good King. Akbar was deposed by his
warlike son Sem Jehanghir Then followed
Shah Jehan, who murdered all his brothers to
insure his peace of mind. However, he had
neglected to kill his sons, who imprisoned him
and then fought among themselves until the
strongest. Aurang-Zeb. had butchered the others
and inaugurated his long reign of rapine and
war Q65S-17O0.
SO much for those who love to read of Kings.
The White Peril
And now new invaders came down upon this
peaceful people. no longer across the noun.
tains, but over the In 1892 Columbus sailed
from Palos, seeking not Indians but India. In
1897 Vasco da Cana. after a voyage of II
months from Lisbon, anchored off Calicut. He
was we'll received by the Hindu Rajah Of Mala-
bar who gave him courteous letter to the
King of Portugal:
"Vasco da Cana, nobleman of your house
. hold. has VISITED my kingdom. and has given
us great pleasure. In my kingdom there. is
abundance of cinnamon, cloves, pepper and
precious stones. What I seek from your coun.
try is gold, silver, coral and scarlet"
His Christian majesty answered by claiming
India Portuguese territory, for reasons
which the Hindu King could not understand.
In explanation. Portugal sent fleet with in.
structions to wage war and spread Christianity.
In 1902 and 1909 the Portuguese bombarded
Caicut; and in 1860 they introduced the Inquisi.
tion into India.
In 1903 the Dutch came and strove with the
Portuguese for chance to trade with the
Indies. All through the seventeenth century
the Dutch drove out the Portuguese and all
through the eighteenth century the English
drove out the Dutch. Many battles were fought
among them, savage ordeals Of blood to decide
which Of them should civilize and tax the
Hndus. In 1746 French vultures saw the prey,
and swooped down upon Madras; for Is years
Continued on Twelfth Pagel