LIBRARY 
 
 ANNEX 
 
 2 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BL 80.D63 
 
 Gods, and devils of mankind :a thrillini 
 
 3 1924 022 994 101 
 
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 NO. 23233 
 
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 J Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://archive.org/details/cu31 9240229941 01 
 
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THE GREAT DAIBUTSU. Fifty feet in height and one hundred feet around is 
 this huge idol. It was made in 1252 A. D. Its eyes are of pure gold, and the boss 
 on the forehead is of silver and weighs thirty pounds; the rest of the idol is made 
 of beautiful bronze. It is all hollow within— a temple and image in one. It repre- 
 sents the central idea of Buddhism— intellectual, calm, and subjugated passion com- 
 ing from knowledge. 
 
GODS AND DEVILS 
 
 . MANKIND. 
 
 \ Thrilling. Story, Very Copiously Illustrated, Describing the Thousani 
 
 AND One Imaginations of the Brilliant Men of All Ages Groping 
 
 IN Darkness After God; their Conceptions of the Terrific 
 
 Powers and Mysterious Influences of Good and Evil 
 
 Spirits; the Ceremonies and Meaning of the 
 
 Myriad Forms of Idolatrous Worship ; its 
 
 Evils, Superstitions, Sacrifices, In- 
 
 CANTAflONS,TEMPLES, ShRINES, ETC. 
 
 The Whole Dark Picture Strikingly Contrasted with thi 
 Beauty and Purity of Revealed RELicroN. 
 
 BY KRANK S. DOBBINS, 
 
 Formerly Resident of Tokyo, Japan, 
 
 • ASSISTED BY 
 
 Hon. S. Wells Williams, LL. D. , and Prob'. Isaac Hall, LL. B. , Ph. D 
 
 Tht foTMter forty years resident in China, late Prof, of Chinese Language and Literature 
 
 in Yale College ^ Conn., Author of** The Middle Kingdom,'* the Standard Lexicon 
 
 •of China, etc., etc., President of the American Bible Society, etc.: the 
 
 latter an eminent Orientalist and late Professor- of the College 
 
 of Beirut, Syria, now Associate of the American Oriental 
 
 Society and the London Society of Bibical Archaology. 
 
 PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 
 

 WI^P-^ 
 
 Copyright, 1897, by M. J. Coghun. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 rIE story of the world's worship is a story of absorbing interest 
 Th!e odd and the curious, the enchanting and the revolting are 
 each factors of heathen devotion. We well remember with what 
 exhaustless interest we looked in childhood at strange pictures of idols 
 and temples, and listened to the reading of tales about the heathen. 
 When the celebrated Dr. Alexander Duff was a little boy, his father 
 was accustomed on Sabbath afternoons to show him pictures of idols, 
 and to explain their histories. So vividly did the pictures and their 
 stories impress thcj bov, that when he became a man iie left Scotland 
 and went to labor ror the heathen of India. 
 
 The subject is indeed intensely interesting. Every nation has its 
 God, or gods, and its corresponding forms of worship. Nothing lies 
 so close to the heart of mankind as its religious faith. Religion in 
 some form is interwoven wifh the entire fabric of human history. It 
 concerns man's dearest pleasures, his fondest hopes, and his highest 
 aspirations. Man must worship. It is part of his nature to worship., 
 Hence, from the most civilized European to the half-civilized China- 
 man, and eyen down to the degraded Hottentot; in all stages of mam's 
 existence, among all races and classes, some form of worship is found. 
 Nothing surely can interest us more than the story of that faith in 
 which our fellow-creatures have lived and died. 
 
 It is because the author believes that the subject of false gods and 
 idol worship is so interesting, and because he hopes to furnish some 
 much-needed information on this topic, that he has undertaken the 
 present work. There is no one book that covers this ground. There 
 are many volumes covering various phases of the religious systems of 
 heathendom, but there is not one that deals comprehensively with all 
 religions, extinct or existing, except indeed it be those suited only to 
 students and to learned men. •"* 
 
 The aim in this volume is to present the subject in a popular style, 
 Btiited to the average reader of our land. It is proposed to make a 
 
 y 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 book to be read in the family and by the fireside. The very best 
 works of the most thorough students of the non-Christian religious 
 systems have been consulted, and the author has freely availed him- 
 self of the results of their labors. If due acknowledgment is not 
 always made of the aid thus received, it is because he deemed it best not 
 to multiply references and because he has so frequently found it neces- 
 sary to translate scholastic and technical phrases used by these authors 
 into language familiar to the general reader. , 
 
 Among those whose works the author has consulted are, Max MuUer 
 and Hardwicke on Comparative Mythology j Wilkinson on the Ancient 
 Egyptians ; Lenormant on Assyria and Babylon ; Haug on the Parsees; 
 Monier Williams on Hinduism; Rhys-Davids, and Barthelemy St. 
 Hilaire on Buddhism, and Edwin Arnold's paraphrase of Buddha's 
 life in his "Light of Asia;" Humboldt on Central America; School- 
 craft on the American Indians ; Wyatt Gill and Lord Grey on the Pacific 
 Islands; Legge, Edkins and S. Wells Williams on the Chinese ; Griffis 
 and Sir Edward Reed on Japan ; and Stanley and Livingstone on 
 Africa. Beside these he has derived great help from "The Tour of 
 the World with General Grant," and Dr. H. M. Field's "From 
 Egypt to Japan." In addition he has consulted quite a host of other 
 authors 'in works of travel, and in the translations of various sacred 
 books. 
 
 In all parts of his work the author has sought to present definite in- 
 formation, carefully arranged, truthfully told, and clearly and inter- 
 estingly stated^. He has aimed to show the origin, development and 
 spread of each non-Christian religious system; and to give an ac- 
 count of their gods and goddesses, temples, shrines, idols, sacred 
 places, superstitious customs, legends, myths, domestic worship and 
 the innumerable peculiarities of their daily religious life. 
 
 The work is fully illustrated by accurate, and in many cases, expen- 
 sive engravings. The book is not made merely to sell. Sensational 
 statements and mere padding have been neither added nor borrowed. 
 The author has not drawn upon his imagination in the least. He har 
 told a story which, though sometimes stranger than fiction, is never- 
 theless solid fact and not baseless fancy. Let it be remembered thai 
 this is a pioneer work. The author has had to blaze his pathway 
 through a trackless forest. He has had no guide. He sincerely 
 hopes that by its perusal his readers will be led to an increased ap- 
 preciation of the infinite superiority of Christianity to all other re- 
 ligions; and that they may find a deepened interest in the welfare oJ 
 the heathen world. 
 
PREFACE. yJJ 
 
 It has been the purpose of the author and the publishers to place the 
 subject-matter of this volume within the ready reach of all who con- 
 sult it. An exhaustive Table of Contents has been given therefore, 
 in which the chapter titles and all the sub-headings of the chapters 
 will be found. A full index of the proper names and principal topics 
 of the book is also added, by means of which it is believed any desired 
 subject treated in the volume can readily be found. By such means 
 as these the book has been madei as complete and as useful as patient 
 labor can make it. 
 
 Thanks are specially due to Professor Isaac H. Hall, who not only gave 
 careful consideration to the subjects specially under his care, but who in 
 addition read all the MS. , and gave the benefit of his extended learn- 
 ing and excellent judgment ,at every point. To Professor S. Wells 
 Williams also, the author desires to make public acknowledgment. 
 Though burdened with many onerous duties, yet he gave his closest 
 attention to the chapters on those much misunderstood nations, China 
 and Japan, and from the rich stores of his own extensive and well- 
 digested knowledge, he made such suggestions as proved of inesti- 
 mable value. 
 
 To the Publishers, who were ever ready to meet the author's largest 
 desires, his thanks are especially due. Without such generous sup- 
 port the volume must have fallen far below its present excellency. In- 
 deed, all concerned in the production of the book have proved them- 
 selves true helpers, to whom author and readers alike will be largely 
 indebted. 
 
 F. S. Dobbins. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 FAGS 
 
 Preface, 
 
 List of Illustrations, . . . . ' i» 
 
 * 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The World's First Worship. 
 
 Testimony of an old record and of language — Another witness: comparative 
 religion — The story of the master thief — The story of Rhampsinitos — ^The story 
 of the poor mason — The story of the shifty lad — Exodus of the nations, , 33 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Whence came the many Gods and Idols? 
 
 Sources of information — ^The transition — ^The first hymns and prayers — Where did 
 idol-worship come from, 47 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Sacred and Heathen Traditions. 
 
 Traditions of Creation — Traditions of the Deluge — The Chaldean story — The 
 Hindu tradition — The Chinese tradition — The Mexican legend — The Fiji- 
 Islander's tradition — American Indian traditions — The Greek story — Chaldean 
 story of the Tower of Babel — What has the Bible to say about idolatry ? . 'Cj 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Subject in a Nutshell. 
 
 Methods of grouping religions — Dead religions and living religions — Original 
 religions and reformed religions — Dead religions — Living worships — ^The pro- 
 posed treatment — A concise view — Parseeism — African religion — Western Eu- 
 lope — The Southern migration— Buddhism — China's religions — ShintQism in 
 Japan — Mohammedanism — Christianity's conquests, 7» 
 
jj CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Land of the Sphinx. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Hidden history— The hieroglyphics— Some Egyptian gods— Animal worship- 
 Mummies — The celebrated book of the dead — Egyptian worship, . . .93 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Chaldeans. 
 
 The great Chaldean historian — Ruined monuments — A library of brick books — 
 Manners and customs — The religion of Assyria — The supreme god, Ilu — The 
 i\ssyrian triad — The gods of the planets — The great goddess Ishtar — The 
 Genii of Assyria — Worship of the gods at Babylon, 119 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Jews, 
 
 The plagues and Egyptian idolatry — The golden calf — Baal- worship, . . I3S 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Greece. " - 
 
 Origin of the world and of the gods — The generations of the gods — Gods of the 
 Grecians — Specimen stories from Greeli mythology — Hermes and Apollo — 
 The Lotus-eaters and the Cyclops — ^Hercules' twelve tasks — The Phidian 
 Jupiter — Grecian temples and wprship of Paul's day — The city crowded with 
 idols — Diana of the Ephesians, 150 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 The Etruscan religion — The Sabelldan religion — The gods of the Romans — 
 Father Jove — The Matron goddess — The goddess of schools — The goddess of 
 the hearth — Ceres and Liber — The gods of beginnings — Rome's lesser gods — 
 The Roman empire, . . . . . , , . , . • \T\ 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Our Ancestors. 
 
 A.ncient Britain — The Druids — ^Wonderful resemblance — Worship of the Druids 
 — Temple of the Hanging Stones— Human sacrifices — The destruction of 
 Druidism— Wlio first brought Christianity to Britain— Paganism of the Saxons 
 — Saxon gods— Saxon sacrifices— Fairy-lore of Western Europe — An Elfin 
 Story— The penitent Nis— Nixes— Tire Peasant and tlie Wateiinan— The won- 
 derful little pouch — Christianizing the Saxons, igc 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 India. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Sketch of Brahminism — The gods of Hinduism — Story of the Sages' search — 
 Can the gods die? — Sects of Hinduism — Principles of Hinduism — Human 
 beings killed in sacrifice — How Hinduism regards woman, .... 210 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Hindu Temples, Idols and Worship. 
 
 Mols and temples of Jn^emaut — ^Kali, the Goddess of Blood — Temple Decora- 
 tions — Benares — The sacred city of the Sikhs — Cave-temples of Elephanta and 
 Gwalior — Ganesha, God of Wisdom — Pagodas — Hindu washings for sin — 
 Hindu holy men, devotees and fakirs, 232 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Hindu Sacred Books, Fairy Stories and Fireside Tales. 
 
 The Vedic hymns — The law-book of Manu — Degradation of women according to 
 Manu's laws — The burning of widows commanded by Manu — The god Vishnu 
 made man — A Sanskit story-book — The story of the terrible bell— The story of 
 the lion and the old hare — The story of the Brahmin and the pans — The story 
 of the recluse and the mouse, ' . . . 288 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Japan. 
 
 The sacred books of Japan — ^Japanese story of creation — The emperors descended 
 from the gods — The sun-goddess enticed from the cave — -Shinto worship, . 305 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Popular Gods and Shrines of Shintoism. 
 
 The seven household gods — The sacred mountain— Shinto temples and gate- ways 
 — The sacred shrines of Ise, 321 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Dark Continent. 
 
 African belief in a god or gods — Praying for rain — The Hottentots' god, Gounja- 
 Gounja — The Bushmen's god — Zulu tradition of the origin of men — Good and 
 bad spirits — The spirit in the insect — Fetich worship — A -horrible fetich — 
 Stanley aiid the Africans' fear of fetich — Witchcraft, 341 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Aborigines of America. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 The Indians of North America— The Great Spirit— Worship of ancestors— Indian 
 legends— The "Song of Hiawatha"— Indian allegory of winter and spring- 
 Alaskans' worship of evil spirits — Indian sun-worship— Amazon sun-worship 
 — The Aiaucanians— Patagonia— The Aztecs— Ancient Aztec idol— The 
 Incas, 3^2 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Islands of the Seas. 
 
 The depraved condition of the Papuans — The pagan Polynesians — ^Traditionary 
 origin of human priesthood — Polynesian notion of the sun and moon — The 
 fire-god's song, 3^7 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The Karens and their Traditions. 
 
 The Karens not idolaters — Worship of Yuah — A singular tradition — The dog 
 ' who ate the book — Funeral services — Mrs. Vinton's letter, .... 401 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 The Fire-worshipers. 
 
 Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ormazd — Zoroaster's worship of one God — Ormazd and 
 Ahriman — Finding of the Zend-Avesta — The Parsee Bible — Parsee worship,. . 407 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 China and her Philosophers. 
 
 Chinese contrarieties and language— The three ChincbC religions— The old boy— 
 The talisman of long life— The visit of Confucius to Lao-Tsze— The voyage 
 in search of the talisman of long life, ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Taoist Sacred Books and Gods. 
 
 The book of rewards and punishments— Some selections from the book of rewards 
 and punishments— The book of secret blessings— The gods of the Taoists— 
 The god of letters— Charms— Kwan-te, God of War— Tsai-shin, die God of 
 Riches — Taoisi -unprstition^ . „ 
 
 428 
 
CONTENTS. , xlii 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Confucius and the Classics. 
 
 PAOK 
 
 The background of the picture — The story of the sage's life — Teach- 
 ings and writings of the Chinese sage — The wisdom of the sage, . . 445 
 
 CHAPTER XXiy. 
 
 Confucian Temples and Worship. 
 
 The worship of Shang-te, at Peking — Temple of Confucius — Examina- 
 tions in the sacred books — Anecdotes of students — How Mencius's 
 mother incited her son to study — How a tired student was led back to 
 his studies — The little sage who hid fire to light his lamp — An exam- 
 ple of a studious ancestor — The student with a round stick for a pillow, 460 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Home-life under Confucianism. 
 
 Ceremonyof turning the bridge-ladder — Worship of ancestors at a wed- 
 ding — Mother, Goddess of Children — Teaching a child to worship 
 idols — The story of Ma-chu, Goddess of the Sailors, . . . 47S 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Buddha the "Light of Asia." 
 
 The story of Gautama, the founder of Buddhism — Gautama's four 
 visions — The great renunciation — Gautama becomes an ascetic — The 
 "Light of Asia" and the "Light of the World," ... 498 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The Buddhist Bible, the "Three Baskets," and its Teachings. 
 
 The Buddhi?t way of salvation— What is Nirvana?— Buddhist morals- 
 Some of the "footsteps of the law" — Buddhist beatitudes, . . 513 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 The Growth of Buddhism-the Buddhist Order of Mendicants. 
 
 The Sangha, or Buddhist Brotherhood— The initiation ceremony— Rules 
 oftheOrder— Daily life of a monk— The three great Buddhist councils 
 — Buddhaghosha, the famous monk and missionary— The story of 
 King Kakavanna— Buddhist courtesies of the present day, ... 522 
 
jfiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 India and Ceylon. 
 
 rAOB 
 
 The famous Topes — The great SanchiTope — Ceylonese Buddhism — The sacred 
 Bo-tree of Ceylon— Reducing the Tripitaka to writing— Buddhs^hosha in Cey- 
 lon — A Buddhist temple in Ceylon — The sacred Ceylonese books, . . . 53* 
 
 ' CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 BURMAH. 
 
 rhe Shway-da-gong pagoda — The story of Shway-da-gong — Other pagodas — 
 Worship of nats — A nat story — Superstitions of the Burmese — The funeral of 
 a pongyee or monk, SSS 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SlAM. 
 
 The celebrated Wat Chang pagoda — Temple of the Emerald Idol — Worship of 
 the white ■ elephant — Ruins of the great temple of Nagkon Wat — Some other 
 temples, 575 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Thibet. 
 
 Sketch of the histoiy of Lamaism — Monks and monasteries — Temple at Teshu 
 Lumbo monastery — Services at the H'Lassa cathedral — Praying- wheels — The 
 mystic sentence of Thibet — The incarnation of Buddha in the Grand Lama — 
 The Lamaist Bible, 598 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 China — contitiuid. 
 
 Pagodas — Chinese Buddhist temples — The worship of Kwan-yin — The worship 
 of Kum-Fa — Idols — The Temple of Horrors — Monasteries — A Monk's Mon- 
 ument — Chinese Buddhist Bonzes — Buddhist devotees — Ceremony of the 
 Water-lamps — The Do-nothing sect of Reformed Buddhists — Booldo, the 
 Buddhism of the Coreans, gjl 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 Japan. 
 
 lUUSK 
 
 Bodhidhanna in Japan — The Sun-child and his miraculous deliverance — Further 
 history of Japan — Buddhist sects in Japan — The Protestants of Buddhism — 
 Kwanon's Temple at Asakusa, Tokio — Temple of Shiba, in Tokio — Temple 
 of five hundred gods — The casting of a Temple Bell — The Colossal Idol, the 
 Kamkura Dai Butsu — Some Japanese gods — Japanese Festivals — Mount Fuji- 
 Yama — Customs concerning birth, marriage and death — Some Japanese super- 
 stitions—Religion of the Ainos, . . 656 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 , Mohammedanism. 
 
 Extent of Mohammedanism — The Arabian camel-driver who founded a great 
 religion — The Prophet's youth and early manhood — Gabriel's message to 
 Mohammed — The flight of Mohammed — Converts made at the sword's point — 
 Mohammed's successors, the Caliphs — Caliph Omar — The Crusades — The 
 writing of the Koran — The teaching of tlie Koran — Some selections froni the 
 Koi-an — Mohammed's Paradise — The Koran on the judgment, . . -719 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 Mohammedan Mosques and Worship. 
 
 Worship in the Mosques — The dancing and howling Dervishes — The smart and 
 smarting answer of a Dervish — Daily worship — The Mosque of St. Sophia — 
 The Jummah Musjid at Delhi, India — The Taj Mahal, the "jewel of India" — 
 Pilgrimages and festivals — Conclusion, 74I 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 Winning the World to the Worship of the one God. 
 
 Comparison of heathen religions and Christianity — Why shall we give Christ- 
 ianity to the world — A flight over the battle-field — Position of the "Christian 
 army, ........■■■.•• 7^7 
 
 Index, 779 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 The Great Daibutsu Frontispiece' 
 
 Goddess of the Waters 44 
 
 Ancient Serpent Idol 48 
 
 Teraphim ....*. 57 
 
 Dagon, the Fish-god s 58 
 
 Ancient Serpent Idol 59 
 
 Group of Altars 60 
 
 Idol from Hindustan 61 
 
 Coin Representing the Deluge 66 
 
 Indio Triste, Mexico 76 
 
 Sphinx of Gizeh ' 91 
 
 Ruined Temples ; ■ 93 
 
 Rock Temple of Ibsamdul, Restored 95 
 
 Son^ of the Threshers 96 
 
 Egyptian Hieroglyphics 97 
 
 Pasht, the Cat-headed God 98 
 
 One of the Forms of Isis 99 
 
 Crocodile God. .-. 100 
 
 Scarabaeus loi 
 
 Shrouding of the Dead ". 103 
 
 Mummy Case 103 
 
 Forms of Mummy Cases .' 104 
 
 Egyptian Priestess , 107 
 
 Ganesha, God of Wisdom no 
 
 Avenue of Sphinxes Leading to a Temple 112 
 
 Gate-way of the Ancient Egyptian Temple of Karnak 113 
 
 The Singing Memnon 114 
 
 Ruins of Thebes 115 
 
 The Sphinx and the Pyramids 117 
 
 Star Worshipers 120 
 
 Babylonish Coffin and Lid of Green Glazed Pottery 122 
 
 Assyrian Cuneiform Letters 124 
 
 Robed Statue 125 
 
 Statue of Cannes, the King , 129 
 
 Adar Strangling the Lion 130 
 
 Sargon's Palace, Restored I33 
 
 Human-headed Eagle-winged Assyrian Bull 135 
 
 Sculptured Locust iS9 
 
 Goddess Ashtoreth, Ishtar 141 
 
 Taj Mahal ■• ■•• 142 
 
 Phoenician Goddess Astarte 142 
 
 The Ammonite Fire God Moloch 143 
 
 Jehovah's Triumph over Baal , 147 
 
 Image of Jupiter, by Phidias 165 
 
 Temple of Diana of Ephesus 170 
 
 Medal of Diana 171 
 
 ' XTii 
 
xviu LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Jupiter Tonans '^IT' 
 
 Janus i8o 
 
 Ancient Druidic Worship at Stonehenge, England 191 
 
 Gods of Our Saxon Ancestors 198 
 
 Sacrificial Rites of the Ancient British Druids 202 
 
 Ancient Hindu Idol - 211 
 
 Devil Worshiped in Tennevelly 213 
 
 Indra, God of the Atmosphere 214 
 
 The Three Chief Hindu Gods 215 
 
 Bird's-eye view of the Hindu Temple at Cawnpore 219 
 
 Sculptured Idols on a Pillar 221 
 
 Dying Brahmin Holding the Tail of the Sacred Covi', so as to 
 
 Enter Heaven 223 
 
 A Caste-marked Brahmin at His Devotions 224 
 
 God of Hell, from a Hindu Picture 225 
 
 Amadeo, God of Love 226 
 
 Teaching a Child to Worship Ganesha, the God of Wisdom 228 
 
 A Child Bringing an Offering to the Idol of a Bull 229 
 
 Hindu Woman 231 
 
 The Most Sacred Temple of Juggernaut at Puri 233 
 
 Worship in the Temple of Krishna, or Juggernaut 235 
 
 Hindu Devotees Dragging Juggernaut's Car and Immolating Them- 
 selves 236 
 
 The Idol Juggernaut Usually Carried on the Car 238 
 
 Disrobing and Disjointing Juggernaut 239 
 
 The Goddess Kali ~. 240 
 
 Idol of Kali 241 
 
 A Night Feast of the Bloody Goddess, Kali 244 
 
 Goddess Kali, from a Hindu Picture 245 
 
 Hindu Notion of the Universe 246 
 
 Golden Temple of the Hindus of Umritsur 247 
 
 Entablature from a Hindu Temple 248 
 
 Children Worshiping in Temple at Benares 249 
 
 Bas-relief from a Hindu Temple 251 
 
 Approach to the Temple of Umritsur 253 
 
 Great Idol of the Cave of Mandar, India 256 
 
 Scene from Cave of Elephanta. '. 257 
 
 Two Chinese Gods 259 
 
 Cave of Elephanta 261 
 
 Image of Ganesha 263 
 
 Annual Boat-festival of Ganesha on the Ganges 264 
 
 Wayside Idol of Ganesha 26s 
 
 Mosque Djedid, Algiers 267 
 
 Gate-way of Madura Temple 270 
 
 Pagoda of Pondicherry, Famed for Its Sculpture 271 
 
 Disused Idols and Sacred Articles from Ongole, India 272 
 
 The Jumma Musjid, Delhi ,_ 
 
 Hindus Washing in the Sacred River Ganges at Benares. ... 271; 
 
 Temple of the Sacred Fountain 275 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xix 
 
 PAOE 
 
 Heart Vases 277 
 
 Fakir of the Immovable Foot 279 
 
 The Holy Man with the Iron Collar 280 
 
 Fakir of the Long Hair 281 
 
 A Fakir, Who Never Helps Himself 282 
 
 A Hindu Holy Man Torturing Himself by Hanging from a Hook. . 283 
 
 Fakir Hanging to a Limb 284 
 
 Devotee Enduring Fire j, 285 
 
 Fakir of the Long Nails 286 ■ 
 
 Hindu Festival of the New Moon 289 
 
 Guards of the Hindu Temple Ayenar .' 292 
 
 Hindu Women Rescued from Their Degradation 297 
 
 The Ten Incarnations of Vishnu 300 
 
 The God Created from Izanagi's Staff 310 
 
 Jimmu Tenno, First Emperor of Japan 313 
 
 The Mikado's Coat-of-Arms 317 
 
 Raiden, God of Thunder, with His String of Drums 318 
 
 Futen, God of Winds, with His Huge Sack 319 
 
 Daikoku, the Rice-god, on His Throne of Rice-bags 322 
 
 Fukoruku Jin, the God Who Can Bestow Long Life 323 
 
 .Domestic Altar of the Gods of Daily Food and of Rice » 326 
 
 Hotel, the God of Happiness 327 
 
 The Sacred Mountain, Fuji-Yama 330 
 
 Shinto Shrine, near Yokohama, Japan, with Worshipers, Vessel 
 
 of Holy Water, etc 331 
 
 A Tento, or "Heavenly Lantern" 332 
 
 Shrines of Ise, the. Most Sacred Place of Shintoism 333 
 
 Interior of a Shinto Temple, Showing the Arrangements for Wor- 
 ship 335 
 
 Ceremonial Dance of the Shinto Priests 338 
 
 A Lawyer of Zululand 343 
 
 King Coffee's Pro'tecting God 346 
 
 The Priests' Trick of Raising an Idol Out of the Earth 348 
 
 A Cazembe Fetich Man 351 
 
 Decorated Fetichist .■ 352 
 
 Juju House or Temple of Skulls 353 
 
 Idols with Mirrors in Their Bodies 356 
 
 A Witch Doctor 357 
 
 Indian Medicine Man 363 
 
 Indian Burial Place 366 
 
 Indian Image 367 
 
 Sun-worship on the Amazon 373 
 
 Holy Men of India 377 
 
 Ancient Aztec Idol 380 
 
 Sun-worship Among the Peruvians 383 
 
 Ancient Peruvian Temple of the Sun 385 
 
 A Papuan Fetich House 388 
 
 Tattooed Girl of Oceanica 389 
 
 Polynesian Idol and Its Devotees j 3go 
 
XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 A Fijian Bure Temple 39i 
 
 Idol of South Sea Islands! 392 
 
 Great Idol of Oceanica, (six feet in height) 393 
 
 Hawaiian Idol, Known as the Poison God 394 
 
 Idol from Polynesia 395 
 
 New Zealand Moon-god 397 
 
 Hawaiian War-god 399 
 
 Christian Karen Girls 404 
 
 A Parsee Merchant of Bombay 4P& 
 
 'Chinese Ornaments with Words of Cheer 4I7 
 
 A Chinese Book 418 
 
 Censer, from a Taoist Temple 429 
 
 Ceremonies in a Taoist Temple 433 
 
 The Three Pure Ones 435 
 
 God of the Kitchen 435 
 
 God of Thunder 435 
 
 Carrying the Dragon 436 
 
 Dragon Boat-races, a Chinese Festival 437 
 
 Charm to Ward Off Evil Spirits from a Bride 438 
 
 God of Thieves 438 
 
 Sword Charm 43g 
 
 Kwan-te, God of War 440 
 
 Taoists Consulting the Oracles at the Magicians 441 
 
 Stone Pillars Erected by the Chinese to Keep Ofif Evil Spirits 442 
 
 Tall White Devil ■ 443 
 
 Short Black Devil 444 
 
 Traditional Likeness of Confucius 446 
 
 Monumental Gate-way Erected in Honor of Confucius 448 
 
 Temple of Confucius, in Peking 453 
 
 Chinese Schoolboys 460 
 
 Chinese Joss-stick 461 
 
 Sacred Altar of Heaven, at Peking 465 
 
 Temple of Agriculture, at Peking, China 468 
 
 Bronze Temple in Honor of Confucius 469 
 
 Chinese Sitting-room ^^n 
 
 Ancestral Tablet • .gi 
 
 Chinaman Burning Prayers Instead of Saying Them 482 
 
 Bringing Home One of the Souls of a Dead Man in His Clothes 483 
 
 Ceremony of Turning Around the Bridge-ladder 484 
 
 Chinese Marriage Procession .g^ 
 
 Worship of Ancestors at a Wedding '. .go 
 
 Chinese Babv in Its Cradle w !!!.!...!!! 4gi 
 
 Teaching a Child to Worship 402 
 
 Offering Sacrifice to the Kitchen-god .„, 
 
 God of Gambling fj^ 
 
 Idol of Buddha '.".".'.".".'.".'.".'.'.'.'.".".■■■■' s^ 
 
 Religious Meeting of the Jains , 
 
 Tope of Sanchi 1 ".!'.!!! ".."! Tv; 
 
 Capital of a Pillar of Gate-way of Sanchi Tope ".'.".".'.'....... 530 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xxi 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Gate-way of Sanchi Tope 5^2 
 
 Roadway to a Buddhist Temple in Ceylon 543 
 
 Aztec Pyramid, Cholula 545 
 
 Devil-dancers' Mask from Ceylon 549 
 
 Buddhist Temple in the Island of Ceylon 551 
 
 Worship of Buddha's Tooth 553 
 
 Shway-da-gong, the Great Pagoda of Rangoon, Burmah 558 
 
 Sacred Garden Attached to Temple 562 
 
 Sacred Bull ■ .' 563 
 
 Pagoda at Maulmain, Burmah 565 
 
 Funeral Procession of a Buddhist Priest 573 
 
 Tower of Wat Chang Pagoda at Bangkok, Siam ^jj 
 
 Funeral Temple of Wood, Bamboo and Paper 578 
 
 The King of Siarn Going to Worship at the Temple of the Emerald 
 
 Idol 580 
 
 Temple of the Emerald Idol 581 
 
 Ruined Temple of Ayudia, Altar of the, Siam 585 
 
 Siamese Worshiping the White Elephant 589 
 
 Tomb of a Buddhist Saint, j 5go 
 
 Ruins of the Great Temple of Nagkon Wat 593 
 
 Statue of the Leper King 595 
 
 A Thibetan Lad 599 
 
 Monastery of Hemis in the Himalayas. ' 600 
 
 Tartar Woman 601 
 
 Praying Machine 605 
 
 Praying Wheel Whirled in the Hand 606 
 
 Stone with the Mystic Sentence, "Om Mani Padmi Hum" 607 
 
 Mani Padee, a Buddhist Tomb in Thibet 608 
 
 A Thibetan Woman y 609 
 
 Chinese Image of Buddha 612 
 
 Bronze Lions 613 
 
 A Chinese Mandarin ^. '. 61S 
 
 Chinese Sale of Prayers Conducted by the Priests 616 
 
 Porcelain Tower at Nanking, China 617 
 
 Beating on a Temple Drum to Attract the God 622 
 
 Chinese Temple at San Francisco 623 
 
 The "Three Precious Buddhas" 625 
 
 Worship in the Temple of the Thousand Lamas 627 
 
 Temple of Kwan- Yin 629 
 
 Colossal Gilded Buddha .\. ' 632 
 
 Altar of Chinese Pagoda 634 
 
 The Goddess Ma-chu and Her Assistants 636 
 
 Huitzilopochtli, the God of War 637 
 
 Pagoda at Tung-Cho 639 
 
 Chinese Idols 641 
 
 Chinese Buddhist's Idea of Hell J 642 
 
 Goddess of Mercy Delivering a Soul 643 
 
 Buddhist Monument at Peking 647 
 
 Priest at a Praying Wheel .' 649 
 
 1 
 
xxii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 Chinese Bonze, or Priest "SO 
 
 Letting Go tlie Water-lamps "S3 
 
 Miraculous Delivery of a Bonze ■ °S9 
 
 Shrine of Kwanon ""' 
 
 Interior of Kwanon's Temple "°3 
 
 The Hiogo Buddha 666 
 
 Buddhist Shrine at Kobe 668 
 
 Japanese Pilgrim in Winter Dress 669 
 
 Dining-room of a Buddhist Monastery 670 
 
 ReHgious festival in Temple Grounds 671 
 
 New Year's Frolic in Japan 675 
 
 Buddhist "Nio," or Temple Guard \ 677 
 
 Japanese Picture of Kwanon 680 
 
 Musicians of the Temple at Shiba 682 
 
 Torii, or Water Gate of the Temple of Miyajima 683 
 
 Interior of the Temple of Shiba 685 
 
 Temple of the Five Hundred Gods, Canton, China 689 
 
 Belfry of the Temple at Osaka, Japan 691 
 
 Street Mountebanks in a New Year's Festival in Japan 695 
 
 Japanese Idea of the Judge of Hell 698 
 
 The Cawnpore Memorial 699 
 
 Festival of Foxes 703 
 
 Driving the Devils Out of the House on New Year's Eve with Beans 705 
 
 A Japanese Matsuri, or Religrous Festival 706 
 
 Fujisan, from a Village on the Tokaido 708 
 
 Worship at the Tomb of an Ancestor 713 
 
 The Flowing Invocation 715 
 
 Temple of the Kaaba, at Mecca, Arabia 722 
 
 Mohammedan Cemetery at Mecca ; 727 
 
 Interior of a Turkoman Tent, in Western Persia 729 
 
 Mosque of Ornar, on the Site of the Jewish Temple, at Jerusalem. . . . 730 
 
 Mohammedans Praying Before the Mosque of Omar 731 
 
 Mohammedan Mosque on the Hooghly River, Near Calcutta, India. 742 
 
 Exterior of Mosque in Persia 743 
 
 Interior of Mosque at Delhi, India 745 
 
 Interior of Mosque of St. Sophia 746 
 
 A Whirling Dervish 747 
 
 The Sacred Boar.- 740 
 
 Moslem Boy Studying the Koran 752 
 
 Mosque of St. Sophia, at Constantinople, Turkey 753 
 
 Mosque at Delhi; Containing a Hair from Mohammed's Beard 755 
 
 Entrance to the Mosque at Delhi 7^5 
 
 Tower of the Koutub, India -»7 
 
 Taj Mahal, the Tomb of the Empress Mumtaj Mahal, at Agra, India 759 
 
 Interior of the Taj, the Tomb of Mahal ' 762 
 
 Mohammedan Feast of Mohurrim _g . 
 
 Two New Zealanders: the Savage Te Wetere and the Christian 
 
 Te Kote ^gg 
 
 A Missionary Home in Burmah „ . 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE world's first WORSHIP. 
 
 5 have laid it down as an invariable maxim constantly to follow his- 
 torical tradition, and to hold fast by that clew, even when many 
 things, in the testimony and declarations of tradition, appear strange 
 and almost inexplicable, or at least enigmatical ; for so soon in the 
 investigation ©f ancient history as we let slip that Ariadne's thread 
 we can find no outlet from the labyrinth of fanciful theories, and the 
 chaos of clashing opinions. — F. Von Schlegel. 
 
 THERE are many systems of worship in the world. 
 Some of these are Hmited to single nations, others 
 extend themselves over different nations, and in 
 history we read of certain religions which no longer exist. 
 For instance — of those systems limited to a nation, there 
 is the worship of ancestors, as taught by Confucius, in 
 China; the worship of the idol gods Brahma, Vishnu 
 and Siva, and a multitude of other gods, more numerous 
 than their worshipers, in India ; and Shintoism, the nature- 
 worship of Japan. Of those which have extended to 
 other lands, there is the worship of the hero-saint, Gau- 
 tama Buddha, in all southern and eastern Asia ; and 
 Mohammedanism, the fierce opponent of idolatry, and 
 the system of the prophet Mohammed, in India, Turkey, 
 Egypt and in China. Of the dead religions, there are 
 those of Egypt, Assyria, Greece and Rome. These are 
 but a few of the many forms of worship that we find in 
 glancing over the world's history, or in looking at its 
 present condition. There are wide differences between 
 
 33 
 
34 
 
 EARLY FORMS OF WORSHIP. 
 
 these systems of worship and also many resemblances 
 among them. 
 
 Where did these systems all come from ? Where and 
 how did they start? They differ very materially one 
 from another. Some worship one God and have no 
 idols, others worship millions of gods and have multi- 
 tudes of idols. Their temples are of different styles. 
 Their sacred books and ceremonies are extremely varied. 
 Can they have started from one source, or did each start 
 independently of the rest ? 
 
 TESTIMONY OF AN OLD RECORD AND OF LANGUAGE. 
 
 How shall we find out about this ? We have one rec- 
 ord that will help us and upon which we can depend. 
 This is the oldest history of mankind. There were a 
 ^ great many of these histories written later, but for no 
 one of them is there a tenth part of the evidence as to 
 its being genuine, which there is for this one old record. 
 It has been tested in every possible way and no flaw has 
 yet been found. Ancient monuments and their inscrip- 
 tions, the oldest traditions of the most ancient peoples, 
 all confirm its statenients. But these monuments and 
 the written histories of nations go back but a few thou- 
 sand years, and this one record is older than they all. So 
 traditions only remain to be compared with it. No, there 
 is one thing left that is related to tradition. It is lan- 
 guage. 
 
 Those who have studied the languages of the world 
 and compared them with each other have something to 
 say, and it is this : All languages can be grouped into 
 families or classes of speech, and all these families are 
 seen to have started from one common source. This 
 too, agrees with the story of that older record. That tells 
 how God made first a man and then a woman, how that 
 
THE WORLi)'S FIRST WORSHIP. -e 
 
 they were very good at the outset, but soon became bad. 
 It goes on to tell how their children were very wicked, 
 and how God punished them by sending a great flood of 
 waters which destroyed all but one family. Then this 
 family increased, and they too became wicked. They 
 finally planned to build an immense tower, so, perhaps, 
 that they should nbt be drowned again in a flood ; at any 
 rate, if this was not the reason, it was for some other 
 wicked purpose that they builded. God was angry with 
 their wickedness, and to stop their building gonfused 
 their language. They had all spoken the same lan- 
 guage before, but now some spoke one and some an- 
 other. Just here other histories begin, and the stories 
 in these and in the record we have referred to, go on 
 very much alike. But the traditions, which are older 
 than th-e histories, agree with the record, as we shall see 
 in a future chapter. This record is the Bible, especially 
 the first part of the Book of Genesis. So here is found 
 one answer to our question, — all religions grew out 
 of one original system of worship. 
 
 ANOTHER WITNESS : COMPARATIVE RELIGION. 
 
 There is still another way to get an answer. Place 
 the religions side by side, study their principles, examine 
 their legends, and see if, after all, there are nol/ resem^ 
 blances beneath the surface. Let us strip them of those 
 things which are the additions of a later day, and of those 
 things which the peculiar conditions of their countries, 
 climates and languages have added. Take for instance 
 their legends or household stories. Some of these tra- 
 ditions are written in the inscriptions on the ancient 
 monuments of Egypt, or especially of Babylonia, or in 
 the sacred books and histories of the older nations; others 
 have been handed down by word of mouth. It was long 
 
,g PECULIAR TALES AND LEGENDS. 
 
 after these legends were old, that even neTghboring 
 nations held any communications with each other. It 
 had been just as if a great high wall was built around 
 each nation — a wall without gates. So they could not 
 have told these stories to each other. Then, too, some 
 of these stories are told by nations thousands of miles 
 apart. 
 
 The truth certainly is that before the several branches 
 of the race separated from their common home, perhaps 
 on the ta|)le-lands of Bactria, they had many legends, nur- 
 sery tales and peculiar stories in common. As they 
 moved to the colder North, or to the warmer South, they, 
 carried these tales with them. In course of time these 
 came to be somewhat altered. This change was in the 
 dressing rather than in the tales themselves. Hence we 
 find among the Egyptians, Hindoos, Greeks, Germans, 
 Spaniards, Norsemen, stories which are so much alike 
 that it is certain that they had a common origin. Take, 
 for instance, the story of the Master Thief of the Norse- 
 men, and compare it with the same story as told by other 
 nations, and we are led to the conclusion that it is part 
 of a stock of nursery tales which were told before the 
 dispersion. Let us remember that many collections of 
 stories were not originated by the men whose names 
 they bear, but that these men simply gathered together 
 legends and tales which they found already existing 
 among the people. Thus "Grimm's Household Tales" is 
 a collection of old German fireside stories. "The Arabian 
 Night's Entertainment," the "Hindoo Hitopadesa," "Da- 
 sent's Popular Tales of the Norse," and " Old Deccan 
 Days," are collections of the same sort. It will repay us 
 to attend at some length to the various versions of one of 
 these stories, which will serve to illustrate many others of 
 more momentous character. 
 
THE WORLD'S FIRST WORSHIP. yj 
 
 THE STORY OF THE MASTER THIEF. 
 
 In the Norse tale, the v Master Thief is a farmer's 
 apprentice. In his country there is an order or society 
 of thieves, and the apprentice wishes to join them. The 
 thieves promise to admit him to their society provided 
 he can succeed in stealing an ox from his master as the 
 master is driving three oxen, one by one, to market. It 
 must be done, the thieves say, without the master's 
 knowledge, and without hurting him. The youth put a 
 silver-buckled shoe in his master's way as he traveled 
 along the road. The farmer admired the shoe but passed 
 on without tofiching it, as an odd shoe would be of no 
 service to him. The thief cunningly picked up the shoe 
 and ran arOund by another path so as to come out 
 ahead of his master, and place the shoe in the farmer's 
 way again. This time he stopped, tied his ox to the fence, 
 and picking up the shoe before him, went back to find 
 its mate. The lad then stole the ox and took it away to 
 the thieves' council. But they want to try him still further, 
 and direct him to steal a second ox from his master, who 
 is again driving to market. Disguising himself the lad 
 put a rope around his body under his arms and hung 
 himself to a tree at the roadside. The farmer passed 
 on, barely noticing the lad. He was so much troubled 
 about the loss of his ox that he did not think of render- 
 ing assistance. The lad then untied himself, and run- 
 ning by a roundabout way came out on the road ahead 
 of the farmer and hung himself as before. " Again the 
 farmer passed by unconcernedly. Again the thief hung 
 himself. This time the farmer thought himself bewitched, 
 and returned to see if the other two lads were still hang- 
 ing. His second ox was now left tied up and the lad 
 then led it also away. The thieves then said that if he 
 
^8 TALE OF RHAMPSINITOS. 
 
 would steal the third ox from the farmer, now on his 
 guard against tricks, he should be their master. Going 
 into a piece of woods along the road, as his master was 
 passing by with the third ox, he imitated the bellowing 
 of oxen. The farmer now hurried away to catch his lost 
 catde, leaving the third one to fall into the thief s hands. 
 The thieves thereupon took him into their council, but 
 determined (as he shrewdly provoked them to do) to 
 outdo the young thief, they went away to carry out their 
 plans. The lad then returned his master's oxen, and 
 carried off all the valuables and goods which the thieves 
 had stored away. Soon after he married his master's 
 daughter. * 
 
 This story was told in Western Europe, probably long 
 before Herodotus heard the story of the Egyptian thief 
 and wrote it out, or before the Hindoo tale of Karpara 
 and Gata was made known outside of India. The tale 
 of the Forty Thieves in the Arabian Nights also bears a 
 close resemblance to these. The Spanish legend of the 
 Poor Mason may have been borrowed from any one of 
 these. Compare the main points of these stories with 
 those of the tale of the Master Thief. 
 
 THE STORY OF RHAMPSINITOS. 
 
 Rhampsinitos, an architect, built for the King of Egypt 
 a treasure-house with a secret entrance. This secret, at 
 his death, the architect told to his two sons. They there- 
 upon helped themselves to the king's treasures. As the 
 king noticed how his treasures were gradually decreasing, 
 he placed a trap in the entrance to the treasure-house. 
 The younger brother was caught in the trap, and seeing 
 that he could not escape, he begged his brother to cut off 
 his head so that the king might not know that the archi- 
 tect had told the secret, and that the brother might not 
 
THE WORLD'S FIRST WORSHIP. -»j 
 
 get into trouble. So the king found the headless body, 
 and of course could not recognize the thief. But to find 
 out who he was, he had the body exposed in a public 
 place, and ordered the guards to arrest any person who 
 should mourn for the dead man. The mother saw and re- 
 cognized the body, and threatened to tell the king, unless 
 the elder son should bring the body home. The son 
 then filled some skin bottles with wine, and loaded them 
 upon asses. As he rode by the guards, he slightly 
 loosened the mouth-string of the sacks, and the wine 
 began to run out. The guards, pretending to help him, 
 helped themselves to the wine. After tying up the skins, 
 die youth asks them to sit down and drink wine with 
 him. They do so, and are soon overpowered by it, and 
 fall asleep. He then carried away the body. Soon after 
 he was married to the princess, for the king sought to 
 honor this Master Thief, and he was held to be the clev- 
 erest man of the cleverest people. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE POOR MASON. 
 
 In the Spanish story of the Poor Mason a'priest wished 
 him to build a secret hiding-place for his treasure. In 
 order that the mason might not know how to. get at the 
 treasure, should he be so inclined, the priest blindfolded 
 him from the time of leaving his own home till he arrived 
 at the treasure-house, and again blindfolded him on his 
 return. So the mason knew the secret of the priest's 
 hidden treasure, but did not know where the house was 
 in which it was secreted. The priest finally died. The 
 house was then said to be haunted. ' The landlord could 
 not find a tenant. At last he happened on the poor 
 mason, and offered him the house rent free. As soon as 
 the mason entered it, he saw that it was the house where 
 the wealth was stored, and where he had worked. He 
 
40 LEGENDS OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 
 
 kept the secret to himself, until like the Egyptian archi. 
 tect, he told it on his death-bed to his son. 
 
 In the story of Trophonius and Agamedes, which Pau- 
 sanius tells, the two masons built the treasury of the 
 king, so that one stone in the wall could be removed from 
 the outside. The king found his wealth growing less, 
 and set a trap for the thief Agamedes was caught and 
 Trophonius cut off his head. In the Hindoo story of two 
 brothers, Gata and Karpara, not only treasure is stolen 
 by means of a secret entrance to the king's palace, but 
 also the princess, the king's daughter. Karpara was 
 finally found out, was put to death, and as it was desired 
 to catch the other thief, his body was exposed. The 
 guards, were ordered to seize any one who might mourn 
 the death of Karpara. The word "Karpara" means a 
 gourd or melon. Gata, Karpara's brother, in order that 
 he might mourn as Hindoos feel bound to do and yet not 
 be caught, loaded some asses with melons, and as he 
 passed the body of Karpara, contrives to have his load 
 slip off, crying, as the gourds fell to the ground and burst, 
 "Alas ! for my precious Karpara !" The guards supposed, 
 of course, that he referred to his gourds, and so did not 
 arrest him. Afterwards they perceived the trick that had 
 been played upon them, and told it to the king. He then, 
 by royal proclamation, offered the princess in marriage 
 to the clever thief if he would but come and claim her. 
 
 STORY OF THE SHIFTY LAD. 
 
 The historian of ancient Scottish legends records a 
 tale which resembles in mapy points the tales mentioned 
 above. In the Scottish story, the Shifty Lad goes 
 through his apprenticeship, not among a company of 
 thieves, but under the sole charge of the Black Rogue, 
 of whom he at last rid himself by getting him to try the 
 
Ta£ WORLD'S FIRST WORSHIP. , j 
 
 pleasant sensation of being hung by the neck. The 
 trick answers to that of the Norse thief, but the mode of 
 effecting it differs widely. Having disposed of his mas- 
 ter, he engages himself to a carpenter, whom he per- 
 suades to break into the king's storehpuse. The advice 
 of the Seanagal, whom the king consults, is that a hogs- 
 head of soft pitch be placed near the entrance. The 
 Wright, again making the venture, sinks into the pitch, 
 and the Shifty Lad, stepping in on his shoulders, takes 
 as much as he can carry, and then sweeping off his mas- 
 ter's head, leaves the body in the hogshead. Again the 
 Seanagal is consulted, and his answer is "that they 
 should set the trunk aloft on the points of the spears of 
 the soldiers to be carried from town to town, to 'see if 
 they could find any one at all that would show sorrow 
 for it." As they pass by the wright's house, his wife 
 screams, but the Shifty Lad cutting himself with an adze, 
 leads the captain of the guard to think that the cry was 
 caused by sorrow at his own hurt. The body is then by 
 the king's order hung on a tree, the guard being ordered 
 to seize any one who should venture to take it down. 
 The lad driving before him a horse loaded with two kegs 
 of whisky, approaches the soldiers, as though he wished to 
 pass them stealthily, and ;when they catch the horse's 
 bridle, he runs off leaving the men to drink themselves 
 to sleep, and then * returning takes away the wright's 
 body. This exploit is followed by others which occur in 
 no other version ; but the final scene is, a feast, at which, 
 according to the Seanagal's prediction, the Shifty Lad 
 asks the king's daughter to dance. The Seanagal upon 
 this puts a black mark upon him, but the lad, like Mor- 
 giana in the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," 
 discovering the mark, puts another on theSeariagal and 
 on twenty other men besides him. The king is then ad- 
 
.2 ANCIENT SCOTTISH LEGENDS. 
 
 vised to say that the man who had done all these tricks, 
 that had been so well done, must be exceedingly clever, 
 and that if he would come forward and give himself up 
 he should have the princess for his wife. All the marked 
 men accordingly claim the prize; and the craft of the 
 Shifty Lad is once more called into practice, to secure 
 the maiden for himself. 
 
 From the comparison of these popular tales with each 
 other we can see their common origin. Nations so 
 widely separated as the Norsemen, Hindoos, Spaniards, 
 Egyptians and the early inhabitants of Scotland, could 
 not have borrowed these stories from each other. Their 
 resemblances — a thief of wonderful cunning, his suc- 
 cesses and escapes, and final honor — all point to the fact 
 that they are but different versions of the same story. 
 This one story could not have been communicated by 
 one nation to the others, and as the only way to account 
 for the resemblances we are shut up to believe that the 
 nations long ago all lived in one home, from which they 
 afterward separated to go to the different lands of their 
 final settlements. 
 
 When we add to this evidence, that from the sameness 
 in the ideas of God held by the different nations in their 
 descriptions of His power, and even in the very names 
 by which they designated God, we are carried back to 
 the early worship of the race, and we see from all these 
 evidences that, originally, man worshiped one God. The 
 human race did not begin life on the earth as a savage, 
 or as a child, and was not developed from this condition 
 to a higher state of intelligence ; but man began life as 
 a full-formed, mature, intelligent creature. From this 
 high vantage ground he has descended, first, to the wor- 
 ship of many gods, and later on, of idols. 
 
 Such degeneration has often happened in the history 
 
THE WORLD'S FIRST WORSHIP. . ~ 
 
 43 
 
 of the world. The descendants of powerful nations 
 have, in the lapse of years, become far inferior to their 
 ancestors. For example, the ancient Egyptians h9,ve left 
 monuments whose construction baffles us. We cannot 
 imagine how they have raised and posed the immense 
 stones, nor can we ascertain the purpose of many of 
 their buildings. We talk of "lost arts" and "lost civili- 
 zations." We know that it has often happened that edu- 
 cated colored people from the southern United States, 
 have sunk to the low level of the people of Africa when 
 they have returned to the land of their fathers. From 
 the Bible narrative, as well as from the most ancient tra- 
 ditions of heathen nations, we learn that at the first, man 
 held close intercourse with God and that h6 held this 
 pure worship during many centuries. The traditions of 
 ancient nations confirm the Bible account of the high 
 position of man at the outset. 
 
 In the Avesta, the sacred book of the Parsees, who are 
 known also as fire-worshipers, we are told that the first 
 king, Jemshid, and his subjects, after living for a time in 
 the original home of the race of mankind, removed to a 
 secluded spot not far distant. Here, there "was neither 
 overbearing nor mean-spiritedness, neither stupidity nor 
 violence, neither poverty nor deceit, neither puniness nor 
 deformity, neither huge teeth nor bodies beyond the 
 usual measure. The inhabitants suffered no defilement 
 from the evil spirit. They dwelt among odoriferous trees 
 and golden pillars ; these were the largest, best and 
 most beautiful on earth ; they were themselves a tall and 
 beautiful race." The Mexicans tell of the "golden age 
 of Tezenco." The Peruvian tradition begins with the 
 story of the two children of the Sun, who established a 
 civilized country on the banks of Lake Titicaca. Hesiod 
 records the Greek tradition thus: 
 
A A A VESTA, THE SACRED £0OA'. 
 
 " The immortal gods, that tread the courts of heaven, 
 First made a golden race of men. 
 Like gods they lived, with happy, careless souls. 
 From toil and pain exempt ; nor on them crept 
 Wretched old age, but all their life was passed 
 In feasting, and their limbs no changes knew. 
 Nought evil came them nigh ; and when they died, 
 'Twas but as if they were overcome by sleep. 
 All good things were their portion : the fat soil 
 Bare them its fruits spontaneous, fruit ungrudged 
 And plentiful ; they, at their own sweet will. 
 Pursued in 'peace the tasks that seemed them good. 
 Laden with blessings, rich in flocks, and dear 
 To the great gods. " 
 
 The Chinese and Hindoo traditions also point back 
 to the beginning of the history of the human race as a 
 time of happiness and perfection. In those early ages 
 man lived a long life, and so the early worship of the one 
 God could be handed down from age to age with scarce 
 a chance of change. Thus we are brought down to the 
 time of the Deluge. While there was a general ten- 
 dency to evil on the part of all the descendants of Adam, 
 God preserved some pure characters, such as Enoch and 
 Noah, who kept the truth from utterly perishing from off 
 the earth. On account of the increasing wickedness oi 
 mankind, God sent the Deluge, which destroyed all the 
 race, Noah and his family alone excepted. This we 
 learn not only from the Bible, but from Chinese, Hindoo, 
 Egyptian, Greek and Mexican traditions. Soon after 
 this deluge, the descendants of Noah multiplied greatly, 
 and on account of their wicked attempt to build the 
 tower of Babel, God confused their language. Thus the 
 great dispersion of nations was brought about, through 
 their inability to communicate with each other by means 
 of speech. They separated inevitably from each other. 
 
GODDESS OF THE WATERS. Among the many statues found in Mexican ruins was 
 the image of the Goddess of the Waters, a god worshiped by the Toltecs about 600 A. D. 
 This idol was discovered in 1888 in San Juan Teotiahuacan, in a subterranean passage lead- 
 ing to the interior of the Pyramid of the Moon. 
 
.,.,; i . 
 
■tkR WORLD'S FIRST WORSHIP. A 
 
 THE DISPERSION OF NATIONS. 
 
 Somewhere to the north of Persia, in the land of 
 Khiva, was probably the second cradle of the race. This 
 land is now the central meeting place of empires ; here, 
 Russia from the north, England, through India, from the 
 south, and the European powers from the west are com- 
 ing together. This was the point of departure whence 
 the nations started for their future homes. From the 
 three sons of Noah came the nations by whom the whole 
 earth was overspread. Let us keep in mind that Noah's 
 worship of God was pure, that he preserved the true 
 faith in Jehovah, that he handed this to his sons, and that 
 the degeneration into the worship of many gods and 
 idols took place later in history. The- religion of the 
 world was still one. Not that all men accepted it, for 
 many wickedly rebelled against it, but the knowledge oi 
 the true God was too fresh in their minds for them to set 
 up other gods for themselves. Not only this, but while 
 they were all together, each new generation received in- 
 struction from those who did worship God in the right 
 way. // was only when they were scattered and left solely 
 to their recollections of these teachings, that their religions 
 began gradually to differ from that which they had known 
 when together. Then, alsQ, the peoples began to differ 
 from each other; then those who went to the cold north 
 or warmer south, to the isles of the sea or to inland 
 hills and valleys, gradually changed their habits of life 
 and worship a.ccording to their surroundings. From 
 the mountains of Armenia, where Noah landed from 
 the ark, the streams of population poured forth to 
 all parts of the world; north-west to Europe, west to- 
 Asia Minor, south-west to Egypt and Africa, south to 
 Arabia, south-east to Persia and India, and east to China. 
 3 
 
46 
 
 THE NATIONS SCATTERED. 
 
 Of course, this was not the work of a day. It took ages 
 for the nations to reach the more distant lands; ages for 
 them to become settled in their new homes; ages for 
 them to people these lands densely. Hundreds of years 
 after the deluge, some of the peoples who reached the 
 western shores of the Pacific Ocean, and who ventured 
 on its waters, were carried away on the stream whose 
 currents sweep to the north, then to the east, and thence 
 down agairji to the south. It has happened in the last 
 few centuries that Malays and Japanese sailors have thus 
 been swept away by the Kuro Shiwo (Black Stream). 
 Thus, in all probability, the continent of America was 
 peopled. Thus the present Japanese nation originated 
 from the mixing of these Malays from south-eastern 
 Asia and the Ainos, the nation which had made its way 
 overland to Japan. 
 
 In the languages and traditions of these i^atjons, even 
 after they were well settled, are to be found traces of 
 Monotheism. Not distinct and clear, it is true, for the 
 Polytheistic worship of after ages has destroyed to a 
 great extent these indications of the early worship of 
 one God, and yet in almost all systems of religion a su- 
 preme place is given to some one Deity, who is above all 
 the others, and who is recognized as the ruler of all. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 WHENCE CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDOLS? 
 
 The fair humanities of old religion, 
 
 The power, the beauty and the majesty. 
 
 They had their haunts in dales or piny mountain, 
 
 Or forest by slow stream, or pebbly spring. 
 
 Or chasms and watery depths. 
 
 Samuel Taylor Coleridge. 
 
 WE have seen that the first worship of the world 
 was of one God. We have watched the 
 world in its processes of changing as the 
 nations were separated from each other. We have found 
 that not long after the settlement of the nations in their 
 new lands the worship of many gods appeared, and with 
 this worship, or soon after it began, the worship of idols 
 appeared also. The number of gods and their idols 
 multiplied rapidly, until they numbered hundreds of mil- 
 lions'. There were gods of every name and shape ; gods 
 of heaven, earth, and hell ; gods of occupations and em- 
 ployments ; gods of every living creature, and of many 
 inanimate things. ' Where did they come from ? Where 
 and when did that great change occur, when man ceased 
 to worship one God and began to multiply his gods and 
 idols ? How did it come about ? What influences pro- 
 duced the change? Why was the world permitted to 
 wander so far from the truth ? All these, and a hundred 
 kindred questions come to us at this time. Can we 
 answer any of them ? The sources of information are 
 
 47 
 
.g fHE fkDAs ofi rifk kmoV^. 
 
 not very numerous. The course of ages has destroyed, 
 or at least altered, many of the early records. ^ It is like 
 those old manuscripts from which some economical scribe 
 
 has rubbed out 
 all the writing 
 originally there, 
 to make way for 
 his own work. 
 Can these faded 
 palimpsests be 
 restored ? We 
 must look down 
 beneath these 
 uppermost re- 
 cords, beneath 
 the traditions, 
 legends and sa- 
 cred writings of 
 later ages, and 
 we can then dis- 
 cover, but faint- 
 ly traceable it 
 is true, but still 
 worthy of trust, 
 some dim out- 
 lines of the in- 
 troductions of 
 Polytheism. In the last fifty years, wonderful treasures 
 of information have been brought to light, and scholars 
 skilled in Eastern learning have been raised up to aid in 
 bringing this information more fully to the Western world. 
 English, German and American students have given us 
 the sacred books of Hindus, Parsees and other peoples, 
 and the story of their work is intensely interesting. 
 
 ANCIENT SERPENT IDOL. 
 
WHENCE CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDOLSf a(\ 
 
 SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 
 
 The Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindus, are the 
 oldest existing sacred writings, excepting those froin 
 which Moses compiled the earlier chapters of Genesis. 
 In these Vedas there is little of the confused mass of 
 mythological statements, gross superstitions and the hosts 
 of gods of later Brahminism. Here is presented a pic- 
 ture of the simple nature-worship of the people of India 
 in their earliest history. Having been composed so soon 
 after the dispersion of the nations, or rather the hymns 
 contained in it having been handed down by word of 
 mouth from generation to generation, it is a very valuable 
 source of information just here. Before the beginning 
 of this century the Vedas were almost unknown to 
 European scholars. Since that time great attention has 
 been devoted to the subject, especially since Max Miiller 
 wqnt to England to seek the aid of Englishmen, and more 
 particularly of the East India Company, in publishing his 
 translation of the Vedas. At present we can read them 
 for ourselves in tolerably accurate translations. 
 
 Until within a hundred years, there was no direct way 
 of learning of the faith, and manners, and customs of 
 ancient Persia. It was known that there was an author- 
 itative record of the earliest Persian religion, a Bible of 
 the Parsees, but no European had ever read it. In i754. 
 a young French student of Paris, chanced to see a few 
 lines of an ancient manuscript in an unknown language. 
 He at once determined to go to Persia, or India, whence 
 the manuscript had come, and to learn more about it. As 
 he could not secure the means for the journey, in any 
 other why, he enlisted as a private soldier to go to India. 
 Just before sailing, however, he received the means to go, 
 and his discharge frqm the army. He traveled through 
 
50 
 
 SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 
 
 India until he came to the borders o. Persia. From some 
 Parsee priests he learned the language, and gained some 
 slight knowledge of the Zend-Avesta, the Parsees' Bible. 
 H(; pursued his investigations for four years more, and 
 then published his translation of the Avesta. But his work 
 was incomplete, and while he rendered a great service to 
 the world in showing the way to a knowledge of the 
 Avesta, it was left for later scholars more fully and accu- 
 rately to prepare the translation of the book. The an- 
 cient Egyptian sacred books have been almost wholly 
 lost, it is believed. Just enough remains to give us the 
 outlines of their early worship. 
 
 Another source of information is the ancient monu- 
 ments. It was the custom of Oriental people to pre- 
 serve important parts of their history by engraving and 
 carving descriptions of them on their memorial stones. 
 When it is remembered that all knowledge of the char- 
 acters or letters in which these inscriptions are made had 
 faded away, we can see how difficu4t the task of explain- 
 ing them rfiust have been. By careful comparisons and 
 patient investigations methods of interpreting them were 
 \ devised. These were severally tried ; if found not to be 
 capable of successful application they were rejected ; 
 and thus one plan after another was tried until the 
 right one was found. Some of the inscriptions were in 
 the form 'of pictures with combinations of syllables added, 
 or hieroglyphics, as they are called. Frpm these monu- 
 ments a great deal has been learned . about the early 
 history and worship of the nations. 
 
 From these sacred books, the traditions of the nations, 
 and from tracing back the development -of religions 
 with the aid of monumental inscriptions, we get a toler- 
 ably clear picture of the passing from the worship of the 
 one God into the worship of many gods and idols. This 
 
WHENCE CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDOLS? cy 
 
 change took place gradually, not abruptly. It was a 
 result of the natural degeneration of the race. There 
 were certain depraved tendencies of the human heart 
 which brought it about. It was a work of time to develop 
 these and give them full play. We must keep in mind 
 these facts and the condition of the human race just at 
 this time, if we would correctly apprehend this change 
 and its slowly-moving but efficient causes. 
 
 THE TRANSITION. 
 
 The worship of one God passed into the worship of 
 the powers and objects of nature. This grew out of a 
 natural awe at the sight of the mighty forces evidently 
 at work and yet inexplicable to the nations in their 
 uncultured state. Their habits of life were simple. 
 While they journeyed, as they tilled their fields, or fed 
 their flocks, their attention was drawn to the sky, now 
 clear, now cloudy; to the sun, now shining in beauty, now 
 obscured in the darkness of night; to the day-dawn and 
 the sunset, to the resurrection of vegetable life in the 
 spring, the growth of crops through the heat of summer, the 
 ripening harvests of autumn, and the cold of winter and 
 the barrenness of earth. They gazed in awe upon the 
 storms ; upon the lightning as it glared in the midst of the 
 dark, black clouds ; upon the tall trees bending beneath 
 the strong winds ; upon the mountains shaking in the 
 earthquake or vomiting their contents with rumblings, 
 and ,flame, and smoke. They listened in astonishment to 
 the noise of thunder, to the whistling, and sighing, and 
 roaring of the wind. With wonder they saw the earth 
 into which they cast their seed return it to them in the 
 manifold harvest; they watched the fruits and grains 
 mature and ripen. All about them mysterious processes 
 werfe going on, which they could not comprehend. > Were 
 
C3 CREATED NOT CREATOR WORSHIPED. 
 
 these processes moved by a Strong Arm? were they 
 under the control of a Mighty Power ? or were they seh- 
 moved and guided by their own inner, hidden forces? 
 
 Contact with nature liindles the imagination. In early 
 days almost all of the nations were herdsmen and 
 agriculturists. Their dwellings were simple and such as 
 each could erect for himself; their food was such as each 
 could provide for himself by the chase, or from his own 
 flocks or from his own fields. A few were selected to 
 be the rulers of the rest, or to pursue some simple 
 mechanical pursuits. But the majority were brought 
 into the closest contact with nature. Their poetic imagi- 
 nations began to see life in nature's powers and objects, 
 they began to personify these and then to people them 
 with creatures of their own minds' making. They saw 
 reflected their own passions and conditions in the events 
 of nature. They credited the beings dwelling in the 
 skies, or storms, or stars, with feelings, passions, quarrels 
 like their own. When the sky was clear, when the winds 
 were gentle, when the seas and lakes were unruffled 
 in their calm repose, when the destructive powers of 
 nature were at rest, they imagined that these beings were 
 at peace among themselves. But when the skies were 
 overcast, when the winds arose in fury, when earth and 
 sea were convulsed, these beings were angry and at war 
 with each other. Finding themselves unable to contend 
 with these strong powers, unable to resist their over- 
 whelming influences, they gradually recognized the beings 
 dwelling in them as superior to themselves, and their 
 awe and mystery led them to give these superior beings 
 the place of gods. They could not prevent the sun from 
 taking his departure at the close of day. They could 
 not resist the strong force of wind or wave. They 
 were mere driven chaff; as pygmies whom these giants 
 
WHENCE CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDOLS? r , 
 
 could easily overthrow ; as creatures of a day in the 
 presence of these, seemingly, ever-enduring beings. So 
 man passed from the worship of God to the worship of 
 the works and forces which God had made ; from rev- 
 erence for the Creator to reverence for the created. 
 
 THE FIRST HYMNS AND PRAYERS, 
 
 Reverence for the gods was not merely a silent observ- 
 ance and awe-stricken contemplation of the great powers 
 at work in nature. The observers felt that these beings 
 held some relation to themselves, and that praises, 
 prayers and offerings would not only be acceptable to 
 the gods, but that they were really demanded in order to 
 avert the anger of the gods or secure their favor. Hence 
 the earliest literature of the race is devoted to singing the 
 praises or invoking the aid of the gods. Priests were 
 soon selected to represent the people at the seasons of 
 sacrifice and to give themselves more continually to 
 prayer than would be possible to men generally. The 
 worship of these early days was exceedingly simple and 
 the priests possessed no unusual powers. As Whittier 
 has expressed it : 
 
 " The morning twilight of the race 
 Sends down these matin psalms ; 
 And still with wondering eyes we trace 
 The simple prayers to Luna's grace. 
 That Vedic verse embalms." 
 
 The American Indians, the Aztecs of western South 
 America, the early Hindoos, the Chinese and the Parsees 
 all exhibit in their sacred writings this nature-worship. 
 Traces of it are still to be seen in the Parsees' worship of 
 the sun, in the worship of heaven and earth among the 
 Chinese, in the Indians' reverence for the Great Spirit, in 
 
CA EARLY RELIGIOUS POETRy. ^ 
 
 the Peruvian sun-worship, and in many other features of 
 worship among the heathen nations of to-day. 
 
 Let us look at some specimens of early religious 
 poetry. The first is from Monier Williams' transla- 
 tions of the Vedas. Varuna is the god of the "moist- 
 ing sky," Agni is the god of fire, Surya. the sun-god^ 
 [ridra the atmosphere-god. 
 
 " The mighty Varuna, who rules above, looks down i 
 
 Upon these worlds, his kingdom, as if close at hand. 
 When men imagine they do aught by stealth, he knows it. 
 No one can stand, or walk, or softly glide along. 
 Or hide in dark recess, or lurk in secret cell, 
 But Varuna detects him, and his movements spies. 
 Two persons may devise some plot, together sitting, 
 And think themselves alone ; but he, the king, is there — 
 A third — and sees it all. His messengers descend 
 Countless from his abode, forever traversing 
 This world, and scanning with a thousand eyes its inmates 
 Whate'er exists within this earth, and all within the sky. 
 Yea, all that is beyond, King Varuna perceives. 
 The winkings of men's eyes are numbered all by him ; 
 He wields the universe as gamesters handle dice. 
 
 " Indra, twin-brother of the god of fire. 
 When thou wast born, thy mother Aditi, 
 Gave thee, her lusty child, the thrilling draught 
 Of mountain-growing Soma — source of life 
 And never-dying vigor to thy frame. 
 Thou art our guardian, advocate and friend, 
 A brother, father, mother — all combined. 
 
 ' Most fatherly of fathers, we are thine. 
 And thou art ours. Oh 1 let thy pitying soul . 
 Turn to us in compassion when we praise thee. 
 And slay us not for one sin or for many. 
 Deliver us to-day, to-morrow, every day. 
 Vainly the demon dares thy might ; in vain 
 Strives to deprive us of thy watery treasures. 
 Earth quakes beneath the crashing of thy bolts. 
 
WHENCE CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDpLSt ,« 
 
 Pierced, shattered lies the foe — his cities crushed. 
 His armies overthrown, his fortresses 
 Shivered to fragments ; then the pent-up waters. 
 Released from long imprisonment, descend 
 In torrents to the earth, and swollen rivers. 
 Foaming and rolling to their ocean-home, 
 Proclaim the triumph of the Thunderer. 
 
 " Agni, thou art a sage, &. priest, a king. 
 Protector, father of the sacrifice. 
 Commissioned by us men, thou dost ascend 
 A messenger, conveying to the sky 
 Our hymns and offerings. Though thy origin 
 Be threefold, now from air, and now from water, 
 Now from the mystic double Arani, 
 Thou art thyself a mighty god, a lord. 
 Giver of life and immortality, 
 One in thy essence, biit to mortals three ; 
 Displaying thine eternal triple form. 
 As fire on earth, as lightning in the air. 
 As sun in heaven. Thou art the cherished gue.?', 
 In every household — father, brother, son. 
 Friend, benefactor, guardian — all in one. 
 Deliver, mighty lord, thy worshipers. 
 Purge us from taint of sin, and when we die. 
 Deal mercifully with us on the pyre. 
 Burning our bodies with their load of guilt. 
 But bearing our eternal part on high 
 To luminous abodes and realms of bliss, 
 Forever there to dwell with righteous men. ^ 
 
 " Behold the rays of Dawn, like,heralds, lead on high 
 The Sun, that men may see the great all-knowing god. 
 The stars slink off like thieves, in company with night. 
 Before the all-seeing eye, whose beams reveal his presence, 
 Gleaming like brilliant flames, to nation after nation. 
 Surya, with flaming locks, clear-sighted god of day, 
 Thy seven ruddy mares bear on thy rushing car. 
 With these thy self-yoked steeds, seven daughters of thy 'iariot, 
 Onward thou dost advance. To thy refulgent orb. 
 Beyond this lower gloom, and upward to the light 
 Would we ascend, O Sun, thou god among thfe gods," 
 
56 
 
 NATURE WORSHTP COMMON: 
 
 The Samoyedes thus addressed Jumala, the god o\ 
 
 the air: 
 
 " Harness now thyself, Jumata, 
 Ruler of the air, thy horses ! 
 Bring them forth, thy, rapid racers, 
 Drive the sledge with glittering colors. 
 Passing through our bones, our ankles. 
 Through our flesh that shakes and trembles. 
 Through our veins which seem all broken, 
 Knit the flesh and bones together. 
 Fasten vein to vein more firmly, i 
 
 Let our joints be filled with silver, 
 Let our veins with gold be running !" 
 
 The principal Chinese deities are called Tien-Chi, or 
 Heaven and Earth. Confucius' preserved in his writings 
 the ancient worship of these gods. The Mongolians 
 also worshiped the Teng-Ri, or god of the sky. The 
 Chinese have for centuries believed in "celestial spirits," 
 as they call them, spirits of the sun, and moon, and stars ; 
 spirits of clouds, winds, rain and thunder; spirits of 
 mountains, fields, rivers, grains and trees. All these were 
 reverenced as gods. So the Egyptians worshiped natu- 
 ral objects and powers. Indeed, every one of the re- 
 ligions which existed in antiquity, and of which anything 
 is known, possessed nature-worship as their primary ele- 
 ment. The ancient religions which continue unto this 
 day, also possess this characteristic, and though covered 
 with the debris and overgrowth of centuries of supersti- 
 tious teachings, still it is to be distinctly traced. 
 
 WHERE- DID IDOL-WORSHIP COME FROM ? 
 
 Thus far we have no trace of any other than the direct 
 worship either of God; or of the invisible spirits, or gods, 
 that were supposed to dwell in the objects of nature; or 
 of those objects themselves. As yet no attempt had been 
 
WHENCE CAME THE MANY GOVS AND IDOLS? 
 
 57 
 
 made to represent them by images or idols. When, 
 where and how did the worship of idols take its rise? 
 These are questions difficult to answer. In the Bible the 
 first distinct traces of idolatry are found in Genesis xxxi, 
 19, where we read that "Rachel had stolen the images 
 that were her father's." These images, or idols, or gods, 
 as both Jacob and Laban term them, were the teraphim 
 or luck-givers. They had a 
 human head and were used in 
 divination or fortune-telling. 
 They were consulted as oracles. 
 But these could" hardly have 
 been the first idols, for th^ir 
 idea was too well developed. 
 There must have been a grad- 
 ual introduction of idols and 
 of the idea of making repre- 
 sentations of the gods. Th 
 account in Genesis, just re 
 ferred to, speaks as though it 
 were no unusual thing to have 
 gods; there is no ' expression 
 of strangeness at the occur- 
 rence, nor anything that would 
 indicate that these were the 
 first known idols. What follows 
 is suggested as the probable line of development in the 
 idea of idols, but so far as is now known, there is no way 
 of definitely 4etermining- the question. 
 
 Finding it difficult to fasten their thoughts on invisible, 
 intangible beings, men, at the beginning, probably sought 
 to aid their worship by selecting some object to represent 
 the being worshiped. This object was not to be wor- 
 shiped in and for itself, but, simply, as an aid to devotion, 
 
 TERAPHIM. 
 
eg SOURCES OF IDOL WORSHIP. 
 
 representing the being worshiped. Then, gradually, the 
 worship was , transferred to the object and withdrawn 
 from the being represented. Or, it may be that the being 
 worshiped was supposed in some manner to dwell in the 
 idol, and was worshiped thus. Or, it may be that me- 
 teoric stones were regarded as images of the gods sent 
 down from the heavens. Or, it may have been in several 
 of these ways, or in all combined. The aesthetic tastes of 
 men would soon lead them to give a more shapely appear- 
 ance to the meteoric masses of stone, and then, as these 
 must of necessity be scarce, copies of them were sculptured. 
 As men became more and more accustomed to these 
 
 idols and less and less 
 spiritual in their worship 
 they would venture to 
 give expression to their 
 ideas of the unseen gods. 
 Other materials were 
 used and, as might be 
 required by the materi- 
 als, other shapes were 
 of. necessity given. At 
 first, it would seem, that 
 only representations of 
 animals were attempted, 
 then, as in the teraphim, 
 the head of man was 
 attached to various ani- 
 mal forms, as also in 
 Dagon, the fish-god, 
 — which was a human fig- 
 DAGON, THE FisH-GOD. ^re, terminating in a fish. 
 
 When this introduction of idols occurred, we cannot 
 tell ; probably, not long after the worship of nature had 
 
WHENk'E CAME THE MANY GODS AND IDOLS? 
 
 59 
 
 become established, and the worship of one God had 
 been generally forgotten. Not very much more than 
 one hundred and fifty years elapsed between the death 
 of Noah and the 
 birth of Jacob, so 
 that in all prob- 
 ability idols had 
 not long been in 
 use when this in- 
 cident of Jacob 
 and Laban took 
 place. Not long 
 after this time the 
 full human figure 
 was used in idol 
 representations, 
 and in a short 
 period a collec- 
 tion of idols would 
 have represent- 
 ed almost every 
 conceivable ob- 
 ject, and being, 
 and creature of 
 the wild fan&y of 
 man. These were 
 made of all man- 
 ner of materials, of all shapes and sizes. The highest 
 conceptions of. art were lavished on some of these idols, 
 and at the same time the rudest notions of the most 
 barbarous nations were ,also expressed in them. The 
 word zflf^/ originally meant simply an image, and only m 
 after ages was an idol regarded as itself a divine thmg 
 or being, rather than merely an image of it. 
 
 . ANCIENT SERPENT IDOL. 
 
JO 
 
 POLYTHEISM AND IDOLATRY. 
 
 Thus we have traced the worship of the world down 
 through the ages of antiquity. We have had' to rely upon 
 other than merely historic sources of information. We 
 have seen the gradual introduction of Polytheism (many 
 gods' worship), and of idolatry (the worship of visible 
 forms). For the rest of our way the light shines more 
 and more clearly. Historic times are now reached, and 
 we shall find much less difficulty in tracing the stories of 
 religions ; and we shall also find data from which we may 
 reason back, and so find confirmation of what has thus 
 far 'been of necessity somewhat shadowy. 
 
 ROMAN, ASSYRIAN. EGYPTIAN. EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN 
 
 BABYLONIAN. GRECIAN, GRECIAN, PERSIAN. 
 
 Before passing to these, however, we shall turn aside 
 for a little to consider the testimony which ancient 
 heathen records and traditions furnish on the genuine- 
 ness of the Bible history, and' also to notice the singular 
 system of Hebrew worship, standing alone like a green 
 oasis in the weary wastes of heathenism. 
 
IDOL FROM HINDUSTAN. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 SACRED AND HEATHEN TRADITIONS. 
 
 What appears .to be of most importance is, the fact, attested by the 
 hieroglyphic paintings of the Mexican, as well as by the 'tales now 
 current in all quarters from the Arctic Ocean to Cape Horn, that one 
 of these great periods, called "the Age of Waters," closed with a 
 convulsion, the account of which, in all its broader outlines, is re- 
 markably akin to the Mosaic record of the Deluge. — ^Archdeacon 
 Charles Hardwick. 
 
 FROM time to time during the past half century 
 travelers have unearthed traditions from among 
 heathen nations concerning the early history of 
 the world. They have deciphered inscriptions, found the 
 key to the hieroglyphics, or writings whose letters were 
 yet pictures in form, and, by questioning, learned from 
 the heathen peoples themselves of traditions and legends 
 which bear upon the prominent events of early history. 
 These narratives are from a variety of sources and from 
 peoples differing widely in locality, language and civiliza- 
 tion. They are matters of curious interest, and they ' 
 serve to confirm the Biblical stories of the creation, deluge, 
 dispersion of the races and other events. They agr.ee to 
 a great extent among themselves, just as far as is really 
 possible considering the changing circumstances of the 
 peoples who hold them. But tljey serve ' another and 
 more important purpose to us just here, y They throw 
 much light on the early history of the religions of which 
 
 they form a part. They confirm the idea of the original 
 
 6s 
 
64 
 
 HEATHEN TRADITIONS. 
 
 unity of the race and of the early existence of one reli- 
 gion .for the world. 
 
 The oldest civilizations of the world are, respectively, 
 those of Egypt, Babylon, Phenicia, the Hindu and the 
 Greek. Among each of these the traditions of the early 
 events referred to above are found. Almost, though not 
 quite, all the nations of the world try to give some account 
 of the origin of the world and of nations. Many of the 
 uncivilized peoples, as the Indians of America, the Mex- 
 icans and the Pacific Islanders, have some popular stories 
 of the deluge. We propose to place side by side some 
 of these, that they may be compared with each other. 
 The traditions of the creation are often mixed up with 
 those of the deluge or the re-creation, and we give of 
 them the versions accepted by the best scholars. 
 
 TRADITIONS OF CREATION. 
 
 Among many peoples is found the teaching that man 
 was made of the dust of the earth. The Greeks repre- 
 sent Prometheus as. moulding from clay the first human 
 beings, and giving them life by means of fire which he stole 
 from heaven. The Peruvians called the first man Alpa 
 Camasca, or "animated earth." The Mandans, a tribe of 
 Indians of North America, believed that the Great Spirit 
 formed two figures of clay, which he dried and animated 
 by the breath of his mouth. To the one was given the 
 name of the "first man," to the other, "companion." The 
 Otaheitans said that God made man of red earth, and 
 the Dyacks of Borneo, that he had been made of common 
 dust. The Zoroastrians (or Parsees) in the Bundehesh, a 
 book containing none but ancient traditions, have many 
 traditions regarding the creation and fall of man. The 
 garden of Eden was undoubtedly in southern Persia, or 
 near by, hence these are traditions which have lingered 
 
SACREt) AND Heathen traditions 
 
 65 
 
 around the spot where the events happened. According 
 to the Parsees, there was a garden where the first human 
 beings Hved, and in it two trees, the one bearing " Haoma," 
 supposed to give immortaHty to those who drank its 
 juice. (Haoma and the Hindu word "Soma" are 
 probably different forms of one word. The Hindu Soma 
 was possessed of the same properties as the Parsee 
 Haoma). Then follows a story of the first temptation of 
 man, bearing the closest resemblance to the Bible story, 
 even .in the incident of the tempter having taken the 
 form of a serpent. 
 
 The inhabitants of the Caroline Islands, a group in 
 Micronesia, said: "In the beginning there was no death, 
 but a certain Erigiregers, who was. one of the evil spirits, 
 and who was sorry to see the happiness of the human 
 race, contrived to get for them a sort of death from 
 which they should never wake." The Hottentots said 
 that " their first parents had committed so great a fault, 
 and so grievously offended the Supreme God, that he had 
 cursed both them and their children." 
 
 Berosus, the Chaldean, read from the inscriptions on 
 the Assyrian monuments, the tradition that there had 
 been ten kings before the deluge. Ten antediluvian 
 heroes are mentioned in Genesis. The legends of the 
 Parsees say the same thing. In India the traditions tell 
 of nine Brahmadikas, who, with Brahma, the first of all, 
 make ten, whom they called the Ten Fathers. The 
 Chinese count ten emperors, who reigned before his- 
 torical times began. There is a multitude of correspond- 
 ences similar to these. These are selected simply as 
 specimens. There is another tradition, well-nigh uni- 
 versal, and agreeing in all important particulars as told 
 by different nations. This is that concerning the flood. 
 In addition to traditions there are coins, medals and 
 
66 
 
 THE CHALDEAN STORY. 
 
 monumehtal inscriptions which perpetuate the story, as 
 is illustrated in the specimen coin given below. 
 
 1 
 
 TRADITIONS OF THE DELUGE. 
 
 Let us keep in mind the differences between the nations 
 holding the tradition. It was impossible for them to have 
 conferred . with one another, or to 
 have copied from each other. The 
 confusion' of languages, their wide 
 separation in point of space and time, 
 prevented this. The oldest historic 
 nation, Egypt, having lost most of 
 its sacred books before they were 
 made known to other nations or even 
 to the later generations among them- 
 selves, possess few traces of the tradition. One passage 
 in the writings of Manetho, the historian, distinctly refers 
 to the deluge. "The Book of the Dead" .constantly refers 
 to the sun-god, Ra, as voyaging in a boat on the celestial 
 ocean, and Ra is said to have been so disgusted with the 
 insolence of men that he determined to exterminate the 
 race. 
 
 Clear and complete is the account which Berosus 
 has preserved. He was a learned Chaldean priest, liv- 
 ing in the time of Alexander the Great, about 325 B. C. 
 This narrative is a translation made from the inscriptions 
 of the Assyrian monuments, and compared with tradi- 
 tions of his own time. 
 
 COIN REPRESENTING 
 THE DELUGE. 
 
 THE CHALDEAN STORY. 
 
 After the death of Ardates, his son, Xisuthrus, reigned 
 eighteen son (an uncertain period). In his time happened 
 a great deluge, the history of which is, thus described: 
 The deity Kronos appeared to him in a vision and 
 
SACRED AND HEATHEN TRADITIONS. 
 
 67 
 
 warned him that on the 15th day of the month Dsesius 
 there would be a flood by which mankind would be de- 
 stroyed. He therefore enjoined him to write a history 
 of the beginning, course and end of all things; and to 
 biiry it in the City of the Sun, at Sippara.* He was also 
 to build a vessel, and to take with him into it his friends 
 and relatives, he was to put on board of it food and 
 drink, with different reptiles, birds and quadrupeds. As 
 soon as he had made all arrangements he was to commit 
 himself to the deep. Having asked the Deity whither 
 he was to sail, he was answered: "To the gods, after 
 having offered a prayer for the good of mankind." 
 Whereupon, not being disobedient to this heavenly 
 vision, he built a vessel five stadia in length and two in 
 breadth. Into this he put everything which he had pre- 
 pared, and embarked in it with his wife, his children and 
 his personal friends. After the flood had been upon the 
 earth and had in due time abated, Xisuthrus sent out 
 some birds from the vessel, which not finding any food, 
 nor any place where they could rest, returned to the ves- 
 sel. After an interval of some days, Xisuthrus sent out 
 the birds a second time, and now they returned to the 
 ship with mud on their feet. A third time he repeated 
 the experiment and then they returned no more. Xisu- 
 thrus henc^e judged that the earth was visible above the 
 waters, and accordingly he made an opening in the ves- 
 sel, and seeing that it was stranded upon the summit of 
 a certain mountain, he quitted it with his wife and daugh- 
 ter and the pilot. Having then paid his adoration to the 
 earth, and having built an altar and offered sacrifice to 
 the gods, he, together with those who had left the vessel 
 
 * In later ages the scribes of Babylonia wrote important matters on both burnt 
 and unbumt bricks. One would be left unharmed by water, while the other was 
 made permanent by fire. 
 
gg THE HTNDOO TRADITION. 
 
 with him, disappeared. Those who had remained in the 
 vessel, when they found that Xisuthrus and his compan- 
 ions did not return, in their turn left the vessel and began 
 to look for him, calling him by his name. Him they saw 
 no more, but a voice came to them from heaven, bidding 
 them lead pious lives, and so join him who was gone to 
 live witH the gods, and further informing them that his 
 wife, his daughter and the pilot had shared the same 
 honor. It told them, moreover, that they should return 
 to Babylon, and how it was ordained that they should 
 take up the writings that had been buried in Sippara.and 
 impart them to mankind, and that the country where 
 they then were was the land of Armenia. Having heard 
 these words this company offered sacrifices to the gods, 
 and taking a circuit journeyed to Babylon. The vessel 
 having been thus stranded in Armenia, and parts of it 
 still remaining in the mountains of the Corcyraeans (or 
 Cordyseans, i. e., the Kurds of Kurdistan), in Armenia, 
 the people scrape off the bitumen from the vessel and 
 make use of it by way of charms. Now, when those 
 who were so commanded returned to Babylon, they dug 
 up the writings which had been buried at Sippara; they 
 also founded many cities and built temples, and thus the 
 country of Babylon became inhabited again. 
 
 The Hindoo narrative has been colored by the char- 
 acter of that people, but yet it is preserved with great 
 accuracy, and possesses many poijits of likeness to the 
 Biblical story, 
 
 THE HINDOO TRADITION. 
 
 The traditions of India appear in many forms. The 
 one which most remarkably agrees with the Biblical ac- 
 count is that contained in the Mahabharata. We are 
 there told that Brahma, having taken the form of a fish, 
 
SACRED AND HEATHEN TRADITIONS, 
 
 69 
 
 appeared to the pious Manu (Satya, i. e., the righteous, 
 as Noah also is called), on the banks of the river Wirini. 
 Thence, at his request, Manu transferred him to the 
 Ganges when he had grown bigger, and finally, when he 
 was too large for even the Ganges, to the ocean. 
 Brahma now announces to Manu the approach of the 
 Deluge, and bids him build a ship, and put in it all kinds 
 of seeds, together with the seven Rishic, or holy beings. 
 The flood begins and covers the whole earth. Brahma 
 himself appears in the form of a horned fish and the ves- 
 sel being made fast to him, he draws it for many years, 
 and finally lands on the highest summit of Mount Hima- 
 rat {i. e., the Himalaya). Afterwards, by the command of 
 God, the ship is made fast, and in memory of the event, 
 the mountain is called Naubandhana {i. e., ship bind- 
 ing). By the favor of Brahma, Manu, after the Flood, 
 creates the new race of mankind, which is thenceforth 
 termed Manudsha, or born of Manu. 
 
 The Chinese story is sometimes called in question as 
 possibly not referring to the general deluge, but to some 
 local flood. The truth is, we know as yet comparatively 
 little about the story, which is as follows* 
 
 THE CHINESE TRADITION. 
 
 Fuh-he is the reputed founder of the Chinese civilization 
 and the author of the Yhi-king, the oldest of the sacred 
 books. According to the legend, he is represented as 
 escaping from the waters of a deluge, and re-appearing 
 as the first man at the production of a renovated world. 
 He is attended by seven companions, his wife, three sons 
 and three daughters. 
 
 Dr. Gutzlaff, long a resident in China, says that he saw 
 in one of the Buddhist temples a representation of the 
 deluge in plaster work. Let it be kept in mind, that 
 
-Q MYTHS OF THE MEXICANS. 
 
 Buddhism incorporated in every land to which it went all 
 the traditions, myths and legends which it found current 
 among the people. " In beautiful stucco," Dr. Gutzlafif 
 says, "was depicted the scene where Kwan-Yin, the 
 Goddess of Mercy, looks down from heaven upon the 
 lonely Fuh-he (or Noah) in his ark, amidst the raging 
 waves of a deluge, with the dove with an olive branch in 
 its beak, flying toward the vessel." 
 
 Passing to the other side of the Pacific Ocean, we find 
 among the Mexicans and the Americans traditions of the 
 same character as the above. These agree so precisely 
 that they, cannot be a myth, a mere invention, but must 
 of necessity, be the recollection of a real, terrible event, 
 indelibly impressed on the memories of their ancestors, 
 and faithfully handed down. That it has never been for- 
 gotten, nor its important points altered, even though the 
 dress of the story has been changed, is an evidence of 
 the awful impression which this judgment of God left 
 upon the nations descending from the survivors. 
 
 The Mexican traditions were first taken down as they 
 were told to the Dominican missionaries. Travelers have 
 compared their accounts with the hieroglyphics on ancient 
 Mexican monuments and found them to agree. 
 
 THE MEXICAN LEGEND. 
 
 "Of the different nations that inhabit Mexico," says 
 A. von Humboldt, "the following had paintings resemb- 
 ling the deluge of Coxcox, namely, the Aztecs, the Mixtecs, 
 the Zapotecs, the Tlascaltecs and the Mechoacans. The 
 Noah, Xisuthras, or Manu of these nations, is termed 
 Coxcox, Teo Cipactli, or Tezpi. He saved himself with his 
 wife, Xochiquetzari, in a bark, or, according to other tra- 
 ditions, on a raft. The painting represents Coxcox in 
 the midst of the water waiting for a bark. The moun 
 
SACRED AND HEATHEN TRADITIONS. ^j 
 
 tain, the summit of which arises above the waters, is the 
 peak of Colhuacan, the Ararat of the Mexicans. At the 
 foot of the mountain are the heads of Coxcox and his 
 wife. The latter is known by two tresses in the form of 
 horns, denoting the female sex. The men born after the 
 deluge were dumb: the dove from the top of a tree dis- 
 tributed among them tongues, represented under the 
 form of small commas." Of the Mechoacan tradition- 
 he writes, "that Coxcox, whom they called Tezpi, em- 
 barked in a spacious acalli with his wife, his children, 
 several animals and some grain. When the Gfeat Spirit 
 ordered the waters to withdraw, Tezpi sent out from his 
 bark a vulture, the zopilote, or vultur aura. This bird 
 did not return on account of the carcasses with which 
 the earth was strewn. Tezpi sent out other birds, one 
 of which, the humming-bird, alone returned, holding in its 
 beak a. branch clad with leaves. Tezpi, seeing that fresh 
 verdure . covered, the soil, quitted his bark near the 
 mountain of Colhuacan." 
 
 The Peruvians also have legends of the deluge as 
 have many of the Polynesian islanders. 
 
 THE FIJI islanders' TRADITION. 
 
 The Fiji Islanders say that " after the islands had been 
 peopled by the first man and woman, a great rain took 
 place, by which they were finally submerged ; but before 
 the highest places were covered by the waters, two large 
 double canoes made their appearance.. In one of these 
 was Rokora, the god of carpenters, in the othf r Rokola, 
 his head workman, who picked up some of the people 
 and kept them on board until the waters had subsided ; 
 after which they were again landed on • the island. It is 
 reported, that in former times, canoes were always kept 
 in readiness against another inundation. The persons 
 
»2 GREEK VERSION OF THE TALE. 
 
 thus saved, eight in number, were landed at Mbenga, 
 where the highest of their gods is said to have made 
 his first appearance. By virtue of this tradition, the 
 chiefs of Mbenga take rank before all others, and have 
 always acted a conspicuous part among the Fijis. They 
 style themselves Ngalidura-ki-langi — subject to heayea 
 alone." 
 
 AMERICAN INDIAN TRADITIONS. 
 
 Many of the tribes of North America related in their 
 rude legends that the human race had been destroyed by 
 a deluge, and that their god, to re-people the earth, had 
 changed animals into men. The traveler, Henry, repeats 
 a tradition which he had heard from the Indians of the 
 Lakes. Formerly the Father of the Indian tribes lived 
 toward the rising sun. Having been warned by a dream 
 that a deluge was coming to destroy the earth, he con- 
 structed a raft, on which he saved himself with his family 
 and all animals. He floated thus many months on the 
 water. The animals, which then had the power of speech, 
 complained aloud and murmured against him. At last a 
 new earth appeared, and he stepped down on it with all 
 these creatures, who thenceforward lost the power of 
 speech as a punishment for their murmurs against their 
 preserver. 
 
 THE GREEK STORY. 
 
 Hellas has two versions of a flood, one associated 
 with Ogyges, and the other, in a far more elaborate form, 
 with Deuc^allon. Both, however, are of late origin. They 
 were unknown to Homer and Hesiod. Herodotus, though 
 he mentions Deucalion as one of the first kings of the 
 Hellenes, says not a word about this flood. Pindar is the 
 first writer who mentions it. In Apollodorus and Ovid 
 the story appears in a much more definite shape, though, 
 
l^ACkMb AND HEAt'tiEN TkADlT'lokS. ^j 
 
 of course, this is but a re-writing of the early tradition, 
 Finally, Lucian gives a narrative not very different from 
 that of Ovid, except that he makes provision for the 
 safety of the animals, which Ovid does not. He attri- 
 butes the necessity for the Deluge to the exceeding wicked- 
 ness of the existing race of men, and declares that the earth 
 opened and sent forth waters to swallow them up, as 
 well as that heavy rain fell upon them. Deucalion, as 
 the one righteous man, escaped with his wife and chil- 
 dren and the animals he had put into the chest and 
 landed on the top of Parnassus, after nine days and 
 nine nights, during which the chief part of Hellas was 
 under water, and all men perished except a few who 
 reached the tops of the highest mountains. Plutarch 
 mentions the dove which Deucalion made use of to as- 
 certain whether the flood was abated, though he may 
 have borrowed this from the Septuagint version of the 
 Old Testament, access to which he had probably enjoyed, 
 and with which he was most likely familiar. 
 
 The many points of agreement will be readily noted. 
 The fact of a deluge of waters sent by the Supreme 
 Being, as a punishment for man's wickedness ; the saving 
 of a chosen few by means of a boat; the re-peopling of 
 the earth by these, all present points of likeness to the 
 Biblical account. This is inexplicable unless the record 
 is true and all the nations of the earth were made of one 
 blood. / 
 
 But these are not all of the remarkable agreements. 
 Of the same character as the above stories, are the 
 traditions of the history of the race after the flood, of 
 the building of the tower of Babel, and the confusion of 
 tongues. We can call attention to but one of these, the 
 Chaldean account concerning the tower of Babel, which 
 may be regarded as a fair specimen of the many. 
 
„ . FIRST IDOL OF THE HEBREWS. 
 
 CHALDEAN STORY OF THE TOWER OF BABEL. 
 
 The Story of the "Tower of the Tongues" was among 
 the most ancient recollections of the Chaldeans, and was 
 one of the national traditions of the Armenians, who 
 had received it from the civilized nations inhabiting the 
 Tigro-Euphrates basin. Berosus records this event in 
 complete agreement with the Bible, as follows : 
 
 "They say that the first inhabitants of the earth, glory- 
 ing in their own strength and size and despising the gods, 
 uadertook to raise a tower whose top should reach the 
 sky, in the place in which Babylon now stands ; but when 
 it approached the heaven, the wind assisted the gods and 
 overthrew the work upon its contrivers, and its ruins are 
 said to be still at Babylon; and the gods introduced a 
 diversity of tongues among men, who til] that time had 
 all spoken the same language; and a war arose be- 
 tween Chronus and Titan. The place in which they 
 built the tower is now called Babylon, on account of the 
 confusion of tongues, for confusion is by the Hebrews 
 called Babel." 
 
 WHAT HAS THE BIBLE TO SAY ABOUT IDOLATRY? 
 
 There is another aspect of the relation of the Bible to 
 the heathen religions, to which we should call attention. 
 In what terms does the Bible speak of the worship of 
 false gods and idols? The Israelites were brought into 
 contact with idolatry very early in their history. The 
 patriarchs were familiar with it, both as they journeyed 
 abroad and among their neighbors at home. Abraham's 
 parents were at least partially idolatrous. Jacob, while 
 living with Laban, was accu~stomed to the sight of the 
 teraphim and other gods. Joseph had for his wife the 
 daughter of a heathen Egyptian priest. Jacob and his 
 
SACRED Ann HEATHElf TRADITIONS. hr 
 
 children, during their Hfe in Egypt, were surrounded by 
 temples, idol groves, sacred beasts and all the parapher- 
 nalia of heathen worship. Moses was brought up in all 
 the learning of the Egyptians. Undoubtedly, as was 
 customary in Egypt, he had for his teachers Egyptian 
 priests. When Israel made its exodus from Egypt, the 
 miraculous power, which God gave to Moses was brought- 
 into- contact with the power of the sorcerers arid magi- 
 cians of Pharaoh's court. After they had left Egypt 
 they remembered the idol-worship they had been accus- 
 tomed to see. The first idol ever made and worshiped 
 by the Hebrews, was the golden calf. Side by side with 
 this incident, is the first plain command against idolatry: 
 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt 
 not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of 
 anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the 
 earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth: 
 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them." 
 While God was giving this stern, strong, plain command 
 to Moses, for him to repeat to the chosen people of Israel, 
 they were engaged in their idolatrous worship. In the com- 
 mand to Israel, we see how God regards the worship of 
 idols. For awhile Israel regarded God's command, On 
 their way to Canaan they yielded to the charms of the 
 daughters of Moab, and with most terribly wicked wor- 
 ship they bowed to the heathen god Baal-Peor. Fo< 
 this they were severely punished. During the life of 
 Joshua they did not again yield to the temptations of 
 idolatry. Gideon's father, Joash, worshiped Baal. After 
 Gideon's death, idolatry became the national sin of Israel. 
 From Samuel's time until the reign of Solomon, the 
 people were loyal to Jehovah's worship. Solomon's 
 foreign wives brought with them the gods which they 
 were accustomed to worship, and soon all Israel was 
 
wg hkAEL BECOMES IDOLATkoU^. 
 
 turned to worship them. From this time until after the 
 captivity at Babylon, idolatry was the constant sin of 
 Israel. Often God sent his messengers, the prophets, to 
 warn them of the danger of their sin. Often His judg- 
 ments were shown in the terrible calamities which came 
 upon Israel. But it took the most awful of all calamities, 
 the temporary ruin of the nation, to work a complete cure. 
 God chose Israel as the people to preserve for the world 
 the pure worship of Himself, the one and the only God. 
 How they failed to fulfill their high calling we have seen. 
 God was preparing in Israel the true religion which 
 was designed to be universal. In Abraham's seed all the 
 families of the earth were to be blessed. The Jews were 
 made the keepers of the treasure of the promises of the 
 Saviour. God selected them from all the n&tions for this 
 express purpose ; He gave them a territory shut off from 
 that of other nations ; in their language, habits, ways of 
 thinking and religion, they were distinct from all others. 
 They were to be kept separate until the time when Gdd 
 should give the true religion to the whole world. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SUBJECT IN A NUTSHELL. 
 
 Not in vain the nation-strivings, nor by chance the currents flow ; 
 Error-mazed, yet truth-directed, to their certain goal they ^o. 
 
 Ebn-el-Farid. 
 
 Oh, yet we trust that somehow good 
 
 Will be the final goal of ill, 
 
 To pangs of nature, sins of will. 
 Defects of doubt, and taints of blood ; 
 
 That nothing walks with aimless feet ; 
 
 That not one life shall be destroyed, 
 
 Or cast as rubbish to the void, 
 When God hath made the pile complete. 
 
 Alfred Tennyson. 
 
 IN this chapter it is proposed to survey rapidly the 
 progress of the whole heathen world in idolatrous 
 worship from its first introduction. We have already 
 seen how the world began with the worship of one God, 
 but passed into the worship of the objects, powers and 
 forces of nature ; and how to these were given tangible 
 forms in the shape of idols. Further we have noticed 
 the gradual introduction of the worship of animals, and 
 men, and their idols. 
 
 METHODS OF GROUPING RELIGIONS. 
 
 The various religions might be classified by dividing 
 
 them into two groups ; first, those having sacred books, 
 
 and secondly, those having no sacred books. According 
 
 to this method, for example, the Hindu, Parsee, Egyp' 
 
 5 .„' ' - ?? 
 
78 
 
 DEAD AND LIVING RELIGIONS. 
 
 tian, Chinese, Buddhist and Mohammedan religions 
 would be placed in one group, and the religions of the 
 Japanese Shintoists, of the Indians of America, of the 
 Pacific Islanders, of the African Fetichists and of our 
 heathen ancestors, in another group. This is rather an 
 arbitrary division. 
 
 Another mode of arranging them is as missionary 
 or proselyte-making religions and non-missionary re- 
 ligions. Thus, Brahminism, as it never went beyond In-* 
 dia, and Confucianism, as it never sent its teachers out of 
 China, would be in one class, while Buddhism which was 
 spread all over Eastern Asia by its missionary priests, 
 and Mohammedanism whose priests went over Western 
 Asia and Northern Africa making proselytes, would be in 
 another class. 
 
 We must have some system of classifying and arrang- 
 'ing the different religions, and the following has seemed 
 to be the most simple and natural classification. To look 
 at them first, as original religions and as reformed re- 
 ligions, and secpndly, as dead and as living religions. It 
 happens that most of the dead religions were original 
 religions, and so we take these up first. Then we notice 
 the living original religions, and afterward the reformed 
 religions, which are nearly all living. The religions 
 which will be described in the following pages, from 
 Chapters V. to X., are dead original religions ; those in 
 Chapters XI. to XIX. are living original religions ; and 
 those in Chapters XX. to XXXVI., are living reformed 
 religions. It is proper that these terms, as they are in- 
 tended to be used here should be quite clearly defined. 
 
 DEAD RELIGIONS AND LIVING RELIGIONS. 
 
 Many religions still exist, but some are extinct. We 
 speak of languages as dead or living ; the ancient Greek 
 
THE SUSyECT m A NVTSHELL. m^ 
 
 and the Latin, which are no longer spoken, are called 
 dead. The French, German or English, which are in 
 common use to-day, are called living. Though these 
 dead languages are no longer spoken, words and phrases 
 which are derived from them still survive in the living 
 languages. Indeed some of the living languages are 
 built up out of these dead languages. Just so in religions, 
 there are worships which have no followers to-day ; there 
 are ruins of their temples and idols, and portions of their 
 sacred books remaining to us. The accounts which 
 ancient historians have preserved for us of their worships, 
 the ruins of iheir temples, their majestic monuments and 
 inscriptions, and their sacred books which have of late 
 years been translated into our language, enable us to 
 learn very minutely of many of these worships. Of the 
 living religions, we have but to study the narratives of 
 travelers and of those scholars who have taken special 
 pains to study and explain the sacred books, rites, le- 
 gends and customs of the people following these faiths. 
 
 ORIGINAL RELIGIONS AND REFORMED RELIGIONS. 
 
 By original religions we mean to denote those which 
 are, or were, the religions of the earliest inhabitants of 
 the various countries, and which are but little changed in 
 the course of time. By reformed religions we mean such 
 as at some later day have branched off from the earlier 
 ' religions. These reforms are always begun by some 
 great man, who, seeing or imagining error in the old 
 system, undertakes to correct it, and before he is hardly 
 aware of it, establishes a new faith. Thus Zoroaster re- 
 belled against the impure worship of the corrupt religion 
 of his country and founded Parseeism; thus Confucius 
 gathered together some of the traditions and sayings of 
 the ancient Chinese writers added to them a great many 
 
gQ DEATH OF CERTAIN RELIGTONS. 
 
 teachings of his own and founded Confucianism ; thus 
 Gautama, the Buddha, convinced of the inability of the 
 ancient Hindu faith to help the world's sorrow or to heal 
 its wounds, founded Buddhism; and thus Mohammed 
 felt himself called of God to wage a war against idolatry, 
 and so he founded the Moslem faith.- 
 
 Further, we shall take up these religions in each class as 
 far as possible, in the order of time, taking the oldest 
 first and the youngest last. 
 
 DEAD RELIGIONS, 
 
 The gods of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Jev^s, Greeks, Ro- 
 mans and Britons (including all other peoples of Western 
 Europe), are no longer worshiped. They sank into ne- 
 glect from various causes. Some fell by a natural decay ; 
 there was not enough in them to enable them to retain 
 their hold upon their worshipers as foreign religions were 
 introduced. Some of the peoples holding these faiths 
 lost their distinctively national existence and their faith 
 faded out along with their national life. Stronger races 
 of strange peoples swept over their lands, driving them 
 out or subduing them. The conqueror's customs and 
 religious worship then took the place of those of the con- 
 quered people. 
 
 Another cause of the death of certain religions, and a 
 more frequent cause, has been the coming in of a better 
 system. In this way the Egyptian religion gave place to 
 the Christian, and that in turn (in Egypt) to the Moham- 
 medan. The false gods of the Greeks, Romans, Britons 
 and other nations were forgotten in the coming of the 
 religion of Jesus Christ. Mrs. Browning's beautiful 
 poem, "The Dead Pan," is based on a tradition mentioned 
 by Plutarch, according to which, at the hour of the 
 Saviour's agony a cry of " Great Pan is dead 1" swept 
 
THE SUBJECT IN A NUTSHELL. 3 j 
 
 across the waves in the hearing of some sailors, and im- 
 mediately the oracles ceased. She writes: 
 
 " Gods of Hellas, Gods of Hellas, 
 Can ye listen in your silence ? 
 Can your mystic voices tell us 
 
 Where ye hide ? In floating islands. 
 With a wind that evermore 
 Keeps you out of sight of shore ? 
 
 Pan, Pan is dead. 
 
 "And that dismal cry rose slowly 
 And sank slowly through the air, 
 Full of spirit's melancholy 
 And eternity's despair ! 
 And they heard the words it said — 
 Pan is dead — Great Pan is dead — 
 Pan, Pan is dead^ 
 
 "'Twas the hour when One in Sion 
 Hung for love's sake on a cross ; 
 When His brow was chill with dying, 
 
 And His soul was faint with loss ; 
 When His priestly blood dropped downward, 
 And His kingly eyes looked throneward — 
 Then, Pan was dead. 
 
 "By the love He stood alone in. 
 His sole Godhead rose complete, 
 And the false gods fell down moaning, 
 
 Each from off his golden seat ; 
 All the false gods with a cry 
 Rendered up their deity — 
 
 Pan, Pan was dead." 
 
 The Greek and Roman faith and the worships of West- 
 ern Europe have all yielded to the advancing Christian 
 army. The process of tearing down and building up is still 
 going on. Parseeism and the American Indians' religion 
 are dying, because the people who belong to these nations 
 are dying out. Mohammedanism is making great inroads 
 
82 ^AQK TO THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 
 
 on the Fetich-worship of Africa, Buddhism is lessening 
 the respect for Confucius and Lao-Tsze in China, and is 
 gaining ground on Shintoism in Japan. Christianity is, in 
 almost every land, lessening the hold of heathen religions 
 upon their followers and is slowly leavening the whole 
 world, as the facts and figures prove. Before the bright 
 li^ht of the Sun of Righteousness the dark night of error 
 and superstition is fleeing away. 
 
 LIVING WORSHIPS. 
 
 The first group, that of original faiths, will include the 
 religions of Hinduism, Shintoism, of Africa, America, 
 Oceanica, and of the Karens of Burmah. The next 
 group, that of the living reformed religions, will include 
 Parseeism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Mo- 
 hammedanism. This last is not, strictly speaking, a sys- 
 tem of idolatry, and therefore we do not give it an ex- 
 tended notice ; yet, as it exists as a fierce opponent ot 
 idolatry, and properly has a part in the history of idola- 
 try, we cannot pass it by altogether, but shall give it such 
 attention as is consistent. 
 
 The signs of these times, as well as the signs of the 
 gone-by ages, shows that the world is moving back to its 
 first worship of one God. As an opponent of idolatry 
 and as a great missionary system, Christianity is likely to 
 do this great work of bringing the world back to its first 
 faith. So we propose, briefly, after showing the contrasts 
 between the Christian religion and the idolatrous wor- 
 ships, to refer to the present attitude of the Christian 
 system in its work among existing heathen nations. This 
 will involve a view of the great battle-field of the world, 
 and of the forces fighting for and against the true worship 
 of the one God. To this true \(^orship the world is slowly 
 but surely tending. 
 
THE SUBJECT JN A NUTSHELL. g, 
 
 THE PROPOSED TREATMENT. 
 
 Heathen religions have often been described as they 
 are found in their sacred books or in the teachings of 
 their founders. This is not as it should be. They should 
 be studied from these sources, but riot from these only. 
 These show the religions, not as they are, but as they 
 were intended to be. The test of time which has been 
 applied to them, their after-growth and their effect upon 
 their followers should be carefully studied. It not seldom 
 happens that the religion as its founder taught it, and the 
 religion of later days which was -built up on his teach- 
 ings a;-e very different. Take Buddhism for an example. 
 How widely different is the Buddhism of Burmah from 
 that established by Gautama ! What vast changes has 
 the system undergone during the centuries that have 
 passed since Gautama's death ! Or take Mohammedan- 
 ism, which was, as Mohammed taught, a crusade; against 
 the idolatrous reverence for relics, images, sacred places 
 and sacred things generally. To-day, in one of the most 
 famous of Mohammedan mosques — that at Delhi, India — 
 a hair f>^om Mohammed's ' beard, a part of his garments 
 and his sandals, are exhibited to the devout worshipers in 
 the mosque. The Brahminism of the Vedas, the sacred 
 Hindu books, differs greatly from the Hindu worship of 
 to-day with its myriads of idols and its great system of 
 caste. The same religion often differs in different lands. 
 The Buddhism of Ceylon and the Buddhism of Burmah 
 and Siam are different, and they together (often called 
 by way of distinction. Southern Buddhism), differ very 
 greatly from the Buddhism of China and Japan (called 
 Northern Buddhism). The same religion has a still dif- 
 ferent form in Thibet. 
 
 It is a part of our plan to look into these religions 
 
84 
 
 CHANGES IN UEA7HEN RELIGIONS. 
 
 as they existed in their beginnings and in their growths, 
 and so to present a complete picture. The Hfe of a 
 religion is not to be found in its sacred books only, 
 but in the life, worship and habits of thought of its 
 followers. From the idols, temples, worship, festivals 
 and religious customs of the every-day life of the house- 
 hold or business circles, we can gain a yet more per- 
 fect picture. The traditions, legends and superstitious 
 practices of the people generally contain those facts 
 which are most widely accepted. The folk-lore, fireside 
 stories, children's tales, the myths and songs of any 
 people contain the principal ideas of their religion. 
 Thus we -propose to try to present as perfect a picture 
 as possible of the various heathen religions of the past 
 and present, and we trust the effort may succeed. 
 
 A coi^ciSE vIew. 
 
 Let us take a gltmpse of the roads over which we shall 
 now travel. Heretofore we have followed but one wide 
 road. From this other roads begin to branch off, and 
 by-roads in turn occasionally. It will not be difficult to 
 follow these paihs, however, if at the outset we place 
 ourselves where we can take a bird's-eye view of the 
 whole and pursue our way steadily to the end. 
 
 PARSEEISM. 
 
 For some time after the confusion of tongues the na- 
 tions remained in the vicinity of the tower of Babel. 
 Then they began to disperse, all but one nation. This 
 one journeyed only a short distance to the south and 
 founded the empires of Assyria and Babylon, the Persia 
 of later days. Here we find traces of that idolatrous 
 worship which sopn passed into Parseeism. Zoroaster was 
 ihe man who was instrumental in reforming the ancient 
 
THE SVByECT tM A NUTSHELL. g e 
 
 Assyrian religion. Zoroaster retained the worship of the 
 sun and of fire, and taught that there were two gods, a 
 good god and an evil god, Ormuzd and Ahriman. There 
 are only a fe\<r Parsees left to-day and the old Assyrian 
 religion is entirely extinguished. 
 
 AFRICAN RELIGION. 
 
 The nations who passed south-west across Northern 
 Arabia and Sinai, finally came to Africa. In Egypt we 
 find relics of a very high civilization, and they seem to 
 indicate that one of the greatest of the nations of the 
 earth settled there. Their worship was of the sun, moon 
 and stars and of animals. The River Nile, upon which 
 their very life depended, was soon received as an object 
 of worship. Some part of those who came to Egypt 
 wandered up the Nile and passed south and west to 
 Central Africa. Here they were brought in contact with 
 nature in its wildest forms. There was little need of 
 tilling the soil for crops, as nature produced of herself 
 so abundantly in this tropical climate. The heated at- 
 mosphere did away with the necessity either of substan- 
 tial dwellings or of more than a little clothing. Hence 
 the nations had litde to do, and as the old proverb says, 
 "Satan finds mischief for' idle hands to do," he soon, 
 evidently, set these nations to occupy their time in quar- 
 reling among themselves. Thus the most brutal habits 
 were brought about and the traces of their original 
 nobility and civilization were rapidly destroyed. Theirs 
 was a quick degeneration. Together with their civiliza- 
 tion their religion decayed, until they were left with a re- 
 ligion hardly worth the name, and were litde above the 
 apes and gorillas inhabiting the wild woods about them. 
 But they could never become wholly animalized, they 
 always retain some traces of their religious faith. 
 
g5 cir&isnAmT)^ /j/ ti^£sr££j\^ MmoPM. 
 
 WESTERN EUROPE. 
 
 The nations who passed north-west entered Germany 
 and soon scattered over Norway and Sweden and France, 
 and finally across the channel to the British Isles. Among 
 these peoples, the Teutons, Celts, Scandinavians and 
 Gauls, the early nature- worship was long preserved. 
 Indeed traces of it are found even at the time of the birth 
 of Christ. The coldness of their climate, the severity of 
 the storms gradually developed them into a hardy race 
 and finally led them to introduce changes into their 
 religious faith corresponding to their surroundings. 
 Their myths, legends and songs, as well as their more 
 directly religious worship, partook largely of the heroic 
 element. Christianity early overspread these lands and 
 the early religions died out as Christianity grew. 
 
 THE SOUTHERN MIGRATION. 
 
 One of the strongest of existing religions is found in 
 the Brahminism of India. This is the religion of the 
 people who moved south-east till they came to the Indus 
 River. They settled along its banks until they were well- 
 established in their habits of life and religious faith, and 
 then some of them wandered away to the East, till they 
 came to the River Ganges, and settled in its valley. Others 
 wandered south, and soon the whole of India was occu- 
 pied. These people kept up communications with one 
 another and preserved one language, though this was 
 modified in different parts of the country. Their religion 
 retained most of its features in common among them all. 
 Early in their history other Vedas, or sacred books, were 
 written in addition to the Rig- Veda or book of hymns to 
 the gods. Other sacred books were added to these, 
 called Brahmanas and the laws of Manu. Their gods 
 
 / 
 
THM sUBiECT tN A NUTSHELL. ^^ 
 
 were multiplied, temples and shrines were built. The 
 larger rivers were believed to be holy, and were, together 
 with the crocodiles dwelling in them, worshiped. 
 
 From India people wandered overland or across the 
 Indian Ocean to Burmah and Siam, and thence to the 
 Malay Archipelago, and from there to the Pacific Isles 
 and America. These migrations (or wanderings) oc- 
 curred before the Hindu religion was developed. The 
 peoples who thus strayed away, carried with them the early 
 worship of nature. We find this still among many of the 
 savage tribes of North and South America and of the 
 Pacific Isles. These tribes gradually became savage in 
 the same way as the African tribes. They possess tradi- 
 tions of an early civilization. 
 
 BUDDHISM. 
 
 In India in the fifth century befqre Christ, the Hindu 
 religion had become a very poor religion indeed. It was* 
 at that time a mere system of priestcraft. The nation 
 groaned under the burdens which the priests placed upon 
 them. Then a man was raised up to reform this religion. 
 Sakya-Muni was born in the middle of the century ; after 
 attempting to find in the Hindu religion that help which 
 the people needed, he cast it all aside and struck out for 
 himself a new line of reasoning. He called himself the Bud- 
 dha, that is, the " Enlightened One." Soon his teachings 
 were accepted in all India, going as far as Ceylon even. 
 But in India the priests soon triumphed over the new 
 faith and Buddhism was expelled and Brahminism re- 
 established. Excepting the Jains, a Buddhist sect in 
 Western India, there are noW no Buddhists in India 
 proper. In Ceylon it still remains. Buddha taught his 
 disciples to preach his teg.chings everywhere. So they 
 went to Burmah (from Ceylon) not long after Buddha's 
 
38 RELIGIONS OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 
 
 death. From there it spread East to Siam, and North- 
 east up the Irrawady River along the route that the 
 Chinese traders were accustomed to pass over. From 
 China it entered Japan. The Tripitakas, or "Three 
 Baskets," as they are designated, are the sacred books of 
 the Buddhists. 
 
 china's religions. 
 
 The Chinese legends say that Noah was their first em- 
 peror. Whether this be true or not, we know that 
 China, like Egypt, was early setded and possessed a high 
 civilization. The nations moved from Persia in the 
 West until they came to the great Hoang Ho River; 
 along its banks, and to the north and south of it, they 
 settled. Of their early religion we know but little. The 
 great sage Confucius (or Kong the teacher), was born 
 somewhere about 551 before Christ. He was a states- 
 man reformer. le was not a priest, nor even noted for 
 piety. But he gathered together the sayings of the an- 
 cients, and weaving in with them his own wisdom, he 
 produced the system now known as Confucianism. The 
 books containing his teachings, and those of his immedi- 
 ate disciples, are called the King. 
 
 A little before Confucius, lived Lao-Tsze, a philosopher 
 and astrologer, who did something toward re-establish- 
 ing the old religion, and who also added new teachings. 
 His weird system is called Taoism, and its sacred books 
 are the Tao-Te-King. Buddhism in China has taken in 
 with Buddha's teachings the doctrines and gods of Con-, 
 fucius and Lao-Tsze. 
 
 SHINTOISM IN JAPAN. 
 
 The early inhabitants of Japan are supposed to be the 
 Ainos a race now almost extinguished. The few that 
 
THE SUBJECT IN A NUTSHELL, gq 
 
 are left live in Yezo, the northernmost island of Japan. 
 Many sailors from the islands of the Malayan Archipel- 
 ago were washed upon the shores of Japan and soon 
 mixed in with the Ainos. They gradually became 
 strortger and stronger and, finally, the children of the 
 mixed races conquered the entire land. The Japaiiese 
 retained their early nature-worship, which is called Shinto, 
 or Kami-no-michi, the "way of the gods," until Bud- 
 dhism came in to disturb- its \ hold upon the people's 
 hearts. Buddhism entered Japan in 552 after Christ, 
 
 MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 About five hundred years after Christianity was estab- 
 lished, it had degenerated in most parts of Arabia and 
 Sycia into a system for the worship of saints and relics. 
 The people of Arabia were given from the earliest times 
 to idolatry. Mohammed wa-s born 5,70 A. D. He built 
 upon the ruins of Judaism, Christianity and the Arabian 
 idolatrous worship, the system called Mohammedanism. 
 His motto was (and it contains the sum and substance 
 of his teachings) "There is no God but God, and Mo- 
 hammed is his prophet." He began a vigorous crusade 
 against idols and relic-worship. At first he sought to 
 extend his system by teaching only, afterwards he used 
 the sword. From Arabia his religion spread to Turkey, 
 to India, to Egypt and Africa, and even to China. 
 
 Christianity's ' conquests. 
 
 Christianity is the religion for the world. It is in- 
 finitely superior to all religions of either past or present. 
 It was intended to be the world-religion. Its founder, 
 Jesus Christ, designed that it should be spread over the 
 whole world, and gave His disciples their marching- 
 orders before He left them at His ascension. They were 
 
90 
 
 CHRISTIANITY'S CONQUESTS. 
 
 bidden to go into all the world and preach His gospel 
 to every creature. They were assured of His assistance 
 and of final success. Without any of the power of 
 pomp or wealth, or wisdom, or numbers, the little band 
 undertook to obey their orders. They have spread from 
 land to land, until their camp-fires have been kindled 
 almost all around the globe. Their triumphs have been 
 gained by the powers of persuasion. Their past history 
 is grand, their present outlook glorious, and their future 
 prospects full of assurance. 
 
 Now let us take up more in detail these various sys- 
 tems. Retracing the roads we have hurried over let us 
 start afresh and proceed more leisurely to study the re- 
 ligious life of mankind, and especially as it is associated 
 with false gods and idols. 
 
SPHINX OF GIZEH. To the east of the second Pyramid is to be found this Great 
 Sphinx, by far the largest and most famous of all the Sphinxes. " It is one of the most 
 characteristic monuments of this wonderful necropolis." It is a recumbent, man-headed, 
 lion, hewn out of the solid rock. Steps lead down the front to the sanctuary and tablet 
 but the hollow thus formed is constantly filled by the ever-drifting sands of the desert. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. • 
 
 1 nave come to Egypt to learn something of the wisdom of the 
 Egyptians. Tell me, then, ye tombs, and temples, and pyramids, 
 about God; tell me about the life to come! But the pyramids speak 
 not; and the Sphinx still looks toward the East, to watch for the rising 
 sun, but is voiceless and mute. This valley of the Nile speaks ol' 
 nothing biit death. From end to end its rock-ribbed hills are filled 
 with tombs. Yet what do they all teach the anxious and troubled 
 heart of man? Nothing! All these hills are silent. — H. M. Field. 
 
 HERODOTUS, the Greek historian, who visited 
 Egypt about 450 B. C, was struck with the ex- 
 treme attention which the Egyptians paid to 
 religion. He says that they were the most religious of all 
 mankind. The passing 
 strangef was impress- 
 ed with the pompous 
 ceremonies, the magni- 
 ficent festivals, the im- 
 posing processions and 
 the many gorgeous- 
 ly-robed priests. He 
 found large temples, 
 where the walls were 
 covered with sculp- 
 tures, paintings and 
 - hieroglyphic writings. 
 All Egypt was stamp- 
 ed with the impress of 
 religion. Every art and science, and all literature were 
 
 9i 
 
 RUINED TEMPLES. 
 
94 
 
 HIDDEN TREASURES OF EGYPT. 
 
 distinctly connected with religion, and were used In the 
 service of their deities. They surpassed all nations iri the 
 reverence they paid to the gods. Their religion was by 
 no means an open one. Like most of the false religions 
 of antiquity, there was a great deal of mystery about it, 
 Even to-day we find among the monuments traces of the 
 great attenti-on which the ancient Egyptians paid to the 
 service and adoration of their gods. 
 
 HIDDEN HISTORY. 
 
 Formerly the world was accustomed to speak of Eg^pt 
 as the "land of ruins;" a better title is now given, the 
 "land of monuments." The reason of the change in the 
 title is that it has been found that its ruins contain the 
 account of the past history of Egypt. Hundreds of years 
 ago travelers came across these great ruins covered over 
 with sculptiires and paintings, they found traces of the 
 existence of gigantic structures, they found, in almost 
 perfect preservation, great structures like the pyramids 
 and the sphinx. Here evidently was a treasure-house of 
 I information, but where v^as the key to unlock it ? It was 
 like a great pawnbroker's shop, full of rubbish, but also 
 with many articles of value locked up within its walls, but 
 with no key to unlock its doors. It was a land of 
 enigmas, of puzzling problems, of riddles. The traveler 
 turned from object to object with the tone of interroga- 
 tion. Why was this, and this ? What was its purpose ? 
 How came it here ? What does it all mean ? Evidently 
 these great buildings were not erected, these mysterious 
 sculptures carved, these puzzling paintings drawn, merely 
 to amuse a passing fancy. There must be some meaning 
 in them. Scholar after scholar pored ovfer it, beat their 
 brains about it, and gave it up. Century after century 
 passed away and still the mystery remained. There was 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. 
 
 95 
 
 ROCK TEMPLE OF IBSAMBUL, RESTORED. 
 
 one key which was found, but to use this key another key 
 was needed. Thf. writing of the Egyptians yet remained. 
 6 
 
96 EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHICS. 
 
 Undoubtedly, in their sacred books, and in the inscrip- 
 tions on the monuments or walls of the temples were 
 descriptions of the purpose of the great buildings, full 
 accounts of the past and their lost history of Egypt, and 
 perhaps accounts of arts and science now lost to thfe 
 world. A rich reward this, to the scholar who should 
 succeed in unraiveling the mystery. 
 
 THE HIEROGLYPHICS. 
 
 But what was the character of this writing that it should 
 be so difficult to interpret? The writing was a picture- 
 writing, with characters or syllables added, more puzzling 
 m ->t m -f than the most puzzling rebus 
 
 % *!^ i^ fH\ that ever appeared. The 
 I I I I I I LV K Greeks, who often visited 
 \^ t I ****^ Egypt, gave the name Hie- 
 i Wl ^ ^"^^ roglyphics to this Egyptian 
 
 writing. The word means 
 €) '"'^Ss^A?? J" the Greek language 
 M T(^ TtX^ ^ "sacred sculpture." Neither 
 
 the Greeks nor the Romans, 
 even while they ruled Egypt, 
 ever undertook to learn to 
 4Misn/v,^ A^jAjpfc. IB"-,, read this writing. It seemed 
 * ' "" » " "to them an unknowable 
 
 •«wywv III 
 
 111 
 
 SONG OF THE THRESHERS. 
 
 secret. Thus gradually the 
 ancient Egyptian language perished. So the knowledge 
 of the reading of the hieroglyphics passed away entirely. 
 For many centuries every attempt to read it failed, and 
 it remained a hopeless mystery. Finally, about fifty years 
 ago, a Frenchman succeeded in lifting the veil. Jean 
 Francois ChampolHon (born 1790, died 1832), made this 
 discovery, one of the greatest of the nineteenth century. 
 He showed how the writing was to be read, Now the 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. 
 
 91 
 
 whole can be read perhaps almost as easily as Greek or 
 Latin, or the Chinese or Burmese languages. , Thus was 
 the hidden history brought to light. 
 
 As specimens of the hieroglyphics, Wilkinson gives 
 the opposite Song of the Threshers to the Oxen. His 
 translation of the lines respectively is as follows : i . 
 "Thresh for yourselves" (twice repeated). 2. "O oxen." 
 3. "Thresh for yourselves" (twice). 4. "Measures for 
 yourselves." 5. "Measures for your masters." 
 
 Another specimen of hieroglyphics is added below. 
 
 HIEROGLYPHICS. 
 
98 
 
 FORMS OF EGYPTIAN GODS. 
 
 $OME EGYPTIAN GODS. 
 
 The Egyptian gods are numbered by the hundreds. It 
 is possible for us to refer to but a few here. The ideas 
 of the gods which prevailed here 
 were grafted on the simple nature- 
 worship which the people brought 
 to Egypt from their earlier home. 
 
 In every part of Egypt two 
 great gods, Isis and Osiris, were 
 worshiped. Isis is the wife of 
 Osiris. Ra the sun-god was thi; 
 greatest of the gods, he was sup- 
 posed to be the representative of 
 the Supreme 
 Being.. - And 
 yet Osiris was 
 the most popu- 
 lar god. Ra 
 was generally 
 represented as 
 a hawk-headed 
 man, and usu- 
 ally with a solar 
 disk upon his 
 head. Ra was 
 generally wor- 
 shiped in asso- 
 ciation with 
 some other 
 god, as Amen- 
 Ra, Num-Ra, 
 ect. In many 
 sculptures he 
 is represented pasht, the cat-headed god. 
 
TtiM LAND OF THM SPMJvJit. 
 
 90 
 
 as carrying on a constant conflict with the evil. Evil is 
 represented in these conflicts as the> great serpent Apap. 
 At Heliopolis were kept two animals 
 sacred to Ra, the black bull and the 
 phoenix. The phcenix was a bird 
 which the Egyptians regarded as the 
 emblem of immortality ; a bird which 
 never died, but when it was burned, 
 sprang up again, full-grown, from its 
 ashes, ready to renew its activities. 
 
 Osiris was 
 generally rep-' 
 resented as a 
 mummy, wear- 
 ing a royal cap, 
 containing os- 
 trich feathers. 
 Osiris was re- 
 garded as a 
 good being and 
 was in perpetu- 
 al warfare with 
 Set, the evil 
 being. They 
 stand to feach 
 other, said the 
 Egyptians, as 
 light and dark- 
 ness, as day 
 and night, as 
 the Nile and 
 the deserts, as 
 Egypt and foreign lands. Osiris is represented in the 
 myths as being Vanquished by Set. He is cut in pieces 
 
 ONE OF THE FORMS OF ISIS. 
 
iOO ANIMAL WORSHIP OP TUE MGVPTIaNS. 
 
 and thrown into the water. By and by he revives but 
 does not utterly destroy Set, though he defeats him. This 
 story probably is a picture of the daily life of the sun, 
 contending with the darkness, yet at last yielding to it, 
 and then again after an interval reappearing at the dawn 
 in renewed splendor. Osiris was also a type of strug- 
 gling humanity, suffering now, defeated for a time it may 
 be, yet finally triumphant. This was the reason of his 
 worship being so popular. Osiris was the protector of 
 the dead, and he determined their final condition. It was 
 to Osiris that prayers and offerings for the dead were 
 made, and writings on the tombs were addressed to him. 
 Beside these gods, there were Set the evil god, who 
 was represented with the head of a fabulous animal, 
 having a pointed nose and high square ears. Isis, the 
 wife of Osiris, was represented as a woman, bearing on 
 her head her emblem the throne, or the solar disk and 
 cow's horns. 
 
 Amon (or Amen) the "hidden," was worshiped at 
 
 Thebes. Sebek was the croco- 
 dile-headed god. His sacred 
 animal was the crocodile of the 
 Nile River. Thoth was the chief 
 moon-god. He was the god of 
 CROCODILE GOD. letters and learning. Anubis. the 
 
 jackel-headed was the god worshiped by the mummy- 
 makers. Thus gods were multiplied. 
 
 ANIMAL WORSHIP. 
 
 "If you enter a temple," says Clement of Alexandria, 
 "a priest advances with a solemn air, singing a .hymn in 
 the Egyptian language ; he raises the veil a little to let, 
 you see the god ; and what then do you see ? A cat, a 
 crocodile, a snake, or some other noxious animal. The 
 
fttk lAm OP ttik spitmx. lot 
 
 god of the Egyptian appears. It is but a wild beast, 
 wallowing on a purple carpet !" This language describes 
 the worship of ancient Egypt as we learn from the 
 sculptures on the monuments, as well as it characterizes 
 the worship at the beginning of the Christian era. To 
 exhibit in some symbol their ideas of their gods was the 
 very essence of Egyptian religion. This brought about 
 the grossest of superstitious worship. To set forth in 
 symbol the attributes, qualities and nature of their gods, 
 the priests chose to use animals. The 
 bull, cow, ram, cat, ape, crocodile, hippo- 
 potamus, hawk, ibis, scarabaeus, were all ^&^S 
 emblems of the gods. Often the head scarab^us. 
 of one of these animals was joined to the body of a man in 
 the sculpture. But let it be remembered, that the Egyp- 
 tians never worshiped images or idols. They worshiped 
 living representations of the gods and not lifeless images oj 
 stone or metal. Their sculptures were never made for 
 worship. They chos^e animals which corresponded as 
 nearly as possible to their ideas of the gods. Each of 
 these sacred creatures was carefully tended, fed, washed, 
 dressed, nursed when sick, and petted during its whole 
 life. After death its body was embalmed. Certain cities 
 were set apart for certain animals, and apartments of the 
 temples were consecrated to their use. Priests were 
 appointed to attend them. Not every animal of every 
 kind was worshiped, only a few of each sacred kind were 
 considered as sacred. A few of the whole number were 
 supported at the expense of the state, and were attended 
 by great personages. Certain animals were worshiped 
 in parts of Egypt and detested in other parts. Thus the 
 hippopotamus was worshiped in Papsemis alone; while 
 the Thebans worshiped the crocodile; in other places 
 they were hunted to death. 
 
102 
 
 EGYPTIAN MUMMIES DESCKISED. 
 
 Popularly these animals were regarded as gods, and 
 were really worshiped. By the priests they were re- 
 garded simply as the representatives of the gods. If a 
 man killed certain of the sacred animals, by the laws of 
 Egypt he must die ; if, however, in regard to some of 
 them, the killing was accidental, then he might escape by 
 paying a heavy fine. 
 
 A Roman soldier once killed a sacred cat, accidentally. 
 In spite of the fear of Rome and the interference of the 
 King of Egypt, the enraged mob instantly killed the 
 soldier. The story is told, that King Cambyses, when he 
 invaded Egypt, caught a dumber of sacred animals, and 
 placed them before his army. The Egyptians offered 
 them no resistance, but fled away, afraid to fight lest they 
 should injure the sacred animals. 
 
 Three animals were i-egarded as not representations 
 merely, but incarnations of gods ; these were the bull 
 Mnevis, the goat of Mendes and the bull Apis. Apis 
 was said to be born of a cow, yet also born of heaven. 
 He was to be black, with a white triangle on his forehead, 
 a mark like a half-moon on his back, and a mark like a 
 scarabseus under his tongue. When Apis died, all Egypt 
 mourned. As soon as a new Apis was found, the Egryp- 
 tians donned their best clothing and made great rejoicings. 
 The dead Apis was embalmed and received further wor- 
 ship. Apis was wrongly supposed to be the god whom 
 the Israelites imitated in their worship of the golden calf. 
 
 MUMMIES. 
 
 The Egyptians held it as a central feature of their 
 faith, that "man was not made to die," that we were to 
 live a future life, that death does not end all. Many 
 heathen nations believed that the body, the flesh, was an 
 evil thing, the seat of all base passions; not so the 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. 
 
 103 
 
 Egyptians. The greatest event in a man's life happened 
 after his death (to speak in apparent paradoxes). His 
 funeral, and the arrangements for it, surpassed all other 
 occasions of his life, in their elaborateness. The pefipd of 
 mourning lasted seventy-two days. Perhaps during all 
 this time, the process of embalming was going on by the 
 use of peculiar pre- 
 parations which were 
 forced through his 
 veins as the blood 
 was withdrawn, and shrouding of the dead. 
 
 by wrapping the body in linen band's containing sub- 
 stances which prevented the flesh from 
 decaying. The outermost bandage 
 was covered with a kind of paste- 
 board, which represented the de- 
 ceased as a workman in the Happy 
 Fields, carrying the tools of husbandry. 
 This is commonly called the mummy. 
 Before^ the wrapping in the linen 
 bandages began, the body had been 
 steeped in a liquid called natron 
 (carbonate of soda). Herodotus 
 presents a very full description of 
 the process of embalming. There is 
 no doubt but that all this was done 
 as a preparation for the return of 
 the soul to the body in a future 
 world. The mummy was inclosed 
 in a cofifin of wood, and this again, 
 if the person's friends were nch, 
 in a stone sarcophagus or cofifin. 
 The eofiin was placed on a sledge 
 drawn by oxen or men, taken to the mummy case. 
 
I04 
 
 BOOK OF THE DEAD. 
 
 river or lake-side and ferried over to the burial-place on 
 the sacred boats. The coffin was deposited in the tomb, 
 and prayers were said, and offerings given in the chapel 
 above the tomb. Offerings to Osiris were made during 
 an entire year by the family. 
 
 THE CELEBRATED BOOK OF THE DEAD. 
 
 Among many books which the Egyptians once pos- 
 sessed, one still remains in its entirety. It is somewhat 
 
 confusing in its style, and 
 yet it is in the main to be 
 understood. A copy of 
 this , Funeral Liturgy or 
 Book of the Dead was 
 « placed in every mummy's 
 coffin. We give a very 
 full abstract of it, because 
 of its unusual importance 
 in the religious history of 
 the world. 
 
 The Funeral Ritual is 
 opened with a dialogue 
 taking place at the very 
 moment of death, when 
 the soul separates from 
 the body. The deceased, 
 
 *» 2, 3, 4. Of wood. 5i 6, 7, 8. Of stone. jj . U J ' / 
 
 p. Of wood and of early time— before the 18th dynasty. aaureSSmg the Cleity Ol 
 
 .0. Of burnt earthenware. Hades, euumerates all his 
 
 tides to his favor, and asks for admittance into his do- 
 minions. The chorus of glorified souls interposes, as in 
 the Greek tragedy, and supports the prayer of the 
 deceased. The priest on earth in his turn speaks, and 
 implores also the divine clemency. Finally Osiris, the 
 god of the lower regions, answers the deceased, "Fear 
 
 ,^t 1 -/-^«. _ 
 
 ■AM 
 
 ^* ' ' ■ 
 
 -# 
 
 FORMS OF MUMMY CASES. 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. Iqc 
 
 nothing in making thy prayer to me for the immortality 
 of thy soul, and that I may give permission for thee to 
 pass the threshold." Reassured by the divine word, the 
 soul, of the deceased enters Kar-Neter, the land of the 
 dead, and recommences his invocations. 
 
 After this grand commencement, which we have epito- 
 mized, come many short chapters, much Iqss important, 
 relative also to the dead and to the preliminary ceremo- 
 nies of his funeral. When at last the soul of the deceased 
 has passed the gates of Kar-Neter, he penetrates into 
 that subterranean region, and at his entry is dazzled by 
 the glory of the sun, which he now for the first time sees 
 in this lower hemisphere. He sings a hymn to the sun 
 under the form of mixed litanies and invocations. After 
 this hymn, a great vignette, representing the adoration 
 and glorification of the sun injhe heavens, on earth and 
 in Hades, marks the end of the first part of the Ritual, 
 serving as a sort of Introduction. The second part traces 
 the journeys and ijnigrations of the soul in the lower region. 
 
 Next come a series of prayers to be pronounced 
 during the process of embalming, while the body is being 
 rolled in its wrappers. These invocations are addressed 
 to Thoth, the Egyptian Hermes, who, as ainong the 
 Greeks, played the part of Psychopompe, or conductor 
 of souls. They are of the highest interest, for in each 
 allusion is made to the grand myth of Osiris and his 
 contest with Typhon, of which Plutarch and Synesius 
 have given us the most recent versions. The deceased, 
 addressing the god, asks him to render to him again the 
 service he once rendered on that solemn occasion to 
 Osiris and his son Horus, "avenger of his father." 
 
 The body once wrapped in its coverings, and the soul 
 well provided with a store of necessary knowledge, the 
 deceased commences his journey. But he is still unable 
 
I06 ^N EGYPTIAN FUNERAL. 
 
 to move, he has not yet the use of his Hmbs ; it is neces- 
 sary to address the gods, who successively restore all the 
 faculties he had during his life, so that he can stand up- 
 right, walk, speak, eat and fight. Thus prepared, he 
 starts ; he holds his scarabaeus over his heart as a pass- 
 port, and thus passes the portal of Hades. 
 
 From the first step, terrible obstacles present them- 
 selves in his way. Frightful monsters, servants of 
 Typhon, crocodiles on land and in the water, serpents of 
 all kinds, tortoises and other reptiles, assail the deceased 
 and attempt to devour him. Then commences a series 
 of combats. The deceased and the animals against 
 which he contends mutually address insulting speeches 
 to each other, after the fashion of Homer's heroes. 
 Finally, the "Osiris" (the name applied to all the de- 
 ceased) has conquered all his enemies ; he has subdued the 
 Typhonic monsters, and forced a passage, and, elated by his 
 victory, sings on the spot a song of triumph, likening him- 
 self to all the gods, whose members are made those of his 
 own body. " My hair is like that of Nu (the firmament) ; 
 my face is like that of Ra (the sun) ; my eyes like those 
 of Athor (the Egyptian Venus) ;" and so on for every 
 part of his body. He has even the strength of Set, that is, 
 of Typhon, for the strife between the good and evil prin- 
 ciple is but in appearance ; in reality they are one and the 
 same, and" equally receive the adorations of the initiated. 
 ^ After such labors the deceased needs rest; he stays 
 for a time to recruit his strength and to satisfy his hun- 
 ger. He has escaped great dangers, and has not gone 
 astray in the desert where he would have died of hunger 
 and thirst. From the tree of life the goddess Nu gives 
 him refreshing waters, which invigorate him and enable 
 him to recommence his journey in order to reach the first 
 gate of heaven; 
 
THM LAND OF THM SPHINX. 
 
 107 
 
 Theh commences a dialogue between the deceased and 
 the personification of the divine Light, who instructs him. 
 This dialogue pre- 
 sents some most 
 remarkableresem- 
 blances to the 
 dialogue prefixed 
 to the books given 
 by the Alexandrian 
 Greeks as transla- 
 tions of the ancient 
 religious writings 
 of Egypt, between 
 Thoth and the 
 Light, in which the 
 latter explains to 
 Thoth the most 
 sublime mysteries 
 of nature. This 
 portion is certainly 
 one' of the best 
 and grandest o f 
 the Ritual,and may 
 almost be classed 
 with the invoca- 
 tions to the sun at 
 the close of the 
 first part. 
 
 The deceased, 
 having passed the 
 gate, continues to 
 advance,guided by 
 this new Light, to whom he addresses his invocations. 
 He then enters upon a series of transformations, more 
 
 EGYPTIAN PRIESTESS. 
 
Io8 AN BGVPTtAN FUNERAL. 
 
 and more elevated, assuming the form of and identifymg 
 himself with the noblest divine symbols. He is changed 
 successively into a hawk, an angel or divine messenger ; 
 into a lotus ; into the god Ptah ; into a heron ; into a 
 crane ; into a human-headed bird, the usual emblem of a 
 soul; into a swallow; into a se;-pent, and into a crocodile. 
 
 Up to this time the soul of the deceased has been 
 making its journeys alone ; it has been merely a sort of 
 image ; a mere shade, with the appearance of that body 
 now stretched on the bier.* After these transformations 
 the soul becomes reunited to its body, which is needed 
 for the rest of the journey. It was on this account that 
 careful embalming was so important ; it was necessary 
 that the soul should find the body perfect and well-pre- 
 served, "Oh," cries the body, "that in the dwelling of 
 the master of life I may be reunited to my glorified soul, 
 do not order the guardians of heaven to destroy me, so 
 as to send away my soul from my corpse, and hinder the 
 eye of Horiis, who is witii thee, from preparing my 
 way." 
 
 The deceased traverses the dwelling of Thoth, who 
 gives him a book containing instructions for the rest of 
 his way, and fresh lessons of the knowledge he is soon 
 to require. He arrives on the banks of the subterranean 
 river separating him from the Elysian Fields, but there a 
 new danger awaits him. A false boatman, the envoy of 
 the Typhonic powers, lays wait for him on his way, and 
 endeavors by deceitful words to get him into his boat, so 
 as to mislead him and take him to the east instead of to 
 the west, his true destination, and where he ought to 
 land, and rejoin the sun of the lower world. The deceased 
 again escapes this new danger ; he unmasks the perfidy 
 of the false boatman, and drives him away, overwhelming 
 him with reproaches. He at last meets the right boat to 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. Iqq 
 
 conduct him to his destination. But before getting into 
 it, it is necessary to ascertain if he is really capable of 
 making the voyage, if he possesses a sufficient amount 
 of the knowledge necessary to his safety. The divine 
 boatman therefore makes him undergo an examination, a 
 preliminary initiation, seemingly "corresponding to the 
 lesser Eleusinian mysteries. The deceased passes the 
 examination ; each part of the boat then seems succes- 
 sively to become animated, and to demand of him its 
 name, and the mystical meaning of the name. The stake 
 for anchoring the boat. Tell me my name ! "The Lord 
 of the earth in thy case," is thy name. The rudder. Tell 
 me my name ! " The enemy of Apis," is thy name. The 
 rope. Tell me my name ! " The hair with which Anubis 
 binds up the folds of the wrappers," is thy name ; and so 
 on for twenty-three questions and answers. ^ 
 
 After having thus victoriously passed through this trial, 
 the deceased embarks, traverses the subterranean river, 
 and lands on the other bank, when he soon arrives at the 
 Elysian Fields in the valley of Avura, or Balot, the posi- 
 tion of which the ritual gives in these terms, "The valley 
 of Balot (abundance), at the east of heaven, is 370 cubits 
 long, and 140 cubits broad. There is a crocodile lord of 
 Balot in the east of that valley in his divine dwelling 
 above the inclosure. There is a serpent at the head of 
 that valley, thirty cubits long, his body six cubits round. 
 In the south is the lake of sacred principles (Sharu) ; the 
 north is formed by the lake of Primordial Matter (Rubu)." 
 A large picture here shows us this valley, a real subter- 
 ranean Egypt, intersected by canals, where we see the 
 "Osiris" occupied in all the operations of agriculture ; 
 preparing the ground, sowing and reaping in the divine 
 fields an ample provision of that bread of knowledge he 
 is now to find more necessary than ever. He has, in fact, 
 
jjQ AN EGYPTIAN FUNERAL. 
 
 arrived at the end of his journey; he has before him only 
 the last, but also the most terrible of all his trials. 
 
 Conducted by Anubis he traverses the labyrinth, and by 
 the aid of the clew, guiding them through its windings, at 
 last penetrates to the judgment-hall, where Osiris awaits 
 him, seated on his throne, and assisted by forty-two ter- 
 rible assessors. There the decisive" sentence is to be 
 pronounced, either admitting the deceased to happiness 
 or excluding him forever. Then comme,nces a new inter- 
 rogatory, much more solemn than the former. The 
 deceased is obliged to give proof of his knowledge ; he 
 must show that it is- great enough to give him the right 
 to be admitted to share the lot of glorified spirits. Each 
 of the forty-two judges, bearing a mystical name, ques- 
 tions him in turn ; he is obliged to tell each one his name, 
 and what it means. Nor is this all ; he is obliged to give 
 an account of his whole life. 
 
 " I have not blasphemed," says the deceased; "I have 
 not stolen; I have not smitten men privily; I have not 
 treated any person with cruelty; I have not stirred up 
 trouble; I have not been idle; I have not been intoxi- 
 cated; I have not made unjust commandments; I have 
 shown no improper curiosity; I have not allowed my 
 mouth to tell secrets ; I haye not wounded any one ; 1 
 have not let envy gnaw my heart ; I have spoken evil 
 neither of the king, nor my father; I have not falsely ac- 
 cused any one ; I have not withheld milk from the mouths 
 of sucklings; I have not practiced any shameful crime; 
 I have not calumniated a slave to his master." 
 
 The deceased does not confine himself to denying any 
 ill conduct; he speaks of the good he has done in his 
 lifetime. "I have made to the gods the offerings that 
 were their due. I have given food to the hungry, drink 
 to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked."* We may well 
 
GANESHA, GOD OF WISDOM. Ganesha is the lord of all the inferior Hindu gods 
 and is worshiped as the god of wisdom and cunning. He is invoked at the commence- 
 ment of any undertaking and all books begin with a salutation to him. His birthday is 
 celebrated in August. Clay figures of him are worshiped and afterwards flung into the 
 water. He has the head of the elephant — sagacity — and the rat is his especial servant. 
 
THE LAND OP TUM SPJifNX. j I j 
 
 on reading these passages be astounded at this high 
 morality, superior to that of all other ancient people, that 
 the Egyptians had been able to build up on such a foun- 
 dation as their religion. Without doubt it was this clear 
 insight into truth, this tenderness of conscience, which 
 obtained for the Egyptians the reputation for wisdom, 
 echoed even by Holy Scripture. 
 
 Besides these general precepts, the apology acquaints 
 us with some police regulations for public order, raised 
 by common interest in Egypt to the rank of conscientious 
 duties. Thus the deceased denies ever having intercepted 
 the irrigating canals, or having prevented the distribution ^ 
 of the waters of the river over the country; he declares 
 that he has never damaged the stones for mooring vessels 
 on the river. Crimes against religion are also mentioned ; 
 some seem very strange to us, especially when we find 
 them classed with really moral faults. The deceased has 
 never altered the prayers or interpolated them. .He has 
 never touched any of the sacred property, such as flocks 
 and herds, or fished for the sacred fish iri the lakes of the > 
 temples ; he has not stolen offerings from the altar, nor 
 defiled the sacred waters of the Nile. 
 
 The Osiris is now fully satisfied; his heart has been 
 weighed in the balance with truth, and not been found 
 wanting; thfe forty-two assessors have pronounced that 
 he possesses the necessary knowledge. The great Osiris 
 pronounces his sentence, and Thoth, as recorder to the 
 tribunal, having inscribed it in his book, the deceased at 
 last enters into bliss. 
 
 Here commences the third part of the Ritual, more 
 mystical and obscure than the others. We see the Osiris, 
 henceforth identified with the sun, traversing with him, 
 and as him, the various houses of heaven, and the lake 
 of fire, the source of all light. Afterwards the Ritual 
 
112 
 
 EGYPTIANS WORSHIPED IN TEMPLES. 
 
 rises to a higher poetical flight, even contemplating the 
 identification of the deceased with a symbolical figure 
 comprising all the attributes of the deities of the Egyp- 
 tian Pantheon. This representation ends the work. 
 
 EGYPTIAN WORSHIP. 
 
 The gods of Egypt were worshiped in temples and 
 tombs. Every town had at least one temple. The ser- 
 vices were conducted by the priests, and on special occa- 
 sions the king and scribes joined. The common people 
 had but little to do with the worship. The most important 
 
 AVENUE OF SPHINXES LEADING TO A TEMPLE. 
 
 worship took place in the innermost chamber*;, where 
 only the priests were at all permitted to go. 
 
 The sacrifices were of animals and vegetables with the 
 pouring out of wine and the burning of incense. The 
 temples were gigantic structures grouped tpgether. 
 They were generally approached by avenues of sphinxes. 
 The great temples are almost all found in Upper Egypt, 
 while the pyramids are in Lower Egypt. The inhabitants 
 of Egypt were once the greatest nation of earth, and 
 they built temples corresponding to their greatnessi 
 
THE LAND OF THE SPHINX. 
 
 "3 
 
 ^ ii^ 1^ 'a Si ■ 
 
 - - • * I I = 
 
 f •=■■ '^ t k" *i -i ■ 
 
 
 
 '■k' 
 
 
 GATEWAY OF THE AN'CIENT EGYPTIAN TEMPLE OF KARNAK. 
 
 Thebes, in Upper Egypt, was once a greater city than 
 Babylon, or Rome, or London. It was hiilt on both 
 sides of the River Nile. To it all the surrounding na 
 
114 
 
 THEBES AND HER TEMPLES. 
 
 tions Hocked. The temples of Thebes have, in magnifi- 
 cent grandeur and majestic beauty, probably never been 
 surpassed in any later age. Of these temples, Luxor and 
 Karnak were the greatest. Between these two stretched 
 an avenue of 140 gigantic columns, each twelve feet in 
 diatneter, their massive sides covered with sculptures. 
 
 The columns were so great 
 ■ ^^ that we cannot understand 
 -^pj how they could be cut out 
 -^j:^ of the quarries and brought 
 ^^^ the 140 miles that they 
 M must pass over to get to 
 Thebes. Karnak was the 
 work of geneirations. It 
 was 2,500 years in building. 
 Abraham must have seen 
 Karnak when he journeyed 
 to Egypt. Moses must 
 have been familiar with its 
 courts. The messengers 
 of Israel, who in after asres 
 sought alliance with power- 
 ful Egypt, must have looked 
 upon its columns and walls. 
 Karnak was a cluster of 
 temples. The central one 
 was 1,108 feet long and 300 
 feet broad. The circuit of 
 Its walls, says a Roman historian who saw it in all its 
 glory, was a mile and a half. Near Thebes are the statues 
 of Memnon, which were said to sing when the rays of 
 the rising sun touched their lips. Possibly the breeze of 
 the early morning struck upon some concealed musical 
 contrivance in the statue and produced the sound. 
 
 THE SINGING MEMNON. 
 
.■^^ 
 
LAND OF THE SPHINX. 
 
 117 
 
 The most imposing monuments of Egypt are the 
 pyramids of El Gizeh. The largest of these is the pyr- 
 
ii8 
 
 IMPOSING MONUMENTS OF EGYPT. 
 
 amid of Cheops. This is 480 feet high, and contains 
 more than ten millions of cubic yards of stone. The 
 pyramid is so placed that its four sides exactly face the 
 four points of the compass. The pyramids were probably 
 great tombs. At the foot of the pyramids is the great 
 Sphinx. This is a monument of a man-headed lion, 
 nearly ninety feet long and seventy-four feet high. Its 
 face is twenty-six feet long. It is carved out of solid 
 rock. This great Sphinx is said to be the image of 
 the god Har-ma-chu, the setting sun. Between the two 
 front paws of the Sphinx was placed a small chapel, 
 consecrated to the god. As Ampere says: "This huge, 
 mutilated figure has an astonishing effect; it seems like 
 an eternal spectre. The stone phantom seems attentive ; 
 one would say that it hears and sees. Its great ear 
 appears to collect the sounds of the past; its eye, directed 
 to the east,\gazes as it were into the future; its aspect has 
 a depth, a truth of expression, irresistibly fascinating to 
 the spectator. In this figure, half statue, half mountain, we 
 see a wonderful majesty, a grand serenity, and even a 
 sort of sweetness of expression." 
 
 There was much of majestic beauty about the Egyptian 
 religion and worship, but there was mixed w^th it a mass of 
 debasing superstition. When King Cambyses of Persia 
 conquered Egypt, and the supremacy of the world passed 
 out of Egypt's hands, the downfall of its religion com 
 menced. The religion 'of the conquerors was mingled 
 with their own. After some hundreds of years, Chris- 
 tianity was spread over all north Africa and up the Nile. 
 Then in the year 639, after Christ, Mohammedanism con- 
 quered Egypt. This religion continues to predominate 
 in Egypt. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CHALDEANS * 
 
 At that time the heaven above was unnamed, 
 
 In the earth beneath a name was unrecorded ; 
 
 Chaos, too, was unopened around them. 
 
 By name the mother Tihamtu, [the Dee^] was the begetter of them all, 
 
 Their waters in one place were not embosomed, and 
 
 The fruitful herb was uncollected, the marsh-plant ungrown. 
 
 At that time the gods [stars] were not made to go ; none of them by 
 
 name were recorded; order was not among them. 
 Then were made the great gods; and these Laklimu and Lakhanni 
 
 caused to go; until they were grown they nurtured them. 
 The gods Assur and Kissar were made by th^ir hands, 
 A length of days, a long time passed, and the gods Anu, Bel and Hea 
 
 were created ; the gods Assur and Kissar begat them. 
 
 From the Chaldean ("Cuneiform) Creation Tablets. 
 
 IN the Tigro-Euphrates Valley, or basiil, as it is called, 
 the commencement of the history of man is placed. 
 "And it came to pass that as they journeyed from 
 the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar: and 
 they dwelt there." Here was great Babel built, and here 
 occurred the confusion of tongues, and from here the 
 nations were scattered over all the world. After this 
 scattering to east, west and south, there was left a large 
 body of people of different nations, in Chaldea. The 
 great monuments and inscriptions, which are the only 
 remaining books of early history, tell us of two great 
 
 * Lenormant, the eminent French scholar of Assyrian antiquities, is our authoritv 
 fwr the main part of this chapter, and we have quoted liberally from his writings. 
 
 119 
 
J.2Q DEVELOPMENT OF ASTRONOMY. 
 
 nations called the Sumir and Accad. Of the descent 
 of these peoples, it can be said with certainty only that 
 there were Hamites among them. The Shemites are the 
 
 founders of the Assyrian king- 
 ^ dom, the Hamites of the Baby- 
 
 ^ J,£ ^// Ionian. These and some other 
 A^^^ W^ ^ scattered tribes of other nations, 
 
 were worshipers of the heavenly 
 bodies, the sun, moon and stars. 
 Hence came the extraordinary de- 
 
 STAR WORSHIPERS. velopment of astronomy in these 
 lands. Their strange and imperfect civilization had an 
 immense influence over a great part of Asia, for over 
 1 500 years. 
 
 The peoples of Chaldea did not at first intermingle with 
 each other, but maintained a separate existence as tribes. 
 Here was, however, the first organized government of 
 the world. "Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a 
 mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter be- 
 fore the Lord: wherefore it is said. Even as Nimrod, the 
 mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of 
 his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Cal- 
 neh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth 
 Asshqr, and builded Nineveh, and the streets of the city, 
 and Calah and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah: the 
 same is a great city." Asshur was of the Semitic race, 
 while Nimrod was a Cushite. These two people lived 
 long together, and this explains how they came to have 
 the same language and civilization in spite of their being 
 of different origin. The four great cities mentioned 
 above gave to their king, the title "king of the four 
 regions." The founding of this great empire occurred 
 only a little later than the beginning of the great Egyp- 
 tian kingdom. We know almost nothing of the history 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. ijj 
 
 of the Chaldean kings who succeeded Nimrod, except 
 that which a few traditions tell us. 
 
 THE GREAT CHALDEAN HISTORIAN. 
 
 Berosus was a Chaldean priest who lived in the days 
 of Alexander the Great. He was a very learned man. 
 He translated the history of Babylonia into the Greek 
 language. His history commences with the creation and 
 is carried down to his own time. He drew from the 
 ancient records of Babylonia, from traditions of the 
 people, and frorrt inscriptions on the monuments. We 
 have already referred to the traditions of the creation and 
 deluge which he preserved. About 5400 B. C, accord- 
 ing to Berosus, the Medes conquered Babylonia. Here 
 for the first time we meet with the name of Zoroaster, 
 the founder of Parseeism. The record of Berosus is very 
 much valued because of the ground which it covers. It 
 is*wonderfully in agreement with the Bible record. At 
 first his statements were questioned and disputed, but 
 the researches of modern scholars in many respects con- 
 firmed their complete accuracy. 
 
 RUINED MONUMENTS. 
 
 The ruins of Chaldea have been as yet but imperfectly 
 explored. The great buildings and monuments have 
 been buried beneath the ground for hundreds of years, 
 and the work of digging them out is a slow one. When 
 we remember that these cities and their buildings were 
 among the first ever erected, and that Nebuchadnezzar 
 (or Nabukudur-ussur, as Berosus calls him,) and his suc- 
 cessors only repaired and added to these, we can see 
 the value of exhuming them. Stone is very rare in 
 Chaldea, and could be brought only at great expense 
 from a distance. Hence all the buildings of earlier ages 
 
J22 RUINED MONUMENTS AND BUILDINGS. 
 
 were built of bricks. So we read of the Tower of Babel, 
 
 that "they had bricks for stone." On each one of these 
 
 bricks was generally stamped the name of the king who 
 
 erected the building. The greater part of the early 
 
 Chaldean inscriptions are found on these bricks. Hero- 
 
 —rrf^^PgaiL. dotus tells us that the Babylo- 
 
 ■ > ^^^^^^|^ nians built with these sun-dried 
 
 ^^^^^^H^H bricks, and with here and there 
 
 BABYLONISH COFFIN AND LID OF GREEN GLAZED POTTERY. 
 
 mented with bitumen. The outsides of the buildings 
 were covered with burnt or kiln-dried bricks to keep out the 
 rain. More elaborate specimens of their pottery appear 
 in articles for domestic uses, and especially in their coffins. 
 The sacred buildings appear to have been often built 
 in the form of a pyramid, with steps or stages, forming 
 a series of terraces, each smaller than the one beneath 
 it. This IS the traditional style of buildings of the Tower 
 of Babel. The • same tendency to build high sacred 
 buildings is seen in the pagodas of India, Burmah and 
 China, in the Mohammedan towers, like the Koutub 
 Minar, and the spires of Christian churches.- The object 
 at the first seems to have been the getting nearer to 
 the heavenly bodies, the object of their worship. On the 
 upper terrace, or platform, appears to have been built in 
 most cases, a small chapel, or square room, richly ofna 
 mented, containing an image of the god of the temple. 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. jjq 
 
 Of ancient Babylonian sculptures but few are known 
 to remain. Of these, one is a small bronze figure of 
 a goddess named Keodormabug, and a broken statu- 
 ette in alabaster of the god Nebo. But a number of 
 small cylinders of stone that were used as seals, and 
 which are covered with engravings or inscriptions, give us 
 much information of early Chaldean history. The Chal- 
 deans were far advanced in astronomy and in arithmetic, 
 which is indispensable to a knowledge of astronomy. 
 
 A LIBRARY OF BRICK BOOKS. 
 
 The Chaldeans had eight sacred books, said to have 
 been written by the god Oannes. No copies of these 
 original books remain. But some of their sayings. were 
 copied into the books of later kings. All that remains 
 of the books of ancient Chaldea is that which had been 
 transported to Assyria, where it was found by Layard 
 and later by Smith, in making their excavations at Nine- 
 veh. He found in the ruins of the palace built by King 
 Asshurbanipal, in one of the halls, a library. " This curi- 
 ous library consists entirely of flat, square tablets of 
 baked clay, having on each side a page of very small 
 and closely written cuneiform cursive letters, impressed 
 on the clay while it was still moist. Each tablet was 
 numbered and formed a page of a book composed of a 
 number of such tablets, probably piled one on another in 
 the library." The greater part of these tablets are now 
 in England. This collection was intended for a public 
 library as we see from the following translation of some 
 of the tablets : 
 
 " Palace of Asshurbanipal, king of the world, king of 
 Assyria, to whom the god Nebo and the goddess Tash- 
 mit (goddess of wisdom), have given ears to hear and 
 eyes to s?e what is the foundation of government. They 
 
,„, CHALDEAN INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 124 
 
 have revealed to the kings, my predecessors, this cunei- 
 form writing, the manifestatation of the god Nebo, the 
 god of supreme intelligence. I have written it upon 
 tablets, I have signed it, I have placed it in my palace for 
 the instruction of my subjects." 
 
 The cuneiform characters, as they are called, are made 
 up of marks shaped like arrow-heads or wedges. There 
 were enormous difficulties in the way of their interpreta- 
 tion. In Egypt the similar task of making known the 
 meaning of the hieroglyphics was performed in great 
 
 5:^ g- y < ^1[ >-i^ (« S- « ^W Ht- 
 « 1 « ^^ -..".) Tf T ^^ <T- ^ ^'"Tf- (••••• 
 « I « ^^ -V "■•) T? "! ^+ <^* "^ ^ '^ '•" 
 
 CUNEIFORM LETTERS. 
 
 part by one man, ChampoUion, but in Assyria the work 
 was done by many scholars. Now the famous library 
 is nearly all translated, as are the inscriptions on the 
 seals as well. Asshurbanipal lived about B. C. 650. 
 
 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
 
 The habits of life of any people both affect and are 
 affected by their religious belief. In heathen lands, both of 
 the present and the past, the daily home-life is interwoven 
 with religious observances. The Assyrians have been 
 called " the Romans of the East." They were a fierce 
 and warlike race. They were naturally a religious people, 
 and the worship of the gods held a very prominent place 
 at least in their public life. But, sad to say, their devo- 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALQEANS. 
 
 125 
 
 'ion to religion was associated with such a degrading 
 wor-iiip of many false gods, that they were dragged 
 dow 1 by it, instead of being exalted. 
 Th^y were very intelligent. They 
 wer<! mainly agriculturists, though 
 the iirts flourished. It seldom rained 
 there except in winter, so they turned 
 the waters of the Tigris and the 
 Euphrates Rivers into channels, and 
 conveyed them through their fields. 
 The priests and kings dressed in 
 garments of woven stuffs dyed in 
 brilliani colors, and beautifully em- 
 broidered with symbolical figures, 
 animals, men, flowers and divine 
 symbols. The costume of the As- 
 syrians consisted of a robe open at 
 the side, often with a border of 
 fringe, and decorated with rich em- 
 broidery, hanging down to the feet, 
 and confined in the middle by a 
 broad girdle. It precisely resembled 
 the djubeh of the Eastern people in the present day. 
 The common people and soldiers used a shorter tunic, 
 reaching only to the knees, so as to allow them to walk 
 freely. The king, in his robes of ceremony, wore over 
 all a sort of long mantle or^ chasuble, thrown obliquely 
 over one shoulder and splendidly ornamented. This is 
 also seen on the monuments on the figures of the gods. 
 A high conical tiara surmounted his head, and in his 
 hand he held a long sceptre or staff, nearly the height of 
 a man. The insignia of his rank were the same as those 
 of Asiatic monarchs in the present day, the parasol and 
 large feathered fly-flaps carried behind him by slaves. 
 
 ROBED STATUE. 
 
126 
 
 BABVLOmAN AND ASSYRIAN RELIGIONS. 
 
 The Assyrians wore their hair long and curled at the 
 end, the beard square and with rows of curls. They 
 were fond of wearing great quantities of jewelry, large 
 ear-rings, finger-rings and bracelets. Some of the sol- 
 diers wore a cuirass of small pieces of metal protecting 
 the body, and allowing the tunic to appear beneath it. 
 These were probably light infantry. Others wore long 
 coats of mail reaching to the feet, with a conical helmet 
 to which was attached a sort of veil of chain mail, falling 
 down on the neck, and brought round to protect the 
 chin, such as are now worn by the Circassians. 
 
 THE RELIGION OF ASSYRIA. 
 
 The religion of Assyria and Babylonia was, in its es- 
 sential principles and in the general spirit of its concep- 
 tions, of the same character of the religion of Egypt, and 
 in general as all pagan religions. When we penetrate 
 beneath the surface which gross Polytheism has acquired 
 from popular superstition, and revert to its original and 
 higher conceptions, we shall find the whole based on the 
 idea of the unity of the Deity, the last relic of the primi- 
 tive revelation, disfigured indeed and all but lost in the 
 monstrous ideas of Pantheism ; confounding the ciea- 
 ture with the Creator ; and transforming the Deity into a 
 god-world, whose manifestations are to be found in all 
 the phenomena of nature. Beneath this supreme and 
 sole God, this great All, in whom all things are lost and 
 absorbed, are ranked in an order of enianation corre- 
 sponding to their importance, a whole race of secondary 
 deities who are emanations from His very substance, who 
 are more personifications of His attributes and manifes- 
 tations. The differences between the various pagan re- 
 ligions is chiefly marked by the differences between these 
 secondary divine beings. 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. jj- 
 
 Thus, as we have already seen, the imagination of the 
 Egyptians had been especially struck by the various 
 stages of the daily and yearly course of the sun. In this 
 they saw the most imposing manifestations of the Deity, 
 that which best revealed the laws of the government of 
 the world. In this they sought their divine personifica- 
 tion. The Chaldaeo-Assyrians, especially devoted to as- 
 tronomy, saw in the Astral, and especially in the planetary 
 system, a manifesta:tion of the divine being. They con- 
 sidered the stars as His true external manifestation, and 
 in their religious system made them the visible evi- 
 dence of the subordinate divine emanations from the 
 substance of the infinite being, whom they identified with 
 the world, his work. 
 
 THE SUPREME GOD, ILU. 
 
 The supreme god, the first and sole principle from 
 whom all other deities were derived, was Ilu, whose name 
 signifies God par excellence. Their idea of him was too 
 comprehensive, too vast, to have any determined exter- 
 nal form, or consequently to receive in general -the 
 adoration of the people; and from this point of view 
 there is a certain analogy between Ilu and the Chronos 
 of the Greeks, with whom he was compared by the latter. 
 In Chaldaea it does not seem that any temple was ever 
 specially dedicated to him ; but at Nineveh and generally 
 throughout Assyria, he seems to have received the pecu- 
 liarly national name of Asshur (whence was derived the 
 name of the country, Mat Asshur), and this itself seems 
 related to the Arian name of the deity Asura. With this 
 title he was great god of the land, the especial protector 
 of the Assyrians, he who gave victory to their arms. 
 The inscriptions designate him as " Master or Chief of 
 the Gods." He it is^ perhaps, who is to be recognized in 
 i 
 
J 28 GODS OF THE ASSYRINS 
 
 the figure occasionally lound on the Assyrian monuments 
 (but probably adopted in later times by the Persians to 
 represent their Ormuzd), representing a human bust, 
 wearing the royal tiara in the middle of a circle borne by 
 two large eagle wings, and with an eagle's tail. 
 
 THE ASSYRIAN TRIAD. 
 
 Below Ilu, the universal and mysterious source of all, 
 was placed a triad, composed of his three first external 
 and visible manifestations, and occupying the summit of 
 the hierarchy of gods in popular worship. Anu, the 
 Cannes of the Greek v^riters, was the lord of darkness ; 
 Bel, the demiurgus, the organizer of the world; Ao, 
 called also Bin, that is, the divine " Son " par excellence, 
 the divine light, the intelligence penetrating, directing 
 and vivifying the universe. These three divine persons 
 esteemed as equal in power and con-substantial, were 
 not held as of the same degree of emanation, but were 
 regarded as having, on the contrary, issued the one from 
 the other — Ao from Cannes, and Bel from Ao. Cannes, 
 the " Lord of the Lower World, the Lord of Darkness," 
 was represented on the monuments under the strange 
 figure of a man with an eagle's tail, and for his head- 
 dress an enormous fish, whose open mouth rises over his 
 head, while the body covers his shoulders. It is under 
 this form that, Berosus tells us, according to Babylonian 
 tradition, he floated on the surface of the waters of 
 Chaos. Bel, the " Father of the Gods," was usually re- 
 presented under an entirely human form, attired as a 
 king, wearing a tiara with bull's horns, the symbol of 
 power. But this god took many other secondary forms, 
 the most important being Bel Dagon, a human bust 
 springing from the body of a fish. We do not know 
 exactly the typical figure of Ao or Bin, " the intelligent 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. 
 
 129 
 
 guide, the Lord of 
 the visible world, the 
 Lord of knowledge, 
 of glory and light." 
 The serpent seems 
 to have been his prin- 
 cipal symbol ; though 
 some other sculp- 
 tured figures seem to 
 be intended fo repre- 
 sent Bin. 
 
 A second triad is 
 produced with per- 
 sonages no longer 
 vague anc^ indeter- 
 minate in character, 
 like those of the first, 
 but with a clearly- 
 defined siderial as- 
 pect, each represent- 
 ing a known celestial 
 body, and especially 
 those in which the 
 C h al d ae o- Assyrians 
 saw the most striking 
 external manifesta- 
 tions of the deity; 
 these were Shamash, 
 the sun; Sin, the 
 moon god ; and a new 
 form of Ao or Bin, in- 
 ferior to the first, and representing him as god of the 
 atmosphere or firmament. Thus did they industriously 
 multiply deities and representations of them. 
 
 STATUE OF CANNES, THE KING. 
 
I30 
 
 THE SON OF THE ZODIAC. 
 
 THE GODS OF THE PLANETS. 
 
 Then come the gods of the five planets : Adar (Sat« 
 urn), Merodach (Jupiter), Nergal (Mars), Ishtar (Venus), 
 and Nebo (Mercury). The worship of Merodach, though 
 nol much cultivated at Nineveh, was of primary import- 
 ance at Babylon, where he was regarded as one of the 
 principal gods. He was a secondary form, another mani- 
 festation of Bel in an inferior rank in the hierarchy ; he 
 was called " the ancient one of the gods/ the supreme 
 judge, the master of the horoscope ;" he was represented 
 as a man, erect and walking, and with a naked sword in 
 his hand. Adar, "the fire," called also Samdan, "the 
 powerful," although his planet had been called Saturn by 
 the Greeks, was apparently the Assyrian Hercules. His 
 appellations are, "the terrible, the lord of warriors, the 
 strong one, the destroyer of his enemies, he who reduces 
 the disobedient, the exterminator of rebels," and in other 
 cases, " the Son of the Zodiac." On some 
 monuments he is represented in company 
 with Merodach. In the same manner, he 
 is represented in the magnificent colpssal 
 figures in the Museum of the Louvre, and 
 of the British Museum, where he is seen 
 as a god of terrible aspect, strangling in 
 his arms a lion that appears quite small in 
 comparison with him. With the surname 
 of Malik (king), Adar Malik is mentioned 
 in the Bible with "Cannes the king" (Anu 
 Malik) (2 Kings, xvii., 31,) as the principal 
 god of Sippara, where the inhabitants 
 " burnt their children in the fire " in honor of these ex- 
 alted ones. In general these planetary gods are only fire, 
 secondary manifestations of the higher «rder. Such isi 
 
 ADAR STRAN- 
 GLING THE LION. 
 
^OilSmP OF THE CkALDkAm. jAj 
 
 the connection between Nebo and Ao. Nebo also is dis- 
 tinguished as the "supreme intelligence;" he is the god 
 of prophetic inspiration and of eloquence, and also the 
 special guardian of royal prerogative, the protector of 
 kings and the prototype whom th6y reproduce on earth. 
 Like Bel, he has on the monuments an entirely human 
 form with the tiara, and the dress of a king; three pairs 
 of horns, ranged one above the other, decorate his tiara, 
 and four large wings are often attached to his shoulders ; 
 the sceptre also is one of his common attributes. 
 
 ThT. GXEAT GODDESS ISHTAR. 
 
 Ishtar reproduces impng the planetary gods Anat and 
 Bilit, the great goddess of nature, the mother of all the 
 gods and of all beings ; she is their active and martial 
 form, for she is called " the Goddess of Battles, the Queen 
 of Victories, she who leads armies to the fight and is the 
 judge of warlike exploits ;" but she has a double form 
 uniting two characters, one fierce and sanguinary, the 
 other voluptuous, for under the names of Zarpanit and 
 Nana she presides over the reproduction of beings, and 
 over sensual pleasures ; she is in this last character 
 always represented naked, always full face and with the 
 tw6 hands on the chest. Moreover two Ishtars were 
 always distinguished, that of Arbela (called also Arbail), 
 and that of Nineveh, who presided over the two fortnights 
 of the month. The plural name of this double Ishtar, 
 Ishtaroth, was the origin of the Phoenician Ashtaroth. 
 Nergal, whose image is very uncommon, stands on 
 the legs of a cock, and carries a sword in his hand. 
 The application of the name of Mars to his star was 
 quite natural, for his titles in the inscriptions are "the 
 great hero, the king of fight, the master of battles, 
 champion of the gods," and also "god of the chase." 
 
J, 2 MINOR ASSYRIAN DEITIES. 
 
 THE GENII OF ASSYRIA. 
 
 Such were the great gods of Nineveh and Babylon. 
 Below them popular superstition believed in an immense 
 number of personifications of inferior order, of lesser 
 gods, or rather genii, whom it would be waste of time to 
 enumerate. We must, however, mention some person- 
 ages who are found on the monuments occupying an 
 important position in the Chaldaeo-Assyrian pantheon, 
 and who were evidently other forms of the gods already 
 named, but whose position has not as yet been precisely 
 determined. Such is Nisroch, called also Shalman, who 
 "presides over the course of human destiny," and who is 
 also the protector of marriages ; this is the god with an 
 eagle's head and large wings, whose image is so common 
 on the sculptures of the Assyrian palaces. It was in the 
 temple of this god at Nineveh, that Sennacherib was as- 
 sassinated by hip sons. Possibly we ought to consider 
 this god as another form of Cannes. 
 
 The great gods are often all invoked one after the 
 other at the beginning of the solemn inscriptions of the 
 kings of Assyria. Sargon has given the names of eight 
 of them on the gates of the city he founded. "Shamash 
 has conferred on me all I possess," says he in an inscrip- 
 tion. " Bin gave me good fortune ; I have named the great 
 eastern gates after Shamash and Bin. Bel Dagon laid 
 the foundation of my city, Bilit Taauth grinds like paint 
 the elements of the world; I have named the great 
 southern gates after Bel Dagon and Bilit Taauth. Cannes 
 prospers the work of my hand, Ishtar leads armies to 
 batrie; I have called the great western gates after 
 Cannes and Ishtar. Nisroch Shalman presides over 
 marriages, the mistress of the gods presides over births ; 
 I have dedicated the great northern gates to Nisroch 
 
1 .'.', ':, 
 
 ;; m--- 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. 
 
 135 
 
 THE GREAT HUMAN-HEADED EAGLE-WINGED ASSYRIAN BULL. 
 
 and Bilit." Inscriptions of such and like general purport 
 were sculptured on the palace walls of many of the 
 king's and also upon the bodies of the w;inged bulls. - 
 
 WORSHIP OF THE GODS AT BABYLON. 
 
 The deity who was the principal object of worship at 
 Babylon and at Borsippa was Bel Merodach, with his 
 wife, Bilit or Myletta, the great nature-goddess, who 
 assumed the two opposite forms of Taauth and Zarpanit, 
 the one austere, the other voluptuous, like the two forms 
 of the Venus of classical mythology. Bilit had a mag- 
 nificent temple in the centre of Babylon, where most 
 infamous customs were practiced. At Ur, the god of the 
 ^ity, from the remote times of Ur-Hammu, was Sin, the 
 
J, (J RELIGION OF THE CHALDEANS. 
 
 moon-god; at Sippara and Larsam, Shamash, the sun; 
 atErech and Nipur, Bilit-Taauth, "Goddess of the Fir- 
 mament." The most shameful rites were connected with 
 the worship of Nana or Zarpanit, at Cutha. 
 
 The materiahstic and profoundly immoral worship at 
 Babylon, naturally excited extreme horror in the wor- 
 shipers of Jehovah, and provoked their vehement invec- 
 tives against the idols of Chaldaea. We quote the elo- 
 quent words of Baruch, that portray so vividly an always 
 materialistic, and often obscene worship that was, in fact, 
 no more than a constant employment of popular super- 
 stition for the profit of the priests. , 
 
 " Now ye shall see in Babylon gods of silver, and of 
 gold, and of wood, borne upon shoulders, which cause 
 the nations to fear. , . . And taking gold, as it were, 
 for a virgin that loveth to go gay, they make crowns for 
 the heads of their gods. Sometimes also the priests 
 convey from their gods gold and silver, and bestow it 
 upon themselves. Yea, they will give thereof to the 
 common harlots, and deck them as men with garments, 
 being gods of silver, and gods of gold and wood. . . . 
 And he that cannot put to death one that offendeth him 
 holdeth a sceptre (Nebo), as though he were a judge of 
 the country. He (Bel Merodach) hath also in his right 
 hand a dagger and an axe, but cannot deliver himself 
 from war and thieves. . . . They light them candles, 
 yea, more than for themselves, whereof they cannot see 
 one. They are as one of the beams of the temple, yet 
 they say their hearts are gnawed upon by things creep- 
 ing out of the earth ; and when they eat them and their 
 clothes they feel it not. ... As for the things that 
 are sacrificed unto them, their priests sell and abuse; 
 in like manner their wives lay up part thereof in salt ; 
 but unto the poor and impotent they give nothing of i". 
 
WORSHIP OF THE CHALDEANS. 
 
 m 
 
 , . . The priests also take off their garments and 
 clothe their wives and children. . . . The women 
 also with cords about them sitting in the w^ay burn bran 
 for perfume." 
 
 The most remarkable building in Babylon was the 
 temple of Bel. It was pyramidal in shape, having eight 
 stages. The lowest stage was 200 yards square. On 
 the summit a golden statue of Bel, 40 feet high, stood 
 in a shrine. There were also two other golden statues 
 and a golden table in this shrine. At the bottom of the 
 pyramid-temple stood a chapel with a table and two 
 images of gold within it. Two altars stood outside of 
 this chapel. A similar temple was at Borsippa near 
 Babylon. It had seVen stages, each decorated in one of 
 the seven primary colors. Like all Chaldean temples, 
 and like the Great Pyramid of Egypt, the four corners of 
 this exactly corresponded with the four cardinal points of 
 the compass. ' 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE JEWS. 
 
 For those the race of Israel oft forsook 
 Their living strength, and unfrequented left 
 His righteous altar, bowing lowly down 
 To bestial gods ; for which their heads as low 
 Bowed down in battle, sunk before the spear 
 Of despicable foes, with these in troop 
 Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd 
 Astrate, queen of Heav'n, with crescent horns; 
 To whose bright image nightly by the moon 
 Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs ; 
 In Sion also not unsung. — MiLTok. 
 
 THE Bible utterly condemns all idol-worship. The 
 people of Israel from their neighbors were con- 
 stantly learning of idols and were frequently led 
 away from the worship of Jehovah to that of false gods. 
 It will be profitable for us just here to turn aside and con- 
 sider these gods. The people of Israel were descended 
 from an idolatrous race. Joshua wrote (Chap, xxiv., 2), 
 "Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood" (that 
 is, the River Euphrates,) " and they served other gods." 
 Rachel, when she left her father's home with Jacob, stole 
 her father's " teraphim." These were images connected 
 with magical rites and they were consulted as oracles in 
 later days. Laban says : " I have augured, or foretold by 
 observing signs." The teraphim were used in Israel 
 even in Ezekiel's time. Laban calls his teraphim his 
 gods. They were generally images with a man's head 
 '38 
 
tDOLATkY AMOl^G TtlE JEWS. 
 
 139 
 
 and with bodies of various shapes, though they were quite 
 small, being often only about two or three inches }iigh. 
 
 THE PLAGUES AND EGYPTIAN IDOLATRY. 
 
 The people of Israel strangely sought to blend the 
 worship of the true God and of idols, they "feared 
 Jehovah and served strange gods." They worshiped 
 in turn very nearly all the gods of the Canaai;iites, Syri- 
 ans, Assyrians and many of those of the Egyptians. 
 They were accustomed to wear amulets and charms, 
 which were supposed to place them under the protection 
 of the idol gods. (See Genesis xxxv., 4.) In Egypt the 
 people of Israel were more thoroughly tainted with false 
 gods, and it was a long while before they were cleansed 
 of the taint. To the gods of Egypt Moses flung down 
 the gauntlet of defiance. He dared their wrath and 
 defied their anger. In the punishments which God sent 
 upon Pharaoh and his people for their refusal to let 
 the children of Israel go, the plagues of Egypt, as we 
 call them, smote their most sacred symbols. At the com- 
 mand of Moses, Aaron waved his rod over the Nile and 
 its waters were turned to blood and its fishes died. The 
 Nile was an object of worship to the Egyptians, as were 
 the crocodiles and some of the fish 
 living in its waters. The frogs, in the 
 next plague, were among the sacred 
 animals. It was a part of the Egyp- 
 tian religion that the people and sculptured locust. 
 especially the priests, should keep themselye's scrupu- 
 lously clean, and the plague of the lice was a terrible 
 punishment. The great Egyptian beetle, the scara- 
 bseus, was sculptured on all their monuments and was 
 an object of worship. The plague of flies or beetles was 
 another attack upon their religion. Selected animals 
 
^^^ IDOLATRY AMONG THE JEWS. 
 
 among the cattle were worshiped. The murrain of beasts 
 fell upon them, their being gods as the Egyptians be- 
 lieved them to be, could not avert the plague. The 
 plague of boils and blains was another assault upon the 
 purity of their persons required by their religion. The 
 other plagues showed most effectually the utter inability 
 of the Egyptian gods to help their worshipers, and that 
 Jehovah, the God of Israel, was the one Supreme Being. 
 
 THE GOLDEN CALF. 
 
 With the remembrance of God's victory over the idol- 
 worship of Egypt still fresh in their minds, the Israelites 
 soon fell into idolatrous ways. Their leader, Moses, was 
 absent in the mountain with God. He had gone thither 
 to receive the commands of God, the first of which was 
 an unqualified condemnation of all idolatry. As if to 
 show the necessity of this command, even while Moses 
 was so engaged, the people, were demanding of Aaron 
 that he should make them an idol. The commandments 
 were given to warn Israel against sin. They were as a 
 fence to keep them from falling into the mouth of hell. 
 The Israelites recalled the visible objects of worship to 
 which they had been accustomed in Egypt, and besought 
 Aaron to make them gods. Weakly yielding to dieir 
 urgent request, Aaron asks for their golden ear-rings, 
 hoping, it may be, that they would not be willing to make 
 this sacrifice. With the gold thus furnished he cast a 
 "molten calf," the image of the Babylonish winged bull 
 Cherub. .This he placed before the Israelites as the 
 image of the God who had led them out of Egypt. He 
 then built an altar before the idol. In the name of 
 Jehovah, he proclaimed a festival. God is for this cause 
 exceedingly angry, but in answer to Moses' prayer He 
 finally spares the people. 
 
IDOLATRY AMONG THE JEWS. 
 
 141 
 
 As Moses comes nearer to the camp of Israel, he hears 
 the sound of their revelry, and when his eyes behold the 
 disgraceful scenes attending the worship of the golden 
 calf, in his anger he throws the stone tablets containing 
 the commandments to the ground. He then causes the 
 image to be ground into powder and strewn upon the 
 water which the people must needs drink. Then came 
 the awful slaughter of 
 those who were not 
 loyal to Jehovah. Just 
 how far Israel had 
 looked upon the gol- 
 den calf as a mere 
 symbol of Jehovah, it 
 is impossible to say, 
 but God condemns 
 even the use of a sym- 
 bol, though it may be 
 truly said that the 
 Symbol is not itself 
 worshiped. 
 
 During the rest of 
 their wandering in the 
 desert, the people did 
 not again commit the 
 sin of idolatry. The 
 terrible punishments 
 which had fallen upon 
 them were quite sufficient to deter them from it. 
 
 Into the fearfully wicked worship of Baal-Peor, the 
 Israelites were led by the daughters of Moab. God sent 
 upon them an awful punishment for this sin also. During 
 the lives of Joshua and thq elders they remain.ed true to 
 their allegiance to Jehovah, but the following generation 
 
 GODDESS ASHTORETH,ISHTAR. 
 
142 
 
 ISRAEL'S WORSHIP OP BAAL. 
 
 remembered not the awful penalties God visited on 
 idolatry, and they were caught in the snare again. 
 
 BAAL-WORSHIP. 
 
 Baal was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician 
 and Canaanitish nations. Ashtoreth was their female 
 divinity. The name Baal means lord. He was the sun- 
 god. The name is gen- 
 erally used in connection 
 with other names, as Baal- 
 Gad, that is Baal the For- 
 tune-bringer; Baal-Berith 
 or Covenant-making Baal; 
 Baal-Zebub, the Fly-god. 
 The people of Israel wor- 
 shiped Baal up to the time 
 of Samuel, at whose re- 
 buke they forsook this 
 iniquity for nearly a hun- 
 dred years. The practice 
 was introduced again in 
 the time of Solomon, and 
 it continued to the days of' 
 the captivity. 
 
 During the life of all the 
 judges, Israel worshiped 
 Baal. As soon as Gideon 
 was dead, the Israelites, 
 who had during his lifetime been less devout in this 
 direction, returned to it again with energy. As if in 
 mockery of the covenant made with Jehovah, they chose 
 to worship Baal-Berith, " Baal of the Covenant." We 
 are told that this Baal's temple was a fortress, and that 
 his treasury was filled with the silver brought in great 
 
 PHOENICIAN GODDESS ASTARTE. 
 
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 agio's 
 
IDOLATRY AMONG THE JEWS. 
 
 HZ 
 
 abundance by his worshipers. Before the story of Sam- 
 son is told the striking words are used, " the children of 
 Israel did evil again in the eyes of Jehohah, and Jehovah 
 gave them again into the hands of the Philistines." 
 Idolatry was their national sin. From Judges xvii. and 
 xviii., we see that often the Israelites tried to carry on 
 both the worship of Jehovah and of idols, like the Saxon 
 king who is said to have had both an altar to Christ and 
 an altar to the devils 
 in his chapel-cave. 
 Strange to say, Mo- 
 ses' oWn son, Jona- 
 than, was the priest 
 in the idol-temple of 
 the gods of the tribe 
 of Dan. These idols 
 were destroyed by 
 the Philistines. It 
 was the custom of 
 heathen nations to 
 carry their idols be- 
 fore them into bat- 
 tle. Idolatry was not 
 due to popularity 
 alone, it was not followed merely as a fashion, for it was 
 often carried on secretly. (Isaiah Ivii., 8, and Hosea ix., 1,2.) 
 Under Samuel idolatry was formally renounced by the 
 Israelites. But Solomon's foreign wives brought with 
 tiiem the gods of their own nations. So the gods of 
 Ammon, Moab and Sidon were openly worshiped ; three 
 of the summits of Olivet were covered with the altars of 
 Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Moloch, the fire-god. The of- 
 fering of human, sacrifice was a part of the worship of 
 Moloch. The ceremony is supposed to have been as 
 ' 9 
 
 THE AMMONITE FIRE-GOD MOLOCH. 
 
J.. IDOLATRY A NATIONAL SIN. 
 
 follows : The priest stood on a platform in front of the 
 idol, and while the people bowed down and murmured 
 their prayers, he placed in the hands of the idol the sacri-' 
 fice, frequently a Htde babe. By some cruel machinery 
 the idol's hands came together crushing the child, while 
 the musicians beat their drums to drown its cries. 
 
 Rehoboam and Jeroboam both led Israel more deeply 
 into idolatry. Jeroboam er/ected golden calves, the statues 
 of the Egyptian god Apis, at Bethel and at Dan. To 
 their use temples were devoted and services, copied prob- 
 ably from the Mosaic ritual, were held. Incense and 
 sacrifice was offered before them. Asa, and Jehosophat 
 after him, removed all the relics of idolatry. 
 
 With Ahab's coming to the throne, Baal's worship was 
 re-established. This was done at the request of Jezebel, 
 the Sidonian princess. Ahab did "more to provoke 
 Jehovah, God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of 
 Israel before him." From this time Baal-worship is inter- 
 woven with all the life of Israel. The idolatrous priests 
 became more and more numerous and important, being 
 patronized by the court and fed at the royal table. Finally 
 came the grand trial scene. As in Egypt long before, God 
 was once more about to vindicate His supremacy. On 
 Mount Carmel the trial took place. 
 
 " By scores, by hundreds, chanting to their god. 
 Clad in white stoles with frontlets of red gold, 
 Baal's prophets marched. 
 
 The crowd through all its myriad ranks was still, 
 With wide, expectant eyes the king in front. 
 Forth stepped Elijah ; melancholy fire 
 Burned in his swarthy-glowing eye; he looked 
 In angry love, impatient, scornful grief. 
 Wonder and pity, on the multitude. 
 'How long," he cried, with voice like autumn blast, 
 'How long, O Israel, halt ye between two? 
 
IDOLATRY AMONG THE JEWS. 
 
 145 
 
 If Jah be God, then serve ye Him: if Baal, 
 
 Then Baal. ' The great crowd stretched to him, and rocked 
 
 In mighty agitation to and fro. 
 
 The gray crags caught his words, and echoed them 
 
 To Carmel's crest; it threw them to the peak, 
 
 Snow-crowned,' of Lebanon, which tossed them far 
 
 Along the surges of the boundless sea. 
 
 He spake again : ' The God that answereth 
 
 By fire, let Him be God. ' As when a wave, 
 
 That rears itself, a wall of polished glass. 
 
 For leagues along the shore, and hangs in air. 
 
 Falls with one deafening crash, so rose the shout 
 
 Of answering acclamation from the 'crowd. 
 
 White-faced, with restless lips and anxious eyes, 
 
 Baal's prophets heard, their hundreds cowed and mute 
 
 Before one man. They dared not, in mere shame. 
 
 Decline the challenge. While the dusky gray 
 
 Of earliest dawn was fluttering into blue 
 
 They built their altar j and when first the sun 
 
 Showed his clear forehead on the mountain-tops 
 
 Their chanted prayer to the appearing Baal 
 
 Rose loud and shrill, that he would stretch his hand 
 
 With burning torch to light the sacrifice 
 
 And prove himself a god. The sun rose calm, 
 
 Springing as if in joy from earth's low hills. 
 
 Upon the vaulted radiance of the sky. 
 
 All unregarding these his worshipers. 
 
 The hymns' last echoes died away ; the sun 
 
 Burned with fierce heat, swift striding up the blue. 
 
 Standing on that scorched hill, we felt his rays 
 
 Prick like sharp spear-points. Then I heard again 
 
 Elijah's voice. I had been watching close 
 
 Baal's prophets, but I now looked straight at him. 
 
 A fearful gleam w£(s in his eye, a mirth 
 
 Too stern, methought, for man of woman born ; 
 
 His glance was vexing those robed prophets more 
 
 Than the sun's fire ; and then be gave it words. 
 
 ' Might he not spare one little spark, but one, 
 
 Your fine god riding there,' he cried, 'to light 
 
 Your sacrifice ? He surely has enough ; 
 
 He's burning you, if not your offering. 
 
J. 5 Idol-worship of the jews. 
 
 Poor souls, I pity you!* They screamed for rage. 
 
 'A little louder,' smiled he, 'for perhaps 
 
 In his warm chariot he has fallen asleep. ' 
 
 They leaped, they danced, they cut themselves with knives 
 
 Till the blood soaked their robes and poured in streams 
 
 From their lanced foreheads. Theh he laughed aloud 
 
 Great shouts of laughter, till the echoes rang 
 
 From crag to crag on Carmel. ' Keep it up, 
 
 Another dance!' he shrieked; ' another song ! 
 
 Leap rather higher ; never grudge some drops 
 
 Of your dear blood, so precious in his sight. 
 
 Ye know he is a god, my reverend friends; 
 
 How often have ye told the people so? 
 
 Your pretty speeches and the miracles 
 
 Which ye have shown them, these were not, of course. 
 
 Mere lies accursed. He is a god, you know. 
 
 Louder, I say; he's old, perhaps, and deaf; 
 
 Out with your beards — that 's hopeful — crack your throats 
 
 In yelling chorus. Good, 'good — ha, ha, ha!' 
 
 He rubbed his hands, waved wildly in the air 
 
 His sheep-skin mantle, laughed until the tears 
 
 Streamed down his face, and all his body shook 
 
 With paroxysms of mirth and scorn. Ah me! 
 
 That laughter sounded fearfully, and seemed 
 
 Not human in its fiery ru'thlessness. 
 
 But as he stood on Carmel, charred and gray, 
 
 A dead land lay below, his native land ; 
 
 And the white corpse-eyes made appeal lo him 
 
 Against its murderers, murderers of the truth, 
 
 Baal's lying prophets. Furthermore, I think 
 
 That this Elijah is not to be judged 
 
 Like common men. The little rippling lake. 
 
 Safe hid among the hills, can never know 
 
 The ocean's tempests. — So they writhed and tore, 
 
 In ecstasies of grief and rage. At last 
 
 They hung their heads in mute despair, and looked 
 
 Upon the ground. 
 
 Elijah stood erect, 
 Terrible earnestness and majesty 
 Now sitting on his brow. Twelve stones he took— 
 Mark, twelve ; this challenge in the full name 
 
IDOLATRY AMONG THE yElVS. 
 
 Of Israel as it stooped to David's hand, 
 And with one mighty throb the multitude 
 Approved Elijah's -pur- 
 pose; — twelve smooth 
 
 stones 
 From Carmel's side, and 
 
 with them he repaired 
 Jehovah's altar. Then, 
 
 at his command. 
 We filled the trench with 
 
 water, till it ran 
 Around the altar like a 
 
 surging stream, 
 And washed the stones, 
 
 and soaked the wood 
 
 beneath 
 The sacrifice. He knelt 
 
 upon the ridge, • 
 Against the golden, placid 
 
 sky of eve ; 
 Brief, simple, clear, his 
 
 words arose to heaven ; 
 • That God would testify 
 
 unto Himself 
 And to His prophet, and 
 
 would turn the hearts 
 Of His own people back 
 
 to Him again.' 
 Scarce had he spoken, 
 
 when a broad white 
 
 glare. 
 Scattering earth's light 
 
 like darkness in its 
 
 path. 
 Keener than lightning, 
 
 calmer than the dawn. 
 The sword of God that 
 
 pi'oveth Him by fire, 
 That proveth Him by fire 
 
 in every age, 
 
 Stooped from above and touched the sacrifice. 
 
 m 
 
 JEHOVAH'S TRIUMPH OVER BAAL. 
 
g CAPTIVITY AT BABYLON. 
 
 In the white blaze the sun grew wan, and hung 
 
 Like a pale moon upon the glimmering sky. 
 
 The fierce flame licked the water up, the wood 
 
 Crackled aloft, the very altar stones 
 
 Glowed fiery red. The pillared smoke arose 
 
 Through the hushed air in towering flawlessness, 
 
 Then spread out calm and broad, like God's own face 
 
 Breathing acceptance. But Baal's prophets shook 
 
 In utter fear, and smote upon their breasts, 
 
 And groveled, moaning, down into the dust. 
 
 Clear broke the shout from that great multitude, 
 
 ' Jah is the God ! Jehovah He is God ! 
 
 ' Take them,' Elijah said ; ' let none escape.' 
 
 We closed around Baal's prophets, thrust them down 
 
 To where the thirsty Kishon slowly crawled. 
 
 There made Elijah bare his arm, and score 
 
 By score he slew them. From the heap of dead 
 
 Oozed a broad rill of blood, that swelled the wave 
 
 Of slumbrous Kishon." 
 
 This was a severe blow to this form of idolatry in 
 Israel for the time being. But in Judah, Baal continued 
 to be worshiped. Baal and other gods were worshiped 
 at their own shrines. Ahaz built altars to them at every 
 corner of Jerusalem, and high-places in every city of 
 Judah, replacing the brazen altar of burnt-offering by one 
 made after the idol altar at Damascus. 
 
 The time for the final act in the drama of abominations 
 Is at hand. The last scene opens with the captivity at 
 Babylon. One would expect that this terrible punish- 
 ment would immediately cause Israel to turn to the true 
 God, but it did not. In the land of their captivity they 
 took to them foreign wives and with them their idols. 
 But there were, through all the history of the Jews, a 
 faithful few who adhered to the pure worship of one God. 
 Even at .the time when Baal-worship was most prevalent 
 there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee 
 
IDOLATRY AMONG THE JEWS. 
 
 149 
 
 ^to Baal (ist Kings, xxix,, 18). Excepting these few, the 
 chosen people were almost as much given to idolatry as 
 any nation around them. "Israel for many days had no 
 true God, and no teaching priest, and no law" (2d Chron- 
 icles, XV., 3). 
 
 Foreign wives, foreign allies, and the unnatural ten- 
 dency to desire visible objects of worship caused this 
 prevalence of idolatry in the very nation to which God 
 made especial revelations of His character and purposes. 
 In spite of God's promises and threats, commands and 
 entreaties, punishments and pardon, Israel still sinned. 
 
 The false gods mentioned in the New Testament and 
 some of those referred to in the Old Testament, will be 
 spoken of further on in describing the religions to which 
 they severally belonged. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 GREECE. 
 
 There, where now, as we're by sages told, 
 
 Whirls on high a soulless fiery ball, 
 Helios guided then his car of gold. 
 
 In his silent majesty o'er all. 
 Oreads then these heights around us filled. 
 
 Then a dryad dwelt in yonder tree, 
 From the urn of loving naiads rilled 
 
 Silver streamlets foamingly. 
 
 Friedrich von Schilleu, 
 
 THE religious system of the Greeks is the em- 
 bodiment of beauty. No other worship that has 
 ever existed so encouraged the taste for art as 
 this. Its literature, its mythological stories, its idols and its 
 temples still control and, to a great extent, shape the art 
 ideas of the world. Its devotees have above all other 
 people possessed a perception of beauty of form and a 
 fondness for representing it. 
 
 The people of Greece appear to have originally come 
 from the north-western part of Asia Minor. They were 
 called the Hellenes. The worship which they brought 
 from Asia was the worship of the " Heaven-Father," the 
 unseen one who dwells in ether, whose temple is the sky, 
 and whose altar is properly placed upon the mountain- 
 top. The Hindus called the sartie being Dyaus-pitar; 
 the Romans, Diovis-pater or Jupiter ; the Greeks, Zeus- 
 pater. One can readily see the resemblance between 
 these names, and the evidence they bear to the fact that 
 
 15° 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. jci 
 
 these nations all came originally from one common stock. 
 As the primal Greek race separated into various parts 
 of Greece different forms began to arise. ' As sailors 
 from other lands arrived on their shores, they brought 
 their own gods with them, and thus many new gods were 
 introduced into Greece. 
 
 The lively imagination of the Greeks and the out-door 
 life of their primitive state produced a number of tales 
 and legends about the gods. Some of these were based 
 on the tales with which their forefathers were familiar in 
 their early home in Asia, The people, lived in separate 
 villages. Wandering minstrels and merchants carried 
 these tales of gods and heroes from village to village. 
 Poets then caught them up and adorned them with the 
 touches of a livelier fancy. Thus soon a rich and luxuri- 
 ant system of legendary lore was in possession of the 
 whole people. 
 
 Just as is the case with other nations, the beings called 
 gods by the Greeks are but the personifications of the 
 powers and objects of nature, and the legends but repre- 
 sent the courses of nature and its operations. To these 
 primitive notions imagination afterwards added, and po- 
 etry clothed the whole with a warm glow. Thus was 
 formed the popular Greek faith. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE WORLD AND OF THE GODS. 
 
 According to the ideas of the Homeric and Heslodic 
 ages, it would seem that the world was a hollow globe, 
 divided into two equal portions, by the flat disk of the 
 earth. The external shell of this globe is called by the 
 poets brazen and iron, probably only to express its solid- 
 ity. The superior hemisphere was named Heaven, the 
 inferior one Tartarus. The length of the diameter of the 
 hollow sphere is given thus by Hesiod. It would take, he 
 
jrj GRECIAN RELIGIOUS SYSTEM. 
 
 says, nine days for an anvil to fall from heaven to earth; 
 and an equal space of time would be occupied by its 
 fall from earth to Tartarus. The luminaries which gave 
 light to gods and men shed their radiance through all the 
 interior of the upper hemisphere ; while that of the in- 
 ferior one was filled with ete'f nal gloom and darkness, 
 and its still air was unmoved by any wind. 
 
 Thie earth filled the centre of the universe in the form 
 of a round flat disk, or rather cylinder, around which the 
 river (the ocean) flowed. Hellas was probably regarded 
 as the centre of the earth ; but the poets are silent on 
 this point. They are equally so as to the exact central 
 point, but probably viewed as such Olympus, the abode 
 of the gods. In after times Delphi became practically the 
 navel of the earth. The sea divided the terrestial disk 
 into two portions, which we may suppose were regarded 
 as equal. These divisions do not seem to have had any 
 distinctive names in the time of Homer. The northern 
 one was afterwards named Europe ; the southern, at first 
 called Asia, alone, was in process of time divided into 
 Asia and Libya, the former comprising all the country 
 between the Phasis and the Nile, the latter all between 
 this river and the western ocean. 
 
 In the sea, the Greeks appear to have known, to the 
 west of their own country, southern Italy, Sicily and 
 Spain, though their ideas respecting these countries were 
 probably vague and uncertain. The imagination of the 
 poets, or the tales of voyagers, had placed in the more 
 remote parts of it several islands, such as the Ogygian, 
 the isle of Calypso; the yEaean, that of Kirk6; the 
 ^olion, that of ^olos ; Scheria, the abode of the Phsa- 
 kians — islands in all probability as ideal and as fabulous 
 as the isles of Panchaia, Lilliput, or Brobdignag, though 
 both ancients and moderns have endeavored to assign 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. je^ 
 
 their exact positions. Along its southern ceast lay, it 
 would appear, the countries of the Lotos-eaters, the 
 Cyclops, the Giants and the LaeStrigonians. These isles 
 and coasts of^the western part of the sea were the scenes 
 of most of the wonders of early Grecian fable. There, 
 and on the isles of the ocean, the passage to which was 
 supposed to be closed to the island of Kirke, dwelt the 
 Sirens, the Hesperides, the Grsecae, the Gorgons and the 
 other beings of fable, whose varied deeds make up the 
 ever interesting narratives of the ancient mythology. 
 
 The Greeks of the early ages knew little of any people 
 except those to the east and south of their own country, 
 or near the coast of the Mediterranean. Their imagina- 
 tion, meantime, had peopled the western portion of this 
 sea with giants, monsters and enchantresses ; while they 
 placed around the edge of the disk of the earth, which 
 they probably regarded as of no great width, nations en- 
 joying the peculiar favor of the gods, and blessed with 
 happiness and longevity — b. notion which continued to 
 prevail even in the historic times. 
 
 The entrance to the city or palace of the gods on 
 Olympus was closed by a gate of clouds kept by the 
 goddesses named the " Seasons ;" but the cloudy valves 
 opened spontaneously to permit the greater gods to pass 
 to and fro on their visits to the earth, thus linking with 
 earth's phases the approaches or departures of the gods. 
 
 Tartarus was unvisited by the light of day. It was 
 regarded as the prison of the gods, and not as the place 
 of torment for wicked men, being to the gods what Ere- 
 bus was to men — the abode of those who were driven 
 from the supernal world. The Titans, when conquered, 
 were shut up in it ; and in the Ilias, Zeus menaces the 
 subordinate and refractory gods with banishment to its 
 murky regions. 
 
jc. ORIGIN OF THE GODS. 
 
 THE GENERATIONS OF THE GODS. 
 
 Chaos (void space) was first: then came into being 
 " broad-breasted " Earth, the gloomy Tartarus and Love. 
 Chaos produced Erebus and Night, and this last bore to 
 E^-ebus Day and Ether. 
 
 Earth now produced Uranos (Heaven), of equal ex 
 tent with herself, to envelop her, and the mountains and 
 Pontos (Sea). She then bore to Uranus a mighty pro- 
 geny — the Titans ; six males and six females. She also 
 bore the three Cyclops and the three-hundred handed 
 ones, Hottos, Briareus and Gyges. These children were 
 hated by their father, who, as soon as they were born, 
 thrust them out of sight in a cavern of mother Earth, who, 
 grieved at his conduct, produced the substance of hoary 
 steel, and, forming from it a sickle, roused her children, 
 the Titans, to rebellion against him ; but fear seized on 
 them all except Kronos, who, lying in wait with the sickle 
 with which his mother had armed him, mutilated his un- 
 suspecting sire. The drops which fell to the earth from 
 the wounds gave birth to the Erinnyes, the Giants and 
 the Mehan nymphs ; and from what fell into the sea 
 sprang Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. 
 
 Earth finally, after the overthrow of the Titans, bore 
 by Tartaros her last offspring, the hundred-headed Ty- 
 phoeu3, the father of storms and whirlwinds, whom Zeus 
 , precipitated into Tartarus. 
 
 Rhea was united to Kronos. Kronos, having learned 
 from his parents. Heaven and Earth, that he was fated 
 to be deprived by one of his sons of the kingdom which 
 he had taken from his father, devoured his children as 
 fast as they were born. Rhea, when about to be deliv- 
 ered of Zeus, besought her parents to teach her how she 
 might save him. Instructed by Earth, she concealed him 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. j e e 
 
 in a cavern of Crete, and gave a stone in his stead to 
 Kronos. This stone he afterward threw up, and with it 
 the children whom he had devoured. When Zeus was 
 grown up, he and the other children of Kronos made war 
 on their father and the Titans. The scene of the conflict 
 was Thessaly ; the former fought from Olympus, the lat- 
 ter from Othrys. During ten entire years the conflict 
 was undecided; at length, by the counsel of Earth, the 
 Kronids released the Hundred-handed and called them 
 to their aid. The war was then resumed with renewed 
 vigor, and the Titans were finally vanquished and im- 
 prisoned in Tartarus, under the guard of the Hundred- 
 handed. The Kronids then, by the advice of Earth, gave 
 the supreme power to Zeus, who, in return, distributed 
 honors and dominion among the associates of his victory. 
 
 GODS OF THE GRECIANS. 
 
 The Greeks of the early ages regarded the lofty Thes- 
 salian mountain named Olympus as the dwelling of their 
 gods. In the Odyssey, where the deities are of a char- 
 acter far more dignified and elevated than in the Ilias, the 
 place of their abode shares in their exaltation ; and It 
 may almost be doubted if the poet who drew the follow- 
 ing picture of Olympus could have conceived it to be no 
 more than the summit of a terrestrial mountain : 
 
 " Olympus, where they say the ever firm 
 Seat of the gojds is, by the winds unshaken, 
 Nor ever wet with rain, nor ever showered 
 With snow, but cloudless ether o'er it spreads. 
 And glittering light encircles it around, 
 On which the happy gods aye dwell in bliss." 
 
 Man loves to bestow his own form upon his gods, as 
 being the noblest that he can conceive. Those of Homer 
 
156 
 
 MYTHS CONCERNING THE GODS. 
 
 are all of the human form, but of far larger dimensions 
 than men ; great size being an object of admiration both 
 in men and women in those early and martial ages. 
 Thus, when the goddess Athena ascends as driver the 
 chariot of Diomedes, 
 
 Loud groaned the beechen axle with the weight, 
 For a great god and valiant chief it bore ; 
 
 when in the battle of the gods Ares is Struck to the earth 
 by this goddess, he is described as covering seven ple- 
 thra of ground ; the helmet of the goddess herself would, 
 we are told, cover the footmen of a hundred towns ; when 
 Hera is about to make an oath she lays one hand on the 
 earth, the other on the sea ; the voice of Poseidon and 
 Ares are as loud as the shout of nine or ten thousand 
 men. 
 
 The gods can, however, increase or diminish their size, 
 assume the form of particular men, or of any animals, 
 and make themselves visible and invisible at their pleas- 
 ure. Their bodies are also of a finer nature than those 
 of men. It is not blood, but a blood-like fluid named 
 ichor, which flows in their veins. They are susceptible of 
 injury by mortal weapons ; the arrows of Herakles vio- 
 late the divine bodies of Hera and Hades. Diomedes 
 wounds both Aphrodite and Ares. They require nour- 
 ishment as men do ; their food is called Ambrosia, their 
 drink Nectar. Their mode of life exactly resembles that 
 of the princes and nobles of the heroic ages. In the pal- 
 ace of Zeus, on Olympus, they feast at the approach of 
 evening, and converse of the affairs of heaven and earth ; 
 the nectar is handed round by Hebe {youth) ; Apollo 
 delights them with the tones of his lyre ; and the Muses, 
 in responsive strains, pour forth their melodious voices in 
 song. When the sun descends each god retires to re- 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. j e- 
 
 pose in^.his own dwelling. They frequently partake of 
 the hospitality of men, travel with them, and share in their 
 wars and batdes. 
 
 With the form of men the Homeric gods also partake 
 of their passions. They are capricious, jealous, revenge- 
 ful, will support their favorites through right and wrong, 
 and are implacable toward their enemies or even those 
 who have slighted them. Their, power was held to ex- 
 tend very far; men regarded them the authors of both 
 good and evil ; all human ability and success was as- 
 cribed to them. They were believed to have power over 
 the thoughts of men, and could imperceptibly suggest 
 such as they pleased. They required of men to honor 
 them with prayer, and the sacrifice of oxen, goats, sheep, 
 lambs and kids, and oblations of wine and corn, and 
 fragrant herbs. When offended, they usually remitted 
 their wrath when thus appeased. 
 
 The Homeric gods have all different ranks and offices : 
 Olympus being, in fact, regulated on the model of a 
 Grecian city of the heroic ages. Zeus was king of the 
 region of the air and clouds, which had fallen to him by 
 lot on the dethronement of his father Kronos; the sea 
 was the realm of his brother Poseidon ; the under-world 
 fell to Hades in the division of their conquests; earth 
 and Olympus were common property. Zeus, however, 
 as eldest brother, exercised a supremacy, and his power 
 was the greatest. The other inhabitants of Olympus 
 were Hera, sister and spouse of Zeus ; Apollo, the god of 
 music and archery ; his sister Artemis, the goddess of the 
 chase, and their mother Leto; Aphrodite, goddess of 
 love, and her mother Dione; Ares, god of war; Pallas- 
 Athene, goddess of prudence and skill ; Themis, god- 
 dess of justice ; Hermoias, god of grain ; Hebe, the 
 attendant of the Olympian king and queen- and Isis, 
 
jj.g GRECIAN GODS AND HEROES.' 
 
 their messenger; Hephsestos, the celestial artist, and 
 Pseon, the physician; and the Muses, the Graces and 
 the Seasons. Poseidon was frequendy there ; but Dem- 
 eter, the goddess of agriculture, and Dionysius, the god 
 of wine, do not appear among the residents of Olympus. 
 The Nymphs and the River-gods occasionally visited or 
 were summoned to it. Eos, Helios and Selene, rose 
 every day out of the ocean-stream, and drove in their 
 chariots through the air, shedding their cheering beams 
 abroad. 
 
 All the dwellings of the gods upon Olympus were of 
 brass or copper, the metal which was in the greatest 
 abundance in Greece. Hephsestos was architect and 
 smith; he formed all the arms, household furniture, 
 chariots and other articles in use among the Celestials ; 
 but their dress, especially that of the goddesses, appears 
 to have been the workmanship of Pallas- Athene or of the 
 Graces. The gold which proceeded from the work-shop 
 of Hephaestos was filled with automatic power; his stat- 
 ues were endowed with intelligence; his tripods could 
 move of themselves ; he made the golden shoes, or rather 
 soles, with which the gods trod the air and the waters, or 
 strode with the speed of winds, or even of thought, from 
 mountain to mountain upon the earth which trembled 
 beneath their weight. The chariots of the gods and 
 their appurtenances were formed of various metals. 
 That of Hera, for example, is thus described: 
 "Then Hebe quickly to the chariot put 
 The round wheels, eight-spoked, brazen, strong 
 Axle of iron. Gold their fellies were. 
 And undecaying, but thereon of brass 
 The tires, well-fitting, wondrous to behold. 
 Of silver was the rounded nave of each ; 
 The body was hung by gold and silver cords, 
 And two curved sides encompassed it about. 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. ,_^ 
 
 The pole was silver, and upon it& end 
 She tied the beauteous golden yoke, and bound 
 On it the golden braces fair ; the steeds, 
 Swift-footed then beneath the yoke were led 
 By Hera, eager for the war and strife." 
 
 These chariots were drawn by horses of celestial breed, 
 which could whirl them to and fro between heaven and 
 earth, through the yielding air, or skim with them along 
 the surface of the sea, without wetting the axle. They 
 were only used on occasions of taking a long journey, 
 as when Hera professes that she is going to the end of 
 the earth to make up the quarrel between Okeanos and 
 Tethys ; or on occasions in which the gods wished to ap- 
 pear with state and magnificence. On ordinary occa- 
 sions the gods moved by the aid of their golden shoes ; 
 when at home in their houses, they, like the men of those 
 ages, went bare-foot. 
 
 The Greeks tell almost innumerable stories of their 
 gods, and their adventures, love-escapades and wars. 
 Some are wonderfully beautiful, others humble or gro- 
 tesque. Their heroes come in for a share of the honors 
 paid the gods. We can compare these stories with the 
 legends of other nations, and see the wondrous resem- 
 blance between them. 
 
 SPECIMEN STORIES FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 It will be possible to introduce but a few of the very 
 many Greek legends and myths. We choose to give a 
 few fully, rather than to give many imperfectly. 
 
 HERMES AND APOLLO. 
 
 Hermes was born of the mountain-nymph, Maia, in a 
 cavern of Mount Kyllene, in Arcadia. He had scarcely 
 been laid in his cradle, when he got up and set off for 
 
jgQ STORIES FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 Pieria, to steal cows from Apollo. As he was going out 
 he met a tortoise, which he caught up and carried back 
 to the cave ; when, quick as thought, he killed the animal, 
 took out the flesh, adapted reeds and strings to the shell, 
 and formed from it the Phormin or Lyre, on which he 
 immediately played with perfect skill. He then laid it up 
 in his cradle, and resumed his journey. 
 
 He arrived by sunset in Pieria, .where, the oxen of the 
 gods fed under the care of Apollo. He forthwith sepa- 
 rated fifty cows from the herd and drove them away, 
 contriving to make them go backwards; and throwing 
 away his sandals, bound branches of myrtle and tamarisk 
 under his feet, that the herdsman-god might have no clew 
 by which to trace his cattle. As he passed by Onchestos in 
 Baeotia, he saw an old man engaged in planting his vine- 
 yard, whom he strictly charged not to tell what he had seen. 
 He then pursued his way by shady hills, resounding vales 
 and flowery plains, and as the moon was rising arrived 
 with his booty on the banks of the Alpheios in the Pelo- 
 ponnese. He there fed and stalled his kine, made a fire, 
 killed, cut up, and dressed two of them, and even made 
 black puddings of their blood, and then thriftily spread 
 their skins to dry on a rock. He burned the heads and 
 feet, and put out the fire, effacing all signs of it, and flung 
 his twig-sandals into the river. With daybreak he slank 
 home and stole into his cradle, not unobserved by his 
 mother, who reproached him with his deeds; but he re- 
 plied that he was resolved by his actions to procure ad- 
 mission for her and himself to the assembly of the gods. 
 
 In the morning Apollo missed his kine ; he set out in 
 search of them, and met the old man, who informed him 
 of his having seen a child driving cows along. He comes 
 to Pylos, where he sees the traces of his cattle, but is 
 amazed at the strange foot-prints of their driver. He 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. 
 
 I6l 
 
 proceeds to the fragrant cave of the nymphs, and Hermes 
 on seeing him gathers himself up under the clothes, 
 afraid of the god. Apollo takes the key, opens and 
 searches the three closets where the nymph kept her 
 clothes, ornaments and food, but to no purpose. He 
 then threatens the child that he will fling him into Tar- 
 tarus unless he tells him where the cows are ; but Hermes 
 stoutly denies all knowledge of them, and even very in- 
 nocently asks what cows are. Apollo pulls him out of 
 the cradle and they agree to go and argue the matter 
 before Zeus. Arrived in Olympus, Apollo relates the 
 theft, and tells what reasons he had for suspecting the 
 baby of being the thief. All this is, to the great amuse- 
 ment of the Celestials, stoutly denied and its absurdity 
 shown by the little fellow, who still has his cradle clothes 
 about him. Zeus, however, gives judgment against Her- 
 mes, and the two brothers are sent in search of the miss- 
 ing kine. They come to Pylos, and Hermes drives the 
 cattle out of the cave. Apollo misses two of them ; to his 
 amazement he sees their skins on a rock, and is still more 
 surprised, when, on going to drive the others on, he finds 
 the art of Hermes had rooted their feet to the ground. 
 Hermes then begins to play on his lyre, the tones of 
 which so ravish Apollo that he offers him the cows for it. 
 The young god gives him the lyre, and receives the 
 cattle. The divine herdsman also gives him his whip, 
 and instructs him in the* management of the herds. 
 
 THE LOTUS-EATERS AND THE CYCLOPS. 
 
 Odysseus when on his return from Troy, encountered 
 a violent north-east wind, which drove him for nine days, 
 until he reached the country of* the Lotus-eaters. He 
 sent three of his men to see who the inhabitants were. 
 These men on coming among the Lotus-eaters were 
 
l62 
 
 THE LOTUS EATERS. 
 
 kindly entertained by them, and given some of their 
 own food, the Lotus plant, to eat. The effect of this 
 plant was such, that those who tasted it lost all thoughts 
 of home and wished to remain in that country. It was 
 by main force that Odysseus dragged these men away, 
 and he was even obliged to tie them under the benches of 
 his ship. 
 
 Then he sailed to the westward and came to the land 
 of the Cyclops. These were a rude, lawless people, who 
 neither planted nor sowed, but who^e land Was so fertile 
 as spontaneously to produce for them wheat, barley knd 
 grapes. They dwelt in caves, and each without regard 
 to others governed his wife and children. 
 
 In front of one of their harbors lay a beautiful island, 
 well-stocked with goats. Leaving his fleet at this isjand, 
 Odysseus w^nt with one ship to the mainland. Here 
 he entered the cave of a Cyclops, Polyphemus by name. 
 When Polyphemus returned in the evening with his flocks 
 and found strangers there, he asked who they were. 
 Odysseus said that they had been shipwrecked, and ap- 
 pealed to his mercy and reverence for the gods. Poly- 
 phemus cared for neither and he seized and killed and 
 devoured two young Greeks. The door of the cave was 
 closed with an immense rock, so that, if they killed Poly- 
 phemus, they could not have escaped, for they could not 
 move the rock. The next night, though, when Polyphe- 
 mus was in a drunken sleep, they took his staff, which 
 was as large as a mast, heated it in the fire, and put out 
 his one eye. When the giant roared out with pain, the 
 ' other Cyclops came to see what was the matter. Odys- 
 seus had told him that his name was Nobody. So when 
 he called out that Nobody was killing him, they thought 
 him dreaming. Next morning when Polyphemus turned 
 out his sheep and goats, which were olF great size, the 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. | jg, 
 
 Greeks fastened themselves beneath their bellies and so 
 escaped. After they had put out to sea a little way, 
 Odysseus called out his true name, and the angry Cyclops 
 hurled great stones at him, and nearly destroyed his ship. 
 
 HERCULES' TWELVE TASKS. 
 
 In obedience to the god Zeus, Hercules was made to 
 serve Eurystheus, who gave him twelve tasks to perform. 
 The first task was to bring the skin of an unconquerable 
 lion, the Nemean. Hercules choked the lion. The 
 second task was to destroy the nine-headed hydra, or 
 water-snake. He cut off the heads, but two sprang up 
 where one was cut off. Then his companion with a 
 torch burned the necks where the heads were cut off by 
 Hercules the second time. The third task was to bring 
 the golden-horned hind alive. He wounded and then 
 caught her. The fourth task was to bring ah immense 
 wild boar alive. The fifth task was to cleanse the immense 
 stables of King Augeas in one day. This he did by 
 mining the rivers Penios and Alpheios. The sixth task 
 was to drive away the stymphalid water-fowl, A god- 
 dess gave him brazen clappers, the beating of which 
 made the birds rise from their hiding-places, when Her- 
 cules destroyed them with his arrows. The seventh task 
 was to fetch the wild and furious Cretan bull. The eighth 
 task was to bring the Centaurs of Thrace. The Cen- 
 taurs were horses with the heads and upper half of the 
 human body. The ninth was to bring the girdle of the 
 mighty queen of the Amazons. The tenth was to bring 
 the purple-headed oxen of the Ruddy-isle. The eleventh 
 was to bring the apples of the Hesperides. After meeting 
 with various adventures he reached the place where they 
 were, and while he upheld the heavens Atlas plucked the 
 apples, which Herculesjby a cute device, secured from him. 
 
164 
 
 GRECIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 The twelfth task was to bring Cerberus from the under- 
 world. All his tasks were accomplished. The whole 
 story of the hero Hercules is intensely interesting. 
 
 THE PHIDIAN JUPITER. 
 
 Zeus — the Jupiter of the Romans — the chief, was the 
 earliest of the national gods. The great place ot his 
 worship was at Olympia. Here was the magnificent 
 statue of Jupiter, made by the famous Phidias, This 
 statue was sixty-five feet high. The frame-work, of cedar 
 and olive wood, was covered with ivory and gold. His 
 throne was of cedar wood, inlaid with ivory and precious 
 stones. In his right hand he held a statue of victory, 
 and in his left a sceptre surmounted by the eagle. The 
 footstool was supported by sphinxes, and the throne was 
 of cedar wood, inlaid with ivory, the ebony pedestal was 
 covered with sculptured scenes of his life and adventures. 
 Probably no idol of ancient or modern times exceeds 
 this in its majestic, massive beauty. Neither ivory nor 
 gold were plentiful in Greece, yet so devoted were the 
 people that they provided the immense quantity for this 
 idol readily. The gold plates were one-eighth of an 
 inch thick, and were worth then over %6oo,<a(yo, equal to 
 an immense sum in our days. At Olympia, as at the 
 Isthmus of Corinth, games were held at the yearly re- 
 ligious festivals. From these games the apostle Paul 
 derived many of the metaphors so frequent in his writings. 
 
 GRECIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP OF PAUL's DAY. 
 
 Paul, the Christian Missionary, came into contact with 
 the heathenism of both Greece and Rome. In Athens, 
 Corinth and Ephesus especially he was brought face to 
 face with idols and temples. The story of his visit to 
 these places as told by Luke (Acts xvii., xviii. and xix.), 
 
IMAGE OF JUPITER, MADE BY THE CELEBRATED SCULPTOR. PHIDIAS 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. j q- 
 
 and by Paul (in his letters to the Corinthians and Ephe- 
 sians) presents a vivid picture of the condition of the 
 Greek religion in its latest development. Soon the whole 
 system was to lie in ruins, its temples were to be for- 
 saken, its idols destroyed, its worship forgotten. This 
 mighty change was to be produced by the power of God 
 working through one weak man, belonging to what was 
 everywhere regarded as a narrow-minded race, and with- 
 out any backing of pomp, or power, or wealth. 
 
 THE CITY CROWDED WITH IDOLS. ■ ' 
 
 As Paul entered the gate- way of the Piraeus at Athens, 
 he was met immediately with the proofs of the intense 
 devotion of the Athenians to their worship. Before him 
 stood Minerva's temple and the image of Neptune, her 
 rival, seated on horseback, holding his trident. Passing 
 on he came, after a little, to the temple of ■ Ceres with the 
 images sculptured by the far-famed Praxiteles. A little 
 further on his eyes must have fell upon Bacchus's temple 
 and die images of Zeus, Minerva, Apollo, Mercury and 
 the Muses. All around him are temples, statues, altars 
 and shrines, and the news-seeking Athenians gather 
 about him. Every public place and building was ac- 
 counted sacred. The market-place (the Agora) and the 
 Acropolis were crowded with temples and altars to the 
 gods, and even to deified virtues. There were altars to 
 Fame, to Modesty, to Persuasion and to Pity. And, lest 
 they should by any chance leave out any god or being 
 who might help or injure them, they built an altar to An 
 Unknown God. With all their worship they had not 
 found the true God. 
 
 The magnificent Parthenon — ^the Virgin's House — was 
 the glorious temple erected to Minerva's honor. Within 
 it was the colossal statue of ivory and gold, made by the 
 
J-5S ATHENS CROWDED WITH IDOLS. 
 
 famous Phidias, rivaled only by the same artist's status tA 
 Jupiter.* In the midst of all this idolatry, what thought 
 was in the mind of Paul? "His spirit was stirred within 
 him when he saw the city crowded with idols." It was 
 said in those days that it was easier to find an idol in 
 Athens than a man. 
 
 The Athenians led Paul away to the Areopagus. Here 
 the judges sat in the open air, upon s^ats hewn out of 
 the rock. A temple of Mars crowned the height. Be- 
 fore Paul's view the whole city with its maze of temples, 
 shrines and statues, was spread out. The intensely earn- 
 est Christian Apostle stood before the frivolous heathen 
 crowd. He is alone, yet not alone. His Master is with 
 him. He quails not, he minces no matters, he speaks 
 boldly, fearlessly. He recognizes their intense religious- 
 ness (if we may so call it). He declares the truth that 
 the Deity does not dwell in temples made with hands, 
 even with the hundreds of temples before him. With 
 the recollection of Phidias's famous statues fresh in mind 
 and the countless idols before his view he declares that 
 the Deity is not to be likened to forms in gold, silver or 
 stone, graven by art ajid man's device. The city is, ap- 
 parently, scarcely moved, but the leaven has been put in, 
 and soon the whole lump will be leavened. A few years 
 pass by and the worship of Athens is only a remembrance. 
 Close by Athens was one city which Paul visited and 
 where he founded one of the strongest Christian churches. 
 This city was held in bad repute in all the world on ac- 
 count of its licentiousness. It was not only the seat of 
 wealth and splendor, but also a den of vice. "To Cor- 
 inthianize" meant to play the wanton. The worship in 
 the temple of Venus was of the most shameful character. 
 To the north-east of Corinth was the temple of Neptune, 
 where the celebrated Isthmian games were celebrated. 
 
THE GODS OF GREECE. 
 
 171 
 
 DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS. 
 
 Ephesus was the central city of Asia Minor. One of 
 its buildings ranked in importance above all others — the 
 Temple of Diana. This was reckoned as one of the 
 wonders of the world, and the Ephesians were wont to 
 speak of Diana as the goddess whom all the world wor- 
 shiped. The temple had been once destroyed, and then 
 rebuilt with great magnificence. The ladies of Ephesus, 
 at its rebuilding, had given their jewelry. Alexander 
 offered immense riches to the Ephesians, if they would 
 but permit him to have his name inscribed on its walls ; 
 but they would not consent. This was the rallying-point 
 of heathenism in Paul's day. The temple, was 425 feet 
 long, 220 broad, and its columns were 60 feet high. There 
 were 127 columns, each the gift of a king. Only a part 
 of it was roofed over, and this was with cedar. The re- 
 maining parts were rich with statuary and columns. " It is 
 probable that there was no 
 building in the world in 
 which was concentrated a 
 greater amount of adthira- 
 tion, enthusiasm and super- 
 stition." 
 
 The first statue of Diana 
 of Ephesus was a shapeless 
 black stone — an aerolite 
 — ^which had fallen from 
 the sky. Afterwards her 
 images were made of wood. 
 She is covered with breasts 
 
 and with the heads of animals. She is supposed to 
 represent the natural fertility of the earth. 
 
 Diana was not worshiped in the temple only, Number- 
 
 MEDAL OF DIANA. 
 
 \ 
 
j-2 IDOL WORSHIP OF GREECE. 
 
 less little shrines, containing models of Diana in silver 
 or gold, or even wood, were made to be carried about 
 one's person, to be set up on household altars or carried 
 in processions. There was carried on at Ephesus an ex- 
 tensive trade in these. The worship of Diana, in all its 
 parts and in all places, was conducted with great mag- 
 nificence. 
 
 The Greek language and literature and their temples 
 and statues," have been for centuries the models of the 
 world ; but their conceptions of the gods and their myths 
 are no more thought of, and no longer regarded as of 
 authority in religious affairs. They are emphatically dead 
 as powers over the morals of men. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ROME. 
 
 * Within this grove, upon this wooded hill," 
 He said; " some deitjj his dwelling made ; 
 But who or what, none knows. The Arcadians 
 Thmk they have seen great Jove himself, when oft 
 With his right hand he shook his darkening shield. 
 And called his clouds around him." 
 
 Virgil. 
 
 When fierce gales bowed the high pines, when blazed 
 The lightning, and the savage in the storm 
 
 Some unknown godhead heard, and, awe-struck, gazed 
 On Jove's imagined form. 
 
 SOTHEBV. 
 
 / 
 
 LONG before Rome was founded Italy was peopled 
 with an industrious class of farmers. But we 
 have scarce any records of those early times. 
 Some of theif gigantic buildings, lakes and canals re^ 
 main, but these are almost all that is left. The religious 
 ideas of these early settlers entered into and, to a great 
 extent, moulded the religion of the Romans. The 
 people of Italy did not have the same vivid imaginations 
 and lively fancies as the people of Greece. Their early 
 worship seems to have been of a more serious character 
 than that of the Greeks. Their gods were freer from 
 moral taint, and virtue rather than vice was required in 
 followers of the Roman religions. The poetic art was 
 little cultivated among them, or for that matter, in Rome 
 
 173 
 
174 GODS OF THE ETRUSCANS. 
 
 of a later day. But Rome soon began to borrow from 
 Greece, and to appropriate her gods, heroes and myths. 
 There are no Italian myths corresponding to those of 
 Greece. In Virgil and Ovid a few adventures of the 
 Italian gods are related, but these are plainly imitations 
 or slight modifications of the Greek stories. 
 
 THE ETRUSCAN RELIGION. 
 
 Before they became acquainted with Greece, the Ro- 
 mans looked to the Etruscans as their instructors in re- 
 ligious things. The disposition of the Etruscans was 
 melancholy and serious; their form of government a' 
 rigid aristocracy, administered by an hereditary race or 
 caste of priestly nobility. Their system was founded on 
 some peculiar views of the world and its periods, and on 
 the art of learning the will of the supernal powers by 
 the thunder, the lightning, and other aerial phenomena 
 The rules and principles of this science were contained 
 in books ascribed to a subterranean daemon named 
 Tages, who, the Tuscan legend said, had risen up, a babe 
 in form, an aged man in wisdom, from under the soil 
 before the plow of a peasant of Tarquinii as he was at 
 his work, and who instructed the people in divination. 
 
 According to the doctrine of the Etruscans there were 
 two orders of gods, the one superior, veiled and nameless, 
 with whom the supreme god took counsel when about to 
 announce by lightning any change in the present order 
 of things. The other consisted of twelve gods, six male 
 and as many females, his ordinary council. These were 
 called by the common name of Consentes or Complices 
 (the Latin of the Etruscan word), according to Varro, 
 because they are born and die together. The general 
 Etruscan word for a god was ^sar. 
 
 The supreme god of the Tuscans, answering to the 
 
THE WORSHIP AND GODS OF ROME. 
 
 175 
 
 Zeus of the Greeks, the Jupiter of the Romans, was 
 named Tina. A goddess named Kupra was called by 
 the Romans Juno ; and another, named Menerfa or 
 Menrfa, was the original of the Minerva of Rome. These 
 three deities had always contiguous temples on the citadel 
 of every Etruscan city. Hence the united temples of Jupi- 
 ter, Juno and Minerva, which crowned the capitol at Rome. 
 A goddess named Nortia, answering to the Roman 
 Fortuna, was worshiped at the Tuscan cities of Sutri and 
 Volsinii. Vertumnus also was one of the principal deities 
 of Etruria. The Tuscan god of the under- world, or 
 rather the ruler of the dead, it is said, was named Mantus, 
 and there was a goddess called Mama of a similar nature. 
 The Lares, or household gods, which form so conspicuous 
 a feature of the Roman religion, it is probable, belonged 
 originally to the Etruscan system of worship. 
 
 THE SABELLIAN RELIGION. 
 
 The rigid virtues of a portion of the $abellian race, par- 
 ticularly the Sabines, were always the theme of praise 
 at Rome. Grazing and agriculture were the chief em- 
 ployments of these hardy tribes, and their religion was 
 intimately connected with these arts ; and consequently, \ 
 we may suppose, bore much resemblance to that of the 
 Latins. It has always been asserted that a great portion 
 of the Roman religion was of Sabine origin. 
 
 The Sabines adored Sancus and Sabus or Sabinus, as 
 the founders of their nation. Mamers or Mars was 
 also one of their deities ; an erect lance was the symbol 
 before which he was worshiped. The Marsian portion of 
 this race were as celebrated for their skill in detecting the 
 will of the gods by the flight and voice of the birds, as the 
 Etruscans for discerning it in the electric phenomena of 
 the sky. 
 
176 
 
 GODS OF ROMAN MYTHOLOGY. 
 
 THE GODS OF THE ROMAW 
 
 There are very many gods in the Roman mythology, 
 of these some twenty have been called the select gods. 
 These are Janus, the two-faced sun-god ; Jupiter (Diovis- 
 pater or Father- Jove) ; Saturnus, the god of agriculture; 
 Genius, or the god of production ; Mercurius, the god 
 who presided over the business of the market and over 
 trade in general. Apollo was a god introduced from the 
 Greek mythology. Mars was the god of war. Vulcan 
 was the god of fire. Neptune was the god of the sea. 
 Sol and Luna were the sun and moon god and goddess. 
 Orcas was the god of death, like the Hades of the 
 Greeks, or Yama of the Hindus. Father Liber was the 
 god of the harvest. Tellus was the god of the earth. 
 Ceres was the goddess of grain. Juno was the wife of 
 Jupiter. Diana was the mobn-goddess. Minerva was 
 the goddess of arts. Vesta was the goddess of the 
 household. Venus was the goddess of birth. 
 
 FATHER JOVE. 
 
 The word Jove appears to have meant, originally, God. 
 It corresponds to Zeus of the Greeks and Dyaus of the 
 Hindus, Jove or Jupiter was the especial protector of 
 the city of Rome. The chief Jupiter was called the 
 Capitoline Jupiter. In. his temple adorning the Capitol 
 in Rome were also statues of Juno and Minerva. Jupiter 
 Elicius was so named, we are told, from the following 
 circumstance. In the time of Numa there occurred great 
 thunder storms and rains. The people and their king 
 were terrified, and the latter had recourse to the counsel 
 of the nymph Egeria. She informed him that Faunus 
 and Picus could instruct him in the mode of appeasing 
 Jupiter, but that he must employ both art and violence to 
 
THE WORSHIP AND GODS OF ROME. 
 
 177 
 
 extract the knowledge from them. Accordingly by her 
 advice he placed bowls of wine at a fountain on Mount 
 Aventine, whither they were wont to come to drink, and 
 concealed himself in a neighboring cavern. The rural gods 
 came to the fount, and finding the wine drank copiously 
 of it, thus illustrating in a striking manner the sensuous/ 
 character always supposed to dwell in these deities. They 
 immediately fell asleep, and Numa, quitting his retre~at, 
 came and bound them. On 
 awaking, they struggled, 
 but in vain, to get free ; and 
 the pious prince, apologiz- 
 ing for what necessity had 
 obliged him to do, entreated 
 that they would inform him 
 how Jupiter was to be ap- 
 peased. They yielded to his 
 prayer, and on loosing them 
 drew down the thundering 
 Jupiter by their charms. 
 He descended on the Aven- 
 tine hill, which trembled 
 beneath the weight of the 
 deity. Numa was terrified, 
 but recovering he implored 
 the god to give a remedy 
 against the lightning. The ruler of the thunder assented, 
 and in ambiguous terms conveyed the relief: "Cut a 
 head," — " of an onion from my garden " subjoined the 
 king, — "of a man," — "the topmost hairs" quickly re- 
 plied Numa. — "I demand a life," — "of a fish." The 
 deity smiled, and said that his weapons might thus be 
 averted, and promised a sign at sun-rise the following 
 morning. 
 
 JUPITER TONANS. 
 
j_g JUPITER AND JUNO. 
 
 At dawn the people assembled before the doors of the 
 king. Numa came forth, and, seated on hi& maple throne, 
 looked for the rising of the sun. The orb of day was just 
 wholly emerged above the horizon, when a loud crash 
 was heard in the sky ; thrice the god thundered without 
 a cloud ; thrice he sent forth his lightnings. The heav- 
 ens opened, and a light buckler came gently wafted on 
 the air, and fell to the ground. Numa, having first slain 
 a heifer, took it up and named it Ancile. He regarded 
 it as the pledge of empire ; and having had eleven others 
 made exactly like it by the artist Mamurius, to deceive 
 those who might attempt to steal it, committed them to 
 the care of the priests named Salii. 
 
 Jupiter was named Feretrius or Bearer, as the spoils 
 of the enemy's general, if slain by a Roman commander, 
 were borne to him. He was also called Victor and 
 Stator, as the giver of victory and stayer of flight. We 
 also meet with Jupiter Pistor, whose altar was on the 
 capitol, and Jupiter Tonans, the author of thunder. In 
 the usual Roman manner, an historical origin was given 
 to all these names. Jupiter was called Lucetius, as the 
 author of light {lucis), and Diespiter, i. e.. Dies Pater, or 
 Father of Day or of Light. 
 
 THE MATRON GODDESS. 
 
 Juno was the feminine of Jove — from Jovino we have 
 the word Juno. Juno was one of the great deities of 
 Rome and had a share in the worship of the magnificent 
 temple on the capitol. One Juno was called Juno Mon- 
 eta, and her temple was finally made the mint, or coining 
 place for money. Female slaves swore by the Juno of 
 their mistress. As the patroness of married women, 
 Juno was named Matrona. She presided over marriage. 
 Whenever a child was born a piece of money was de 
 
THE WORSHIP AND GODS OF ROME. j ^g 
 
 posited in her temple's treasury. In July of each year 
 Juno was honored by a sacrifice. Juno Sospita, the 
 Protectress, was represented with a goat-skin about her, 
 a spear in her hand, and a small shield on her arm. Juno 
 was generally represented armed, and the Romans usu- 
 ally divided the hair of a virgin-bride with a small spear- 
 point, thus invoking the protection of this goddess, 
 
 THE GODDESS OF SCHOOLS. 
 
 All mental work was done under the direction of 
 Minerva. Her statues were placed in the schools, and 
 in March of each year the school-boys had five days as 
 holidays in her honor. At the end of this vacation and 
 festival thya boys gave their school-master a present called 
 a Minerval. Minerva's chapel was under the same roof 
 as Jupiter's and Juno's on the Capitoline hill at Rome. 
 
 THE GODDESS OF THE HEARTH. 
 
 Vesta presided over the public and private hearth. In 
 Vesta's temple at Rome a sacred fire was kept burning 
 by six virgin-priestesses called Vestals. The Romans 
 believed that if they let this fire go out, the city's safety 
 would be destroyed. When, through the neglect of the 
 Vestals, it did go out, they were severely punished and 
 the fire was relighted by the rays of the sun. In Vesta's 
 temple there was no statue of the goddess. At her 
 festival in June, plates of meat were sent to the Vestals 
 to be offered up, the mill-stones were decked with flowers 
 and the animals working the mills went about crowned 
 with violets and with cakes strung about their necks, 
 
 CERES AND LIBER. 
 
 Ceres presided over seeds and harvests. She was the 
 goddess of the farmers. The country-folks before be- 
 
i8o 
 
 THE GOD OF BEGINNINGS. 
 
 ginning harvest kept feasts to Ceres, when they brought 
 offering^ of honey-combs covered with wine and milk, 
 and an animal to be slain in sacrifice. The offerings were 
 taken three times around the corn-field, the country people 
 following, crowned with oak leaves and dancing and sing- 
 ing. These festivals were of the most joyous character. 
 Liber means Deliverer. The god who had this name 
 was united with Ceres in worship at Rome. The Ro- 
 mans worshiped their gods and goddesses generally in 
 groups of three; thus, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva in the 
 Capitohne temple; and Ceres, Liber and (the female) 
 Libera in the temple at the foot of the Aventine. In the 
 Capitoline temple the patricians or higher classes wor- 
 shiped. In the Aventine temple the plebians or common 
 people worshipped. There was much gross vileness 
 connected with all the festivals of Liber. 
 
 THE GOD OF BEGINNINGS. 
 
 Janus gives his name to January, the first month of 
 the year. He was the sun-god, and was usually wor- 
 shiped at the beginning of any action. 
 He was regarded as the " opener of the 
 day." Gates and doors were placed un- 
 der the care of Janus, and their keeper is 
 even to-day called a janitor. Janus was 
 represented with a key and a staff, and 
 was named the Opener and the Shutter. 
 Janus has two faces. An ancient statue 
 of Janus stood in the Forum at Rome of 
 which the fingers were so formed that 
 one hand represented three hundred in 
 Latin characters (CCC), and those of the 
 other, fifty-five (LV.), making together the number of 
 days in the ancient lunar year. 
 
 JANUS, 
 
THE WORSHIP AND GODS OF ROME. 
 
 [8l 
 
 Urider the Capitol, near to the Forum, in Rome, stood 
 a short arch-way with a gate at each end. In times oi 
 peace these gates were kept shut, in times of war they 
 were left open. In this arch-way a statue of Janus stood, 
 There was a tradition at Rome that once, when the ene- 
 mies of Rome had attempted to enter the city by this 
 gate, the god Janus had caused a stream of boiling water 
 to gush forth from the earth, and so drove them away. 
 
 Rome's lesser gods. 
 
 Besides the gods above referred to, there were gods 
 and goddesses of councils of war, of funerals, of thieves 
 of the dawn, of fortune, of fields and cattle, of fruits and 
 flowers, and of a host of other things. But of all minor 
 gods, the Penates and Lares received most honor. These 
 were the domestic gods. The Penates were so named 
 from the place in which they were worshiped, the house- 
 hold pantry. They were supposed to look after the wel- 
 fare of the family. There were four classes of beings 
 from which men selected their Penates, those of heaven, 
 the sea, the under- wo rid, and lastly, from the deified . 
 souls of deceased ancestors. The deified spirits of de- 
 parted ancestors were called the Lares, and they were 
 supposed to watch over the fortunes of their descend- 
 ants. The Chinese also, from the earliest times, have 
 in a similar manner worshiped their departed ancestors. 
 
 THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 
 
 As Rome conquered the world the gods of the con- 
 quered nations were gradually incorporated with their 
 own. Thus an immense and involved system was 
 brought together. Soon, however, the gigantic structure 
 was to topple over before the coming of Christianity, as 
 Dagon had fallen before the coming of the ark of Jeho- 
 
l82 
 
 HOME'S LESSER GODS. 
 
 vah in ancient times. Just at this time, the Roman Em 
 pire was in the most favorable condition for the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity. Within its limits there was a general 
 peace, great military roads were built, piracy was sup- 
 pressed, commerce and traffic generally increased, and 
 travel was made safe and easy. Both the Latin and Greek 
 languages were spread over east and west. But one 
 other point of preparation was of greater importance. 
 The deep and wide-spread corruption, brought about by 
 the heathen religions, seemed to be beyond human 
 remedy. Corruption, cruelty, sensuality and the most 
 unnatural wickedness prevailed. The description Paul 
 gives in his letter to the Romans of the general life of 
 the people has been confirmed again and again. He 
 says: 
 
 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified 
 him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain 
 in their imaginations, and their foolfsh heart was dark- 
 ened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became 
 fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God 
 into an image, made like to corruptible man, and to 
 birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Where- 
 fore God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the 
 lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies 
 between themselves : who changed the truth of God into 
 a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than 
 the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this 
 cause God gave them up unto vile affections : for even 
 their women did change the natural use into that which 
 is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the 
 natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward 
 another: men with men working that which is unseemly,' 
 and receiving in themselves that recompense of their 
 error which was meet. And even as they did notiike to 
 
THE WORSHIP AND GODS OF ROME. 
 
 183 
 
 retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a 
 reprobate mind, to do those things which are not con- 
 venient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornica- 
 tiorij wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness ; full of 
 envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity ; whisperers, 
 backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, in- 
 ventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without 
 understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affec- 
 tion, implacable, unmerciful : who, knowing the judgment 
 of God, that they which commit such things are worthy 
 of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them 
 that do them." 
 
 The investigations of the ruins of Pompeii and Hercu- 
 laneum, the long buried cities, and the common accounts 
 of historians of Paul's day, all show that this picture was , 
 not at all overdrawn. There was a most terrible need of 
 Christianity just then to save the empire from falling to 
 pieces by reason of its rottenness. Milman most graph- 
 ically pictures the change that Christianity gradually 
 wrought in the religious condition of Rome. He says : 
 " Christianity was gradually withdrawing some of all 
 orders, even slaves, out of the vices, the ignorance, the 
 misery of that corrupted social system. It was even in- 
 stilling feelings of humanity, yet unknown or coldly com- 
 mended by SlXv impotent philosophy, among men and 
 women whose infant ears had been habituated to the 
 shrieks of dying gladiators ; it was giving dignity to minds 
 prostrated by years, almost centuries, of degrading des- 
 potism ; it was nurturing purity and modesty of manner in 
 an unspeakable state of depravation ; it was enshrining the 
 marria?e-bed in a sanctity long almost entirely lost, and 
 rekindling to a steady warmth the domestic affections ; it 
 was substituting a simple, calm and rational faith for the 
 worn-out superstitions of heathenism ; gently establishing 
 
184 CHANGES WROUGHT BY CHRISTIANTTY 
 
 in the soul of man the sense of immortality, till it became 
 a natural and inextinguishable part of his moral being." 
 With this striking description of the historian, compare 
 the poetic lines of Matthew Arnold: 
 
 "On that hard pagan world disgust 
 
 And sated loathing fell ; 
 Deep weariness and sated lust 
 
 Make human life a hell. 
 In his cool hall with haggard eyes 
 
 The Roman noble lay. 
 He drove abroad in furious guise 
 
 Along the Appian way. 
 He made a feast, drank fierce and fast. 
 
 And crowned his hair with flowers; 
 No easier, nor no quicker passed 
 
 The impracticable hours." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 OUR ANCESTORS. 
 
 To the Aryan of the West not merely the heavenly bodies, the sun, 
 moon and stars, or the earth with its trees and springs, its foun- 
 tains, or the sea with its storms and calms, but all things visible, as 
 organs and instruments of Deity, were deserving of reverent adora- 
 tion. Nothing was too trifling. The quivering leaf, the crackling 
 flame, the falling thunderbolt, the flight or song of birds, the neigh- 
 ing of horses, man's dreams and visions, even the movements of his 
 pulse, all claimed attention, all might give some sign from the other 
 world. All nature had a voice for the imaginative Teuton. The 
 skies, the woods, the springs, the well, the lake, the hill, were his 
 books, his oracles, his divinities. — G. F. Maclear. 
 
 IT sounds strange to us, who have been so long a 
 Christian people, to speak of a pagan ancestry. 
 We can hardly realize that the condition in which 
 we find the Japanese, or Chinaman, or Hindu of to-day, 
 is the condition in which our forefathers were to be 
 found not many centuries ago. Yet all traces of their 
 heathenish belief and practices are not yet extinct. In 
 our language, especially in many of our names, do we 
 preserve the relics of the heathenish life of our fore- 
 fathers. * 
 
 It is not easy to learn of the earliest religion of Britain, 
 as the records are still greatly beclouded. But recent 
 investigations of the mounds and relics of old England 
 and of the origin of English names, together with the 
 
 bringing to light of some valuable old records, have 
 
 185 
 
jg5 CONDITION OF ANCIENT BRITAIN. 
 
 helped greatly to clear up the subject. Before passing 
 to consider more particularly the ancient religious life of 
 Great Britain, let us fasten in our minds a few prominent 
 facts in the early history of that land. 
 
 ANCIENT BRITAIN. 
 
 Let us note several prominent parts in the early his- 
 tory of Britain. First, the earliest inhabitants and their 
 religion, known as Druidism. Secondly, the invasion of 
 Britain by the Romans and the introduction of the in- 
 vaders' religion. Thirdly, the introduction of Christianity, 
 Fourthly, the coming of the Saxons and the extinguish- 
 ing of Christianity by the Saxon religion. Fifthly, the 
 coming again and final victory of Christianity. By fixing 
 these points in mind, we can without difficulty trace the 
 religious history of our ancestors. 
 
 In early times we find that the Greeks had intercourse 
 with Britain. The time when this trade was carried on 
 is fixed by different authors at periods varying from 500 
 B. C. to 2(X) B. C. Before even the first of these times, 
 by some hundreds of years, the -Phoenicians of Tyre 
 visited Britain to purchase tin. These allusions to visits 
 of Greeks and Phoenicians are found in ancient Welsh tra- 
 ditions handed down by the Druids. Indeed, some of 
 these traditions go back to a period shortly after the dis- 
 persion of the nations, even beyond Abraham's day. 
 Other traditions are found which relate even to the 
 deluge itself, as follows: 
 
 "There were three awful events in the Isle of Britain. 
 The first was the bursting of the Lake of Floods, and 
 the rushing of an inundation over all the lands, until all 
 persons were destroyed, except Dwyvan and Dwyvack, 
 who escaped in an open vessel and from them the Isle of 
 Britain was re-peopled. 
 
OUR HEA THEN ANCESTORS. 
 
 m 
 
 "The three primary and extraordinary works of the 
 Isle of Britain : The ship of Nwydd nav Neivion, which 
 brought in it a male and female of all living things, when 
 the Lake of Floods burst forth; the large horned oxen 
 of Au the Mighty, that drew the crocodile from the lake 
 of the land, so that the lake did not burst forth any 
 more ; and the stone of Gwyddon Ganhedon, upon which 
 all the arts and sciences of the world are engraven." 
 
 All this bears such striking similarity to the traditions 
 preserved among the most ancient nations in the east- 
 ern part of the world, that we cannot conceive the pos- 
 sibility of its having been invented in any period of the 
 dark ages ; it therefore strengthens our confidence in the 
 general teaching of the Triads. In early Britain there 
 were only two classes of British citizens, "the nobles and 
 the villains," {i. e., villagers). All below these were 
 slaves. The people possessed a considerable knowledge 
 of astronomy, of geometry and of mechanics. They were 
 an eloquent people ; an ancient historian says that their 
 orators "sometimes step between two hostile armies, who 
 are standing with swords drawn, and spears extended, 
 ready to fight ; and, by their eloquence, as by an irresisti- 
 ble enchantment, they prevent a shedding of blood." 
 
 The Britons were also acquainted with the useful arts. 
 The houses in which they dwelt, their chariots of war, as 
 well as a great variety of other works, prove this beyond 
 ' the possibility of doubt. We notice the chariots : " Their 
 cars were admired by the Romans, adopted by individuals 
 for their- journeys, and introduced by the public into their 
 races. And we have a picture o.f one of them, sketched 
 by a British hand, and engraven on a coin. There we 
 see the charioteer mounted on his carriage before us, a 
 quiver of arrows peeping over his left shoulder, and a 
 spear protended from his left hand, his feet resting upon 
 
j38 BRITON'S IDEA OF GOD. 
 
 the pole or foot-board annexed to it, and his body leaning 
 over the horses, in the act of accelerating their motion. 
 And we have the description of another in Ossian, very 
 similar in one or two particulars, and more circumstan- 
 tial. It is the car of a British monarch, bending behind, 
 drawn by a pair of horses, and embossed with sparkling 
 stones. Its beam is of polished yew, its seat of the 
 smoothest bone, and the sides of it are replenished with 
 spears. Persons who could construct such vehicles, 
 build houses and make furniture, as well as all the various 
 offensive and defensive weapons of war, must have had 
 no inconsiderable mechanical knowledge and skill." 
 
 THE DRUIDS. WONDERFUL RESEMBLANCE. 
 
 We have reason to believe that the Britons inhabited 
 England not long after the days of Noah. We might 
 therefore expect to find resemblances between their re- 
 ligion and the religions of other ancient peoples ; and we 
 are not disappointed. There is a striking correspondence 
 between the system of the ancient Britons and those of 
 the Hebrew patriarchs, the Brahmins of India, the Magi 
 of Persia and the Greek priests. It was one system that 
 was finally conveyed to these different parts of the globe. 
 Take, as a single instance of the many points of compari- 
 son, their idea of God. Among their names for the su- 
 preme God which they had in use before the introduction 
 of Christianity were terms which have been literally trans- 
 lated, " God," " Distributor," " Governor," « the Mysteri- 
 ous One," "the Eternal," " He that pervadeth all things," 
 "the Author of Existence," "the Ancient of Days." 
 These expressive appellations sufficiently indicate their 
 views of the moral character and attributes of God. The 
 opinion of the Druids as to the nature of God is compre- 
 hensively explained by the following bold and remarkable 
 
OUR HEATHEN ANCESTORS. 
 
 189 
 
 aphorism : " Nid Dim Ond Duw, Nid Duw Ond Dim." It 
 defies translation so as to convey its force and beauty ; 
 but William Owen has furnished a version sufficiently 
 plain to convey the idea: "God cannot be matter; what 
 is not matter must be God." These were the attributes of 
 the God of the early Druids. They believed that the 
 Deity was the source of life, ixnd the giver of good. They 
 defined His duration as eCevflal, and ascribed to Him 
 omnipotence as the measure of His power. And as they 
 found nothing in the animal crearion or in man which had 
 any proportion or resemblance to God, they had neither 
 statues nor pictures to represent Him ; from which we 
 infer that they regarded God as a pure spirit, as disen- 
 gaged from matter as He was exalted ibove all created 
 things and above all resemblance to them. 
 
 WORSHIP OF THE DRUIDS. 
 
 The Druids offered sacrifices and observed particular 
 days for religious worship. Their sacrifices were care- 
 fully selected, and they appear to have had clear views of 
 their propitiatory character. Pliny, describing the gath- 
 ering of the mistletoe, observes : "After they have well 
 and duly prepared their festival cheer under the tree, 
 they bring thither two young bullocks, milk-white, such 
 as never drew in yoke at plow or wain, and whose 
 heads were then and not before bound by the horns ; 
 which done, the pnest, arrayisd in a white vesture, 
 climbeth up into the tree, and, with a golden hook or bill, 
 cutteth it off, and they beneath receive it in a white cas- 
 sock or coat of arms. Then they fall to and kill the 
 beasts aforesaid for sacrifice, praying devoutly that it 
 would please God to' bless this gift of His to the good 
 and benefit of all those to whom He had vouchsafed to 
 give it." These sacrifices were offered with very solemn 
 
jgQ WORSHIP OF THE DRUIDS. 
 
 rites, the common people remaining at a distance, while 
 the priests approached with trembling awe the bloody 
 victims, which were carried around the omen-fire. 
 
 There is no branch of this subject which presents 
 itself in a more interesting aspect than that which relates 
 to the sacred places of this people, and the peculiar man- 
 ner of their worship. They worshiped in the open air; 
 it being a maxim with them, that it was unlawful to build 
 temples to the gods, or to worship them within walls and 
 under roofs. Their favorite place was a grove of oaks, 
 or the shelter of a majestic tree of this kind. Here they 
 would erect stone pillars in one or two circular rows ; and 
 in some of their pnncipal temples, as particularly that of 
 Stonehenge, they laid stones of prodigious weight on the 
 tops of these perpendicular pillars, which formed a kind 
 of circle aloft in the air. Near to these temples they 
 constructed their sacred mounts, their cromlechs or stone 
 tables for their sacrifices, and every other necessary' pro- 
 vision for their worship. These sacred places were 
 generally situated in the centre of some thick grove or 
 wood, watered by a consecrated river or fountain, and 
 surrounded by a ditch or mound, to prevent intrusion. 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE HANGING STONES. 
 
 One of the most extraordinary monuments of ancient 
 England, is that called Stonehenge. This is an Anglo- 
 Saxon term, meaning the hanging stones. This monu- 
 ment is situated on a small hill in the midst of a barren 
 plain. All around it funeral mounds are grouped. These 
 mounds are called "barrows," and within three miles of 
 Stonehenge there are over three hundred and fifty of 
 these that have been recently discovered. The stones 
 that constituted this Druid temple are many of them 
 lying prostrate on the ground, a few only remaining up- 
 
VOR HEAl'HEN ANCESTORS. 
 
 191 
 
 right with the gigantic stone slabs across their tops. Yet 
 enough remains to indicate the general design of the 
 
 I 
 
 1-4 
 M 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 en 
 H 
 O 
 
 14 
 
 « 
 W 
 2! 
 O 
 M 
 
 W 
 2; 
 O 
 
 f 
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 Structure as it originally stood. It consisted of an otn«r 
 circle, about' three hundred feet in diameter, of thirty 
 
192 
 
 / 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE HANGING STONE. 
 
 Upright stones sustaining as many others laid horizontally 
 on their tops. Within this was another circle of upright 
 ones, smaller than those in the outer circle, and without 
 any stones on their tops. These stones are so large that 
 it cannot be imagined how they were raised to their lofty 
 position. It is very evident that Stonehenge was a place, 
 of worship, and from the number of grave-mounds, each 
 containing the remains of a number of bodies, it is evi- 
 dent that it was a place of great sanctity. It has been 
 supposed that serpent-worship found a place here. 
 
 HUMAN SACRIFICES. 
 
 Caesar gives a very careful account of the Druids. In 
 the century just preceding the coming of Christ, Caesar 
 conquered the Britons. His account of their condition 
 is the more reliable because this conquest put him in 
 possession of the means of knowing the people who were 
 in the future to form a part of his empire. His testimony 
 can best be given in a translation of his own words. He 
 says : 
 
 " All the Gallic nations are much given to superstition ; 
 for which reason, when they are seriously ill, or are in 
 danger from their wars or other causes, they either offer 
 up men as victims to the gods, or make a vow to sacrifice 
 themselves. The ministers in these offerings are the 
 Druids, and they hold that the wrath of the immortal gods 
 can only be appeased, and man's life be redeemed, b> 
 offering up human sacrifice, and it is a part of their 
 national institutions to hold fixed solemnities for this 
 purpose. Some of them make immense images of wicker- 
 work, which they fill with men, who are thus burned alive 
 in offering to their deities. These victims are generally 
 selected from those who have been convicted of theft, 
 robbery, or other crimes, in whose punishment they think 
 
O UR HE A THEN ANCES TORS. I g , 
 
 the immortal gods take the greatest pleasure ; but if there 
 be any scarcity of such victims they do not hesitate to 
 sacrifice innocent men in their place. If there be a super- 
 abundance of cattle taken in war the surplus is offered up 
 in sacrifice ; the rest of the spoil is collected into one mass. 
 In many of their tribes large heaps of these things may 
 be seen in their consecrated places, and it is a rare occur- 
 rence for any individual sacreligiously to conceal part of 
 the booty, or to turn it to his own use ; the severest pun- 
 ishment, together with bodily torture, is inflicted on those 
 who are guilty of such an offense." 
 
 He further speaks of the Druids in another place: 
 " The Druids act in all sacred matters ; they attend to 
 the sacrifices, which are either offered by the tribe in 
 general or by individuals, and answer all questions con- 
 cerning their religion. They always have a large number 
 of young men as pupils, who treat them with the greatest 
 respect ; for it is they who decide in all controversies, 
 whether public or private, and they judge all causes, 
 whether of murder, of a disputed inheritance, or of the 
 boundaries of estates. They assign both rewards and 
 punishments ; and whoever refuses to abide by their sen- 
 tence, whether he be in a public or private station, is 
 forbidden to be present at the sacrifices of the gods. 
 This is, in fact, the most severe mode of punishment, and 
 those who have been thus excommunicated are held as 
 impious and profane ; all avoid them ; no one will either 
 meet them or speak to them, lest they should be injured 
 by their contagion ; every species of honor is withheld 
 from them, and if they are plaintiffs in a lawsuit justice is 
 denied. All the Druids are subject to one chief, who 
 enjoys the greatest authority among them. Upon the 
 death of the chief Druid, the next in dignity is appointed 
 to succeed him ; and if there are two whose merits are 
 
jg^ DESTRUCTION OF DRUID ISM. 
 
 equal, the election is made by the votes of the whole 
 body, though sometimes they dispute for pre-eminence 
 by the sword. 
 
 "The Druidic system is thought to have had its origin 
 in Britain, from whence it was introduced into Gaul. , . . 
 Among the most important doctrines of the Druids is that 
 of the immortality of the soul, which they believe passes 
 after death into other bodies ; they hold this to be a great 
 inducement to the practice of virtue, as the mind thus 
 becomes relieved from the fear of death. Their other 
 doctrines concern the motions of the heavenly bodies, the 
 magnitude of the earth and the universe, the nature of 
 things, and the power and attributes of the immortal 
 gods." Certainly Caesar's testimony is clear, and he 
 writes as one who had actually gazed upon the strange 
 and striking scenes which he describes. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF DRUIDISM. 
 
 The religion of the Druids was handed down by tra- 
 dition from father to son, and consisted in the proper 
 performance of certain rites and ceremonies. It has 
 been stated that the Druids worshiped Bel or Baal, 
 though this is sometimes questioned. On the eve of 
 May-day fires were lighted on their altars in- honor of 
 their Supreme God. They had a set of doctrines which 
 were publicly taught, and another set which were made 
 known only to the initiated. The Druids were not gross 
 idolaters, though they regarded the oak, the symbol of 
 God, with superstitious awe. But the time for the death 
 9f Druidism had come. Fifty-five years before Christ, the 
 great conqueror, Julius Caesar, landed in Britain. The 
 skillful and courageous Britons gave him a great deal of 
 trouble, and prevented his penetrating far from the shore. 
 Emperor after emperor sought to subjugate the Island 
 
OUR HE4LTHEN ANCESTORS. 
 
 195 
 
 during the years that followed, but it was not until 1 30 
 years had passed away that Briton was really conquered 
 by the Romans. Agricola was sent in A. D. 78 to be 
 govenor of Britain. By his wise policy the whole life of 
 the Britons was changed wherever it came under Roman 
 influence. 
 
 The dwellings of the Britons were very rude and 
 simple in the early ages, being mostly constructed of 
 hurdle or wicker-work, and afterward of large stones 
 without mortar. Their houses were generally round, 
 having the roof thatched, with a hole left in the centre 
 for the escape of smoke. The Romans, on the contrary, 
 had long been accustomed to commodious and elegant 
 dwellings, well built of masonry, and adorned in the 
 richest manner with statues, pictures, elegant drapery and 
 handsome furniture. 
 
 It was not while the Romans were engaged in con- 
 quering Britain that their religion gained a foothold there, 
 but after they had come to power and peace. The Druid 
 priests were destroyed, and the people, left thus without 
 religious teachers, gradually accepted to some extent the 
 then-existing forms of Roman faith. 
 
 WHO FIRST BROUGHT CHRISTIANITY TO /BRITAIN? 
 
 While the Romans were busily seeking to conquer 
 Britain, an event of unparalleled importance took place. 
 It was the birth of Jesus,' the Christ. Very nedrly every 
 one of the early preachers who by any possibility could 
 have gone to Britain with the Gospel message, has been 
 declared to be the founder of Christianity there. The 
 Apostle Peter is declared, so says an old chronicle, "to 
 have stayed some time in Britain ; where having preached 
 the word, established churches, ordained bishops, priests 
 and deacons, in the twelfth year of Nero he returned to 
 
jgg ST. PAUL IN BRITAIN. 
 
 Rome." But this, for many reasons, is not to be believed. 
 Joseph of Arimathea is also said to have first taken the 
 Gospel to Britain. But the whole narrative of his mis- 
 sion is fabulous. A King Lucius is said to have sent 
 about 1 64 A. D. to Rome for missionaries, but this too is 
 questionable. One more question remains to be con- 
 sidered. Did the Aposde Paul plant Christianity in 
 Britain? Tertullian, about the year 200 A. D., wrote that 
 the Gospel had spread "also to the boundaries of the 
 Spaniards, to all the different nations of Gaul, and to 
 those parts of Britain inaccessible even to the Romans." 
 But more ancient than this is the testimony of Clement, 
 Bishop of Rome, 102 A. D. "St. Paul preached right- 
 eousness through the whole world; and, in doing this, 
 went to the utmost bounds of the West." 
 
 A learned writer thus sums up all the evidence of 
 Paul's being the first to give the Gospel to Britain : 
 " That St. Paul did go to Britain we may collect from the 
 testimony" of Clemens Romanus, Theodoret and Jerome, 
 who relate that, after his imprisonment, he preached the 
 Gospel in the western parts ; that he brought salvation 
 to the islands that lie in the ocean, and that, in preaching 
 the Gospel, he went to the utmost bounds of the West. 
 What was meant by the West and the islands that lie in 
 the ocean, we may judge from Plutarch, Eusebius and 
 Nicephorus, who call the British Ocean the western; and 
 again froni Nicephorus, who says that one of the apostles 
 'went to the extreme countries of the ocean and the 
 British Isles ;' but especially from the words of Catullus, 
 who calls Britain the utmost island of the West; and 
 from Theodoret, who describes the Britons as inhabiting 
 the utmost parts of the West. When Clement, therefore, 
 says that Paul went to the utmost bounds of the West, 
 we do not conjecture, but are sure, that he meant Britain, 
 
UR HE A THEN ANCESTORS. j g ^ 
 
 not only because Britain was so designated, but because 
 Paul could not have gone to the utmost bounds of the 
 West without going to Britain. It is almost unnecessary, 
 therefore, to appeal to the express testimony of Venan- 
 tius, Fortunatus and Sophronius, for the apostle's journey 
 to Britain." 
 
 PAGANISM OF THE SAXONS. 
 
 The religion of our Saxon ancestors was the same as 
 that of the whole German family. Christianity, which 
 had by this time brought about the conversion of the 
 Roman Empire, had not penetrated as yet among the 
 forests of the North. The common god of the English 
 people, as of the whole German race, was Woden, the 
 war-god, the guardian of ways and boundaries, to whom 
 his worshipers attributed the invention of letters, and 
 whom every tribe held to be the first ancestor of its 
 kings. Our own names for the da^s of the week still 
 recall to us the gods whom our English fathers wor- 
 shiped in their Sleswick homeland. Wednesday is Wo- 
 den's day, as Thursday is the day of Thunder, or, as the 
 Northmen called him, Thor, the god of air, and storm, and 
 rain. Friday is Freya's day, the goddess of peace, and 
 joy, and fruitfulness, whose emblems, borne aloft by 
 dancing maidens, brought increase to every field and 
 stall they visited. Saturday commemorates an obscure 
 god, Soetere; Tuesday, the Dark god, Tiw, to meet 
 whom was death; Eostre, the goddess of the dawn, or 
 the spring, lends her name to the Christian festival of the 
 Resurrection. Behind these floated the dim shapes of 
 an older mythology — "Wyrd," the death- goddess, whose 
 memory lingered long in the "weird" of northern super- 
 stition, or the Shield Maidens, the "mighty women," who, 
 an old rhyme tells us, "wrought on the battle-field their 
 
198 
 
 GODS OF THE SAXONS. 
 
 toil, and hurled the thrilling javelins." Nearer to the 
 popular fancy lay the deities of wood and fell, or the hero^ 
 gods of legend and song, " Nicor," the water-sprite, who 
 gave us our water nixies, and "Old Nick," "Weland," 
 
 the forger of mighty khields and sharp-biting swords, at 
 a later time, in his Berkshire, " Weyland's Smithy, " or 
 ^gil, the hero archer, whose legend is that of Cloudesly 
 or Tell. A nature-worship of this sort lent itself ill t" / 
 
OUR HEATHEN ANCESTORS. j_ 
 
 the purposes of a priesthood, and, though a priestly class 
 existed, it seems at no time to have had much weight in 
 the English society. As every freeman was his own 
 judge and his own legislator, so he was his own house 
 priest; and the common English worship lay in the sac- 
 rifice which he offered to the god of his hearth. The 
 religion of Woden and Thor supplanted, for the time 
 being; the religion of Christ. The new England was once 
 more a heathen land under the gods of its conquerors. 
 
 SAXON GODS. 
 
 The first of all the gods was Woden or Odin. He is 
 the All-father, like Dyans of the early Hindus, Zeus of 
 the Greeks and Jove of the Romans. In the Volsung 
 Saga, Woden is revealed as follows : King Volsung had 
 made preparation for ah entertainment. Blazing fires 
 burned along the hall, and in the middle of the hall stood 
 a large tree, whose green and fair foliage covered the 
 roof. It was called Woden's tree. Now, as the guests 
 sat around the fire in the evening, a man entered the 
 hall whose countenance they did not know. He wore a 
 variegated cloak, was barefooted, his breeches were of 
 linen, and a-wide-brimmed hat hung down over his face. 
 He was very tall, looked old, and was one-eyed. He 
 held in his hand a sword. He went to the tree, stuck 
 his sword into it with such a powerful blow that it sunk 
 into it even up to the hilt. No one dared greet him. It 
 was Woden, Woden's dwelling was called Walhal. The 
 Edda, the poem of the gods, thus describes Walhalla : 
 
 "Easily to be known is, 
 By those who to Odin come, 
 The mansion by its aspect. 
 Its roof with spears is held, 
 Its hall with shields is decked. 
 With corselets are its benches strewed. 
 
200 WALHALLA, THE SAXON OF HEA VEN. 
 
 "Five hundred doors 
 And forty more 
 Methinks are in Walhal, 
 Eight hundred heroes through each door 
 Shall issue forth I 
 Against the wolf to combat." 
 
 The heroes are invited after death to Woden's hall. 
 That the brave were to be taken to Walhalla after death 
 was one of the fundamental points, if not the very heart 
 of the religion of the Northmen. They felt in their hearts 
 that it was absolutely necessary to be brave. Woden 
 ■would not care for them, but would despise and thrust 
 them away from him, if they were not brave. This made 
 the Northmen think it a shame and misery not to die in 
 battle. Old kings, about to die, had their bodies placed 
 in a ship ; the ship was sent forth with sails set, and a 
 slow fire burning in it, so that once out at sea it might 
 blaze up in flame, and in such a way worthily bury the 
 hero both in the sky and in the ocean. He lay in the 
 prow of his ship, silent, with closed lips, defying the wild 
 ocean. As Boyesen has sung : 
 
 "In the prow with head uplifted 
 
 ' Stood the chief like wrathful Thor j 
 Through his locks, the snow-flakes drifted. 
 
 Bleached their hue from gold to hoar, 
 'Mid the crash of mast and rafter 
 Norsemen leaped through death with laughter 
 Up through Walhal's wide-flung door." 
 
 Thor comes next to Woden. His name means thunder. 
 He is the spring-god, subduing the frost-giants. Long- 
 fellow has described the Norseman's idea of Thor, thus: 
 
 "I am the god Thor, I am the war-god. 
 I am the Thunderer ! here in my Northland, 
 My fastness and fortress, reign I forever ! 
 
O UR HE A THEN ANCESTORS. 20 1 
 
 "Here amid icebergs rule I the nations; -- 
 
 This is my hammer, Mjolner, the mighty. 
 Giants and sorcerers cannot withstand it 1 
 
 "These are the gauntlets wherewith I wield it, 
 And hurl it afar off; this is my girdle, 
 Whenever I brace it strength is redoubled 1 
 
 "The light thou beholdest stream through the heavenS; 
 In flashes of crimson, is but my red beard. 
 Blown by the night -wind, affrighting the nations. 
 
 "Jove is my brother; mine eyes are the lightning; 
 The wheels of my chariot roll in the thunder, 
 The blows of my hammer ring in the earthquake ! 
 
 "Force rules the world still, has' ruled it, shall rule it; 
 Meekness is weakness, strength is triumphant; 
 Over the whole earth still is Thor's-dayl" 
 
 SAXON SACRIFICES. 
 
 The sacrifices which were presented to the gods in 
 die early ages were very simple, and such as a people 
 in the , first stages of civilization would offer — the first 
 fruits of their crops, and the choicest products of the 
 earth. They also sacrificed animals. They offered to 
 Thor, during the feast of Jaul, fat oxen and horses; to 
 Frigga, the largest hog which they could procure; to 
 Odin, horses, dogs and falcons, sometimes cocks, and a 
 fat bull. They even proceeded at times to shed human 
 blood. The victims were usually chosen from captives 
 in time of war, and slaves during peace. After being 
 selected, they were treated with excessive kindness, until 
 the time of th^ir execution, when they were congratu- 
 lated on their happy destiny in a future life. On great 
 emergencies, however, nobles and kings were immolated 
 on the altars of the gods. On all these occasions the 
 priests took care, in consecrating the victim, to pronounce 
 
202 
 
 SAXON SACRIFICES. 
 
 SACRIFICIAL RITES OF THE ANCIENT BRITISH DRUIDS. 
 
 rertain words; such as, "I devote thee to Odin;" "I send 
 thee to Odin;" or, "I devote thee for a good harvest, for 
 
OUR HEATHEN ANCESTORS. 2q,, 
 
 the return of a fruitful season." The ceremony con- 
 cluded with feasting, during which they drank immoder- 
 ately. First, the kings and chief lords drank healths in 
 honor of the gods; afterward, every one drank, making 
 song or prayer to the gods who had been named. Aftei 
 the victim was slain, the body was burnt, or suspended 
 in a sacred grove near the temple ; part of the blood was 
 sprinkled upon the people,, part upon the sacred grove. 
 With the same they also bedewed the images of the gods, 
 the altars, the benches and walls of the temple, both 
 within and without, thus completing their work, 
 
 FAIRY-LORE OF WESTERN EUROPE. 
 
 The Saxons and their kindred, the Teutons and the 
 Celts, have a great mass of fairy tales, legends, hobgoblin 
 stories and the like. These tales enter more into the life 
 of the people than we are accustomed to believe. While 
 the stronger men, the soldier^ of the race, told their old 
 Viking tales or recited their Eddas' poems, the common 
 people told over and over again the tales of the little 
 beings who haunted hill and meadow, field and forest, 
 lake and river. , 
 
 The tales and superstitions of the early Britons were 
 intimately related to their religious ideas, and exerted as 
 powerful an influence on their lives as their belief in the 
 gods. So it is in keeping with our subject that we pro- 
 ceed to present some of these fairy tales and legends. 
 Shakespeare has preserved ancient and quaint traditions 
 of the Fairies and Puck, and of Mab, Queen .of the 
 Fairies, from which we quote. 
 
 "Fairy. — Either I mistake your shape and making quite, 
 Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite 
 Call'd Robin Good-fellow. Are you not he 
 That frights the maidens of the villagery, 
 
204 
 
 FAIRY-LORE OF WESTERN EUROPE. 
 
 Skims milk, and sometimes labors in the quern, 
 And bootless makes the breathless housewife churn ; 
 And sometimes makes the drink to bear no harm ; 
 Misleads night-wanderers, laughing at their harm ? 
 Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck, 
 You do their work, and they shall have good luck. 
 Are not you he ? 
 
 Puck. — Thou speakest aright, 
 I am that merry wanderer of the night. 
 I jest to Oberon, and make him smile, 
 When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, 
 Neighing in likeness of a filly-foal ; 
 And sometimes lurk I in a gossip's bowl, 
 In very likeness of a roasted crab, 
 And when she drinks, against her lips I bob, 
 And on her withered durlap pour the, ale. 
 The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, 
 Sometimes for three-foot stool mistaketh me ; 
 Then slip I from her bum — down topples she. 
 And tailor cries, and falls into a cough ; 
 And then the whole quire hold their hips and laflfe 
 And waxen in their mirth, and neeze and swear, 
 A merrier hour was never wasted there. 
 
 O then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. 
 She is the fairies' midwife ; and she comes. 
 In shape no bigger than an agate stone 
 On the forefinger of an alderman, 
 Orawn with a team of little atomies. 
 Over men's noses as they lie asleep : 
 Her wagon-spokes, made of long spinner's legs j 
 The cover, of the wings of grasshoppers ; 
 The traces, of the smallest spider's web ; 
 The collars of the moonshines' watery beams j 
 Her whip of cricket's bone ; the lash of film; 
 Her wagoner, a small gray-coated gnat, 
 Not half so big as a round little worm 
 Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid : 
 Her chariot is an empty hazel nut, 
 Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub. 
 Time out of mind 'the fairies' coachmakers. 
 
OUR HEATHEN ANCESTORS. 2G5 
 
 This is that very Mab 
 That plats the manes of horses in the night ; 
 And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, 
 Which once untangled much misfortune bode. 
 This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, 
 That presses them." 
 
 A few of the very many fairy tales once current in Old 
 England and in Western Europe generally, ,may well be 
 given here in illustration of their general character. 
 
 AN ELFIN STORY. 
 
 There was one .time, it is said, a servant girl, who was, 
 for her cleanly, tidy habits, greatly beloved by the Elves, 
 particularly as she was careful to carry away all dirt and 
 foul water to a distance from the house, and they once 
 invited her to a wedding. Everything was conducted in 
 the greatest order, and they made her a present of some 
 chips, which she took good-humoredly, and put into her 
 pocket. But when the bride-pair were coming, there was 
 a straw unluckily lying in the way ; the bridegroom got 
 cleverly over it, but the poor bride fell on her face. At 
 the sight of this, the girl could not restrain herself, but 
 burst out a-laughing, and that instant the whole vanished 
 from her sight. Next day, to her utter amazement, she 
 found that what she had taken to be nothing but chips 
 were so many pieces of pure gold. 
 
 THE PENITENT NIS. 
 
 It is related of a Nis, who had established himself in a 
 house in Jutland, that he used every evening, after the 
 maid was gone to bed, to go into the kitchen to take his 
 groute, which they used to lea^e there for him in a large 
 wooden bowl. 
 
 One evening, he sat down as usual to eat his supper 
 
2o6 THE NIXES OR WATER PEOPLE. 
 
 with a good appetite, drew over the bowl to him, and was 
 just beginning, as he thought, to make a comfortable 
 meal, when he found that the maid had forgotten to put 
 any butter in it for him. At this, he fell into a furious 
 rage, got up in the height of his passion, and went out 
 into the cow-house and twisted the neck of the best cow 
 that was in it ; but as he felt himself still very hungry, he 
 stole back again to the kitchen to take some of the groute, 
 such as it was, and when he had eaten a littie of it he 
 perceived that there was butter in it, but that it had sunk 
 to the bottom under the groute. He was now so vexed 
 at his injustice toward the maid that, to make good the 
 damage he had done, he went back to the cow-house and 
 set a chest full of money by the side of the dead cow, 
 where the family found it next morning, and by means of 
 it got into flourishing circumstances. 
 
 NIXES. 
 
 The Nixes, or Water-people, inhabit lakes and rivers. 
 The man is like any other man, only he has green 
 teeth. He also wears a green hat. The female Nixes 
 appear like beautiful maidens. On fine sunny days they 
 may be seen sitting on the banks, or on the branches of 
 the trees, combing their long golden locks. When any 
 person is shortly to be drowned the Nixes may be pre- 
 viously seen dancing on the surface of the water. The}' 
 inhabit a beautiful region below the water, whither they 
 sometimes convey mortals. A girl from a village near 
 Leipsic, as the story goes, was at one time at service in 
 the house of a Nix. She reported that everything there 
 was very good ; all she had to complain of was that she 
 was obliged to eat her food without salt. The female 
 Nixes frequently go to the market to buy meat : they are 
 always dressed with extreme neatness, only a corner of 
 
the apron or some other part of their clothes is wet. The 
 man also occasionally goes to market. They are fond of 
 carrying off women, of whom they make wives. From 
 the many tales of the Nixes we select the following, 
 which are fair specimens of the whole. 
 
 THE PEASANT AND THE WATERMAN. 
 
 A Waterman, or Nix, once lived on good terms with a 
 peasant who dwelt near his lake. He often visited him, 
 and at last begged that tlie peasant would make a visit to 
 his house under the water. The peasant consented, and 
 went down witn him. There was everything down under 
 the water as in a stately palace on the land — halls, cham- 
 bers and cabinets, with costly furniture of every descrip- 
 tion. The Waterman led Ms guest over the whole, and 
 showed him everything that was in it. They came at length 
 to a little chamber, where were standing several new pots 
 turned upside down. The peasant asked what was in 
 them. "They contain," was the reply, "the souls of 
 drowned people, which I put under the pots and keep 
 them close, so that they cannot get away." The peasant 
 made no remark, and he came up again on the land. But 
 for ajong time the affair of the souls continued to give 
 him great trouble, and he watched to find when the 
 Waterman should be from home. When this occurred, 
 as he had marked the right way down, he descended into 
 the water-house, and, having made out the little chamber, 
 he turned up all the pots one after another, and immedi- 
 ately the souls of the drowned people ascended out of 
 the water and recovered their liberty. 
 
 THE WONDERFUL LITTLE POUCH. 
 
 At noon, one day, a young peasant sat by the side of 
 a wood, and, sighing, prayed tbr gods to give him a mor^ 
 '3 
 
2o8 CHRISTIANIZING THE SAXONS. 
 
 sel of food. A dwarl suddenly emerged from the wood, 
 and told him that his prayer should be fulfilled. He then 
 gave him the pouch that he had on his side, with the as- 
 surance that he would always find in it wherewithal to 
 satisfy his thirst and hunger, charging him, at the same 
 time, not to consume it all, and to share with any one who 
 asked him for food. The dwarf vanished, and the peas- 
 ant put his hand into the pouch to make a trial of it, and 
 there he found a cake of new bread, a cheese, and a 
 bottle of wine, on which he made a hearty meal. He 
 then saw that the pouch swelled up as before, and, look- 
 ing in, he found that it wasi again full of bread, cheese 
 and wine. He now felt sure of his food, and he lived on' 
 in an idle, luxurious way, without doing any work. One 
 day, as he was gorging himself, there came up to him a 
 feeble old man, who prayed him to give him a morsel to 
 eat He refused in a brutal, churlish tone, when instantly 
 the 'bread and cheese broke, and scattered out of his 
 hands, and pouch and all vanished. 
 
 CHRISTIANIZING THE SAXONS. 
 
 According to widely-accepted tradition, when but a 
 young deacon, Gregory the Great had noted the white 
 bodies, the fair faces and the golden hair of some youths 
 who stood bound in the market-place at Rome. " From 
 what country do these slaves come ?" he asked the traders 
 who held them. " They are English, Angles !" the slave- 
 dealers answered. The deacon's pity yeiled itself in 
 poetic humor. « Not Angles, but angels," he said, " with 
 faces so angel-like! From what country come they?" 
 " They come," said the merchants, " from Deira." " De 
 irar'was the untranslatable reply; "aye, plucked from 
 God's ire, and called to Christ's mercy ! And what is the 
 name of their king ?" "^lla," they told him ; and Gre- 
 
gory seized on the words as a good omen. "Alleluia 
 "Jhall be sung there," he cried, and passed on, musing how 
 the angel-faces should be brought to sing it. 
 
 Years went by, and the deacon become Bishop of 
 Rome, when the Christian princess, Berctas' marriage to 
 the King of England gave him the opening he sought. 
 He at once sent a Roman Abbot, Augustine, at the head 
 of a band of monks, to preach the Gofepel to the English 
 people. The missionaries landed A. D. 597, on the very 
 Spot where Hengest had landed more than a century 
 before, in the Isle of Thanet ; and the king received them 
 sitting in the open air, on the chalk-down above Minster, 
 where the eye nowadays catches, miles away over the 
 marshes, the dim tower of Canterbury. He listened to 
 the long sermon as the interpreters whom Augustine had 
 brought with him from Gaul translated it. " Your words 
 are fair," ^^thelberdt replied at last, with English good 
 sense, " but they are new and of doubtful meaning." For 
 himself, he said, he refused to forsake the gods of his 
 fathers, but he promised shelter and protection to the 
 strangers. The band of monks entered Canterbury 
 bearing before them a silver cross with a picture of 
 Christ, and singing in concert the strains of the litany of 
 their church. " Turn from this city, O Lord," they sang, 
 "Thine anger and wrath, and turn it from Thy holy 
 house ; for we have sinned." And then, in strange con- 
 trast, came the jubilant cry of the older Hebrew worship, 
 the cry which Gregory had wrested in prophetic earnest- 
 ness from the name of the Yorkshire king in the Roman 
 market-place — "Alleluia !" 
 
 Thus was begun the overturning of the heathen faith 
 of our ancestors, and the establishment of Christianity 
 among them. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 INDIA. 
 
 The Hindu mind still s)aperstition sways 
 Still to his Triune God the Brahmin prays ; 
 The laws of "caste" each generous hope restrain. 
 And bind all mental powers with palsying chain. 
 Still lives that old belief the Samian taught, 
 Insects and brutes with human souls are fraught, 
 Souls doomed to wander for uncounted years. 
 Till, pure from earthly dross, they seek the spheres. 
 
 Nicholas Michh.l 
 t 
 
 INDIA is almost a continent like Europe. It is shaped 
 like a great triangle. Its population amounts tc 
 240,000,000. There are different races in India. 
 First came to the fertile valleys of the Indus and Ganges 
 the sturdy immigrants from Central Asia, from Tartary 
 and Thibet. These were Scythians, some of them Mongo- 
 lians. Then came the Hindu people, the great family of 
 the Aryans, who separated themselves from their Persian 
 brethren sometime near 2,000 B. C, and gradually over- 
 spread all India. About^ 500 B. C, Darius Hystaspes 
 conquered the Indian Empire, Alexander the Great in- 
 vaded it as far as the Indus in 327 B. C. The Mohammed- 
 ans drove the Parsees from their Persian home about 1,100 
 years ago, and a small body of them settled in India. 
 Then came the Mohammedans (Arabs, Turks, Afghans 
 and Moguls) and conquered India for a time. There are 
 now 41,000,000 of Mohammeddns in that land. Still later 
 came Europeans, led thither by the prospects of great 
 210 ' 
 
BRAHMINISM AMO*^G THE HINDUS. 
 
 21 I 
 
 commercial gains, the Portuguese, the Danes, the Dutch, 
 the French and, finally, came the English. 
 
 Over one hundred dialects are spoken in India, but 
 there is only one sacred language and one sacred litera- 
 ture. This is the Sarccrit x^U the Hindu sacred books, 
 all the sacred knowledge 
 of Hindu theology, phil- 
 osophy or law, all the 
 Hindu creeds, opinions, 
 customs, etc., are recorded 
 in this language. This lan- 
 guage of their literature 
 does not change with the 
 course of time, it remains 
 the same now as ever. 
 
 SKETCH OF BRAHMINISM. 
 
 Brahminism grew out of 
 what is called the Vedic re- 
 ligion. Before Abraham's 
 day the people living in 
 Central Asia, being a sim- 
 ple race, addressed their | 
 prayers to the powers of 
 nature, as, for Example, to 
 
 ■ the storms, the clbuds and 
 the sun, seeing the Deity 
 in each of these. Hymns 
 were written to these gods ancient hindu mot. 
 
 and this forms the earliest of all sacred books, only ex- 
 cepting those from which Moses wrote his account of the 
 
 • early history of the world in Genesis. This people moved 
 south into India. The priesthood arose and the other 
 Vedic books of ceremonies, sacrifices and liturgical forms 
 
212 THE GODS VF HINDUISM. 
 
 were prepared. Great commentaries were written on 
 these books, and all were declared, to be inspired. 
 
 The priests quarreled with the civil chiefs, but their 
 sacred character was increased by the conflict, and caste 
 is the result. The priests are the highest caste (or class), 
 next c6me the warriors, then the merchant, the farmer, 
 etc., last of all the tanners, buriers of the dead, etc. 
 These classes never intermarry or intermingle in any 
 way; it is contaminating to sit together even. About 
 this time idols appear, and gods multiply until they reach 
 the number of 330,000,000. Men groaned under this 
 stupendous system of oppressive idolatry. Buddha tried 
 in the seventh century before Christ, to reform it, but he 
 failed, though he succeeded in establishing a new faith 
 which has numbered its converts by the hundreds of mil- 
 lions. But Brahminism continues to be the religion of 
 India, even until to-day. The task of Christianity to 
 supplant it is gigantic, and rendered doubly difficult by 
 the failure of Buddhism. In later days a new reformer 
 appeared, Rammohun Roy. He started the Brahmo- 
 somaj, or reformed Brahminism, but under his successor, 
 Keshub Chunder Sen, it is drifting toward Christianity. 
 . Starting from the Veda, Hinduism has ended in em- 
 bracing something from all religions, and in presenting 
 phases suited to all minds. It is all-toterant, all-com- 
 pliant, all-comprehensive, all-absorbing. It has its spiritual 
 and its material aspect, its esoteric and exoteric, its sub 
 jective and objective, its rational and irrational, its pure 
 and its impure. It has one side for the practical, another 
 for the severely moral, another for the devotional and 
 imaginative, another for the sensuous and sensual,'and 
 another for the philosophical and speculative. Those 
 who rest in ceremonial observances find it all-sufficient; 
 those who deny the efficacy of works and make faith tha 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 213 
 
 one requisite, need not wander from its pale ; those who 
 are addicted to sensuaUty may have their tastes fully 
 gratified ; those whose 
 delight is in meditating 
 upon the nature of God 
 and of man, or the rela- 
 tions of matter and c t 
 spirit, the mystery of sef 
 arate existence, or upon 
 the origin of evil, ma 
 here indulge their lov 
 of speculation. And thi 
 capacity for almost limit 
 less expansion causes al 
 most numberless sectar- 
 ian divisions even among 
 the followers of any given 
 particular line of doctrine 
 Yet there remains much 
 of the old nature-wor- 
 ship, or more correctly 
 speaking, of the old devil- 
 worship among the Hin- 
 dus even at this late 
 day. As in Tinnevelly the people worship a stone devil, 
 who holds a trident in one hand, and a child which he 
 was about to devour in the other. The idol generally 
 has a garland of red and white oleander flowers on its 
 head and shoulders. 
 
 DEVIL WORSHIPED IN TINNEVELLY. 
 
 THE GODS OF HINDUISM. 
 
 The three idols sculptured on the walls of Elephanta 
 Cave are found all over India, and constitute the chief 
 gods which are worshiped by the Hindus. 
 
214 
 
 INDRA, GOD OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 
 
 All the human race is said to have come' from the 
 highlands of Central Asia, and the worship of these, our 
 Aryan forefathers, was at first exceedingly simple. Their 
 manner of life brought them into close contact with na- 
 ture, and we learn from the hymns then written, many of 
 
 INDRA, GOD OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 
 
 which are still preserved in the Vedas (the sacred book 
 of the Hindus), that they regarded the powers of nature 
 as manifestations of gods. In the storms, they supposed 
 these rival gods were quarreling. In the Vedic hymns, 
 frequent mention is made of the chief god, called Dyaus, 
 the " Heavenly Father." Also Aditi, the " Infinite Ex- 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 215 
 
2i6 THREE CHIEF HINDU GODS. 
 
 panse," is called the mother of all gods. Next comes 
 Varuna,.the "Sky in its Brightness," then Indra, the god 
 of the "Atmosphere;" so running through the whole list. 
 After a time, the names of the gods are somewhat al- 
 tered, and a sort of trinity is formed. Agni, god of fire, 
 becomes Brahma ; Surya, the sun-god, becomes Vishnu, 
 and Indra, the atmosphere-god, becomes Siva. These 
 constitute what is called the Tri-murti, and are generally 
 said to represent one god as Creator, Preserver or De- 
 stroyer. Hindus often write in their honor verses like 
 the following : 
 
 " In those three persons the one God was shown — 
 Each first in place, each last — not one alone ; 
 Of Siva, Vishiiu, Brahma, each may be. 
 First, second, third, among the Blessed Three." 
 
 As to which of the three gods is to be called the Su- 
 preme Being, opinions differ. The following story is told 
 in one of the sacred books touching upon this point : 
 
 STORY OF THE SAGES' SEARCH. 
 
 A dispute arose among the sages as to which of the 
 three gods was greatest ; so they applied to the great 
 Bhrigu, one of the ten Maharshis, or primeval patriarchs 
 created by the first Manu, to determine the point. He 
 undertook to pu,t all three gods to a severe test, and 
 went first to Brahma ; on approaching whom he pur- 
 posely omitted an obeisance. Upon this the god's anger 
 blazed terribly forth ; but, restraining it, he was at length 
 pacified. Next he repaired to the abode of Siva, in 
 Kailasa, and omitted to return the god's salutation. The 
 vindictive deity was enraged, his eyes flashed fire, and 
 he raised his trident to destroy the sage ; but the god's 
 wife, Parvati, fell at his feet and by her intercession ap- 
 peased him. Lastly, he repaired to Vaikuntha, the heaven 
 
I 
 BRAffMimSM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 217 
 
 of Vishnu, whom he found asleep with his head on his 
 consort Lakshml's lap. To make a trial of his forbear- 
 ance, he boldly gave the god a kick on his breast, which 
 awoke him. Instead of showing anger, however, Vishnu 
 arose, and on seeing Bhrigu, asked his pardon for not 
 having greeted him on his first arrival. Next, he ex- 
 pressed himself highly honored by the sage's blow (which 
 he declared had imprinted an indelible mark of good 
 fortune on his breast), and then inquired tenderly 
 whether his foot was hurt, and proceeded to rub it gently. 
 " This," said Bhrigu, " is the mightiest god ; he over- 
 powers by the most potent of all weapons — gentleness 
 and generosity." Thi!s idea was not far removed from 
 the genius of Christianity, which conspicuously encour- 
 ages the overcoming of evil with good. 
 
 CAN THE GODS DIE? 
 
 One of the most remarkable ideas to be found in the 
 Brahmanas is that the gods were merely mortals till they 
 extorted immortality from the Supreme Being by sacri- 
 fices and austerities. A natural or inherent immortality 
 in these deities was never dreamed of, it is said : 
 
 "The gods lived constantly in dread of Death — 
 The mighty Ender — so with toilsome rites 
 They worshiped and repeated sacrifices 
 Till they became immortal. Then the Ender 
 Said to the gods, 'As ye have made yourselves 
 Imperishable ; so will men endeavor 
 To free themselves from me ; what portion then 
 Shall I possess in man ?' The gods replied, 
 ' Henceforth no being shall become immortal < 
 
 In his own body ; this his mortal frame 
 Shalt thou still seize ; this shall remain thy own> 
 He who through knowledge or religious acts 
 Henceforth attains to immortality 
 Shall first present his body. Death, to thee.' " 
 
2i8 
 
 CAN THE GODS DIE f 
 
 SECTS OF HINDUISM. 
 
 It must not be supposed tliat the heathen rehgions pre- 
 sent one unbroken front against the oncoming ranks of 
 Christianity. Christianity is divided into sects, it is true; 
 but these sects are but as the different regiments and 
 divisions of an army. The banner of the Cross is at the 
 head of the whole of this grand army, and it floats proudly 
 Qver each regiment; the regimental banner is always 
 placed beneath, and not above, the banner of the Cross. 
 Hence the various denominations of Christians are not 
 so many distinct bodies, fighting each other as well as 
 fighting the common foe ; but they are so many bands of 
 soldiers, fighting, perhaps, each in its own way, yet all 
 airning to destroy the one common enemy, Satan and his 
 works. But the divisions of heathen religious systems 
 differ greatly from this. Many of them are so different 
 from each other that there is hardly a trace of resem- 
 blance remaining. Each heathen religious system wages 
 war against every other one. Buddhism is, perhaps, an 
 exception to this, at least in its mode of warfare, for it 
 seeks to swallow up every other system, to incorporate 
 all other religions in its own and to destroy them by the 
 change. In each of these systems, as well as in Hindu- 
 ism, which we have now before us for consideration, 
 there are many different sects. These vary very much 
 more than the denominations of Christendom, and are 
 constantiy turning their guns upon each other. Thus 
 God is making Satan to defeat himself, and will bring 
 good to the world even out of the wicked one's work. 
 
 The sects of Hinduism overlap each other. Many 
 Hindus are attached at the same time lo several sects, 
 and some of the gods are worshiped by all the sects in 
 common. Following the national tendency of all heathen 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 219 
 
 religious systems, Hinduism developed downwards. 
 Sect after sect arose, each calling aittention to some one 
 
^2o BUDDHA, "THE LIGHT OF ASIA." 
 
 prominent point in their faith, and setting all the other 
 points far in the background. , 
 
 During all the pelriod from Scx)' to 500 before Christ, 
 the need of making peace offerings to the gods was in- 
 sisted upon by certain sects.. According to the creed of 
 one popular sect, for- example, if one should slay a hun- 
 dred horses in sacrifice, he would be worthy of being ex- 
 alted to the rank of a powerful god. Thousands of 
 animals, principally horses, cows, pigs, and the like, were 
 slain every day at this time. The whole land was filled 
 with blood. Then came the reaction, a new sect arose, 
 who, disgusted and wearied of 'sacrifices and sacrificing 
 priests, declared , all sacrifices as, unnecessary and dis- 
 pleasing to the gods. The followers of Kali, the god- 
 dess of blood, and especially the Thugs, who came into 
 prominence later on. and who are described in connection 
 with the worship of Kali, of course opposed this idea. 
 Yet they were unsuccessful, their rival sect rapidly 
 gained the popiilar favor, and, except at Kali's altars, 
 sacrifices almost disappearfecf. The great reformer, Bud- 
 dha, the "Light of Asia," gave great assistance to this 
 doctrine. He taught, about the seventh centuiry before 
 Christ, that it was the duty of man to preserve life, and 
 not to destroy it. The teaching that the souli of men 
 after death passed into the bbdies of animals cilso aided 
 in this. Buddha's teachings gained almost universal ac- 
 ceptance in India for a time ; it looked as though it would 
 root out Hinduism. But gradually the Hindu priests 
 brought Buddhism back unto itself again. The priests 
 declared that Gautama, the Buddha, was an incarnation 
 of the god Vishnu, and by this concession won their way 
 to the hearts of the people. Each of the 'gods had their 
 own followers, and, as may be imagined, the sect that 
 worshiped Vishnu received many new adherents. 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 221 
 
 After this, Hinduism rapidly descended to its darkest, 
 deepest degradation. Priestcraft was extended, rites 
 were multiplied, and superstitious customs increased. 
 For long years the people groaned under their heavy 
 burdens, then sought — as, alas ! how often they sought, 
 but only to fail — to get back to the high ground of a 
 purer religion. Reformers 
 appeared, and the people 
 gladly and quickly gather- 
 ed around these reformers, 
 thus forming new sects. 
 To set forth the whole his- 
 tory of these sects would 
 require volume after vol- 
 ume. In a general way, 
 we may say that there are 
 five large sects: the fol- 
 lowers of Siva, of Vishnu^ 
 of Sakta, the sun worship- 
 ers, and the adherents of 
 Ganesha. We might well 
 add to these, and to the 
 multitude of minor sects 
 into which they are di- 
 vided, the greatest of mod- 
 ern sects, which is called 
 the Brahmo-Somaj. 
 
 In the year 1 7 74 was born 
 
 r , J i-i;,,, SCULPTURED IDOLS ON A PILLAR. 
 
 a man of marked ability, 
 
 named Rammohun Roy. He sought to suppress the 
 Suttee, the burning of Hindu widows with the bodies of 
 their dead husbands. He encouraged native education 
 and the general enlightenment of the whole people. He 
 went bttck beyond the teachings of priests and of the 
 
222 HINDUISM AS A SYSTEM. 
 
 modern sacred Hindu books, back to the Vedas, and 
 sought to prove that they taught that idolatry was wrong, 
 and that one god should be worshiped. To this Supreme 
 Being he gave the name of Brahma, and hence his sect 
 of reformed Hinduism was called the Brahma or Brahmo- 
 Somaj, or Society of God. After his death, several 
 other leaders arose, the last of whom, the third from Ram- 
 mohun Roy, named Keshub Chunder Sen, was, perhaps, 
 most in accord with the founder's spirit. He visited 
 England lately. Under his leading the society is offering 
 an uncompromising opposition to caste, idolatry and 
 superstition, and is accomplishing the best results. 
 
 PRINCIPLES OF HINDUISM. 
 
 Hinduism as a system has nothing to say about mak- 
 ing men better, it only tells of means to make peace with 
 angry gods. It speaks only threatening and fear. But 
 worse than this — and it would corrupt our pages to do 
 more than mention it — much of its worship is vile ; vulgar 
 images are common objects of worship in India. 
 
 Its teachings as to the next world and the way to reach 
 it are remarkable. There is supposed to be a wide 
 stream between this world and the next, and the only 
 way to cross is by holding on to the tail of the sacred 
 cow when dying. 
 
 One terrible feature of Hinduism is Caste. Every 
 Hindu child is born within a certain caste, and above or 
 below that it can never go. It is a most rigid system 
 requiring the members of one caste to have as litde as 
 possible to do with the members of another. The four 
 principal castes are— the Priest or Brahmin caste; the 
 Warrior caste; the Merchant caste; the Sudras, or Ser- 
 vile caste; besides these are the Pariahs, who are below 
 all caste. Some of the castes distinguish themselves by 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 22? 
 
 the cut and color of their dress, some by the way in which 
 their garments are put on, some by a pecuhar mark on 
 
 DYING BRAHMIN HOLDING THE TAIL OF THE SACRED COW, 
 SO AS TO ENTER HEAVEN. 
 
 the forehead, some by the jewels or ornaments they wear. 
 The bounds of these castes are fixed and immovable. 
 No one, however, rich, or learned, or skillful, can rise 
 
224 
 
 CASTE A FEATURE OF HINDUISM. 
 
 above his caste, no one, however poor, or degraded, or 
 vicious, sinks below his caste. Each caste looks up to 
 those above it, and concedes its superiority. 
 
 A CASTE-MARKED BRAHMIN AT HIS DEVOTIONS. 
 
 A Brahmin who had become a Christian, once told a 
 celebrated traveler, that the people of lower castes than 
 his own had often asked him to stop and wash his feet in 
 the water of the street, so that they might drink it ! The 
 whole system, this traveler goes on to say, is a cold and 
 cniel thing, which hardens the heart against natural com- 
 passion. Against its oppression there is sjio power of 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 225 
 
 resistance; it extinguishes every element of human 
 brotherhood. Hinduism is, take it all and all, one of the 
 vilest, most despotic, most degrading systems of religion. 
 In almost every other faith there is some redeeming 
 feature; in Hinduism we seek in vain to find any element 
 of truth. There 
 
 is nothing in it t )\i\\/l'/UyJj^'^^\ 
 
 worthy of being 
 placed m, compar- 
 ison with Chris- 
 tianity. Yet the 
 task of persuading 
 the Hindu people 
 of this is a very 
 difficult one. The 
 missionary seems 
 as but a youthful 
 David with his 
 sling and stones 
 in the presence of 
 this very Goliath 
 of Heathenism. 
 But he has God 
 standing with him, 
 and by His aid the 
 work will finally be 
 
 successful. GOD OF HELL, FROM A HINDU PICTURE. 
 
 HUMAN BEINGS KILLED IN SACRIFICE. 
 
 Very early in the history of the Hindu religion, human 
 beings were sacrificed to the gods. Both children and 
 adults were slain before Kali's altars, especially. Sacrifice 
 of human beings is referred to in the sacred books ; fct 
 instance, it appears in the following Brahmana : 
 
226 
 
 HUMAN BEINGS SACRIFICED. 
 
 I 
 
 King Hariscandra had no son ; he then prayed to Var- 
 una, promising, that if a son were born to him, he would, 
 
 sacrifice the child to the 
 god. Then a son was 
 born to him called Rohita. 
 When Rohita was grown 
 up, his father one day told 
 him of the vow he had 
 made to Varuna and bade 
 him prepare to be sacri- 
 ficed. The son declined 
 to be killed, and ran away 
 from his father's house. 
 For six years he wandered 
 in the forest and at last 
 iriet a starving Brahmin. 
 Him he persuaded to sell 
 one of his sons named 
 Sunahsepha, for a hun 
 dred cows. This boy was 
 bought by Rohita and 
 taken to Hariscandra arid 
 was about to be sacrificed 
 to Varuna as a substitute for Rohita. At this monient, 
 on praying to the gods with verses from the Veda, the boy 
 was released. Some of the Hindu gods are, in accord 
 with this idea, horrible imaginations, as the god of Hell. 
 In contrast with such, is Amadeo, god of Love, the cupid 
 god of the Hindus. 
 
 But the Hindus were averse to human sacrifice, and 
 so they found a way to get around it. They introduced 
 this passage into their sacred books: 
 
 The gods killed a man for their victim. But from him 
 thus killed, the part which was fit for a sacrifice went oul; 
 
 AMADEO, GOB OF LOVK 
 
SRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. ^27 
 
 and entered a horse. Thence the horse became an ani- 
 mal fit for being sacrificed. The gods then killed the 
 horse, but the part of it fit for being sacrified went out of 
 it and entered an ox. The gods then killed the ox, but 
 the part of it fit for being sacrificed went out of it and 
 entered a sheep. Thence it entered a goat The sacri- 
 ficial part remained for the longest time in the goat ; 
 thence, it became pre-eminently fit for being sacrificed ! 
 
 woman's life in india.- 
 
 Every one of the heathen religions more or less de- 
 grades woman. Often she is made the slave of man, or, 
 worse still, the creature to minister to his appetites. 
 Only Christianity seeks to lift woman to the level of 
 man. Women in Christian lands rarely ever appreciate 
 the low condition of their Oriental sisters. In India, wo- 
 man's condition is worse than in China, and in China 
 worse than in Japan. In the early religious writings of 
 the Hindus, woman is spoken of with respect ; but in 
 later days those teachings* have been all but forgotten. 
 Indeed, the degradation of woman in India — not merely 
 sanctioned, but commanded, by the Hindu religion — ^^is 
 without a parallel in any age and among any other race. 
 According to the Code of Manu, the law-book of the 
 Hindu religion, woman is forbidden to read the sacred 
 books or to offer up prayers or sacrifices in her own 
 name and person. She may pray and worship, but only 
 as her father or husband directs. Woman is regarded 
 as having no soul, differing from the beasts only in being 
 more intelligent than they. Moreovisr, she is cornmanded 
 to revere her husband as a god. 
 
 ■ If a Brahmin, or priest, happens to be reading the Vedas 
 (the sacred Hindu books), and a woman happens to come 
 near, he must suspend his reading until she pass by. 
 
228 
 
 CONDITION OF HINDU WOMEN. 
 
 Her ear is not pure enough to hear the sacred word, they 
 say. They were kept secluded from sight in ill-furnished 
 apartments; really, they were kept prisoners ini the 
 zenanas, as their apartments were called. Only recently 
 has the condition of the women of India been exposed. 
 
 TEACHING A CHILD TO WORSHIP GANESHA, THE GOD OF WISDOM. 
 
 Missionary ladies, by taking the occasion of teaching wo- 
 men how to knit and embroider, managed to secure an 
 entrance to the zenanas. Tale after tale was told of the 
 pitiful condition of the Hindu women. These were 
 doubted, questioned and examined; but investigation 
 
confirmed their truth. What is the picture that Is drawn 
 by these faithful pens of the Hindu woman's life from the 
 cradle to the grave ? «» Girls are never welcomed in India. 
 Formerly a large number were destroyed at birth, but 
 now the British government prevents that. . But they are 
 as badly off, in many cases worse, than if dead. Their 
 very existence is almost unnoticed by their father. Ask 
 
 A CHILD BRINGING AN OFFERING TO THE IDOL OF A BUU., 
 
 a Hindu how many children he has — supposing that he 
 have three sons and four daughters — he will reply, " I 
 have three children," not thinking it worth while to count 
 his daughters. Formerly at least seventy-five out of 
 every hundred "^female infants were destroyed. These? 
 infants were generally cast to the crocodiles in the Gan- 
 ges, and, strange to say, the mother thought she was 
 
g^Q WOMAN AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 serving Heaven in doing this unnatural deed. The great 
 linguist, Dr. John Leyden, has written : 
 
 " To glut the shark and crocodile 
 
 A mother brought her infant here; 
 She saw its tender, playful smile. 
 
 She shed not one maternal tear. 
 She threw it on a watery bier : 
 
 With grinding teeth sea-monsters tore 
 
 The smiling infant that she bore. 
 She shrunk not once its cfies to hear !" 
 
 From childhood they are taught to worship the idols, 
 especially Ganesha, the god of wisdom, and so the stone 
 bulls. 
 
 After a little girl has reached her fifth birthday, her 
 parents begin to look for a husband for her. She can 
 be married when seven years old, but may wait until she 
 is ten. The idea of marrying for love is never dreamed 
 of. The little one never makes her own choice of a hus- 
 band. Her married life bears not the slightest resem- 
 blance to the life of a wife in a Christian land. The 
 Shasters declare that a wife, "When in the presence of 
 her hu^and, must keep her eyes upon her master, and 
 be ready to receive his commands. When he speaks, 
 she must be quiet, and listen to nothing else besides ; 
 when he calls, she must leave everything else, and attend 
 upon him alone. A woman has no other god on earth 
 but her husband. The most excellent of all good works 
 that she can perform is to gratify him with the strictest 
 obedience. This should be her only devotion. Though 
 he be aged, infirm, dissipated, a drunkard or a debauchee, 
 she must still regard him as her god. She must serve 
 him with all her might, obeying him in all things, spying 
 no defects in his character, and giving him no cause for 
 disquiet. If he laughs, she must laugh ; if he weeps, she 
 
BRAHMINISM AMONG THE HINDUS. 
 
 231 
 
 must weep ; if "he sings, 'she must be in an ecstasy." The 
 wife may never walk with her husband. No other man 
 than he or her father or 
 brothers must ever look on 
 her face. A Hindu woman 
 would rather die than to 
 be thus defiled, as they are 
 taught to regard it. 
 
 Woman in India is in the 
 power of her husband com- 
 pletely ; she is his slave, and 
 must wait on his every mo- 
 tion. Worse than this, she 
 is not the only wife, for Hin- 
 duism permits a man to have 
 many wives. When her hus- 
 band dies, the wife is more 
 unhappy than ever. All 
 her ornaments and beauti- 
 ful clothing are taken from 
 her, and only a poor, coarse, ^<J 
 
 brown robe is left ; her black 
 
 hair is shorn off^ and the '^^ 
 tali — answering to our mar- *^ 
 riage-ring — is taken from g 
 her. Henceforth, if she live, 
 she must practice the sever- 
 est penance. Often, before 
 the British government put 
 a stop to it, the widow was w- 
 burned alive with the dead 
 body of her husband. For all this degradation and 
 misery and shameless treatment of women Hinduism is 
 responsible. 
 
 HINDU WOMAN. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 A thousand pilgrims strain 
 Arm, shoulder, breast and thigh, with might and main, 
 
 To drag that sacred wain. 
 And scarce can draw the enormous load. 
 Prone fall the frantic votaries in its road, 
 
 And calling on the god. 
 Their selt-devoted bodies there they lay 
 
 To pave his chariot-way. 
 
 On Jaga-Naut they call, 
 The ponderous car rolls on, and crushes all. 
 
 Robert Southey 
 
 EVERY city of India has its temples by the hun- 
 dreds, in some cases by the thousands. On all 
 the hills, in all the valleys, scattered over all the 
 fields, in the densest jungles or open plains are temples, 
 shrines and idols. The rivers are sacred, trees are wor- 
 shiped and very manyanimals receive religious reverence. 
 The temple-courts are filled with chattering monkeys, 
 and here and there we see the sacred bulls, garlanded 
 with flowers and fed by the devotees. There is no end, 
 seemingly, to their temples ' and idols. Probably no 
 country in the world has more of these than India. It is 
 one of the marks of heathenism to multiply the objects 
 and places of worship. Of course, we cannot here make 
 mention of all these, we can but describe a few of the 
 more important, which may serve as specimens of the 
 rest. 
 
 23s 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 233 
 
 IDOLS AND TEMPLES OF JUGGERNAUT., 
 
 Juggernaut is a celebrated god. He is called the " Lord 
 ot" the world." tlis images are as ugly as can be con- 
 
234 
 
 IDOLS AND TEMPLES OF JUGGERNAUT, 
 
 ceived. Generally they are made of wood; in some 
 temples placed three together, one of blue, one of white 
 and one of yellow. Juggernaut has many temples; the 
 one at Puri, on the western shore of the Bay of Bengal, 
 being the largest, and esteemed the most holy. This 
 pagoda stands at the end of the principal street of the 
 city, which is very wide, and lined with dwellings, for the 
 priests, small shrines and other sacred buildings. The 
 wall which surrounds the temple is 21 feet high, and 
 forms an inclosure 650 feet on each side. The principal 
 edifice rises to the height of 1 84 feet. The main gate- 
 way is crowded with Fakirs. On each side of the en- 
 trance is a mammoth lion. Just before the visitor, as he 
 enters, is an image of the monkey-god, Hanuman. 
 
 The temple is dedicated to Krishna, or Juggernaut 
 (sometimes written Jagan-nath,) and his companions — 
 Siva and Sathadra. The idols of each are rude, hideous- 
 looking sculptured blocks of wood, each' about six feet 
 high. The representations of the human face in these 
 idols are hideous. Krishna is painted dark blue, Siva 
 white and Sathadra yellow. Before the altar an image 
 of the hawk-god, Garounda, is placed. Every day, we ' 
 are told, the idols are feasted. Their food consists of 
 410 pounds of rice, 225 pounds of flour, 350 pounds 
 of butter, 167 pounds of treacle, 65 pounds of vege- 
 tables, 186 pounds of milk, 24 pounds of spices, 34 
 pounds of salt and 41 pounds of oil. While the food 
 is being placed before the gods, all but a favored few 
 are excluded from the temple, and the doors are shut. 
 There are over 20,000 holy men connected with this 
 temple, and we can easily guess that they help the idols 
 to get rid of this great mass of food, at any rate it all 
 speedily disappears. The idols, strange as it may seem, 
 are washed and dressed daily with great seriousness, 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 235 
 
 On the i8th of June Juggernaut's great festival occurs. 
 Formerly great multitudes assembled at this time from 
 
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 every part of the land. Men, women and children in 
 crowds thronged to the city days in advance, and waited 
 with iipoatience for the festival day to come. The Car- 
 
236 
 
 CAR-FEsTtVAL AT PURt. 
 
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 Festival celebrated at Puri is usually attended by more 
 than 500,000 pilgrims, nearly half of whorri are females. 
 There is great suffering among these pilgrimis, and 
 
m HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 2,« 
 
 many of them die in consequence of excessive fatigue, 
 exposure to the annual rains, and the want of suita- 
 ble and sufficient food. The plains, in many places, 
 are literally whitened with their bones, while dogs 
 and vultures are continually devouring the bodies 
 of the dead. At the appointed time each idol was 
 washed, dressed in silk and gold, and placed upon his 
 triumphal car. The car of Juggernaut consists of an 
 elevated platform, thirty-four feet*square, supported by 
 sixteen wheels, each six and a half feet in diameter. It 
 is covered with cloth of gold and costly stuffs, and a Jug- 
 gernaut is placed undeK a canopy. Six ropes, or cables, 
 300 feet in length, are attached to the car, by means ol 
 which the people draw it from place to place. The 
 whole car is covered with sculptures in the Hindu style. 
 
 Thousands seize these ropes, as many as could get 
 hold. In their fanatical frenzy they crowded and should- 
 ered and shoved one another, counting themselves happy 
 if they could only lay a hand on the ropes. The Car- 
 Festival was the great event of the religious year of the 
 worshipers of Juggernaut. Its object was to convey 
 Juggernaut from the temple to his country house, a mile 
 distant. When the image was placed in the car the mul- 
 titude fell on their knees and bowed their foreheads in 
 the dust. 
 
 As the car began to advance the drums beat and cym- 
 bals clashed, while from its platform the priests shouted, 
 harangued and sang songs, which were received with 
 applause by the multitude. And so the dense mass, tug- 
 ging, sweating, singing, praying, dragged the car slowly 
 along. Some were knocked down and trampled upon, 
 and some were accidentally crushed by the ponderous 
 wheels, while a few, mostly those who were sick or in 
 much trouble, sought death by throwing themselves in 
 
238 
 
 JUGGERNAUT AND HIS WORSHIP. 
 
 the way of the wheels, this latter being encouraged by 
 some of the priests. The priests and priestesses chanted 
 songs in praise of the gods, the multitudes flung flowers 
 and other gifts about the car. 
 
 Such was the Great Car-Festival of Juggernaut in an- 
 cient days. Of late years it has lost much of its popu- 
 larity, and though thousands still attend annually, it is 
 now looked upon more as an annual fair than a religious 
 festival. The devotees are not half so zealous as form- 
 erly, and the priests find almost no one to drag the car. 
 No longer do any self-made victims fall beneath its 
 wheels, unless it be some poor, weak wretch, tired of life 
 and desiring thus to commit suicide. The British gov- 
 ernment has caused much of this change, but more has 
 been done by the influence which Christian missionaries 
 
 have exerted upon the 
 people. The "Lord of 
 the World," as they call 
 this idol, shall yet bow be- 
 fore the Lord of Lords. 
 From this acount of 
 Juggernaut and his wor- 
 ship one cannot fail to 
 see the terrible degrada- 
 tion which Hinduism im- 
 poses on Its devotees. 
 That God should ^v 
 deemed to be fitly repn 
 J sented by such ugly con- 
 ^^ ceptions as are seen in 
 
 THE IDOL JUGGERNAUT USUALLY CARR^D *^^^^ '^^^^^ '^ CVidenCC 
 
 ON THE CAR. of a most degraded sys- 
 
 tem of religion. Still more so is the teaching of the 
 priests, that God actually lives in some substance in the 
 
mifDV tkMPLkS, ibots AMD tVORsMP.' 
 
 230 
 
 idol's heart. Contrast this with the teachings of the 
 Bible concerning Him whom the heaven of heavens 
 cannot contain! Juggernaut s worshipers regard him -as 
 a thing whom they are to keep from getting angry by 
 petting him and caring for and feeding as for a little 
 child; that He is a being who needs such things as 
 clothing to protect and food to sustain Him, and who 
 needs to be washed, and to retire to a summer resort to 
 escape the summer's heat. 
 
 A striking illustration of the inferiority of idols is given 
 in the incident pictured below. Several converts from 
 Hinduism concluded to undress and disjoint their idol. 
 
 DISROBING AND DISJOINTING JUGGERNAUT. 
 
 and finally they chopped up the several parts and used 
 them for firewood, thus more than fulfilling the words of 
 Isaiah (chap, xliv., 9-20), who tells of idolaters making an 
 idol of parts of their wood and burning the re.=Mue to 
 warm themselves and to roast their meat 
 'J 
 
240 
 
 THUGS AND THETR VICTIMS. 
 
 KALI, THE GODDESS OF BLOOD. 
 
 Kali is a very popular goddess, and yet her images are 
 the pictures of terror. She wears a head-dress of snakes, 
 
 and a necklace con- 
 sisting of a chain of 
 skulls. In her hand 
 she holds a murder- 
 ous-looking knife. 
 Kali is the wife of 
 Siva, the destroyer. 
 In September a fes- 
 tival is held in her 
 honor, called the 
 Doorga-pooja. In 
 all of Kali's temples 
 her idols are gayly 
 adorned with flow- 
 ers, and prayers are 
 offered to her dur- 
 ing days of dancing 
 and singing. 
 
 There used to be 
 a sect of murderous 
 stranglers, known 
 as Thugs, who were 
 especially devoted 
 to the worship of Kali, and who performed their murder- 
 ous work as a religious service to that goddess. The story 
 of this people opens up a chapter of the greatest cruelty, 
 going far beyond all the ordinary records of crime. Yet it 
 was all done from a religious motive, as well as for love of 
 plunder. Strange that it could be so ! The legend that 
 accounts for their origin is as follows : A long while ago 
 
 ' 'i.HE GODDESS KALI. 
 
IDOL OF THE BLOODY GODDESS KALI, AT CALCUTTA, INDIA. 
 
HirtDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 2A'i 
 
 a giant demon infested this world destroying mankind. 
 The goddess Kali, to save mankind from utter destruc- 
 tion, attacked this demon and cut him down ; but from 
 the drops of blood that fell to the ground immediately 
 there sprang up other demons — a host of them. Then Kali 
 created two men, to whom she gave handkerchiefs, and 
 whom she taught to strangle the demons without shed- 
 ding blood. This was done, lest if their blood be shed 
 more demons should spring up. Kali intended in this 
 way to destroy the whole brood. When these men had 
 strangled all the demons, she bade them strangle men 
 in the same way, to repay her for her service to man- 
 kind. From these two men the Thugs came. 
 
 The Thugs were born such ; at each one's hearthstone 
 his children were trained to the work of becoming mur- 
 derers. The handkerchief with which the victim was 
 strangled, and the pick-axe with which his grave was dug, 
 were obtained from the priest, and were regarded- as very 
 sacred. Their method of procedure was like this: They 
 waited about the inns or loitered along the roads waiting 
 for travelers to overtake them. The Thug and his in- 
 tended victim would journey together, and, little by little, 
 he would worm out of him all his plans and intended 
 movements. Thus the Thug could decide on the most 
 suitable place and time. When they came to this, he 
 would throw his strip of cloth about the unsuspecting 
 stranger's neck and draw it tighter and tighter until he 
 was suffocated. If the Thugs traveled together with a 
 party of merchants, each selected his victim, and all were 
 strangled together. After death a hole, about three feet 
 deep, was dug, and the corpse was buried face down- 
 wards. The greatest care was taken to shed no blood, 
 and the whole was generally done under cover of the 
 darkness of night. The whole sect was so banded to- 
 
844 
 
 THE GODDESS KALI. 
 
 gether, having their scouts and spies, and systems ol 
 signaling one another, when they performed their work, 
 that they were rarely detected. Every year several 
 
 .. NIGHT li'EAST OF THE BLOODY GODDESS, KALI. 
 
 thousands of persons lost their lives at the hands bt the 
 Thugs. In the year 1826 the British government first 
 discovered their existence. During the period of some 
 
HikDU TEMPLES, ID&LS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 245 
 
 nine years over fifteen hundred of the Thugs were 
 arrested and executed. The sect is very nearly destroyed 
 now. How astonishing that such a sect should not 
 merely exist, but that they should perform their dastardly 
 deeds as a religious service. The cannibalism of the 
 barbarous South Sea Islanders is regarded with the great- 
 est abhorrence ; but their ignorance and degraded condi- 
 tion lessens our condehination of their abominable deeds. 
 For the Thugs, an intelligent people, living in a semi- 
 civilized land, with opportunities of getting knowledge 
 far in advance of the Islanders of the Pacific, we can see 
 almost no reason for hesitating to condemn most strongly 
 their awful practices. What a contrast is here furnished 
 between the religion of Jesus Christ, with its teachings 
 of mercy and love, 
 and the religion that 
 not only tolerated,but 
 even taught, that to 
 murder was to render 
 a service to the gods. 
 Kali's feasts were 
 generally held at 
 night. Great crowds 
 of religious fanatics 
 gathered around her 
 most fearful images. 
 These were gener- 
 ally placed in a grove 
 for this occasion. In 
 two of her four hands 
 the idol held skulls ; 
 formerly these were 
 human skulls, now goddess kali, from a hindu picture. 
 
 they are made of wood. The devotees walk round and 
 
246 
 
 HINDU TEMPLE DECORATIONS, 
 
 round the idol, bearing torches, beating drums, and danc- 
 ing in odd ways. 
 
 Kali is one of the most celebrated goddesses of all the 
 Hindu worship, and is the especial favorite divinity of the 
 people of Calcutta. Her images are very different, but she 
 has always one character ascribed to her ; she is cru«l and re- 
 vengeful. We meet her temples everywhere — by the road- 
 side, in palm groves, under the wide-spreading banyan 
 tree. This goddess of destruction being more feared than 
 a.11 others, is worshiped more than all. She is represented 
 sometimes as standing on a lion or a prostrate man, 
 always with four hands. These hold knives or skulls, or, 
 perhaps, human heads, as already noticed Often she 
 wears a necklace of skulls. The Hindus bring to her 
 idols the first fruits of the garden, vineyard or orchard. 
 Some of Kali's temples, like that at Calcutta, are beau- 
 tifully sculptured, and her idols decorated with precious 
 stones. 
 
 TEMPLE DECORATIONS. 
 
 There is one thing which characterizes almost all of 
 the better Hindu temples, this is the exquisite richness of 
 
 the sculptures which 
 decorate their walls. 
 They seem to trust 
 more to the impres- 
 sion which appeals 
 to the sight make 
 upon the minds of 
 the people than to 
 any oral teaching or 
 readings from books, 
 HINDU NOTION OF THE UNIVERSE. ^^^ Hindus are ac- 
 customed to depict 
 in these decorations the whole of their mythology, the 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 247 
 
 lei^ends of the gods, the stories of the lives of their 
 dHities, their ideas of the future life, of the present 
 
248 
 
 GOLDEN TEMPLE OF THE HINDUS. 
 
 world and the like. The preceding picture gives a sculp- 
 ture representing the Hindu notion of the universe, 
 and of the relative position of the world. To the un- 
 tutored Hindu mind it answers fully the question, How 
 is the world upheld ? Of course those Hindus who have 
 received the light of a truly scientific education laugh at 
 such notions as are here indicated. They know fai 
 better, as do we. 
 
 In the accompanying engraving the transmigration of 
 the soul is illustrated. This is drawn from a photograph 
 
 ^__ of the entablature 
 
 of a temple near 
 the foot of the 
 lofty Himalayas 
 The sculpture 
 which follows tells 
 of the romantic 
 adventures nar- 
 rated in the Ra- 
 mayama. These 
 sculptures are the 
 common "people's 
 teachers ; indeed, 
 the world over, the 
 language of pic- 
 tures is far more 
 loved and better understood than any other. Pictures 
 and sculptures constitute the one language intelligible to 
 people speaking widely different dialects. 
 
 Herein, too, is one of the great powers of heathenism 
 over the children. Before they can read for themselves 
 or remember the doctrines taught them, they see the 
 pictures and enjoy the stories they communicate. These 
 become part of the children's mental store. They are 
 
 ENTABLATURE FROM A HINDU TEMPLE. 
 
W"^^ 
 
 .CHILDREN AT WORSHIP IN A TEMPLE IN BENARES. 
 
tiWDb TEMPLES, IDOLS Aifb WORStilP. 
 
 iSl 
 
 realities to them. 
 They are never 
 forgotten. They 
 never lose their 
 power. This is 
 abundantly de- 
 monstrated in 
 the experience 
 of every teacher. 
 When verbal de- 
 scription has fail- 
 ed a picture has 
 made all clear. 
 
 BENARES. 
 
 True Hindus 
 consider the city 
 of Benares to be 
 situated in the 
 very centre of the 
 earth, and to be 
 the most sacred 
 city in the world. 
 There are not 
 less than 80,000 
 Brahmins, or 
 "holy caste" 
 Hindus, residing 
 here, and the city 
 also is stocked 
 with the so-call- 
 ed " sacred bulls 
 
 and sacred men- bas-relief from a hindu temple. 
 
 keys." There are more than 1,000 temples and over 
 
„ HINDU CAVE.TEMPLES. 
 
 500,000 enshrined deities. More than 100,000 pilgrims 
 visit Benares annually, 20,000 of whom may be seen 
 rushing at one time into the River Ganges, at a given 
 signal, that they may bathe at the proper moment. The 
 river is I'eached by flights of broad steps, and on these 
 the Hindus pass the busiest hours of the day, bathing, 
 dressing, saying their prayers, lounging and gossiping. 
 Benares is believed by some to be 80,000 steps nearer 
 to heaven than any other part of the world. Ten miles 
 around Benares is said to be such holy ground, that who- 
 ever dies within this area is sure of going to heaven, 
 however great a sinner he may have been. 
 
 THE SACRED CITY OF THE SIKHS. 
 
 Umritsur, in North-western India, is the holy city of 
 the Sikhs. This is a sect of reformed Hindus, who at 
 first rejected idolatry, but who afterwards found its fasci- 
 nation too strong for them. In the centre of a large tink 
 — called the Lake of Immortality, because whoever bathes 
 in it is shielded from everlasting death — is a temple of 
 pure white marble, with a roof made of plates of copper, 
 richly gilded ; this is called the Golden Temple. Before 
 crossing the bridge or causeway to the temple, one must 
 put off the shoes from his feet, so holy is the place. ' ,_ 
 
 The Sikhs are very fanatical, and they do not receive 
 visitors with any expressions of friendliness. The city of 
 UmritFur has no celebrity apart from this temple. The 
 sect of the Sikhs originated about the middle of the fif- 
 teenth century, and now numbers about 5,000,000. 
 
 ."lAVE-TEMPLES OF ELEPHANTA AND GWALIOR. 
 
 In the harbor of Bombay is an island containing a cele- 
 brated cave-temple. Hundreds of years ago the Hindus 
 excavated this temple from the solid rock ; pillars, idols 
 
APPROACH TO THE TEMPLE OF UMRITSUR. 
 
ttmnu TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. jC C 
 
 and chapels are all cut from the one great mass of stone. 
 For three hundred years past there has been little wor- 
 ship here. The temple was devoted to the worship of 
 Siva. After ascending a flight of several hundi^ed steps 
 we stand before the great square gate-ways. Immense 
 columns ranging away in the darkness support the roof 
 of solid Tock. On the walls are sculptured the fantastic 
 forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. The metamor- 
 phoses of these are also shown in sculpture. The cave 
 is shaped like a cross. At the end of the main passage- 
 way, opposite the principal gate-way, is an altar support- 
 ing a gigantic, three-headed idol. The central face is 
 calm and benevolent, the forehead is covered with a lofty 
 diadem, like a mitre, covered with delicate carvings repre- 
 senting necklaces. The face on the right expresses ter- 
 rible rage ; its mitre is covered with sculptured skulls and 
 serpents, and its outstretched hand holds a cobra. The 
 other face is smiling and the hand holds a flower. Thp 
 triple idol represents Siva as the passive god, the destroy- 
 ing god and the saving god. The sculptures are much 
 worn away, but enough remains to indicate the wondrous 
 majesty and beauty of the Elephant^a Cave. 
 
 At Gwalior are a number of Hindu temple-caves. 
 The precipitous sides of the great mountain are cut 
 and carved into hundreds of statues, from one foot to 
 forty feet high, and deep recesses in which they seem 
 hidden away. One of these caves was probably made 
 about 300 years after Christ. After passing through 
 several archways we stand before three idols, each 
 twenty feet high. The worship of these has long since 
 ceased, and they < only remain to show us what the people 
 of India, worshiped hundreds of years ago. More than 
 a thousand years before this cave was excavated, and 
 over twenty-five hundred years ago, another great cave 
 
256 
 
 AN OLD JAIN TEMPLE. 
 
 was prepared at Gwalior' that of Ourwhai. This is 
 an old Jain temple. For about 800 feet, the hard 
 
THE WONPERFUL EXCAVATED TEMPLE CAVE OF ELEPHANTA, BOMBAY, INDIA, 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 263 
 
 surface of the rock has been dressed so as to form a 
 smooth wall, and the lower part of this wall has been ex- 
 cavated, and there the statues were sculptured. First 
 there are nine gigantic statues, each thirty feet high, placed 
 in niches. Behind these is a small chamber containing 
 another great statue in a lying position. From this 
 chamber a door leads into a tank. Following the paved 
 foot-path which surrounds this tank, you come to another 
 and larger chamber, which is specially dedicated to the 
 statue of Adinath, thirty-Zive feet high. Around the idol 
 are rich sculptures, and on the cushion on which it sits is 
 a long inscription. This mountain contains twelve 
 rooms, in each of which are from one to nine statues; 
 most of these are from twenty to thirty feet high. ■ For 
 nearly ten miles around this mountain are bas-reliefs, 
 statues and excavations. There is a natural tendency 
 among the superstitious people to seek places of dark- 
 ness for the observances 
 of their religious rites. 
 Oftentimes the priests 
 are enabled to impose 
 on the credulity of the 
 people much more easily 
 when they add some ele- 
 ment of weirdness or 
 mystery to their strange 
 religious performances. 
 
 GANESHA, GOD OF 
 WISDOM. 
 
 Another exceedingly 
 popular idol of the Hin- 
 dus is that of Ganesha, 
 the God of Wisdom. It image of ganesha. 
 
264 
 
 GANESHA, GOD OF WISDOM. 
 
 is partly in the shape of a man and partly in the shape 
 of an elephant. The children in the schools are taught 
 to worship it, and it is adored by all who wish to become 
 

 A WAYSIDE IDOL OF GAH^S^A. QOD QF WISDOM. 
 
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HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. j&Q 
 
 acquainted with Hindu learning and so-called wisdom. 
 The images of this god are not only found in the temples 
 and schools, and at the corners of the streets in the 
 cities, but also under the trees on country roadsides. 
 
 The sagacity of the elephant is well known, and it is 
 presumed that the elephant-idol is worshiped for this 
 reason, just as the serpent is worshiped as the symbol of 
 cunning, or the sun as the symbol of power. As of al- 
 most all the other gods, Ganesha has his festivals, when 
 the people come together in great crowds to do him 
 honor. At one of these annual festivals they bring forth 
 the god Ganesha, place him in a boat, and accompanied 
 with other boats containing priests and musicians, they 
 row up and down the Ganges. The great crowds of 
 people lining the shore fill the air with their shouts and 
 songs, and the occasion is one of exubej;a.nt joy. 
 
 PAGODAS. 
 
 Scattered about the large temple inclosures are great 
 pagodas or towers. These contained the rooms of the 
 priests and se'rvants of the temple. Sometimes they 
 served simply as gate-ways, at other times they were used 
 as houses for the idols. Rising high above the sur- 
 rounding country, everywhere they could be seen by the 
 people, and thus their devotion to their idolatrous wor-^ 
 ship was increased. The priests sought by the use of 
 every possible means to fix the people's faith in their 
 idols; like Demetrius, whose business of making shrines 
 in Ephesus was spoiled by Paul's preaching, these priests 
 do not wish to lose their hold upon the people, because 
 thu,s their means of support would be destroyed. But, 
 notwithstanding all their efforts, they cannot hold the 
 people- in their bondage, and each year witnesses more 
 and more refusing to listen to them. None of these 
 
270 
 
 HINDU PAGODAS OR TOWERS. 
 
 great pagodas are new. For very many years they have 
 towered above the dwelHngs of the people in their 
 majestic grandeur; when they fall into decay they are 
 
 ^ not replaced. Many 
 
 ^ of these pagodas are 
 
 3; several hundreds of 
 
 -^ feet high, and are cov- 
 
 _^ ered with sculptures 
 
 representing scenes in 
 
 the lives of the gods 
 
 of the temple, or of 
 
 eminent saints. 
 
 Another famous pa- 
 goda is at Pondicherry, 
 in Southern India. The 
 gate-way to this tem- 
 ple is most intricately 
 carved. The heathen 
 aim to set forth in a 
 durable way, as by 
 these sculptures, the 
 parts of their worship. 
 They depend largely 
 upon the sight for in- 
 structing the people in 
 their faith, rather than upon their hearing, preaching, or 
 reading sacred books. 
 
 The interiors as well as the exteriors of these temples 
 are covered with sculptures. The service is in nowise 
 like that in Christian churches. The peop'le come and 
 go as they please. They beat the drums to call the at- 
 tentipn of the gods to the prayers they are about to offer, 
 rub their hands together as they riiumble over -some 
 prayers, leave their offerings before the idol of stone or 
 
 GATE--WAY OF MADURA TEMPLE. 
 
kiNDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 271 
 
 PAGODA OF PONl>.r;HEKRY, FAMED FOR ITS SCULPTURE. 
 
 wood, and go away believing that dangers will be 
 •averted, or that good fortune will come to>them. 
 
272 
 
 HINDU WASHINGS FOR SIN. 
 
 In Ongole, near the grerit pagodas, the people used to 
 be very idolatrous, having many idols in their houses as 
 well as in their temples. But even here they are rapidly 
 losing their faith in their idols. Recently, in a single year, 
 20,000 people in this district became Christians, and in 
 
 DISUSED IDOLS AND SACRED ARTICLES FROM ONGOLE, INDIA. 
 
 one week they brought to the missionaries a thousand 
 idols which they had ceased to worship. 
 
 HINDU WASHINGS FOR SIN. 
 
 A writer for young people thus describes the custom 
 of the Hindus resorting to the Ganges, and the reasons 
 for it : 
 
 " The heathen know well that sin needs to be washed 
 away, but as to how this can be done they have very 
 strange ideas. Some will walk through fire, as if that 
 would burn away all impurities ; some will cover their 
 
' S> " O m 
 
 o 5 c o. 
 
 " n re 
 
 "" K-R 
 setm o 
 
 D-ro ■ c 
 aw re f 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 275 
 
 bodies with fiitn, as if that would cleanse the soul ; others 
 still fancy that the water of certain streams has power to 
 remove all taint of sin. The Hindus believe that there 
 is wonderful cleansing power in the water of the Ganges, 
 
 HINDUS WASHING IN THE SACRED RIVER GANGES AT BENARES. 
 
 so that whoever can bathe in that river is freed front 
 guilt. From all parts of India pilgrims go to the Ganges, 
 and they believe that whoever dies in that stream is sure 
 of future bliss. But India is a vast country, and com- 
 paratively few of the poor people who live in the south- 
 ern portion can travel the thousand miles or more to 
 reach the Ganges. Hence they have their own sacred 
 streams and fountains, which, though not regarded as so 
 sacred as the Ganges, are yet supposed to have power 
 to cleanse from sin. 
 
 "Several years ago, in a village near Madura, a Brah- 
 min named Sbkappen read in one of the sacred Hindu 
 
^m 
 
 THE SACRED RIVER GANGES. 
 
 books, that near the temple of his village there was a 
 spring far under ground, and that if one would only dig 
 
 deep enough wa- 
 ter would flow at 
 ^g that spring from 
 ^= the Ganges, while 
 1^ the river itself was 
 = more than eleven 
 hundred miles 
 away. The Brah- 
 min thought that 
 ^ would be a glori- 
 ous work to do, 
 and so worked for 
 H years, spending all 
 his own money 
 and begging from 
 others, until he had 
 finished a great 
 tank and walled it 
 with hewn stone, 
 with stone step? 
 leading down to 
 the sacred waten 
 He finally heard 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE SACRED FOUNTAIN. ^f QJ^rist, • and of 
 
 the forgiveness he offered, and since then he has often 
 preached that only the blood of Christ can take away sin.^ 
 "Though many people of India have now heard the 
 Gospel, there are yet millions who have faith in their 
 sacred bathing places. Those who live too far from the 
 Ganges find some river, if they can, as at Mowli, 
 where two rivers, the Yeijna and the Krishna, meet, and 
 where multitudes bathe. The dead, also, are taken there, 
 
HINDIT- TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 279 
 
 some to be buried, as was the 'saint' whom Mr. Bruce 
 describes, and others to be burned, that their ashes may 
 be mingled with the sacred Waters. In the district of 
 Tinnevelly, South India, is a famous artificial tank. It is 
 sometimes called the 'Sea of Sacred Milk.' Granite 
 steps lead down to the water's edge, and in the early 
 morning hundreds of men and women gather to bathe 
 and to worship the sun. The water is stagnant and 
 dirty, though it is esteemed as specially holy. Here the 
 people wash not only themselves, but also their clothes. 
 The cost of building these bathing places is immense, yet 
 the people build them in many parts of India because 
 they think that, at any cost, provision should be made 
 for the removal of sin. They know of no better way 
 than by bathing in these filthy places." 
 
 HINDU HOLY MEN, DEVOTEES AND FAKIRS. 
 
 One singular feature of the Brahmin worship is the 
 ways the worship- 
 ers devised to show 
 their zeal. They 
 built great temples, 
 carved immense 
 idols, and brought 
 great riches into the 
 temple treasuries. 
 They would per- 
 form the strangest 
 penances, the like 
 of which was never 
 seen elsewhei'e in 
 all the world. The 
 superior priests 
 never show them- 
 17 ' 
 
 THE FAKIR OF THE IMMOVABLE FOOT. 
 
28o 
 
 HINDU HOLY M£N. 
 
 selves but with great pomp. 
 
 With guards of cavalry 
 preceding them 
 they will ride 
 on richly capari- 
 soned elephants 
 through the tri-i 
 umphal arches 
 prepared for 
 them, while the 
 people bow as 
 they pass. The 
 lower priests re- 
 nounced every 
 display, indeed 
 they sought its 
 opposite; with 
 them the vilest 
 tincleanness was 
 most allied to 
 godliness. There 
 was, and is, one 
 order of priests 
 known as Fakirs, 
 who excelled in 
 self-tortures. 
 They often give 
 up all clothing, 
 sometimes sit- 
 ting in a bed of 
 ashes. Often 
 they forge great 
 iron collars about 
 their n^cks, or heavy iron bands upon arms and ankles. 
 Some let their hair grow long and never comb it. Their 
 
 w^^ 
 
 TH^ HOLY MAN WITH THE IRON COLLAR. 
 
Hindu temples, idols and worsliip. 
 
 2S1 
 
 THE FAKIR OF THE LONG HAIR. 
 
 bodies are covered with vermin ; sometimes they will hold 
 an arm or leg in a fixed position, never moving it. Until 
 recently they would often fasten hooks in their flesh on 
 
282 
 
 HINDU FAKIRS AND DEVOTEES. 
 
 their backs, then be elevated into the air, and be dragged 
 through the streets by the people. By many such horrible 
 acts they hoped to earn an entrance into a happier life. 
 The people regarded these men as unusually holy; they 
 sought them for cures, and for relief from sorrows. At 
 the great idol festivals these Fakirs were presept «o 
 crowds. 
 
 A FAKIR WHO NtVER HELPS HIMSELF. 
 
 In India, China and Japan, there are a great many'men 
 called "devotees," who give themselves up to miserable 
 lives ; many of them hoping by this means to obtain the 
 favor of the gods in whom they believe and great hap- 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 283 
 
 piness after death. Some of them, however, are moved 
 more by a desire to obtain money and honor from their 
 fellow-men, and they think it a respectable and honor- 
 able way of getting a 'living. Most of the people feiar 
 rather than respect these devotees, thinking some evil 
 will follow if they displease them, or fail to give them 
 what they want. Many of these devotees, in all three of 
 the countries named, spend their time wandering from 
 place to place, and making long pilgrimages to famous tem- 
 ples. Others torture 
 themselves in all im- 
 aginable ways. Some 
 repeat the name of 
 their favorite idol dur- 
 ing all their hours of 
 wakefulness. Some 
 bathe very frequently, 
 while others do not 
 wash themselves at 
 all, but permit their 
 hair, beard and nails to, 
 grow to great length ; 
 -they wear little if 
 any clothing, their 
 bodies are covered 
 with ashes, and their 
 whole appearance is 
 dirty and disagreeable. Some of these devotees are 
 really sincere in denying themselves for their religion ; 
 they feel the burden and weight of their sins, and, know- 
 ing not the true way of obtaining pardon and peace, 
 they take these false ways. 
 
 Some of these Fakirs are but little better than wild 
 beasts, their habits all tend to make them so. They 
 
 A HINDU HOLY MAN TORTURING HIMSELF 
 BY HANGING FROM A HOOK. 
 
284 
 
 FAKIRS DOING PENANCES. 
 
 generally live in holes or caves or under banyan trees, 
 and they think that they, by their penances, make atone- 
 ment for their own sins and for those of the people who 
 care for them. Besides the penartces already mentioned, 
 we may add that some drag heavy chains or cannon-balls ; 
 some crawl on their hands and knees for years; some 
 roll their naked bodies over and over from the banks of 
 the Indus to the banks of the Ganges; some stand for 
 
 life before a slow fire ; some 
 
 impose upon themselves<a 
 silence of years, and others 
 hang for hours head down- 
 wards. All this is done to 
 merit salvation. In no other 
 country in the world, proba- 
 bly, have so many different 
 ways been devised by which 
 men hoped salvation would 
 -be earned. Here again is 
 seen the contrast between 
 the offered sal vationof Jesus 
 Christ and the sought sal- 
 vation by penances taught 
 by this heathen faith, most 
 striking. The British gov- 
 ernment has now forbidden 
 altogether many of these 
 cruel performances, and has limited others. But earnest 
 missionary work has done more than anything else to 
 destroy the people's faith in the sanctity and wisdom of 
 these so-called holy men. 
 
 Mr. Bruce, an American missionary at Satara, records 
 an event which in its day caused great excitement. This 
 is liis story: 
 
 FAKIR HANGING TO A LIMB. 
 
HINDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 285 
 
 Three or four years ago when we went into Satara, 
 we used to see, sitting in the veranda of his house, an 
 old man covered with rags and surrounded with filth. 
 Sometimes we would see him On the street, with rags 
 innumerable upon his person. In America we should 
 have called him a crazy man, btit ideas differ in different 
 lands. Here he was "a "saint" in whom one of the gods 
 dwelt. When his saijitship came to be known by the 
 populace, he was honored 
 and worshiped everywhere. 
 Men who ought to„.have 
 known betterwould,on see-, 
 ing him approach, leave 
 their work, and run and 
 prostrate themselves at his 
 feet. His rags were re- 
 moved, and he was clothed 
 with a rich robe of purple. 
 No expense was spared to 
 supply all his wants, and 
 he was attended to by two 
 servants, furnished by the 
 Prince of Ouah. At last 
 this rag-man, crazy-man,' 
 saint, died. He had said 
 previously, "Whereyer I 
 die, there let my tomb be 
 built." He died in the qjty, and there the people wished 
 to bury him and erect a tomb -which should ever after be 
 an object of worship. But the municipal officers inter- 
 fered and ordered the body to be removed from the city. 
 Then they buried him in the temple grounds, and another 
 god was added to the millions of Hindu deities. 
 
 This story will serve to illustrate the delusion unA-^r 
 
 DEVOTEE ENDVRING FIRE. 
 
ONE OF THE HINDU FAKIRS. 
 
 FAKIR OF THE LONG NAILS 
 Che growth of the n.iU shows how long the hand has been held in this on. po.itioo. 
 
trmDU TEMPLES, IDOLS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 287 
 
 which the Hindus are resting, and the readiness with 
 which they yield their faith to any pretender that comes 
 along. The climate of India awakens a dull, lethargic 
 condition. The activity of Western nations is unknown. 
 The people are accustomed to move slowly and to avail 
 themselves, as far as possible, of all the helps obtainable 
 to lessen the toils of daily life. This also leads them to 
 fall in readily with the declarations of any foolish fanatic 
 who may arise, rather than to go to the trouble of sifting 
 them and rejecting them as they deserve. The whole 
 system of Hinduism lends its aid tp this. It is, itself, a 
 gigantic system of fraud. The Hindu priests laugh in 
 their sleeves at the folly of the multitudes in listening so 
 readily to their instructions. But few of them have any 
 faith in the millions of gods, whose representatives they 
 are. This is their profession, by their priesthood they 
 obtain their living, and, consequently, they do all they 
 can to make their religion predominant in all the affairs 
 of their neighborhoods. Hence it comes about, that 
 instead of at once exposing the pretensions of Fakirs, 
 holy men and devotees, they lend their aid to gain accept- 
 ance for them with the multitude. So India groans 
 beneath this oppressive load of priestcraft; each day the 
 priests add link after link to the chains that bind her; 
 some day, though, she will arise in her might and cast off 
 her burdens, walking in freedom. Christian mission 
 work will speed the coming of that day. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIRY STORIES AND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 Not only in the writings of the later Stoicism, when already through 
 the despairing twilight a luminous haze had been diffused, not only in 
 the open plagiarisms of the JCoran, spoiled so often in the plagiarizing, 
 I but, even centuries before Christ, in the Dialogues of Socrates, in the 
 Republic of Plato, in the Analects of Confucius, in the Laws of 
 Manou, in the Sutras of the Buddhists, in the Vedas of the Brah- 
 mins, in the Zend Avesta of the Parsees, in the Pirke Avoth of thp 
 Rabbis, there are unquestionably precepts which might be combined 
 into a very pure and noble code. — Frederick W. Farrar. 
 
 THE sacred books of the Hindus are written in 
 the Sanskrit language. They all fall under two 
 grand divisions, S'ruti and S'mriti. S'ruti means 
 "that which is heard or revealed," and S'mriti means 
 " that which is remembered and handed down by tradi- 
 tion." In the first division are included the Vedas, in the 
 second the later Sanskrit literature. There are four 
 Vedas (pronounced by the Hindus, Vads). The Rig- 
 Veda, containing 1,017 hymns of praise of the per- 
 sonified powers of nature. The' Atharva-Veda is com- 
 posed of verses used as magical spells or incantations for 
 calling down or turning off evils. It had its origin in a 
 superstitious belief in the power of evil spirits. The 
 Yajur (or Yazur) Veda contains hymns and texts ar- 
 ranged for sacrificial ceremonies. The Sama-Veda re- 
 produces many of the hymns of the Rig- Veda re-arranged 
 for worship. 
 
 Each of these Vedas consists of three parts, the Man- 
 tras or original hymns; then the Brahmanas or pure 
 288 ^ 
 
Hindu SACRED sopks, fairy stories, etc. 280 
 
 Qommentaries on these hymns, and to these, philosophical 
 treatises called Upanishads were attached. 
 
 All these are believed to have been given by the gods, 
 
 >f* 
 
 HINDU FESTIVAL OF THE NEW MOON. 
 
 having no human author. As we should say they are 
 believed to be divinely inspired. 
 
 Of the second sort of sacred books, the S'mriti, there 
 
2QO SACRE'D BOOKS OF THE HINDUS. 
 
 are four ciasses. The six Vedangas, first, the rules for sac- 
 rifices; second, the book of the science of pronunciation ; 
 third, of metre; fourth, of exposition of the Vedas; fifth, 
 of grammar, sixth, of astronomy. Next come th^ 
 S'marta-sutras or books relating to domestic rites and 
 to conventional usages. Then follow the Dharma-shas- 
 tras or "Law-books," the code of Manu and other in- 
 spired law-givers. Lastly, we have the Itihasas or 
 legendary poems, the Mahabarata, or cyclopaedia of 
 Hindu traditions, legends, morals and philosophy, and 
 the Ramayana. This last contains the story of the wan- 
 derings of Rama, told in 24,000 stanzas. 
 
 THE VEDIC HYMNS. 
 
 The word Veda means "knowledge." The hymns of 
 the Rig-Ve^a were written between 1,500 and 1,000 
 years before ' Christ, about the time of Moses. They 
 contain many tedious repetitions, but yet are highly inter- 
 esting as showing what the ancient Hindus, and more 
 especially what the forefathers of this part of the race, 
 believed. Many of these hymns were sung by our 
 Aryan forefathers before they scattered to settle in India 
 or in the wilds of Western Europe. We have before 
 given a specimen of these early hymns. We give here 
 another that seems to show that in the beginning the 
 ancient Hindus worshiped but one God. 
 
 "What god shall we adore with sacrifice? 
 Him let us praise, the golden child that rose 
 In the beginning, who was born the lord — 
 The one sole lord of all that is-^who made 
 The earth, and formed the sky, who giveth life. 
 Who giveth strength, whose bidding gods revere, 
 Whose hiding-place is immortality. 
 Whose shadow, death ; who by his might is king 
 Of all the breathing, sleeping, waking world. 
 
HIND U SA CRED B OKS, FAIR Y STORIES, ETC. 2 9 1 
 
 Where'er let loose in space, the mighty waters 
 Have gone, depositing a fruitful seed. 
 And generating fire, there he arose 
 ' Who is the breath and life of all the gods, 
 Whose mighty glance looks round the vast expanse 
 Of watery vapor — source of energy. 
 Cause of the sacrifice — the only God, 
 Above the gods." 
 
 The next selection shows how the worship of one 
 God passed into the worship of many gods, and explains 
 the origin of caste. The previous selection was written 
 long before this one : 
 
 " The embodied spirit has a thousand heads, 
 A thousand eyes, a thousand feet, around 
 On every side enveloping the earth. 
 Yet filling space no larger than a span. 
 He is himself this very universe ; 
 He is whatever is, has been, and shall be; 
 He is the lord of immortality. 
 All creatures are one-fourth of him, three-fourths 
 Are that which is immortal in the sky. 
 From him, called Purusha, was born Viraj, 
 And from Viraj was Purusha produced. 
 Whom gods and holy men made their oblation, 
 With Purusha as victim, they performed 
 A sacrifice. Why did they divide him ? 
 How did they cut him up ? What was his mouth ? 
 What were his arms ? and what his thighs and feet ?■ 
 The Brahmin was his mouth, the kingly soldier 
 Was made his arms, the husbandman his thighs. 
 The servile Sudra issued from his feet." 
 
 The common creed of the - Hindus, as gathered from 
 the Brahmanas and Upanishads, is as follows : 
 
 I. The immortality of the soul. Meaning by this, 
 however, not only that it will always live in the future, 
 but that it has always lived in the past, hence we may 
 say, the eternity of the soul. 
 
292 
 
 VEDAS AND VEDIC HYMXS. 
 
 2. Nothing can come from nothing, and hence, all of 
 the substance of the universe is eternal. 
 
 IDOLS GUARDING THE HiNDU TEMPLE AYENAR. 
 
 3. The soul cannot exercise thought, or any activity 
 apart from the body. 
 
HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIRY STORIES, ETC. 
 
 293 
 
 4. Yet . the union of body and soul is a source of 
 misery to human beings. 
 
 5. Hence we have the belief in the transmigration of 
 the soul. That the soul passes from body to body through 
 innumerable changes. These bodies include the widest 
 range and are those of animals or of men. 
 
 L 
 THE LAW-BOOK OF MANU. 
 
 This was written about the fifth century before Christ. 
 Its rules consist of " immemorial or approved practices," 
 " practices of law and government," " penitential exer- 
 cised," and "consequences of acts." The whole is di- 
 vided into twelve books, of which we give an epitome : 
 
 After an account of the creation of the world, in the 
 first book, the four stages of a Brahmin's life are.the only 
 subjects treated of in regular order in the second, third, 
 fourth, fifth and sixth books, four books being devoted to 
 the duties of the religious student and married house- 
 holder, and the sixth book treating of the two last stages 
 of anchorite and religious mendicant. 
 " The seventh and eighth books propound the rules of 
 government, principally, of course, for the guidance of 
 the second great class of Kshatriyas, from which the king 
 was chosen. The ninth book contains precepts on the 
 subject of women, husband and wife ; their offspring and 
 the law of inheritance and division of property, with ad- 
 ditional rules for kings, and a few precepts relative to 
 the two remaining castes. It also describes the employ- 
 ments to which the several castes are restricted, and 
 states the occupations permitted to Brahmins, Kshatriyas, 
 Vais'yas and S'udras, in times of exigency and distress. 
 The eleventh book gives rules of exp^cttion; both for the 
 sins of the present life — especially sins against caste — ■ 
 and for the effects of offenses committed in previous 
 
2Q. LAW-BOOK OF MANU. 
 
 bodies, as shown in congenital diseases, etc. The twelfth 
 continues the subject of the recompenses or consequences 
 of acts, good or bad, as leading to reward in Heaven or 
 punishment in various hells, and to triple degrees of 
 transmigration. It closes with directions as to the best 
 means of obtaining final beatitude and absorption into 
 the universal essence. 
 
 A few specimens of Manu's moral precepts are here 
 subjoined : 
 
 "Daily perform thine own appointed work 
 Unweariedly; and to obtain a friend — 
 A sure companion to the future world— ^ 
 
 Collect a store of virtue like the ants. 
 Who garner up their treasures into heaps ; 
 For neither father, mother, wife, nor son, 
 Nor kinsman, will remain beside thee then. 
 When thou art passing to that other home — 
 Thy virtue will thy only comrade be. 
 
 •'Single is every living creature born. 
 Single he passes to another world. 
 Single he eats the fruits of evil deeds. 
 Single the fruit of good ; and when he leaves 
 His body like a log or heap of clay 
 Upon the ground, his kinsmen walk away : 
 Virtue alone stays by him at the tomb. 
 And bears him through the dreary, trackless gloom, 
 
 •' Depend iiot on another, rather lean 
 Upon thyself; trust to thine own exertions 
 Subjection to another's will gives pain; 
 True happiness consists in self-reliance. 
 
 "Strive to complete the task thou hast commenced; 
 Wearied, renew thy efforts once again ; 
 Again fatigued, once more the work begin ; 
 So shalt thou earn 'success and fortune win." 
 
 ^ There are, in addition to the Code of ^Manu, at least 
 nineteen other codes of various degrees of authority. 
 
HINDU SACRRD BOOKS, FAIRY STORIES, ETC. 2aK 
 
 • 
 
 DEGRADATION OF WOMEN ACCORDING TO MANU's LAWS. 
 
 A certain Shaster commands : " If a man goes on a 
 journey, his wife shall not divert herself by play, nor shall 
 see any public show, nor shall laugh, nor shall dress her- 
 self in jewels or fine clothes, nor hear music, nor shall sit 
 at the window, nor shall behold anything choice and rare, 
 but shall fasten well the house door and remain 'private, 
 and shall not eat any dainty food, and shall not blacken 
 her eyes with powder, and shall not view her face in a 
 mirror She shall never amuse herself in any such 
 agreeable employment during the absence of her hus- 
 band." 
 
 The following incidents will show how the laws of 
 Manu, in the case of women, are carried out. 
 
 Miss Brittan, for many years a missionary in India, 
 says: "When I teach in one house, I sit up-stairs in a 
 little veranda, which is walled all around. Into the ve- 
 randa a strongly-barred window opens, behind which sit 
 the women who are being taught, passing their books and 
 work through the bars. I always think of our Saviour's 
 wofds when visiting them- — ' I was in prison, and ye came 
 unto me.' A woman, whose eyes filled with tears when 
 she saw a flower which was brought her to copy in wool, 
 said : 'Ah, this reminds me of the time when I was a 
 child, for there were others like this in my father's gar- 
 den, and I have not seen it for so long.' Then, pointing 
 a few yards before her to- a high wall covered with dirt 
 and moss, she added : ' That is the only prospect I have 
 had for years.' . ... Yesterday, I entered a house which 
 was exactly like those I had read of before I came to 
 India. The Baboo, or gentleman of the; house, had a 
 suite of rooms furnished elegantly — rich carpets, sofas, 
 chairs, beautiful oaintings and statuary, with a centre- 
 
 l8 
 
2q5 HINDU DEGRADATION OF WOMEN. 
 
 table covered with vases and curiosities. It really was 
 refreshing to see such beauty and elegance. But, alas ! 
 I was shown to the women's apartments, and the tears 
 would come to my eyes, notwithstanding my efforts to 
 restrain them. Ah, how sad ! The Baboo spoke Eng- 
 lish to me, and was a gentleman. His wife sat on a 
 dirty mat, which was thrown 6n a damp stone floor, her 
 hair uncombed, her one article of clothing — a sarree — ■ 
 wretchedly dirty, and the appearance of everything in the 
 bare, miserable little room she lived in was that of lowest 
 , heathenism. As I saw no chair, I sat down on the mat 
 be§ide the woman until a servant brought me one, which 
 he said the Baboo had sent me." 
 
 A well-known missionary relates the following illustra- 
 tive incident: 
 
 " One day, when I was walking in a retired village, my 
 attention was arrested by seeing two objects, at some 
 distance before me, rolling in the mud. As I approached 
 the spot, I found two females almost exhausted by 
 fatigue, I learned that they had vowed to their goddess 
 to roll in this manner from one temple to another. They 
 had spent nearly a week, and had not accomplished one- 
 half their journey. But no arguments, no remonstrances 
 on my part could induce them to relinquish their under- 
 taking. On leaving them, I indignantly expostulated 
 with a learned Brahmin, who stood near by, and pointed 
 to the miserable objects I had just left. ' Oh,' said he, 
 'thig is worship exactly suited to the capacity of females. 
 Let them alone ; they are sincere. Of course, their wor- 
 ship will be accepted.' " 
 
 THE BURNING OF WIDOWS COMMANDED BY MANU. 
 
 Until' a comparatively recent date, the fearful rite of 
 Suttee has been practiced openly in India by all high- 
 
HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIRY STORIES, ETC. 297 
 
 HlfiTDU WOMEN RESCUED FROM THEIR DEGRADATION.' 
 
2 g CRUEL HINDU PRACTICES. 
 
 caste people. The ancient Vedas and the Institutes of 
 Manu, which are second in authority, do not enjoin this 
 rite ; but the Shasters and Puranas, which hold about the 
 same relation to the Vedas that the Jewish Talmud does 
 to the Old Testament Scriptures, recommend the flames 
 of the funeral pile as the widow's sure road to eternal joy 
 and peace. The following passages, selected from many 
 similar ones, translated by our missionaries from the Pu- 
 ranas and Shasters, will be sufficient for our purpose : 
 
 "If a woman who had despised her lord, or done what 
 was contrary to his mind, should (even) from mercenary 
 motives or fear, or from a suspension of the reasoning 
 power, die with her husband, she shall be purged from 
 all crimes. 
 
 "As the snake-catcher draws the serpent from its hole, 
 so she (no matter how great his sins), by burning, rescues 
 her husband from hell, and rejoices with him. 
 
 " The woman who expires on the funeral pile with her 
 husband purifies the family of her father, her mother and 
 her husband. If the husband be a, Brahmincide, the 
 gr^eatest of all criminals, an ungrateful person, or a mur- 
 derer of his friends, the wife, by burning with him, purges 
 away his sins. 
 
 "There is no virtue greater than«a virtuous woman 
 burning herself with her husband. 
 
 '.'As long as a woman, in her successive transmigrations, 
 should decline burning herself like a faithful wife on the 
 same fire with her deceased lord, so long shall she not be 
 exempted from springing to life again in the body of some 
 female animal. 
 
 " Though he, her husband, have sunk to the region of 
 torment, be restrained in dreadful bonds, have reached 
 the place of anguish, be seized by the imp of Luma (the 
 Hindu.Pluto, the god of the infernal regions), be exhausted 
 
HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIRY STOglES, ETC. 
 
 299 
 
 of streijgth, and afflicted and tortured for his crimes, still, 
 as a serpent-catcher unerringly drags a serpent from his 
 hole, so does she draw her husband from hell, and as- 
 cends with him to Heaven by the power of devotion. 
 
 " If the wife be within one day's journey of the place 
 where her husband died, and she signify her wish to be 
 burned with him, the burning of the corpse shall be de- 
 layed till her arrival. 
 
 " If the husband be out of the country when he dies, 
 let the virtuous wife take, his slippers, or anything which 
 belongs to his dress, and binding them, or it, on her 
 breast, after purification, enter a separate fire. A Brun- 
 hQnil cannot burn herself on a separate pile ; but this is 
 an eminent virtue in another woman. 
 ' " There are thirty-five million hairs on the human body. 
 The woman who ascends the pile will remain so many 
 years with her husband in Heaven. 
 
 " Dying with her husband, she purifies three genera- 
 tions — her father and mother's side and her husband's 
 side. Such a wife, adoring her husband, enters into 
 celestial felicity with him^greatest and most admired ; 
 lauded by the choirs of Heaven, with him she shall enjoy 
 the delights of Heaven while fourteen Indras reign." 
 
 THE GOD VISHNU MADE MAN. 
 
 1 
 
 According to the great poems, the Mahabarata and the 
 Ramayana, Vishnu passed through ten incarnations. 
 These are frequently represented in sculptures • (see 
 illustration). They are I. Mataya, the fish. According 
 to the story, Vishnu became a fish to save Manu (the 
 Noah of the Hindus) from the universal deluge. II, 
 Kurma, the tortoise. Here Vishnu became a tortoise at 
 the bottom of the sea of milk, that his back might serve 
 as a pivot for the mountain Mandara, around which the 
 
300 
 
 THE GOD VlStiNU MADE MAN. 
 
 gods and demons twisted the great serpent Vasuki. 
 They then stood opposite to each other, and using the 
 snake as a rope, churned the ocean of milk for the pro- 
 
HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIR Y STORIES, ETC. ^Of 
 
 duction of fourteen precious things. III. Varah, the boar. 
 Vishnu in this form deUvered the world, after a struggle 
 of a thousand years, from the demon who had seized the 
 earth and carried it to the lowest depths of the sea. IV. 
 Nara-sinha, the lion. He thus destroyed another demon. 
 
 V. Vamana, the dwarf. He deprived the demon Bali of 
 the dominion of three worlds. He received from Bali 
 the promise of as much land as he could step over in 
 three paces, and then stepped over heaven and earth. 
 
 VI. Parasu-rama or Rama with the axe. VII. Rama, the 
 hero, destroying the demon Ravana. VlII. Krishna, the 
 dark destroyer. IX. Buddha, the enlightened one. This 
 form was devised to win back the Hindu Buddhists to 
 Vishnu's worship. X. Kalki who is yet to appear. He 
 will be revealed in the sky, seated upon a white-winged 
 horse, with a drawn sword like a blazing comet. He is 
 to finally destroy the wicked and to permanently establish 
 righteousness and truth upon the earth. 
 
 A SANSKRIT STORY-BOOK. 
 
 Almost all the Hindus' books are story-books, for they 
 are filled with accounts of the adventures of the gods 
 and legends and myths. But there is one book called 
 . the Hitop^desa, which has been called the " Father of all 
 Fables." Its stories have been translated into Persian, 
 Arabic, Hebrew, Greek and later into German, French 
 and English. This book is very old and is exceedingly 
 popular in India. We have selected four of its stories, 
 and the reader will probably-wonder that such narratives 
 should ever gain a national popularity. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE TERRIBLE BELL. 
 
 "A thief had stolen a bell from the city of Brahmapoora, 
 and was making off with that plunder, and more, into the 
 
-Q^ A SANSKRIT STORY-BOOKl , 
 
 Sei-parrata hills, when he was killed by a tiger. The bell 
 lay in the jungle until some monkeys picked it up, and 
 amused themselves by constantly ringing it. The towns- 
 people found the bones of the man, and heard the noise 
 of the bell all about the hills ; so they gave out that there 
 was a terrible devil there, whose ears rang like bells as 
 he swung them about, and whose delight was to devour 
 men. Every one, accordingly, was leaving the town, 
 when a peasant woman named Karala, who, liked belief 
 the better for a little proof, came to the Rajah. 
 
 "'Highness!' she observed, 'for a consideration I could 
 settle this Swing-ear.' 
 
 '"You could!' exclaimed the Rajah. 
 
 '"I think so!' repeated the woman. 
 
 '"Give her a consideration forthwith,' said the Rajah. 
 
 " Karala, who had her own ideas about the matter, took 
 the present and set out. Being come to the hills, she 
 made a circle, and did homage to Ganesha, without whom 
 nothing prospers. Then, taking some fruit she had 
 brought, such as monkeys love extremely, she scattered it 
 up and down in the wood, and withdrew to watch. Very 
 soon the monkeys finding the fruit, put down the bell, to 
 do justice to it, and the woman picking it up, bore it back 
 to the town, where she became an olbject of uncommon 
 veneration." 
 
 THE STORY OF THE LION AnD THE OLD HARE. 
 
 "On the Mandara Mountain there lived a Lion named 
 Fierce-of-heart, and he was perpetually making massacr€ 
 of all the wild animals. The thing grew so bad, that the 
 beasts held a public meeting, and drew up a respectful 
 remonstrance to the Lion in these words: 'Wherefore 
 should your Majesty make carnage of us all? If it may 
 please you, we ourselves will daily furnish a beast for 
 
\ \ 
 
 HINDU SACRED BOOKS, FAIRY STORIES, ETC. -q, 
 
 your Majesty's meal,' The Lion responded, 'If that ar- 
 rangement is more agreeable to you, be it so ;' and from 
 that time a beast was allotted to him daily, and daily 
 devoured. One day it came to the turn of an old hare 
 to supply the royal table, who reflected to himself as he 
 walked along, 'I can but die, and I will go to my death 
 leisurely.' 
 
 " Now Fierce-of-heart, the lion, was pinched with hun- 
 ger, and seeing the Hare so approaching he roared out, 
 'How darest thou thus delay in coming?' 
 
 "'Sire,' replied the Hare, 'I am not to blame, I, was, 
 detained on the road by another lion, who exacted an 
 • oath from me to return when I should have informed 
 your Majesty.' 
 
 "'Go,' exclaimed King Fierce-of-heart in a rage; 'show 
 me, instantly, where this insolent villain of a lion lives.' 
 
 "The Hare led the way accordingly till he came to a 
 de#p well, whereat he stopped, and said : ' Let my lord, 
 the King, come hither, and behold him.' The Lion ap- 
 proached, and beheld his own reflection in the water of 
 the well; upon which, in his passion, he directly flung 
 himself, and so perished." 
 
 THE STORY OF THE BRAHMIN AND THE PANS. 
 
 "There was a Brahmin in the city of Vana, whose 
 name was Deva Sarman. At the equinoctial feast of the 
 Dussera, he obtained for his duxina-gift a dish of flour, 
 which he took . into a potter's shed, and there la^ down 
 in the shade among the pots, staff" in hand. As he thus 
 reclined he began to meditate. ' I can sell this meal for 
 ten cowry-shell^i, and with them I can purchase some of 
 these pots, and sell them at an advance. With all that 
 money I shall invest in betel-nuts and body-cloths, and 
 make a new profit by their sale ; and so go on traffick- 
 
,Q. HINDU TALES AND LEGENDS. 
 
 ing till I get a lakh of rupees. What's to prevent me ? 
 Then I shall marry four wives, and one at least will be 
 beautiful and young, and she shall be my favorite. Of 
 course, the others will be jealous ; but if they quarrel, 
 and talk, and trouble me, I will belabor them like this — 
 and this — ' and therewith he flourished his staff, to such 
 a purpose as to smash his meal-dish and break several of 
 the potter's jars. The potter, rushing out, took him by the 
 throat, turned him off, and ended his speculations." 
 
 THE STORY OF THE RECLUSE AND THE MOUSE. 
 
 " In the forest of the Sage Gautama there dwelt a re- 
 cluse named Mighty-at-Prayer. Once, as he sat at his 
 frugal meal, a young mouse dropped beside him from the 
 beak of a crow, and he took it up and fed it tenderly with 
 rice grains. Some time after the Saint observed a cat 
 pursuing his dependant to devour it, whereupon he 
 changed the mouse into a stout cat. The cat was a great 
 deal harassed by dogs, upon which the Saint again trans- 
 formed it into a dog. The dog was always in danger of 
 the tigers, and his protector at last gave him the form of 
 a tiger ; considering him all this while, and treating him 
 withal, like nothing but a mouse. The country-folks 
 passing by would say, ' That a tiger ! not he : it is a 
 mouse the Saint has transformed.' And the mouse being 
 vexed at this, reflected, ' So long as the Master lives this 
 shamefyl story of my origin will survive.' With this 
 thought he was about to take the Saint's life, when he, 
 who knew his purpose, turned the ungrateful beast by a 
 word to his original shape." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 JAPAN. 
 
 As regards the beliefs of the ancient religion, Shintoism, it taught 
 primarily the existence of gods, and in the division which it made of 
 them into good and bad, recognized that fundamental and eternal 
 distinction between right and wrong, the deep rooting of which in 
 the human soul has been man's safeguard against what is bad in reli- 
 gions and in everything else. — Sir Edward J. Reed. 
 
 JAPAN is one of the most interesting of countries to 
 the American people. It is our nearest neighbor on 
 the west ; and America was mainly instrumental in 
 introducing Japan into the ranks of the nations of mod- 
 ern times. The present line of Mikados among the "Jap- 
 anese is the longest continued among existing naltions. 
 China has changed its dynasties many times, and has 
 been twice subdued by foreigners, the Mongols and the 
 Manchis; but the Jine of' Japanese monarchs is an un- 
 broken series from B. C. 660 to the present day. The 
 Mongols sought to conquer the Island Empire in 1281 
 A. D. ; but they were utterly defeated and driven away. 
 The present emperor, Mutsuhito, is the one hundred and 
 twenty-third Mikado of Japan. ' 
 
 The religions of this people are two, Shintoism and 
 Buddhism. The tenets of Confucius have been introduced 
 together with Buddhism, and Buddhist preachers of to-day 
 take their texts from the classic Chinese books. Shinto- 
 ism has been much mixed up with Buddhism. Many 
 features of its worship have been changed in imitation of 
 
 30s 
 
-Qg NATURE WORSHIP OF JAPAN. 
 
 Buddhism, and some of its essential doctrines have been 
 gicatly modified. There has been some discussion as to 
 whether Shintoism is really a religion or only a system 
 of state-craft ; but it is very generally believed to be a 
 religion which has degenerated into a mere system of 
 political machinery. Certainly it has gods and god- 
 desses, and sacred symbols, legends, myths and religious 
 notions which existed in Japan long before Buddhism 
 came there. There are also sacred books which have no 
 connection with the Buddhist writings. The temples and 
 priests are an innovation of later days. Shintoism is and 
 was the State religion ; it is supported by the State ; its 
 head is the emperor, the Mikado ; its sacred books are 
 but the chronicles of its history, and the whole system is 
 interwoven with the national life of Japan. 
 
 THE SACRED BOOKS OF JAPAN. 
 
 The Kojiki and the Nihonki are the two most sacred 
 Shinto books. The one was written 71 1 A. D., the other 
 720 A. D. They were composed long before this. It 
 always has been an Oriental practice to commit books to 
 memory. Thus the Hindu and Parsee sacred books were 
 preserved, and thus, too, the ancient Japanese books have 
 been kept. ' Without being written out, these books were 
 handed down from mouth to mouth. Soon after the in- 
 vention of the Japanese written characters, these records 
 were reduced to writing. The story of this is thus told : 
 "As to the historical records of Japan, it is first mentioned 
 that, under the twentieth emperor, in 41 5, A. D., oflficials 
 were sent into the country to verify and describe the 
 names of all the families. Later, a transcription of these 
 records (originally written, in all probability, in the old 
 Japanese letters, 'the gods' letters,') in Chinese characters 
 took place, and in 644 A. D. an historical account of the 
 
SHINTOISM, THE NATURE-WORSHIP OF JAPAN. ,Qy 
 
 emperors, the country, the officials and the people is said 
 to have existed, which was destroyed when Iruka was 
 murdered, and his father's palace, in which these records 
 were kept, was burned. Only the history of the country 
 was saved. From this work, as well as from what the 
 old men of the whole empire remembered, a new com- 
 pilation was made under the Emperor Temmu (672-686 
 A. D.), and in order that it might not be lost again, it was 
 read to a peasant girl, named Are, who was said never to 
 forget anything she had once heard. From this record, 
 and from what Are still remembered, the first historical 
 record of Japan kiiown to us, the Kojiki, was compiled 
 about thirty years later." 
 
 These works, though histories, strictly speaking, are 
 full of stories of mythology, describing the origin of gods 
 and men. The mythology of Japan is superior to that 
 of Greece. It contains but few or none of the horrible 
 stories of the gods, or the voluptuous amours of gods 
 and goddesses which so abound in Grecian mythology. 
 Some of their myths are really beautiful, others are very 
 extravagant. The origin of gods, of men, of the earth, 
 are here all described. It begins with the time when 
 
 "Far in the deep infinitudes of space, 
 Upon a throne ;,f silence, 
 Sat Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi-ro-kami. '' 
 
 This strange name signifies The Lord of the Centre 
 uf Heaven. The heavens and earth were then joined 
 togei-her. There was nothing but chaos. Pairs of beings 
 were then created, male and female. Last of all Izanagi 
 and Izanami were created. 
 
 JAPANESE STORY OF THE CREATION. 
 
 It is said that the other .pairs of beings before Izanagi 
 and- Izanami were only their imperfect forms or the pro- 
 
AQg STORY 01^ TtiE CREATION. 
 
 cesses through which they passed before arriving a* per- 
 fection. These two beings lived in the heavens. The 
 world was not yet well formed, and the soil floated about 
 like a fish in the water, but near the surface, and was 
 called "The Floating Region." The sun, earth and moqn 
 were still attached to each other like a head to the neck, 
 or arms to the body. They were little by litde separating, 
 the parts joining them growing thinner and thinner. 
 This part, like an isthmus, was called "Heaven's Floating 
 Bridge." It was on this bridge that Izanagi and IzanamI 
 were standing when they saw a pair of wagtails cooing 
 and billing sweetly together. The heavenly couple were 
 so delighted with the sight that they began to imitate the 
 birds. ■ Thus began the art of love, which mortals have 
 practiced to this day. 
 
 While talking together on this Bridge of Heaven, they 
 began to wonder if there was a world beneath them. 
 They looked far down upon the green seas, but could see 
 nothing! Then Izanagi took his long jeweled spear and 
 plunged it into the turbid mass, turning it round and 
 round. As he lifted it up, the drops which trickled from 
 it hardened into earth of their own accord, and thus dry 
 land was formed. As Izanagi was cleansing his spear 
 the lumps of muck and mud which had adhered to it flew 
 off into space, and were changed into stars and comets. 
 It is also said that by turning his spear round and round, 
 Izanagi set the earth revolving in its daily revolutions. 
 
 To the land thus formed, they gave the name "The 
 Island of the Congealed Drop," because they intended to 
 create a large archipelago and wished to distinguish this 
 as the first island. They descended from Heaven on the 
 floating bridge and landed on the island. Izanagi struck 
 his tall spear in the ground making it the axis of the 
 world. He then proceeded to build a palace around the 
 
SHINTO ISM, THE NATURi-WOkSHlP OF yAPAM. gOd 
 
 spear which formed the central pillar. The spot was 
 formerly at the North Pole, but is now at Eshima, off the 
 central eastern coast of Japan. They next resolved to 
 walk around the island and examine it. This done, they 
 met together. Izanami cried out, " What a lovely man !" 
 But Izanagi rebuked her for speaking first, and said they 
 must try it again. Then they walked around the island 
 once more. When they met, Izanami held her tongue 
 while Izanagi said, " What a lovely woman !" 
 
 Being now both in good humor, they began the work 
 of creating Japan. The first island brought up out of 
 the water was Anaji ; and then the main island. After 
 that, eight large islands, were created, whence, comes one 
 of the names of Japan, " The Empire of the Eight Great 
 Islands." Six smaller islands were also produced. The 
 several thousand islets which make up the archipelago of 
 "Everlasting Great Japan" were formed by the spontane- 
 ous consolidation of the foam of the sea. 
 
 After the country was thus formed the divine pair cre- 
 ated eight millions of earthly' gods or Kami, and the ten 
 thousand different things on the earth. Vegetation 
 sprung up over all the land, which was, however, still 
 cbvered with mist. So Izanagi created with his breath 
 the two gods, male and female, of the wind. All these 
 islands .are the children of Izanagi and Izanami, and when 
 first born were small and feeble, but gradually grew 
 larger and larger, attaining their present site like human 
 beings, which are at first tiny infants. 
 
 As the gradual separation of the land and sea went on, 
 foreign countries were formed by the congealing of the 
 foam of the sea. The god of fire was then born of 
 Izanami, his mother. This god often became very angry 
 at any one who used unclean fire. Izanami then created 
 by herself the gods of metals, of clay, and of fresh water. 
 
3IO 
 
 STORY OF THE CREATION. 
 
 This latter god was commanded always to keep the god 
 of fire quiet, and put him out when he began to do mis- 
 chief. 
 
 Izanagi and Izanami though married but a short time, 
 began to quarrel. Izanami being very angry went down 
 to the lower world of darkness and disappeared. In the 
 dark world under the earth Izanami stayed a long time, 
 and after wearisome waiting, Izanagi went after her. In 
 the darkness of the under- world he was horrified at what 
 he saw, and leaving his consort below he tried to save 
 himself and make his escape to the earth again. 
 
 THE GOD CREATED FROM IZANAGI'S STAFF 
 
 In his struggles several gods were created, one of them' 
 coming out of his staff. When he got up to daylight, 
 he secured a large rock to close up the hole in the earth.' 
 Turning this rock into a god, he commanded him to 
 watch the place. He then rushed into the sea, and con- 
 
SHINTO TSM, THE NATVRE-WORSHrP OF JAPAN. xi\ 
 
 tinued washing for a long time to purify himself. In 
 blowing out from his lungs the polluted air inhaled in the 
 under- world, the two evil gods sprang forth from his breath. 
 As these would commit great harm and wickedness, Iza- 
 nagi created two other gods to correct their evil. But 
 when he had washed his eyes and could see clearly again, 
 there sprang out two precious and lovely beings ; one from 
 his left eye being a rare and glistening maiden, whom he 
 afterward named Amaterasu, or "The Heaven Illumi- 
 nating Spirit." From his right eye appeared Susa-no O, 
 the "Ruler of the Moon." Being now pure again, and 
 having these lovely children, Izanagi rejoiced and said, "I 
 have begotten child upon child, and at the end of my be- 
 getting, I have begotten me two jewel-children." Now 
 the brightness of the person of the maiden Amaterasu 
 was beautiful, and shone through Heaven and earth. 
 Izanagi, well pleased, said: "Though my children are 
 many, none of them is like this wonder-child. She must 
 not be kept in this region." So taking off the necklace 
 of precious stones from his neck and rattling it, he gave 
 it to her, saying, "Rule thou over the High Plain of 
 Heaven." At that time the distance between Heaven 
 and earth was not very great, and he sent her up to the 
 blue sky by the Heaven-uniting pillar, on which the 
 heavens rested as on a prop. She easily mounted it, 
 and lived in the sun, illuminating the whole heavens and 
 earth. The sun now gradually separated from the earth, 
 and both moved farther and farther apart, until they rested 
 where they now are. Izanagi next spoke to Susa-no O, the 
 Ruler of the Moon, and said, " Rule thou over the new-born 
 earth and the blue waste of the sea with its multitudinous 
 salt waters." Thus the heavens, and the earth, and 
 moon were created and inhabited. And as Japan lay 
 directly opposite the sun when it separated from the 
 
 f 9 
 
^J2 t) I VINE INSIGNIA OF IMPERIAL Poi^ER. 
 
 earth, it is plain that Japan lies on the summit of the 
 globe. It is easily seen that all other countries were 
 formed by the spontaneous consolidation of the ocean 
 foam and the collection of mud in the various seas. The 
 stars were made to guide warriors from foreign coun 
 tries to the court of the Mikado, who is the one and only 
 true son of heaven, before whom all should bow. 
 
 THE EMPERORS DESCENDED FROM THE GODS. 
 
 Amaterasu, on account of her bright beauty, was by 
 her father made queen of the sun, and. shared with the 
 two creator-gods the government of the world. In send- 
 ing her to her dominion, Izanagi gave her the necklace 
 of precious stones from his neck, and told her to go up 
 by way of the floating bridge. As the sun was then 
 near, she ascended without difficulty. Desiring after- 
 ward to give the government of the earth to her grand- 
 son, Ninigi-no-mikoto, after considerable difficulty in get- 
 ting the god in possession to make way for him, she was 
 able to carry out her purpose and dispatch him to his 
 post. Shq proclaimed him sovereign of Japan for ever 
 and ever, and appointed his descendants to rule it as 
 loiig as the heavens and the earth endure. Before start- 
 ing he received from his grand^mother, the sun-goddess, 
 the Three Divine Insignia of the Imperial Power of 
 Japan, namely, the Sacred Mirror, which is still worshiped 
 at the Naiku Shrine in Ise as representative of the god- 
 dess ; the Sacred Sword, which is still enshrined at the 
 temple of Atsuta, near Nagoya, at the head of the bay of 
 Owari ; and the Sacred Stone, or " Magatama," which is 
 always in possession of the Emperor of Japan. 
 
 Possessed of these divine symbols, and accompanied 
 by a number of inferior gods, Ninigi-no-mikoto descended 
 upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven, or the "Ama-no- 
 
SUlNtOisM, THE NATURE-WORSHIP OFJAPAt^. 
 
 3ii 
 
 uki-hashi." Grains of rice were thrown broadcast in the 
 air to dispel the darkness of the sky. Ninigi-no-mikoto 
 was the god who was 
 sent down from the 
 Sun goddess, whose 
 grandchild he was, 
 to take possession 
 of the land, and it 
 was his offspring, and 
 the offspring of his 
 suite, who peopled 
 Japan. Ninigi-no- 
 mikoto lived to the 
 age of 3 1 0,000 years ; 
 his son Hohodertii 
 Kved to the still riper 
 age of 637,892 years, 
 and a grandchild of 
 his, Ugaya, died at 
 the remarkable age 
 of 836,042 years. 
 He was the father of 
 Jimmu Tenno, first 
 Emperor of Japan, 
 who is, at the pres- 
 ent time, very widely 
 worshiped as a god. jimmu tenno, first emperor of japan. 
 
 THE SUN-GODDESS ENTICED FROM THE CAVE, 
 
 The young brother of the Sun-goddess so seriously 
 offended his bright and beautiful sister that she went 
 away and concealed herself in the cave of Ameno 
 Tuaya, closing the entrance with a large piece of rock. 
 
^j^ AMATERASU, THE SUN-GODDESS. 
 
 From this time the entire country was dark, and was given 
 up to the noise and disturbance of all sorts of inferior 
 gods. This state of things was so distressing that all the 
 gods assembled at the cave's mouth, on the bank of the 
 Yasukawa River, and deliberated upon the means- to be 
 adopted for inducing the petulant goddess to reappear, 
 for be it understood that after the birth of the Sun-god- 
 dess no light could be obta.ined except from her bright- 
 ness, as, she had been appointed to illuminate the space 
 between earth and Heaven, and it was the brightness of 
 her body that shone through the sun. At the council of 
 the gods it was decided to entice the goddess forth by 
 means of an image of herself, and one of the gods and 
 a blacksmith made mirrors, in the shape of the sun, with 
 iron brought from Heaven. 
 
 Japanese mirrors are always made of fine metal, not 
 of glass coated with q.uicksilver. Those in common use 
 are generally five or six inches in diameter, having the 
 surface polished with great care and some figures or 
 flowers stamped upon the back. The mirror is a Shinto 
 symbol. In the centre of the Shinto shrine of Ise, in the 
 " Holy of Holies " of that temple are found four boxes 
 of unpainted wood, resting on low stands. These are 
 the only objects, to be found here. In each box, wrapped 
 in a brocade bag, is a mirror. On festival days, these 
 boxes — but not the mirrors — are exposed to view. 
 
 The first two mirrors produced by the blacksmith, as 
 stated above, were unsatisfactory, but the third was 
 large and beautiful, and is now the deity of the inner 
 shrine of Is^. The gods also planted hemp and paper 
 mulberry, and with their fibre and bark wove clothing for 
 the goddess. They also cut down trees and built a 
 palace. Magatama jewels (carved and polished pieces 
 of stone, such as were worn in those days as ornaments) 
 
SHINTOISM, THE NATURE- WORSHIP OF JAPAN. , j 5. 
 
 were also produced, and wands were made from sakaki 
 branches and bamboo. One of the gods then pulled up 
 a sakaki-tree by the roots, and on its upper branches 
 hung the necklace of jewels ; at the middle he hung the 
 sacred mirror, and to the lower branches he attached both 
 coarse and fine cloth. This formed a large gohei, which 
 was held by Ama-no-futo-dama-no-mikoto, while he pro- 
 nounced an address in honor of the goddess. And 
 goheis like this, with jewels, mirrors and strips of cloth 
 cut zigzag, we still see in the hands of the young priest- 
 esses at the shrine of the goddess herself, and the simpler 
 gohei or wands, with strips of cloth or paper attached, 
 are now to be seen, as they have for ages been, all over 
 Japan, at every Shinto temple or shrine and in thousands 
 of other places. 
 
 A number of young cocks were next collected, and 
 set to crow in concert; a strong god was concealed by 
 the door of the cavern, to wrest it open at the favorable 
 moment; and a very renowned goddess, Uzume, was set 
 to dance, blowing music out of a bamboo tube pierced 
 with holes, while the gods kept time to her performance 
 by striking two pieces of wood together. A sort of harp 
 was made, by placing six bows together, with the strings 
 upward. This was played by the drawing of grass and 
 rushes across it. Uzume, who appears to have entered 
 upon her task with great spirit, bound her sleeves close 
 up to the arm-pits, and grasped in her hand a bundle of 
 twigs and a spear wound round with grass and having 
 small bells attached to it. Bon-fires were lighted and^a 
 circular box or drum was placed for her to dance upon. 
 Then this young goddess commenced to tread with 
 measure upon the hollow box and cause it to resound. 
 She sang a six-syllable song or charm of numbers, and, 
 gradually quickening her dance wrought herself, up to 
 
3i6 
 
 SHINTO WORSHIP OR KAMI-NO-MICHI. 
 
 such a pitch of excitement, or rather ''such a spirit de- 
 scended on the goddess," that she loosened her dress, 
 revealing more and more of her loveliness, and at last, 
 to the intense amazement and delight of the gods, ap- 
 pears to have discarded her dress altogether. With the 
 laughter of the gods the heavens shook. The address 
 in her honor.^the stirring sounds of the music and dan- 
 cing, and the loud and joyous laughter of the gods was 
 too much for Amaterasu, and slightly opening the door, 
 she softly said from inside, "I fancied that because of 
 my retirement both Heaven and Japan were in darkness! 
 Why has Uzume danced and why do the gods laugh?" 
 Uzume replied, "I dance and they laugh, because there 
 is an honorable deity here" (pointing to the mirror) 
 "who surpasses you in glory;" and as she said this, the 
 mirror was pushed forward and shown to the Sun-goddess, 
 reflecting her own radiant loveliness,of course,and her as- 
 tonishment was even greater than before. As she peeped 
 out of the cave to look around, the strong god pulled 
 the rock-door open and drew the bright goddess forth. 
 Then a rice-straw rope was passed behind her, and one 
 of the gods said. "Go not i>ack behind this." As they 
 were putting the mirror into the cave it was struck 
 against the door, and received a flaw which remains to 
 this day. They then removed the goddess to her new 
 palace, and, as an expression of their kindly interest, they 
 put a straw rope round it to keep off evil gods. 
 
 SHINTO WORSHIP. 
 
 Buddhism was introduced into Japan in 532 A. D. Up 
 to this time Shintoism had continued to be the sole reli- 
 gidn of Japan, during some twelve hundred years at 
 least. It is called by the Japanese themselves, Kami-no- 
 michi, or "The Way of the God?." The religion coq. 
 
SHINTOISM, THE NA TURE- WORSHIP OF JAPAN. 
 
 317 
 
 sists essentially, so they say, in an implicit obedience to the 
 Mikado. He is the descendant of the gods, and his 
 common designation is Ten-Shi, or " Son of Heaven." 
 The Mikado has two crests, one, representing the chrys- 
 anthemum, is used for government purposes. The 
 other, representing the leaf and blossoms of the PauloW' 
 
 THE MIKADO'S COAT-OF-ARMS. 
 
 nia Imperialis {Kiri in Japanese), is used in the business 
 personal to the Mikado and his family. 
 
 There were no creeds, nor elaborate systems of doc- 
 trines in their religion. The good gods were to be wor- 
 shiped so that there might be an increase of good gifts; 
 and the evil gods, so that they might be appeased, The 
 
3i8 
 
 RAID EN, GOD OF THUNDER. 
 
 people prayed for a sufficiency of food, clothing and shelter, 
 and twice each year held festivals of General Purification, 
 when the whole nation was purified of its sins and pollu- 
 tions. The following prayer was to be used by the 
 Mikado: "O God, that dwellest in the high plain of 
 
 l^AIDEN, GOD OF THUNDER, WITH HIS STRING OF DRUMS. 
 
 Heaven, who art divine in substance and in intellect, and 
 able to give protection from guilt and its penalties, to 
 banish impurity, and to cleanse us from uncleanness— 
 Hosts of Gods hear us and listen to these petitions!" 
 The emperor was the god dwelling in the flesh, and 
 
SHINTO ISM, THE NATURE-WORSHIP OF JAPAN. U jg 
 
 his ancestors were, of course, to be worshiped. The first 
 emperor, Jimmu Tenno, receives especial worship and 
 honor. Besides these gods — the deified emperors and 
 heroes — there were hosts of gods who were the deified 
 powers of nature. We have already spoken of the sun- 
 
 FUTEN, GOD OF WINDS, WITH HIS HUGE SACK. 
 
 goddess and moon-goddess. Besides these there were 
 gods of storms, winds, rain, thunder, fertility, of moun- 
 tains, fields, seas and rivers. Raiden, the god of thunder, 
 is supposed to have a string of drums, which he beats 
 when it thunders. The Japanese say that when he i 
 
,2o FUTEN, GOD OF WINDS. 
 
 angry, he throws from the clouds a terrible creature like 
 a cat, with iron claws and a hairy body. Futen, the god 
 of winds, carries a huge sack slung over his shoulders, 
 the mouth of which is closed by his hand. It blows a 
 typhoon, a gale, or a breeze, as he clinches his fingers 
 little or much. Besides these gods are a number of gods 
 of occupations, of the household, of the work-shop, the 
 field and the store. 
 
 The sun is one of the most common objects of wor- 
 ship aoiong the Shintoists. The country of Japan is often 
 called "The Land of the Rising Sun." Their national 
 flag is of white with a large red sun in the centre. On 
 the top of Fujiyama, the famous sacred mountain, and on 
 the sea-shore, pilgrims and priests often gather to offer 
 their worship to the rising sun. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTOISM. 
 
 The characteristics of " Pure Shint6" are an absence of an ethical 
 and doctrinal code, of idol-worship, of priestcraft, and of any teach- 
 ings concerning a future state, and the deification of heroes, em- 
 perors and great men, together with the worship of certain forces and 
 objects in nature. It is said that the Kami, or gods, number 14,000, 
 of whom 3, 700 are known, to have shrines"; but, practically, the num- 
 ber is infinite. Each hamlet has its special god, as well as its Mirja, 
 or shrine ; and each ^hild is taken to the shrine of the district in 
 which it is born, a month after birth, and the god of that shrine be- 
 comes his patron. Each god has its annual festival, whije many have 
 particular days in each month on which people visit their shrines.— 
 Miss Isabella Bird. , 
 
 THE SEVEN HOUSEHOLD GODS. 
 
 MR. GRIFFIS says : Every Japanese child knows 
 the Shichifuku Jin, or the seven Patrons of 
 Happiness. They have charge of long life, 
 riches, daily food, contentment, talents, glory and love. 
 Their images, carved in ivory, wood, stone, or cast in 
 bronze^ are found in every house, sold in the stores, 
 painted on shop-signs, and found in picture-books. They 
 are a jolly company, and make a happy family. On New 
 Year's Eve, a picture of the Treasure-ship (Yakarebune), 
 laden with Shippi (the seven jewels) and with all the 
 gopd things of life which men most desire, is hung up in 
 houses. The ship is coming into port, and the passen- 
 gers are the seven happy fairies who will make gifts to 
 
 321 
 
322 
 
 SEVEN- HOUSEHOLD GODS. 
 
 the people. These seven jewels are the same as those 
 which Momotaro brought back from the Onis island. 
 
 First there is Fukoruku Jin, the patron of long life or 
 length of days. He has an enormously high forehead, 
 rounded at the top, which makes his head .look like a 
 sugar loaf It is bald and shiny. A few stray white 
 hairs sometimes sprout up, and the barber, to reach them, 
 has to prop a ladder against his head to climb up and 
 apply his razor. This big head comes from thinking so 
 much. His eyebrows are white like cotton, and a long, 
 
 snowy beard falls 
 down over his 
 breast. When in 
 a specially good 
 humor, he ties a 
 handkerchief over 
 his high, slippery 
 crown, and allows 
 littleboys to climb 
 up on top — that 
 is,if they are good 
 boys, and can 
 write well. When 
 he wants to show 
 how strong and 
 lively he is, even 
 though so old, he 
 lets Daikoku, the 
 fat fellow, ride on 
 top of his head 
 while he smokes his pipe and wades across a river. Dai- 
 koku has to hold on tightly, or he will slip down and get 
 a ducking. Usually, the old shiny-head is a very solemn 
 gentleman, and walks slowly along with his staff in one 
 
 DAIKOKU, THE RICE-GOD, ON HIS THRONE OF 
 RICE-BAGS. 
 
smr 
 
 
 
 
 FUKORUKU JIN, THE GOD WHO CAN BESTOW LONG LIFE. 
 
 Vrom a Japanese Picture showing their conception of the way in which the gods can supervise affairs in 
 
 various places. 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTO ISM. ,2"; 
 
 hand, while with the other he strokes his long eyebrows. 
 The tortoise and the crane are always with him, for these 
 are his pets. Sometimes a stag, with hair white with age, 
 walks behind him. EveryJDody likes Fukoruku Jin, be- 
 cause every one wants to get his favor and live until, like 
 a lobster, his back is bent with age. At a wedding, you 
 I will always see a picture of white-bearded and shiny- 
 pated Fukoruku Jin. 
 
 Daikoku is a short chubby fellow, with eyes half sunk 
 in fat, but twinkling with fun. He has a flat cap set on 
 his head, a loose sack over his shoulders, and big boots 
 on his feet. His throne is two straw bags of rice, and 
 his badge of office is a mallet or hammer, which makes 
 'people rich when he shakes it. The hammer is the 
 symbol of labor, showing that people may expect to get 
 rich only by hard work. One end of it is carved to rep- 
 resent the jewel -of the ebbing and the flowing tides, be- 
 cause merchants get rith by commerce on the sea, and 
 must watch the tides. He is often seen holding the 
 counting-board, on which you can reckon, do sums, sub- 
 tract, multiply or divide, by sliding balls up and down a 
 row of sticks set in a frame, instead of writing the figures. 
 Beside him is a ledger and day-book. His favorite ani- 
 mal is the rat, which, like some rich ttien's pets, eats or 
 runs away with his wealth. 
 
 The great silver-white radish called daikon, two feet 
 long and as big as a man's calf, is always seen near him, 
 because it signifies flourishing prosperity. He keeps 
 his bag tightly shut, for money easily runs away when 
 the purse is once opened. He never lets go his hammer, 
 for it is only by constant care that any one can keep 
 money after he gets it. Even when he frolics with 
 Fukoruku Jin, and rides on his head, he keeps his ham- 
 mer swinging at his belt. He has huge lop ears. Once 
 
 30 
 
326 
 
 POPULAR GODS OF SHINTO ISM. 
 
 in a while, when he wishes to take exercise, and Fuko 
 ruku Jin wants to show how frisky he can be, even if he 
 is old, they have a wrestling-match together. Daikoku 
 nearly always beats, because Fukoruku Jin is so tall that 
 he has to bend down to grip Daikoku, who is fat and 
 short, and thus he becomes top-heavy. Then Daikoku. 
 gets his rival's long head under his left arm, seizes him 
 over his back by the belt, and throws him over his 
 shoulder flat on the ground. But if Fukoruku Jin can 
 only get hold of Daikoku's lop ears, both fall together. 
 Then they laugh heartily and tryit again. 
 
 DOMESTIC ALTAR OF THE GODS OF DAILY FOOD AND OF RICE. 
 
 Ebisu is the patron of daily lood, which is usually rice 
 and fish, and in old times v,ras chiefly the latter. He is 
 nearly as fat as Daikoku. He wears a court noble's 
 high cap. He is always fishing or enj^oying his game. 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTOISM. 
 
 327 
 
 When very happy, he sits on a rock by the sea, with his 
 right leg bent under him, and a big red fish, called the 
 tai, a fish like a perch, under his lefi: arm. He carries a 
 straw wallet on his back to hold his fish and keep it 
 fresh. Often he is seen standing knee deep in the water, 
 pole in hand, watching for a nibble. Some say that 
 Ebisu is the same scamp that goes by the other name 
 of Sosanoo. , 
 
 Hotei is the patron of contentment, and, of course, is 
 the father of happiness. He does not wear much cloth- 
 ing, for the truth is that all his property consists of an 
 old, ragged wrapper, ^ — ^ 
 a fan and a wallet. ( i .^ ■ 
 He is as round as a 
 pudding, and ^s fat 
 as if rolled out of 
 dough. His body is 
 like a lump of rice 
 pgistry, and Hs limbs 
 like dango dump- 
 lings. He has lop 
 ears that ha^ng down 
 over his shoulders, a 
 tremendo'is double 
 chin, vnd. a round ^5; 
 
 belly* Though he 
 will n- it let his beard 
 gron long, the slov- ^°™' ''™ '^°° ^^ happiness. 
 
 enly old fellow never has it shaven when he ought to. 
 He is a jolly vagabond and never fit for company ; but 
 he is a great friend of the children, who romp over his 
 knees and shoulders, pull his ears and climb up over his 
 shaven head. He always keeps something good for 
 them in his wallet. Sometimes he opens it wide and 
 
g POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES. 
 
 then makes them guess what is inside. They try to peep 
 in, but they are not tall enough to look over the edge. 
 He makes tops, paints pictures or kites for the boys, and 
 is the children's greatest friend. When the seven patrons 
 meet together. Hotel is apt to drink more wine than is 
 good for him. Toshi-toku is almost the only one of the 
 seven who never lays aside his dignity. He has a very 
 grave countenance. He is the patron of talents. His 
 pet animal is a spotted fawn. He travels about a good 
 deal to find and reward good boys who are diligent in 
 their studies, and men who are fitted to rule. In one hand 
 he carries a crooked staff of bamboo, at the top of which is 
 hung a book or roll of manuscript, ' His dress is like 
 that of a learned doctor, with square cap, stole and high- 
 toed slippers, 
 
 Bishamon is the patron of glory and fame. He is a 
 mighty soldier. He wears a golden helmet, breast-plate 
 and complete armor. He is the protector of priests and 
 warriors. He gives them skill in fencing, horsemanship 
 and archery. He holds a pagoda in one hand and a 
 dragon sword in the other. His pet animal is the tiger. 
 Six out of the jolly worthies are men. Benten is the 
 only lady. She is the patron of the family and of the sea. 
 She plays the flute and the guitar for the others, and 
 amflses them at their feasts, sometimes even dancing 
 for them. Her real home is in Rin Gu,''afld she is the 
 queen of the world under the sea. She often dwells in 
 the caves of the sea or ocean. Her favorite animal is 
 the snake and her servants are the dragons. 
 
 Once a year the jolly seven meet together to talk over 
 
 old times, relate their adventures, and have a luxuriant 
 
 supper. Then they proceed to business, which is to 
 
 . arrange all the marriages for the coming year. They 
 
 have a great many skeins of red and white silk, which 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTOISM. ^2Q 
 
 are the threads of fate of those to be married. The white 
 threads are the men, the red are the women. At first 
 they select the threads very carefully, and tie a great 
 many pairs or couples neatly and strongly together, so 
 that the matches are perfect. All such marriages of 
 threads make happy marriages among, human beings. 
 But by and by they get tired and lazy, and instead of 
 tying the knots carefully, they hurry up the work ^nd 
 then jumble them carelessly, and finally toss and tangle 
 up all the rest. This is the reason why so many mar- 
 riages are unhappy. This work done they begin to frolic 
 like big boys. Benten plays the guitar, and Bishamon 
 lies down on the floor resting upon his elbows to hear it. 
 Hotel drinks wine out of a shallow red cup which is as wide 
 as a dinner plate. Daikoku and Fukoruku Jin begin to 
 wrestle, and when Daikoku gets his man down he pounds 
 his big head with an empty gourd, while Toshi-toku aiid 
 Ebisu begin to eat tai fish. When this fun is over, Ben- 
 ten and Fukoruku Jin play a game of checkers, while the 
 others look on and bet ; except Hotel, the fat fellow, who 
 is asleep. Finally they get ashamed of themselves for 
 gambling, and after a few days, the party breaks up and 
 each one goes to his regular business again, 
 
 THE SACRED MOUNTAIN.. 
 
 Almost the first object which meets the gaze of the 
 traveler after crossing the Pacific Ocean and as he nears 
 the land, is the matchless mountain, Fuji-yama. Its snow- 
 covered heights rise some 1 3,000 feet above the sea. To 
 the people of Japan this is the sacred mountain. It is 
 depicted on all their lacquer-ware, their china-ware and 
 their drawings. It is described in all their poems and, 
 sacred books. It has a strong hold on the people. It is 
 a sleeping volcano. Nearly 2,000 feet of its sides are 
 
330 
 
 THE SACRED MOUNTAIlT. 
 
 cultivated. Then comes a wide belt of forest. The 
 ascent of the mountain is a sacred pilgrimage, and there 
 are accordingly a number of roads to the top, with nine 
 huts on each road. The pilgrims are dressed in white 
 robes, and pray to the rising sun while climbing the 
 mountain sides. Sometimes one may see several hun- 
 dreds of Shinto pilgrims in their white robes turning out 
 
 THE SACRED MOUNTAIN, FUJI-YAMA. 
 
 from their shelters, and joining their chants to the rising 
 sun. The view of the long sweeping sides of this moun- 
 Itain, rising from an almost level plain and climbing away 
 'to the clouds, through which it thrusts its snow-crowned 
 top, is one of the grandest in the world. 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTO ISM. 
 
 331 
 
 SHINTO TEMPLES AND GATE-WAYS.. 
 
 \ 
 
 The temples are usually of very simple style, being 
 constructed of wood and thatched. They contain no 
 
 idols; but in the courtyards or approaches figures of real 
 and imaginary animals are not at all uncommon, espe- 
 
332 
 
 S//J^/n£ Near yoKohaMA. 
 
 cially in the case of large temples. The approach is 
 spanned by one or more tdrii. The torii, it is now gen- 
 erally admitted, was originally a perch for the fowls of- 
 fered to the gods, not as food, but to give warning of 
 day-break. Its present use is not for this purpose, but is 
 simply as a decoration. At the outer shrine of Ise, 
 which is called the geM, there is an immense number 
 of votive torii standing close to each other in long rows. 
 
 1 But the more common form of 
 votive offering is a large lantern, 
 several feet in height, and formed 
 either of wrought stone or of 
 bronze. These are sometimes of 
 very large size, even ten or 
 twelve feet high, and are often 
 crowded thickly near the ap- 
 proaches alike of Shinto and 
 Buddhist temples. The wor- 
 shiper does not enter the temple 
 to worship at a Shinto shrine. 
 He stands in front of It, striking- 
 his hands together, and offers, 
 bowed, and usually in silence, 
 the short and simple prayer 
 
 A TENTO, OR ■• HEAVENLY i- i ,. .. f. 
 
 LANTERN." which liis own necessities dictate. 
 
 THE SACRED SHRINES OF ISlfe. 
 
 First for sacredness among the Japanese Shinto temples 
 are the Shrines of Ise. These are to Japan what Mecca 
 IS to Mohammedan lands and what Jerusalem was to the 
 Holy Land. Thousands of pilgrims yisit these shrines 
 every year. Sir E. J. Reed, thus describes his visit : 
 
 " At the entrance we were met by two Shinto priests, 
 who had been deputed to show us the sacred place. 
 
POPULAR GODS ANP) SHRINES OF SHINTO ISM. ^, a 
 
 Passing under the torii, we wefe at once amid trees of 
 an age and magnitude not often equaled. Within the 
 temple-limits we came first to a small edifice, in' which 
 was the white horse of the deity of the place, which hap- 
 
 SHRINES OF ISE, THE MOST SACRED PLACE OF SHINTOISM. 
 
 pened to be an artificial horse, the real one having re- 
 cently died, and another not being forthcoming at present, 
 for reasons which I did not learn. Soon afterward we 
 came to two living black horses, consecrated to the ser- 
 vice of the temple, and more particularly for the god of 
 the place — 'the god of food, clothes and house living,' 
 •according to one authority; or, 'the god of the earth's 
 produce/ as another has it, to ride upon in the proces- 
 sions of the great temple ceremonials. 
 
 "There are secondary deities worshiped there, the 
 chief of whom is the adopted grandson of the sun-god- 
 dess and the great-grandfather of the first Mikado, Jimmu 
 Tenno, whp commenced his reignin the Japanese year i. 
 According to the legend, the goddess wished to send her 
 adopted son, Oshi-ho-mimi-no-mikoto, down upon earth 
 to subdue it, but he put forth his own son instead as 
 leader of the expedition. The goddess then presented 
 
--. TEMPLES AND GATE-WAVS. 
 
 Ninigi-no-mikoto with various treasures, the most iiriv 
 portant among which — and here we touch upon the cen- 
 tral sacredness alike of the race of Mikados and of the 
 symbols of the Shinto faith — were the mirror, sword and 
 stone, or ball (afterwards the regalia of the Japanese 
 sovereigns). She also attached to his person the other 
 two inferior gods of Geku, With reference to the mir- 
 ror, she said, ' Look upon this mirror as my spirit ; keep 
 it in the same house and on the same floor with yourself, 
 and worship it as if you were, worshiping my actual 
 presence.' 
 
 " Passing under another tarii of plain, unpainted tim- 
 ber, like all the torii of the Ise shrines, we came to the 
 outer gate of the temple proper, to which alone of thrfee 
 successive gates we and the other pilgrims were allowed 
 to approach. With certain extremely rare exceptions, 
 extending only to the Mikado and commissioners of his, 
 none but priests are allowed to pass this first gate. It 
 was an open gate, however, with a simple white curtain 
 or cloth thrown across it, blowing about as the wind 
 listed. Through this open gate, or past the sides of it, 
 if you preferred to stand there, you could see the next 
 gate, and beyond that again was a third, and then came 
 the temple proper, which could not be seen. This was 
 all ! The buildings, as far as seen, were all of the plain- 
 est possible kind, not unlike substantial, well-thatched 
 farm-buildings at home. The mirror at this outer temple 
 was not the original mirror, and the priest did not for a 
 moment lead us to suppose that it was. There was, in fact, 
 no pretence of any kind about the place. The ancient 
 buildings and the plain white curtain were left to produce 
 that which is perhaps the deepest and most lasting of all 
 impressions made by religious externals, namely, that of 
 combined simplicity and antiquity. Of this outer temple 
 
POPULAR GODS 4ND SHRINES OF SHINTOISM. 
 
 335 
 
 I need only adcj, that it is in every respect a sequel and 
 appendage to the inner and more ancient temple, having 
 been built by the desire of the goddess of the older Ise 
 'temple, who wished to have the deity Toyouke near her. 
 This, the outer and later temple, dates from the reign of 
 the twenty-second Mikado of the present reigning dy- 
 nasty, Yuriaku, in the year 479 A. D. 
 
 INTERIOR OF A SHINTO TEMPLE, SHOWING THE ARRANGEMENTS 
 FOR WORSHIP. 
 
 "Soon afterwards we started for the inner temple, NaikiJ. 
 Here is kept the original sacred mirror, which is the most 
 precious emblem of the Shinto faith, and which, with the 
 sacred sword and ball, is also the authenticating memorij^l 
 
,g INTERIOR OF A SHINTO TEMPLE. 
 
 of the imperial dynasty. So all Japan has regarded 
 it for 2,500 years, even down to 1868, and so most 
 of the people regard it still. This temple came to be ^ 
 built in the following manner : The sacred emblems of 
 the national religion had, up to the time of the great 
 Mikado Sujin, been kept in the imperial palace or temple ; 
 but he, as some say to increase their safety, and as others 
 allege because he viewed a rebellion which broke out as 
 a mark of divine disapprobation of their remaining in his 
 custody, gave them into the charge of his daughter, in a 
 temple dedicated to them. They were subsequently re- 
 moved and carried from place to place, but at length, in 
 the tw,enty-sixth year of the reign of Suiniii Tenno, and 
 therefore in the year 3 B. C;, it was resolved to fix the 
 mifror at the village of Uji on the River Suzugawa, and ^ 
 there and then the present temple was built. The old 
 building does not exist. On the contrary, a new temple 
 is erected every t\yenty years, but each new temple is an 
 exact repetition of the original, and tlierefor^ the present 
 one", is a perfect representation of the architecture of 
 Japan at the time of Christ. The principal deity here 
 worshiped is Amaterasu, the sun-goddess herself 
 
 "The gate-way was open, and hung, like that of the 
 other temple, with a long white curtain, and beyond 
 were seen another torii and other gate-^ways, but nothing 
 could be seen of the temple itself, and as little, of course, 
 of the heaven-wrought mirror within. As we stood, 
 however, the pilgrims continued to come, of both sexes 
 and all ages, and casting upon the ground a few coins, 
 some wrapped in paper, stooping, clapping their hands, 
 and uttering a few words of prayer, thus attained and 
 completed the object for which their journeyings had 
 been undertaken. I asked- if this was all. they saw and 
 did, and was told that it was, I inquired if they attended 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTO ISM. ,,« 
 
 no religious service,* saw no dances, heard no music, re- 
 ceived no advice ; and found that as a rule they did not. 
 Was no blessing pronounced, no simple memorial of 
 some kind presented to them ? Nothing ; but they all 
 bought , little mementos of the place at the stall in the 
 grounds or at the shops in the village. What was it 
 they said during the minute or two that they stopped 
 before the shrine ? They no doubt asked for whatever 
 they wanted in particular, and generally, for long life, 
 and the means of Hfe and happiness in the years to 
 come. 
 
 " Our companions, the priests, suggested that we ought 
 to see one of the ceremonial dances of the temple, and to 
 this we gladly assented on learning that it would not be 
 a repetition of what we had seen at Osaka and Nara, but 
 that it was one of the most ancient description, handed 
 down from generation to generation at these Ise shrines. 
 The room had an altar at the end opposite the entrance, 
 over which was a large mirror. Round the altar and 
 walks were an abundance of goheis, and of bands and 
 tassels. At the altar-end of the room a priest sat on one 
 side,; and along each of the side walls were the musicians 
 and dancers, all sitting on their heels. The musicians, 
 who were also singers, were* all men ; the dancers were 
 quite young girls attired in white and red, with frontlets 
 of brass, from each end of which depended a cord and 
 tassel." ; On the tops of their heads were large bunches 
 of flowers; their back hair was in a queue, with tassels 
 attached, surrnbunted with gilt bows and ribbons. There 
 were two equally young girls in red and blue with plainer 
 head-dresses, who in a certain way attended on the 
 others. The dance began by a subordinate priest com- 
 ing in by a side entrance with a wet branch o"f the sacred 
 sakaki tree \n his hand, After bowing to the shrine, he 
 
338 
 
 DANCE OF THE SHINTO PRIESTS. 
 
 turned to the visitors, and waved it a few times swiftly 
 before them, and then disappeared. Returning again to 
 
POPULAR GODS AND SHRINES OF SHINTOISM. ^,q 
 
 the same entrance, he handed in to the two blue-and-red 
 attendants, trays of herbs, rice and fruits in succession. 
 These were borne ceremoniously elevated to the six 
 priestesses, who conveyed them in a similar manner to 
 the altar, placing the contents of the first two trays upon 
 an inner altar, and those of the remaining four upon an 
 outer altar, then returning the trays to their two attend- 
 ants, who passed them out of the building. 
 
 "While this was proceeding, the band sent forth what 
 sounded to me as wailing, imploring, importunate sounds, 
 with an occasional rap upon the drum for emphasis. 
 The priest, who wore the ancient head-dress like that of 
 the Mikado, now rose, and after a few obeisances before 
 the mirror sat down upon his heels, facing the altar, and 
 intoned a prayer, or novito, from a lairge sheet of paper 
 held outspread before him, the musicians, and dancers, 
 and attendants all sitting with bowed heads to its end. 
 Small branches of sakaki. were now brought to the priest- 
 esses, and the dance took place to an accompaniment of 
 livelier music. The dance comprised no very active 
 movements, but consisted mainly of short, slow and grave 
 promenading, with occasional stately bowings and much 
 slow waving of the branches. This over, a boy entered, 
 dressed in the military undress robes of a kuge (court 
 noble) of the olden time, and holding in his hands a 
 branch of sakaki, with a pendant hoop, doubtless in lieu 
 of a mirror. He danced, as it is called, to much louder 
 music, but the dancing was little more .than further prom- 
 enading and making certain sweeping movements with 
 the branch of sakaki, with an occasional high step. Of 
 course, it is a great pity for the significance of all this to 
 be lost; but nothing explanatory could be elicited from 
 any of the Japanese present, and from the answers of the 
 priests 1 infer that if the various movements of these 
 
^AQ GREAT CtlAMQES IN JAPAN. 
 
 dances ever had any great, and special significance, the. 
 remembrance of it is pretty ngarly or quite lost. The 
 priest next came forward again, and, after elevating the 
 written prayer a few times before the shrine, left the 
 building by the side door. The process of placing the 
 fruits and other offerings upon the altar was now re- 
 versed, and everything was removed Trom the altars and 
 taken away, the music meanwhile playing loud and joy- 
 ous strains. With this ended the most ancient of the 
 dances in the most sacred national shrine of Japan." 
 
 Very great changes have occurred in Japan since the 
 year 1868, when the Mikado became the temporal as 
 well as the spiritual head of the Empire. The interests 
 of Shintoism have suffered in the change. Prof. Max 
 Miiller estimates that there are now only 200,000 Shin- 
 toists in all Japan. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE DARK CONTINENT. 
 
 Yes, the great Buffalo* sleeps; his mightiest victory was his'lasV. ' 
 His warriors howl in vain, his necromancers gaze aghast. 
 Fetich, nor magic wand, nor amulet of darnel. 
 Can charm back life to the clay-cold heart and limb. 
 
 Ferdinand Freiligrath. . 
 
 IT is only of late years that much has been known of 
 the people of the heart of Africa. Explorers have 
 passed through its borders ; along its^coasts travelers 
 have wandered, but few have, until recently, pushed on 
 into the interior. Even to-day there are vast regions 
 unexplored. Of the millions of peoples inhabiting these 
 parts we know only that which the Arab slave- dealers, 
 and some native African traders have told us. The ex- 
 treme points. North, South, East and West Africa have 
 been known for many years. The interior, stretching 
 back from Upper Egypt, and extending clear across to 
 the River Niger, has been but little traveled by foreigners. 
 From Zanzibar on the south-east, radiating like a fan, 
 explorers have passed to the great lakes to the north- 
 west, the Victoria Nyanza and Albert Nyanza, to the 
 west to Tanganyika Lake, and to the south-west, the 
 Nyassa and Bangweolo Lakes. To the west of these 
 lakes, saving only the countries lying along the banks of 
 the Lualaba, Livingstone, or Congo River, along which 
 Stanley traveled, the land is almost unknown, 
 
 * King of Congo. 
 21 .311 
 
A 42 CONDITION Of titE africaNS. 
 
 Even of the African peoples among whom Europeans 
 have lived, it is difficult to learn much of their religions. 
 First, because they have no sacred books, no records, in 
 fact no writing at all. Their traditions and teachings 
 have all been handed down by word of mouth. Again, 
 the Africans are unwilling to tell foreigners about their 
 religious beliefs, customs and worships. It is difficult to 
 gain their confidence. When one asks them about it, 
 they give evasive answers, or pretend to know nothing 
 about the matter. This fact has led to the supposition 
 that some of these peoples had no religious nature what- 
 ever, but that they formed an exception to the general 
 evidence in favor of man's religious, nature. 
 
 Yet travelers have by patient investigation, obser- 
 vation and inquiry learned considerable. They have 
 compared their conclusions, and have so been able to 
 give us some idea of the gods and religions of Africa. 
 
 The Africans have no buildings of brick or stone, and 
 have no knowledge, seemingly, of writing. These two facts 
 have been brought to show that the Africans must have 
 left the rest of the family of mankind very soon after the 
 Deluge. The Africans are, with the exception of some 
 of the South Sea Islanders, and the Aborigines of Aus- 
 tralia, the most degraded people on the face of the earth. 
 But here and there among them are small nations who 
 are intelligent, and shrewd, and possessed of capabilities 
 which place them above their fellow-Africans. The 
 African peoples are of all shades of color, from blackest 
 black to purest white, and just so do they vary very 
 greatly in point of intelligence. Yet the best are very 
 degraded, and the worst are but little above the beasts 
 of field or forest. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is 
 needed anywhere, it is among the peoples of the Dark 
 Continent. ~ 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. 
 
 343 
 
 A LAWYER OF ZULULAND. 
 , AFRICAN BFLIEF IN A "GOD OR GODS. 
 
 There are to be found even yet traces of the high , 
 position from which the Africans have fallen in their 
 degradation. One of these trrces is the universal belief 
 in a God or gods. This, of course, is no such exalted 
 
AFRICAN PR A YER-HUT. 
 
 344 
 
 idea of a Supreme Being as is to be found among 
 Christian nations or even among the better nations of 
 heathens, but still it is a Great One in whom they believe. 
 This belief is not the result of reasoning, of observation 
 of the powers of nature or of study of their own human 
 nature, but is an inborn conception. Apart fi'-om revela- 
 tion, apart from argument, from cause and effect, from 
 design, from government or from anything else, men 
 must believe in a God, or gods. Hence we are not as- 
 tonished at finding that among all the Africans there is 
 this belief. Many of their ideas of God are horrible, 
 shocking and revolting, others again attach no evil idear 
 to their gods, but exalt them in a very high degree. 
 
 PRAYING FOR RAIN. 
 
 In South-eastern Africa, along the Zambesi River, the 
 people pray to a god, with whom they connect no impure 
 traditions or degraded worship. When in danger of, war 
 or famine, they appeal to this god. They call him Mpambi. 
 The worship is of this kind: When famine is threat- 
 ened because rain is withheld, the people of a vill&ge re- 
 sort to a cleared space of ground, inclosed by a fence. 
 Here a prayer-hut is erected. Women and men worship 
 together. Generally a princess having in one hand a 
 basket containing Indian corn-meal, and in the other a 
 pot of native beer, or Pombi, goes into the hut, where 
 she can be seen and heard. She puts the basket and 
 jar on either side of her and sprinkling a handful of 
 meal on the floor, cries, "Imva Mpambi. Adza moula!" 
 (Hear, O God, and send rain !) The people respond by 
 gently clapping their hands and chanting, Hear, O God ! 
 This is repeated until all the meal is used up. Then the 
 jar of Pombi is emptied on the floor. The woman then 
 comes out of the hut, closing the door. Throwing them- 
 
THE DAUK continent. ' , . - 
 
 selves upon their backs, she and the people unite in pray- 
 ing " Hear, O God, send rain !" Then she arises, washes 
 herself in a jar of water which stands before the chief. 
 Then all the women take their calabash cups and throw 
 the water into the air, with frantic gesticulations. 
 
 Among the Zulus the lightning and thunder were repre- 
 sented as coming from "The Lord in Heaven." If light- 
 ning struck and killed the cattle the people were not dis- 
 tressed. It was said "The Lord has slaughtered for Him- 
 self among His own flock. Is it yours ? Is it not the Lord's ? 
 He is hungry ; He kills for Himself." If a village is 
 struck with lightning and a cow is. killed, they say "This 
 village will be prosperous." If a man fs killed, thus they 
 said, "The Lord has found fault with him." When they 
 pray for rain, the heads of the village select some black 
 oxen (like the black clouds which bring rain) ^nd one is 
 killed in sa^crifice. Its flesh is eaten in the house in 
 silence. The bones are burnt outside of the village. 
 After this a song is sung, or hummed, for no words are used. 
 
 THE Hottentots' god, gounja gounja. 
 
 The Hottentots call God " Gounja Gounja " or "Gounja 
 Ticquoa." They are said to have no divine worship, and 
 few, if any, religious ceremonies, and, in their savage 
 state, appear a very stupid race, almostvoid of the power 
 of reason, without any knowledge of divine subjects, and 
 but a vague notion that there is one great Lord of all, and 
 likewise an evil spirit, a devil. They observe a yearly 
 festival when the seven stars appear together, at the 
 beginning of summer. The parents wake their children 
 when these stars appear, and go with them into the 
 fields, where they dance and sing. Their song is, " O 
 Ticquoa, thou Father over our heads, give us rain, that 
 all our fruits may ripen and we may have food in plenty," 
 
346 
 
 AFRICAN BUSHMEN. 
 
 THE Bushmen's god. 
 
 The Bushmen believe that there is a god in the sky, 
 whom they call Kaang, or chief. One of the Bushmen 
 
 says of his country- 
 men: "They perform 
 a kind of religious 
 worship to two rocks, 
 the one representing 
 a male, and the other 
 a female. When going 
 out to hunt, they im- 
 plore the aid of these; 
 deities to provide 
 them with food. First 
 they go to the male 
 rock, and strike it with 
 a stick. If it sounds, 
 they believe the re- 
 port is heafd in Heav- 
 en, and they will have 
 success ; but if they 
 get nothing, they re- 
 pair to the female 
 rock, which they think 
 is inhabited by a mali- 
 cious spirit, and beat 
 it well, upbraiding it, 
 saying : 'Why do you 
 by your hidden arms 
 cause all the game to 
 be shot dead so that 
 
 KING COFFEE'S PROTECTING GOD r- i , ,, 
 
 we can find none. 
 All the tribes of Western Africa show some belief in 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. ^,j 
 
 gods. The Mohammedans and the Portuguese and 
 English traders have of late years affected the peoples' 
 notions to some extent; but from the descriptions of 
 earlier travelers we can see what their- belief was. In 
 Sierra Leone they called God " Canou ;" on the Gambia 
 River, they called their god " China." 'The Niam-Niams 
 call their god "Noro." 
 
 Among the Africans are found many traditions of the 
 origin of the world and of men. Among the Zulus, the 
 following tradition is held, which will serve as a specimen : 
 
 ' ZULU TRADITION OF THE ORIGIN OF MEN. 
 
 Umkululu, the first man, had his origin in a valley of 
 this world, where there was a bed of reeds. He sprung 
 from the bed of reeds, and a woman (a wife) sprung from 
 the same bed of reeds after him. They had but one 
 name, that of Umkulunkulu ; and men sprung from Um- 
 kulunkulu by generation. All things, as well as Umku- 
 lunkulu, sprung from a bed of reeds ; everything, both 
 animals and corn coming into being with him. He 
 looked upon .the sun when it was finished, and said: 
 "There is a torch which shall give you light, that you 
 may see." He looked on the cattle^ and said : " There 
 are cattle ; be ye broken off, and let the cattle be your 
 food ; eat their flesh and drink their milk." He looked 
 on wild animals, and said : " That is such an animal ; 
 that is an elephant ; that is a buffalo." He 'looked on 
 the fire, and said : " Kindle it, and cook, and warm your- 
 self, and eat rneat when in has been dressed by the ^re." 
 He looked on all things, and said: "So-and-so is the- 
 name of everything." 
 
 Among the Basutos there is a legend that men and 
 animals came from the interior of the earth, out of an 
 immense hole. 
 
348 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 GOOD AND BAD SPIRITS. 
 
 Between the Supreme Being and man, the Africans 
 beUeve that there are a vast number of spirits. They 
 are not afraid of God, but they have an intense dread of 
 these spirits. They beheve that God is too far off to 
 hurt them much, but they beUeve that the world of spirits 
 is around them. Even when God does send hghtning 
 or thunder, for instance, it is because the spirits bring 
 them down. To their imaginations these spirits people 
 the darkness with hideous shapes, poison the light with 
 their presence, sweep over the plains in the forms of wild 
 beasts, fill the forests, inhabit trees, live on the tops of 
 the mountains, and in the secluded recesses of caves and 
 valleys ; make their homes in the sea, the lakes and the 
 rivers ; the air is full of them, the earth teems with them; 
 fire is not free from their , presence, and human beings 
 are possessed by them., To them, also, they attribute the 
 
 sorrows and the . 
 sufferings, the 
 misfortunes, 
 and, in most 
 cases, the deaths 
 of mankind. 
 
 As elsewhere, 
 there are men 
 who take advan- 
 tage of the su- 
 perstitious con- 
 dition of their 
 ^_ ^.^_ .__„ fellow country- 
 
 THE PRIESTS' TRICK OF RAISING AN IDOL OUT OF HlCn, and malcC 
 THE EARTH. . ^. _, 
 
 gam of It. Three 
 priests once assured their followers that they could raise 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. , .g 
 
 an idol out of the ground, and would do it the next day. 
 During the night they dug a hole, in which they placed a 
 lot of dried peas and an idol's head and shoulders. They 
 covered all up carefully. Just before daylight they took 
 some water and poured it upon the peas. The people 
 gathered early in the morning to see the priests keep 
 their promise. They came forth, and, as the peas gradu- 
 ally swelled, began their incantations and murmurings, 
 and, of course, very soon the idol appeared, and the de- 
 luded people were abundantly satisfied. 
 
 THE SPIRIT IN THE INSECT. 
 
 The Hottentots believed that the good spirits some- 
 times came in the form of a winged insect, having a green 
 back, a belly speckled with white and red, and with two 
 horns. They worshiped this insect wherever they found it. 
 
 If this insect alighted on a Hottentot he was looked 
 upon as a man without fault, and distinguished and rev- 
 erenced as a sacred person ever after. His neighbors 
 gloried that they had such a favored mortal amongst 
 them, and published the fact far and near. The fattest 
 ox belonging to the kraal was killed as a thank-offering, 
 and all the people kept festival for days. The case was 
 in every respect the same if the insect alighted upon a 
 woman ; she was regarded as a sanctified person and the 
 delight of the spirit. » 
 
 The son of a German, who had given leave to some 
 Hottentots to turn their cattle upon his land, was amusing 
 himself one day in the kraal, when this insect appeared. 
 The Hottentots immediately ran tumultuously to adore 
 it, while the young German ran to catch it, in order to 
 see what the effect would be amongst them.. He seized 
 it in the midst of them. The cry of agony was general 
 when they saw it in his hands. They stared with dis- 
 
,rO AFRICAN FETICH WVKSHIP, 
 
 traction in their eyes at him and at one another. "See, 
 see, see!" said they. "What is he going to do? Will 
 he kill it?" They were wild through apprehension of its 
 fate. "Why," said he, "do you make such a hideous 
 noise; and why are you in such agony about this paltry 
 creature?" "Ah!" they replied, with utmost concern, 
 "it is a divinity. It is come from Heaven. It is come on 
 a good design. Do not hurt it ; do not offend it. We 
 are the most miserable wretches on earth if you do. This 
 ground will lie under a curse, and the crime will never 
 be forgiven." This was not enough for the young Ger- 
 man, who determined to carry the experiment a little 
 further, and made as though he certainly intended tc 
 maim or destroy it. On this the people ran about, and 
 screamed as though they were frantic; they fell prostrate 
 on the ground before him, and with streaming eyes and 
 loudest cries besought him to spare the creature and 
 give it its liberty. Having sufficiently tested the reality 
 of their belief in this insect-god, he let it fly, and they 
 shouted in all the transports of JDy. 
 
 FETICH WORSHIP. 
 
 A fe'tiqh is some material object in which a god or 
 a supernatural power is supposed to dwell. An idol is 
 a representation of a god. Fetichism is the lowest form 
 of idolatry. Fetichism and witchcraft go together. 
 The fetiches guard against the power of witches, and 
 this is their primary object. They act as charms or amu- 
 lets, and are worn on all parts of the body to keep off 
 disease; are placed around the houses, villages or fields 
 to keep off hurtful influences. The fetiches are of vari- 
 ous sorts ; the reeds of certain plants, the roots of cer- 
 tain trees, the horns of a diminutive deer, the claws and 
 teeth of lions and leopards and other sorts of animals, 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. 
 
 351 
 
 slips of wood fantastically notched, knuckle-bones, beads 
 and a kind of white stone, being most commonly used. 
 A.mongst the Kaffirs, whose belief in witchcraft is in- 
 
 A CAZEMBE FETICH MAN. 
 
 tense, faith in the virtues of fetiches is, as a natural conse 
 quence, equally great. You rarely meet with a Kaffw 
 who does not carry with him a whole series of charms. 
 
352 
 
 A DECORATED FETICHIST. 
 
 These, of course, are furnished by the witch-doctors and 
 prophets, and as they are not of the least intrinsic value, 
 and are highly paid for, the business of making fetich is 
 a profitable one. To a European a superstitious Kaffir 
 has a very ludicrous appearance, as the following de- 
 scription of a man who seems to have been peculiarly 
 impressible to the value of fetich will show. His head 
 
 was richly bedecked 
 with pig's bristles, set 
 straight, so as to stand 
 out on all sides like the 
 quills of a hedgehog, 
 with many feathers on 
 his head, while around 
 his neck there was 
 strung a great num- 
 ber of charms, the 
 principal of which were 
 fragments of bone, the 
 head of a snake, the 
 tooth of a young hip- 
 popotamus, and an 
 old brass door-handle. 
 The Africans be- 
 lieve that there are 
 lucky fetiches which 
 guarantee theni suc- 
 cess in all their up- 
 dertakings. They re- 
 spect one another's fetiches, and will not attack an 
 enemy when they think that he has a fetich superior to 
 their own. They are therefore very ready and eager to 
 discover wherein special excellence may lie. A fetich of 
 supposed superiority will command a high price. 
 
 DECORATED FETICHIST. 
 
THE JU-JU HOUSE; OR TEMPLE OF SKULLS, AT BONNY, WEST AFRICA. 
 
 After devouring the bodies of their victims, the priests of the people of Bonny were wont to take 
 the skulls and place them in the walls of their temples. 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. ^rr 
 
 A HORRIBLE FETICH. 
 
 I 
 
 When hard pressed in war, and in danger of being 
 utterly overthrown, in some parts of Africa, the people — 
 like the king of Moab, who- sacrificed his own son when 
 the battle went against him, in order to move the compas- 
 sion of his adversaries, or to inspire them with terror, or 
 as a sacrifice to offended gods — will make horrible fe- 
 tiches of human beings. Perhaps the most astounding 
 instance of such a practice occurred in West Africa. 
 The king of Bonny having been defeated in battle, re- 
 treated to his principal town, and finding that it was in 
 imminent danger of being attacked, called together his 
 magicians in order that they might aid him in repelling 
 his enemies. They were equal to the emergency. The 
 people were assembled in front of the principal gate of 
 the town. Two holes were dug in the ground close to 
 each other. The wizards then begun their operations, 
 and when the people had been wrought up by their pro- 
 ceedings to a pitch of unreasoning excitement, so that 
 they were ready to' perpetrate any act no matter how 
 horrible, the chief of the wizards pointed to a girl who 
 was standing amongst the spectators. She was instantly 
 seized, and, under his direction, her legs were thrust into 
 the holes that had been prepared for this purpose, which 
 were .then filled up with earth so that she could not extri- 
 cate herself from them. Then a number of men brought 
 lumps of wet clay, which they built around her body in 
 the form of a pillar, kneading them closely as they pro- 
 ceeded, until she was entirely covered over. This device 
 produced the desired effect, for so terrified were the 
 hostile tribes at what they regarded as an invincible 
 fetich — or greegree, as the fetich is called in West Africa — 
 that they dared not attack the town, and, like the kings 
 
356 
 
 AFRICANS FEAR OF FETICH. 
 
 af Israel and Judah, after the sacrifice of the king of 
 ,Moab's son, they withdrew from the further prosecution 
 of the war, and returned to their homes. 
 
 The clay pillar, with the body of the girl within it, stood 
 for several years where it had been erected, and served 
 effectually to preserve the town from being again attacked 
 or in any way troubled by its enemies. 
 
 STANLEY AND THE AFRICANS* FEAR OF FETICH, 
 
 The Africans have a superstitious dread of writing and 
 regard it as a bad fetich. When the African traveler, 
 Stanley, had almost finished his journey through the 
 
 Dark Continent, he was one day 
 making some entries in his note- 
 book. This book contained all 
 the important results of his great 
 journey. Seeing him writing 
 the savages surrounded him and 
 demanded that he destroy the 
 " tara-tara,"as they called it, lest 
 it should injure them. They 
 said that those 'black lines on 
 the paper would bring sickness 
 and death to them and their 
 anirhals unless the book was 
 burned. The savages were de- 
 termined to get the book. Only 
 by a trick could he save either 
 1 the book or his own life. He 
 ^ went to his tent and managed to 
 exchange his note-book for a 
 copy of Shakespeare's works. 
 This he burned "to please his friends." as he told them. 
 Th'» Africans have idols of all shapes and sizes and 
 
 IDOLS WITH MIRRORS IN 
 THEIR BODIES. 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. 
 
 357 
 
 made of all sorts of materials. Some of these are pro- 
 vided with looking-glasses in their stomachs, but for what 
 purpose we do not know. They have a few god-houses 
 or huts. Their " """"' 
 
 continent is dark 
 not only because 
 peopled in the 
 main by peoples 
 whose skins are 
 dark, but because 
 the light of re- 
 ligion seems al- 
 most to have died 
 out and darkness 
 to have covered 
 the land' and all 
 of the people. 
 
 WITCHCRAFT. 
 
 To polygamy 
 and slavery add 
 witchcraft super- 
 stitions, and the 
 degradation of 
 Africa is prop- 
 erly called "des- 
 perate" degrada- 
 tion. It may be 
 doubted whether 
 
 A WITCH DOCTOR. 
 
 polygamy and slavery are as great obstacles to civilization 
 as are these superstitions. These are interlaced with the 
 whole structure of African society. No one is supposed to 
 die from natural causes ; disease is charged to witchcraft. 
 No one is killed in war, in hunting, by drowning or mis- 
 
358 
 
 AN AFRICAN WITCH DOCTOR. 
 
 chance, but it is charged to witchcraft. The witches 
 must be found out and tortured to confession and death. 
 
 " I was asked," says Du Chaillu, whose representations 
 of witchcraft superstitions are abundantly confirmed by 
 other travelers and missionaries, " to go and see an old 
 friend of mine, Mpomo, who was sick. They had spent 
 the night before drumming about his bed to drive out 
 the devil. But I soon saw that neither drumming nor 
 medicine would help the poor fellow. The film of death 
 was in his eyes. He held out his hand to me and feebly 
 said : ' Chally, save me, for I am dying.' 
 
 " He was surrounded by hundreds of people, most of 
 them moved to tears by their friend's pitiable condition. 
 I explained to him, that I had no power to save him ; but 
 he and all around had the conviction that if I only wished 
 I could cure him. They followed me to my house, asking 
 for medicine. Not to seem heartless, I sent him soriie- 
 thing to make his remaining moments easy. At the same 
 time I warned them that he would die and they must not 
 blame me. When I awoke the next morning I heard the 
 mournful wail which proclaimed that poor Mpomo had 
 gone to his long rest. The cry of the African mourners 
 is the saddest I ever heard. They mourn literally as 
 those who have no hope. 
 
 "In the afternoon I heard talk of witchcraft. On the 
 day Mpomo was buried proceedings were begun to dis- 
 cover who had bewitched him. A great doctor was 
 brought from up the river, and for two nights and days 
 incantations were repeated. On the third morning, when 
 old and young, male and female, were frantic with the 
 desire of revenge, the doctor began his final incantations. 
 Every man and boy was armed with spears, or guns, or 
 axes. The whole town was possessed by a thirst for 
 human blood. For the first time I found my voice with- 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. ,rQ 
 
 out authority. I could not even get a hearing, . . . 
 At a motion from the doctor, the people became still. 
 This silence lasted about a minute when the loud voice of 
 the doctor was heard: 'There is a very black woman who 
 lives in a house,' describing it, ' she bewitched Mpomo.' 
 The crowd, roaring and screaming, rushed frantically for 
 the place indicated. They seized upon a poor girl named 
 Okondaga, the sister of my good friend and guide 
 Adouma. Waving their weapons over her head, they 
 tore her away to the water-side, bound her with cords, 
 and then rushed back to the doctor again. 
 
 "As poor Okondaga passed by in the hands of her 
 murderers, she saw me, though I had turned away not to 
 be seen, for I could not help her. I heard her cry out, 
 ' Chally, Chally, do not let me die !' It was a moment of 
 agony; I was minded to rush into the crowd and rescue • 
 the poor victim. But I should only have sacrificed my 
 life, without helping her. So I hid myself behind a tree, 
 and, I confess it, shed bitter tears. 
 
 "Presently silence fell once more upon the crowd. 
 Then the voice of the devilish doctor again rang over the 
 town, like the croak of a raven, 'There is an old woman 
 in a house,' describing it, ' she bewitched Mpomo.' 
 
 "The crowd rushed off and seized a niece of King 
 Quenguesa, a noble-hearted and majestic old woman. 
 As they crowded about with flaming eyes, she rose 
 proudly from the ground, looked them in the face un- 
 flinchingly, and motioning them to keep their hands off, 
 said, 'I will drink the mboundou, but woe to my accusers if 
 I do not die.' She was escorted to the river without being 
 bound. She submitted without a tear or a murmur. 
 
 " A third time the dreadful silence fell upon the town, 
 and the doctor's voice was heard: 'There is a woman 
 with six children. She lives on a plantation toward 
 
36o 
 
 AN AFRICAN WITCH DOCTOR. 
 
 die rising sun. She, too, bewitched Mpomo.' Anwthei 
 furious shout, and in a few moments they brought to 
 the river' one of Quenguesa's slaves, a good woman, 
 whom I knew. The doctor now, in a loud voice, recited 
 the crime of which these women were accused. Okon- 
 daga, he said, some weeks before, asked Mpomo for 
 some salt, and he refused her. She had said unpleasant 
 things to him, and had by sorcery taken his life. 
 
 "Then Quenguesa's niece was accused. She had no 
 children, and Mpomo had children. She envied him, and 
 had bewitched him. 
 
 " Quenguesa's slave had asked Mpomo for a looking- 
 glass. He had refused her. Therefore she had killed 
 him with sorcery. As each accusation was repeated, the 
 people broke out into curses. Even the relatives of the 
 poor victims were obliged to join in this. Every one 
 rivaled his neighbor in /cursing, each fearful lest luke- 
 warmness should expose him to a like fate. . . . 
 
 "The victims were put into a large canoe with the 
 executioners, the doctor, and a number of the people, all 
 armed. Then the tam-tams were beaten, and the 
 mboundou quabi was prepared. Mpomo's eldest brother 
 held the poisoned cup to his sister's lips. At sight of it 
 poor Okondaga began to cry, and even Quenguesa's 
 niece turned pale, for the negi'o face has at such times a - 
 pallor quite perceptible. The mug of mboundou was 
 handed to the old slave woman, then to the royal niece, 
 and last to Okondaga. As they drank the multitude 
 shouted: 'If they are witches let the mboundou kill 
 them, if they are innocent let the mboundou go out' 
 
 "Suddenly the slave woman fell down. She had not 
 touched the bottom of the boat before her head was 
 hacked off by a dozen swords. Kext came Quenguesa's 
 niece. In an instant her head was cut off, and her blood 
 
THE DARK CONTINENT. 
 
 361 
 
 was dyeing the waters. Meantime poor Okondaga stag- 
 gered, and struggled, and cried, vainly resisting the work- 
 ing of the poison in her system. Last of all, she fell. 
 Then all became confused. A random hacking ensued, 
 and in an incredibly short time the bodies were cut in 
 small pieces which were cast into the river. 
 
 "After this the crowd dispersed to their houses, and for 
 the rest of the day, the" town was silent. Some of these 
 rude people felt that the number in their almost extin- 
 guished tribe was becoming less, and the dread of death 
 filled their hearts. In the evening poor Adouma came 
 secretly to my hoUse, to unburden his sorrowing heart. 
 He, too, had been compelled to take part in the dreadful 
 scene. He dared not refrain from joining in the curses 
 heaped upon his poor sister. He dared not mourn pub- 
 licly for her. I comforted him as well as I could, and I 
 spoke to him of the true God, and of the wickedness of 
 the conduct we had witnessed. He said at last, 'O 
 Chally, when you go back to your far country, America, 
 let them send men to us poor people to teach us frbm 
 that which you call God's mouth,' meaning the Bible. I 
 promised Adouma to give the message, and I now do so." 
 
 God pity poor Africa ! May the Light of the Sun of 
 Righteousness soon shine on her dark land! 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE ABORIGINES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Darin besteht eben die Bedeutung der Amerikanishen Religionen, 
 class sie mehr als ander«, wenigstens mehrals andere Religionen von 
 Kulturvolkern, das primitive und unabgeschwachte Heidenthum dar- 
 stellen. — Dr. J. G. MOller. 
 
 THE religion of the American Indians aiid Alask- 
 ans partakes of the character of their national 
 life ; yet there are traces of the original ideas 
 of God, the creation and early history of man and the 
 world, which we find in the religions of the far East- 
 ern nations. As we have before said, we believe the 
 early inhabitants of America to have come from the 
 eastern shores of Asia, having been washed along in 
 their fishing vessels by the current of the Kuro Shiwo 
 (or black stream), flowing by the western coasts of 
 America, or perhaps crossing on the islands of the North 
 Pacific, where Asia and America almost come together. 
 They differ from the peoples of Eastern Asia, but, per- 
 haps, only in such points as a different climate and dif- 
 ferent habits of life would produce. 
 
 All the people 6f the continent of America appear to 
 have come from one stock. The squalid Esquimaux at 
 one extremity of the chain, the polished Aztec or Inca at 
 the other; agriculturists, and hunters, and canoe-men; 
 tribes frequenting the shores of the great northern lakes, 
 or scattered in the dense savannahs of the South ; all 
 
 their languages grow out of a few flexible tongues. They 
 
 362 
 
THE ''GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. 
 
 363 
 
 bear a resemblance to the Turanian languages — ^the Ma- 
 laysian, the Japanese and others. We can divide the 
 American peoples into two classes — the civilized and the 
 savage. To the first class belong the 'Mexicans and 
 Peruvians ; to the latter, the savages of North America, 
 including the Red Indians, the Alaskans and the inhabit- 
 ants of the West Indies, and wild tribes of South America, 
 — the Patagonians, Guianians, etc. 
 
 THE INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 These nations have the virtues of savage life — a sens* 
 of honor, according to their perceptions of duty, mutuaJ 
 fidelity among 
 individuals, a 
 fortitude which 
 mocks at the 
 most cruel tor- 
 ments, and a , 
 devotedness to| 
 their own tribel 
 which makesl 
 self-immolation 
 in its defense 
 easy. On the 
 other hand, they 
 treat their wives 
 brutally, and 
 their children - indian medicine man. 
 
 with indifference. The apathy under the good and ill of 
 life which the Stoic affected is the grand element of the 
 Indian's character. Gloomy, stern and severe, he is, it 
 would seem, a stranger to mirth and laughter; yet, in 
 their legends, frequent reference is made to laughter. 
 All outward expressions of pain or pleasure he regards 
 
,g. INDIAN MEDICINE-MAN. 
 
 as a weakness ; and the only feeling to which he eve. 
 yields is the boisterous joy which he manifests in the 
 moment of victory, or under the excitement of intoxica- 
 tion He is capable of great exertions in war or the chase, 
 but has an unconquerable aversion to regular labor. He 
 is extremely improvident ; eats enormously while he has 
 an abundance of food, without thinking of the famine 
 which may follow ; and, when liquors are supplied to 
 him, will continue drunk for days. Corresponding to the 
 priests among other peoples, the Indians have " Medicine 
 Men ;" they believe that these possess great power, and 
 they trust implicitly in all their directions. 
 
 THE GREAT SPIRIT. 
 
 Most of the Indians of North America believe in the 
 existence-of a supreme being, whom they call the Great 
 Spirit ; and of a subordinate one, whose nature is evil 
 and hostile to man. To the latter their worship is princi- 
 pally addressed ; the Good Spirit, in their opinion, needing 
 no prayers to induce him to aid and protect His creatures. 
 They generally believe in a future state, in which the 
 souls of brave warriors and chaste wives enjoy a tranquil 
 and happy existence with their ancestors and friends, 
 spending their time in those exercises in which they de- 
 lighted when on earth. The Dakotas believe that the road 
 to these "villages of the dead " leads over a rock with an 
 edge as sharp as a knife, on which only the good are 
 able to keep their footing. The wicked fall off and de- 
 scend to the region of the Evil Spirit, where they are 
 hard-worked, and often flogged by their relendess master. 
 
 WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS. 
 
 As we shall find among the Chinese, the Indians wor- 
 shiped the spirits of their dead ancestors. As among the 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. ,5^ 
 
 Chinese, the periodical offering of calces, libations, flesh 
 or viands at the grave to ancestors, is seen to be an idea 
 incorporated into the practice of the American,, at least 
 the Algonic Indians. These Indians, believing in the 
 twofold nature of the soul, and that the soul sensorial 
 abides for a time with the body in the grave, requiring 
 food for its ghostly existence and journeyings, deposit 
 meat and other food at and after the time of interment. 
 This custom is universal, and was one of their earliest 
 traits. 
 
 Few things in savage life are of more singular interest 
 ctian the ceremonies of a burial. Some of the tribes, 
 for instance, take the body of their dead, and having 
 clothed it in the best robes and ornaments, furnish it 
 with many articles which are supposed most desirable, 
 and, wrapping the whole carefully in soft, wet hides, place 
 ;he precious burden on a scaffold several feet high. In 
 the course of time, the scaffold falls ; then the relatives as- 
 semble and bury the remains, except the skull ; this they 
 place on the ground, where there are perhaps a hundred 
 skulls in a circle, all looking inward. About this place of 
 skulls the women are often seen, sitting with their work for 
 hours at a time, holding in their lap^ the skull of a dead 
 child ; and not unfrequently they are seen to clasp these 
 skulls in their arms and lie down, talking as if to a living 
 child, until they fall asleep. 
 
 The Sioux Indians wrap their dead in skins, and lodge 
 them in the branches of trees, never forgetting to place 
 a wooden dish near the head, that the friend may quench 
 his thirst in the long journey he is supposed to have 
 begun. 
 
 Among the Patagonians the dead are frequently re- 
 duced to skeleton before buriaJ, and are washed and 
 arrayed in new clothing once a year. The bodies, while 
 
INDIAN BURIAI. PLACE. 
 
 366 
 
 being prepared, are laid on platforms and guarded by the 
 relatives, who, dressed in long robes, strike the ground 
 
 continually with spears or staves, and keep up a mournful 
 song to drive away the spirits, who they fear are un- 
 friendly to the dead. 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. ,57 
 
 The Indians, like the Africans, Vorship fetiches or 
 material objects in which either the gods 
 personally or some supernatural power is 
 supposed to dwell. It not infrequently hap- 
 pens that if an Indian dreams of an idol or 
 fetich of a certain form, when he wakes he 
 proceeds to make it according to the pattern 
 of his vision, and this is the secret history 
 of many of the grotesque forms which are 
 favorite symbols with them in their sacred 
 rites. These they designate Manitos. 
 
 INDIAN LEGENDS. 
 
 The Indians' hopes, fears, worships, and 
 whole faith and life are found in their legends 
 and myths. These are preserved by oral tra- indian image. 
 dition, by being handed down by word of and°°mide^ ty^" 
 mouth from generation to generation. In **=''"='"' '^^"■ 
 the leisure from hunting or war, they gather in the lodge 
 gr about the camp-fire and rehearse these stories. As 
 Longfellow has sung: 
 
 "Should you ask me, whence these stories? 
 Whenr-e these legends and traditions, 
 With the odors of the forest, 
 With the dew and damp of meadows. 
 With the curling smoke of wigwams, 
 With the rushing of great rivers, 
 With their frequent repetitions, 
 And their wild reverberations, 
 As of thunder in the mountains ? 
 
 I should answer, I should tell you, 
 I repeat them as I heard them 
 From the lips of Nawadaha. 
 
 "Ye whose hearts are fresh and sjmple. 
 Who have faith in God and Nature, 
 
^gg SONG OF HIAWATHA. 
 
 Who believe, that in all ages 
 Evety human heart is human, 
 That in even savage bosoms 
 ■ There are longings, yearnings, strivings 
 For the good they comprehend not. 
 That the feeble hands and helpless. 
 Groping blindly in the darkness. 
 Touch God's right hand in that darkness 
 And are lifted up and strengthened. ' ' 
 
 THE "SONG OF HIAWATHA." 
 
 Hiawatha is a personage of miraculous birth, whom 
 the Indians believed to have been sent among them to 
 clear their rivers, forests and fishing-grounds, and to 
 teach them the arts of peace. To the patient, toilsome 
 investigations of Dr. H. R. Schoolcraft, our knowledge 
 of Indian legends is due. The poet, Longfellow, has 
 gracefully woven many of these legends together in his 
 "Song of Hiawatha." 
 
 Hiawatha is regarded as the messenger of the Great 
 Spirit, sent down to them in the character of a wise man, 
 and a prophet. But he comes clothed with all the attri- 
 butes of humanity, as well as the power of performing 
 miraculous deeds. He adapts himself perfectly to their 
 rr. miners, customs and ideas. He is brought up from a 
 ud among them. He is made to learn their mode of 
 ■ e. He takes a wife, builds a lodge, hunts and fishes 
 ike the rest of them, sings his war songs and medicine 
 songs, goes to war, has his triumphs, has his friends and 
 loes, suffers, wants, hungers, is in dread or joy; and, in 
 fine, undergoes all the vicissitudes of his fellows. His 
 miraculous gifts and powers are always adapted to his 
 situation. When he is swallowed by a great fish, with 
 his canoe, he escapes by the exertion of these powers, 
 but always, as much as possible, in accordance with 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. 
 
 369 
 
 Indian maxims and means. He is provided with a migic 
 canoe, which goes where it is bid; yet, in his fight with 
 the great Wampura prince, he is counseled by a wood- 
 pecker to know where the vulnerable point of his antag- 
 onist lies. He rids the earth of jmonsters and giants, 
 and clears away windfalls ,and obstructions to the navi- 
 gation of streams. But he does not do these feats by 
 miracles; he employs strong men to help him. When, 
 he means to destroy the great serpents, he changes him- 
 self into an old tree, and stands on the beach till they 
 come out of the water to bask in the sun. Whatever 
 man could do in strength or wisdom he could do. But 
 he never does things above the comprehension or belief 
 of his people; and whatever else he is, he is always true 
 to the character of an Indian. 
 
 He leaps over extensive regions of country, like an 
 ignis-fdtuus, the false light caused, by the vapors of the 
 swamp which misleads the traveler. He appears sud- 
 denly like an incarnation of a god, or saunters over 
 weary wastes a poor and starving hunter. His voice is 
 at one moment deep and sonorous as a thunder-clap, and 
 at another clothed with the softness of feminine supplica- 
 tion. Such is the character of whom Longfellow has sung. 
 
 INDIAN ALLEGORY OF WINTER AND SPRING, 
 
 An old man was sitfing in his lodge, by the side of a 
 frozen stream. It was the close of winter, and his fire 
 was almost out. He appeared very old and very deso- 
 late. His locks were white with age, and he trembled in 
 every joint. Day after day he passed in solitude, and he 
 heard nothing but the sounds of the tempest, sweeping 
 before it the new-fallen snow. 
 
 One day, as his fire was just dying, a handsome young 
 man approached and entered his d'^'elling. His cheeks 
 
 *3 ( 
 
INDIAN TALES AND LEGENDS. 
 
 were red with the blood of youth, his eyes sparkled with 
 animation, and a, smile played upon his lips. He walked 
 with a light and quick step. His forehead was bound 
 with a wreath of sweet grass, in place of a warrior's 
 frontlet, and he carried a bunch of flowers in his hand. 
 
 " I blow my breath," said the old man, " and the streams 
 stand still. The water becomes stiff and hard as clear 
 stone." 
 
 " I breathe," said the young man, " and flowers spring 
 up all over the plains." 
 
 " I shake my locks," retorted the old man, " and snow 
 covers the land. The leaves fall from the trees at my 
 command, and my breath blows them away. The birds 
 get up from the water and fly to a distant land. The 
 animals hide themselves from my breath, and the very 
 ground becomes as hard as flint." 
 
 "I shake my ringlets," rejoined the young man, "and 
 warm showers of soft rain fall upon the earth. The 
 plants lift up their heads out of the earth, like the eyes 
 of children glistening with delight. My voice recalls the 
 birds. The warmth of my breath unlocks the streams. 
 Music fills the groves wherever I walk, and all nature 
 rejoices." 
 
 At length the sun began to rise. A gentle warmth 
 came over the place. The tongue of the old man be- 
 came silent. The robin and bluebird began to sing on 
 the top of the lodge. The stream began to murmur by 
 the door, and the fragrance of growing herbs and flowers 
 came softly on the vernal breeze. 
 
 Daylight fully revealed to the young man the character 
 of his entertainer. When he looked upon him, he had 
 the icy visage of Peboan. Streams began to flow from 
 his eyes. As the sun increased, he grew less and less 
 in stature, and anon had melted completely away. No- 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. -.^j 
 
 thing remained on the place of his lodge-fire but the mis- 
 kodeed, a small white flower, with a pink border, which 
 is one of the earliest species of northern plants. 
 
 ALASKA. 
 
 The Thlinkets, an Alaskan tribe, will illustrate the 
 worship of the Alaskans generally. Their religion is a 
 feeble Polytheism. Yehl is the maker cf wood and 
 waters. He put the sun, moon and stars in their places. 
 He lives in the east, near the head-waters of the Naass 
 River. He makes himself known in the east wind 
 "Ssankheth," and his abode is "Nass-shak-yehl." 
 
 At that time the sun, moon and stars were kept by a 
 rich chief in separate boxes, which he allowed no one to 
 touch. Yehl, by strategy, secured and opened these 
 boxes, so that th^ moon and stars shone in the sky. 
 When the sun-box was opened, the people, astonished at 
 the unwonted glare, ran off into the mountains, woods, 
 and even into the water, becoming animals or fish. He 
 also provided fire and water. Having arranged every- 
 thing for the comfort of the Thlinkets, he disappeared 
 where neither man nor spirit can penetrate. 
 
 As the good spirits, from the very nature of the case, 
 will not harm them, the Alaskans pay but little attention 
 to them. They give their chief attention to propitiatin£' 
 the evil spirits, so that their religion practically resolves 
 itself into devil-worship or demonolatry. This is called 
 Shamanism, or the giving of offerings to evil spirits to 
 prevent them from doing mischief to the offerer. It is 
 said to have been the old religion of the Tartar race 
 before the introduction of Buddhism, and is still that oi 
 the Siberians, Indeed, Paul long ago declared, "the 
 things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to 
 devils and not to God " The one whose office it is to 
 
INDIAN SUN-WORSHIP. 
 
 perform these rites is called a shaman, and is the sorcerer 
 or medicine-man of the tribes. The shaman has control, 
 not only of the spirits, but, through the spirits, of disease, 
 of the elements, and of nature; he holds in his power 
 success or misfortune, blessing or cursing. "The honor," 
 says Dall, "with which a shaman is regarded depends 
 on the number of spirits under his control, who, properly 
 employed contribute largely to his wealth." 
 
 INDIAN SUN-WORSHIP. 
 
 We are informed that the worship of the sun lies at 
 the foundation of all the ancient mythologies, deeply 
 enveloped as they are, when followed over Asia Minor 
 and Europe, in symbolic and linguistic subtleties and re- 
 finements. The symbolic fires erected on temples and 
 altars to Baal, Chemash and Moloch, burned brightly in 
 the valley of the. Euphrates long before the pyramids of 
 Egypt were erected, or its priestly-hoarded hieroglyphic 
 wisdom resulted in a phonetic alphabet. In Persia these 
 altars were guarded and religiously fed by a consecrated 
 body of magical priesthood, who recognized a Deity in 
 the essence of an eternal fire and a world-pervading 
 •light. 
 
 The same dogma, derived apparently from the east and 
 not from the west, through Europe, was fully installed at 
 Atacama and Cuzco, in Peru, at Cholulu, on the magnif- 
 icent and volcano-lighted peaks of Mexico, and along the 
 fertile deltas of the Mississippi valley. Altar-beds for a 
 sacred fire, lit to the Great Spirit, under the name and 
 symbolic form of Cuzis, or the sun, where the frankin- 
 cense of the nicotiana was offered, with hymns and genu- 
 flections, have been discovered, in many instances, under 
 the earth-heaps and artificial mounds and places of 
 sepulture of the ancient inhabitants, Intellip-ent Indians 
 
AMAZONIi>N INDIANS WORS.'fPING THE SUN. 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. ,7c 
 
 yet living among the North American tribes, point out 
 the symbol of the sun, in their ancient muzzinabikons or 
 rock-inscriptions, and also amid the ideographic tracery 
 and bark-scrolls of the hieratic, or priestly inscriptions, 
 and of the magical medicine-songs. 
 
 AMAZON SUN-WORSHIP. 
 
 We turn away to the savage tribes of South America 
 and find many of the forms of faith and worship which 
 we have seen among the Northern Indians and among 
 the nations of the Eastern world at about the time of the 
 dispersion of the nations. Thus among the Amazon In- 
 dians of Western Brazil, we find the same worship of 
 the sun that we haye seen in Egypt, in Assyria, in Japan, 
 and . among the Indians of North America. A traveler 
 among them says : "A sound fell upon our ears that seemed 
 to issue from the depths of a distant cavern. We could 
 tell it to be a chorus of voices, chanting some sad or sol- 
 emn refrain. As we listened it grew louder, as if the 
 chanters were drawing nearer ; and in the sam^ degree, 
 it was becoming more joyful. All at once a procession 
 appeared approaching the spot, men marching two and 
 two, with files of women intermingled. 
 
 "As its head emerged from among the thick-standing 
 tree-trunks, we recognized our old Zummate friends, 
 dressed in all the gala of a grand holiday, with plumed 
 circlets upon their heads, feather armlets, and garters of 
 the same, girt just below the knee. 
 
 "On reaching the malocca, they broke ranks, at the 
 same time bursting into peals of joyous laughter. Then 
 surrounding they embraced us, the chief in a speech 
 again making us welcome to their village. 
 
 "We soon discovered the cause of their absence from 
 home with all these mysterious proceedings. The day 
 
„^> RELIGION 01' PATAGONIA. 
 
 was a grand festival — a religious ceremony annually ob- 
 served by the tribe, when every man, woman and child go 
 forth into the woods, to worship the sun. 
 
 "There, near the mouth of the Amazon, and amid the 
 mountains of Guiana, is found the same culte, observed 
 by the ancient Peruvians in the days of Pizarro. and the 
 Mexicans before Cortez Christianized them." 
 
 THE ARAUCANIANS. 
 
 The Araucanians, in the north-western part of South 
 America, believe in a supreme being, and in many sub- 
 ordinate spirits, good and ,bad. They believe also in 
 omens and divinations, but they have neither temples nor 
 idols, nor religious rites; and discover upon the whole 
 so little aptitude for the reception of religious ideas that 
 the Catholic missionaries that have settled among them 
 have had very little success in imbuing their minds with 
 a knowledge of Christianity. They believe in a future 
 state, and have a confused tradition respecting a deluge 
 from which some persons were saved on a high moun- 
 tain ; but in other respects religious knowledge is lacking. 
 
 PATAGONIA. 
 
 The religion of the Patagonian is a Polytheism, the 
 natives believing that there are great numbers of deities, 
 some good and some evil. Each family is under the 
 guardianship of one of the good deities, and all the mem- 
 bers of that family join him when they die. Beside these 
 gods there are subordinate demons, good to their own 
 friends, but bad toward all others ; so that, on the whole, 
 the bad predominates in them. They are called by the 
 name of Valichu, 
 
 Yet, among some of the Patagonian tribes, there is 
 a considerable approach to personal religion. It has been 
 
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 thought with some reason that they are totally destitute of 
 religion. This, however, is certainly not the case, as even 
 our limited knowledge of these people, their language 
 and their habits show that, even though they may not 
 possess any definite system of worship, they are still im- 
 pressed with the idea of some Being infinitely greater 
 than themselves, who knows Everything that they do. 
 Thus they believe in an omniscient Being ; and such a 
 belief as this, limited and imperfect though it may be, is 
 yet a step in the right direction. 
 
 To this unknown Being they return thanks for a sup- 
 ply of food after a long famine ; so that we find them 
 acknowledging that the great Being, who knows all their 
 deeds, watches over them and is the giver of all good 
 things. When, for example, they have procured a seal, 
 aft-er having been half starved for months, they assemble 
 round a fire, and the oldest man present cuts for each 
 person a piece of the seal, uttering over each portion a 
 sort of prayer, and looking upward in devotion to the 
 unseen God who had sent them meat in their need. 
 Undisciplined as are the Patagonians, totally unaccus- 
 tomed to self-denial and mad with hunger, not one of 
 them will touch the food until this invocation has been 
 repeated. Thus they show a devout spirit. 
 
 THE AZTECS, • 
 
 The religion of the Mexicans breathed a savage spirit, 
 which degraded them, in a moral point^of view, far below 
 the hordes of wandering Indians. Their deities, repre- 
 sented by misshapen images of serpents and other 
 hideous animals, were the creation of the darkest passions 
 of the human breast— of terror, hatred, cruelty and re- 
 venge. They delighted in blood, and thousands of 
 human sacrifices were annually offered at their shrines. 
 
38o 
 
 ANCIENT AZTEC IDOL. 
 
 The places of worship, called Teocallis, were pyramids 
 composed of terraces placed one above another, like the 
 temple of Belus at Babylon. These were built of clay, 
 
 ANCIENT AZTEC IDOL. 
 
 or of alternate layers of clay and unburnt bricks, but, in 
 some cases, faced with slabs of polished stone, on which 
 figures of animals were sculptured in relief. One or two 
 small chapels stood upon the summit, inclosing- images 
 
THE "GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. 
 
 381 
 
 of the deity. The largest known Teocalli contains four 
 stories or terraces, and has a breadth of 480 yards at 
 the base and a height of 55 yards. These structures 
 served as temples, tombs and observatories. 
 
 The Aztecs believed in one supreme, invisible creator 
 of all things, the ruler of the universe, named Taotl — a 
 belief, it is conjectured, not native to them, but derived 
 from their predecessors, the TaoltecS. Under this su- 
 preme being stood thirteen chief and two hundred inferior 
 deities, each of whom had his sacred day and festival. At 
 their head was the patron god of the Aztecs, the frightful 
 Huitzilopochtli, the Mexican Mars. His temples were 
 the most splendid and imposing. In every city of the 
 empire his altars were drenchfed with the blood of human 
 sacrifice. Cortez and his companions were permitted by 
 Montezuma to enter his temple in the city of Mexico, and 
 to behold the god himself. He had a broad face, wide 
 mouth and terrible eyes. He was covered with gold, 
 pearls and precious stones, and was girt about with 
 golden serpents. On his neck, a fitting ornament, were 
 the faces of men wrought in silver, arjd their hearts in 
 gold. Close by were braziers with incense, and on the 
 braziers three real hearts of men who had that day been 
 sacrificed. The smell of the place, we are told, was like 
 that of a slaughter-house. 
 
 To supply victims for the sacrifices, the emperors made 
 war on all the neighboring and subsidiary States, or in 
 case of revolt, in any city of their dominions, and levied a 
 certain number of men, women and children by way of 
 indemnity. The victims were borne in triumphal proces- 
 sions and to the sound of music, to the summit of the 
 great temples, where the priests, in sight of assembled 
 crowds, -bound them to the sacrificial stone, and opening 
 the breast tore from it the bleeding heart which was 
 
-32 HJTZILOPOCHTLI, 'I HE MEXICAN MARS. 
 
 eitheriaid before the image of the gods, or eaten by the, 
 worshipers, after having been carefully cut up and mixed 
 with maize. In the years immediately preceding the 
 Spanish conquest, not less than 20,000 victims were an- 
 nually immolated. 
 
 These atrocities were sometimes, though incongruously^ 
 blended with milder forms of worship, in which fruits, 
 flowers and perfumes were offered up amid joyous out- 
 bursts of song and dance. According to their mythology, 
 Taotl, who delighted in these purer sacrifices, had once 
 reigned in Anahuac (a name which at first probably ap- 
 plied only to the country in the immediate vicinity of the 
 capital, though afterward it was applied to the whole 
 Aztec empire) in the golden age of the world but being 
 obliged, from some unexplained cause, to retire from 
 earth, he departed by way of the Mexican Gulf, promis- 
 ing to return. 
 
 This wide-spread tradition accelerated the success of the 
 Spaniards, whose light skins and long dark hair and 
 beards were regarded as evidences of their affinity with 
 the long-looked-for ' divinity. The Mexican priesthood 
 formed a rich and powerful order of the State and were 
 so numerous that Cortez found as many as 5,000 attached 
 to the temple of Mexico. The education of the young 
 of both sexes remained, till the age of puberty, in the hands 
 of the priests and priestesses, and the sacerdotal class 
 were thus able to exercise a widely-diffused influence, 
 which, under the later rulers, was almost equal to that of 
 the emperor himself The women shared in all the oc- 
 cupations of the men, and were taught, like them, the 
 arts of reading, writing, ciphering, singing in chorus, 
 dancing, etc., and they were even initiated into the secrets 
 of astronomy and astrology. These facts indicate a civil- 
 ization far above that of many other natfons and tribes. 
 
THE ''GREAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. 
 
 38; 
 
 SUN-WORSHIP AMONG THE PERUVIANS. 
 THE INCAS. 
 
 The government of Peru was a theocracy. The Inca 
 was at^once the temporal sovereign and the supreme 
 
^g. ^PERUVIAN SUN-WORSHIP. 
 
 pontiff. He was regarded as the descendant and repre- 
 sentative of the great deity, the sun, who was supposed 
 to inspire his counsels, and speak through his orders and 
 decree. Hence even slight offenses were punished with 
 death, because they were regarded as insults offered to 
 the divinity. The race of the Incas was held sacred. 
 To support its pretensions, it was very desirable that it 
 should be kept pure and distinct from the people; but 
 human passions are often too strong for the dictates of 
 policy; and though the marriages of the family were con- 
 fined to their own race, the emperor, as well as the other 
 males of the blood royal, kept large harems stocked with 
 beauties drawn from all parts of the empire, and multi- 
 plied a spurious progeny, in whom the blood of the 
 '' children of the sun " was blended with that of the 
 "children of the earth." Among a simple-minded and 
 credulous people the claims of the Incas to a celestial 
 origin seem to have been implicitly believed. They were 
 blindly obeyed, and treated with a respect bordering on 
 adoratioij, by the nobles and the common people. 
 
 The Peruvians worshiped the sun, moon, the evening 
 star, the spirit of thunder and the rainbow, and had 
 erected temples in Cuzco to all these deities. That of 
 the sun, which was the most magnificent, had its walls 
 covered with plates of pure gold. The sacrifices con- 
 sisted of the objects most prized by the people — of grain, 
 and of fruits, of a few animals, and of the productions of 
 their own industry. Sun-worship, as it is the most 
 rational of all forms of idolatry, is also generally the 
 most mild; and doubtless this results from the tendency 
 which it has to fix the thoughts on the marks of benefi- 
 cence and wisdom which are displayed in the works 
 of nature. The Peruvian temples were accordingly 
 never poluted, like those of Mexico, with the blood of 
 
TWB- "t^KEAT SPIRIT" OF AMERICA. 
 
 human victims; and the Incas even went farther, and 
 signalized their zeal against such horrid rights, by sup- 
 pressing them in. all the countries they conquered. 
 
 The temple of the Sun at Cuzco, called Coricancha or 
 'Place of Gold " was the most magnificent edifice in the 
 
386 
 
 ANCIENT PERUVIAN TEMPLE. 
 
 empire. On the western wall, and opposite the eastern 
 portal, was a splendid representation of the sun, the god 
 of the nation. It consisted of a human face in gold, with 
 innumerable golden rays emanating from it in every 
 direction; and when the early beams of the morning sun 
 fell upon this brilliant golden disc, they were reflected 
 from it as from a mirror, and again reflected throughout 
 the whole temple by the numberless plates, cornices, 
 bands and images of gold, until the temple seemed to 
 glow with a sunshine more intense and glorious than that 
 of nature. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE ISLANDS OF THE SEAS. 
 
 I believe that the ignorance which has prevailed regarding tl* 
 mythological systems of , barbarous or semi-barbarous races has too 
 generally led to their being considered far grander and more reason- 
 able than they really were. — W. Von Humboldt. 
 
 OCEANICA is one of the five great divisions of 
 the globe. It embraces all the islands lying in 
 the Pacific Ocea« between the south-eastern 
 shores of Asia and the western shores of Arnerica. 
 
 The people may be divided into two classes; the one 
 called the Papuans, the other the Malayo-Polynesians. 
 The first resemble the African Negroes, having a black 
 skin, and crisp (Papua means " crisp") and woolly hair, 
 broad noses, receding chins and foreheads and thick, pro- 
 truding lips. These Oceanica Negroes live mainly in New 
 Guinea. They are also found in the woods and mountain 
 fastnesses of some other islands. They seemed destined 
 to be utterly destroyed in -the struggle with new-coming 
 races. The second, the Malayo-Polynesians, are the brown 
 or copper-colored race of Oceanica. They greatly re- 
 semble the Arabs in character, customs and appearance. 
 They are half-civilized, while the Papuans are barbarous. 
 They overspread almost the whole of the southern 
 Pacific Islands. They readily responded to the religious 
 teachings and civilizing influences of Asia. In Juva es- 
 pecially they became almost a reproduction of the people 
 of India, in their religion, language and habits. 
 
 3«> 
 
388 
 
 A PAPUAN FETICH HOUSE. 
 
 THE DEPRAVED CONDITION OF THE PAPUANS, 
 
 The religious condition of the Papuans is very low. 
 They resemble somewhat the American Indians and the 
 lower African peoples in their faith and worship. The idea 
 
 of God has almost vanished from their minds. They re- 
 cognize, indeed, not a moral Ruler, but a great awe-in- 
 spiring and mysterious power. Their whole worship is 
 
WOLATRY IN OCEANICA. 
 
 389 
 
 a mere attempt at propitiating the angry and malignant 
 gods and evil spirits. There are no shrines or temples, 
 no priests, no sacred 
 books. They make/ei- 
 iches of pieces of sculp- 
 ture, a snake, a lizard, a 
 bit of bone or some- 
 times an image of a 
 man. This last is called 
 a karwar and is found 
 in almost every hut, and 
 answers the purpose of 
 an oracle and idol. In 
 consulting it, they squat 
 before it, clasp their 
 hands over the forehead, 
 bow repeatedly, at the 
 same time stating their 
 intentions. If they are 
 seized with any nervous 
 feeling, it is considered a bad sign. If they feel hopeful, 
 the idol is supposed to approve. It is deemed necessary 
 that a karwa^ should be present on all important occasions. 
 
 THE PAGAN POLYNESIANS. 
 
 We see in the Malayo-Polynesians a reproduction of 
 the worship of the Aztecs of Mexico. Together with 
 some knowledge of arts and civilization, the most savage 
 atrocities exist — infanticidej human sacrifices, the choking 
 to death of whole families in honor of some fallen chief, 
 brutish feasts upon the bodies of their foes and even of 
 their fellow-subjects. 
 
 The chief god is called Ndengd. Besides him there is 
 a host of good and evil gods, who are always warring in 
 
 TATTOOED GIRL OF OCEANICA. 
 
390 
 
 THE PAGAN POLYNESIANS. 
 
 the attempt to help or to hurt mankind. One of these 
 eods of the infernal regions is said to sit upon the bnnk ot 
 ^ a huge fiery cave, 
 
 /l/VM\IA/l\ll\\// . into which he 
 casts the spirits 
 of the dead. An- 
 other, the one- 
 toothed Lord, is 
 described as liv- 
 ing in the figure 
 of a man, with 
 wings instead of 
 arms, and claws 
 instead of fin- 
 gers, to snatch 
 his victims. His 
 tooth is so large 
 that it reaches 
 above his head, 
 \ and he throws 
 out sparks of 
 fire as he flies 
 through the air. 
 
 Among this 
 people there is a 
 priesthood, and 
 their temples, or 
 "spirit-houses," 
 are called il/(5«r^. 
 POLYNESIAN IDOL AND ITS DEVOTEES. Thcv are exceed- 
 
 ingly devout in their way and superstitious. Their re- 
 ligious ideas enter into their every-day life. They have 
 some interesting traditions, from which a few selections 
 may be used as illustrative of the whole. 
 
IDOLATRY IN OCEANICA. 
 
 39' 
 
 TRADITIONARY ORIGIN OF HUMAN PRIESTHOOD. 
 
 The gods first spake to man through the small land- 
 birds ; but their utterances were too indistinct to guide 
 the actions of mankind. To meet this emergency, an 
 order of priests was set apart, the gods actually taking 
 up their abode, for the time being, in their sacred per- 
 sons. Priests were significantly named "god-boxes" 
 (pia-atna), generally abbreviated to " gods," i. e., living 
 embodiments of these divinities. Temples were natu- 
 
 A FIJIAN BURE TEMPLE. 
 
 rally conjoined with priesthood, but they were usually o*" 
 the, rudest and simplest sort. 
 
 Whenever consulted, a present of the best food, ac- 
 companied with a bowl of intoxicafing " piper mythisti- 
 cum," was indispensible< The priest, throwing himself 
 into a frenzy, delivered a response in language intelligible 
 only to the initiated. A favorite subject of inquiry was 
 "the sin why so-and-so was ill;" no one being supposed 
 to die a natural death unless decrepit with extreme old 
 
•7Q2 A FIJIAN BUliE ThMPLE. 
 
 age. If a priest cherished a spite against anybody, he 
 had only to declare it to be the will of the divinity that 
 the victim should be put to death, or be laid on the altar 
 for some offense against the gods. The best kinds of 
 food were sacred to the priests and chiefs and they were 
 never slow to make use of it. 
 
 Although unsuited for the delivery of oracles, birds 
 were ever regarded as the special messengers "of the 
 gods to warn individuals of impending danger, each tribe 
 having its own feathered guardians. 
 
 POLYNESIAN NOTION OF THE SUN AND MOON. 
 
 A curious myth obtained in the now almost extinct 
 Tongan tribe relative to the origin of the sun and moon. 
 Vatea and Tonga-ita quarreled respecting the parentage 
 of the first born of Papa, each claiming the 
 child as his own. At last the child was cut 
 in two. Vatea, the husband of Papa, took 
 the upper part as his share, and forthwith 
 squeezed it into a ball and tossed it into 
 the heavens, where it became the sun. 
 
 Tonga-ita sullenly allowed his share, the 
 lower half, to remain a day or two on the 
 ground. Seeing the brightness of Vatea's 
 __^^^^^^ half, he resolved to imitate his example by 
 IDOL OF SOUTH comprcssing his share into a ball, and toss- 
 SEA ISLANDS.' ing jj jj^jQ jj^g j^j.j^ gj^y Axumg the absence 
 
 of the sun in Avaiki, or nether-world. Thus originated 
 the moon, whose paleness is attributed to the blood hav- 
 ing all drained out of the body as it lay so long on the 
 ground and to decomposition having commenced. 
 
 They believed that men could become gods. Mani, by 
 his mighty prowess, entered the rank of the gods, and his 
 example could be followed by others. 
 
IDOLATRY IN OCEANICA. 
 
 393 
 
 TRADITION OF MANI S SECURING THE FIRE-GOD S SECRET. 
 
 One of the most peculiar traditions of Oceanica is this: 
 To Ru and Buataranga was born a famous son, Mani. 
 At an early age, Mani was appointed one of the guar- 
 dians of this- upper world where mortals live. - Like the 
 rest of the inhabitants of the world, he subsisted on un- 
 cooked food. The mother, Buataranga, occasionally 
 visited her son, but always ate her food apart, out of a 
 basket brought with her from nether land. One day, 
 when she was asleep, Mani peeped into her basket, and 
 discovered cooked food. Upon 
 tasting it, he was decidedly of 
 opinion that it was a great im- 
 provement upon the raw diet 
 to which he was accustomed. 
 This lood came from nether- 
 world ; it was evident that the 
 secret of fire was there. To 
 nether-world, the home of his 
 parents, he would descend to 
 gain this knowledge, so that 
 ever after he might enjoy the 
 luxury of cooked food. 
 
 On the following day Buata- 
 ranga was about to descend to 
 Avaiki (nether- wo rid), when 
 Mani followed her through the 
 bush without her knowing it. 
 This was no difficult task, as she always came and re- 
 turned by the same road. Peering through the tall reeds, 
 he saw his mother standing within easy hearing distance, 
 of him and directly opposite a black rock, which she ad- 
 dressed as follows : 
 
 GREAT IDOL OF OCEANICA, 
 Six feet in Height. 
 
394 
 
 GREAT IDOL OF OCEANICA. 
 
 " Buatar3.nga, descend thou boldly through this chasm. 
 The rainbow-like must be obeyed ; 
 As two dark clouds parting at dawn, 
 Open, open up my road to nether-world, ye fierce ones." 
 
 At these words, the rock divided, and Buataranga de- 
 scended. Mani carefully treasured up these magic words, 
 and without delay started off to see .the god Tane, the 
 owner of some wonderful pigeons. He earnestly begged 
 Tane to lend him one; but the proffered pigeon not 
 pleasing Mani, was at once returned to its owner. A 
 better pigeon was offered to the fastidious borrower, but 
 was rejected. Nothing would content Mani but the pos- 
 session of Akaotu, or Fearless, a red pigeon, specially 
 prized by Tane. It was so tame that it knew its name ; 
 and, wander wherever it might, it was sure to return to 
 its master. Tane, who was loth to part with his pet, ex- 
 tracted a promise from Mani that 
 the pigeon should be restored to 
 him uninjured. Mani now set 
 off in high spirits, .carrying with 
 him his red pigeon, to the place 
 where his mother had descended. 
 Upon pronouncing the magic 
 words which he had dverheafd, 
 to his great delight, the rock 
 opened, and Mani, entering the 
 pigeon, descended. Some assert 
 that Mani transformed himself 
 into a small dragon-fly, and, 
 perched upon the back of the 
 pigeon, made his descent. The two fierce guardian de- 
 mons of the chasm, enraged at finding themselves im- 
 posed upon by a stranger, made a grab at the pigeon, 
 intending to devour it. Fortunately, however, for the 
 
 HAWAIIAN IDOL, 
 KNOWN AS THE POISON GOD. 
 
IDOLATRY IN OCEANICA. ,ge 
 
 borrower, they only succeeded in getting possession of 
 the iail, whilst the pigeon, minus its beautiful tail, pursued 
 its flight to the shades. Mani was grieved at the mishap 
 which had overtaken the pet bird of his friend Tane. 
 
 Arrived at nfether-land, Mani sought for the home of 
 his mother. It was the first house he saw; he was guided 
 to it by the sound of her clothflail. The red pigeon 
 alighted on an ovenhouse opposite to the shed where 
 Buataranga was beating out cloth. She stopped her 
 work to gaze at the red pigeon, which she guessed to be 
 a visitor from the upper world, as none of the pigeons 
 in the shades were red. Buataranga said to the bird, 
 "Are you not come from daylight ?" The pigeon nodded 
 assent. "Are you not my son, Mani ?" inquired the old 
 woman. Again the pigeon nodded. At this Buataranga 
 entered her dwelling and the bird flew to a bread-fruit 
 tree. Mani resumed his proper human form, and went 
 to embrace his mother, who inquired how he had de- 
 scended to nether-world,^ and the object of 
 his visit. Mani avowed that he had come to 
 learn the secret of fire. Buataranga said, 
 "This secret rests with the fire-god, Manike. 
 When I wish to cook an oven, I ask your father 
 Ru to beg a lighted stick from Manike." 
 Mani .inquired where the fire-god lived. Hi 
 mother pointed out the direction, and said it was 
 called Are-aoa — house-of-banyan-sticks. She 
 entreated Mani to be careful, "for the fire-god 
 is a terrible fellow, of a very irritable temper." 
 
 Mani now walked up boldly toward the idol from 
 house of the fire-god, guided by the curling 
 column of smoke. Manike, who happened at the moment 
 to be cooking an oven of food, stopped his work and 
 demanded what the stranger wanted. Mani replied, "A 
 
396 
 
 THE SECRET OF TBA FIRE BRAND. 
 
 fire-brand." The fire-brand was given. Mani carried 
 it to a stream running past the bread-fruit tree and 
 there extinguished it. He now returned to Manike 
 and obtained a second fire-brand, which he also extin- 
 guished in the stream. A third time a lighted stick was 
 demanded of the fire-god. He was beside himself with 
 rage. Raking the ashes of his oven, he gave the daring 
 Mani some of them on a piece of dry wood. These 
 live coals were thrown into the stream as the former 
 lighted sticks had been. 
 
 Mani correctly thought that a fire-brand would be of 
 little use, unless he could obtain the secret of fire. The 
 brand would eventually go out; but how to reproduce the 
 fire? His object, therefore, was to pick a quarrel with the 
 fire-god, and coinpel him, by sheer violence, to yield up 
 the invaluable secret, as yet known to none but himself. 
 On the other hand, the fire-god, confident in his own pro- 
 digious strength, resolved to destroy this insolent in- 
 truder into his secret. Man?, for the fourth time, de- 
 manded fire of the enraged god. Manike ordered him 
 away, under pain of being tossed into the air ; for Mani 
 was small of stature. But the visitor said he should 
 enjoy nothing better than a trial of strength with the 
 fire-god. Manike entered his dwelling to put on his war- 
 girdle (ume-i-tono maro); but on returning, found that 
 Mani had swelled himself to an enormous size. Nothing- 
 daunted at this, Manike boldly seized him with both hands 
 and hurled him to the height of a cocoanut tree. Mani 
 contrived, in falling, to make himself so light that he was 
 in no decree hurt by his adventure. Manike, maddened 
 that his adversary should yet breathe, exerted his full 
 strength, and next time hurled him far higher than the 
 highest cocoanut tree that ever grew. Yet Mani was un- 
 hurt by his fall, whilst the fire-god lay panting for breath. 
 
IDOLATKY IN OCEANICA. 
 
 397 
 
 It was now Mani's turn. Seizing the fire-god, he 
 threw him up to a dizzy height, and caught him again Uke 
 a ball with his hands. Without allowing Manike to touch 
 the ground, he threw him a second time into the air, and 
 caught him in his hands. Assured that this was but a 
 preparation for a final toss, which should seal his fate, the 
 panting and thoroughly exhausted Manike entreated 
 Mani to stop and spare his life. Whatever Mani desired 
 Manike promised should be his. 
 
 The fire-god, now in a misera- 
 ble plight, was allowed to breathe 
 awhile. Mani said: "Only on 
 one condition will I spare you — 
 tell me the secret of fire. Where 
 is it hidden ? How is it pro- 
 duced?" Manike gladly prom- 
 ised to tell him all he knew, and 
 led him inside his wonderful 
 dwelling. In one corner there was 
 a quantity of fine cocoanut-fibre ; 
 in another, bundles of fire-yield- 
 ing sticks — the '' au" the "oron- 
 ga," the " tauinu" and particu- 
 larly the " aoa," or banyan tree. 
 These sticks were all dry and ready for use. In the 
 middle of the room were two smaller sticks by themselves. 
 One of these the fire-god gave to Mani, desiring him to 
 hold it firmly, while he himself plied the other most vigor- 
 ously, uttering as he did it the following song: 
 
 NEW ZEALAND MOON-GOD. 
 
 THE FIRE-GOD S SONG. 
 
 Grant, oh, grant me thy hidden fire, 
 
 Thou banyan tree ! 
 Perform an incantation ; 
 
2q8 mani discovers the secret.- 
 
 Utter a prayer to (the spirit of) 
 The banyan tree 1 
 
 Kindle a fire for Manike 
 
 Of the dust of the banyan tree ! 
 
 By the time this song was completed Mini, to his 
 great joy, perceived a faint smoke arising out of the fine 
 dust produced by the friction of one stick upon another. 
 As they persevered in their work the smoke increased, 
 and, favored witJi the fire-god's breath, a sHght flame 
 arose, when the fine cocoanut fibre was called into requi- 
 sition, to catch and increase the flame. Manike now 
 called to his aid the different bundles of sticks, and 
 speedily got up a blazing fire, to the astonishment and 
 great delight of Mani. 
 
 The grand secret of fire was thus secured. But the 
 victor resolved to be revenged for his trouble and his 
 tossing in the air, by setting fire to his fallen adversary's 
 abode. In a short time all nether-world was in flames, 
 which consumed the fire-god and all he possessed. Even 
 the rocks cracked and split with the heat ; hence the an- 
 cient saying in that land, " The rocks ot Orovaru (in the 
 shades) are burning." 
 
 Ere leaving the land of ghosts, Mani carefully picked 
 up the two fire-sticks, once the property of Manike, and 
 hastened to the bread-fruit tree, where the red pigeon, 
 " Fearless," quietly awaited his return. His first care 
 was to restore the tail of the bird, so as to avoid the 
 anger of Tane. There was no time to be lost, for the 
 flames were rapidly spreading. He re-entered the 
 pigeon, which carried his fire-sticks one in each claw, and 
 flew to the lower entrance of the chasm. Once more 
 pronouncing the words he learnt from Buataranga, the 
 rocks parted, and he safely got back to this upper world. 
 
IDOLATRY IN OCEANICA. 
 
 399 
 
 Through the good offices of his mother, the pigeon met 
 with no opposition from the fierce guardians of the road to 
 the shades. On again enter- 
 ing into Hght the red pigeon 
 took a long sweep, aHghting, 
 eventually, in a lovely, se- 
 cluded valley, which was 
 thenceforth named Rupe-tau, 
 or the pigeofis resting-place. 
 Manx now resumed his origi- 
 nal human form, and has- 
 tened to carry back the pet 
 bird to his friend, Tane. 
 
 Passing through the main 
 valley of Keia, he found that 
 the flames had preceded him, 
 and had found an aperture at 
 Teava, since closed up. The 
 kings Rangi and Mokoiro 
 trembled for their land ; for it 
 seemed as if everything would e destroyed by the de- 
 vouring flames. To save Mangaia from utter destruc- 
 tion, they exerted themselves to the utmost, and finally 
 succeeded in putting out the fire. Rangi thenceforth 
 adopted the new name of Matamea, or Watery-eyes, to 
 commemorate his sufferings; and Mokoiro was ever 
 after called Anai, or Smoke. 
 
 The inhabitants of Mangaia availed themselves of the 
 conflagration to get fire and to cook food. But after a 
 little time their fire went out, and as they were not in 
 possession of the secret, they could not get new fire. But 
 Mani was never without fire in his dwelling; a circum- 
 stance that excited the surprise and the envy of all. Many 
 were the inquiries as to the cause. At length he took com- 
 
 HAWAIIAN WAR-GOD, 
 
 Covered with red feathers, having seal's 
 
 teeth and eyes of pearl. 
 
400 ■^^ HAWAIIAN WAR-GOD. 
 
 passion on the inhabitants of the world, and told them 
 the wonderful secret — that fire lies hidden in the hibiscus, 
 the urtica argentra, the "tauniu," and the "banyan." This 
 hidden fire might be elicited by the use of fire-sticks, 
 which he produced. Finally, he desired them to chant 
 the fire-god's song, to give efificacy to the use of the 
 sticks, and from .that memorable day all the dwellers in 
 this upper world used fire-sticks with success, and enjoyed 
 the luxuries of light and cooked food. By such wonderful 
 deeds Mani succeeded in introducing himself among the 
 gods. He is to-day much reverenced throughout the 
 Pacific Isles. 
 
CHAPTER XIX.* 
 
 THE KARENS AND THEIR TRADITIONS. 
 
 The Karens are a meek, peaceful" race, simple and credulous, with 
 many of the softer virtues and few flagrant vices. Though greatly 
 addicted to drunkenness, extremely filthy and indolent in their habits, 
 their morals, in other respects, are superior to many more civilized 
 races. Their traditions, like those of several tribes of American In- 
 dians, are a curious medley of myth and absurdity; but they have some 
 tolerably definite ideas of a Great Being, who governs ^he universe; 
 and many of their traditionary precepts bears a striking resemblance 
 to those of the Gospel. — Mrs. Emily C. Judson. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Karens, as we now know them, 
 are divided into two main clans and numerous 
 smaller divisions, having different tribal customs 
 and speaking different dialects, yet their religious cus- 
 toms are marked by the same distinctive features in all 
 the tribes. 
 
 The Karens are not now, and never have been, so far 
 as can be ascertained, idol worshipers. They look with 
 cool contempt upon the religious forms of the idolaters 
 by whom ' they are surrounded. The few Karens who 
 have so far forgotten their ancient customs as to give a 
 formal adherence to Buddhist ceremonies, are looked, 
 upon as renegades by their fellow-countrymen. 
 
 This feature marks them as entirely foreign in origin 
 
 to the country in which they are now found. This is 
 
 . confirmed by their own traditions, which declare that they 
 
 ♦Contributed by the Rev. R. M. Luther, of Surmah. 
 
 401 
 
.Q2 "^^^ KARENS DESCRIBED. 
 
 came from the north-west, following the mountain ranges 
 until they found themselves in Burmah, where their home 
 now is. 
 
 These same traditions also declare unmistakably that 
 they once worshiped the true God, whom they call in 
 their own language Yuah or Ktsah Yuah, the latter term 
 meaning " the Lord Yuah." Karens, however, will seldom 
 repeat this name ; the heathen declining positively, and 
 many of the less informed Christians showing a strange 
 reluctance to repeating it. The reason they give is that 
 the word Yuah, in common speech, means to flow down 
 or away, and the Karens say that to use this name care- 
 lessly will cause the favor of God to flow away from 
 them. 
 
 Although the Karens, however, show this strange rever- 
 ence for the name of God, a reverence which reminds us 
 of the similar feeling among the Jews for the sacred 
 name Jah or Yah which the Karen so closely resembles, 
 yet they do not worship this Lord Yuah, as a rule. In- 
 deed in most cases the only sign of worship given to 
 him is the exclamation, " Ba Pa K'tsah!" used when one 
 is starded or suddenly alarmed. This phrase means 
 literally "worship Father God," or, colloquially, "we wor- 
 ship God." Further than this a Karen scarcely ever 
 offers any form of worship to this Being whom they ac- 
 knowledge to be in very truth the one living supreme 
 God. 
 
 The reason for this failure to worship Yuah is ac- 
 counted for by the following strange tradition, which we 
 give as it is commonly repeated around the camp-fires, 
 or in the huts of the Karens, as they while away the 
 cool, quiet nights which succeed the burning days of 
 Burmah: 
 
 "We once, oh! children and grandchildren, had the 
 
THE KARENS AND THEIR TRADITJONS. ^q. 
 
 Law of Yuah, and worshiped him as the only living and 
 true God. I'his law was a written book, and was made 
 of skin, the skin of an animal. Yuah gave* us his law 
 because we were his favored children. Yuah had seven 
 sons, and his oldest son, the first-born of his creation, 
 was our ancestor, the first of our nation and the first 
 of men. 
 
 "Yuah told us to be very careful of his law, and for a 
 time our ancestors read his book and kept his command- 
 ments, for they feared that if they did not. Pa K'tsah 
 (Father God, for that is the real name of Yuah) would 
 flow (Yuah) away from them. 
 
 "By and by, however, our ancestors became careless. 
 They had many gardens to make, and they grew forget- 
 ful of the book of the law, and one day they left it upon 
 a low tree, and the fowls flew up to roost in the evening, 
 and threw, the book down to the ground ; and then a dog 
 came and carried it away, and gnawed it. Pa K'tsah 
 was so displeased that he took away his law from us and 
 gave it to our younger brother, the white man. Then 
 Yuah left us. He said: 'Oh, my children, you are now 
 in the power of the evil spirits, who hate men. You can 
 only appease their anger by sacrifices. I am going far 
 away; but do not despair. One day your younger 
 brother, the white man, will come to you in ships from 
 the west, and will bring you back again the long-lost 
 law of Yuah. Then you will be-happy, for the evil ones 
 will leave you, and I will return. Till then you must 
 wait and watch. You shall be afflicted with sickness 
 when the evil ones eat your spirits. You shall be slaves 
 to your brethren ; but one day all will be right, when 
 your younger brother, the white stranger, brings you 
 again my law." 
 
 Then, say the Karens, began our troubles and sorrows. 
 
BELIEVERS IN EVIL SPIRITS. 
 404 
 
 Since then the Karens have regarded themselves as liv- 
 ing in a world of evil spirits, and their religious ceremo- 
 nies are simply propitiatory sacrifices and prayers to 
 these evil beings, intended to conciliate and flatter them. 
 
 When sick- 
 ness afflicts a 
 Karen, it is sup- 
 posed to be the 
 result of an at- 
 tack upon him 
 by one of these 
 evil beings. The 
 Karens say that 
 a man has sev- 
 en spirits; that 
 when we sleep 
 all these spirits 
 leave us and 
 wander about 
 the earth ; what 
 they see in their 
 wanderings, we 
 will see in our 
 dreams. Now, 
 the evil spirits, according to the belief of the Karens, 
 are on the watch to catch the spirits of men and devour 
 them. If one is caught, the man falls sick ; if another, 
 he grows worse ; if all, he dies. The evil spirits may be 
 appeased by a sacrificial feast, and may release the cap- 
 tive soul. So a feast is proclaimed, and all the family of 
 the sick man — sometimes all his immediate relations — 
 gather together and partake of it with great ceremony, 
 offering portions of the food to the spirits, by exposing 
 them outside the house or village, where they are quickly 
 
 CHRISTIAN KAREN GIRLS. 
 
THE KARENS AND THEIR TRADITIONS. 405 
 
 seized by birds. These feasts are accompanied by inter- 
 cessory prayer to the evil spirits to release the captive 
 soul from their toils. 
 
 The streams, the forest, even particular trees, are sup- 
 posed to be the haunts of these evil ones. So a Karen, 
 when fishing, mutters a prayer to the tutelary spirit, or if 
 he fells a tree, first mutters a prayer or makes a propiti- 
 atory offering. 
 
 In sowing and reaping the grain, or planting fruit-trees, 
 and gathering fruit, similar ceremonies are observed. 
 
 After death solemn funeral services are held. The 
 soul is supposed to be immortal and to exist in Hades. 
 From this Hades we are separated by a stream, impass- 
 able, save as the soul is carried over upon the wings of a 
 bird, to which they give various names. The soul is 
 supposed to linger near the grave or place of sepulture 
 until a solemn commemorative service is held, a month, 
 or more commonly, a year, after the decease of the body. 
 At this time a feast is proclaimed. All the villagers and 
 relatives are gathered together. A bone of the deceased 
 is then taken from the grave, usually the back-bone, and 
 shrined in a carved wooden shrine, which is surmounted 
 by the figure of the sacred bird. Dirges, exceedingly 
 poetic and beautiful, are sung to minor strains. A pro- 
 cession of young men and maidens moves round the 
 ^hrine, bewailing the deceased and speaking of the hopes 
 of his safe entrance into a beautiful land, or, as the 
 northern tribes call it, the "silver city." The feast lasts 
 for a number of days, usually seven, but if the family of 
 the deceased is rich, it is sometimes prolonged to a 
 month. The bone is then buried with great ceremony, 
 and the soul is supposed to enter its state of rest ; yet 
 not a state of perfect happiness, for say the Karens, " No 
 one can obtain blessedness until Yuah returns and brings 
 
4o6 
 
 KARENS AND CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 with him happiness for this life and for that which fs to 
 cpme." 
 
 Mrs. Vinton, a missionary to Burmah, wrote : " The 
 Karens in general listen with great interest when we tell 
 them of God, and frequently exclaim, 'That is what our 
 forefathers told us ! That is right ! That is good !' I 
 have endeavored to discover how their forefathers came 
 by a knowledge of God ; but they always answer, ' Our 
 ancestors knew Him from the beginning, but when they 
 sinned against Him He hid Himself from them ; and their 
 descendants after them knew not how to worship Him ; 
 and, as He did not protect them from evil spirits, they 
 were obliged to offer sacrifices to them to appease their 
 wrath.' 
 
 " They tell us of many attempts ' to return to the wor- 
 ship of, the God who made the earth, and the heavens, 
 and all things.' 
 
 " These efforts have sometimes been continued for 
 months, and even years ; but the poor Karens have in- 
 variably fallen a sacrifice to the brutal persecutions of the 
 Burmans. 
 
 " One village of nearly a thousand inhabitants worshiped 
 God in this way for some time, unknown to the Bur- 
 mans ; but when the latter learned the fact they sent an 
 armed force to destroy the village. Some of the Karens 
 inquired of their leader if they should fight. ' No,' re- 
 plied the chief, 'it is inconsistent with the worship of our 
 God to fight. We will cast ourselves upon His protec- 
 tion.' They then opened their gates, brought forth.their 
 weapons of defense, and laid them at the feet of 'their 
 enemies.' Thus defenseless, they were immediately slain 
 by their cruel oppressors, the Burmans." 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE FIRE-WORSHIPERS. 
 
 A Rirsee believes in one God, to whom he addresses his prayers. 
 His morality is comprised in these words^ — pure thoughts, pure words, 
 pure deeds. — F. Max MOller. 
 
 MODERN Parsees decidedly object to being called 
 fire-worshipers, and declare the designation un- 
 true. They are undoubtedly taught from their< 
 youth up to turn their face to some light-giving object 
 while engaged in worshiping God, and they certainly 
 regard the fire as an emblem of the power of God. 
 V"et they declare that they never worship these, neither 
 they nor their fathers. The name has been given 
 them from most ancient times ; and they confess that if 
 there is not a national worship of the sun and fire, there 
 is yet an indescribable awe which every Parsee feels to- 
 ward these objects. The Parsees are the only Eastern 
 people who totally abstain from smoking tobacco. They 
 do not even like to blow out a candle. In many other 
 respects, this is a singular people, whose religious faith 
 we are about to describe. But, first, let us turn to its 
 history. 
 
 To-day only about one one-hundredth part of the 
 whole human race are Parsees ; but there have been 
 times when this system bade fair to become the preva- 
 lent religion of the world. It is one of the oldest of re- 
 formed religions. It grew up upon the idolatrous wor- 
 ship of the ancient Assyrian empire. In the days of 
 
 407 
 
4o8 
 
 A PARSES MERCHANT OF BOMBA Y. 
 
 Cyrus the Great this was the State religion of Persia. 
 
 Had Greece 
 fallen before 
 him, and been 
 absorbed into 
 his vast em- 
 pire, as had 
 Assyria, Baby- 
 lon and Egypt, 
 the Grecian 
 religion would 
 have yielded 
 a place to the 
 Parsee's faith. 
 Parseeism was 
 possessed of 
 great strength, 
 and resisted all 
 attacks upon 
 its life until a 
 thousand years 
 since, when 
 the Arabians 
 brought Mo- 
 hammedanism 
 into the land of 
 Persia. From 
 that time it has 
 been a curios- 
 ity to histori- 
 ans, and its 
 followers are 
 rapidly dwind- 
 ling away ; and ere long the fires of its faith will die 
 
 A PARSEE MERCHANT OF BOMBAY 
 
THE FIRE- WORSHIPERS. 
 
 409 
 
 out, and it will become one of the religions of the 
 past. 
 
 ZOROASTER, THE PROPHET OF ORMAZD. 
 
 This system is called generally by either one of three 
 names — Parseeism, Fire-worship or Zoroasteranism. It 
 is sometimes called the doctrine of the Magi. Its usual 
 name is derived from him who was the most celebrated 
 man in the history of this faith. Zoroaster is sometimes 
 called the son of Ormazd. He probably lived about 1,200 
 years before Christ. The exact date cannot be ascer- 
 tained. It is certain that it was in very early times, be- 
 cause he and his religious reform are referred to in the 
 Vedas, whose great antiquity has been proven. His 
 writings stand at the head of the sacred Parsee books, 
 just as Moses' writings stand at the beginning of our 
 Bible. It took hundreds of years for the sacred Parsee 
 books to grow, and they were completed in 400 B. C. 
 Pliny compares Moses and Zoroaster as founders of 
 great religions. He certainly was one of the earliest 
 and greatest of religious reformers. 
 
 His teachings can be learned only from the older Parsee 
 books, the Gathas. His principal tene*: was that there 
 is one God and not many gods. In his speculations he 
 taught that there were two forces opposed to each other, 
 a good being and an evil being ; his followers afterwards 
 declared these to be a good god and an evil god — Or- 
 mazd and Ahriman. In his moral teachings he declared 
 that three things were to be kept pure; namely, thoughts, 
 words and deeds. 
 
 Zoroaster's worship of one god. 
 
 In one of the Gathas (a division of the Zend-Avesta or 
 sacred Parsee books), Zoroaster is represented as stand- 
 
^j(U PlRE-WORSHtP Ok ZOROASTEkANlSM. 
 
 ing before the sacred fire, in a speech seeking to induc« 
 his countrymen to forsake the worship of the devas or 
 gods, and to bow only to Orraazd. In his speech he de- 
 clares that from the worship of one God flow all pros- 
 perities, while from the worship of many gods comes 
 ruin, to the race. The following is a translation of his 
 speech, made by Haug the famous Parsee scholar : 
 
 "I.I will now tell you who are assembled here the wise 
 sayings of Mazda {i. e., Ormazd) the hymns of the good 
 spirit, the sublime truth which I see arising out of these 
 sacred flames. 
 
 " 2. You shall, therefore, hearken to the soul of nature, 
 (^. e., to plow and cultivate the soil) ; contemplate the 
 beams of fire with a most pious mind ! Every one, both 
 men and women, ought to-day to choose his creed (be- 
 tween deva- worship and the Ormazd religion). Ye ofl"- 
 spring of renowned ancestors, awake to agree with us." 
 
 Again and again Zoroaster reverts to this theme. It 
 does seem as if his ideas of Ormazd greatly resembled 
 those of Moses of Elohim or Jehovah. Though the 
 ancient Zoroastrians beHeved in an evil spirit of almost 
 equal power with Orma-zd, yet Zoroaster himself taught 
 nothing of this. With all the ardor of Mohammed he 
 waged war against the worship of many gods and idols, 
 but with none of Mohammed's iconoclastic zeal. Zo- 
 roaster pursued his course peacefully, seeking to win his 
 countrymen by his words ; Moljammed sought to carry 
 his faith at the point pf the sword. Both sought the 
 same end, to establish the worship of one God. 
 
 ORMAZD AND AHRIMAN. 
 
 Zoroaster taught that there were two spirits always at 
 war with one another. His followers changed his teach- 
 ing into belief in a good God, Ormazd, and an evil god, 
 
TttE Pik£:.woRsmpERS. '411 
 
 Ahriman. Ormazd brings blessings, Ahriman cursings. 
 Ormazd is the father of truth, Ahriman is father of lies. 
 Ormazd favors the good, Ahriman causes the evil to tri- 
 umph. With the two gods is associated the idea of two 
 lives, a good and a bad ; of two future homes for man, a 
 Heaven and a' Hell. Heaven is literally a " house of 
 hymns," and Hell a " house of destruction." The first is 
 the dwelling-place of Ormazd, the latter of Ahriman. 
 Between Heaven and Hell is the "bridge of the gatherer," 
 over which the souls of the pious can pass, while those 
 of the wicked fall into Hell. Throughout the Zend- 
 A.vesta we find many teachings bearing a wondrous re- 
 semblance to those of the Christian and Jewish Scriptures. 
 Beyond a question, these are not derived from one 
 another, but are founded on those convictions of truth 
 which are a part of our human nature. 
 
 FINDING OF THE ZEND-AVESTA. 
 
 It is only recently that Europeans have been able to 
 learn the contents of the Bible of the Fire-Worshipers, 
 the Zend-Avesta. In the middle of the last century a 
 Frenchman, Anquetil Duperron, happened to see some 
 pages written in the Avesta characters. Hoping to earn 
 the honor of opening the sacred scriptures of the Par- 
 sees to the western world, he determined to go arid get 
 in Western India full copies of these writings and there to 
 learn the language. Being very poor, he joined one of 
 the French Indian Company's ships as a common sailor, 
 for the French Government had refused to encouragehis 
 enterprise. /But when he arrived in India he found that 
 the government had determined differently and would aid 
 him. But the Parsee priests would neither give nor loan 
 him manuscripts nor teach him the language of the Zend- 
 Avesta, Finally he managed to bribe a learned priest. 
 
412 
 
 FINDING THE ZEND-AVESTA. 
 
 His translation appeared in the year 1 771, after seventeen 
 years of toil and study. His work created an immense 
 sensation in Europe. For fifty years but little was done 
 in Europe in addition to Duperron's- work. In 1830, 
 Eugene Burnouf, a most gifted scholar, gave his attention 
 to the work. Others followed in his track, until now we 
 have complete and accurate translations of all the Parsee 
 sacred books in existence. 
 
 THE PARSEE BIBLE. 
 
 This consists of the writings and sayings of Zoroastei 
 and the commentaries on these prepared by his disciples. 
 Much of the Zend-Avesta is lost beyond recovery. 
 When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian em- 
 pire, he and his soldiers destroyed many of these books. 
 
 In the royal library at Persepolis was a complete copy 
 of the Zend-Avesta, which, by Alexander's orders, was 
 burned with the building containing them. The names 
 of these books, of which there were twenty-one, remain, 
 together with a description of them. In these books was 
 gathered the whole religious and scientific literature of 
 the ancient Persian empire. They treated not only of 
 religious topics, but of medicine, astronomy, agricul- 
 ture, botany, philosophy, ^tz. The foundation underlying 
 all these books was given by Zoroaster. God re- 
 vealed all this to him., as the Parsees have always be- 
 lieved, and hence all these books are inspired. The 
 prophet'was supposed to have talked with God, asking 
 Him questions and receiving answers. These answers 
 Zoroaster communicated to his disciples. Thus we read 
 in the Zend-Avesta : , 
 
 " That I shall ask Thee, tell it me right, O Ormazd ! 
 Who was in the beginning the father and creator of 
 righteousness ? Who created the path of the sun and 
 
THE FIRE-WORSHIPERS. ^j. 
 
 Stars ? Who caused the moon to increase and wane but 
 Thou ? This I wish to know, O Mazda ! besides what I 
 know already. 
 
 "That I shall a;sk Thee, tell it me right, O Ormazd! 
 Who is holding the earth and the skies above it? Who 
 made the ^waters and the trees of the field? Who ig 
 in the winds and storms that they so quickly run? 
 Who is the creator of the good-minded beings, O Or- 
 mazd? 
 
 " That I shall ask Thee, tell it me right, O Ormazd ! 
 Who created the lights of good effect and the darkness? 
 Who created the sleep of good effect and the activity? 
 Who created morning, noon and night, reminding the 
 priest always of his duties ? 
 
 "That I shall ask Thee, tell it me right, O Ormazd! 
 What guardian angel may tell me good things to per- 
 form five times a day, the duties which are enjoined by 
 Thyself, O Mazda ? and to recite those prayers which are 
 communicated for the welfare of all beings by the good 
 mind? Whatever good, intended for the increase of 
 life, is to be had, may it come to me !" 
 
 The Dashers or high-priests are the only ones who are 
 now expected to be able to understand the meaning of the 
 Zend-Avesta; they are expected to thoroughly study it. 
 All that remains of the Parsee Bible to-day are the follow- 
 ing books: the Yasna', Visparad, Vendidad and twenty- 
 four Yashts. The Yasnas are hymns used for sacrifice. 
 They are solemnly recited before the fire, The priest 
 takes some consecrated water, bread, butter, fresh milk, 
 meat, the branches of the Homa plant with a pomegran- 
 ate branch, the hair of an ox and a bundle of twigs. 
 These are all placed on a marbld table opposite to tfie 
 fire on the hearth of the temple. Then the priest re- 
 peats the Yasnas, sometimes half-chanting, half-reciting 
 
.j^. PARSER WORSHIP. 
 
 them. Thus, " Blessed is he, blessed is every one, to 
 whom Ormazd, ruling by his own will, shall grant the two 
 everlasting powers, health and immortality. .For this 
 very good, I beseech Thee. Mayest Thou through Thine 
 angel of piety, Armaiti, give me happiness, the good true 
 things, and the possession of the good mind. 
 
 " I believe Thee to be the best Being of all, the source 
 of light for all the world. Every one shall choose Thee 
 as the source of light. Thee, O Mazda, most beneficent 
 spirit ! Thou createdst all good true things by means of 
 the power of Thy good mind at any time, and promised 
 us, who believe in Thee, a long life. 
 
 " Standing at Thy fire, amongst Thy worshipers who 
 pray to Thee, I will be mindful of righteousness as long 
 as I shall be able." 
 
 The Visparad is a collection of prayers in twenty-three 
 chapters. They are used much in the same way as the 
 Yasnas. They resemble many of the Vedic prayers of 
 the Hindu religion. The Yashts contain directions for 
 the sacrifices and hymns of prayer and praise. The 
 Vendidad is the code of ,the religious, civil and criminal 
 laws of the Parsees. It consists of twenty-two chapters. 
 
 PARSEE WORSHIP. 
 
 The Parsee religion enters Into the home-life of all its 
 adherents. The holy fire Is kept always burning In the 
 high-priest's house, and the -people go there to re-light 
 their household altar-fires. A Parsee merchant, Mr. 
 Dadabhal Naorojl, has described the daily life of the fire- 
 worshiper. Some of their practices are decidedly dis- 
 gusting. A pious Parsee must say his prayers at least 
 sixteen times every day — on getting out of bed. In wash- 
 ing with nirang (a vile fluid, supposed to be sacred), In 
 taking his bath^ cleansing his teeth. Every time that he 
 
THE FIRE- WORSHIPERS. a j e 
 
 washes his hands he repeats his prayers, and every meal 
 begins and ends with prayprs. The priests of to-day do 
 not even understand the old Zend language, in which 
 these prayers are said. Mr. Naoroji says : "All prayers, 
 on every occasion, are said, or rather recited, in the old 
 original Zend language ; neither the reciter nor the 
 people around intend to be edified, no one understanding 
 a word of it. There is no pulpit among the Parsees. On 
 some special occasions there are assemblages in the tem- 
 ples, and prayers are repeated. Ordinarily, every one 
 goes to the fire-temple whenever he likes, or, if it is con- 
 venient to him, recites his, prayers himself, and as long as 
 he likes, and gives, if so inclined, something to th.e priests 
 to pray for him." ' 
 
 The Parsees have only one wife. They never eat food 
 cooked by a person of another religion than their own ; 
 they object to eating beef, pork or ham. The priesthood 
 is a family office ; none but the son of a priest can be- 
 come a priest. -Fire is used in connection with all their 
 worship as the symbol and (so some say) the representa- 
 tive of God. Often one may see in Bombay, India, as 
 the sun lowers in the west, a group of Parsees with heads 
 reverently bowed, and hands clasped, repeating their 
 prayers. Light and fire of any sort are regarded with 
 great reverence, and the Parsee always turns his face to a 
 light-giving object when praying. The greatest respect 
 is shown to the source of light and heat, the sun, and to 
 the sacred fire in the temple or the high-priest's house. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CHINA AND HER PHILOSOPHERS. 
 
 The teachings of Lao-Tsze are not unlike those of Zeno ; both re- 
 commend retirement and contemplation as the most effectual means 
 of purifying the spiritual part of our nature, annihilating the material 
 passions and finally returning to the bosom of the supreme Reason. 
 
 Hon. S. Wells Williams, LL. D. 
 
 WE now proceed to notice two of the three re- 
 ligions of China, Taoism and Confucianism, 
 leaving Buddhism until the chapter on Bud- 
 dhism. One-third of all the people of the world are gath- 
 ered in China. Considered in every way it is a gigantic 
 empire. Its territory stretches over about one-third of 
 the continent of Asia and, next to Russia, is the largest 
 connected empire on the earth. Within its borders 
 occur some of the highest mountains and largest rivers in 
 the world. The pass over the Mei-ling in the north of 
 .Kwang-tung province, is 8,000 feet above the sea. The 
 Yellow River is over 2,000 miles long and the Yangtse 
 Kiang is nearly 4,000. China's various climates allow al- 
 most every kind of vegetable and plant to be cultivated. 
 Minerals and metals of, all sorts abound, so that no 
 country in the world contains greater wealth. The Great 
 Chinese Wall extends from tWenty-two degrees of lon- 
 gitude a litrie north of Peking, and is from fifteen to 
 thirty feet high, fifteen feet broad and over 1,500 miles 
 long. This was built more than 2,000 years ago. The 
 
 history of China goes back to 2,000 years before Christ; 
 416 
 
THE CHmBSE PHILOSOPHER, LAO-TSZE. 
 
 417 
 
 it has had from those early days a sort of civilization. Two 
 thousand years ago it had canals and other works of in- 
 land navigation. The Chinese have from very early times 
 worn silk. The art of engraving on wooden blocks for 
 printing with movable types was known 500 years before 
 the days of Gu- 
 tenberg. They 
 have used the 
 compass, and 
 gunpowder, 
 and paper for 
 many years. 
 Thev have had Chinese ornaments with words of cheer. 
 
 libraries of thousands of volumes from ancient times. 
 Every village has its school. The conceit of the Chinese 
 of their position has been fostered very greatly by their 
 isolation and ignorance of other nations. Their" ruler is 
 called the Son of Heaven and his dynasty the heavenly 
 dynasty, whence foreigners sometimes wrongly call the 
 people Celestials. China is called the Middle Kingdom 
 and the Flowery Land. They call foreigners I-Jin or 
 barbarians, also Fank-wei Or foreign devils. 
 
 CHINESE CONTRARIETIES AND LANGUAGE, 
 
 They do many things almost in a way directly the con- 
 trary of that in which we do it. Their customs and ideas 
 are diametrically opposite to ours. "We read horizon- 
 tally, they perpendicularly; and the columns run from 
 right to left. We uncover the head as a mark of re- 
 spect, they put on their caps. We black Qur boots, they 
 whiten them. We give the place of honor on the right, 
 they on the left. We say the needle points to the north, 
 they to the south. We shake the hand of a friend in 
 salutation, they shake their own. We locate the under- 
 
4i8 
 
 LANGUAGE OF TffE CHINESE. 
 
 Standing in the brain, they in the belly. We place our 
 foot-notes at the bottom of a page, they at the topi. In 
 our libraries we set our books up, they lay theirs down. 
 We now turn thousands of spindles and ply hundreds of 
 shuttles without a single hand to propel, they employ a 
 hand for each." 
 
 But the most singular thing of all, perhaps, is the lan- 
 guage. The fundamental conception, of the language is 
 ideographic. It is entirely monosyllabic, and has only 
 characters, no alphabet or letters. In one respect it is 
 as colossal as the nation in the number of its characters. 
 Every character is the name of a thing. An immense 
 number of seemingly arbitrary signs is therefore to be 
 mastered. The labor is alleviated, however, by the fact 
 that there are certain root forms, variously estimated at 
 from 315 to 4,000. Out of the characters 214 have been 
 selected as keys or radicals, one or, other of which is 
 
 found in every character 
 of the language. The 
 number of words con- 
 tained in the official dic- 
 tionary is 43,500, and 
 other authorities reckon 
 as many more. But the 
 missionary Doolittle, af- 
 firms that a knowledge 
 of 3,000 or 4,000 charac- 
 
 A CHINESE BOOK. 4. • a- • r 1 
 
 ters IS sufficient for the 
 reading of most books. The most complicated characters 
 in the language contain fifty-two strokes, but such are very 
 rare. The language is still further complicated in its 
 pronunciation by a system of tones, which vary according 
 to the meaning of the word. The language, like the 
 people, is of the earth earthy, for among its thousands of 
 
TkB CMlNkSE PHILOSOpHEk, LAO-fsik. 
 
 4t9 
 
 words rankly luxuriant there, there was found to be no 
 expression suitable to express one of the graces of the 
 spirit, and it was for half a century a matter of grave discus- 
 sion what should be the proper rendering of thp word God. 
 
 THE THREE CHINESE RELIGIONS. 
 
 A Chinaman may at the same time be an adherent of 
 all three of the national religions. The mass of the Chi- 
 nese people accept the three, and see no inconsistency in 
 so doing. It is somewhat as if we Americans were at 
 the same time Protestant, Romanist and skeptic. The 
 Chinese support the priests of all religions, worship in 
 all their temples, and believe in the gods of each arid 
 all. These three religions differ from each other, how- 
 ever. Dr. Edkins has so well defined this difference that 
 we give his words : 
 
 " Confucianism speaks to the moral nature. It dis- 
 courses on virtue and vice, and the duty of compliance 
 with law and the dictates of conscience. Its worship 
 rests on this basis. The religious veneration paid to an- 
 cestors — for that is the worship of this system — is founded 
 on the duty of filial piety. The moral sense of the Chi- 
 nese is offended if they are called on to resign this custom, 
 
 " Taoism is materialistic. Its notion of the soul is of 
 something physical, a purer form of matter. The soul it 
 supposes to gain immortality by a physical discipline, a 
 sort of chemical process, which transmutes it into a more 
 ethereal essence, and prepares it for being transferred to 
 the regions of immortality. The gods of Taoism are 
 also very much what might be expected in a system 
 which has such notions as these of the soul. It looks 
 upon the stars as divine. It deifies hermits and physi- 
 cians, magicians and seekers after the philosopher's stone 
 and the plant of immortality; 
 
420 THREE CHINESE RELIGIONS. 
 
 " Buddhism is different from both. It is metaphysical. 
 It appeals to the imagination, and deals in subtle argu- 
 ment. It says that the world of the senses is altogether 
 unreal, and upholds this proposition by the most elabor- 
 ate proofs. Its gods are personified ideas. It denies 
 matter entirely, and concerns itself only with ideas. Most 
 of the personages adored by the Buddhists are known to 
 be nothing but fictitious impersonations of some of these 
 ideas. The Buddhist worship is not reverence paid to 
 beings believed to be actually existing ; it is a homage 
 rendered to ideas, and it is only supposed to be reflex in 
 its effects. Their worship is useful as a discipline, but 
 not effectual as prayer. The Buddhist, if he can obtain 
 abstraction of mind from the world in any other mode, 
 need not pray or worship at all. 
 
 "These three systems, occupying the three corners of 
 a triangle — the moral, the metaphysical and the material 
 — are supplemental to eaqh other, and are able to co-exist 
 without being mutually destructive. They rest each on 
 a basir of its own, and address themselves each to differ- 
 ent parts of man's nature. It was because Confucianism 
 ' knew God, but did not honor Him as God,' that the way 
 was left open for a polytheism like that of the Buddhists. 
 In the T)ld books of China, God is spoken of as the Su- 
 preme Ruler. He is represented as exercising over 
 mank'nd an infinitely just and beneficent providence. 
 But the duty of prayer is not enjoined. No worship of 
 God by the people is permitted. It was only by the 
 emp'iror acting vicariously for the people that the Deity 
 was adored in that country. The system of Confucius, 
 wanting this, was more a morality than a religion. 
 
 "Buddhism came to fill this vacancy. Individual faith 
 in ijod, with a rational mode of worship to accompany it, 
 could not be a result of the religious teaching which 
 
THE CHINESE PHILOSOPHER, LAO\ iZE. 45 1 
 
 preceded it in China, nor were they Inculcated by it. In 
 Buddhism, the Chinese found objects to adore of myste- 
 rious grandeur, and richly endowed with the attributes 
 of wisdom and benevolence. The appeal thus made to 
 their religious faith was strengthened by a pompous form 
 of worship. Processions and the ringing of bells, fumes 
 of sweet-smelling incense, prayers, chanting and musical 
 instruments were their aids to devotion. No wonder 
 that these additions should prove welcome to the reli- 
 gious susceptibilities of a nation which had hitherto been 
 restricted within the bounds of a system almost exclu- 
 sively moral, and which discouraged the worship of God 
 by the mass of the people. 
 
 "How Taoism meets certain other wants which the 
 other two systems fail to gratify, we will now show by an 
 illustration : It wfis a cold morning In January, when a 
 missionary walked, on one occasion, to a temple near the 
 west gate of Shanghai. There Is a medical divinity much 
 honored, who resides in this temple, to heal, as his wor- 
 shipers think, the ailments of those who pray to him. 
 The Taolst priest In charge addressed the foreign vis- 
 itor with a somewhat unexpected exhortation : ' You come 
 to our country giving us good advice ; now let me address 
 a little to you. Your religion does not meet the require- 
 ments of the people. When they worship, they wish to 
 know whether they can grow rich, and recover from dis- 
 ease ; but in the case of believing In Jesus, there are no 
 benefits of this kind to be looked for.' He pointed to the 
 little image, representing some physician of a former 
 dynasty, sitting In its shrine in a dim light, just visible 
 through the opening of the curtains. 'See,' said he, 
 ' here is the god, ready to tell the believing devotee what 
 medicine he needs, and to guarantee its healing effect. 
 
 Look at the inscriptions fixed on the roof above and on 
 36 
 
422 IDOL WO SHIP OF CHINA. 
 
 each side of the shrine. They describe his marvel-work- 
 ing power.' He was asked who placed those tablets 
 there. ' They are,' he replied, ' the offerings of persons 
 cured by this divinity.' In the Central Kingdom, the set- 
 ting of the tablets in the temples by individuals is cus- 
 tomary, and they are intended to commemorate benefits 
 received from the divinities to whom they are dedicated. 
 A visitor from a village in the country, at a distance of 
 some miles, now appeared, and went through the usual 
 ceremonies. He was asked, ' Why do you not consult 'a 
 physician ? This idol is dead wood. It cannot see or 
 hear. Why apply to it ?' The devotee answered with 
 great simplicity, ' I do not know what my disease is ; how, 
 then, can I apply to a physician? It is on this account 
 that I ask the god. He will heal me. I have come a 
 long way on purpose. His fame is very widely spread.' 
 He was again asked, ' Will you not go to the foreign free 
 hospital ?' He answered, ' It is not the right time of day, 
 and, besides, I like to come here ; and why should I not?' 
 He was. asked again, ' Do you know that this burning of 
 incense and seeking for oracular information- at an idol's 
 shrine is displeasing to God ? It is as unwise, therefore, 
 as it is unreasonable, to apply to this god to tell you 
 what medicine you should use.' At this point, the Tao- 
 ist priest came to the defense of his system. 'You 
 believe in Jesus. We believe in our gods. Religions 
 differ according to place, and every country has its owm 
 divinities. We have Kwan-kung, for example, the god of 
 war, and other divinities, holcling the same place among 
 us that Jesus does among you".' He was asked, ' How 
 can these supposed gods benefit you ? They are but the 
 imaginary representatives of men belonging to your 
 nation, who long ago died.' The Taoist asked' in re- 
 ply, ' Is it not the same with Jesus ? He also is long 
 
THE CHINESE PHILOSOPHER, LAO-TSZE. a^-i 
 
 since dead. What benefit do you expect from him?' 
 He was then told, ' We do not make an image of Him, 
 place it in a shrine, and cast lots before it, expecting to 
 learn, by so doing, how a disease is to be cured. The 
 parallel is not accurate. The benefit we expect from 
 Him is that He will help us in becoming virtuous, and in 
 attaining a happy future life. The object of our religious 
 books is to free us from sin, and Jesus, who still lives in 
 Heaven, is able to secure us this.' The reference to books 
 led him to remark, ' We have our books, too, to exhort 
 men to virtue.' He took up a copy of a well-known 
 work, often distributed gratuitously in China. 'This,' he 
 said, ' is the Kan-ying-peen (Book of Retribution) ; all 
 that it contains is intended to make men better. It 
 promises long life to the good, and all kinds of calamities 
 to the wicked. Our object is the same as yours — to 
 make men good.' He was reminded that, according to 
 the doctrine of this book, happiness and misery were the 
 rewards of virtue and vice, and that this did not agree ' 
 with the system of divination on which his temple de- 
 pended for its support, and was asked why he encour- 
 aged those who frequented it to expect good from the 
 throwing of sticks on the floor, and the shaking of lots 
 together in a wooden cup, if good and ill fortune were 
 awarded to men by Heaven only according to character. 
 To this the priest of Tao replied, as he sat surrounded 
 by his boxes of medicines, arranged in pigeon-holes, with 
 his recipe-book on the table before him, from which he 
 selected the appropriate nostrum under the guidance of 
 the oracle, ' If the person who comes to worship is wicked 
 at heart, he will not be heard ; the oracle will fail.' ' But,' 
 it was remarked, ' if he be only virtuous, he need not 
 come here at all. The great thing is to be good.' " Such 
 are the tenets of Taoism. 
 
.„ . TALISMAN OF LONG LIFE. 
 
 424 
 
 THE OLD BOY. 
 
 Confucius became the prophet of the practical. About 
 fifty years before Confucius, was born one who became a 
 deep thinker Avho looked with scorn upon the work of 
 Confucius. This was Lao-tsze, who was born 604 B. C. 
 According to the legends of the Taoists he had the appear- 
 ance, when born, of an old man with gray hair, and so 
 they called him Lao-tsze, which means the old boy. 
 When he was born, so they say, he was wise as men are 
 when they become old. Other legends say that as soon as 
 he was born, he mounted into the air and pointing with his 
 left hand to heaven, and with his right to the earth, he said : 
 "In heaven above and on earth beneath, Tao alone is 
 worthy of honor." His complexion was white and yellow ; 
 his ears were of extraordinary size, and were each pierced 
 with three passages. He had handsome eyebrows, large 
 eyes, ragged teeth, a double-ridged nose and a square 
 mouth ; on each foot he had ten toes. All of this was to 
 distinguish him from common men. He became a her- 
 mit-student. His chief disciple was named Yin-He. 
 The following story will serve to illustrate the miraculous 
 powers ascribed to Lao-tsze. 
 
 THE TALISMAN OF LONG LIFE. 
 
 The philosopher's servant, Senkea, who had served 
 him for 200 years without receiving any wages, finding 
 that his master was going to take a journey whither he 
 knew not, suddenly demanded his arrears of pay, which 
 upon calculation were found to amount to 72,000 ounces 
 of silver. Fearing to face his master, he induced an ac- 
 quaintance to ask Yin-He to broach the subject to Lao- 
 tsze. The acquaintance being ignorant of the relation 
 existing between the master and servant, and already 
 
THE CHINESE PHILOSOPHER, LAO-TSZE 435 
 
 deeming in anticipation Senkei to be a rich man, promised 
 him his daughter in marriage. The beauty of the girl added 
 to the persistency of the serving-man, whom Lao-tsze 
 summoned to his presence. " I hired you originally," he 
 said, "to perform the most humble duties; your circum- 
 stances were poor and no one else would employ you. I 
 have given you the talisman of long life, and it is due to 
 this alone that you are now in existence. How have you 
 so far forgotten the benefits I have heaped upon you as 
 to cover me with reproaches ? I am now about to set out 
 for the Western Sea (the Caspian) ; I Intend to visit the 
 kingdoms of Ya T'sin (the Roman Empire), of Ke-pin 
 (Cabul), of Tien-chuh (India), and of Gan-se (Parthia) ; 
 and I order you to act as my charioteer thitherwards. On 
 my return, I will pay you that which I owe you." 
 
 But Senkea still refused to obey. Whereupon Lao- 
 tsze ordered him to lean forward and open his mouth, 
 and instantly there escaped from his lips the talisman, 
 and at the same moment his body became a heap of 
 dry bones. At the earnest prayer of Yin-He the ser- 
 vant was restored to life, and was dismissed with a 
 present of 20,000 ounces of silver. Having nothing fur- 
 ther to detain him, Lao-tsze bade farewell to the keeper 
 of the pass, and mounting upon a cloud, disappeared into 
 space. 
 
 Some Taoist writers claim Lao-tsze as the /author of 
 930 of the current works on the superstitious varieties 
 of modern Taoism, and add complacently that all other 
 books are unworthy of the same regard, having been 
 secretly added by the followers of Tao in later ages. 
 
 THE VISIT OF CONTUCIUS TO LAO-TSZE. 
 
 Confucius once held an interview with Lao-tsze. 
 From this he returned to his disciples, and for three days 
 
426 
 
 CONFUCIUS AND LAO-TSZE. 
 
 he did not utter a word. According to his own account, 
 Lao-tsze exercised a complete fascination over him. 
 He felt, when conversing with the older philosopher, that 
 he was in the presence of a master mind, and the mer- 
 ciless criticism of which his doctrines were the object, 
 shook his faith somewhat in their truth. "At his voice," 
 said he, " my mouth gaped wide, my tongue protruded, 
 and my soul was plunged in trouble." 
 
 To Yang-tsze, a disciple of Confucius, Lao-tsze spoke 
 in the same strain. " The spots of the tiger, and of the 
 leopard, and the agility of the monkey, are that which 
 exposes them to the arrows of the hunter." And in 
 reply to a question concerning the administration of the 
 illustrious kings of antiquity, he said, " Such was the ad- 
 ministration of the illustrious kings, that their merits 
 overspread the empire unknown to themselves ; the in- 
 fluence of their example extended to all beings ; they 
 effected the happiness of the people without letting them 
 feel their presence. Their virtue was so sublime that 
 human speech is unable to express it ; they lived in an 
 impenetrable retreat, and were absorbed in Tao." 
 
 THE VOYAGE IN SEARCH OF THE TALISMAN OF LONG LIFE. 
 
 The talisman of Ipng life was said to have been lost 
 after Lao-tsze's death. But Che Hwang-te determined 
 to find it. He was persuaded intQ believing that in the 
 ocean to the east of China there were " Golden Islands 
 of the Blest," where genii dwelt, whose business and de- 
 light it was to dispense to all visitors to their shores a 
 draught of immortality, compounded of the fragrant 
 herbs which grew in abundance round them ; that here 
 also was the talisman of long life kept. So sincere 
 was Che Hwang-te's faith that he fitted out a naval 
 expedition to discover these much-to-be-desired regions, 
 
THE CHINESE PHILOSOPHER, LAO-TSZE. 
 
 427 
 
 and placed a Taoist magician at the head of the under- 
 taking. On the plea that it had been revealed to him 
 that the expedition was likely to meet with a more favor- 
 able reception at the Golden Isles if a company of youths 
 and maidens accompanied it, Sen She, the leader, per- 
 suaded the Emperor to send several thousands of girls 
 and young men with him. On the return of the voy- 
 agers they reported that they had sailed within sight of 
 the islands, but had been driven back by contrary wiods. 
 The Emperor determined to try again. This second ex- 
 pedition failed. But private individuals declared that 
 they had succeeded in reaching the islands, in seeing the 
 genii, in securing the draughts of the elixir of life, and 
 that they had seen the Talisman. Che Hwang-te's fail- 
 ures would hot let him see the imposture that was being 
 played upon him. Again and again he sent, and great 
 sums \irere expended, and finally an emptied treasury 
 forced him to relinquish his project 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE TAOIST SACRED BOOKS AND GODS, 
 
 The Tao-te-king still remains the monument of Lao-tsze's extra- 
 ordinary power and penetration ; and it gives ample reason for assign- 
 ing him a place indefinitely higher than the mass of his contempora- 
 ries. — Archdeacon Charles Hardwick. 
 
 LAO-TSZE gave to Yin-He, when he left China on 
 his last journey, the results of his long life of 
 meditation in a little book of 5,000 characters. 
 On this little book the immense volumes of the Taoist 
 religion are built up. This is called the Tao-Te-King, or 
 Book of the Way and of Virtue. This is a metaphysical 
 treatise, and its meaning is very obscure. There is much 
 of materialistic speculation, magic and divination in this 
 book. The first chapter tells us that "that which is 
 nameless Is the beginning of Heaven and earth." " Taou 
 produced one, the first great cause ; one produced two, 
 the male and female principles of nature ; from the two 
 came three, and the three produced all things that are in 
 Heaven and earth," 
 
 All things endure for a set time, and then perish. 
 Together they came into being, and to each is allotted a 
 certain period of growth and maturity; but when the 
 highest point of vigor has been reached, it straightway 
 becomes old and returns home to its root. "This is 
 said to be a reversion to destiny." Emptiness is the only 
 thing which endures, and this is at the same time of the 
 
 highest use. The space between Heaven and earth, for 
 428 
 
THE TAOIST SACRED BOOKS AND GODS. 
 
 429 
 
 example, may be likened to a pair of bellows, which, 
 though it is empty, never collapses, and which, the more 
 it is exercised, the more it brings forth. So also with the 
 wheel of a carriage, or an earthen vessel, or the windows 
 and doors of a house. In each case it is the non-existing 
 or empty part which is useful. The spokes and nave of 
 the wheel, the walls of the earthen vessel, and the frames 
 of the doors and windows are advantageous, but the use 
 of each depends on the part which is empty. " So, then, 
 existence may be said to correspond to gain, but non- 
 existence to use." When a thing is to be weakened, it 
 must first be strengthened ; when it is about to be 
 brought low, it must first be raised up ; and that which is 
 to be taken away from it must first be given to it. 
 
 In the superiority of non-existence over existence lies 
 the lesson which, above all others, Lao-tszfe desired to 
 impress on man. The great concern of all men in all 
 ages has been to take care of the things of the body, and 
 to neglect the cultivation of the inner man ; to seek after 
 the gratification of sense, and to forget the -importance of 
 the soul. And what is the 
 result? The five colors, 
 which so delight the eyes, 
 not unfrequently produce 
 blindness. The five sounds 
 
 which so enchant the ear are ^ censer, from a taoist 
 often the cause of deafness. temple. 
 
 A man's palate, which at first revels in the five tastes, 
 .soon loses all sense of flavor. The pursuit of pleasure 
 or of ambition is equally deceptive. Riding and hunt- 
 ing will drive a man mad, and things hard to procure 
 bring evil upon their possessors. " Therefore, the sage 
 makes provision for the inner man, and not for his eyes. 
 He puts aside the one, that he may take the other in 
 
AnQ RElVAJiDS AND PUNISHMENT^ 
 
 hand." He remembers that rest is the lord of motion, 
 and never allows himself to depart from a state of quie- 
 tude and gravity. 
 
 THE BOOK OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 The Taoists have long been in the habit of printing 
 by subscription, and circulating as a matter of religious 
 dilty, the collection of maxims known as the Book of 
 Rewards and Punishments. Each maxim is followed by 
 a gloss or commentary, and in almost every case eluci- 
 dated by appropriate tales and anecdotes. , The high re- 
 pute in which this volume stands is further indicated by 
 the circumstance that the authorship has in modern times 
 been attributed to Lao-tsze himself, in his capacity of 
 deified and venerable Prince or incarnation of Tao. 
 "Every wise man," writes a commentator, "ought to be 
 full of respect for this book: he ought to believe sin- 
 cerely all the maxims it delivers, and ought to practice 
 them faithfully, regardless of all obstacles, and without 
 suffering the zeal he had evinced at the commencement 
 to diminish at the close of his career. He ought every 
 morning to read it aloud, and to meditate on every phrase 
 with serious attention. Let him redouble his efforts to 
 perform good works, and his anxiety and ardor to correct 
 past failings. Then will happiness spring up within him- 
 self to recompense his merits ; and his end will be ad- 
 vancement to the rank of the immortals." While the 
 general tone of this production harmonizes with the older 
 treatise, it bears frequent witness also to the presence of 
 a more eclectic and accommodating spirit. So highly is 
 this book esteemed as a guide and instructor that its dis- 
 tribution is considered to be a religious duty. Edition 
 after edition appears from the local presses at the demand 
 of the charitable subscribers, who give them to the poor. 
 
THE TAOlST SACRED BOOKS AND GODS. a^-^ 
 
 SOME SELECTIONS FROM THE BOOK OF REWARDS AND PUN- 
 ISHMENTS. 
 
 "Advance along the right way, and retreat from the 
 evil way." 
 
 " Do not betray the secret of the household," 
 
 "Be humane to animals." 
 
 "Rectify yourself and convert men." 
 
 "Have pity for orphans, and show compassion to 
 widows." 
 
 "Rejoice at the success of others, and sympathize 
 with their reverses, even as though you were in their 
 place." 
 
 "Do not expose the faults of others." 
 
 " Bestow favors without expecting recompense." 
 
 "Give willingly." , 
 
 "A man who does these things is called virtuous. All 
 men respect him. Providence protects him. Good for- 
 tune and office attend him. The demons flee from him. 
 The god-like spirits guard him. He succeeds in all that 
 he lays his hand to, and to him is given the hope of 
 immortality." * 
 
 "He who wishes to become an immortal of Heaven 
 must do a thousand and three hundred good works. He 
 who wishes to become an immortal of earth must do 
 three hundred good works." 
 
 "He who inflicts an injury in broad daylight, will be 
 punished by men; but he who i;iflicts an injury in secret 
 will be punished by demons." 
 
 "Don't take advantage of the ignorance of mei» to 
 deceive them with lying words'." 
 
 "Never divulge the faults -of your parents." 
 
 " Don't rank faults as crimes." 
 
 "Don't shoot at birds, nor hunt animals." 
 
^,2 REWARDS AND PVNISMMENTS. 
 
 " Don't drive insects from their holes, nor frighten 
 roosting birds." 
 
 " Don't buy groundless praise." 
 
 " Don't kill and cook domestic animals except in ac- 
 cordance with the rites." 
 
 " Don't destroy or throw away -the five kinds of grain," 
 
 " When you see others covered with glory and honor, 
 don't desire to see them exiled from the country." 
 
 "A handsome figure excites the admiration of the 
 world, but it does not deceive Heaven." 
 
 " Don't laugh at the deformities of others." 
 
 " Don't bury the effigy of a man to inflict an incubus 
 upon him." 
 
 [This refers to the practice of burying a wooden figure 
 of a man to charm away his life, much in the same way 
 that lately, in Shanghai and elsewhere, men were accused 
 of making paper men which suffocated people in their 
 sleep.] 
 
 " Don't deceive the innocent and set snares for them." 
 
 " Live in harmony with your wife." 
 
 "Wives, respect your husbands." 
 
 "Wives, be not wanting in your duties toward your 
 father and mother-in-law." 
 , " Don't treat with contempt the souls of your ancestors," 
 
 " Wells and hearths are presided over by certain 
 spirits, and if you leap over them, not only do you insult 
 the gods, but you show that you have forgotten the two 
 things which are the foundation of the life of men." 
 
 " A good man is virtuous in his words, looks and ac- 
 tions. If each day he practices these three virtues, at the 
 end of three years Heaven will pour down blessings upon 
 him. The wicked man is vicious in his words, looks and 
 actions. If each day he practices these three vices, at the 
 end of three years Heaven will send misfortune upon him," 
 
THE TAOIST SACREB BOOKS AND GODS. 
 
 433 
 
 THE BOOK OF SECRET BLESSINGS. 
 
 This book contains a number of moral injunctions, and 
 while it is a Taoist book there is no reference to Taiost 
 
,^. GODS OF THE TAOJSTS. 
 
 434 * 
 
 doctrines in it. It consists of 540 words. Some of its 
 leading maxims are given below. 
 
 " Redeem the lives of animals, and abstain from shed- 
 ding blood. Be careful not to tread upon insects on the 
 road, and set not fire to the forests, lest you should de- 
 stroy_life. Burn a candle in-your window to give light to 
 the traveler, and keep a boat to help voyagers across 
 rivers. Do not spread your net on the mountains to catch 
 birds, nor poison the fish and reptiles in the waters. 
 Never destroy paper which is written upon, and enter into 
 no league against your neighbor. Avoid contentions, and 
 beware not to stir up ill blood. Use not your power to 
 discredit the good, nor your riches to persecute the poor. 
 Love the good, and flee from the face of a wicked man, 
 lest you fall into evil. Hide your neighbor's faults, and 
 speak only of their good deeds, and let your mouth utter 
 the true sentiments of your heart. Remove stones and 
 debris from the roadway, repair the footpaths and build 
 bridges. Publish abroad lessons for the improvement of 
 mankind, and devote your wealth to the good of your fel- 
 low-men. In all your actions follow the principles of Hea- 
 ven, and in all your words follow the purified heart of man. 
 Have all the sages of antiquity before your eyes, and ex- 
 amine carefully your conscience. What good thing will 
 be withheld from him who practices secret benefits ? " 
 
 THE GODS OF THE TAOISTS. 
 
 Lao-tsze had nothing to say of gods and goddesses. 
 When Buddhism came to China it taught Lao-tsze's dis- 
 ciples to have gods. As the Buddhists had deifieS La- 
 kya-muni, so the Taoists now deified Lao-tsze. As the 
 Buddhists worshiped under the form of the " Three Pre- 
 cious Ones," so the Taoists worshiped Lao-tsze as San' 
 Tsin^, or the " Three Pure Ones," They had an image 
 
THE TAOIST SACRED BOOKS AND GODS. 
 
 435 
 
 for each one of the three, and seated them side by side. 
 The priests generally, and but rarely the common people, 
 worship the San-Tsing. For the common people a god 
 
 THE THREE PURE ONES. 
 
 was introduced, called the "Pearly Emperor Supreme 
 Ruler." He is the chief Taoist god. He is called the 
 producer of all things and governor of all. To him all 
 the gods make their reports. In times of drought, the 
 governors, the man- 
 darins, go to his tem- 
 ple to burn incense 
 and' pray for rain. 
 They carry idols with 
 them and make 
 thanksgiving offer- 
 ings after the rain 
 has come. The Tao- 
 ist worships the 
 mountains, valleys, 
 GOD OF THE KITCHEN, gtrcams, Hvers and 
 stars. The Great Bear is supposed to be the palace of 
 the, goddess ' Tow-Mu and the god Kwei-Sing. The 
 God of Thunder is a common object of worship, and i§ 
 
 GOD OF THUNDER. 
 
436 
 
 TEMPLES OF THE DRAGON KING. 
 
 represented as passing through many metamorphoses 
 and filling all regions with his assumed forms. While he 
 discourses on doctrine his foot rests on nine beautiful 
 birds. Thirty-six generals wait on him for orders. A 
 certain celebrated book of instruction is said to have 
 emanated from him. His commands are swift as winds 
 and fire. He overcomes demons by the power of his 
 wisdom, and he is the father and teacher of all living 
 beings. Among other like deities are "the Mother of 
 Lightning," " the Spirit of the Sea," " the King of the 
 Sea," and " the Lord of the Tide." The temples of the 
 Dragon King kre also favorite resorts of worshipers, who 
 
 CARRYING THE DRAGON. 
 
 in all convulsions of nature recognize the agency of this 
 potent and amphibious monster. Serpents are looked 
 upon as manifestations of this deity, and in times of flood 
 often receive worship at the hands of the educated and 
 the uneducted alike. During the flood which overspread 
 the country round Tientsin, in the year 1874, a serpent 
 sought shelter in a temple near the city, and ensconced 
 himself beneath one of the altars. Far from desiring to 
 
"^HE TAOIST SACRED BOOKS AND GODS. 
 
 437 
 
 get rid of the intruder, the priests welcomed it as a sa- 
 cred guest of good omen, and Li-Hung-chang, the viceroy 
 
 27 
 
438 
 
 THE GOD OF LITERATURE. 
 
 CHARM TO WARD OFF EVIL 
 .SPIRITS FROM A BRIDE. 
 
 of the province, came in person 
 to pay reverence to it as the per- 
 sonification of the Dragon King. 
 
 THE GOD OF LETTERS. 
 
 I 
 
 Apart from these more gen- 
 eral deities are gods who preside 
 over the different pursuits and 
 callings of men. As the number 
 of deities is unlimited, and as it 
 is obviously to the interest of 
 the priests ^to encourage worship 
 of whatever kind at their tem- 
 ples, there has never been any 
 difficulty in adding a god or two 
 to the Pantheon. Thus students have chosen to appropri- 
 ate to themselves a god, who is supposed to watch over the 
 literary efforts of his votaries. 
 Wan-chang te-keun, or the god 
 of literature, is, according to 
 legend, the disembodied spirit 
 of Chang Chung, an official ot 
 the Chow Dynasty. Under 
 subsequent dynasties, he ap- 
 peared on earth in the persons 
 of men renowned for their 
 scholarship and virtue, and 
 finally, under the Yuen Dy- 
 nasty, he was deified under the 
 title of "Supporter of the Yuen 
 Dynasty, diffuser of renovating 
 influences, Sze-luh of Wan 
 chang, God and Lord." Such 
 is the Chinese conception. 
 
 GOD OF THIEVES. 
 
TItE TAOiST SACkEb BOOl^S AND GODS. 
 
 439 
 
 CHARMS. 
 
 Dr. Williams says, "the Chinese 
 have an almost infinite variety of 
 superstitious practices, the most of 
 which are of a deprecatory rather 
 than an intercessory character, grow- 
 ling out of their belief in demons 
 and genii who trouble or help the 
 people. It may be said that most 
 of the religious acts of the Chinese, 
 especially those performed in .tem- 
 ples, are intended to avert misfor- 
 tune rather than supplicate blessings. 
 In order to ward off malignant in- 
 fluences, amulets are worn and 
 charms hung up by persons of all 
 rank. Among the latter are money- 
 swords, made of coins of different 
 monarchs strung together in the 
 form of a dagger ; and leaves of the 
 sweet flag and Artemisia tied in a 
 bundle, or a sprig of peach-blossoms; 
 the first is placed near beds, the lat- 
 ter over the lintel, to drive away 
 demons. Brass mirrors to cure mad 
 people, are hung up by the rich in 
 their halls, and figures or representa- 
 tions of the unicorn, of gourds, 
 of tiger claws, etc., abound." 
 
 KWAN-TE, GOD OF WAR. 
 
 Soldiers worship Kwan-te, the God of War, who when 
 on earth bore the name of Kwan-yu. In early life he 
 
 SWORD C^ARM. 
 
440 
 
 TSAI-SHIN, THE GOD OF RICHES. 
 
 carried on the trade of selling bean-curd, but having a 
 soul above so mean a calling, and the times in which he 
 
 lived being favorable to 
 ambitious enterprise, he 
 embarked on the career 
 of a "soldier of fortune, 
 and won for himself both 
 honor and renown. He 
 lived to receive the title 
 of Baron, but being en- 
 trapped through a crafty 
 enemy, he was taken and 
 beheaded. For many 
 centuries his name re- 1 
 mained embalmed only 
 in history, but during the 
 twelfth century he was 
 made a god under the 
 title of Chung-hun Kung^ 
 KWAN-tE, GOD OF WAR. „ the Patriotic and Clever 
 
 Dukej" and a little later he was promoted to the rank of 
 Prince. Thus gods are manufactured by pagan nations. 
 
 TSAI-SHIN, THE GOD OF RICHES. 
 
 But probably no god is worshiped with greater fer\'or 
 than is Tsai-shin, the God of Riches. Though the pursuit 
 of riches and honor is discountenanced by all the leading 
 Taoist writers, the natural desire for wealth has over- 
 come all religious warnings and denunciations, and is as 
 strong among the Taoists of China as among the most 
 money-loving nation in the world. No i god can boast 
 more temples raised to his honor than Tsai-shin. Every, 
 trader who at the end of the year finds the balance of 
 his accounts in his favor acknowledges the mercy shown 
 
THU TAOIST SACkED SOOKS AND GODS. 
 
 W 
 
 hiin by making a votive offering to the dispenser of 
 wealth, and he who fears a loss attempts to propitiate the 
 god whom he believes able to help by sacrifices and gifts. 
 
 TAOIST SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 There is nothing distinctively Taoist in the worship of 
 these gods except the gross superstition which accom- 
 
 ,!.yi;*dS?lll! 
 
 ■) 
 
 1 Y 1 '< 
 
 «. ' 
 
 
 )\ 
 
 
 TAOISTS CONSULTING THE ORACLES AT THl, MAGICIANS. 
 
 panies it, and it is evidence of the present very degraded 
 condition of Taoism that, whenever a popular deity has 
 to be enthroned, Taoist priests are the servitors chosen 
 to wait upon his shrine. Combined with the ofifice of 
 
442 
 
 CttiMESE STONE PILLAkS. 
 
 guardian, these back-sliding charlatans ply the trades of 
 fortune tellers, prophets and doctors. If a merchant 
 
 wishes to know whether a venture will turn out profita- 
 bly or the reverse, or if a mother wants to be assured 
 whether her infant's future is to lie among the blessings 
 
The TAoiST sAckEi) Mooks AMd god$. 
 
 443 
 
 of office, wealth and long life, or to be accompanied by 
 poverty and misfortune, they betake themselves to a 
 Taoist priest, who, well versed in the tricks which ape 
 superhuman knowledge, returns oracular responses, 
 which satisfy, for the time being at least, the superstitious 
 wants of the applicants. Nor is their medical advice 
 based on any surer basis. Dr. 
 Gray, in his recent work on 
 China, gives the following de- 
 scription of an incident he wit- 
 nessed at a temple in Canton: 
 "Whilst I was visiting one of 
 these temples, a father brought 
 his son to the priests . . ' . 
 saying that the child was pos- 
 sessed of a devil. Having con- 
 sulted the idol, the priests in- 
 formed him that there were no 
 fewer than five devils in the 
 body of his son, but that they 
 were prepared to expel them all 
 on the payment of a certain 
 sum. The father agreed. The 
 child was then placed in froat 
 of the altar, and on the ground 
 near his feet were placed five 
 eggs, into which the priests ad- 
 jured the devils to go. As soon as they were sup- 
 posed to have entered the eggs, the chief of the priests 
 covered them over with an earthenware vase, and at 
 the same time sounded a loud blast upon a horn. 
 When the vase was removed, the eggs, by a trick of 
 legerdemain, were found no longer on the ground but in 
 the vase. The priest then proceeded to uncover his arm, 
 
 TALL WHITE DEVIL. 
 
444 
 
 TAOIST SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 and made an incision with a lancet on the fleshy part. 
 The blood which flowed from the wound was allowed to 
 
 mingle with a small quantity of 
 water in a cup. The seal of 
 the temple, the impression of 
 which was the name of the 
 idol, was then dipped into the 
 blood and stamped upon the 
 wrists, neck, back and fore- 
 head of the poor heathen child, 
 who was sufferi*ng from an at- 
 tack of fever and ague." 
 
 The Chinese believe that 
 when disease does not yield to 
 medical treatment, the vitals of the sick and suffering one 
 are being preyed upon by an evil spirit; the physician is 
 cast aside, and the Taoist priests are called in, to exer- 
 cise their exorcising powers. One can scarcely pass 
 along the streets of a Chinese city, at night, without find- 
 ing these priests at work. Just as in Japan, one may 
 hear, every night, the beating of the tom-tom as some 
 priest is drumming the devil out of some poor wretch's 
 body. ■ 
 
 SHORT BLACK DEVIL. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. 
 
 Confucius! Confucius! How great was Confucius ! 
 Before him there was no Confucius ! 
 Since him there has been no other. 
 Confucius ! Confucius ! How great was Confucius ! 
 
 ONE-THIRD of the human race would probably 
 join in honoring Confucius. The 340,000,000 of 
 Chinese would, without doubt, accept the senti- 
 ment of the verse at the head of this chapter — taken 
 from a popular history of Confucius. No man in any 
 country has left so decided an impression on his country- 
 men for so long a time as Confucius has left upon the 
 Chinese. He was, without question, a great man, and 
 was wise far beyond the men of his age. His sayings, 
 writings and deeds stand out above those pf, his country- 
 men. He found the moral sense and religious observ- 
 ances of his countrymen very much debased during his 
 time, and set himself to reform them by reviving fhe an- 
 cient observances and teaching the highest principles of 
 pure morals and beneficent government. 
 
 THE BACKGROUND OF THE PICTURE. 
 
 Before looking at the story of Confucius's life let us 
 pause to look at the times in which he lived and his sur- 
 roundings. He was born in the year 550 B. C. He was 
 " a transmitter and not a maker," as he said ; so it is 
 important that we; should see what there was for him to 
 
 4$ 
 
g ST DRY OF CONFUCIUS'S LIFE. 
 
 transmit. We must look into the past history of the 
 Chinese people, into their traditions and habits, and, 
 ubove all, their early religion. In dim antiquity the Chi- 
 nese people came into the valley 
 of the Yellow River, through 
 Central Asia, from the west, 
 which was, perhaps, the cradle of 
 the race. They journeyed across 
 the weary wastes of the Mongo- 
 lian Desert until they came to 
 the fertile plains along the great 
 Hwang Ho. The mountains were 
 clad with forests. By the regu- 
 lar rains and fruitful soil the la- 
 bors of the people were rewarded 
 by abundant harvest, and they 
 gradually took possession of the 
 land. The aboriginal tribes grad- 
 ually yielded to their superior 
 prowess, discipline and civilization. Colonies were 
 planted all over the land under the control of chieftains, 
 or, as Mencius calls them, " Pastors of Men." The his- 
 tory of China, down to about 2356 B. C, is made of 
 legendary stories. With this period the " Book of His- 
 tory," which Confucius edited, begins. Dr. R. K. Doug- 
 lass, of the British Museum, thus describes the reign of 
 the two first emperors and the religion of their times : 
 
 Anciently there was an Emperor Yaou, all-informed, 
 intelligent, accomplished and thoughtful ; and if we are 
 to accept the received, account of his reign, this descrip- 
 tion does not do more than justice to his character. His 
 first care, we are told, was to advance the able and vir- 
 tuous to offices in the State, and finally he united and 
 b^rn>oiii2?d the myriad States pf th§ Empire; g-iid, 1q) 
 
 TRADITIONAL LIKENESS OF 
 CONFUCIUS. 
 
CONFUCIUS AND THE -CLASSICS. ..y 
 
 the black-haired people were transformed. He ap- 
 pointed astronomers to calculate and delineate the move- 
 ments and appearances of the sun, the moon, the stars 
 and the zodiacal spaces ; and he then determined the 
 four seasons and the length of the year. He adopted 
 intercalary fnonths, and the calendar he arranged is that 
 v/hich is still in use in China. 
 
 On the death of Yaou, Shun, who had shared his throne 
 for some years, succeeded as sole emperor. Like his 
 predecessor, he was profound, wise, accomplished and 
 intelligent. He was mild, respectful and quite sin- 
 cere. The report of his mysterious virtue was heard on 
 high, and he was appointed to take the throne. One of 
 his first public acts, after having still further perfected 
 the astronomical calculations of Yaou, -vfras to sacrifice to 
 Shang-te, the Supreme Ruler or God. " Thereafter," we 
 are told, " he sacrificed specially, but with the ordinary 
 forms, to Shang-te ; sacrificed with purity and reverence 
 to the six Honored Ones ; offered appropriate sacrifice to 
 the hills and rivers ; and extended his worship to the 
 hosts of spirits." This is the first mention we have in 
 Chinese history of religious worship, though the exfires- 
 sions used plainly imply that the worship of Shang-te at 
 least, had previously existed. It is to this Supreme 
 Being that all the highest forms of adoration have been 
 offered in all ages. By His decree kings were made and 
 rulers executed judgment. In His hands were the issues 
 of life and death, and he whom He blessed was blessed, 
 and he whom He cursed, was cursed. In all probability 
 there was a time when the worship of Shang-te was the 
 expression of the pure monotheistic faith of the Chinese. 
 By degrees, however, corruptions crept in, and though 
 Shang-te always remained the supreme object of venera- 
 tion, they saw no disloyalty to Him in rendering homage 
 
448 
 
 MONUMENTAL GATE- WAY. 
 
 to the powers of nature which they learnt to personify, 
 and to the spirits of their departed ancestors, who were 
 supposed to guard and watch over, in a subordinate man- 
 ner, the welfare of their descendants. 
 
 MONUMENTAL GATE-WAY ERECTED IN HONOR OF CONFUCIUS. 
 
 During this reign the empire was divided into twelve 
 provinces, and ministers of agriculture, crime, works, 
 forests, religious worship and of music were appointed. 
 That the standard of morality was high, even at this early 
 period, appears from the conversations which are reported 
 
CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. .^^ 
 
 between Shim's vice-regent Yu and one of his advisers. 
 In. answer to the question put by Yu : " What are the 
 nine virtues?" the minister repHed: " AffabiHty combined 
 with dignity ; mildness combined with firmness ; bluntness 
 combined with respectfulness ; aptness for government 
 combined with reverence ; docility combined with bold- 
 ness ; straightforwardness combined with gentleness ; 
 easiness combined with discrimination ; vigor combined 
 with sincerity; and valor combined with righteousness." 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SAGE's LIFE. 
 
 Heih, the father of Confucius, was a military otncer of 
 great bravery and immense strength. He was married 
 to Yen Ching Tsai, Confucius's mother, when he was sev- 
 enty years old. Confucius, the child of this aged couple, 
 was born, so the legends say, in a cave in Mount Ne. 
 The legends tell how his birth was heralded by strange 
 signs and appearances, how fairies attended the birth of 
 him of whose coming Yen Ching Tsai had been warned by 
 genii. While he was yet a boy, he loved to play in ar- 
 ranging the vessels of the temple-worship, and listened 
 earnestly to the stories of the reigns of Yaou and Shun. 
 When fifteen years old, he gave himself to more earnest 
 study, and when nineteen he was married. His married 
 life was unhappy, and after a year or so he was divorced 
 from his wife. Soon after this, being very poor, he ac- 
 cepted the office of keeper of the stores of grain, and in 
 the next year he became the guardian of the public fields 
 and lands. When twenty-two years old, Confucius gave 
 up his offices and became the teacher of an earnest band 
 of students. He refused to teach dull or idle scholars. He 
 said : "I do not open the truth to one who is not eager 
 after knowledge, nor do I help any one who is not him- 
 self anxious to explain. When I have presented one 
 
, r'r^ CONFUCIUS BECOMES A TEACHER. 
 
 corner of a subject, and the listener cannot from it learn 
 the other three, I do not repeat my lesson." When 
 twenty-eight years of age, Confucius studied archery, and 
 in the next few years studied music under the celebrated 
 music-master, Siang. The master directed his pupil to 
 learn the air composed by the sage Wan Wang of an- 
 cient days. Confucius at once took the lute, and in obe- 
 dience to Siang's instructions, commenced to play the 
 air. He continued it day by day. 
 
 " Five days went by, and still Confucius 
 Played all day long the ancient simple air ; 
 And when Siang would teach him more he said : 
 ' Not yet, my master, I would seize the thought. 
 The subtle thought which hides within the tune.' 
 To which the master answered : ' It is well. 
 Take five days more ! ' And when the time was passed 
 Unto Siang thus spoke Confucius : 
 ' I do begin to see, and yet what I see 
 Is very dim. I am as one who looks, 
 And nothing sees except a luminous cloud ; 
 Give me but five more days, and at the end, 
 If I have not attained the great idea 
 Hidden of old within the melody, 
 I will leave music as beyond my power.* 
 
 ' Do as thou wilt, O pupil ! ' cried Siang 
 In deepest admiration ; ' never yet 
 Had I a scholar who was like to thee. 
 And on the fifteenth day Confucius rose 
 
 And stood before Siang, and cried aloud : 
 
 ' The mist which shadowed me is blown away ; 
 
 I am as one who stands upon a cliff. 
 
 And gazes far and wide upon the world, , 
 
 For I have mastered every secret thought. 
 
 Yea, every shadow of a feeling dim 
 
 Which flitted through the spirit of Wan Wang 
 
 When he composed that air. I speak to him, 
 
 I hear him clearly answer me again ; 
 
 And more than that, I see his very form : 
 
Co^TFUCiUS AND tME cIaSsICL At i 
 
 A man of middle stature, with a hue 
 
 Half blended with the dark and with the fair ; 
 
 His features long, and large sweet eyes which beam 
 
 With great benevolence — a noble face ! 
 
 His voice is deep and full, and all his air 
 
 Inspires a sense of virtue and of love. 
 
 I know that I behold the very man. 
 
 The sage of ancient days, Wan Wang the just.' 
 
 " Then good Siang lay down upon the dust. 
 And said : ' Thou art my master. Even thus 
 The ancient legend, known to none but me. 
 Describes our first great sire. And thou hast seen 
 That which I never yet myself beheld, 
 Though I have played the sacred song for years. 
 Striving with all my soul to penetrate 
 Its mystery unto the master's form. 
 Whilst thou hast reached it at a single bound ; 
 Henceforth the gods alone can teach thee tune. ' ' ' 
 
 Now, at the age of thirty, he became famous. Many 
 youths, sons of nobles, became his willing scholars. At this 
 time he visited Lao-tsze, the founder of Taoism. While 
 in the capital, where Lao-tsze lived, he entered an old 
 temple where he found a metal statue of a man with a 
 triple clasp upon his mouth. On the back of the statue 
 were engraved the words : " The ancients were guarded in 
 their speech,- and like them we should avoid loquacity. 
 Many words invite many defeats. Avoid also engaging in 
 many businesses, for many businesses create many diffi- 
 culties." "Observe this, my children," said the sage to his 
 disciples. "These words are true, and commend them- 
 selves to our reason." 
 
 He visited various great cities and courts of emperors, 
 and everywhere was received with honor. Confucius was 
 saddened by the sight of so much disorder. Soon after 
 writing the "Book of Odes" and the "Bopk of History," 
 he became magistrate of the town of Chung-Too. He 
 
CONFUCIUS, THE WRITER. 
 
 now had an opportunity of putting his principles of gov- 
 ernment to the test, and the result partly justified his 
 expectations. He framed rules for the support of the 
 living, and for the observance of rites for the dead ; he 
 arranged appropriate food for the old and the young ; 
 and he provided for the proper separation of men and 
 women. And the results were, we are told, tHat any- 
 thing dropped on the road was not picked up ; there was 
 no fraudulent carving of vessels ; coffins were made of the 
 ordained thickness ; graves were unmarked by mounds 
 raised over them ; and no two prices were charged in the 
 markets. The duke, surprised at what he saw, asked 
 the sage whether his rule of government could be applied 
 to the whole State. " Certainly," replied Confucius, "and 
 not only to the State of Loo, but to the whole empire." 
 Forthwith, therefore, the duke made him Assistant Super- 
 intendent of Works, and shortly afterwards appointed him 
 Minister of Crime. Here, again, his success was com- 
 plete. As soon as he was appointed he began to carry 
 the laws into effect by punishing high-handed criminals 
 and ere long good government resumed its sway. 
 
 Though eminently successful, the results obtained un- 
 der his system were not quite such as his followers have 
 represented them to have been. No doubt crime dimin- 
 ished under his rule, but it was by no means abolished. 
 In fact, his biographers mention a case which must have 
 been peculiarly shocking to him. A father brought an 
 accusation against his son, in the expectation, probably, 
 of gaining his suit with ease before a judge who laid such 
 stress on the virtues of filial piety. But to his surprise, 
 and that of the on -lookers, Confucius cast both father 
 and son into prison, and to the remonstrance of the head 
 of the Ke-clan answered: "Am I to punish for a breach 
 of filial piety one who has never been taught to be filially- 
 
28 
 
CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. xre 
 
 minded? Is not he who neglects to teach his son filial 
 duties, equally guilty with his son who fails in them? 
 Grime is not inherent in human nature, and therefore the 
 father in the family, and the government in the State are 
 responsible for the crimes committed against filial piety 
 and the public laws. If a king is careless about publish- 
 ing laws, and then peremptorily punishes in accordance 
 with the strict letter of them, he acts the part of a swind- 
 ler; if he collect the taxes arbitrarily without giving 
 warning, he is guilty of oppression ; and if he puts the - 
 people to death without having instructed them, he com- 
 mits a cruelty." 
 
 Confucius had great faith in the power of example. 
 He could not carry out all his schemes nor always adhere 
 to his rules. Yet the people rejoiced in his rule, and at 
 their work sang songs, describing him as their saviour 
 from oppression and injustice. The tendencies of the 
 times were against the enthusiastic reformer, yet he 
 struggled on. After he was dismissed from office in Loo 
 he became the counselor of princes. He went from 
 State to State, and ruler to ruler, until he was sixty-nine 
 years old. He never lost confidence in himself or in his 
 mission. One morning, in the spring of the year 478 
 B. C, he walked in front of his door, saying ; 
 
 " The great mountain must crumble ; 
 The strong beam must break, 
 And the wise man withers away like a plant." 
 
 He was now without honor among the princes. As he 
 said, " No intelligent monarch arises ; there is not one in 
 the empire who will make me his master. My time is 
 come to die." That same day he took to his bed, and 
 after a week's sickness he died. He was buried with 
 great tokens of respect by his disciples. 
 
, WISDOM OF THE SAGE. 
 
 TEACHINGS AND WRITINGS OF THE CHINESE SAGE. 
 
 No man, probably, has been treated with so much con- 
 tempt during his lifetime, and with so much veneration 
 after his death, as Confucius. His life was a standing 
 protest against the iniquities of his time. The teachings 
 of Confucius are contained in three thin volumes, called 
 the Lun Yu, or "Confucian Analects;" the Ta Hioh, or 
 "Great Learning;" and the Chung Yung, or " Doctrine 
 of the Mean." Confucius also edited the Yeh King^ or 
 "Book of Changes ;" the She King, or " Book of Odes ;" 
 and the Shoo King, or " Book of History." He derided 
 spiritual teaching, did not refer to the future life, and had 
 little to say about the gods. As to where man came 
 from, or where he was going, Confucius was never 
 troubled. He taught, man is master of his own happi- 
 ness and destiny. He might, by his own efforts, become 
 the equal of heaven. As to morals and good govern- 
 ment Confucius's teachings rank high. He was really a 
 Statesman and Reformer, rather than a Religious Teacher. 
 Some selections from his three books will be of use as 
 illustrating the style and substance of his teachings: 
 
 THE WISDOM OF THE SAGE. 
 
 " Is he not a man of complete virtue who feels no dis- 
 composure, though men may take no note of him ?" 
 
 Tsang, the philosopher, said, " I daily examine myself 
 on three points — whether, in transacting business for 
 others, I may have been not faithful ; whether, in inter- 
 course with friends, I may have been not sincere ; whether 
 I may have not mastered and practiced the instructions 
 of my teacher." 
 
 The Master said, " He who aims to be a man of com- 
 plete virtue, in his food does not seek to gratify his 
 
CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. ac<j 
 
 appetite, nor in his dwelling-place does he seek the 
 appliances of ease ; he is earnest in what he is doing, 
 and careful in his speech ; he frequents the <:ompany of 
 men of principle, that he may be rectified. Such a per- 
 son may be said, indeed, to love to learn." 
 
 The Master said, " I will not be afflicted at men's not 
 knowing me ; I will be afflicted that I do not know men." 
 
 The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind, bent on 
 learning. 
 
 "At thirty, I stood firm. 
 
 "At forty, I had no doubts. 
 
 "At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. 
 
 "At sixty, my ear was an obedient orgzxi for the recep- 
 tion of truth. 
 
 "At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, 
 without transgressing what was right." 
 
 The Master said, " The superior man is catholic and 
 no partisan ; the mean man is a partisan and no catholic." 
 
 The Master said, " Learning without thought is labor 
 lost ; thought without learning is perilous.", 
 
 The Master said, " For a man to sacrifice to a spirit 
 which does not belong to him is flattery. 
 
 " To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage." 
 
 The Master said, "A man should say, 'I am not con- 
 cerned that I have no place ; I am concerned how I may 
 fit myself for one. I am not concerned that I am not 
 known ; I seek to be worthy to be known.' " 
 
 The Master said, " The reason why the ancients did 
 not readily give utterance to their words was that they 
 feared lest their actions should not come up to them." 
 
 Tsae Yu, being asleep during the daytime, the Master 
 said, " Rotten wopd cannot be carved ; a wall of dirty 
 earth will not receive the trowel. This Yu ! — what is the 
 use of my reproving him ?" 
 
._g WISDOM OF THE SAGE. 
 
 The Master said, " I have not seen a firm and unbend- 
 ing man." Some one replied, " There is Shin Ch'ang." 
 " Ch'ang," said the Master, " is under the influence of his 
 lusts ; how can he be' firm and unbending ?" 
 
 Tsze-kung said, " What I do not wish men to do to 
 me, I also wish not to do to men." The Master said, 
 " Tsze, you have not attained to that." 
 
 The Master said, " Not tb do to others as you would 
 not wish done to yourself." 
 
 Tsze-kung asked, saying, " is there one word , which 
 may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life ?" The 
 Master said, " Is not reciprogity such a word ? What you 
 do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." 
 
 "When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of 
 his nature, and exei*-cise3 them on the principle of reci- 
 procity, he is not far from the path. What you do not 
 like, when done to yourself, do not do to others." 
 
 Tsze-loo said, " I should like, sir, to hear your wishes." 
 The Master said, "They are, in regard to the aged, to 
 give them rest ; in regard to friends, to show them sin- 
 cerity ; in regard to the young, to treat them tenderly." 
 
 The Master said, "Admirable, indeed, was the virtue 
 of Hwuy ! With a single bamboo dish of rice, a single 
 gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean, narrow lane, 
 while others could not have endured the distress, he did 
 not allow his joy to be affected by it. Admirable, indeed, 
 was the virtue of Hwuy !" 
 
 The Master said, "They who know the truth are not 
 equal to those who love it ; and they who love it are not 
 equal to those who find delight in it." 
 
 The Master was mild, and yet dignified ; majestic, and 
 yet not fierce ; respectful, and yet easy. 
 
 Tsang said, " When a bird is about to die, its notes are 
 mournful ; when a man is about to dici his words are good." 
 
CONFUCIUS AND THE CLASSICS. . -- 
 
 459 
 
 Confucius, in his village, looked simple and sincere, 
 and as if he were one who was not able to speak. 
 
 Tsze-loo asked about government. The Master said, 
 "Go before the people wziA your example, and be labo- 
 rious in their affairs." 
 
 The Master said, " The progress of the superior man 
 is upwards i* the progress of the mean man is downwards." 
 
 The Master said, " In ancient times, men learned with 
 a view to their own improvement. Nowadays, men learn 
 witli a view to the approbation of others.". 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 The Emperor plowing in the Sacred Field, 
 What time the New Year comes in solemn state. 
 
 Richard Henry Stoddard. 
 
 AMONG the prominent objects of worship in China 
 may be specified Shang-te, who is alone wor- 
 shiped by the Emperor; the worship of Con- 
 fucius ; and that of the spirits of deceased ancestors among 
 the common people. Besides these, there is a host of 
 deities who receive worship with the host of spirits who 
 are dreaded and who may be propitiated by worship. 
 The tenets of Confucius have been generally regarded 
 
 as a system of religion and 
 and have received the name 
 of "Confucianism" among 
 the Western authors. His 
 precepts form the basis of 
 morals, but in the' worship 
 of Shang-te by the Empe- 
 ror, who is at the head of 
 the system, he in person can 
 alone officiate at the most 
 important ceremonies. At 
 the same time that he wor- 
 ships Shang-te he unites 
 the worship of Confucius with it on the great altar of 
 
 heaven in Peking. The homage of Confucius enters into 
 460 
 
 CHINESE SCHOOL-BOYS. 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 
 the daily life of all students. In every school-room there 
 is a tablet, containing the name of the sage, before which 
 every scholar makes his bow when he enters the room. 
 A missionary thus describes the worship paid to him : 
 
 As there is no image of Confucius for use on such oc- 
 casions, a slip of red paper, of only a few inches in length, 
 on which has been written in black ink an expression 
 meaning " The Teacher and Pattern for 10,000 ages" is 
 put upon the wall of the school-room. In front of this is 
 placed a table, having upon it a censer and a pair of can- 
 dlesticks. When everything is 
 ready the teacher, having first 
 lighted and put in the censer 
 three sticks of incense,' and in 
 the candlesticks a couple of 
 candles, kneels down before the 
 table, and placing -his hands on 
 the floor, bows his head toward 
 the earth slowly and reverently 
 three times. He then arises, 
 and one of his pupils takes his 
 place before the table, and 
 kneels down, making the same 
 number of bowings in the same ^ 
 manner. Another pupil now 
 takes the place, and performs 
 the same ceremony ; and so on 
 till all have engaged in the worship of the sage. After 
 this, the food which is to be consumed in the feast is 
 placed on the table before the inscription to Confucius, 
 where it remains a short time. It is then removed to 
 another table, or tables, around which the teacher and 
 his pupils gather and partake of it. Before the feast the 
 teacher usually presents to each one of his pupils a white 
 
 CHINESE JOSS-STICK. 
 
4^2 ckiNksk yoVTH at sckdoL 
 
 paper fan, on which he sometimes writes a quotatioii 
 from the classics, or a favorite stanza of poetry. Be- 
 sides this,'he provides a number of toys, equal to the 
 num,ber of his pupils^ each representing a graduate of 
 the first, second or third literary degrees, which are dis- 
 tinguishable by the shape and color of their dresses. It 
 is decided by the throwing of dice in what order 'the 
 pupils shall choose these );oys. These toys are valued 
 as an omen for good, or rather as an index of the success 
 in study which each may hope to attain. It is often an 
 interesting and exciting time amonp- the members of a 
 school. 
 
 On a Chinese youth entering a school as pupil for the 
 first time in any year, he is expected to bring with him 
 two small candles, a few sticks of incense, and a small 
 quantity of mock-money, which are to be lighted and 
 consumed before a slip of paper, having some title of 
 Confucius written upon it, the pupil making the usual 
 prostration before it after these things have been lighted 
 and while they are being consumed. This is called " en- 
 tering school," or " worshiping the sage." One morning, 
 some six years ago, a lad, dressed in his best clothes, 
 marched into a free-school under' the charge of a mis- 
 sionary, carrying, beside his books, three sticks of in- 
 cense, two small candles, and a few sheets of mock- 
 money, designed, in accordance with established usage, 
 as an offering to the Chinese sage. It seemed that the 
 teacher had neglected to inform his parents that in the 
 mission school the sage was not worshiped. The lad 
 was quietly told that the articles he had brought would 
 not be used, inasmuch as those who studied the books 
 of Jesus did not burn incense in honor of Confucius. 
 Thus from earliest childhood the youth of China are 
 taught to reverence their great countryman, Confucius. 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WOkSltlP. 
 
 THE WORSHIP OF SHANG-TE, AT PEKING. 
 
 4^3 
 
 Notwithstanding the silence of Confucius on the sub- 
 ject of Shang-te, his worship has been maintained, not, 
 perhaps, in its original purity, but with marks of rever- 
 ^ence which place its object on the highest pinnacle of the 
 Chinese Pantheon. At the present day, the imperial 
 worship of Shang-te, on the round hillock to the south of 
 the city of Peking, is surrounded with all the solemnity 
 of which such an occasion is capable. The altar is a 
 beautiful marble structure, ascended by twenty-seven 
 steps : a balustrade surrounds each terrace. On the 
 upper of these three terraces are five tables or altars, on 
 which the offerings to Shang-te are laid. This is the 
 central point of attraction in this whole inclosure of a 
 square mile, which contains thousands of beautiful trees 
 and many subordinate buildings. On another terrace 
 stands if a magnificent triple-roofed circular structure, 
 ninety-nine feet !n height, which constitutes the most con- 
 spicuous object of the whole. On the day bfefore the 
 annual sacrifices ' at the Winter Solstice, the Emperor 
 proceeds to the Hall of Fasting, on the west side of the 
 south altar. Here he spends the night in watching and 
 meditation, after first inspecting the offerings. The tab- 
 lets to the Supreme Ruler of Heaven («'. e., Shang-l;e,) 
 and to the Emperor's ancestors are preserved in the 
 chapel at the back of each altar. There are no images. 
 Both these chapels are circular, and covered with blue 
 glazed tiles. The south altar, the most important of a 
 Chinese religious structures, has the following dimen 
 sions. It consists of a triple circular terrace, 210 feet 
 wide at the base, 1 50 in the middle, and 90 at the top. 
 The heights of the three terraces, upper, middle and 
 lower, are ^yi feet, 6 5^ feet, and 5 feet respectively. 
 
.Q. THE WORSHIP OF SHANG-TE. 
 
 At the time of sacrificing, the tablets to Heaven and to 
 the Emperor's ancestors are placed on the top; they 
 are two feet five inches long and five inches wide. The 
 tide is in gilt letters ; that of Heaven faces the south, and 
 those of the ancestors east and west. The Emperor.' 
 with his immediate suite, kneels in front of the tablet to 
 Shang-te, and faces the north. The platform is laid with 
 marble stones, forming nine concentric circles. The 
 inner circle consists of nine stones, cut so as to fit with 
 close edges round the central stone, which is a perfect 
 circle. Here the Emperor kneels, and is surrounded 
 first by the circles of the terraces and their inclosing 
 walls, and then by the circle of the horizon. He thus 
 seems to himself and his court to be in the centre of the 
 universe ; and, turning to the north, assuming the attitude 
 of a subject, he acknowledges in prayer and by his posi- 
 tion that he is inferior to Heaven, and to Heaven alone. 
 Round him, on the pavement, are the nine circles of as 
 many heavens, consisting of nine ston%s, then eighteen, 
 then twenty-seven, and so on in successive multiples of 
 nine till the square of nine, the favorite number of Chi- 
 nese philosophy, is reached in the outermost circle of 
 eighty-one stones. As might be expected, careful dis- 
 tinctions are niade in the sacrifices. The animals ordi- 
 narily used for food by the ancient Chinese, and the' 
 fruits of the earth known to them, are almost all included. 
 But productions recendy introduced into the country are 
 not offered. To Heaven alone is offered a piece of blue 
 jade, cylindrical in shape and a foot long, formerly used 
 as a symbol of sovereignty. But the great distinguish- 
 ing sign of superiority is the offering of a whole burnt 
 sacrifice to Heaven. 
 
 After the same style of building, and used as a part of 
 the worship of Heaven and eardi, is the Temple of the 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 467 
 
 Sun, at Peking. This temple has been dedicated by the 
 Chinese to the sun as the great source of hght and heat, 
 and it has been put under the protection of the god of 
 fire. Farmers frequent this temple in dull, cold weather, 
 to pray for the sunshine to ripen their grain and fruit, 
 and the people generally pray to this god for protection 
 against fire. The fourth day of every month is a high 
 day at this temple, and it is then crowded with wor- 
 shipers. On this day, a band of music is provided, and, 
 in addition to the ordinary priests of the temple, extra 
 priests go about swinging incense, and conducting many 
 other imposing services. 
 
 In the spring of every year, the Chinese pay great 
 honors to agriculture. The Emperor proceeds to the 
 park surrounding the Temple of Agriculture, at Peking, 
 and in a plot of ground reserved for the purpose, and in 
 the presence of the grandees of the empire, he guides the 
 imperial plow, and uses the seed-planter, rake, etc. 
 
 After this, the Emperor and the attendant princes and 
 officials proceed to the Temple of Agriculture, which is 
 dedicated to Shin-nung, or the " Divine Husbandman," 
 the fabulous originator of the art. Here bullocks, swine 
 and sheep are offered in sacrifice, and prayers made to 
 Shin-nung, and also to the god of the land, the grain, the 
 ocean, the wind, the thunder and the rain. 
 
 Similar plowing and worshiping are performed by the 
 leading mandarins near the south.gates of all the princi- 
 pal cities of the empire, after which the manldarins mount 
 a platform, and calling around them the principal farmers 
 of the vicinity, exhort them to the proper discharge of 
 their duties as husbandmen. At the close of the ad- 
 dresses, they present to each of the farmers, who have 
 been selected to receive them, certain presents or medals 
 in the name of the Emperor, in order to encourage thern, 
 
468 
 
 TEMPLE OF AGRICULTURE AT PEKIN. 
 
 Apart from the idolatrous worship, this conduct of the 
 Emperor and his officials is very praiseworthy ; but it is 
 sad to know that while " God has not left Himself with- 
 out witness among tKem in that He does good, and sends 
 
 TEMPLE OF AGRICULTURE, AT PEKING, CHINA. 
 
 them rain and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with 
 food and gladness," they yet do not recognize His exist- 
 ence and beneficence, but give His glory to others, and 
 His praise to graven images. 
 
CONPUCIaN TEMPLMS At^b WORSHIP. 
 
 TEMPLE TO CONFUCIUS. 
 
 47* 
 
 The most important and sacred temple is that adjoin- 
 ing the tonib of Confucius in Shantung, on which all the 
 art of the Chinese architecture has been lavished. The 
 main building consists of two stories, the upper veranda 
 surrounding which " rests on gorgeous marble pillars, 
 twenty-two feet high, and about two feet in diameter, 
 which at a distance appear as if huge dragons were coiled 
 around them and hanging from the top. The tiles of 
 the roof are of yellow, as in Peking, and the ornamenta- 
 tion under the eaves is covered with wire-work to keep 
 it from the birds. Inside the building is the image or 
 statue of Confucius, in a gorgeously-curtained shrine, 
 holding in his hand a slip of bamboo, such as was used 
 for writing upon in his days. The statue is about 
 eighteen feet by six feet, and is life-like. Confucius was 
 strong, tall and well-built, with a full red face, and large 
 and heavy head. On the tablet is the simple inscription, 
 'The most Holy prescient Sage Confucius. His Spirit's 
 resting-place.' On the east side are images of his favor- 
 ite disciples, arranged according to the estimation in 
 which he is said to have held them. The ceiling of the 
 building is crowded with tablets, hung up in honor of the 
 sage, each vying with another in extravagant praise. 
 Before him and also before his disciples, were the usual 
 frames for sacrifices, and in front of these, beautiful in- 
 cense-pots, beside them were several most interesting 
 relics, such as vases, said to be of the Shang Dynasty, 
 B. C. 1610, the work of which was superb. There were 
 also two bronze elephants, reported to be of the Chow 
 Dynasty, and a table of that same era of dark red-wood. 
 
 "On the west side are two temples; one in front, in 
 honor of the father of Confucius, . . . and one be- 
 
472 
 
 Temple to confucws. 
 
 hind, in honor of his mother. . . . On the east side 
 are temples to his five ancestors, and a large block of 
 marble, whereon is a genealogical tree, giving all the 
 branches of his family. . . . The building behind the 
 grand temple is the temple in honor of his wife, in which 
 was only a tablet and no image. The second temple 
 behind that contained four tablets, erected by K'ang-he 
 in liis honor, one character on each, and the interpreta- 
 tion was: 'The perspicuous teacher of 10,000 kingdoms.' 
 Here also are three pictures of the sage on marble ; one 
 an old man, full-length, rather dim, having no date ; the 
 second smaller, with seal characters on the side ; the 
 third and best, giving only his head and shoulders. 
 These varied somewhat but were substantially alike. All 
 of them have the mouth or lips open and front teeth ex- 
 posed, and the full contemplative eyes. Immediately 
 behind these are engravings on marble, illustrating all 
 the chief incidents of his life, with appropriate explana- 
 tions at the side. Of these there were altog-ether 120 
 slabs, which are built into the wall. 
 
 "The image of Confucius does not stand alone, but 'is 
 surrounded by images of his principal disciples, while in 
 a hall at the back of that dedicated to him are ranged 
 those of his ancestors. Occasionally different emperors 
 have visited his tomb in Shantung, at which times the 
 imperial pilgrims have worshiped with extraordinary 
 solemnity at his shrine in the adjoining temple. K'ang-he, 
 the most celebrated both as a ruler and a scholar of the 
 emperors of the present dynasty, went on such a pilgrim- 
 age, and ' set the example of kneeling thrice and each 
 time lying his forehead thrice in the dust before the 
 Image of the sage.' 
 
 "In the eighteen provinces there are 1,500 temples 
 dedicated to his worship, where on the first and fifteenth 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WO Ji SHIP. 4-, 
 
 AurfS of each moon, sacrificial services are performed 
 before him, and once in the spring and autumn the local 
 officials go in state to take part in acts of specially 
 solemn worship. According to the Shing meaou che, or 
 'History of the Temples of the Sage,' as many as six 
 bullocks, 27,000 pigs, 5,800 sheep, 2,800 deer and 2,700 
 hares are sacrificed on these occasions, and at the same 
 time 27,600 pieces of silk are offered on his shrine." 
 
 We have before mentioned the examination of can- 
 didates for civil service in the classics. It will be of in- 
 terest now to give more in detail on these examinations. 
 
 EXAMINATIONS IN THE SACRED BOOKS. 
 
 Dr. H. M. Field tells us of the Examination Hall that, 
 in the eastern quarter of Canton, is an inclosure of many 
 acres, laid off in a manner which betokens some unusual 
 purpose. The ground is divided by a succession of long, 
 low buildings not much better than horse-sheds around 
 a New England meeting-house in the olden time. 'They 
 run in parallel lines, like barracks for a camp, and are 
 divided into narrow compartments. Once in three years 
 this vast camping-ground presents an extraordinary 
 spectacle, for then are gathered in these courts, from all 
 parts of the province, some 10,000 candidates, all of whom 
 have previously passed a first examination, and received 
 a degree and now appear to compete for the second. 
 Some are young, and some are old, for there is no limit 
 put upon age. As the candidates present themselves, each 
 man is searched, to see that he has no books, or helps of 
 any kind, concealed upon his person. He is then put in a 
 stall about three feet wide, just large enough to turn 
 round in and as bare as a prisoner's cell. There is a 
 niche in the wall, in which a board can be placed for him 
 to sit upon, and another niche to support a board that has 
 
474 
 
 CHINESE CrViL SERVICE. 
 
 to serve as breakfast-table and writing-table. This is Jie 
 furniture of his room. Here he is shut in from all com- 
 munication with the world, his food being passed to him 
 through a door, as to a prisoner. Certain themes are 
 then submitted to him in writing on which he is to furnish 
 written essays, intended generally, and perhaps always, 
 to determine his knowledge of the classics. It is some- 
 times said that these are frivolous questions, the answers 
 to which afford no proof whatever of one's capacity foi 
 office, but it should be remembered that these classics 
 are the writings of Confucius, which are the political ethics 
 of the country, the very foundation of the government, 
 without knowing which, one is not qualified to take part 
 in its administration. 
 
 The candidate goes into his cell in the afternoon, and 
 spends the night there, which gives him time for re- 
 flection, and all the next day and next night, when he 
 comes out, and after a few days is put in again for another 
 trial of the same character, and this is repeated a third 
 time; at the end of which he is released, and his essays 
 are submitted for examination. Of the 10,000, only 
 75 can obtain a degree — not one in a hundred ! The 
 9,925 must go back disappointed, their only consola- 
 tion being, that after three years they can try again. 
 Even the successful ones do not thereby get an 
 office, but only the right to enter for a third competi- 
 tion, which takes place at Peking, by which of course 
 their ranks are thinned still more. The few who get 
 through this threefold ordeal take a high place in the 
 literary class, from which all appointments to the public 
 service are made. Here is the system of examination 
 complete. No trial can be imagined more severe, and it 
 ought to give the Chinese the best civil service in the 
 world. 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 475 
 
 ANECDOTES OF STUDENTS. 
 HOW MENCIUS'S MOTHER INCITED HER SON TO STUDY. 
 
 During the Chow dynasty (B. C. 1122-225), Mencius, 
 at the age of three years, lost his father. His mother, 
 whose name was Sin, was a woman of distinguished 
 worth and virture. Mencius went to school, but soon 
 threw aside his books and returned home. His mother 
 was very much incensed at this course, and taking a knife, 
 cut the web of cloth she was weaving, saying: "My son, 
 your desisting from your studies is like my cutting this 
 web." Mencius, trembling with apprehension, returned 
 to school and studied with diligence, nor did he intermit 
 his literary pursuits until he became a worthy, next in 
 rank to the sage Confucius. 
 
 HOW A TIRED STUDENT WAS LED BACK TO HIS STUDIES. 
 
 In the time of the Tang dynasty (620-906 A. D.) Lei 
 Peh, while yet young, and before he had completed his 
 studies left school and started for home. On the road 
 he saw an old woman engaged in grinding away on an 
 iron pestle. Peh inquired why she was thus grinding 
 the pestle? She answered: ^^ I want to make a needle!' 
 He was surprised at her words, and influenced by them, 
 returned to school, and studied with most assiduous 
 application. He finally became a member of the Imperial 
 college at the capital. 
 
 THE LITTLE SAGE WHO HJD FIRE TO LIGHT HIS LAMP. 
 
 Probably between 479-501 A. D., lived Y'su Yung, who 
 when he was only eight years old, was so fond of study, that 
 his parents were afraid he would impair his eyes by his 
 diligence. They therefore forbade him the use of books, 
 but he would not obey them. Constantly he hid fire 
 
.^g ANECDOTES OF STUDENTS. 
 
 until his parents had retired to rest, when he would light 
 his lamp and study. He took his clothes, and the cover- 
 let of his bed and hung them up over the window of his 
 room, lest the light escaping through it, should be seen 
 by some one of the family. In this way his name became 
 very widely celebrated as a scholar. At home and 
 abroad the people called him " the little sage!' At the 
 age -of twelve he became a high officer of government, 
 and' was afterward promoted to the Superintendency 
 of the Offering of Wine. 
 
 AN EXAMPLE OF A STUDIOUS ANCESTOR. 
 
 Fan Shun Jin, in the Sung dynasty, day and night was 
 diligent in study. He was in the habit of placing his 
 lamp within the curtains of his bed, and thus studying till 
 past midnight. Afterward, he became a very distin- 
 guished officer. His wife preserved the curtain, which, 
 at the top, had become blapk by the soot, Occasionally 
 she would bring it forth, and show it to her children and 
 grandchildren, saying, " Your father and grandfather, 
 when he was a boy, was very studious. Here are thi 
 marks of the smoke of his lamp." 
 
 THE STUDENT WITH A ROUND STICK FOR A PILLOW. 
 
 During the Sung dynasty, Sie Ma Wan, when a boy, 
 whether he was moving about or at rest, in all his con- 
 duct was dignified and decorous, like a perfect old gen- 
 tleman. At seven years of age. he heard an explanation 
 of the classic called "Spring and Autumn." He was 
 very much pleased, and, having returned home, con- 
 versed with the members of his family in such a manner 
 as to show that he understood its principles. He was 
 accustomed to use a round block of wood for a pillow. 
 When he became sleepy, and fell into a doze, this pillow 
 
CONFUCIAN TEMPLES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 477 
 
 would roll a little and awaken him. Once awakened, he 
 would apply himself to his studies again with vigor. He 
 finally became an object of worship, his tablet being 
 placed in the temple of Confucius. 
 
 THE STUDENT WITH A HOLE IN THE WALL. . 
 
 • 
 
 In the Han dynasty, which began about 205 B. C, and 
 ended about 25 A. D., lived Kwang Hung, who was very 
 indigent. Though very fond of books, he was destitute 
 of the means of purchasing oil. His neighbor, in the 
 adjoining house, had candles ; but the light could not 
 penetrate through the wall. Hung therefore made a hole 
 in it, in order to procure rays of light by which he coilld 
 prosecute his studies. In the city, a wealthy man, whose 
 surname was Great, had a large number of books. Hung 
 was anxious to work for him, though not for the purpose 
 of receiving wages. He only desired the privilege of 
 reading the rich man's books as his pay. Mr. Great was 
 so much interested in the proposal and in the man that 
 he gave him some of his books as his wages. Hung 
 became a very learned man, and finally obtained the office 
 of prime minister. 
 
 With stories like these the Chinese encourage the peo- 
 ple to study the sacred books. Besides the gods above 
 mentioned there are hundreds of others, gods of occupa- 
 tions, professions and callings; gods of literature, of art, 
 of play-acting, of gambling, and a host of others are found 
 everywhere. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 9 
 
 HOME-LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 A man do good, he go to Joss ; he no do good, very much bamboo 
 catchee he. — The ^-amous Howqua's reply to an American sea- 
 captain. 
 
 ONE of the most prominent features of the Chinese 
 religion is the excessive reverence that is paid to 
 parents. We remember the commandment of 
 old, " Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days 
 may be long upoH the land which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee." The Chinese have long lived in their land; 
 they have outlived the kingdpms of Persia, Egypt, Judea, 
 Babylon, Greece ahd Rome. It certainly seems as if this 
 were a fulfillment of the promise of God, that, as they 
 honor their parents, so are they permitted to live long'in 
 their land. This reverence for parents, while living and 
 after death, is found among other nations ; but nowhere 
 is so great stress laid upon this part of duty as in China. 
 , The ancient ritual on filial duty directs that, during the 
 lifetime of his parents, a son should not go abroad, or, if 
 he do so, then to a fixed place. When at home, he 
 should rise with the first cock-crow, and having washed 
 and dressed himself carefully, should inquire what the 
 wishes of his parents are as to the food they would eat 
 and drink. He should not enter a room unless invited 
 by his father, nor retire without permission; neither 
 should he speak unless spoken to. When leaving the 
 house, he should report himself, and on returning should 
 478 
 
HOME-LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 479 
 
 make his presence known. He should be regular in his 
 amusements, attentive to his calling, constant in speech, 
 and avoiding all reference to old age. This last is a 
 point strongly insisted upon, and every boy has held up 
 to him as an example to be followed the conduct of J^aou 
 
 CHINESE SITTING-ROOM. 
 
 Lai-tsze, who, fearing that the recognition by his parents 
 of the fact that he was seventy years old would remind 
 them of their own great age, used to dress himself in a 
 child's frock, and play about the room like an infant ! 
 
 " Of all things," said Confucius, " which derive their na- 
 tures from Heaven and earth, man is the most noble ; 
 
48o 
 
 WORSHIPING THE TABLET. 
 
 and of all the duties which are incumbent on him, there 
 is none greater than filial obedience ; nor, in performing 
 this is there anything so essential as to reverence one's 
 father; and, as a mark of reverence, there is nothing 
 more important than to place him on an equality with 
 Heaven. Thus did the noble Duke Chow. Formerly, 
 he sacrificed on the round altar to the spirits of his re- 
 mote ancestors, as equal with Heaven ; and in the open 
 hall he sacrificed to Wan Wang (his father), as equal 
 with Shang-te." 
 
 Repeatedly, throughout the teachings of the sage and 
 of Mencius, reference is made to ancestral worship. Yet, 
 it did not originate with Confucius, for he but handed 
 down a more ancient form of worship. Confucius merely 
 revived that. Really, Confucius cared very little about 
 worship of any sort ; his system was of the earth, earthy. 
 All the worship of modern Confucianism is the addition 
 of later days. Whatever of worship or of strictly religious 
 teaching is to be found in Confucius's writings is there 
 because of some connection with government or moral 
 teachings. The idea of filial piety is' carried up to the 
 government. The common people must respect and. 
 obey the officers as fathers ; lower officers must look 
 upon the higher officers as fathers ; and all must look to 
 the Emperor as father. He, in turn, must look upon his 
 people as his children. Thus the paternal idea prevails. 
 
 WORSHIPING THE TABLET. 
 
 Almost every Chinese house has either a " hall of an- 
 cestors" or at least a closet, where the ancestral tablet is 
 kept. The tablet is called Shin Chu, meaning house of \}ae. 
 spirit. It is made of wood, and is generally about twelve 
 inches high and three inches wide. The wood is gener- 
 ally fragrant, and parts are elaborately carved. It con- 
 
HOME- LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 481 
 
 sists of three pieces, a pedestal and two upright pieces. 
 Often a place is cut in the back, in which pieces of paper 
 containing the names 
 of ancestors are in- 
 serted. Every day be- 
 fore this tablet incense 
 and paper prayers are 
 burned. The prayers 
 are written upon the 
 paper, and the Chinese 
 believe that when the 
 papers are burned they 
 go to their dead fathers 
 and mothers. These 
 are not prayers for 
 these dead parents, but 
 prayers ^^them. They 
 believe that each man 
 has three souls, one of 
 which at his death goes 
 to Heaven, one re- 
 mains with the body in 
 the grave and one re- 
 turns home and lives 
 in the ancestral tablet. 
 In April of each year a 
 day is selected, when 
 especial -worship is paid 
 at the graves. Every 
 man, woman and child 
 hastens away to the 
 family tombs, taking of- 
 ferings and candles to worship at the graves. To neglect 
 this ceremony is, counted a slight to one's dpad parents. 
 
 ANCESTRAL TABLET 
 
482 
 
 A CHINAMAN BURNING PR A VERS. 
 
 A CHINAMAN BURNING PRAYER^ INSTEAD OF SAYING THEM. 
 
 The following translation of a prayer offered at the 
 tomb shows that it is a real worship which is given : 
 
 " Tankwang, 1 2th Year, 3d Moon, ist Day. 
 
 "I, Lin Kwang, the second son of the third generation, 
 presume to come before the grave of my ancestor, Lin 
 
HOME-UFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 483 
 
 BRINGING HOME ONE OF THE SOULS 
 OF A DEAD MAiN IN HIS CLOTHES. 
 
 Kung. Revolving years have brought again the season 
 of spring. Cherishing sentiments ot' veneration, I look 
 upi and sweep your tomb. 
 Prostrate, I pray that you 
 will come and be present, 
 and that you will grant to 
 your posterity that they may 
 be prosperous and illus- 
 trious. At this season of 
 genial showers and gentle 
 breezes, I desire to recom- 
 pense the root of my exist- 
 ence, and exert myself sinv 
 cerely. Always grant your 
 safe protection. Most rev- 
 erently, I present the five- 
 fold sacrifice of a pig, a fowl, a duck, a goose, and a 
 fish; also, an offering of five plates of fruit, with libations 
 of spirituous liquors, earnestly entreating that you will 
 come and view them. With the most attentive respect, 
 this announcement is presented on high." 
 
 To a Chinaman there is no greater sin than to neglect 
 the worship of an ancestor ; no greater calamity can hap- 
 pen than that he should die and be buried away from his 
 native land. Almost every steamer that crosses the 
 Pacific from America carries one or more preserved 
 bodies of Chinamen, taking them home to be buried. 
 
 CEREMONY OF TURNING THE BRIDGE-LADDER. 
 
 After the dead body has been laid out, this singular 
 
 custom is observed in many families. Sometimes those 
 
 -^ families which have no married or betrothed daughters 
 
 do not practice it on the death of its head. The married 
 
 daughters are expected then to return home. 
 
.g. CEREMONY OF THE BRIDGE-LADDER. 
 
 Several Taoist priests are employed to prepare the 
 "bridge-ladder" and aid in the celebration of the cere- 
 mony at the expense of the son-in-law or sons-in-law of 
 the deceased. A post seven or eight feet high is placed 
 in a socket or frame standing on the ground. Into holes 
 made in the sides of this post are fastened several bam- 
 boos two or three feet long. These sticks project out- 
 ward and upward a little from the post. Sometimes 
 
 
 r^pR^rjii? 
 
 
 CEREMONY OF TURNING AROUND THE BRIDGE LADDER. 
 
 these sticks amount to several tens. The longer ones 
 are placed toward the bottom and the shorter ones toward 
 the top, the lowest tier being three or four feet from the 
 ground. At the extreme outer end of each is suspended 
 by a wire a kind of glass cup containing oil and wicking, 
 the whole constituting a lamp. On the top of the post is 
 j placed a candle. Into a hole, about three feet from the 
 ground, made in the upright post, is inserted a pole pro- 
 jecting at a right-angle, some two or three feet longer 
 than the longest of the sticks having lamps at their ends. 
 
HOME-LIFE UiVDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 485 
 
 This "bridge ladder," is placed in the middle of the 
 room. On one side of the room is placed a table having 
 candles and incense on it. On" the wall or partition of 
 the room by this table are suspended one or two large 
 paper hangings, relating to the infernal regions. The 
 body of the deceased is lying on one side of the room, 
 or, if there is an adjoining room which can be used it is 
 placed in that. 
 
 When everything is ready, the ceremony is commenced 
 by lighting the lamps and candle on the "bridge-ladder," 
 as well as the candles and incense on the table. The 
 priests chant their liturgy amid the noise of cymbals. 
 The married daughter comes forward, having a whiie 
 cotton cloth bound about her head, partially concealing 
 her eyes, or she holds to her eyes a white cotton cloth 
 much as one would a handkerchief while crying. The 
 eldest son of the deceased, if there be a living son, now 
 advances and taking hold of the end of the long pole 
 pushes gently against it. The post turning on its socket, 
 the entire "bridge-ladder" moves. The wife of the eldest 
 son, his younger brothers and their wives, the married 
 daughter of the deceased and her children, etc., now fol 
 
 ^ low, slowly, the elder brother as he turned around the 
 "bridge-ladder" for a few times. 
 
 In case there is no son a married or affianced daughter 
 leads the company. During the period that this "bridge- 
 ladder" is thus made to revolve, all of the party join in 
 loud lamentation and wailing. Their outcry, taken in 
 connection with the chanting of the priests and the noise 
 of the-cymbals, make a very confused hubbub and tumult 
 
 _ of voices and sounds. These, together with the sight of 
 so many lamps and candles burning brightly in broad 
 daylight, produce a very singular spectacle for the foreign 
 beholder, which, once seen, will not be quickly forgotten. 
 
486 
 
 WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS. 
 
 The object of this performance with the bridge-ladder 
 is to lighten and assist the deceased on his way. It is 
 called " bridge-ladder " because it is fancied to resemble 
 a bridge and a ladder. The bridge would aid the dead 
 to pass rivers, and the ladder would help him to climb 
 steep places, should he meet such impediments in his 
 journey. 
 
 With this extreme reverence for the dead, of course, 
 there can be no question but that the Chinese hold most 
 determinedly to the belief in a future life. In reality, the 
 whole character of Buddhism in China is shaped by this. 
 Buddhism has no distinct teaching of an immortal life ; 
 and when it was brought to China, it gained no acceptance 
 until the blank, despairing tenets of the Nirvana was 
 changed into a bright, cheerful Paradise of the Blessed 
 Dead. Examination will show that the Buddhism of 
 China and the Buddhism of India very little resemble one 
 another, and, if we mistake not, the difference grew out 
 of the belief in a future life, which is a prime teaching in 
 the Chinese faith, 
 
 The worship of ancestors enters into all the home-life, 
 manners and customs of the entire Chinese people. 
 
 WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AT A WEDDING. 
 
 The tablets of the family are arranged on a table 
 Standing in the back part of the reception-room, or in a 
 shrine placed on the table. Incense and candles, ar- 
 ranged, according to custom, near the tablets, having 
 been lighted, the bridegroom and his bride kneel down 
 three or four times before the tablets, the wife being on 
 the right-hand side of her husband. While on their knees, 
 at each kneeling,' they bow their heads down toward the 
 ground once. On rising to their feet they change places, 
 and then kneel down 'three or four times again, and bow 
 
HOME-LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 489 
 
 their heads as before in front of and toward the tablets. 
 They now arise, and two chairs are placed before the 
 table which contains the incense, candles and tablets. 
 If the paternal grandparents of the groom are living and 
 present, they take 
 their seats in the 
 chairs, the grand- 
 mother being on 
 the right hand of 
 the grandfather, 
 with their faces 
 turned away from 
 the table or to- 
 ward the front 
 part of the room. 
 In case either has 
 deceased, the tab- 
 let which repre- 
 sents that person 
 is placed in the chair which he or she would have occu- 
 pied if living. The bridegroom and bride advance, and 
 kneel down three or four times before them, bowing their 
 heads toward the ground as in worshiping the tablets. 
 They then arise, and, having changed positions, kneel 
 down and bow again three or four times. The parents 
 of the groom then take their seats in the chairs, and the 
 ceremony of kneeling and bowing is repeated, in like 
 manner, the customary number of times. While the 
 bride is on her knees, her new mother usually arranges 
 some costly ornaments in her hair, as gold or pearls, or 
 gives her some valuable finger-rings, if able to afford the 
 expense of such ; or, if poor, she presents her with such 
 head ornaments as she can afford. The women who 
 assist the bride in performing these ceremonies improve 
 
 WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AT A WEDDING. 
 
--,_. MOTH&R, GODDESS OF CHILDREN. 
 
 490 
 
 the Opportunity to offer tea to her parents at this period, 
 and are rewarded for their attentions with a present 
 of money on the spot. In case either parent is dead, the 
 ancestral tablet for that person is placed in the chair, as 
 in the supposed case of one of the grandparents having 
 deceased. The paternal and maternal uncles and aunts 
 of the groom, if present, in the order of their seniority, 
 now take their turns of being worshiped by the couple. 
 Oftentimes, these relatives will not sit, but content them- 
 selves to stand during the worship rendered them. 
 Standing, on these occasions and during the reception of 
 these honors, is regarded as a mark of humility. 
 
 MOTHER, GODDESS OF CHILDREN. 
 
 Married but childless women twice a year go to the 
 temple of Mother, taking incense and candles to burn 
 before her image. They come to the temple to get a 
 shoe which is to represent the goddess in their homes. 
 They declare that if the goddess will give them a male 
 child, they will render thanksgiving to her. They do not 
 cherish the slightest desire to have a female child. 
 
 The Chinese classics say : , 
 
 " When a son is born. 
 He sleeps on a bed; 
 He is clothed in robes ; 
 He plays with gems ; 
 His cry is princely loud ! 
 But when a daughter is bom, 
 She sleeps on the ground ; 
 She is clothed with a wrapper ; 
 She plays with a tile ; 
 She is incapable either of evil or good ; 
 It is hers only to think of preparing wine and food. 
 And not giving any occasion of grief to her parents'?" 
 
 This is an accurate expression of the Chinese prefer- 
 
HOME- LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 491 
 
 ence for a male child. Indeed, a very great many of the 
 Chinese mothers and fathers drown their girl babies when 
 they are but a 
 few hours old, 
 rather than 
 keep them. 
 
 Whenever a 
 child is born, 
 the mother 
 takes to some 
 temple two 
 shoes, just like 
 the one she 
 has been wor- 
 shiping as the 
 representative 
 of "Mother" 
 at home. Just 
 before a child 
 is born the hus- 
 band and wife 
 offer gifts as a 
 propitiation to 
 two female de- 
 mons which 
 are supposed to seek to destroy the mother at the birth 
 of her child. A priest is called in to recite classics ap- 
 propriate to the occasion. Sometimes several live crabs 
 are turned out into the streets to take the evil spirits 
 with them, and other curious devices are employed. 
 
 TEACHING A CHILD TO WORSHIP IDOLS. 
 
 From childhood, the Chinese are accustomed to worship 
 idols and ancestors. Family parties may often be seen 
 
 CHINESE BABY IN ITS CRADEE. 
 
492 
 
 CHILDREN TAUGHT 'JO Uruxs/frf. 
 
 in the temples ; grandmothers and mothers teaching the 
 little ones to bow down to idols. Here is a description 
 given by an eye-witness. He was introduced into an 
 idol temple, and stood in the back part of the great hall, 
 where the chief idols are placed, and from thence he 
 could watch what went forward. Soon a well-dressed 
 
 lady came in with 
 her three children, 
 of about seven, five 
 and three years of 
 age. The two elder 
 boys ran forward, 
 and bowed down 
 before the Idol in 
 the usual way, and 
 then called their lit- 
 tle brother to come 
 forward also and do 
 as they had done. 
 But this was evi- 
 dently his first visit 
 to the temple ; for the little fellow was very much fright- 
 ened at the sight of the idol. The mother then dragged 
 the child into position, and standing behind and holding 
 him fast by both arms, forced him to bow slightly three 
 times, and then adroitly slipped out of her sleeve some 
 toys and sweets, which she gave the child, saying that 
 the god had given him these nice things because he was 
 a good boy ; and she told him to thank the idol, which he 
 did with great heartiness. 
 
 When the child grows up, and is able to see through 
 such tricks, the priest has taken the mother's place, and, 
 by carefully-concealed deceits, manages to delude him into 
 believing just what it may be thought best to teach him. 
 
 TEACHING A CHILD TO WORSHIP. 
 
HOME-LIFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 493 
 
 THE GOD OF THE KITCHEN. 
 
 There is another important object of Chinese worship, 
 whose .place of abode is in the kitchen. His name is Tsz- 
 min; foreigners call him "god of the kitchen." Incense and 
 candles are burned before the kitchen-god on the first 
 and fifteenth days of each month. To represent this god, 
 the poorer people use simply a piece of red paper, with 
 the god's name written on it. Generally, a sheet of 
 
 OFFERING SACRIFICE TO THE KITCHEN-GOD. 
 
 white paper is used, on which the likeness of an old man 
 and woman has been stamped, together with pictures of 
 fowls, dogs, buffaloes, etc., and tables. This paper is 
 pasted to a board and suspended in the kitchen. The 
 Chinese say that* there are two objects of worship in 
 every house, and these are the ancestral tablet and the 
 kitchen-god. This god is supposed to have charge of 
 
.Q. J-HE GOD OF THE KITCHEN. 
 
 the family ; and his duty is to keep a strict watch ovcf- 
 all the members of it. This he must do, because, at the 
 end of each year, he has to make a report of the year's 
 conduct to the great god Yuh-Hwang, the " Pearly Em- 
 peror, Supreme Ruler," who rules in Heaven over all the 
 lesser gods. Five days before the Chinese New Year, 
 this kitchen-god is supposed to leave every house and 
 ascend to Heaven, to make his yearly report. 
 
 On the day before his supposed departure, feasts are 
 offered to him, and more than usual honors paid him, in 
 the hope that he may be bribed to^give a good account. 
 At the exact time of his departure, fire-crackers are let 
 off, incense burned, and worship offered, in order that he 
 may start on his long journey in a good temper, and with 
 as much dignity as possible. His return is expected, and 
 he is received with the same marks of respect which at- 
 tend his going away. 
 
 Every shop-keeper, banker and merchant has a piece 
 of red paper, on which the words " god of wealth " are 
 written, pasted on his wall. Seldom do they make an 
 image of this god. Incense and candles are burned, and 
 prayers are offered daily. Often, after the festivals of 
 this god, mock-money and mock-clothing are burned for 
 the benefit of the spirits of beggars in purgatory. 
 
 THE STORY OF MA-CHU, GODDESS OF THE SAILORS. 
 
 She was the daughter of a man who, with his sons, was 
 engaged on the ocean in the' pursuit of a living. He was 
 born during the Sung dynasty, and lived in the Hing 
 Hua prefecture of the province of Fuh-kien. One day, 
 while she was engaged in the employment of weaving in 
 her mother's house she fell asleep 'through excessive 
 weariness, her head resting upon her loom. She dreamed 
 that she saw her father and two brothers on their separate 
 
HOME-LIFE UNDER CONFVCl'ANISM. .^^ 
 
 junks in a terrific storm. She exerted herself to rescue 
 them from danger. She immediately seized upon the 
 junk which contained her father, with her mouth, while 
 with her hands she caught a firm hold upon the two junks 
 which contained her two brothers. She was dragging 
 them all toward the shore when, alas ! she heard the 
 voice of her mother calling to her, and, as she was an 
 obedient girl, forgetting that she held her father's junk 
 in her mouth, she hastily opened it to answer her mother. 
 She awoke in great distress and, lo ! it was a dream, but 
 not all a dream, for in a few days the news arrived that 
 the fleet of junks had encountered a dreadful storm, and 
 that the one in which her father was had been wrecked, and 
 he had perished, while those in which her brothers were 
 had been signally rescued. The girl knew that she had 
 been the means of the salvation of her brothers, and that 
 opening her mouth to answer her mother's call was the 
 occasion of her failure to rescue her father's vessel. This 
 girl became, as the result of her dream, one of the most 
 popular objects of worship in the empire. 
 
 The emperors of China have, at different times since 
 her death, conferred various higii-sounding titles upon 
 her, some of which seem blasphemous. She is called 
 " Queen of Heaven" and " The Holy Mother in the heavens 
 above!' One is often reminded by the titles given her 
 and the worship and honors paid her, of the titles which 
 are given to the mother of Jesus by the authority of the 
 Pope of Rome. Sailors often take with them some embers 
 or ashes which they obtain from the censer before some 
 popular image of the goddess. These ashes they carry 
 about their person in a small red bag, or they suspend them 
 about the junk in convenient places, or they put them in 
 the censer before the image of that which they worship. 
 When there is a violent storm, and there seems but little 
 
496 
 
 THE GOD OF GAMBLING. 
 
 hope that the junk will outride it, the sailors all kneel 
 down near the bow with incense in their hands, and call 
 out in doleful and bitter tones upon Ma-Chu to send 
 deliverance. In case they reach the port without ship- 
 wreck, they are bound to offer her an especial thanks- 
 giving of food, with or without theatrical plays in her 
 honor, according to their vow. 
 
 Thus we have seen that the Chinese, though standing 
 high above other Asiatic nations in point of civilization, 
 are yet as idolatrous as any. Buddhism and Taoism 
 have somewhat lessened the hold of Confucius upon the 
 great Chinese nation ; and Christianity and western 
 civilization have done much toward introducing a new 
 order of thiijgs in China. 
 
 THE GOD OF GAMBLING OUTWITTED. 
 
 A lady living in China narrates the following Chinese 
 
 myth : 
 
 A gambler once went to a temple, to secure the help 
 
 of a certain god therein. His 
 luck had been bad, and he 
 was unable to bring any ob- 
 lation besides incense and 
 paper money; but he prom- 
 ised that, if the god would 
 help him to win a certain 
 sum, he would then bring a 
 thank-offering having ten feet. 
 The god reckoned the sorts 
 of tribute usually paid to him ; 
 and, as the feet of a pig, a 
 kid and a duck would to- 
 gether make ten, he supposed 
 
 that these were the animals that would be laid upon 
 
 GOD OF GAMBLING. 
 
ffOME-LTFE UNDER CONFUCIANISM. 
 
 407 
 
 his altar, should the gambler succeed. So he favored 
 the gambler, and caused him to gain" even more than the 
 stipulated sum. The gambler fulfilled the letter of his 
 promise by laying a single crab on the altar. The god 
 was very angry at being thus duped, and thenceforth 
 exerted so unpropitious an influence in the gambler's 
 affairs that he went and ascertained through a spirit 
 medium the cause of his misfortunes. Again he came 
 with fair words, promising that, if the god would once 
 more grant his aid, he should have a whole pig as com- 
 pensation. The god was mollified, and again favored 
 the gambler, so that his winnings were large. He brought 
 the pig as a thank-offering. It was a fine, strong one ; 
 but it was alive, and not in a condition in which it would 
 be edible for. either gods or men. While the god looked 
 in astonishment at this departure from the established 
 customs in the payment of a vow, the gambler fastened 
 the pig by a strong rope to the leg of the throne on 
 which the god sat, and began to light the fire-crackers, 
 by which an offering is announced. The explosion of 
 the fire-crackers frightened the pig, so that it ran away 
 dragging both god and throne after it, till both were 
 upset and broken. Thus the astute gambler outwitted 
 the honest god. 
 
CHAPTER XkVI. 
 
 BUDDHA, THE " LIGHT OF ASIA." 
 
 The Saviour of the World, 
 Lord Buddha — Prince Siddartha styled on eartk — 
 In Earth and Heavens and Hells Incomparable, 
 All-honored, Wisest, Best, most Pitiful; 
 The Teacher of Nirvana and the Law. 
 
 ; Edvitin Arnold. 
 
 Je n'hdsite pas a ajouter que, sauf le Christ tout seul, il n'est point, 
 parmi les fondateurs de religion, de figure plus pure ni plus touchante 
 que celle du Bouddha. — Barth^lemy Satnt-Hilaire. 
 
 WE now come to the study of the last of the sys- 
 tems of idol worship. Buddhism. This is one 
 of the most interesting of all. It stands at 
 once nearest to and farthest from Christianity. In its 
 extent, it is the greatest religion of the world. It in- 
 cludes four-tenths (nearly one-half) of all the world's 
 population. The following figures indicate the compara- 
 tive strength of the different existing religions : 
 
 Parsees, . ' . 
 
 150,000. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jews, . 
 
 Greek Church, . 
 
 7,000,000 
 75,000,000 
 
 (being 
 
 il 
 
 about )4 
 6 
 
 per ct. 
 it 
 
 of total). 
 it 
 
 Roman Catholics, 
 
 152,000,000 
 
 tc 
 
 
 12 
 
 it 
 
 t< 
 
 Other Christians, 
 
 100,000,000 
 
 ii 
 
 
 8 
 
 il 
 
 <( 
 
 Hindus, 
 
 161,200,000 
 
 ft 
 
 
 13 
 
 it 
 
 <c 
 
 Mohammedans, . 
 
 155,000,000 
 
 {{ 
 
 
 I2>^ 
 
 iC 
 
 <f 
 
 Buddhists, . 
 
 500,000,000 
 
 /<< 
 
 
 40 
 
 a 
 
 ec 
 
 Not included in 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 the above, Fe- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 tichists, etc., . 
 
 100,000,000 
 
 tl 
 
 <t 
 
 8 
 
 
 « 
 
 Total, . I 
 
 >25o>3So.°oo 
 
 TOO 
 
 
 49» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BUDDHA, THE "LIGHT OF ASIA." ^gg 
 
 It must be remembered, however, that very few of the 
 500,000,000 of Buddhists are Buddhists only. Many of the 
 Chinese Buddhists are Confucianists and Taoists as well. 
 Many of the Ceylonese (or rather Singhalese) Buddhists 
 are devil- worshipers and star- worshipers as well. So, also, 
 one often sees in the Buddhist temples of Japan the 
 Shinto symbols. Indeed, the rapid and wide growth of 
 Buddhism is due to the readiness with which it tolerates 
 other religions. To write the history of Buddhism is to 
 write the history of the hopes, and aspirations, and most 
 sacred feelings of nearly one-half the human race of 
 modern times. Buddhism has been received by both 
 very sayage and very civilized peoples — the wild Nomad 
 hordes of the cold northern lands of Tartary, Thibet and 
 Nepal ; the cultured Chinese and Japanese, and the quiet 
 Siamese, Burmese and Ceylonese. 
 
 A religion of such wide acceptance by nations and in- 
 dividuals of such different characters and circumstances, 
 and which has controlled the destinies of thousands of 
 millions of souls during nearly twenty-three hundred 
 years, and which comes nearest to Christianityln the 
 purity of its morals and the benefits it proposes to confer 
 upon the human race, is certainly worthy of very careful- 
 attention. In studying it we must carefully avoid either 
 a wholesale condemnation or an unqualified approval ; 
 we must recognize that there are both good and evil in 
 it. It is to be remembered, also, that we can only look 
 upon Buddha's teachings after^ the lapse of ages, and 
 from this long distance the view is likely to be anything 
 else than clear. Without a do;jbt the doctrines of Buddha 
 • have been so perverted, that he would scarcely recognize 
 the religion that bears his name to-day. Then, too, 
 being an Oriental religion, we Weston people cannot 
 study it under as favorable circumstances as the Eastern 
 31 
 
-QQ THE FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM. 
 
 people.' Oriental religions can be seen best by Oriental 
 eyes. 
 
 Budtihism is a reform upon Brahminism. It is of 
 Hindu origin, and while it has but little sway in the land 
 of its birth, it retains the Hindu cast in all its wanderings 
 Into other lands and its observances among other peoples. 
 
 THE STORY OF GAUTAMA, THE FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM. 
 
 In giving these legends of the life of Gautama, it 
 should be stated that they are derived from the writings 
 of Buddhists who lived long after Gautama was dead. 
 They are to be received, of course, with that degree of 
 credulity which would attend the legends of devoted dis- 
 ciples of any such teacher. Those who have studied Bud- 
 dhism in its native land have collected these legends with 
 great care, among whom one of the most careful authors 
 is Rev. Spence Hardy, who has collected and commented 
 on them with great candor. 
 
 At the end of the sixth century before Christ, a wise 
 and good king reigned in the capital city of his country, 
 Kapija-vastu, about one hundred miles north-east from 
 the great city of Benares, in India. Around this city the 
 snow-crowned, giant peaks of the Himalayas towered up 
 in the clear blue of the Indian sky. The city was on the 
 banks of an insignificant river, the Rohini. The people 
 lived from the produce of their cattle and their rice-fields ; 
 they adhered to the Hindu religion. The wife of King 
 Suddhodana was named Maya, because of her wondrous 
 beauty. She was childless until her forty-fifth year. 
 Little Prince Siddartha was born under the shade of a 
 satin-tree, in the year 552 B. C. In later years he was 
 called the "Buddha." At this time, in addition to the 
 name Siddartha, he received the name of Sakya-muni 
 from his family, and that of Gautama from his clan. 
 
BUDDHA, THE " LIGHT OF ASIA." 
 
 501 
 
 Just as in the case of other famous men, ipany mar- 
 velous stories are told concerning his miraculous birth, 
 and the precocious wisdom and power of the infant 
 prince. At his birth, the legends say, ten thousand 
 worlds were filled with light, the blind received their 
 sight, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the imprisoned 
 were set free, the trees burst forth in blossom, the air 
 was filled with sweet songs of birds, and even- the fires 
 of hell were for the time being extinguished. On the 
 fififh day after his birth, at the " name-choosing festival,'^ 
 108 Brahmin priests met to select the most fitting name. 
 One of them, the most learned in divination, predicted 
 that he will be a " Buddha," who will remove the veils of 
 sin and ignorance from the world. Gautama is the name 
 by which he is most commonly known among the south- 
 ern Buddhists. Buddha, or, more properly, the Buddha, 
 means the Enlightened One, and is ah official title, jiist 
 as we say Jesus, the Christ, or the Anointed One. Dur- 
 ing his youth Gautama is noted for his prowess, and for 
 teaching even his masters in the arts and sciences. He 
 has, so the legends go on to say, most magnificent equip- 
 ages and many servants. He is early married to his 
 cousin. He devotes himself to study and meditation, 
 and his relatives charge him with neglecting to train 
 himself in manly exercises. Gautama, being told of their 
 murmurings, appoints a day by beat of drum to prove 
 his skill against all comers. At the trial he surpasses 
 the cleverest bpwmen, and exhibits wonderful strength 
 and skill in his feats of horsemanship. In his twenty- 
 ninth year, Gautama abandons his home to devote him- 
 self entirely to the study of religion and philosophy. 
 
 He had been accustomed to say, " Nothing is stable 
 on earth, nothing is real. Life is like the spark produced 
 by the friction of wood. It is lighted, and it is extin- 
 
CQ2 ^^-^ STORY OF GAUTAMA. 
 
 ^guished ; we know not whence it came and whither it 
 goes. It is like the sound of a lyre, anA. the wise man 
 asks in vain from whence it came and whither it goes. 
 There must be some supreme intelligence where we 
 could find rest. If I attained to it, I could bring light to 
 man ; if I were free myself, I could deliver the world." 
 With this hope, and being moved thereto by four inci- 
 dents, he gave himself, as we have just said, to seeking 
 the light of the world. These were but ordinary events, 
 /and yet they had a great effect upon Gautama. 
 
 Gautama's four visions. 
 
 One day when the prince, with a large retinue, was 
 driving through the eastern gate of the city on the way 
 to one of his parks, he met on the road an old man, 
 broken and decrepit. One could see the veins and 
 muscles over the whole of his body ; his teeth chattered, 
 he was covered with wrinkles, bald and hardly able to 
 utter hollow and unmelodious sounds. He bent on his 
 stick, and all his limbs and joints trembled. "Who 
 is that man?" said the prince to his coachman. "He is 
 small and weak, his flesh and his blood are dried up, his 
 muscles stick to his skin, his head is white, his teeth 
 chatter, his body is wasted away ; leaning on his stick he 
 is hardly able to walk, stumbling at eivery step. Is there 
 something peculiar in his family, or is this the common 
 lot of all created beings ?" 
 
 "Sir," replied the coachman, "that man is sinking 
 under old age; his senses have become obtuse, suffering 
 has destroyed his strength, and he is despised by his 
 relations. He is without support and useless, and people 
 have abandoned him, like a dead tree in a forest. But 
 this is not peculiar to his family. In every creature 
 youth is defeated by old age. Your father, your mother, 
 
BUDDHA, THE " LIGHT OF ASIA." CQ-i 
 
 all your relations, all your friends, will come to the same 
 •state ; this is the appointed end of all creatures." 
 
 "Alas!" replied the prince, "are creatures so ignorant, 
 so weak and foolish, as to be proud of the youth by 
 which they are intoxicated, not seeing the old age which 
 awaits them ! As for me, I go away. Coachman, turn 
 my chariot quickly. What have I, the future prey of 
 old age — what have I to do with pleasure ?" And the 
 young prince returned to the city without going to his 
 park. 
 
 Another time the prince was driving through the 
 southern gate to his pleasure-garden, when he perceived 
 on the road a man suffering from illness, parched with 
 fever, his body wasted, covered with mud, without a 
 friend, without a home, hardly able to breathe, and fright- 
 ened at the sight of himself and the approach of death. 
 Having questioned his coachman, and received from him 
 the answer which he expected, the young prince said : 
 "Alas ! health is but the sport of a dream, and the fear of 
 suffering must take this frightful form. Where is the 
 wise man who, after having seen what- he is, could any 
 longer think of joy and pleasure ?" The prince turned 
 his chariot and returned to the city. 
 
 A third time he was driving to his pleasure-garden 
 through the western gate, when he saw a dead body on 
 the road, lying on a bier, and covered with a cloth. The 
 friends stood about, crying, sobbing, tearing their hair 
 covering their heads with dust, striking their breasts and 
 uttering wild cries. The prince, again calling his coach- 
 man to witness this painful scene, exclaimed : " O woe 
 to youth, which must be destroyed by old age ! Woe to 
 health, which must be destroyed by so many diseases ! 
 Woe to this life, where a man remains so short a time ! 
 If there were no old age, no disease, no death ; if these 
 
CQA THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. 
 
 could be made captive forever!" Then betraying for 
 the first time his intentions, the young prince said: "Let 
 us turn back, I must think how to accompHsh deliver- 
 ance." 
 
 A last meeting put an end to his hesitation. He was 
 driving through the northern gate, on the way to his 
 pleasure-gardens, when he saw a mendicant, who ap- 
 peared outwardly calm, subdued, looking downwards, 
 wearing with an air of dignity his religious vestment, and 
 carrying an alms-bowl. 
 
 " Who is this man ?" asked the prince. 
 
 "Sir," replied the coachman, "this man is one of those 
 who are called bhikshus, or mendicants. He has re- 
 nounced all pleasures, all desires, and leads a life of 
 austerity. He tries to conquer himself. He has become 
 a devotee. Without passion, without envy, he walks 
 about asking for alms." 
 
 " This is good and well said," replied the prince ; " the 
 life of a devotee has always been praised by the wise. It 
 will be my refuge, and the refuge of other creatures ; it 
 will lead us to a real life, to happiness and immortality." 
 
 Wilfh these words, the young prince turned his chariot 
 and abandoning his proposed ride returned to the city. 
 
 THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. 
 
 We now come to a most touching incident in Gauta- 
 ma's life. Moved by the visions of which we have just 
 spoken, Gautama determines to seek the solitude of the 
 hermit's hut. His life had been full of intense yearning 
 which had never been satisfied. Not all the comfort and 
 prosperity about him could drive away his desire to ob- 
 tain peace. To him, life was a great enigma, and he de- 
 termined to solve it. He was not dissatisfied, but, rather, 
 unsatisfied. His determination to retire from active life 
 
BUDDHA, THE "LIGHT OF ASIA: 
 
 505 
 
 was, however, by no means easy. For his wife and his 
 only son, Rahula, he felt the warmest affection. It was 
 to be a difficult task to break these ties. 
 
 At midnigljt, he summoned his charioteer, Channa, to 
 bring his horse to the palace gate. While Channa was 
 gone to the stable, Gautama turned back to take a last 
 look at his wife and child. The princess lay asleep upon 
 her couch, surrounded with flowers, and her hand was 
 embracing her little one. Gautama saw that he could 
 not take the child up in his arms without disturbing the 
 mother, and he was afraid that she might succeed in 
 shaking his resolution, did she plead with him. 
 
 " So with his brow he touched her feet, and bent 
 The farewell of fond eyes, unutterable 
 Upon her sleeping face, still wet with tears ; 
 And thrice around the bed in reverence, 
 As though it were an altar, softly stepped 
 With clasped hands laid upon his beating heart, 
 ' For never,' spake he, ' lie I there again !' 
 And thrice he made to go, but thrice came back, 
 So strong her beauty was, so large his love : 
 Then, o'er his head drawing his cloth, he turned, 
 And raised the purdah's edge : 
 
 ********* 
 
 "Then, lightly treading where those sleepers lay, 
 Into the night Siddartha passed : its eyes. 
 The watchful stars, looked love on him ; its breath, 
 The wandering wind, kissed his robe's fluttered fringe ; 
 The garden-blossoms, folded for the dawn. 
 Opened their velvet hearts to waft him scents, 
 From pink and purple censers ; o'er the land. 
 From Himalaya unto the Indian Sea, 
 A tremor spread, as if earth's soul beneath 
 Stirred with an unknown hope ; and holy books — 
 Which tell the story of our Lord — say, too, 
 That rich celestial music thrilled the air 
 From hosts on hosts of shining ones, who thronged 
 Eastward and westward, making bright the night — 
 
ej-,^ n Vents In gavtAma'S life. 
 
 Northward and southward, making glad the ground. 
 
 Also those four dread Regents of the Earth, 
 
 Descending at the doorway, two by two — 
 
 With their bright legions of Invisibles 
 
 In arms of sapphire, silver, gold and pearl — 
 
 Watched with joined hands the Indian Prince, who stood. 
 
 His tearful eyes raised to the stars, and lips 
 
 Close-set with purpose of prodigious love. 
 
 Then strode he forth into the gloom and cried, 
 
 ' Channa, awake ! and bring out Kantaka !' 
 
 " 'What would my lord?' the charioteer replied — 
 Slow-rising from his place beside the gate — 
 ' To ride at night, when all the ways are dark ?' 
 
 " ' Speak low,' Siddartha said, ' and bring my horse, 
 For now the hour is come when I should quit 
 This golden prison, where my heart lives caged. 
 To find the truth; which henceforth I will seek. 
 For all men's sake, until the truth be found.' " 
 
 Shortly after he had passed through the ponderous 
 gate of the city — ^which, it was said, took a thousand 
 men to open it — he was met by the evil god Mara. 
 Mara knew that if Gautama proceeded, his power would 
 be lessened and so he sought to turn him back. He 
 said to Gautama : " Be entreated to stay, that you may 
 possess the honors that are within your reach ; go not ! 
 go not!" To this Gautama replied: " A thousand or a 
 hundred thousand honors such as those to which you 
 refer would have no power to charm me to-day ; I seek 
 the Buddhaship ; therefore, begone, hinder me not." 
 Mara left him in great anger, determined to foil him. 
 
 GAUTAMA BECOMES AN ASCETIC. 
 
 Gautama then exchanged his clothes with a poor 
 passer-by, cut off his hair, and sent Channa, the charioteer 
 back and became a begging, homeless hermit. Spveral 
 
BUDDHA, THE "LIGHT OF ASIA." 
 
 507 
 
 hermits had taken up their abode in the caves of the 
 Vindhya mountains ; here they were at once surrounded 
 by the solitudes of nature and sufficiently near to a large 
 city to get their supplies. After coming to these caves 
 he attaches himself to a Brahmin teacher, and under his 
 guidance seeks, by undergoing severest penances, to 
 gain superhuman power. After a little, he withdraws by 
 himself to the jungles, where he spends six years in fast- 
 ing and self-mortification. His severity of self-control 
 gains him great fame, and disciples gather about him. A 
 fear that, lest after all his efforts should be fruitless and 
 that he should die, having gone wrong, made him finally 
 give up the attempt. 
 
 Now came the crisis of his life. The second struggle of 
 Gautama was most intense. He wandered back to a 
 village to get his morning meal. He sat down to eat it 
 under a tree, known from that day to this as the " Bo-tree," 
 or tree of Wisdom. There he remained through the long 
 hours of that day, debating with himself what next to do. 
 The philosophy he had trusted in seemed to be doubtful ; 
 the penance he had practiced so long had brought no 
 certainty, no peace ; and all his old temptations came 
 back upon him with renewed force. For years he had 
 looked at all earthly good as vanity, worthless and transi- 
 tory. Nay, more, he had thought that it contained within 
 itself the seeds of evil, and must inevitably, sooner or 
 later, bring forth its bitter fruit. But now to his wavering 
 faith the sweet delights of home and love, the charms of 
 wealth and power, began to show themselves in a different 
 light and to glow again with attractive colors. They were 
 yet within his reach ; he knew he would be welcomed back, 
 and yet — would there even then be satisfaction ? Were 
 all his labors to be lost ? Was there no sure ground to 
 stand on ? Thus he agonized in his doubt from the early 
 
-g GAUTAMA BECOMES A BUDDHA. 
 
 morning until sunset. But as the day ended the religious 
 side of his nature had won the victory ; his doubt had 
 cleared away ; he had become a Buddha, that is an En- 
 lightened One ; he had grasped, as it seemed to him, the 
 solution of the great mystery of sorrow, and had learned 
 at once its causes and its cure. He seemed to have 
 gained the haven of peace, and in the power over the 
 human heart of inward culture, and of love to others, to 
 rest at last on a certitude that could never be shaken. 
 He renounced his penances, and from that time declared 
 that no good resulted from them. It was a grand theory 
 of self-salvation that he had wrought out for himself— 
 salvation by self-control and love — without any rites, 
 ceremonies, charming priestly powers, without even the 
 aid of the gods, man could save himself. 
 
 Like the later great reformer, Mohammed, Gautama the 
 Buddha, had the most perfect confidence in himself, his 
 convictions and his mission ; this mission was " to set 
 rolling the royal chariot-wheel of a universal empire of 
 truth and righteousness." He went to Benares, and 
 there, by teaching, sought to spread the knowledge of 
 his method of reaching a perfect inward peace. In about 
 three months he had gathered together sixty disciples ; 
 these he sends forth to preach his faith. He himself was 
 accustomed to travei, preach and teach, except during 
 the four rainy months, from June to October, when he 
 remained in one place, instructing his declared disciples. 
 Once he visited his old home, and his wife, Yasodhara, 
 became one of his disciples ; she was the first of the 
 Buddhist nuns. Gautama died at the age of eighty 
 years. His body was burned with much pomp, and his 
 disciples contended for the unburned bones. They were 
 divided in eight parts, and temple-mounds, called topes, 
 were built over each. 
 
BUDDHA, THE "LIGHT OF ASIA." CQa 
 
 THE " LIGHT OF ASIA " AND THE " LIGHT OF THE WORLD." 
 
 One cannot help comparing Gautama, the Buddha, and 
 Jesus, the Christ. There is, beyond question, a great 
 deal of both good and evil in Buddha's life and teaching. 
 
 IDOL OF BUDDHA. HIS IDOLS ARE USUALLY OF THIS SHAPE, PROPORTION 
 AND POSITION, THOUGH INFINITELY VARIED IN SIZE AND QUALITY. 
 
 It is wise for us to recognize both good and evil, and to 
 "hold fast to that which is good." We do not think that 
 it is placing Buddha on too high a ground when we say 
 
cj-Q CHARACTER OF BUDDHA. 
 
 that he stands nearest to Christ of all the founders of reli- 
 gions. We must not confound the teachings of Buddha 
 with the superstitious notions of his followers of to-day. 
 The present Buddhism of Asia is but little like the Bud- 
 dhism of Gautama's teaching. Further, we must strip off 
 the legends, the additions of a later day, and seek to read 
 the story of his life that lies beneath them. In addition 
 to this, we must try to place ourselves in closest sym- 
 pathy with our subject. 
 
 Thus we see the beauties of this life. Looked at in this 
 way, we discover a great deal in Buddha's character to 
 admire. Saint-Hilaire says (we give a free translation 
 from the French) : " His life has no stain. His constant 
 heroism equals his conviction ; and if the theory which he 
 extols is faultless, the personal example which he pre- 
 sents is irreproachable. He is the finished model of all 
 the virtues which he preached ; his teaching of self-denial, 
 of charity, of an unchangeable mildness, do not for a single 
 instant receive the contradiction of a different life. He 
 abandons, at the age of twenty-nine years, the court of 
 his royal father to become a devotee and a mendicant ; he 
 prepares silently his doctrines during six years of medi- 
 tation and retreat ; he extends his faith only by the power 
 of speech and persuasion, during half a century; and 
 when he dies in the arms of his disciples, it is with the 
 serenity of a sage who has lived well, and who is assured 
 that he has found the truth." It is not our purpose to 
 compare here the teachings of Buddha and Christ, but 
 simply the life. It is a comparison that we would make, 
 and not a contrast. Buddha's self-denial for the world's 
 good, his wondrously pure life, and the heavenliness of 
 his manners and of some of his teachings greatly resem- 
 ble those of Jesus Christ. Yet, after all, he stands a long 
 way off. He is a light, it is true, yet but feebly shining 
 
BUDDHA, THE "LIGHT OF ASIA." c i j 
 
 beside the light of the Sun of Righteousness. To Christ, 
 Gautama is but 
 
 "As moonlight is to sunlight, and as water is to wine." 
 
 The Buddha was the son of a king ; Jesus, the Christy 
 was the son of a carpenter. The Buddha grew up in the 
 midst of the splendors of a court; Jesus, the Christ, was 
 reared in a despised city, in an humble home. Yet the 
 aspect of the Buddha is that of a disciple, a learner, an 
 inquirer ; that of the Christ is that of a master, a teacher. 
 The Buddha seems rather to be a subject, and'the Christ 
 the king. The Buddha approaches the solution of the 
 great problems of sin, suffering and death from below. 
 He walks as one in a maze, with uncertain steps ; he 
 tries experiments ; he goes from one teacher to another. 
 Finally, of a sudden, comes the answer to the problems 
 with which he has been puzzled ; he throws the spectre 
 with which he has been grappling. The Christ ap- 
 proaches the great and grave questions, that have bden 
 puzzling the world, as one who has the answers in his 
 possession. He comes to teach, arid not to learn ; to 
 settle, and not to disturb. There is no hesitating uncer- 
 tainty about His words or steps as there is about the 
 Buddha's. In meeting temptation, the Buddha shows 
 weakness, where the Christ shows strength. The Bud- 
 dha's life was long ; the Christ's was short. The Bud- 
 dha gave, undoubtedly, many wholesome precepts ; but 
 there is an element of kindly, self-forgetting love about 
 the Christ's teachings, that is absent from the Buddha's. 
 Indeed, this is the emphatic point of superiority, that the 
 Buddha kept constantly before his disciples ^/^«> welfare ; 
 he taught how a man might deliver himself irom suffer- 
 ing. The Christ makes self-salvation but a part of His 
 disciples' work. The Buddha has next to nothing to say 
 
-J2 CHARACTER OF BUDDHA. 
 
 about God; the Christ has all to say about God. The 
 Christ seeks to show how man's Ufe is attached to God 
 at every point ; he exhibits the true character of God, 
 presenting a picture infinitely superior to that drawn by 
 the hand of any of the founders of religions, or by the 
 highest imaginations of the purest men. In brief, the 
 Buddha's life and teachings were unquestionably good, 
 but the Christ's unquestionably better. This will be more 
 apparent as, in the following chapters, we study the work- 
 ing out of the Buddha's teachings. We shall see how 
 much' and how little they benefited the race. Let the 
 test of time be applied to the answers he brought to the 
 puzzling problems of sin, suffering and sorrow, and see 
 if they have wrought out the good for which the Buddha 
 looked, hoped and prayed. We shall see a partial suc- 
 cess and a partial failure, and see the undoubted neces- 
 sity of giving the knowledge of the Gospel to the nations 
 who have known nothing better than that which Buddha 
 had to tell. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE BUDDHIST BIBLE, THE "THREE BASKETS," AND ITS 
 
 TEACHINGS. 
 
 There is that in Buddhism, intelligible to the poor and the sufFering, 
 which has endeared Buddhism to the hearts of millions not the silly, 
 metaphysical phantasmagorias of worlds of gods and worlds of 
 Brahma, or final dissolution of the soul in Nirvana. No, the beau- 
 tiful, the tender, the humanly true, which, like pure gold, lies buried 
 in all religions, even in the sand of the Buddhist canon. — F. Max 
 MOller. 
 
 GAUTAMA had himself thoroughly worked out 
 his system of religion. With regard to his teach- 
 ings, we have more reliable information than in 
 regard to his life. During his fifty years of teaching he 
 had ample time to repeat over and over again to his dis- 
 ciples the principles of his faith. In the interval between 
 Buddha's death and the reign of the Buddhist king, 
 Asoka (in 307 B. C), legends and stories of miraculous 
 deeds multiplied about the narrative of Buddha's life. 
 Gautama Buddha's teachings were committed to writing 
 and commentaries were written upon these. "To deter- 
 mine what were the genuine Buddhist sacred books, and 
 what were apocryphal, a council was called by King Asoka. 
 This king was to the Buddhists what Constantine the 
 Great was to the early Christian Church. King Asoka 
 said to the assembled priests, "what has been said by 
 Buddha, that alone is well said." The canon of sacred 
 books, as declared by this covmcil, include the collection 
 
 513 
 
_j . BUDDHIST SACRED BOOKS. 
 
 called the Tripitaka, or " Three Baskets." These are to 
 Buddhism what the New Testament is to Christianity; 
 in these we find the orthodox belief. The first of these 
 baskets is -called the Vinaya, and contains all of Buddha's 
 teachings that refer to morality; the second is called 
 the Sutras, containing the, sermons of Buddha ; the third 
 is called the Abhidharma, containing all that treats of 
 piiilosophy and metaphysics. The general name, Dharma, 
 or " law," is applied to the second and third Pitakas, or 
 baskets. The first and second baskets each contain five 
 separate works, and the third basket seven. In addition 
 to these books the Buddhists look upon the commen- 
 taries and parables of the famous Buddhist missionary, 
 Buddhaghosha, as of nearly equal value. These were 
 written about 430, A. D. Still further, we have the work 
 called the Dharma Pada, or "Footsteps of the Law." 
 This is a book of Buddhist's morals, and Spence Hardy, 
 one of the best writers on Buddhism, says that a collec- 
 tion of precepts might be made from this w ork, which in 
 purity of morals could hardly be equaled by any heathen 
 author. We now give a summary of Buddha's teachings 
 on the more impor^nt topics as found in the Tripitakas. 
 
 THE BUDDHIST WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 The method of salvation which was wrought out by 
 Buddha has been admirably summarized by Rhys-David 
 as follows: "So long as man is bound up by bodily ex- 
 istence with the material world he is liable to sorrow, 
 decay and death. So long as he allows unholy desires 
 to reign within him, there will be unsatisfied longings, 
 useless weariness and care. To attempt to purify him- 
 self by oppressing his body would be only wasted effort; 
 it is the moral evil of a man's heart which keeps him 
 chained down in the degraded state of bodily life — of 
 
THE BUDDHIST BIBLE. -j- 
 
 union with the material world. It is of little avail to add 
 virtue to his badness, for so long as there is evil, his 
 goodness will only insure him for a time, and in another 
 birth, a higher form of material life ; only the complete 
 eradication of all evil will set him free from the chains of 
 existence and carry him to the 'other side,' where he will be 
 no longer tossed about on the waves of the ocean of trans- 
 migration. But Christian ideas must not be put into 
 these Buddhist expressions. Of any immaterial exist- 
 ence. Buddhism knows nothing. The foundations of its 
 creed have been summed up in the very ancient formula 
 probably invented by its founder, which is called the Four 
 Great Truths. These are : i . That misery always ac- 
 companies existence. 2. That all modes of existence (of 
 men or animals, in earth and heaven) result from passion 
 or desire (tantra). 3. That there is no escape from ex- 
 istence except by destruction of desire. 4. That this 
 may be had by following the fourfold way to Nirvana. 
 
 "Of these four prescribed stages called 'the Paths,' the 
 first is an awakening of the heart. There are few that 
 do not acknowledge that no man can be really called 
 happy, and that men are born to trouble as the sparks 
 fly upward, but the majority glide through life filling up 
 their time with business or with pleasure, buoyed up 
 with everrchanging hopes in their mad pursuit of some 
 fancied good. When the scales fall from their eyes, 
 when they begin to realize the great mystery of sorrow, 
 that pain is inseparable from existence, and that all 
 earthly good leads to vexation of spirit, when they turn 
 for comfort and for guidance to the Enlightened One, 
 then they maybe said to be awake, and to have, entered the 
 first stage of the Buddhist way of salvation. When the 
 awakened believer has gone further, and got rid, first, 
 of all impure desires, and then of all revengeful feelings, he 
 32 
 
g BUDDHIST WAY OF SALVATION. 
 
 has reached the second stage; in the third he successively 
 becomes free (i) irova. all evU desires, (2) from ignorance, 
 (3) from doubt, (4) from heresy, and (5) from unkindliness 
 and vexation. 'As even at the risk of her own Hfe a 
 mother watches over her child, her only child, so let him 
 (the Buddhist saint) exert good-will without measure 
 toward all beings.' " 
 
 The order here observed is very remarkable. The 
 way to be freed from doubt and heresy lies through free- 
 dom from impurity and revenge, and evil longings of all 
 kinds ; or, in other words, if a man awakened to a deep 
 sense of the mystery of sorrow wishes to understand the 
 real facts of existence, wishes to believe not the false or 
 the partiy false, but the true altogether, Buddha tells him 
 not to set to work and study, not to torture himself with 
 asceticism or privation, but to purify his mind from all 
 unholy desires and passions : right actions spring from a 
 pure mind, and' to the pure in heart all things are open. 
 Again, the first enemy which the awakened believer has 
 to fight against is sensuality, and the last is unkindliness. 
 It is impossible to build anything on a foundation of mire ; 
 and the topstone of all that one can build, the highest 
 point he can reach, the point above purity, above justice, 
 above even faith^ is, according to Buddha, universal 
 charity. Till he has gained that, the believer is still 
 bound ; he is not free ; his mind is still dark. True en- 
 lightenment, true freedom, are complete only in love. 
 
 The believer who has gone thus far has reached the 
 last stage ; he has cut the meshes of ignorance, passion 
 and sin, and has thus escaped from the net of transmi- 
 gration ; Nirvana is already within his grasp; he has 
 risen above the laws of material existence ; the secrets 
 of the future and the past lie open before him ; and when 
 this one short life is over, he will be free forever from 
 
THE BUDDHIST BIBLE. 
 
 517 
 
 birth with its inevitable consequences, decay and death. 
 No Buddhist now hopes to reach this stage on earth ; 
 but he who has once entered the " paths " cannot leave 
 them ; the final perseverance of the saints is sure ; and 
 sooner or later, under easier conditions in some less 
 material world, he will win the great prize, and, entering 
 Nirvana, be at rest forever with other triumphant victors. 
 
 WHAT IS NIRVANA? 
 
 The central doctrine of Buddhism, the goal of all its 
 hopes, the end of all its struggles, is Nirvana or Nigban. 
 But what does this mean ? Some learned men say, ab- 
 sorption or swallowing up into the Deity ; others, that it 
 means a perfect annihilation, a ceasing to be or exist ; 
 while still others say that it simply means reaching a 
 state of perfect inward rest. Nirvana means, literally, 
 " a blowing out," as of a candle. We cannot conceive it 
 possible that any one could teach the hopeless, despair- 
 ing doctrine of annihilation, and cannot help believing 
 that the last interpretation is the true one — that Nirvana 
 means a perfect, inward peace. Certain it is that Bud- 
 dha's followers of to-day believe in a definitely located 
 Paradise, a place of perfect enjoyment. Nirvana is an 
 extinction, but of what ? Of the life of the soul ? or of 
 the passions, of selfishness, desire and sin ? and of the 
 unrest produced by these ? Nirvana is called the highest 
 happiness. As Max Miiller says, " It represented the 
 entrance of the soul into rest, a subduing of all wishes 
 and desires, indifference to joy and pain, to good and 
 evil, an absorption of the soul in itself, and a freedom 
 from the circles of existences from birth to death, and from 
 death to- a new birth. This is still the meaning which 
 educated people attach to it, whilst to the minds of the 
 larger masses, Nirvana suggests rather the idea of a 
 
_j.o MORAL TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA: 
 
 Mohammedan Paradise or of blissful Elysian fields." 
 Buddha, himself, once said: "Those only who have ar- 
 rived at Nirvana are at rest." Closely associated with 
 Nirvana is the idea of the transmigration of the soul ; 
 that the soul after death passes from one body to an- 
 other; sometimes the body in which the soul is born 
 agaifi is that of an animal, sometimes of a man. The 
 Buddhists kill no animals, for fear of annoying the soul 
 of a dead man, which may be living in the animal. For 
 this reason they also take great care of wounded and sick 
 animals. In Bombay is a hospital for animals, carried on 
 very successfully by the Jains, a Buddhist sect. 
 
 BUDDHIST MORALS. 
 
 The wonderfully pure and Exalted teachings of Buddha 
 have been gathered together in the Dharma Pada, or 
 " Footsteps of the Law." Many of them greatly re- 
 semble the teachings of our Holy Scriptures, others are 
 absurdly ridiculous, while still others are metaphysical 
 abstractions, and are wholly meaningless. The great 
 majority are, however, full of wondrous wisdom. The fol- 
 lowing selections are translations from the Pali language : 
 
 SOME. OF THE "FOOTSTEPS OF THE LAW." 
 
 There is no fire like passion ; there is no shark like 
 hatred; there is no snare like folly; there is no torrent 
 like greed. 
 
 A man is not learned because he talks much., 
 
 A man is not an elder because his head is gray ; his 
 age may be ripe, but he is called "Old-in-vain." 
 
 For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; 
 hatred ceases by love. This is an old rule. 
 
 He who lives looking for pleasure only, his senses un- 
 controlled, immoderate in his enjoyments, idle and weak, 
 
THE BUDDHIST BIBLE. e j g 
 
 Mara (the tempter) will "certainly overcome him, as the 
 wind throws down a weak tree. 
 
 He who lives without looking for pleasures, his senses 
 well controlled, in his enjoyments moderate, faithful and 
 strong, Mara will certainly not overcome him, any more 
 than the wind throws down a rocky mountain. 
 
 As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion 
 will break through an unreflecting mind. 
 
 The evil-doer suffers in this wbrld, and he suffers in 
 the next ; he suffers in both. He suffers when he thinks 
 of the evil he has done ; he suffers more when going on 
 the evil path. 
 
 The virtuous man is happy in this world, and he is 
 happy in the next ; he is happy in both. He is happy 
 when he thinks of the good he has done ; he is still more 
 happy when going on the good path. 
 
 The scent of flowers does not travel against the wind, 
 nor (that of) sandal-wood, or of a bottle of Tagara oil ; 
 but the odor of good people travels even against the 
 wind ; a good man pervades every place. 
 
 As on a heap of rubbish cast upon the highway the 
 lily will grow full of sweet perfume and delightful, thus 
 the disciple of the truly enlightened Buddha shines forth 
 by his knowledge among those who are like rubbish, 
 among the people that walk in darkness. 
 
 The fool who knows his foolishness, is wise at least so 
 far. But a fool who thinks himself wise, he is called a 
 fool indeed. 
 
 The gods even envy him whose senses have been sub- 
 dued, like horses well broken in by the driver, who is 
 free from pride, and free from frailty. 
 
 Even though a speech be a thousand (of words) but 
 made up of senseless words, one word of sense is better, 
 which if a man hears, he becbmes quiet. 
 
-20 FOOTSTEPS OF THE LAW. 
 
 If one man conquer in battle a thousand times thousand 
 men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest 
 of conquerors. 
 
 Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, It 
 will not come near unto me. Even by the falling of 
 water-drops a water-pot is filled. The fool becomes full of 
 evil, even if he gathers it little by little. 
 
 Let no one forget his own duty for the sake of an- 
 other's, however great. Let a man, after he has discerned 
 his own duty, be always attentive to his duty. 
 
 The wise who control their body, who control their 
 tongue, the wise who control their mind, are indeed well 
 controlled. 
 
 And the man who gives himself to drinking intoxicating 
 liquors, he, even in this world, digs up his own root. 
 
 Akin to these are the following blessings of Buddha: 
 
 BUDDHIST BEATITUDES. 
 
 One of the gods says to Gautama: 
 
 1. Many angels and men 
 
 Have held various things blessings, 
 When they were yearning for happiness. 
 Do thou declare to us the chief good. 
 
 Gautama answers : 
 
 2. Not to serve the foolish, 
 But to serve the wise ; 
 
 To honor those worthy of honor : 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 3. To dwell in a pleasant land. 
 Good works done in a former birth, 
 Right desires in the heart : 
 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 4. Much insight and education. 
 Self control and pleasant speech. 
 And whatever word be well-spoken : 
 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
THE BUDDHIST BIBLE. c 2 1 
 
 5. To support father and mother, 
 To cherish wife and child, 
 
 To follow a peaceful calling : 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 6. To bestow alms and live righteously. 
 To give help to kindred, 
 
 Deeds which cannot be blamed : 
 These^ are the greatest blessings. 
 
 f 
 
 7. To abhor and cease from sin, 
 
 Abstinence from strong drink, 
 Not to be weary in well-doing : 
 These are the greatest blessings. 
 
 8. Reverence and lowliness, 
 Contentment and gratitude, 
 
 The hearing of the Law at due seasons : 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 9. To be long-suffering and meek, 
 
 To associate with the tranquil {i. <?., Buddhist monks). 
 Religious talk at due seasons : 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 10. Self-restraint and purity. 
 
 The knowledge of the Noble Truths, 
 The realization of Nirvana: 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 i\. Beneath the stroke of life's changes, 
 The mind that shaketh not ; 
 Without grief or passion, and secure : 
 This is the greatest blessing. 
 
 13. On every side are invincible 
 They who do acts like these, 
 On every side they walk in safety. 
 And theirs is the greatest blessing. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE GROWTH OF BUDDHISM — THE BUDDHIST ORDER OF 
 
 MENDICANTS. 
 
 What proud Emperors 
 Carved his sweet words upon the rocks and caves ; 
 And how — in fullness of the times — it fell 
 The Buddha died, the great Tathagato, 
 Even as a man 'mongst men, fulfilling all : 
 And how a thousand thousand crores* since then 
 Have trod the Path which leads whither he went 
 Unto Nirvana where the Silence lives. 
 
 Edwin Arnold, in the " Light of Asia." 
 
 BUDDHISM is a missionary system. It has spread 
 far beyond the land of its birth, all over Asia. 
 The methods of its spread were entirely different 
 from those of Mohammedanism, while they somewhat 
 resembled those of Christianity. To-day Buddhism 
 numbers about two-fifths of the world's population among 
 its adherents. It is still in vigorous life. It has been 
 propagated mainly through the Sangha, or Buddhist 
 Order of Mendicants. The dates usually assigned for 
 the entrance of Buddhism into other lands are as fol- 
 lows: Into Ceylon, 250 B. C. ; into China, 65 A. D. ; into 
 Corea, 372 A. D. ; into Burmah, 450 A. D. ; into Japan, 
 552 A. D. ; into Thibet, about 625 A. D. ; and into 
 Siam, 638 A. D. While some of these have been ques- 
 tioned, no good reason has yet been given for accepting 
 any others. 
 
 •A crore is 10,000,000; a thousand thousand crores would be 10 million millions. 
 522 
 
THE GR WTH OF B UDDHISM. c 2 1 
 
 We shall at present discuss the character and consti- 
 tution of the Buddhist brotherhood of the Sangha, leav- 
 ing the stories of the introduction of Buddhism into the 
 various countries to be told in their respective places. 
 
 THE SANGHA, OR BUDDHIST BROTHERHOOD. 
 
 All of Buddha's disciples who had taken the vows of 
 asceticism were kndwn by the name o,f Sangha, meaning 
 "congregation" or "church." The organization of this 
 order had the most to do with the spread of Buddhism. 
 Keep in mind that, in common with almost all reformers, 
 Gautama, the Buddha, did not intend to cut loose from 
 his old faith. He hoped to make the new wine of his 
 teachings go into the old bottles of Brahminism. We 
 believe that he did not intend or expect that his religion 
 should spread over Asia. Further, it was not so much 
 due to his doctrine of the Dharma, or "law," that his re- 
 ligion gained so wide an acceptance, as it was due to his 
 establishment of the order of the Sangha. Here is one 
 point of wide divergence from the missionary labors of 
 Christianity. Its founder, Jesus Christ, did intend, and 
 distinctly stated His intention of giving His religion to the 
 world. The order of the Sangha was a growth. Little 
 by little, as occasion demanded, Gautama laid down rules 
 for those who would be his disciples, and unconsciously 
 these disciples became more and more exclusive, shut- 
 ting in themselves and shutting out all others. Finally, 
 after Gautama's death, they became a distinct body. 
 
 I THE INITIATION CEREMONY. 
 
 Any one who was free from contagious disease, who 
 was neither a slave, a debtor nor a soldiei-, and who had 
 obtained the consent of his parents, might be admitted to 
 the order. The following account of the ceremony of 
 
eg. INITIATION CEREMONY. 
 
 admission has been compiled by T. W. Rhys-David, late 
 of the Ceylon civil service : 
 
 " The layman who wishes for entrance to the Order 
 must be at least eight years old before obtaining the 
 novitiate, and at least twenty before receiving full ordi- 
 nation. On the day appointed, a chapter is held, of not 
 less than ten monks, the president being of at least ten 
 years' standing. The monks forming' the chapter sit on 
 mats, in two rows, facing each other, the president being 
 at the head of one row. The candidate, in lay dress, but 
 carrying the three yellow robes of a mendicant, is intro- 
 duced by his proposer (always a monk), makes a saluta- 
 tion to the president, and offers him a small present as a 
 token of respect. He then three times asks for admis- 
 sion as a novice. ' Have pity on me, lord ; take these 
 robes, and let me be ordained, that I may escape from 
 sorrow and experience Nirvana.' The president then 
 takes the bundle of robes, and ties them around the can- 
 didate's neck, repeating, meanwhile, a formula of medita- 
 tion on the perishable nature of the human body. The 
 candidate then retires, and changes his dress, repeating 
 the while a formula to the effect that, though he wears 
 robes, he does so only out of modesty, and as a protec- 
 tion from heat, cold, etc. When he reappears clad as a 
 mendicant, he kneels before the president, and repeats 
 after him three times two well-known Buddhist formulas. 
 The first of these is that called the ' Three Refuges.' 
 
 " ' I go for refuge to the Buddha, 
 
 " ' I go for refuge to the Law. 
 
 •" I go for refuge to the Order.' 
 
 " The other is called the ' Ten Precepts,' which are as 
 follows : 
 
 " • I . I take the vow not to destroy life. 
 
 " • 2. I take the vow not to steal. 
 
THE GROWTH OF BUDDHISM. -25 
 
 ' " * 3. I take the vow to abstain from impurity. 
 
 " * 4. I take the vow not to lie. 
 
 " • 5. I take the vow to abstain from intoxicating drinks, 
 which hinder progress and virtue. 
 
 " ' 6. I take the vow not to eat at forbidden times. 
 
 " ' 7. I take the vow to abstain from dancing, singing, 
 music and stage-plays. 
 
 "•8. I^ take the vow not to u^e garlands, scents,, un- 
 guents or ornaments, 
 
 '"9. I take the vow not to use a high or broad bed. 
 
 " ' 10. I take the vow not to receive gold or silver.' 
 
 " The candidate then rises, pays respect to the presi- 
 dent, and retires a novice. Here, for the novitiate, the 
 ceremony ends." 
 
 RULES OF THE ORDER. 
 
 Solid food is forbidden, except between sunrise and 
 noon, and total abstinence from intoxicating drinks is re- 
 quired. The monks, or brothers of the order, usually 
 get their food by begging from door to door; each 
 usually carries his brown earthenware begging-bowl. He 
 says nothing, but only stands, waiting, at the open door of 
 the hut. If something is given him, he mutters a praA'^er 
 for the giver, but if nothing, he passes on In silence. 
 
 The monks generally live together in groves, gardens 
 or monasteries. At first they led a lonely life, but after- 
 wards they gathered together in communities. They 
 were required to dress in simple garments of a dull 
 orange color, first torn in pieces and then sewn together 
 again, so that they had no salable value. They wear 
 three robes ; and, while the people of the warmer coun- 
 tries wear only the loin-cloth, the members of the order 
 were required to keep their bodies covered. To " put 
 off the robes " was equivalent to leaving the society. 
 
^25 DAILY LIFE OF A MONK. 
 
 Personal indulgence, theft and murder would cause the . 
 monk who committed them to be expelled from the or- 
 der. No monk was allowed to possess more than eight 
 articles — the three robes, a girdle for the loins, a begging- 
 bowl, a razor, a needle and a water-strainer. The com- 
 munities of monks, however, were permitted to own 
 property. Unquestioning obedience to superiors is never 
 required of a monk ambng the Buddhists. 
 
 DAILY LIFE OF A MONK. 
 
 According to the " Manual of Exercises," the daily life 
 of a monk should be as follows: He shall rise before 
 daylight and wash ; then sweep the wihara or residence 
 — as the clean little hut where the mendicant lives is 
 called — then sweep round the Bo-tree, fetch the drinking- 
 water for the day, filter it, and place it ready for use. 
 Retiring to a solitary place, he shall then meditate on the 
 regulations. Then he shall offer flowers before the 
 sacred dagaba — the solid dome-shaped shrine in which 
 relics of the Buddha are buried — or before the Bo-tree, 
 thinking of the great virtues of the Teachef and of his 
 own faults. Soon after, taking the begging-bowl, he is 
 to follow his superior in his daily round for food, and, on 
 their return, is to bring water for his feet and place the 
 alms-bowl before him. After the meal is over, he is to 
 wash the alms-bowl, then again to worship Buddha and 
 meditate on kindness and affection. About an hour 
 afterwards, he is to begin his studies from the books, or 
 copy one of them, asking his superior about passages he 
 does not understand. At sunset, he is again to sweep 
 the sacred places, and, lighting a lamp, to listen „to the 
 teaching of his superior, and repeat such passages from 
 the canon that he has learned. If he finds he has com- 
 mitted any fault, he is to tell his superior : he is to be 
 
THE GROWTH OF BUDDHISM. ^2-7 
 
 content with such things as he has, and, keeping under 
 his senses, to grow in grace without haughtiness of body, 
 speech or* mind. 
 
 THE THREE GREAT BUDDHIST COUNCILS. 
 
 Soon ^fter Buddha's death a council of 500 members 
 of the order was held in a cave, near the city of Raja- 
 griha. This council met to form Buddha's teachings into 
 some sort of a system. A second council of 700 was 
 held a hundred years later. This was to effect a settle- 
 ment between certain heretics and the orthodox party. 
 The Rules of the Order and the Doctrines of the Faith 
 were passed in review and again settled. Then the 
 heretics advanced still different opinions and called an 
 opposition council. This was the first great schism. 
 From this time sects multiplied among, the Buddhists. 
 The next council was the Great Council of King Asoka. 
 Asoka was to the Buddhist Order what Constantine was 
 to the early Christian Church. There are more men to 
 honor him to-day than there are to honor Charlemagne 
 or Caesar. Yet Asoka really caused the downfall of 
 Buddhism in India by the aid he gave it. As Dante had 
 xaid : 
 
 " Ah ! Constantine, of how much ill was cause, 
 Not thy conversion, but those rich domains 
 That the first wealthy Pope received of thee." 
 
 Asoka built many monasteries and provided for the 
 support of many monks. He became a very zealous 
 supporter of Buddhism. Some of his edicts, based upon 
 Gautama's teachings, have been discovered within the 
 last fifty years. In the eighteenth year of Asoka's reign, 
 a great council of 1,000 monks was held in Patna. This 
 council finally determined the canon of the sacred Bud- 
 dhist books. This council, held, probably, in the year 246 
 
528 
 
 GREAT BUDDHIST COUNCILS. 
 
 B. C, lasted nine months. Asoka was filled with an 
 aggressive, missionary spirit, and at the close of this 
 council missionaries were sent into various countries, or 
 provinces of India, from Cashmere to Ceylon. The mis- 
 sion to Ceylon of Asoka's own son, Mahinda, was the 
 most important. In the year 62 A. D., the Chinese 
 Emperor Ming-Ti sent to India and brought Buddhist 
 books to China. From China Buddhism spread into 
 Corea and Japan and Thibet. From Ceylon it spread to 
 Burmah and Siam. 
 
 Of late years the sources of our information as to 
 Buddhist teachings and history have greatly changed. 
 Formerly only Ceylon was looked to for this informa- 
 tion, but of late years the work of Bigandet in Burmah, 
 Alabaster in Siam, Schlagintweit in Thibet, and Beal in 
 China, have given more thorough knowledge of the facts 
 of Buddhist doctrine and history. 
 
 BUDDHAGHOSHA, THE FAMOUS MONK AND MISSIONARY. 
 
 Buddhaghosha lived in the middle of the fifth century 
 after Christ. He is, next to Asoka, the most celebrated 
 man in Buddhist history. He visited Ceylon, where he 
 greatly revived the Buddhist faith. He then went to 
 Burmah, where he established Buddhism among the Bur- 
 mese. From these people it spread into Arracan, Pegu, 
 and finally into Siam. He wrote a famous commentary 
 on the Buddhist Bible ; some scholars believe that this is 
 but a translation of older commentaries which Buddha- 
 ghosha made, and that his parables are but the parables 
 of Mahinda or even of Gautama re-written. At any 
 rate, they go by Buddhaghosha's name among the Bur- 
 mese Buddhists. His parables are very interesting, and 
 are used by the monks and preachers in all their sermons. 
 The accompanying story of King Kakavanna is quoted 
 
THE GROWTH OF BUDDHISM. ejQ 
 
 from Captain Rogers' translation of Buddhaghosha's 
 Parables, and will serve as a fair specimen of the stories 
 as a whole. 
 
 THE STORY OF KING KAKAVANNA. 
 
 A Rahanda once preached the Law to Kakavanna, his 
 queen and concubines, in the island of Ceylon. King 
 Kakavanna, filled with love for the Law, resolved to 
 make an offering of the putzo which he was wearing. In 
 a spirit of niggardliness, however, he thought he would 
 defer the offering until the next day. Two crows, a hus- 
 band and wife, who were perched upon the tree at 
 the foot of which the Law had been preached, knowing 
 what was passing in the king's mind, said to each other : 
 " The king, from his niggardly spirit, excellent as the Law 
 is, cannot make up his mind to make an offering of the 
 putzo." Neither the queen, nor the concubines, nor the 
 nobles understood what the two crows were saying to 
 each other ; but the king, directly he heard the sound of 
 the crows, knew What they said. " O you pair of crows," 
 he exclaimed, " how dare you speak so of a king like me ?" 
 The crows replied, " Your majesty, do not take the putzo 
 you have at home, but make an offering of the one you 
 are wearing. Worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold. 
 In seven days hence you will receive the five rewards." 
 The king smiled at the crows' speech. My lord, the 
 Rahanda, who had been preaching the Law, said to the 
 king, " Why does your majesty smile at me ?" " I was 
 not smiling at my lord Rahanda," replied the king ; " I 
 was smiling at what the two crows said." The Rahanda, 
 who possessed the Nat's eye, which could behold eight 
 past and eight future existences; and who saw the pre- 
 vious life of the king, said to him, " Great king, I will tell 
 you something ; will you be angry with me ?" " My lord," 
 
c^O STORY OF laXG KAKAVANNA. 
 
 replied the king, " I shall not be angry with you ; deign 
 to tell it to me." My lord, the Rahanda, proceeded : 
 "When your majesty was a poor man in the Anuradha 
 country, you used to collect firewood, and live by the sale 
 of it. One day, when you went out to your work, you 
 took with you a small cupful of boiled rice. Coming 
 across a heap of white sand which looked like sheet-silver, 
 you reflected that your poverty must have been occa- 
 sioned by your not possessing the merit of having made 
 offerings, and accordingly you raised a pagoda of the 
 white sand, placed in front of it, as an offering, one-half 
 of the rice you had with you, and gave the remaining 
 half to the crows to eat, as an offering to the Rahans. 
 These two crows, husband and wife, are the very same 
 two crows who ate the rice of which you made the offer- 
 ing when you were a poor man." When the king heard 
 this, he exclaimed, " Oh, how unstable is prosperity ! I 
 have obtained the position of king only from making 
 offerings at a sand pagoda !" So saying, he made an 
 offering to the Law of the putzo he was wearing. 
 
 Seven days afterwards, the five rewards came to the 
 king. The five rewards were these : 
 
 The Nats, wrapping up in a thingan the relics of an 
 excellent Rahanda who had obtained Paranibbana while 
 he was up in the sky, and which were like a jasmine-bud, 
 came and laid them down before the king. In front of 
 his palace a mountain of gold arose. The Nats brought 
 a virgin from the island of Uttarakuru. This woman was 
 ten cubits in stature. She brought with her a kunsa of 
 rice, which, though one were to cook it and eat it during 
 a whole Hfetime, would never bfe exhausted. An elephant 
 of priceless value, which could travel a hundred yoganas 
 even before breakfast. Seven vessels arrived at the 
 port completely filled with valuable putzos. 
 
THE GROWTH OF BUDDHISM. e -i \ 
 
 BUDDHIST COUNTRIES OF THE PRESENT DAY. 
 
 Buddhism in India has almost died out. In Ceylon, 
 and among the sect of the Jains, in Western India, it still 
 remains ; but, excepting these parts of the country, 
 Brahminism has triumphed in putting down Buddhism. 
 In Farther India, that is, in Burmah and Malacca, Bud- 
 dhism is very strong. Among the Karens of Burmah, 
 Buddhism never gained any acceptance. In Siam, Cam- 
 bodia and Cochin China, Buddhism is prevalent. In 
 China proper and in Corea it is associated with Confu- 
 cianism and Tadism. In Thibet it has taken the peculiar 
 form called Lamaism, a regular hierarchy having devel- 
 oped. In Japan it is often associated with Shintoism, 
 The Loo Choo Islands are also Buddhist. 
 
 33 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND CEYLON. 
 
 They sat in silent watchfulness 
 
 The sacred cypress-tree about, 
 And, from beneath old wrinkled brows, 
 
 Their failing eyes looked out. 
 
 They waited for that falling leaf 
 
 Of which the wandering Jogees sing : 
 
 Which lends once more to wintry age 
 The greenness of its spring. 
 
 John Greenleaf 'Vhittier. 
 
 IN the time of Asoka, Buddhism had almost become 
 the State religion of India. The conversion of the 
 king, however, proved the beginning of its decline. 
 It continued to exist until 'the eighth or ninth century 
 after Christ. To-day there is scarcely a trace of the re- 
 ligion among all the people of India proper. The only 
 body of people in India that has any connection with 
 Buddhism is the singular sect of the Jains. The views of 
 this body are half Buddhist and half Brahmin. They are 
 found especially on the Western coast of India, in and 
 around the city of Bombay. They are divided into two 
 classes, the Soetambaras, or " clothed in white garments," 
 and the Digambaras, or "sky-clad," that is naked. The 
 last class now wear colored garments, though formerly 
 they went naked. Like the Buddhists they reject the 
 Vedas or sacred books of the Brahmins. The principal 
 
 point of their practice is the reverence paid to holy men. 
 
 532 
 
BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND CE YLON. t ^ c 
 
 who, by long discipline, have raised themselves to divine 
 perfection. These men are called Jinas or "conquering 
 saints," whence comes the narne of their followers, the 
 Jains. They believe in two ever-returning cycles of 
 time, of immense duration, which defy all human calcula-' 
 tion. The first Jina of the second cycle; in which we now 
 live, attained the age of 8,400,000 years, and each Jina 
 since has lived a shorter and shorter time. There are 
 three ways, they say, by which the soul is delivered, viz.: 
 right intuition, right knowledge and right conduct. This 
 last consists in observing five duties, or vows of self- 
 restraint. I. Do not kill or injure. (Strict Jains carry 
 this to a ridiculous extent. They strain water before 
 drinking it, sweep the ground with a brush before treading 
 it, never eat or drink in the dark, and sometimes wear a 
 muslin strip over their mouths to prevent the risk of 
 swallowing minute insects. They will never eat figs or 
 any fruit containing seeds, nor even touch flesh-meat 
 with their finger-tips). 2. Do not tell lies. 3. Do not 
 steal. 4. Be chaste and temperate in thought, word or 
 deed. 5. Do not desire anything immoderately. 
 
 In Bombay there is a hospital temple of the Jains where 
 sick animals are received and cared for. Ifi this temple 
 one may see oxen, some with bandages over their eyes, 
 and some lame lying upon beds of clean straw ; others, 
 blind and paralyzed, are having their food brought to 
 them and are being rubbed down by pious devotees. 
 Here are gathered sick or wounded dogs, cats, fowls of 
 every sort, crows, buzzards, vultures, rats, mice, sparrows, 
 peacocks, jackals, etc., and are tenderly cared for. 
 
 THE FAMOUS TOPES. 
 
 A Tope is a structure built to contain some relic of 
 Buddha. They were generally erected by a king, who 
 
536 THE FAMOUS TOPES. 
 
 used the following form of words in its dedication: 
 " Thrice over do I dedicate my kingdom to the redeemer 
 of the world, the divine teacher, the bearer of the triple 
 canopy, the canopy of the heavenly host, the canopy of 
 mortals^ and the canopy of eternal emancipation." The 
 whole structure was dome-shaped, or, more exactly, 
 canopy-shaped. The relic of Buddha — a tooth, a piece 
 of bone, or the like — was placed in a gold casket. This 
 was placed in the relic-chamber on a golden altar. Then 
 the erection of the building proceeded amidst great re- 
 joicings and with many ceremonies. At its completion 
 the king guided a golden plow, drawn by two ele- 
 phants, and marked out thus with a furrow a line all 
 around the Tope. All within this line was considered 
 sacred ground. The most famous Topes are those at 
 Sanchi. These are now in ruins. The Topes them- 
 selves are all grass-grown and crumbling, and almost all 
 of the magnificent gate-ways lie in ruins. As we have 
 just said, the purpose of these Topes was — not for use as 
 a temple or as a place of living for the Buddhist monks — ' 
 but simply as a place in which to preserve relics of the 
 dead Buddha. As Byron, in Childe Harold, has sung: 
 
 "There is a stem round tower of other days. 
 Firm as a fortress with its fence of stone ; 
 Such as an army's baffled strength delays, 
 Standing with half its battlements alone, 
 And with two thousand years' of ivy grown. 
 The garland of eternity — ^where wave 
 
 The green leaves, over all by Time o'erthrown. 
 What was this tower of strength ? Within its case 
 What treasure lays so locked, so hid? A hermifs grave." 
 
 THE GREAT SANCHI TOPE. 
 
 This is a dome-like structure of solid brick and stone, 
 one hundred and six feet in diameter at the base, and 
 
iVDDHISM IN INDIA AND CEYLON. 
 
 539 
 
 forty- two feet high from the base; the base is fourteen 
 feet high, giving a total height of fifty-six feet. The base 
 is a terrace, extending all around 
 the Tope. On this the worshipers 
 walked. A colonnade extended 
 all around the Tope. There is an 
 extrance to the Tope at each of the 
 four cardinal points. These four 
 gate- ways are very picturesque ob- 
 jects. They are covered with 
 sculptures representing various do- 
 mestic scenes and religious cere- 
 monies. Each gate-way is formed 
 of two square pillars, two feet 
 three inches thick and thirteen feet 
 eight inches high. The capitals of 
 these pillars vary. Those of the 
 western gate contain four human 
 dwarfs ; of the southern gate, four 
 lions ; and of the other gate-ways 
 four elephants. The height of 
 these capitals is four feet six 
 inches. The carvings on these 
 gate-ways represent sieges, tri- 
 umphal processions, worshiping 
 Topes, or the sacred Bo-tree, pro- 
 cessions escorting relic-caskets,and 
 certain domestic scenes. These 
 carvings are not surpassed, in the 
 beauty of their design and execu- 
 tion, by those of any other tem- 
 ples in the world. 
 
 Exactly in the centre of the second Sanchi Tope, there 
 was a small chamber. This was opened by Major Alex* 
 
 CAPITAL OF A PILLAR OF 
 GATE-WAY OF SANCHI TOPE. 
 
540 
 
 THE GREAT SANCHf TOPE. 
 
 ander Cunningham, an Englishman, in 1851. He found 
 in this chamber a relic-box, of white sand-stone, nearly one 
 foot square. On it was inscribed : 
 
 " Teacher o. all branches of Vinaya, the Arhat* Kasyapa, 
 Gotra, Upadiya jf and the Arhat* 
 Vachhi Suvijayata, teacher of Vinaya." 
 
 Inside the stone box were founji four small caskets of 
 mottled steatite. -Each one of these contained small 
 pieces of burnt bone, and on each casket was written the 
 name of the holy man whose ashes were enshrined 
 therein. As these holy men, whose names are given 
 are known to have lived in Asoka's time, it is almost 
 certain that these Topes, containing their relics, were 
 built not long 1 after their death, or not later than, say, 
 220 B. C. There are other Topes at Sonari and Sadt- 
 hara, at Bhojpur and Andher. These were all used as 
 relic structures, like the pagodas of Burmah. 
 
 CEYLO-NESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 King Asoka was not content with spreading Buddhism 
 in his own territory. He built hospitals for man and 
 beast, dug wells and planted trees by the roadsides, and 
 performed many other good works in other lands. These 
 lands are described in the old Buddhist chronicles of 
 Ceylon as being Southern India and Ceylon, and " to the 
 land of the Greek king, Antiochus." He is said to have 
 sent embassies to four Greek kings, and to have " won 
 from them a victory, not by the sword, but by religion." 
 
 The most important of all Asoka's missionary enter- 
 prises was that which he sent to Ceylon. " Tissa, the de- 
 light of the gods," was at this time king of Ceylon. To 
 him, Asoka's own son, Mahinda, was sent as a Buddhist 
 
 *Monk. t Abbot. 
 
SCULPTURED GATEWAY TO THE TOPE OF SANCHJ, JNpiA, 
 
BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND CEYLON. 
 
 543 
 
 missionary. Mahinda had been for twelve years a mem- 
 ber of the .Sangha, or order of mendicants. One year 
 after the great council of the thousand monks, he started 
 
 ROADWAY TO A BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN CEYLON. 
 
 for Ceylon. He took with him a band of monks and 
 copies of the Tripitakas, the Buddhist Bible, which had 
 just been adopted by the Patna council. He took also 
 copies of the commentaries upon these. 
 
_^ . CEYLONESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 544 
 
 Tissa received Mahinda with great favor, and soon 
 became a zealous worker in the new religien. At Ma- 
 hinda's suggestion, Tissa built the Thuparama Dagaba 
 in the city of Anuradha-pura. This reHc-house was said 
 to have contained the right collar-bone of Gautama Bud- 
 dha. Near the Dagaba the king built a beautiful monas- 
 tery. On this hill the missionary Mahinda spent most of 
 his after life. He had his study cut out of the solid rock, 
 and steps cut in the rock. Before his view spread out 
 the great plains and beautiful forests of Ceylon. Within 
 the cave there still exists the stone couch on which he 
 rested. In this lonely, cool and quiet rock-chamber, the 
 great teacher of Ceylon sat, thought, wrote, more than 
 2,000 years ago. ' Mahinda's sister came over shortly 
 after her brother, to instruct some -of the king's female 
 relations, who wished to become nuns. She brought 
 with her a branch of the sacred Bo-tree, the tree under 
 which Gautama Buddha had fought and won the battle 
 of his life, and where he gained the Buddha-hood. 
 
 THE SACRED BO-TREE OF CEYLON. 
 
 This branch was planted near the Dagaba, and, as it- 
 has always been tended with great care, it still grows 
 'there. This is the tree upon which Whittier has founded" 
 his poem, "The Cypress-tree of Ceylon;" of which Ibn 
 Batuta, the celebrated Mussulman traveler of the four- 
 teenth century, has spoken. " It was," says Ibn Batuta. 
 " held sacred by the natives, and its leaves were said to 
 have fallen only at certain intervals; he who had the 
 happiness to find and eat one of them was restored, at 
 once, to youth and vigor." Sir Emerson Tennent, who 
 wrote about i860, says of it: 
 
 "The Bo-tree of Anuradha-pura is, in all probability, 
 the oldest historical tree in the world. It was planted 288 
 
BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND CEYLON. c^- 
 
 years before Christ, and hence is now 2,147 years old. 
 Ages varying from one to four thousand years have been 
 assigned to the Baobabs of Senegal, the Eucalyptus of Tas- 
 mania, the Dragon-tree of Orotava, the Sequoia of Cali- 
 fornia, and the chestnut of Mount Etna. But all these 
 estimates are matters of conjecture, and such calculations, 
 however ingenious, must be purely inferential. Whereas 
 the age of the Bo-tr6e is matter of record, its conservancy 
 has been an object, of solicitude to successive dynasties, 
 and the story of its vicissitudes has been preserved in a 
 series of continuous chronicles, among the most authentic 
 that have been handed down to mankind. Compared 
 with it, the Oak of EUerslie is but a sapling, and the 
 Conqueror's Oak in Windsor Forest barely numbers half 
 its years. The yew trees of Fountain's Abbey are be- 
 lieved to have flourished there 1,200 years ago ; the olives 
 in the Garden of Gethsemane were full gj-own when the 
 Saracens were expelled from Jerusalem ; and the Cypress 
 of Senna, in Lombardy, is said to have been a tree in the 
 time of Julius Csesar ; yet the Bo-tree is older than the 
 oldest of these by a century, and would almost seem to 
 verify the prophecy pronounced when it was planted, 
 that it would flourish and be green forever." 
 
 To which Rhys-David adds : 
 
 " The tree could scarcely have lived so long had it not 
 been for the constant care of the monks. As it showed 
 signs of decay terraces were built up around it, so that 
 it now grows more than twenty feet above the surround- 
 _ ing soil ; for the tree being of the fig species — its bo- 
 tanical name is ficus- religiosa — its living branches could 
 then throw out fresh roots. Where its long arms spread 
 beyond the inclosure, vudt pillars of iron or masonry 
 have been used to prop them up; and it is carefully 
 watere4 in seasons of drought. The whole aspect of the 
 
_.g THE BO-TREE OF CEYLON. 
 
 tree and its inclosure bear evident signs of extreme 
 age ; but we could not be sure of its identity were it not 
 for the complete chain of documentary evidence which has 
 been so well brought together by Sir Emerson Tennent." 
 
 REDUCING THE TRIPITAKA TO WRITING. 
 
 In the year 88 B. C. (Buddhism had long before this 
 become the religion of the whole of this great island), 
 the king built the largest Dagaba in Ceylon, 250 feet in 
 height. It was at this time that the whole of the Three 
 Pitakas were reduced to writing. This was 330 years 
 after Gautama's death. The Ceylonese history says : 
 
 '' The wise monks of former days handed down by word of mouth 
 The text of the Three Pitakas, and the Commentary upon them : 
 Seeing the destruction of men, the monks of this time assembled, 
 And, that the Faith might last long, they wrote them in books." 
 
 This has more significance than is at first apparent to 
 a European accustomed to believe that books can only 
 be preserved by writing. The Hindus believe just the 
 opposite. Even at the present time, if all copies of the 
 Vedas were destroyed, the Vedas would still be pre- 
 served in the memory of the priests, as they have been 
 for certainly more than 3,000 years ; and those priests 
 look upon the Veda, thus authenticated, as the test to 
 which all printed or written copies must give way. If 
 you depend upon written copies, they would argue, you 
 are sure to make and to perpetuate mistakes ; but the 
 text, as handed down by word of mouth, is preserved, 
 not only by being itself constantly repeated, but by the 
 assistance of the commentaries, in which every word of 
 the text is carefully enshrined. So long as reliance can 
 be placed on the succession of teachers and pupils, this 
 argument may not be so far from wrong ; but when a 
 text has to be preserved in a small country, liable to be 
 
BUDDHISM m iNDtA AND CEYLON. 
 
 549 
 
 overrun by persecuting enemies, the condition of things 
 is changed, and it becomes necessary to preserve it also 
 in writing. Mahinda could have written the texts, had 
 he so chosen. We know that the square alphabet which 
 
 
 E 3 
 
 
 SSIb 
 
 Ql I. 
 
 O CD 
 
 S! 5- 
 -? g 
 
 ' !•§■ 
 
 as- 
 
 - B ( 
 
 ? >1 
 
 =■ B ° 
 
 T H. I 
 •0 W I 
 
 a. 3 
 
 S I 
 
 " n 
 5' P 
 
 g-i' 
 
 " o 
 3 ? 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 Si 
 
 o 
 
 (/I 
 
 > 
 
 O 
 
 n 
 
 < 
 O 
 
 Asoka used was at least known in Ceylon, if it did not 
 originate there. That he did not choose to do so, ought 
 to throw no doubt upon the identity of the existing ver- 
 sion of the text with that which he brought to Ceylon. 
 
.-Q A BUDDttlST TEMPLE IN CEYLOM. 
 
 BUDDHAGHOSHA IN CEYLON. 
 
 Buddhaghosha, the famous monk, was born near the 
 Bo-tree. He came to Ceylon in 430 A. D. He wrote 
 a cyclopaedia of Buddhist doctrine, and was readily ac- 
 cepted as a teacher by the Sangha of Ceylon. He wrote 
 out the Buddhist commentaries in- the Pali language, and 
 those that had been made in the Ceylonese language, 
 about 600 years before were completely lost through 
 disuse. From Ceylon he went to Burmah in 450 A. D. 
 He left an indelible impression on the Buddhism of 
 Ceylon, and through it on the Buddhism of the whole of 
 Southern Asia. Of the writings of this distinguished 
 teacher we have before spoken. 
 
 A BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN CEYLON. 
 
 The Buddhist temples stand in the most beautiful 
 situations. Waving cocoa-nut palms, broad-leaved bread- 
 fruit trees, flpwering shrubs, with sweet-scented blossoms, 
 surround the temple court, and astonish the visitor by 
 their loveliness. But enter the court and what a con- 
 trast ! What do we see ? A long narrow room, with 
 no light but what struggles in through the door, or some- 
 times arises from a few dim oil-lamps ; a shelf running 
 from end to end of it ; a huge image of* painted clay, 
 more than forty feet Long, lying stretched upon the shelf, 
 with fixed staring eyes, as if quite unconcerned with all 
 things round about; and a heavy, oppressive smell of 
 smoking lamps and dead flowers, that have been offered 
 to the image, reminding one strongly of the spiritual 
 death and darkness of the blind worshipers. Such are the 
 places of worship of the one and a half millions of Budd- 
 'hists in Ceylon. Surrounded by the most luxuriant beau- 
 ties of the natural world, religiously they are in darkness. 
 
BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND CEYLON 
 
 55' 
 
 WORSHIP OF BUDDHA'S TOOTH. 
 
 There is a festival which takes place every year in 
 Kandy,.the chief city of the central province of Ceylon. 
 
 BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
 34 
 
ci-2 SACRED CEYLONESE BOOKS. 
 
 and the ancient resideijce of its native Jcings. In a Bud- 
 dhist temple at Kandy there is a large tooth, which from 
 its shape and appearance, seems to be the tooth of a 
 baboon, but which is called Buddha's tooth, and is be- 
 lieved to have been such by a large number of the people 
 of Ceylon. This is exhibited with great pomp and a 
 gbrgeous procession once a year before vast crowds, who 
 come to worship it. Religious embassies come from 
 Siam, and even from Thibet to be, present at this great 
 festival of Buddhism. 
 
 THE SACRED CEYLONESE BOOKS. 
 
 There are three books regarded as sacred by the Bud- 
 dhists of Ceylon. The first, called the Mahavanso, is the 
 most highly venerated. It has been very carefully handed 
 down and the ancient and' modern copies vary but a very 
 little. It contains "The Doctrine, Race and Lineage of 
 Buddha," and the authentic annals of Ceylonese Bud- 
 dhism. The second, called the Rajaratnacari, was written 
 by a priest. It contains a history' of Buddha, extracts 
 from the most ancient books, records of the erection of 
 temples, and the history of the kings from 540 B. C 
 down to modern times. The third, cjalled the Rajavali, is 
 the work of different hands, and completes the other bboks. 
 It narrates the history of Ceylon from the coming of the 
 Dutch to Ceylon down to the time vdien they expelled 
 the Portuguese and gained possession oi Colombo, 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 BURMAH. 
 
 On the pagoda spire, 
 
 The bells are swinging. 
 Their little golden circlet in a flutter. 
 With tales the wooing winds have dared to utter. 
 
 Till all are ringing. 
 As if a choir 
 
 Of golden-nested birds in heaven were singing ; 
 And with a lulling sound, 
 The music floats around. 
 
 And drops like balm into the drowsy ear. 
 
 Mrs. Emily C. Judson. 
 
 THE early religion of the Burmese was Shamanism; 
 the belief in evil spirits arid the necessity of ward- 
 ing off their hurtful influence by the use of charms 
 and amulets. Buddhism has taken the place of this de- 
 grading system among the Burmese. Besides the Bur- 
 mese there are other peoples in Burmah ; the Karens, oi 
 whose religion we have already spoken, the Shans, who 
 are Buddhists, and the Mons who adhere s|:ill to the old 
 practice of Shamanism. The old evil-spirit worship of 
 the Burmese and Shans still rerriains to some extent in 
 the Nat worship. Just when Buddhism was introduced 
 into Burmah is a little uncertain. Dr. Francis Mason, 
 an American missionary, in his work on Burmah speaks 
 as follows, and as the whole extract is an excellent account 
 of the introduction of Buddhism and a summary of its 
 doctrines, we present it entire : 
 
 "Three hundred years before Alexandria was founded; 
 
 - sss 
 
556 
 
 BURMESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 about the time that Thales, the most ancient philosopher 
 of Europe, was teaching in Greece that water is the 
 origin of all things, the soul of the world ; and Zoroaster, 
 in Media or Persia, was systematizing the fire-worship of 
 the Magi ; and Confucius in China was calling on the 
 teeming multitudes around • him to offer to guardian 
 spirits and the Manes of their ancestors ; and Nebuchad- 
 nezzar set up his golden image in the plain of Dura, and 
 Daniel was laboring in Babylon to establish the worship 
 of the true God; a reverend sage, with his staff and 
 scrip, who had left a throne for philosophy, was traveling 
 from Gaya to Benares, and from Benares to Kanouj, ex- 
 horting the people against theft, falsehood, adultery, killing 
 and intemperance. No temperance lecturer advocates 
 teetotalism now more strongly than did this sage Gau- 
 tama twenty-three centuries age. Nor did he confine 
 his instructions to external vices. Pride, anger, lust, envy 
 and covetousness were condemned by him in as strong 
 terms as are ever heard from the Christian pulpit. Love, 
 mercy, patience, self-denial, alms-giving, truth and the 
 cultivation of v,;^isdom he required of all. Good actions, 
 good words and good thoughts were the frequent sub- 
 jects of his sermons, and he was unceasing in his cau- 
 tions to keep the mind free from the turmoils of passion 
 and the cares of life. Immediately after the death of this 
 venerable peripatetic, his disciples scattered themselves 
 abroad to propagate the doctrines of their master, and 
 tradition says one party entered the principal mouth of 
 the Irrawaddy, where they traced its banks to where the 
 first rocks lift themselves abruptly above the flats around. 
 Here on the summit of this laterite ledge, 1 60 feet above 
 the river, they erected the standard of Buddhism, which 
 now lifts its spire to the heavens higher than the dome 
 of St. Paul's." 
 
B UDDHISM IN B URMAH. c c 7 
 
 But there is an entire absence of any Iiistorical confir- 
 mation of these traditions, and we have no definite infor- 
 mation of the coming of Buddhism to Burmah until 
 Buddhaghosha brought it about 450 A. D. 
 
 Burmese Buddhism bears a very close resemblance to 
 that of Ceylon. As we have already discussed the prin- 
 ciples of Buddhism, in general, we shall pass to notice 
 more particularly the temples, idols, festivals and worship 
 of Burmah. A good idea of Burmese Buddhism can be 
 obtained from a visit to its Grand Shway-da-Gong Pagoda. 
 
 THE SHWAY-DA-GONG PAGODA. 
 
 The Mecca of Southern Buddhism is the great pagoda, 
 at Rangoon. This the. largest building of the kind in 
 Burmah, and, perhaps, also in the world. It is situated 
 about a mile from the city, onu rocky ledge, perhaps 100 
 feet high, overlooking the valley of the Irrawaddy and 
 the city of Rangoon. The entrance is guarded by two 
 huge griffins of brick and mortar. Passing on between 
 rows of long, narrow sheds, beautifully carved and gaudily 
 painted, and after climbing a staircase, one stands upon 
 an immense stone terrace, upon which the pagoda itself 
 stands. The terrace is nearly 1,000 feet square. The 
 pagoda tapers upwards to a height of 300 , feet, and ter- 
 minates in a h'tee. The pagoda is round in shape, and 
 solid throughout. It is built of bricks, and, unlike the 
 Pyramids of Egypt, there is no chamber in its interior, 
 nothing but the casket containing the staff of Kantha- 
 thon, the water-dipper of Gaunagon, a garment of Kat- 
 hapa and the eight hairs of Gautama. The whole of the 
 exterior is covered with gold-lea.f, presenting a dazzling 
 appearance, as it reflects the rays of the sun. The h'tee 
 on the top — the umbrella-shaped finial — is made of a 
 series of gilded iron rings, from which hang a great many 
 
558 
 
 THE GREAT PAGODA OF RANGOON. 
 
 little silver and brass bells, which are swung and rung by 
 the wind. Not long ago, the father of the present King 
 of Burmah placed a new h'tee upon the pagoda. It cos.t 
 
 SHW AY-DA-GONG, THE GREAT PAGODA OF RANGOON, BURMAH. IT CONTAINS 
 
 RELICS OF BUDDHA. THE EXTERIOR IS COVERED WITH GILT. 
 
 THE ENTRANCES ARE GUARDED BY GRIFFINS. 
 
 him about 1300,000. The frame was made of seven 
 gilded iron rings, the largest of which was twelve feet in 
 diameter, and the rest smaller and smaller. Each ring 
 
MUhbtilSM IM BUkMAti. t ifrt 
 
 was studded with gems. At the very top was a large 
 emerald. This h'tee was brought to a landing-place 
 about two miles from the pagodas. The road over which 
 it was to come was covered with white cloth by a devout 
 merchant. The pagoda was covered with a framework 
 of bamboo, which made it easy to ascend to its top. 
 Weeks of religious festivities were held, during which the 
 worshipers poured their gold, and silver, and precious 
 stones; into the pagoda's treasury. On the day appointed, 
 the old h'tee was removed, and the new one hoisted ring 
 by ring to its place. 
 
 Within the pagoda inclosure there are many temples, 
 most containing huge images of Gautama, made of wood,- 
 brick and lime, or marble and metal. On small tables, 
 in front of many of the images, are placed candles, flowers 
 and little paper flags. Around the pagoda tall poles are 
 placed at short intervals, each crowned with a h'tee. 
 
 Near the pagoda is a great bell, under which a man 
 may stand upright. The worshipers strike upon this bell, 
 to attract the attention of the recording angels, so that 
 they may not omit to credit them with the worship about 
 to be performed in honor of the gods. 
 
 THE STORY OF SHWAY-DA-GONG. 
 
 Two brothers, said in the native books to have been 
 Mons or Talaings, having made an offering to Gautama, 
 begged in return some relic of himself, on which he 
 stroked his head, and gave them eight hairs that came 
 out. These he desired them to deposit in a pagoda in a 
 spot where had already been buried certain relics of his 
 three great predecessors. They accordingly started with 
 them for " Suvarna-bhumi," the Sanskrit name of Pegu, 
 but"bn the way lost six of the hairs. However, they were 
 recovered in a miraculous manner, and the holy site 
 
56o 
 
 OTHER -BURMESE PAGODAS. 
 
 pointed out to them by the Nats. Here, on digging, the 
 relics of the former Buddhas — viz., a water-scoop pf Gau- 
 nagon, a robe of Kathapa, and a staff of Kanthathon, 
 — were found, and these, together with the eight hairs of 
 Gautama, were deposited in a hole on the top of the hill on 
 which " Shway-da-Gong " now stands, and a solid pagoda 
 of stones, sixty-six feet high was erected. This pagoda 
 is thus specially sacred to all Buddhists, as the only one 
 known to them as now existing, which is supposed to 
 contain the relics not only of Gautama, but also of 'all the 
 Buddhas of this present world. At the time of its erec- 
 tion, and for centuries afterwards, no town existed on the 
 site of Rangoon, and the pagoda stood, like many others 
 at the present day, in the midst of the wild forest. The 
 history of the pagoda, which is rather a long one, con- 
 tains detailed particulars of the various improvements, 
 repairs and enlargements made to Jt by various kings. 
 The edifice has been cased several times (as was also the 
 custom with the Ceylon dagobas) with a fresh outer 
 surrounding of bricks several feet thick, thus each time 
 increasing its height and size. Thus, in A. D. 1447, the 
 King of Pegu encased it afresh, and made its height 301^ 
 feet. In 1462, the King of Pegu cast, it is said, a colossal 
 bell, 168 feet high, 12 feet in diameter and 36 feet in cir- 
 cumference ; also several other smaller bells, and paved 
 the platform or terrace of the pagoda with 50,000 flat 
 stones. This wonderful, bell, it is perhaps unnecessary 
 to say, is not in existence at the present time. 
 
 OTHER PAGODAS. 
 
 Besides the Shway-da-Gong Pagoda, there is a host of 
 lesser ones. The erection of pagodas is generally a 
 work of merit. It must;, be borne in mind that these are 
 never temples, but simply relic-houses. There are 
 
SACRED GAI^DENS ATTACHED TO A BUDDHIST TEMPLE. 
 
BUDDHISM IN BURMAH. 
 
 565 
 
 temples and monasteries grouped around them. At one 
 place is the "Seven Pagodas," built on the spot where 
 Gautama — when, in the coiirse of his transmigrations, 
 his soul inhabited the body of a rooster— ^is said to have 
 scratched' for his breakfast. Again, there are others 
 built where Gautama has left the imprint of his footsteps. 
 
 PAGODA AT MAULMAIN, BURMAH. LltTLE BELLS SUSPENDED FROM IIS 
 SUMMIT SWING IN THE WIND. 
 
 There are a great many traditions told in regard to 
 the building of these pagodas. One legend runs thus : 
 A certain hermit, having received one of the hairs of the 
 Lord, wandered about searching for a suitable spot 
 where to enshrine it. In the meanwhile he reverently 
 
566 
 
 ADORATION OF NATS. 
 
 carried the sacred relic on his head. After some time 
 he arrived on the summit of this mountain, and deposited 
 the holy hair in the cleft of the rock, and erected the 
 pagoda on the great boulder. From this legend is de- 
 rived the name " Kyeik-ethel-yQh," meaning "the object 
 of worship borne on the head of the harmit." This 
 boulder is more than half hanging over the perpendicular 
 face of a cliff. How it holds its position it is indeed dif- 
 ficult to say, as it lies beyond the line of the centre of 
 gravity. The boulder is thirty feet high, and the pagoda 
 fifteen feet. Another legend is as follows : 
 
 Two merchants joined together and built a small pa- 
 goda, two feet high. The next morning, when they went 
 to pay their homage at this, shrine, they found the pagoda 
 had increased to double .their work ; so, taking this as a 
 sign that the Nats approved of their offering, they con- 
 tinued to enlarge this pile of brick ; they working by day 
 and the unseen power by night. It now measures more 
 than three hundred feet high. They have also a stone, 
 which they call an impression of Gautama's foot. Some 
 of these stones are six feet long, and covered with 
 strange figures supposed to express their religious ideas. 
 
 WORSHIP OF NATS. 
 
 The adoration and dread of Nats enters into all the 
 life and legends of the Burmese. These Nats are spirits, 
 both good and evil. Offerings are presented and cere- 
 monies performed to obtain favors and advantages from 
 the good, and to propitiate the evil Nats. The worship 
 of Nats is intimately related to the old worship of spirits 
 before Buddhism came to'Burmah. The Nats are sup- 
 posed to live in the six lower heavens, beyond the moon. 
 They are able to transport themselves with the utmost 
 rapidity to and about our world. They are believed to 
 
B UDDHlSM IN B URMAH. _ g^ 
 
 interfere in the affairs of man, even more than the gods. 
 They correspond to the genii of the Arabian Nights' 
 Entertainment, to the fairies and elfins of Britain in olden 
 times, with perhaps the added ideas of angels and devils. 
 The story of King Tektha, which follows, will probably 
 give a more correct impression of the Burmese notions 
 of the Nats than any description could impart. This is 
 but a single specimen of a great many such stories which 
 are still current among the Burmese : 
 
 A NAT STORY. 
 
 Once upon a time, there lived, in Burmah, a king 
 named Tektha. 
 
 The kings that were before him had been devout wor- 
 shipers of Gautama, and had listened to what their 
 teachers and priests taught them. But Tektha did not 
 believe in Gautama, but listened to strange teachers, who 
 taught him that everything was God. He would not 
 hear the Buddhist books, nor worship the relics nor the 
 images. More than this, instead of behaving reverently 
 to the priests, he destroyed their temples, and threw the 
 idols into the water. He forbade his subjects also to 
 worship Gautama, and threatened that if they did they 
 should be severely punished. 
 
 The people were in disniay. It was of no use for the 
 priests to carry round their rice-pots ; no one dared offer 
 them food; the temples and pagodas were falling into 
 mins, and the images of Gautama were lying in the 
 water, spoilt and decaying. 
 
 What would be the consequence of this terrible treat- 
 ment of their god ? The people were afraid of the pun- 
 ishment with which the king threatened them if they wor- 
 shiped Gautama ; they feared the evils which the great 
 spirits, the Nats, might bring upon them if they did not. 
 
568 
 
 A BURMESE NAT STORY. 
 
 But a few of the people would not give up the worship 
 to which they had been so long accustomed ; and among 
 those who still in secret held to the old faith was a girl, 
 twelve years of age, and her mother. I do not know the 
 girl's name ; but, said she, " The king has thrown the 
 idols into the water because he is afraid of them." This 
 was considered a very bold speech. 
 
 Affairs continued in this state for four years. When 
 the girl was sixteen, she happened one day to be bathing ' 
 in a tank with a number of her companions, and, while 
 amusing herself in the water, she saw an idol lying near. 
 She ordered her attendants to lift it out and carry it to a 
 zayat, or rest-house, that was at hand. They reminded 
 her that she would certainly be put to deatli for meddling 
 with it ; but she was very determined, and declared that 
 she would worship that image as long as she lived. It 
 was accordingly lifted out of the water, washed and car 
 ried into the zayat. 
 
 A report of what had been done was immediately taken 
 to the king, and you can imagine how enraged he was. 
 He ordered his servants to take a fierce elephant, and 
 make the savage animal trample this bold young woman 
 to death, thus making a terrible example of her case. 
 
 But it was not so easy to do this. The seven principal 
 Nats, who had been greatly displeased by the king's 
 wickedness, came to the defense of the girl. These seven 
 were, the Nat of the universe, the Nat of the earth, the 
 Nat of the trees, the Nat of the air, the Nat of the cities, 
 the Nat of the villages and the Nat of the white umbrella. 
 
 The elephant was brought, but he did not touch the 
 girl ; he was beaten and goaded, but it was of no avail ; 
 he would not lift up a foot against her, and instead of 
 being angry only grew frightened, and tried to run away 
 from her without harming her in the least. 
 
BUDDHISM IN BURMAH. 
 
 569 
 
 When the king heard that she could not be put to 
 death this way, he ordered a quantity of dry straw to be 
 collected, the girl placed in the midst of it, and so be 
 burnt to death. The straw was brought, she was put in 
 the middle, but no number of torches, no quantity of fire 
 would make it burn. The Nats were there, and they 
 would not allow her to be put to death. 
 
 Then the king sent for her to his palace. He was 
 surprised as well as angry now, and was wondering 
 whether he might not possibly have been wrong in 
 forsaking the gods of his forefathers. " If the image 
 which you have dared to take from the water," said he, 
 " will come -through the air into my presence, and I see 
 it, your life shall be spared ; but if not, you shall be cut 
 into seven pieces." 
 
 The young woman asked permission to return for a 
 short time to the zayat. Her request was granted, and 
 there she went and prayed very earnestly that the image 
 might be carried into the king's presence. And, lo ! not 
 only one, but eight images, and the young woman her» 
 self with her attendants, were immediately taken up by 
 the Nats, conveyed through the air, and put down before 
 the king and his principal queen, his commander-in-chief, 
 his officers, and a multitude of people. How they all 
 shouted and wondered ! 
 
 " Now," said the girl, turning to the king, " now that 
 the image of my god and teacher has flown to you, will 
 you order the teachers from whom you have learned this 
 false religion to mount up also and fly through the ain?" 
 
 The king ordered them, to do so, but, of course, it was 
 in vain ; they could not fly. He was now convinced that 
 the-religion of Gautama was; the true religion ; he com- 
 pelled the false teachers to leave the country; the temples, 
 and images, and pagodas were restored ; this wonderful 
 
cyO SUPERSTlrtONS OP TttE BURMESE. 
 
 young woman he married, and made one of his principal 
 queens ; and King Tektha was for the remainder of his Hfe 
 a devoted Buddhist. 
 
 The i fishermen make ^ small shed, termed a Natsin, 
 near their fishery, in which every morning offerings of 
 fruit, leaves, rice, or some such tribute is placed ; if this 
 were not done, they say the Nat would destroy the fish. 
 A man going a journey through a forest, comes to a 
 large and conspicuous tree ; he halts, plucks a few leaves 
 near or perhaps takes a little boiled rice out of his bag, 
 and places them as an offering to the Nat of the tree. In 
 a boat-race a preliminary row over the course is always 
 taken, a man in the prow holding in his extended arms a 
 tray or basin containing a cocoa-nut, bunch of plantains, 
 betel leaves, etc., as an oblation to the Nats of the stream 
 to insure their causing no accident to the boat in the race. 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS OF THE BURMESE. 
 
 The people have great faith in omens. To meet a 
 funeral, or a person crying,, when starting on a jburney, 
 is unlucky, and the journey should be postponed. 
 
 A snake crossing the road shows that the journey will 
 be long. 
 
 To meet with mushrooms foretells a prosperous 
 journey. 
 
 Any unusual wild animal or bird entering a house is a 
 sign of great honor for the owner. 
 
 The earth-heaps thrown up by the white ants, if under 
 a house, will bring wealth to the occupier. 
 
 The itching of the palms of the hand is a sign that 
 some money will soon come into them. 
 
 In almost every bazaar, and at all large gatherings of 
 people, will be found one or two old men sitting with a 
 slate or a Burman writing-board before them, inviting 
 
B UDDHISM IN B URMAIT. e 7 1 
 
 the passers-by to have their horoscope cast, and the best 
 educated and most enHghtened native officials will, in 
 any difficulty'or trouble, send for one of these diviners 
 to consult the fates. One or two lucky hits will, of 
 course, raise any special prophet's reputation through- 
 out the country, and give him abundant business. 
 
 THE FUNErIl of A PONGYEE, OR MONK. ^ 
 
 As soon as a pongyee has expired, the body is rever- 
 ently washed by the elders, who were his supporters. 
 The body is then opened, the viscera extracted, and 
 buried anywhere without cererftony. The cavity of the 
 abdomen is filled with hot ashes and various preservative 
 substances. Long swathes of white cotton-cloth are 
 wrapped as tightly as possible round the corpse from 
 head to foot, over which are placed the yellow robes of 
 the order. Another coarser wrapping of cotton-cloth is 
 tightly wound over this, and then thickly covered with 
 black varnish, on which gold leaf is applied, so that the 
 whole is gilt. A coffin is prepared from a single log, 
 hollowed out, which many old pongyees keep in their 
 monasteriesi ready for their demise. The body, having 
 been placed in this, is left for some weeks, to dry up, for 
 most of such venerable and aged recluses are little more 
 than a frame-work of bones, covered with a withered 
 skin. The cover is at length nailed on; the coffin is 
 thickly covered with a resinous varnish and gilt. It is 
 temporarily laid in state in the monastery, on a high dais, 
 ornamented with tinsel, gilding and paper lace, sur- 
 mounted by a white umbrella, or canopy of muslin, and 
 is constantly visited by pilgrims from the surrounding 
 country, who make their obeisance and present ofiFerings 
 of flowers, etc., to it. 
 
 As soon as sufficient funds have been collected, a 
 3S 
 
572 
 
 I-UNEIiAL OF BUDDHIST PRIEST. 
 
 building, called Nibban Kyeng (that is, Monastery of the 
 Dea^), is erected for the reception of the body. With 
 obscure and inferior monks this is only made of bam- 
 boos and thatch; but with a distinguished and venerated 
 monk it Is a substantial structure, with large, handsome 
 pillars of iron-wood or teak, roofed with shingles. This 
 is open all around, or is only surrounded by a railing to 
 keep out animals. In the centre, within a high sar- 
 cophagus, richly but rudely adorned with gilding, glass- 
 mosaic work and painting, is enshrined the coffin, to 
 await, perhaps, for four years the final funeral rites. 
 
 At length, the time of waiting has passed ; the prepara- 
 tions are complete ; a fortunate day has been fixed upon, 
 and for weeks previous, the town where the ceremony is 
 to take place, and all the surrounding country, has been 
 astir with the arrangements for and expectation of the 
 great event. 
 
 The coffin is placed on a gigantic car, solidly con- 
 structed, and with four heavy solid wooden wheels, sur- 
 mounted with a canopy similar in form and construction 
 to that crowning the funeral pyre. This lofty turret is 
 drawn along by hundreds of men, and placed in the cen- 
 tre of the plain. The next day, the fun begins. Two 
 great ropes of twisted canes, or coirs, are fastened to the 
 funeral car in front and behind, long enough for a hundred 
 people to hold on to each and to pull each way. The 
 people group themselves about either rope as they be- 
 long to one or other of two neighboring villages. Then 
 comes a tug, each trying to pull the car away from the 
 other. 
 
 On the night before the last day of the festival, the 
 coffin is removed from the car and placed on the funeral 
 pyre, on an iron grating, under which is a quantity of 
 wood, made more combustible by the. use of oil, resin and 
 
&Vt)t)HISM tN BURMAti. 
 
 573 
 
 the like, mixed with fragrant woods. Early on the day 
 appointed for the burning of the pongyee's body, par- 
 ties come from the different villages, bringing rude rock- 
 ets of every size. Some are a foot long and an inch in 
 calibi;^ ; others are monsters, nine and twelve feet in 
 length, and have a bore of six to nine inches diameter. 
 
 FUNERAL PROCESSION OF A BUDDHIST PRIEST. 
 
 All are crammed to the muzzles with gunpowder, the 
 tubes being hollowed logs of wood strongly bound with 
 cane. The larger ones are placed on rude cars with four 
 wheels, while the smallest are hung on long guiding lines 
 of cane, or rope, fastened at one end to a strong post, 
 and at the other to some point of the funeral pyre. The 
 
rjA FUNERAL OF BUDDHIST PRIEST. 
 
 object is to strike the pyre with the rocket, and fire the 
 combustibles placed inside. Happy will be the village 
 which owns the fortunate rocket, and great their pros- 
 perity during the ensuing year. 
 
 All being re^dy, men of each village are allowed to go 
 up in rotation and discharge their weapon. The smoke, 
 the flame, the roar is tremendous, to the intense delight 
 of the shouting crowd. , 
 
 One at length strikes as it seems with full power : a 
 pause, a little smoke, then a little flame issues from one 
 corner of the pyre, and a shout from thousands of throats 
 proclaims the auspicious event. The crowd rushes for- 
 ward, fire is carefully applied to the mass of combustibles 
 under and around the coffin, and soon the whole is in a 
 blaze. The people watch round, giving a cheer as each 
 small pinnacle falls in, and wait, anxiously looking for the 
 lofty canopy itself to topple over into the flames. This 
 event is greeted with a tremendous shout, and then all 
 disperse homewards, happy and merry. A few elders 
 remain to watch the burning pyre till all is consumed, 
 and the next day the monks of the monastery collect the 
 fragments of half-burnt bones and the ashes of the de- 
 ceased, and reverently inter them in some fitting place, 
 and, perhaps, a small pagoda is erected over them as a 
 monument. Such is Buddhism in Burmah. 
 
 American missionaries have won many of the Bur 
 mese, as of the Karens also, from these ceremonies to 
 the Christian faith. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 ! 
 SIAM. 
 
 The "Castle of Indra," call they the hall, 
 In which are displayed the deities all, 
 The golden images, chiseled with care, 
 And all incrusted with jewels so rare. 
 
 Full thirty thousand their numbers are : 
 Their ugliness passes description far ; 
 A compound of men a,nd animals dread, 
 With many a hand and many a head. 
 
 ' • Heinrich Heine. 
 
 SIAM is the land lying just to the east of Burmah; 
 on account of the extreme reverence paid to the 
 white elephant it is often called the Land of the 
 White Elephant. - It has a population of 6,300,000, 
 who are, with but a few exceptions, Buddhists. Bud- 
 dhism entered this country in 638 A. D., and was thus the 
 last nation to yield to the power of that religion. The Siam- 
 ese people are gentle, cheerful, timid, careless and almost 
 passionless. They ^re disposed to idleness, inconstancy 
 and inaction ; they are liberal almsgivers, severe ip en- 
 forcing decorum between the sexes. They are fond of 
 sports, and spend half their time in amusements. They 
 are sharp and even witty in conversation, and resemble 
 the Chinese in their dexterity in imitation. Of theatrical 
 displays, rope-dancing and the like, they are extremely 
 fond. 
 
 Of the wit of the people, the best eyidence is to be found 
 in their familiar proverbs, of which a few are here cited: 
 
 575 
 
576 
 
 IVAT CHANG PAGODA IN BANGKOK. 
 
 " "When you go into a wood, do not forget your wood- 
 knife." 
 
 " An elephant though he has four legs may slip ; and a 
 doctor is not always right." 
 
 "Go up by land you meet a tiger; go down by water 
 you meet a crocodile." 
 
 ""If a dog bite you, do not bite him a.gain." 
 
 As in most Oriental lands there is the greatest and most 
 painful contrast between the luxury and splendor of the 
 king's court and the poverty and squalor of the common 
 people. The royal palaces are filled with all that wealth 
 and power can procure. The peasants' hovels are denied 
 even the common comforts of life ; they are bare and com- 
 fortless. They contain no furniture, but only a few 
 roughly made vessels of earthenware, and a mat or two 
 spread upon the floor. The food of a peasant consists 
 of a bowl of rice with a morsel of fish. At a Siairiese 
 State dinner there are usually served with great ceremony 
 from sixty to a hundred carefully cooked dishes. 
 
 THE CELEBRATED WAT CHANG PAGODA. 
 
 This is the most splendid temple in Bangkok. It is 
 shaped somewhat like a bell, rising to the height probably 
 of 250 feet. Every inch of its surface glitters with curi- 
 ous ornaments and carvings; the forms of men and birds, 
 and beasts like nothing in heaven above, nor earth be- 
 neath, nor waters under the earth. It is made of brick 
 and plastered on the outside. In a large niche in the 
 sides, about two-thirds of the way to the top- are images 
 of Buddha, riding on four white elephants made of shin- 
 ing porcelain each facing toward one of the points of 
 the compass, A sharp spire rises from the summit. 
 All over this temple tower, from the base to the 
 top, from every projecting point hang a multitude of 
 
BUDDHISM IN SI AM. 
 
 577 
 
 XOWER OF WAT CHANG PAOODA AT BANGKOK, SIAM. 
 
FUNERAL TEMPLE OF WOOD. 
 
 FUNERAL TEMPLE OF WOOD, BAMBOO AND PAPER, TO BE BURNED WITH 
 THE BODY OF A DEAD KING. 
 
 small sweet-toned bells, swinging and ringing in the 
 slightest breeze, filling the air with liquid melody. 
 
 " How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, 
 While the stars that oversprinkle 
 
BUDDHISM JN SIAM. ryg 
 
 All the heavens, seem to twinkle 
 
 With a crystalline delight ; 
 
 Keeping time, time, time, 
 
 In a sort of tlunic rhyme, 
 
 To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells 
 
 From the bells, bells, bells, bells. 
 
 Bells, bells — ^ 
 
 From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells." 
 
 Within the Wat Chang inclosure, besides the pagoda, 
 are priests' dwelHngs, temples, with their idols, a preach- 
 ing-hall, a library and small parks, with flower and fruit- 
 gardens, ponds, caves and stone statues of Chinese sages 
 and warriors, presenting a scene of bewildering richness. 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD IDOL. 
 
 I 
 
 The Wat P'hra Keau is the temple where the reign- 
 ing monarch worships. On the road leading to this 
 temple is another temple, the Wat Poh, where reposes in 
 gigantic state the wondrous Sleeping Idol. This is a re- 
 clining figure, 150 feet long, and 40 feet high, entirely 
 covered with gold-plate. The soles of this giant figure's 
 feet are covered with carvings inlaid with pearl and chased 
 with gold. The designs of these carvings represent the 
 many transmigrations of Buddha before he obtained Nir- 
 vana (or, as the Siamese call it, Niphan). On the nails 
 of the toes are engraven Buddha's ten divine attributes. 
 Beyond this temple are the stables, or, more properly 
 speaking, the Palace of the White Elephant, where the 
 huge creature is housed and cared for royally. . 
 
 Beyond these is the Temple of the Emerald Idol. This 
 is one of the most remarkable and beautiful structures of 
 its kind in all the East. Its model is like that of all the 
 others, but its finish is of a much higher order. The ex- 
 terior is adorned with lofty octagonal pillars, with quaint 
 Gothic doors and windows, all carved with a great variety 
 
58o 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD IDOL, 
 
 of emblems, the lotos and the palm occurring most tre- 
 quently. This temple, like all Siamese temples, is built 
 of brick, with a number of roofs rising in connected tjers^ 
 
 and reaching out over broad verandas, supported by 
 rows of pillars, the whole covered with white cement. 
 The roofs are usually made of many-colored tiles ; at the 
 ends of the ridge-pole are many ornaments, resembling 
 
in ' ^i I m _ 
 
 
 ALTAR OF THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD IDOL, blAM, 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM. 
 
 ^83 
 
 bullocks' horns in size and shape. The walls and ceil- 
 ing of the interior are covered with finely-executed paint- 
 ings. Mrs. Leonowens, an English lady who lived for 
 |six years in the palace of the King of Siam, and who 
 thereby enjoyed unusual privileges, thus describes the 
 interior and worship of the Wat P'hra Keau : 
 
 " The altar is a wonder of dimensions and splendor— 
 a pyramid 100 feet high, terminating in a fine spire of 
 gold, and surrounded on every side by idols, all curious 
 and precious, from the bijou image in sapphire to the 
 colossal statue in plate-gold. A series of trophies these, 
 gathered from the triumphs of Buddhism over the proud-, 
 est forms of worship in the old pagan world. In the 
 pillars that surround the temple, and the spires that taper 
 far aloft, may be traced types ^nd emblems borrowed from 
 the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec, the proud fane of Dia'na 
 at Ephesus, the shrines of the Delian Apollo ; but the 
 Brahminical symbols and interpretations prevail. Strange 
 that it should be so with a sect that suffered by the slay- 
 ings and the banishments of a ruthless persecution, at 
 the/hands of their Brahmin fathers, for the cause of re- 
 storing the culture of that simple and pure philosophy 
 which flourished before Pantheism. 
 
 "The floor is paved with diarnond-shaped pieces of 
 polished brass, which reflect the light of tall tapers that 
 have burned on for more than a hundred years, so closely 
 is the sacred fire watched. The floods of light and depths 
 of shadow about the altar are extreme, and the effect 
 overwhelming. 
 
 "The Emerald Idol is about twelve inches high and 
 eight in width. Into the virgin gold of which its hair and 
 collar are composed, must have been stirred, while the 
 metal was yet molten, crystals, topazes, sapphires, rubies, 
 onyxes, amethysts and diamonds — the stones- crude, or 
 
_g . TEMPLE. OF THE EMERALD IDOL. 
 
 rudely cut, and blended in such proportions as might 
 enhance to the utmost imaginable limit the beauty and 
 the cost of the adored effigy. The combination is as 
 harmonious as it is splendid. No wonder it is commonly 
 believed that Buddha himself alighted on the spot in the 
 form of a great emerald, and by a flash of lightning con- 
 jured the glittering edifice and altar in an instant from 
 the earth, to be a house and a throne for him. there ! 
 
 " On either side of the eastern entrance — called ' The 
 Beautiful Gate' — stands a modern statue; one of Saint 
 Peter, with flowing mantle and sandaled feet, in an atti- 
 tude of sorrow, as when ' he turned awa;y his face and 
 wept;' the other of Ceres, scattering flowers. The west- 
 ern entrance, which admits only ladies, is called 'The An- 
 gel's Gate,' and is guarded by genii of ferocious aspect. 
 
 " On a floor_diamonded w'th polished brass sat a throng 
 of women, the elite of Siam. All were robed in pure 
 white, with white silk scarfs drawn from the left shoulder 
 in careful folds across the bust and back, and thrown 
 gracefully over the right. A little apart sat their female 
 slaves, of whom many were inferior to their mistresses 
 only in social consideration and wordly gear, being their 
 half sisters — children of the same father by a slave 
 mother. 
 
 "The women sat in circles, and each displayed her vase 
 of flowers and her lighted taper before her. In 'front of 
 all were a number of my younger pupils, the royal chil- 
 dren, in circles also. Close by the altar, on a low square 
 stool, overlaid with a thin cushion of silk, sat the high- 
 priest. Chow Khoon Sah. In his hand he held a concave 
 fan, lined with pale-green silk, the back richly embroid- 
 ered, jeweled and gilt. . He was draped in a yellow robe, 
 not unlike the Roman toga, a loose and flowing habit, 
 closed below the waist, but open from the throat to the 
 
RUINED TEMPLE AND IDOL OF BUDDHA AT AYUDIA, THE OLD CAPITAL OF SIAM. 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM. 
 
 587 
 
 girdle, which was simply a band of yellow cloth, bound 
 tightly. From the shoulders hung two narrow strips, 
 also yellow, descending over the robe to the feet, and 
 resembling the scapular worn by certain orders of the 
 Roman Catholic clergy. At his side was an open watch 
 of gold, the gift of his sovereign. At his feet sat seven- 
 teen disciples, shading their faces with fans less richly 
 adorned. 
 
 "We put off our shoes — my child and I — having respect 
 for the ancient prejudice against them, feeling not so 
 much reverence for the place as for the hearts that wor- 
 shiped there ; Caring to display not so much the love of 
 wisdom as the wisdom of love ; and well were we repaid 
 by the grateful smile of recognition that greeted us as 
 we entered. 
 
 "We sat down cross-legged. No need to hush my 
 ' boy ; the silence there, so subduing, checked with its mys- 
 terious awe even his inquisitive young mind. The vener- 
 able high-priest sat with his face jealously covered, lest 
 his eyes should tempt his thoughts to stray. I changed 
 my pdsition to catch a glimpse of his countenance. He 
 drew, his fan-veil more closely, giving me a quick, but 
 gentle half-glance of remonstrance. Then raising his 
 eyes, with hds nearly closed, he chanted in an infantile, 
 wailing tone. ' 
 
 "That was the opening prayer. At once the whole 
 congregation raised themselves on their knees, and, all 
 together, prostrated themselves thrice profoundly, thrice 
 touching the polished brass floor with their foreheads, 
 and then, with heads bowed and palms folded and eyes 
 closed, they delivered the responses after the priest, 
 much in the manner of the English Liturgy; first the 
 priest, then the people, and' finally all together. There 
 was no singing, no standing up and sitting down, no 
 36 
 
_Qg TIIE SACKED ELEPHANT. 
 
 changing of robes and places, no turning the face to the 
 altar, nor north, nor south, nor east, nor west. All 
 kxy^Xx. still, with hands folded straight before them, and eyes 
 strictly, tightly closed. Indeed, there were faces there 
 that expressed devotion and piety, the humblest and the 
 purest, as the lips murmured, ' O, Thou Eternal One, 
 Thou perfection of Time, Thou truest Truth, Thou im- 
 mutable essence of all Change, Thou most excellent ra- 
 diance of Mercy, Thou infinite Compassion, Thou Pity, 
 Thou Charity!' 
 
 "I lost some of the responses in the simultaneous repe- 
 tition, and did but imperfectly comprehend the exhorta- 
 tion that followed, in which was inculcated the strictest 
 practice of charity, in a manner so pathetic and so gentle 
 as might be wisely imitated by the most orthodox of 
 Christian priests. There was majesty in the humility of 
 those pagan worshipers, and in their shame of self they 
 were sublime." 
 
 WORSHIP OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT 
 
 With regard to this subject, before referred to, we 
 prefer using another's description : 
 
 Sir John Bowring tells us that the Buddhists have a 
 special reverence for white quadrupeds ; that he has him- 
 self seen a white monkey honore'd with special attention. 
 Also, that white elephants have been the cause of many a 
 war, and their possession more an object of envy than the 
 conquest of territory or the transitory glories of the battle- 
 field. In the money market a white elephant is almost 
 beyond price. Fifty thousand dollars would hardly repre- 
 sent its pecuniary value ; a hair from its tail is worth a 
 Jew's ransom. " It was my good fortune," he says, "to pre- 
 sent to the First King of Siam (the Siamese have two kings 
 exercising supreme authority) presents with which I had 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM 
 
 589 
 
 been charged by my royal mistress. I received many 
 presents in return ; but the monarch placed in my hand 
 
 ID 
 
 w 
 
 en 
 
 W 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 w 
 
 a 
 
 I— ( 
 H 
 W 
 
 W 
 
 W 
 
 a golden box, locked with a golden key, and he informed 
 me the box contamed a gift far more valuable than all 
 the rest, and that was a few hairs of the white elephant 
 
590 
 
 WORSHIP OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT. 
 
 And perhaps it may be well to state why the white ele- 
 phant is so specially reverenced. " It is because it is be-^ 
 lieved that Buddha, the supreme emanation from the 
 
 Deity, will ne- 
 . 1^ cessarily.inhis 
 *^j,<^ multitudinous . 
 ij^^^O metamorphos- 
 es or transmis- 
 sions through 
 all the grades 
 of existences, 
 and though 
 millions of ae- 
 ons, delight to 
 abide for some 
 time in that 
 grand incarna- 
 tion of purity 
 which is re- 
 presented by, 
 and found in 
 the white ele- 
 phant. While 
 all the bon- 
 zes teach that 
 there is no 
 spot in the 
 heavens abovf 
 or the eartli 
 
 below, or the waters under the earth, which is not visited 
 in the peregrinations of the divinity — whose every stage 
 or step is toward purification — they hold that his tarrying 
 may be longer in the white elephant than in any other 
 ibode, and that in the possession of the sacred creature 
 
 TOMB OF A BUDDHIST SAINT. 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM. -q. 
 
 they may possess the presence of Buddha himself. It is 
 known that the Ceylonese have been kept in subjection 
 by the belief that their rulers have a tooth of Buddha in 
 the temple of Kandy, and that on various tracts of the 
 East impressions of the foot of Buddha are reverenced, 
 and are the objects of weary pilgrimages to places which 
 can only be reached with difficulty; but with the white ele- 
 phant some vague notions of a vital Buddha are asso- 
 ciated, and there can be no doubt that the marvelous 
 sagacity of the creature has served to strengthen their 
 religious prejudices. Siamese are known to whisper 
 their secrets into an elephant's ear, and to ask a. solu- 
 tion of their perplexities by some sign or movement. 
 And most assuredly, there is more sense and reason in 
 the worship of an intelligent beaist than in that of stocks 
 and stones, the work of men's hands. 
 
 "And yet," continues Sir John, "after all, the white 
 elephant is not white, nor anything like it. It is of a 
 coffee-color ; not of unburnt, but of burnt coffee — dull 
 brownish yellow or yellowish brown — white only by con- 
 trast with his darker brother. The last which reached 
 Bangkok was caught in the woods. The king and court 
 went a long way out into the country to meet him, and 
 he was conducted with a grand procession; much pomp 
 and music, and flying banners, to the capital. Thepe a 
 grand mansion awaited him, and several of the leading 
 nobility were appointed his custodians. The walls were 
 painted to represent forests, no doubt to remind him of 
 his native haunts, and to console him in his absence from 
 them. All his wants were sedulously provided for, and 
 in his 'walks abroad,' when 'many men he saw,' he was 
 escorted by music and caparisoned by costly vestments. 
 His grandest and farthest prom^na-l-^s Av^re to 1-)at]ie in 
 the river, when other elephants were in attendance, hon- 
 
-_._ RUINS OF A GREAT TEMPLE. 
 
 ored by being made auxiliaries to his grandeur. Now 
 and then the two sovereigns sought his presence, but I 
 did not learn that his dignity condescended to oblige 
 them with any special notice. But he wanted no addition 
 to his dignity. Everything associated with majesty and 
 rank bore his image. Awhit6 elephant is the badge of 
 distinction. The royal flags and seals, medals and 
 moneys — on all sides the white elephant is the national 
 emblem, as the cross among Christians, or the crescent 
 among Turks ; and the Siamese are prouder of it than 
 Americans,' Russians, Germans or French are of their 
 eagles, or Spaniards of the golden fleece. The Bourbon 
 Orifiamme, the British Union Jack, show but faintly in 
 the presence of the white elephant." 
 
 RUINS OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF NAGKON WAT. 
 
 Some of the most famous ruins of the world, and but 
 little known to general readers, are those at Angkor, in 
 Eastern Siam. The Frenchman, M. Mouhot, says the 
 ruins of Nagkon Wat — a temple which must have ri- 
 valed the temple of Solomon in its splendor — mighf' 
 take a most honorable place beside our most beautiful 
 buildings. It' is grander than anything left to us by 
 Greece and Rome. Another writer says the ruins of 
 Angkor are as imposing as the ruins of Thebes or Mem- 
 phis, and more mysterious. Modern travelers have 
 proved in their descriptions of these ruins that these are 
 not words of fulsome praise. 
 
 There are no certain answers to the questions who 
 built it? when was it built? and what has become of the 
 builders ? But recent researches in Chinese history seem 
 to show that it was built between the tenth and twelfth 
 centuries A. D. 
 
 The visitor enters upon an immense causeway, 725 
 
StJDbHISM M SIAM. 
 
 593 
 
 feet long, with six gigantic griffins, each carved from a 
 single block of stone, ranged along its sides. On either 
 
eg. /fCr/NS OF A GREAT TEMPLE. 
 
 side of the causeway are artificial lakes, each of about 
 five acres in extent. The temple is romantically, as well 
 as beautifully and impressively situated in the midst of a 
 forest of palm-trees. The outer wall of the Nagkon 
 Wat is about half a mile square, and is built of, sand- 
 stone, with gate-ways upon each side. These are hand- 
 somely carved with figures of gods and dragons,. The 
 main gate-way is on the western side, passing through 
 which and up a causeway, for a distance of i,ooo feet, 
 one comes to the central main entrance of the temple. 
 The entire building is raised on three terraces, each 
 about thirty feet above the other. "The whole is built of 
 stone, without cement, with joints so closely fitting that 
 even the lapse of years has not seamed. The immense 
 blocks of stone were quarried about thirty miles away. 
 The central temple is oblong, being 796 feet long, 585 
 feet wide, and 250 feet high in the centre. From the 
 door-way, on either side, runs back a hall-way, with a 
 double row of columns, each cut — base, shaft and capi- 
 tal — from a single block. This hall-way has an oval- 
 shaped roof, covered with carvings and walls covered 
 with sculptures. This gallery of sculptures, which forms 
 the exterior of the temples, consists of over half a mile of 
 continuous pictures, cut upon sandstone slabs, each six 
 feet in width..- These sculptures represent subjects taken 
 from the Hindu book called the Ramayana, which de- 
 scribes the adventures of the god Rama a-nd the son ol 
 the king of Oudh. 
 
 In the Nagkon Wat 1,532 solid columns have been 
 counted. Passing on up steep staircases, we come to 
 several image-houses. These contain several hundred 
 images, made of stone, wood, brass, clay, of all shapes, 
 sizes and ages. Galleries cross and recross each other. 
 Finally we come to the central pagoda, in which are at 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM. 
 
 595 
 
 present placed colossal images of Buddda. This temple 
 is believed to be at least 2,000 years old. 
 
 A little ways from the Nagkon Wat rests the statue 
 of the Leoer King, who is supposed to have assisted in 
 
 STATUE OF THE LEPER KING. 
 
 the building of the temple. This famous statue is carved 
 from sandstone, in a sitting posture ; the eyes are closed; 
 a thin mustache, twisted up at the ends, covers the 
 upper lip ; the ears are long ; the hair is thick, and dis- 
 played in curls upon the head, the top of which is sur- 
 
596 
 
 OTHER BURMESE TEMPLES. 
 
 mounted by a small, round crown. The tradition says 
 that this king was an Egyptian, who for some wicked deed 
 was turned into a leper, and who built the temple in ful- 
 fillment of a vow that he might be freed from his disease. 
 
 SOME OTHER TEMPLES. 
 
 Near Pechaburi is a cavern, or series of small caves 
 called the Cave of Idols. One or two small openings in 
 the ceiling permit the light to enter. Rows of gilt Bud- 
 dhas line its sides, and a huge reclining image of Buddha 
 lies at one end of the halls. Just outside of the cave, and 
 at the bottom of the hill, is a temple containing another 
 immense reclining Buddha. This is built of brick and 
 mortar, covered with thick gold-leaf It is clothed with 
 yellow garments, such as the Siamese and Burmese Bud- 
 dhist priests wear. Its head rests upon the right hand 
 and presses upon a gayly-ornamented pillow. The idol 
 is 135 feet high. 
 
 We notice that very rpany of these immense reclining 
 idols of Buddha are found in Siam alone. 
 
 There are 3,000,000 of Chinese in Siam, who are Bud- 
 dhists and have their own temples. The largest of these 
 is in Bangkok, and contains a brass Buddha, sitting cross- 
 legged, and about fifty feet high, and forty feet wide at 
 the knees. The immense temple roof is 100 feet from 
 the ground. In a smaller temple, in the same inclosure, 
 is another brass Buddha, seated upon a rock, with a 
 copper elephant 6n one side and a leaden monkey on the 
 other, looking up, in reverence, at the idol Buddha. 
 
 When the King of Siam dies, the funeral ceremonies 
 are participated in by the . nation. During about four 
 months, 300 or 400 men are engaged in building the 
 funeral temple. The funeral pile, on which the body is 
 to be burned, is placed in the centre, and the temple 
 
BUDDHISM IN SIAM egy 
 
 built around and above it. Its style is similar to other 
 Siartiese temples. The trunks of teak trees, not less than 
 1 70 feet high, are placed upright so as to form a square 
 about thirty feet each way. On this is built an octagonal,' 
 sixty-foot spire, covered with gold-lekf Around this 
 central building poles are erected, on which are hung 
 peculiar ornaments covered with crimson cloth. Around 
 the interior are grouped pictures of the gods and of the 
 Buddhist's heaven, with lakes, groves and gardens. All 
 around the temple is a screen of woven bamboo work, 
 and the ground is covered with the same. The whole 
 exterior of the temple is decorated with objects of glass, 
 porcelain, alabaster and silver, with artificial flowers and 
 images of birds, beasts, men and angels. Splendid chan- 
 deliers are suspended from the ceiling. Under the cen- 
 tral tower is a pyramidal pile, on which the body is to be 
 burned. Thousands ot priests are engaged in prayers 
 during the service. The scene and service at such a 
 time is impressive beyond the power of description. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THIBET. 
 
 Ah ! blessed Lord ! Oh, High Deliverer ! 
 
 Forgive this feeble script, which doth thee wrong, 
 
 Measuring with little wit thy lofty love. 
 
 Ah ! Lover ! Brother ! Guide ! Lamp of the Law! 
 
 I take my refuge in Thy name and Thee ! 
 
 I take my refuge in Thy Law of Good ! 
 
 I take my refuge in Thy Order ! Om ! 
 ^ The Dew is on the Lotus ! Rise, Great Sun ! 
 
 And lift my leaf and mix me with the wave. 
 
 Om Mani Fadtne Hum, the Sunrise comes ! 
 
 The Dewdrop slips into the shining Sea! 
 Edwin Arnold. (Peroration of " the Light of Asia.") 
 
 '"TT^^HIBET is a country lying north of India and west 
 I of China. It has a population of about six mil- 
 -*^ I lions. The early worship of the Thibetans was 
 that of spirits, devils and of nature. The old worship, 
 called the Bon religion, bore a strong resemblance to the 
 Taoism of China, and even to-day Buddhism has not 
 destroyed that old religion entirely. The people still 
 have gods of the hills, trees, dales and lakes, and still 
 use charms and resort to magic. Just when Buddhism 
 was introduced into this branch of the Mongolian family 
 we cannot tell, but it certainly was not well-established 
 until 630 A. D. All around Thibet Buddhist missiona- 
 ries had gone long before this, and it is probable that 
 thet-e is some myth in the tradition that a . few missiona- 
 ries, toiled, though in vain, to bring the Thibetans to the 
 Buddhist belief. \t the beginning of the fifth century 
 
LAMAIHf, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 59^ 
 
 Fa-Hian, the Chinese monk, made a pilgrimage to the 
 sacred places of Buddhism in India. He and his four 
 companions were forced to avoid crossing Great Thibet. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF LAMAISM. 
 
 A Thibetan king established his seat of government 
 at H'lassa in 617 A. D. He married a Chinese princess 
 of the Buddhist 
 faith. By her re- 
 quest, he sent a 
 minister to India, 
 whobroughtback 
 with him 3. great 
 number of the 
 Buddhist sacred 
 books. The king 
 had great diffi- 
 culty in overcom- 
 ingthe objections 
 of both priests 
 and people, but 
 finally succeeded. 
 About the middle 
 of the fourteenth 
 century a great 
 reformer arose 
 in Thibet named 
 Tsong-khapa. 
 He forbade the 
 priests to marry, 
 and declared that 
 magic and necro- 
 mancy were against Buddhism, and introduced other 
 changes. Another great reformer lived about the same 
 
 A THIBETAN LAD. 
 
6oo 
 
 HISTORY OF LAMA ISM. 
 
 time named Gedeen-tubpa ; he built the great monastery 
 at Teshu Lumbo lin 1445, and in him commenced the 
 perpetual incarnation of Buddha, in the persons of the 
 Grand Lamas. In 1 650 the sixth successor of this last 
 reformer visited the Emperor of China, and accepted^ 
 from hiiji the designation of Dalai Lama, Lama meaning 
 priest, and Dalai, ocean. There are several rival Grand 
 Lamas, the Dalai Lama,^the Teshu Lama and the Tara-"^ 
 nath Lama. There rapidly grew up in Thibet a system 
 of organized priesthobd, which has made the Buddhism 
 of Thibet almost altogether unlike that of-any other land. 
 
 MONKS' AND MONASTERIES. 
 
 There are the monks and clergy, who are subordinate 
 to the holy and sacred Lamas, the monks and nuns, the 
 ^ abbots and abbesses, chief La- 
 ma§, and, ovqr all, the Grand 
 Lama. The monks go bare- 
 headed^ though those of high 
 rank wear caps ; their heads 
 are shaved, and they are dress- 
 ed in a yellow robe and high 
 leathern boots, with the men- 
 dicant's food-bowl and the 
 prayer-wiieel in their hands. 
 They are collected in vast mon- 
 asteries scattered oven the 
 country, the largest and most 
 numerous being round the city 
 of H'lassa. These monasteries 
 contain many thousands of la- 
 mas, and similar establish- 
 ments are scattered not only in 
 the inhabited valleys, but over the wildest parts of Great 
 
 MONASTERY OF HEMIS IN THE 
 HIMALAYAS. 
 
LAMAISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 60 1 
 
 Thibet. As there is little wood in the country, the people 
 rarely burn their dead. The dead bodies are usually car- 
 ried to a high mountain, to be devoured by beasts and 
 birds. The monks' bodies are, however, burned, and their 
 ashes carefully gathered as relics. Women are not buried 
 or exposed with the bodies of their dead husbands, as 
 was once the case with Hindu women. In fact, this is 
 rendered impossible by the existence of polyandry, one 
 woman in Thibet 
 generally having 
 many husbands. 
 The, monaste- 
 ries are called 
 Gonpas ; the La- 
 mas' house. Lab- 
 rang; and the 
 temple, consist- 
 ing of a room 
 full o f images 
 and pictures, 
 Lhakhang. The 
 Dung-ten is a rel- 
 ■c repository.such 
 J.S the Topa of In- 
 dia; and immense ll 
 votive piles of 
 stones or dykes, 
 from a few feet 
 to half a mile in 
 length, covered 
 with slabs and 
 stuck over with banners inscribed with the Thibeta 1 
 prayer Ofn mani padmi hum, are called Mani. The im- 
 ages of Buddha are always seated, with the right hand 
 
 1^ 
 
 TARTAR WOMAN. 
 
6o2 
 
 MONKS AND MONASTERIES. 
 
 resting on the knee, the left on the lap, and holding the 
 alms-dish ; the body painted yellow or gilt, and the hair 
 short and curly and painted blue. They are of Ml sizes, 
 and there are other images of beings connected with 
 Buddhistic ideas. 
 
 The services consist of recitations and chanting of the 
 Sutras, or precepts and rules of discipline, to the sound 
 of musical instruments, trumpets, drums, cymbals and 
 conch-shells. The • tunes are impressive and solemn ; 
 incense is burned during the services, and there are offer- 
 ings of fruits and grain to Buddha and to the Buddhisa- 
 twas, especially to Avaloki-teswara, who is incarnate in 
 the Dalai Lama. Mystical sentences and titles of Bud- 
 dha are also recited. The bell is used during the per- 
 formance of service, and the prayer-wheels-t-metal cylin- 
 ders, containing printed prayers in rolls, with the axes 
 prolonged to form handles — are in constant use, not only 
 during the servfce, but on every occasion, being fixed in 
 rows on tne walls of temples, near villages, and in streams, 
 to be turned by water. The prayer-wheels have been in 
 use among these people for more than a thousand years, 
 for they are mentioned by the pilgrim Fa-Hian. 
 
 TEMPLE AT TESHU LUMBO MONASTERY. 
 
 It contains thirteen gigantic figures, which would be 
 about eight feet high standing, but they are all, except 
 the image of the god of war and another, sitting cross- 
 legged. They are of copper-gilt, holding a pot with 
 flowers or fruit in their lap. They are represented cov- 
 ered with mantles, and crowns or mitres on their heads ; 
 and altogether, particularly the drapery, are far from 
 being badly executed. The thrones upon which they sit 
 are also of copper-gilt, adorned with turquois, cornelians 
 and other inferior stones. The mouldings and orna- 
 
LAMA ISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 603 
 
 ments of the thrones are in a good style. Behind each 
 figure, the wall is covered with a piece of carved work, 
 like unto the heavy gilt frames of our forefathers' por- 
 traits or looking-glasses. Behind them are china vases, 
 some of them very handsome ; loads of china and glass- 
 ware, the last partly Chinese, partly European, filled with 
 grain, fruit or gum flowers, a variety of shells, large 
 conches set in silver, some ostrich eggs, cocoanuts, cym- 
 bals, and a variety of other articles, making a most heter- 
 ogeneous gathering. Round the necks of the images are 
 strings of coral, ill-shaped pearls, cornelian, agate and 
 other stones, and their crowns are set with the like orna- 
 ments. The ceiling of the gallery is covered with satins 
 of a variety of patterns, some Chinese, some Kalmuk, 
 some European, brought through Russia and overland. 
 The gallery is lighted on the south side from five win- 
 dows, and the walls between are hung with paintings of the 
 different deities and views of heaven. The opposite side, 
 where the images are, is shut in all the length of the gal- 
 lery with a net of iron-work that meddlers may be kept off. 
 
 SERVICES AT THE h'lASSA CATHEDRAL. 
 
 Koppen presents a very full account of the worship in 
 one of the chief Buddhist temples, in the centre of Bud- 
 dhism, the city of H'lassa. Rhys-David condenses this 
 . as follows : 
 
 The entrance to the chief temples of the holy city is 
 through a large hall where holy water and rosaries are 
 sold, and in which stand four statues of the archangels. 
 The walls are covered with rude paintings of scenes from 
 the legends of Buddha, and its roof is supported by six 
 massive pillars, covered with beautiful carving, spoilt by 
 gorgeous paint and gilding. The temple itself is a long 
 nave, divided by rows of pillars from two aisles, and by 
 
 37 
 
6o4 
 
 WORSHIP IN BUDDHIST TEMPLE^. 
 
 silver screens of open trellis-work from two large chan- 
 cels. Into the aisle on each side open fourteen chapels ; 
 at the end is the holy place. In its furthest niche, in a 
 kind of apse, is the magnificent golden statue of the now 
 deified Gautama Buddha. In front of the idol is the high 
 altar or table of offerings, raised by several stages from 
 the floor ; on the upper levels being images of gold, sil- 
 ver and clay; on the lower, the bells, lamps, censers and 
 other vessels used in the holy service. At the sound of 
 a trumpet the clergy assemble in the entrance hall, wear- 
 ing the cloak and cap ; at its third blast the procession, 
 with the living Buddha, the Grand Lama, at its head, 
 marches down the aisle. When he is seated on his 
 throne, each Lama, or cardinal, bows three times before 
 him, and then seats himself on a divan according to his 
 rank. After a bell is rung, the ten Buddhist command- 
 ments are repeated and other formulas, then the priests 
 sing in choir pieces from the sacred books. The monks 
 burst out into a hymn of prayer for the presence of the 
 spirits of all the Buddhists. One of them raises aloft 
 over his head a looking-glass, the idea of which seems to 
 be to catch the image of the spirit as it comes ; a second 
 raises a jug ; a third a mystic symbol of the world ; a 
 fourth a cup, and so on. Meanwhile the voices of the 
 singers, and the sound of the bells,- drums and trumpets 
 grows louder and louder, and the temple is filled with 
 -incense from the sacred censers. The monk with the jug 
 pours several times water, mixed with saffron and sugar, 
 over the mirror, which another wipes each time with a 
 silk napkin. The water flows over the mirror to the 
 symbols of the world, and is caught in the cup beneath. 
 Thence the holy mixture is poured into another jug, and 
 a drop or two is allowed to trickle on to the hands of 
 each of the worshiping monks, who marks the crown of 
 
LAMAISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 605 
 
 his shaven head, the forehead and his breast with the 
 sacred liquid. He then reverently swallows the remain- 
 ing drops, and, in so doing, believes himself to be swal- 
 lowing a part of the divine being, whose image has been 
 caught in the mirror over which the water has passed. 
 
 prayiNg-wheels. 
 
 Among the most curious things in Thibet are the 
 praying-wheels. They are little wooden drums covered 
 round the sides with leather, and fitted- 
 vertically in niches in the walls. A 
 spindle running through the centre 
 enables them to revolve at the slight- 
 est push. They are generally in rows 
 of eight and ten, and well thumbed 
 and worn they usually are. Others, of 
 larger dimensions, are placed by 
 themselves, decorated with the words, 
 " Om mani padmi hum," in the Lanza 
 character, all round the barrel. 
 
 In the vicinity of the monasteries 
 are various small temples, like chapels 
 of ease, rudely decorated with gro- praying machine. 
 
 ^' Instead of saying prayers they 
 
 tesque figures in red and yellow, and set a machine in motion, each 
 
 1 • 11* . r revolution cotmting as a prayer, 
 
 havmg qUeer-lOOkmg structures taS- The more prayers one says or 
 
 tened on the top of them, generally a '^[^'^^ZZ.-llll 
 trident, with tufts of hair attached, or *^ «''«' « ^" =° ^= '° ^^ 
 
 . '. . t *- • 1 turned by water or machinery, 
 
 StripSof colored calico, horns of animals and these machine-prayers are 
 f , ^ . . counted as good as others, 
 
 and other rude devices. 
 
 In one place there is a praying- wheel turned by water; 
 but one cannot ascertain whether the benefit accrues to 
 the water, or to the possessor of the stream, or to the 
 public generally. Sometimes the people carry portable 
 wheels, and one often meets them provided with huge 
 
6o6 
 
 OM MAN I PAD MI HUM. 
 
 brass ones, with a wooden handle. They, are suspended 
 from their necks, in company with a collection of square 
 leather charms fastened by a string to the coat, the whole 
 collection presenting a very odd appearance. 
 
 THE MYSTIC SENTENCE OF THIBET. 
 
 There is one sentence which the Thibetans and Mon- 
 golians have continually in their mouths. The same 
 
 sentence is written upon their 
 monuments, temple-walls, rel- 
 ic-houses, prayer-wheels — in- 
 deed, almost everywhere. It is 
 
 CM MANI PADMI HUM. 
 
 These are words from the 
 Sanskrit language. " Om," 
 among the Hindus, is the mys- 
 tic name of divinity, which 
 begins all their prayers. It 
 corresponds to our interjec- 
 I tion Oh ! only that it is uttered 
 with a religious emphasis, due 
 j to its hidden, sacred meaning. 
 ! " Mani " means jewel ; " pad- 
 - mi," the lotus ; and " hum," 
 PRAYING WHEEL WHIRLED IN THE amen. So the whole sentence 
 
 is, " Oh ! the jewel of the lotus. 
 Amen." But the Thibetan Buddhists have attached myste- 
 rious meanings to each of the six syllables of the sentence. 
 These meanings grew out of the legendary history of the 
 introduction of Buddhism into Thibet ; but even this- is 
 all but forgotten, and the words are repeated by the mil- 
 lions of Thibetans without the slightest knowledge of their 
 force, but with a superstitious belief in their sacredness. 
 which is unshaken and immovable as the rocks themselves* 
 
LAMA ISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 607 
 
 THE INCARNATION OF BUDDHA IN THE GRAND LAMA. 
 
 The Thibetans believe that the soul of Buddha dwells 
 in the body of their high-priest or Grand Lama ; that, at 
 the time of his 
 death, the soul 
 passes into the 
 body of another 
 person, who is to 
 be the Grand La- 
 ma until his death. 
 Thus Buddha is 
 born and re-born 
 over and over 
 again. It is an 
 easy matter to 
 determine into 
 whose body the 
 soul of Buddha 
 enters, because 
 they make it so. 
 It is very much the same as if the chief Lamas were to 
 elect the Grand Lama's successor, because, in reality, they 
 determine where the soul of Buddha shall be found. At 
 present, however, it seems that the Emperor of China 
 exercises a paramount influence on the discovery of these 
 transmigrations, or, in other words, on the filling up of 
 clerical posts ; and there can be no doubt that his influ- 
 ence is supreme in the case of determining the election 
 of the two highest functionaries of this theocracy. In or- 
 -der to ascertain the re-birth of a departed Lama, various 
 means are relied upon. Sometimes the deceased had, 
 before his death, confidentially mentioned to his friends 
 where and in which family he would re-appear, or his will 
 
 STONE WITH THE MYSTIC SENTENCEj 
 "OM MANI PADMI HUM." 
 
6o8 
 
 A BUDDHIST TOMB IN THIBET. 
 
 contained intimations to this effect. In most instances, 
 however, the sacred books and the official astrologers are 
 consulted on the subject ; and if the Dalai-lama dies, it is 
 
 the duty of the 
 Pan-chhen to 
 interpret the 
 traditions and 
 the oracles; 
 whereas, if the 
 latter dies, the 
 Dalai-lama 
 renders him 
 the same good 
 service. The 
 proclamation 
 of so great an 
 event, how- 
 ever, as the 
 metempsy- 
 chosis of any 
 Dalai-iama or 
 Pan-chhen is 
 preceded by a 
 close exami- 
 nation of the child that claims to be in possession of the 
 soul of either of these personages. The re-born arch- 
 saint, usually a boy four or five years old, is questioned 
 as to his previous career; books, garments and other 
 articles used and not used by the deceased are placed 
 before him, to point out those which belonged to h'm in 
 his former life. But, howeyer satisfactory his answers 
 be, they do not yet suffice. Various little bells, required 
 at the daily devotions of the • Lama, are put before the 
 boy, to select that which he did use when he was the 
 
 MANI PADEE, A BUDDHIST TOMB IN THIBET 
 
LAMAISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THIBET. 
 
 609 
 
 Dalai-lama or Pan-chhen. " But where is my own favor- 
 ite bell," the child exclaims, after having searched in vain ; 
 and this question is perfectly justified, for, to test the 
 veracity of the re-born saint, this particular bell has been 
 withheld from him. Now, however, there can be no 
 doubt as to the Dalai-lama or Pan-chhen being bodily 
 before them. The believers fall on their knees, and the 
 Lamas who successfully performed all these frauds join 
 them in announcing to the world the momentous fact. 
 
 THE LAMAIST BIBLE. 
 
 The Thibetan sacred books are called Kanjur. _ This 
 contains 1,083 
 works gathered 
 in 180 folio vol- 
 umes. These are 
 divided into seven 
 sections as f o 1 - 
 lows; I. The Book 
 of Discipline. 2. 
 The Book of the 
 Transcendental 
 Wisdom. 3. The 
 Book of the Asso- 
 ciation of B u d- 
 dhas. 4. The Book 
 of " the Jeweled 
 Peak," (whatever 
 that may mean). 
 5. The Book of 
 Aphorisms. 6. The 
 Book of the Doc- 
 trine of "Deliver- 
 ance from Emancipation from Existence" 'sic). 7. The 
 
 A THIBETAN WOMAN. 
 
6io 
 
 THE LAMAIST BIBLE. 
 
 Book of Mysticism. These all are said to contain the 
 words of Buddha himself Besides these is a work, 
 called the Tanjur, or translation of doctrine, but has not 
 the authority of the Kanjur. 
 
 The art of printing from engraved wooden blocks has 
 been long known to the Thibetans. This aided greatly 
 in spreading the sacred books. There is no Buddhist 
 monastery in Thibet which has not a copy of these works. 
 Sometimes these are very costly; one was prepared about 
 a quarter of a century ago, which cost ^10,000. Four or 
 five years ago a magnificent copy of Buddha's works 
 was being executed for a Mongol prince, in the Thibetan 
 language. At that time 80 of the 180 volumes were 
 completed. The printing was in letters of gold, and 
 the volumes are bound in embroidered silk with silver 
 clasps. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 CHINA CONTINUED. 
 
 And yonder by Nankin, behold! 
 The Tower of Porcelain, strange and old, 
 Uplifting to the astonished skies 
 Its nine-fold painted balconies, 
 With balustrades of twining leaves, 
 And roofs of tile, beneath whose eaves 
 ^ Hang porcelain bells that all the time 
 Ring with a soft, melodious chime; 
 While the whole fabric is ablaze 
 
 With varied tints, all fused in one 
 Great mass of color, like a maze 
 
 Of flowers illumined by the sun. 
 
 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 
 
 FO (or Fuh) is the imperfect rendering of Buddha 
 into the Chinese language, as the initial sound 
 of B is almost unknown in Chinese. Buddhist 
 missionaries visited China as early as 250 B. C, and in 
 the second year before Christ a number of Buddhist 
 sacred books were presented to the Emperor of China 
 by an ambassador of the Tochari Tartars. But it did 
 not receive official recognition and did not really take 
 root in China until about the year 67 A. D. In the year 
 61 the Emperor Ming-ti saw in a dream the image of a 
 foreign god entering his palace. Impressed with the 
 singular vision, he sent, at his brother's suggestion, an 
 embassy to secure Buddhist images, books and teachers. 
 An Indian Buddhist priest, named Kashiap-Madanga, 
 accompanied the embassy on its return. He translated 
 
6l2 
 
 THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 some of the Buddhist books into Chinese. The religion 
 spread rapidly after it received the imperial favor. This 
 it did the more readily as, with India-rubber-like elasticity, 
 Buddhism stretched itself to include the greater part of 
 the ancient Chinese faiths. Native Chinese became Bud- 
 dhist monks 
 about the year 
 335 A. D. The 
 Emperor Hiau 
 Wu erected a 
 pagoda in his 
 palace at Nan- 
 kin in 381 A. 
 D. The ancient 
 Chinese histo- 
 rians say that 
 about this time 
 large monas- 
 teries began to 
 be established 
 and that nine- 
 tenths of the 
 
 common peo- 
 ple bowed to 
 the faith of the 
 
 CHINESE IMAGE OP BUDDHA. ■ g^j^^ ^„ J ^^^^ 
 
 of India. In 405 A. D.y Kumarajiva, an Indian Buddhist, 
 translated the principal Buddhist books into the Chinese. 
 He was assisted by 800 priests. More than 300 volumes 
 were thus prepared. 
 
 At this time the celebrated Chinese traveler. Fa Hien, 
 was collecting sacred books and visiting sacred places in 
 India. He went by land as far as Ceylon, and returned 
 from that island by sea after an absence of fifteen years. 
 
FOISM THE BUDDHISM OP CHINA. 
 
 615 
 
 This journey furnishes an illustration of the intelligent 
 earnestness of the Chinese Buddhists of this period. 
 From the years 420 A. D. to 451, the Buddhists suffered 
 opposition on the part of the ruling Tartar family of the 
 Wei 4ynasty. In the year 526 A. D., the famous Bod- 
 hidharma came to Canton. He was received with great 
 honor at the court of the Emperor of Southern China. 
 The emperor said to him: "From my accession to the 
 throne, I have been incessantly building temples, tran- 
 
 A CHINESE MANDARIN. 
 
 scribing sacred books, and admitting new monks to take 
 die vows. How much merit may I be supposed to have 
 accumulated?" The reply was: "None." The emperor: 
 "And why no merit?" The patriarch: "All this is but 
 the insignificant effect of an imperfect cause not complete 
 in itself It is the shadow that follows the substance, and 
 is without real existence." The emperor: "Then what 
 is true merit ?" The patriarch: "It consists in purity 
 and enlightenment, depth and completeness, and in being 
 
6i6 
 
 CHINESE SALE OF PR A VERS. 
 
 wrapped in thought while surrounded by vacancy and 
 stillness. Merit such as this cannot be sought by worldly 
 
 jS 
 
 At { 
 
 II, S 
 
 
 ^^.:-' =• 
 
 means." The emperor: "Which is the most importanV 
 of the holy doctrines?" The patriarch : "Where all is 
 

 4'Kk\^ kSlkt ^ 
 
 PORCFXAIN .TOWER AT NANKING. CHINA. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 big 
 
 emptiness, nothing can be called 'holy' [sking)." The 
 emperor: "Who is he that thus replies to me ?" The 
 patriarch: "I do not know." The emperor — says the 
 Buddhist narrator — still remained unenlightened. 
 
 Bodhidharma, not being satisfied with the result of his 
 interview with royalty, crossed the river Yang-tsze into 
 the Wei kingdom and remained at Lo-yang. Here he 
 sat with his face to a wall for nine years. The people 
 called him the "Wall-gazing Brahmin." When it was 
 represented to the emperor of the house of Liang, that 
 the great teacher, who possessed the precious heir-loom 
 of Shakya, the symbol of the hidden law of Buddha, was 
 lost to his kingdom, he repented and sent messengers to 
 invite him to return. They failed in their errand. The 
 presence of the Indian sage excited the more ardent 
 Chinese Buddhists to make great efforts to conquer the 
 sensations. Thus one of them, we are told, said to him- 
 self: "Formerly, for the sake of religion, men broke open 
 their bones and extracted the marrow, took blood from 
 their arms to give to the hungry, rolled their hair in the 
 mud or threw themselves down a precipice to feed a 
 famishing tiger. What can I do ?" Accordingly while 
 snow was falling, he exposed himself to it till it had 
 risen above his knees, when the patriarch observing him, 
 asked him what he hoped to gain by it. The young 
 aspirant to the victory over self wept at the question, and 
 said: "I only desire that mercy may open a path to save 
 the whole race of mankind." The patriarch replied, that 
 such an act was not worthy of comparison with the acts 
 of the Buddhas. It required, he told him, very little virtue 
 or resolution. His disciple, stung with the answer, took 
 a sharp knife, severed his arm, and placed it before the 
 patriarch. The latter expressed his high approval of the 
 deed, and when after nine years' absence he returned tc 
 .38 
 
520 CHINESE PAGODA. 
 
 ndia, he appointed the disciple who had performed this 
 strange act to succeed him as patriarch in China. 
 
 PAGODAS. 
 
 The word Pagoda has been applied by French and 
 Portuguese authors to temples where images are wor- 
 shiped and priests live, but English writers confine the 
 word to the high, tapering polygonal structures seen in 
 China, which are called tours by the French. Etymo- 
 logically, the word signifies "house of idols," or "abode 
 of God," being derived from the Persian words but, an 
 idol, and kadah, a house, a temple. Some of the pagodas 
 are built upon hill-tops and other places for the purpose 
 of securing the prosperity of the" locality by the laws of 
 geomancy. These latter are not used for worshiping in. 
 
 Some authors use interchangeably the words dagaba 
 and pagoda. Exactness with reference to Oriental terms 
 is very difficult to attain. The same word is not unfre- 
 quently used among the natives themselves, to denote 
 different objects, and travelers frequently confound the 
 terms and use them confusedly. We aim at the highest 
 precision. Dagabas are lofty, tapering, cylindrical build- 
 ings, erected over a relic of Buddha, though sometimes 
 pagbdas also are used for keeping the relics of Buddha. 
 The pagoda at Tung Cho, near Peking, has thirteen 
 stories, and is 150 feet high; its base is forty feet in 
 diameter. It stands near the northern wall of the city, 
 and is the most conspicuous object to be seen for many 
 miles around the place Once a year it is the custom, 
 in some cities, to illuminate the pagodas. A large 
 number of paper lanterns are used, each having a, lamp 
 or common candle in it The priests hang the lighted 
 lanterns at each comer of each story of the pagoda. 
 At Nanking there stood, a short time since, a cele- 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. , 52 j 
 
 brated pagoda, called the "Porcelain Tower." This 
 tower was of equal stories, the lower one being 120 
 feet around. It rested upon a solid foundation of brick 
 work, ten feet high, up which a flight of twelve steps led 
 to the tower. A spiral staircase led to the top, which 
 was 260 feet from the ground. The body of the tower 
 was of brick ; this was encased with tiles of glazed por- 
 celain of green, red, yellow and white, and various other 
 colors. The stories had projecting roofs, which were 
 covered with green tiles, and seventy-two bells were sus- 
 pended from each corner. These bells were rung by 
 the wind, and sent their tinkling tones down among 
 the busy crowds below. In the interior were hundreds 
 of little gilded images. The tower was commenced 1430 
 A. D., and finished in 1449 A. D. It was totally de- 
 stroyed by the Tae-Ping rebels about i860. 
 
 CHINESE BUDDHIST TEMPLES. 
 
 The temples of the Buddhists, in China, are of varied 
 construction. Very many of them bear evidences of ne- 
 glect and decay. In the cities and their suburbs, along 
 the highways, standing alone by the roadside or on the 
 hill-tops, are thousands of these edifices, called joss- 
 houses by foreigners, in which are idols of every descrip- 
 tion, before which incense is burning. These temples 
 are devoted to the worship'of various deities, as the god- 
 dess of sailors, the god of war, the gods of special neigh- 
 borhoods or occupations. Generally at the entrance of 
 the temple drums or bells are placed. These are struck 
 by the worshipers as they enter, either to call the atten- 
 tion of the gods to the worship about to be begun, or to 
 summon the attendant priests. Elijah taunted the priests 
 of Baal, when they gashed themselves before their altar 
 on Mount Carmel, as they shouted to the sun, as it rose 
 
623 
 
 CHINESE BUDDHIST TEMPLES. 
 
 majestically in the heavens, calling him to come and con- 
 sume their offerings. He suggested that perhaps their 
 god, Baal, was asleep, and needed to be awakened by a 
 noise, or that he might be away on a journey and needed 
 to be recalled. So the Chinese worshipers seem to deem 
 it necessary to arouse their gods to hear their prayers. 
 On entering the temple, the worshiper faces the idols, 
 which are generally in a sitting posture, on a platform 
 
 BEATING ON A TEMPLE DRUM TO ATTRACT THE GOD. 
 
 about five feet from the floor. Guarding the entrance, 
 generally, there are two gigantic images standing,, facing 
 each other. Sometimes, as in the temple <jf the Kushan 
 Monastery, there are four statues ; these represent the 
 ministers of Buddha. The first has black eyes, and a 
 fierce countenance, intended to strike awe to the heart , 
 he holds a huge, drawn sword in his hands ; a horrible, 
 bkck, dwarfish figure crouches beneath his feet. The 
 
TEMPLE OF THE "THREE PRECIOUS BUDDHAS," AT SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA . 
 
 625 
 
 second is a merry god, playing on a guitar. The third 
 stands with an unfolded umbrella. The fourth holds in 
 one hand a struggling serpent, in the other a ball. Gen- 
 erally, there are three images of Buddha, seated side by 
 side, in a sort of pavilion ; these are c^Upd the " Three 
 Precious Ones," — Buddha past, present and to come. 
 
 The Chinese who have come to America have brought 
 with them their idolatries, so that heathen temples have 
 been opened for worship of idols, even in this Christian 
 land. As most of these Chinese are in San Francisco, 
 the largest Buddhist temple in America is to be found 
 there. The three idols of Buddha are seated under a 
 
 THE "THREE PRECIOUS BUDDHAS.' 
 
 lacquered canopy. Before them is a sort of altar, on 
 which is a vessel of ashes, in which the incense-sticks are 
 placed. Beside this is a shallow dish, filled wjth pebbles 
 and water, and the narcissus (daffodil) plant growing in 
 it. In front of the altar stands a large Chinese table, on 
 which five bronze vases are placed — ^the end ones for 
 flowers, the central for the symbols of the three Buddhas, 
 and the others for candles. The central figure of the 
 
526 TEMPLE OF THE THOUSAND LAMAS. 
 
 three idols represents the Buddha, the Intelligence ; the 
 one to his right is Dharma, the Law, and the other is 
 Sangha, the Priesthood. Beside the main pavilion is the 
 shrine of Kwan-Yin, the goddess of mercy and the queen 
 of Heaven. The idols in Chinese temples range from 
 six to twelve feet high, and are mostly made of wood, 
 covered with gilt. Sometimes they are of bronze, wood 
 or stucco, gilded, and of gigantic size. Crowds of sec- 
 ondary divinities are ranged round the walls of the 
 temples. The worship in the temples is very simple. 
 The worshiper first presents an offering of money or rice, 
 then prostrates himself on his mat, before the idols, rub- 
 bing the palms of his hands together, telling his beads 
 and mumbling his prayers. The people are coming and 
 going all the day long, for the temples are never shut. 
 
 In Peking is a temple called the "Temple of the Thou- 
 sand Lamas." In Canton is the " Temple , of the Five 
 Hundred Gods." These are the "Arhans," or scholars 
 of Buddha. As a temple, it is much like all the other 
 Chinese temples, but it differs from all in the images of 
 the deified disciples of Buddha. These are life-size, sit- 
 ting on their heels, in Oriental style, each exhibiting the 
 wonderful act for which he has been deified. The eyes 
 of one are perpetually turned to Heaven, and are sup- 
 posed never to have winked. Another held his hand 
 above his head until it has become immovable. Another 
 has held his hand out so steadily and softly that a bird 
 has come and built its nest in it. Another became so 
 holy that Buddha opened his breast and entered his 
 heart. They are made of clay, and gilded. Before 
 each is a vessel of ashes for the joss-sticks, and vases 
 for flowers. This is one of the most interesting places 
 in Canton, and is one of the temples most visited by 
 foreigners. 
 
WORSHIP OF BUDDHA IN THE TEMPLE OF THE THOUSAND LAMAS, PEKING, CHINA. 
 "(Be of the most splendid temples, and occupied by one of the most devout assemblages of all heathendom, 
 
TEMPLE OF KWAN YIN, QUEEN OF HEAVEN, AT CANTON, CHINA. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 THE WORSHIP OF KWAN-YIN. 
 
 631 
 
 Kwan-Yin, the goddess of mercy, is worshiped with 
 great pomp on the nineteenth day of the second month, 
 which is the anniversary of her birth, and also on the 
 anniversaries of her death and canonization. The stor}"^ 
 of the career of this canonized Buddhist nun is full of 
 marvels, and it is scarcely possible to enter her temples 
 without finding women and children in them. On her 
 anniversaries, women resort to them in large numbers, 
 and light incense-sticks at the sacred lamp above the altar. 
 They carry the burning incense to their homes, as the 
 smoke is supposed to possess a purifying effect. Other 
 votaries, who have sick relatives, expose tea to the smoke, 
 which rises in clouds from the incense burning on the 
 altar. On their return home they administer the tea to 
 the sick. Kwan-Yin is also much worshiped during the 
 Tsing-Ming, or Worshiping of Graves, as she is supposed 
 to extend her protecting care over the souls of departed 
 ones. Paper representations of clothes, houses, servants 
 and sedan chairs, fashioned of the same material, are at 
 such a season burnt in front of her altars. The goddess 
 is supposed to convey these offerings to the departed 
 spirits for whom they are intended. The ceremony is 
 usually performed at midnight. At this season, also, 
 ladies resort to her temples to pray for afflicted husbands 
 or children. The form of worship observed on such 
 occasions is conducted by Buddhist priests. Two tables 
 are placed, about six feet apart, in front of the idol, and 
 fruits and flowers are arranged upion them as offerings. 
 The ladies sit or kneel near the tables, and the priests 
 march round them to slow music. The music quickens, 
 and at last the priests are found careering round the 
 tables. This absurd service is brought to a close by the 
 
633 
 
 THE WORSHIP OF KWAN- YIN. 
 
 priests rushing wildly toward the ladies, and in most ex- 
 travagant terms tendering them their congratulations. 
 
 The temples in honor of the Goddess of Mercy are 
 vtsry numerous throughout the empire. In the most im- 
 
ALTAR OF A CHINESE PAGODA, NEAR THE KIN-CHA RIVER, WESTERN CHINA. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 635 
 
 portant of these, at Canton, were at one time several 
 ornaments of great value, which had been presented to 
 the goddess by the Emperor Taou-kwang, in return for 
 blessings which she was supposed to have conferred on 
 the southern portion of the empire. One of these was a 
 jade-stone ornament of great value, which was presented 
 in acknowledgment of a victory which the goddess was 
 supposed to have given to the Chinese troops over the 
 British barbarians, as they are called, in 1841. 
 
 THE WORSHIP OF KUM-FA. 
 
 Another goddess who is popular with Chinese wives is 
 Kum-Fa, the tutelary goddess of women and children. 
 A native of Canton, she flourished during the reign of 
 Ching-hwa, who ascended the throne A. D. 1465. When 
 a girl of tender years, she was a constant and regular 
 visitor to all the temples in her immediate neighborhood. 
 She is said to have had the power of communing with 
 the spirits of the departed. Becoming at length tired of 
 the world, she committed suicide by drowning. In course 
 of time, her body rose to the surface of the water, and 
 when it was taken out the air became impregnated with 
 sweet-smelling odors. It was placed in a coffin, and a 
 sandal-wood statue or idol of Kum-Fa rose apparently 
 from the bed of the river, and remained stationary. A 
 temple was erected for the image, but an iconoclast de- 
 liberately destroyed it by fire, and it is now replaced by 
 a clay figure. Her principal temple stands on the south 
 oide of the river at Canton. Her votaries are mostly wives 
 who desire to become mothers. The list of the duties 
 which her ministering attendants divide among them is 
 a complete summary of the art of rearing children. One 
 is considered to be the guardian of children suffering 
 from small-pox. The second presides over the ablutions 
 
636 
 
 KUM-FA, THE GODDESS OF WOMEN. 
 
 of infants. The third superintends the feeding of new- 
 born babes and young children. The fourth is the espe- 
 cial patroness of male infants. The fifth attends to the 
 careful preparation of infants' food. The sixth watches 
 over women laboring with child. It is in the power of 
 the seventh to bestow upon women who have conceived, 
 male or female children, in answer to their prayers. The 
 eighth can bless women with male offspring. The ninth 
 makes children merry and joyful. The tenth superin- 
 
 THE GODDESS MA-CHU AND HER ASSISTANTS. 
 
 tends the cutting of the umbilical cord. The eleventh 
 causes women to conceive. It is the privilege of the 
 twelfth to make children smile. The thirteenth has the 
 care of infants until they are able to walk. The four- 
 teenth teaches them to do so. It is the calling of the 
 fifteenth to teach them how to suck. The sixteenth 
 watches over unborn babes. On the seventeenth, it de- 
 volves to see that their bodies are, immediately before 
 birth, free from sores or ulcers. The eighteenth is re- 
 
HUITZILOPOCHTLI, THE GOD OF WAR. This statue represents the patron god of the 
 Aztecs. He was to be appeased only by human sacrifice. Not less than twenty thousand men, 
 women, and children were annually sacrificed to this monster. 
 
THIRTEEN-STORIED PAGODA AT TUNG-CHO, CHINA. 
 
 39 
 
; FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 641 
 
 garded as the special patroness of female infants. To 
 impart strength to infants is the duty of the nineteenth ; 
 and the twentieth is named Fo-shee-fa-fu-yan. 
 
 IDOLS. 
 
 In some of the temples the idols are very numerous, 
 
 and in Yang-chow there is one in which there are said to 
 
 be no fewer than 10,000. The idols, 
 
 which are very diminutive, are con- 
 tained in one large hall, and in their 
 
 fanciful, but orderly arrangement, 
 
 present a very singular appearance. 
 
 In the centre of the hall stands a 
 
 pavilion of wood, most elaborately 
 
 carved, under which is placed a large 
 
 idol of Buddha. The pavilion, within 
 
 and without, is literally studded with 
 
 small idols, which are different rep- 
 resentations of the same deity. On 
 
 each of the four sides of the hall are 
 
 small brackets, supporting idols of 
 
 Buddha ; and a , still larger number 
 
 of these are placed on the beams 
 
 and pillars of the vaulted roof 
 full-sized figures of the sleeping 
 Buddha. At Peking and Can- 
 ton there are halls precisely 
 similar. The hall of 10,000 
 idols, at Canton, is, like the 
 monastery of which it forms a 
 part, in a most ruinous state, 
 and the majority of the idols with 
 
 CHINESE IDOL. ^\^^^ j^-g ^alls werc at one time 
 
 adorned have disappeared in ways not now understood. 
 
 CHINESE IDOL. 
 
 Two are 
 
 CHINESE IDOL. 
 
642 
 
 THE TEMPLE OF HORRORS. 
 
 In the prefecture of Shu-hing, where marble quarries 
 abound, idols are in many cases made of that material. 
 At Pun-new-chan, a market-town on the banks of the 
 Grand Canal, one sees in a ruined monastery three large 
 iron idols, representing the Past, Present and Future 
 Buddhas. There are in certain temples stone, earthen- 
 ware and porcelain figures. The three large idol^ in the 
 Tai-fan monastery, at Canton, are said to be made of 
 copper, and many of the small idols of Buddha are also 
 made of the same material. Buddha is represented in a 
 variety of postures, and some of the figures have smiling 
 eountenances, whilst others appear decidedly sorrowful. 
 
 THE TEMPLE OF HORRORS. 
 
 Near the Temple of the Five Hundred Gods is the 
 " Temple of Horrors," so called by foreigneirs, where are 
 
 CHINESE BUDDHIST'S IDEA OF HELL. 
 
 ten cells, in which are exhibited the various pains of the 
 Buddhist purgatory. The actual scenes are exhibited in 
 clay figures, about two-thirds life-size. The first cell, 
 about ten feet square, which is the measurement of each 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 645 
 
 of them, is the hall of judgment, where the poor wretches 
 are tried. Then comes one chamber where a man is 
 receiving from the demons a terrible whipping, being 
 stretched on the ground face downward, by two men, 
 while a third is beating him with a paddle. The next 
 cell exhibits a criminal fastened in a frame, head dovi^n- 
 ward, and being sawn in two, lengthwise. In the next, 
 another is suffering the tortures of slow burning ; an- 
 other is supposed to be sitting under a red-hot bell. In 
 the next there are cages, and some chained with a Chi- 
 nese cangue ; in another they are being beheaded ; and, 
 in another, they are ground in a mill and pounded in a 
 mortar. In the next they are boiling a poor fellow in oil ; 
 and, in the last, some poor wretches, for having been guilty 
 of eating beef, are being themselves slowly transformed 
 into oxen. Several figures in this cell present the various 
 steps of this transformation. In all these cells numerous 
 figures of demons are looking on with expressions of 
 diabolical satisfaction, and, strange to say, around the 
 sides of each of the cells are ranged in scenic manner 
 mountain and hillside retreats, on which are seen smaller 
 figures of the good and saved, seeming to take an equal 
 delight in witnessing the pains of the unhappy ones who 
 have missed of paradise. Notwithstanding all these hor- 
 rors, booths are rented out before all these cells, and a 
 lively traffic is carried on, and the priests themselves 
 drive a large trade in selling fans, sacrificial money, etc., 
 which are to be burned for the use of these suffering 
 wretches. 
 
 But a Buddhist may be sent by the judges to purga- 
 tory without being obliged to remain there. The living 
 relations, if they but pay enough to the priests, and beg 
 often and long enough to persuade the priests to pray to 
 Kwan-Yin, the goddess of mercy, to deliver their dead 
 
646 
 
 CHINESE MONASTERIES. 
 
 friends from purgatory, it will be accomplished, so say the 
 priests, by means of the sacred lotus-flowers. The clay 
 images in many of the "Temples of Horrors" are some-. 
 times made so as to move their limbs and jaws, when a 
 string is pulled by some unseen person. Occasionally 
 the people meet in great crowds for the purpose of wor- 
 shiping Kwan-Yin, and beseeching her to deliver from 
 the ten departments of hell those who have no friends to 
 intercede for them ; then a wholesale delivery is sup- 
 posed to take place. The priests are greatly enriched at 
 such seasons, and therefore these occasions are numerous. 
 
 MONASTERIES. 
 
 The monasteries are often embosomed among the hills, 
 and surrounded by groves of bamboo and other trees. 
 These are sometimes in the neighborhbod of crowded 
 cities ; at other times, away in the lonely wilds of the 
 mountains. They are generally used as temples, as well 
 as dwellings for the priests. The monasteries have 
 kitchens, eating-rooms, sleeping apartments and libraries. 
 Most of the larger monasteries own land, or other prop- 
 erty, from which annual rent,ipayable in crops or money, 
 is received. In connection with some of these monas- 
 teries are large bells. These have no tongues, but are 
 struck on the outside by a jDonderous swinging beam. 
 In some few cases the sound of the bell is not suffered to 
 cease ; relays of priests keep it always ringmg. In the 
 monasteries generally, mornirtg worship is held before 
 daylight, and evening worship about five o'clock in the 
 afternoon. The service lasts from an hour to an hour 
 and a half All the priests join in it. The service con- 
 sists, principally, of a chant or recitation of passages 
 from the Buddhist sacred books, the Sanskrit prayers in 
 which have been transliterated in Chinese characters. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 649 
 
 This is accompanied, not by the music of organs, but by 
 one or two of the priests beating the time on a hollow 
 " wooden fish." The chant is impressive, though monoto- 
 nous. Often they move in slow processions about the 
 /room, chanting as they march, and bowing when they 
 pass and re-pass the image of Buddha. 
 
 In the monasteries great attention is paid to comfort. 
 There are rooms for the reception of officers, for the 
 common people, study rooms and the room for daily 
 worship ; in addition, a place is sometimes provided for 
 keeping living animals. These are not kept for food, but 
 are donated by, devotees who send them there. It is a 
 part of the Buddhist faith not to kill any living creature, 
 because, if one kills or injures a horse, or any other ani- 
 mal, he may be inflicting suf- 
 fering on his mother, or some 
 other friend. For the same 
 reason, the Buddhist priests of 
 China sometimes take care of ;*_ 
 sick and wounded animals. 
 No animal is put to death, but 
 permitted to die a natural 
 death, and then is buried. 
 When you tell the priests that 
 the air, water, vegetables or 
 grain they eat are full of tiny, 
 living animals, and when ybu 
 try to show them by the help 
 of the microscope, they refuse 
 to believe that they are really animals having organic 
 life. The Chinese dislike the Buddhist priests, because 
 they disown the family relation, and yet they patronize 
 them and follow their teachings with an unquestioning 
 faith and an implicit obedience. 
 
 PRIEST AT A PRAYING-WHEEL. 
 
6i;o 
 
 MARBLE MONUMENTS OF PEKING. 
 
 A MONK S JMONUMENT. 
 
 Withia the grounds of an old Buddhist temple, about 
 half a mile from Peking, is a magnificent marble monu- 
 ment. A hundred years ago, or more, the Teshu Lama 
 
 of Thibet, a man 
 ■'■ J**S! of great sancti- 
 ty, died. He died 
 of the small-pox. 
 While his body 
 was embalmed 
 and sent back 
 to Thibet, over 
 lis clothing was 
 1)1 lilt this great 
 m.Lusoleum. It 
 is built of beau- 
 tiful marble, and 
 rom the base 
 ot the terrace 
 lu the large gilt 
 ball on the top 
 is about ninety 
 feet in height. 
 Scenes from the 
 life of this La- 
 ma, distinguish- 
 ed for his piet) 
 and devotion, 
 are sculptured 
 in bas-relief on the monument. These include his birth, 
 his conversion to the Buddhist religion, his teaching his 
 disciples and his death. The carving is executed by the 
 Chinese, with a high degree of artistic taste and skill. 
 
 CHINESE BONZE, OR PRIEST. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 651 
 
 On the top of the monument i? a neat marble urn, and on 
 this a lotus-flower and a gilded marble globe. Not only 
 Chinese Buddhists, but even the Thibetans, greatly ven- 
 erate this monument. Often they may be seen measur- 
 ing their length on the ground, and in this way proceed- 
 ing entirely around the monument. 
 
 CHINESE BUDDHIST BONZES. 
 
 The priests often go in companies of thirty and forty, 
 dressed in loose, yellow robes of cotton or silk, with a 
 wide collar, with beads around their necks, begging for 
 the support of their monasteries. The people will give 
 them rice, or oil, or, perhaps, " cash," which is the name 
 of the common round Chinese coin, having a square hole 
 in the centre. The priests shave the hair from their heads, 
 and often 'spots on their heads are burnt with coals of fire 
 so that the hair will never grow a,gain ; this is a badge 
 of their profession. They never marry, and they leave 
 their homes forever. They never even sleep in dwelling- 
 houses with other people. They make no friendships, 
 but shut themselves off from the rest of mankind. They 
 profess to have given up the world and all its pleasures. 
 They pass their time in chanting from the Buddhist 
 sacred books. They are employed in private families to 
 pray for the sick and dying, or for the dead, for which 
 they are paid. The ranks of the priests are recruited by 
 buying boys who are trained for the priesthood. Often, 
 mandarins tired ©f business, or shopkeepers unsuccessful 
 in trade, or scholars failing to pass the examinations, will 
 enter the monasteries and become monks, or, perhaps, 
 priests. There are often priests who -retire from the 
 world altogether, for a time ; who receive their food 
 through a hole in the wall of their cells. These profess 
 to give themselves entirely and only to meditation, and 
 
5^3 BUDDHIST DEVOTEES.^ 
 
 SO hope to become Buddhas when they die. The bodies 
 of the priests are usually burned with great ceremony 
 and are not buried as is the custom prevalent with us. 
 
 BUDDHIST DEVOTEES. 
 
 Many Buddhist devotees seek to subdue the flesh by 
 inflicting painful severities on their bodies. One will 
 meet, frequently, a company of priests, one of whom will 
 pull up the sleeve of his coat and uncovering an arm 
 without a hancl, beg for alms, assuring you that he had, 
 by a slow process, burned his hand to the stump, as an 
 atonement for his sins and as a recommendation for his 
 promotion at some future time to the state of Buddha- 
 hood. At Peking a priest will often be seen sitting in a 
 sedan chair, the interior of which is thickly studded 
 with sharp nails and spikes, so that he can neither move 
 nor sleep. He informs those who stand round his peni- 
 tential chair that the nails acquire a heavenly virtu-e in 
 proportion to the misery which they cause him, and 
 that he is prepared to sell them for a fair price each, 
 as antidotes against evil. He assures them that he had 
 resolved to remain in the sedan chair until every nail 
 has been sold. 
 
 At Tien-tsin there formerly lived a priest who had 
 passed through his cheek a sharp skewer, to the end of 
 which he had attached a chain. To relieve him of its 
 weight, some little boys held up the chain — an act which 
 was, of course, regarded as very meritorious. Sometimes 
 these devotees perform pilgrimages of penance to distant 
 shrines, traveling hundreds of miles on foot. It is re- 
 markable that the Buddhists should subject themselves 
 to such self-torture, as Buddha himself, on one occasion, 
 preached a most powerful sermon against self-torture 
 and all such follies. 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 653 
 
 CEREMONY OF THE WATER-LAMPS. 
 
 Doolittle, in his work on China, says : Frequently a 
 large number of small and cheap earthen vessels, shaped 
 somewhat like bowls, is provided. A preparation of pitch 
 and some other inflammable material, or some oil, or a 
 candle, is put in each. Around the top of the outside of 
 each are fastened paper imitations of lotus-flowers or some 
 other pretty plant. Early in the evening, these vessels 
 are carried in a procession of priests from the place 
 where the principal ceremonies are performed to the 
 
 LETTING GO THE WATER-LAMPS. 
 
 edge ©f the nearest running water, where, the pitch or 
 oil having been lighted, the vessels are placed carefully 
 on the water and allowed to float away. The object of 
 this is explained to be, to afford lights for the spirits that 
 come or go by water. The priests coming to the water 
 and going from it, on this occasion chant their classics, 
 and clap their cymbals together, walking along slowly 
 and in single file. This ceremony is called letting go the 
 water-lamps. 
 
QrA THE BUDDHISM OF COREA. 
 
 THE DO-NOTHING SECT OF REFORMED BUDDHISTS. 
 
 For about two hundred years there has t xisted a sect 
 in China which bears quite a close resemblance to Bud- 
 dhism, and yet differs widely from this faith in that it 
 opposes idolatry. They are called the Wu-Wei-Kiau, or 
 "The Do-nothing Sect." Their central doctrine seems to 
 be that religion does not consist in outward ordinances 
 and ceremonies, but in quiet meditation. They have 
 temples but no idols. In a discussion with some priests, 
 who had brought a huge brass Buddha to the court of 
 the king, Lo-tsu, the founder of this sect, said: "A brazen 
 Buddha melts, and a wooden Buddha burns, when ex- 
 posed to fire. An earthen Buddha cannot save itself 
 from water. It cannot save itself, then how can it save 
 me ? In every particle of dust there is a kingdom ruled 
 by Buddha. In every temple the king of the law resides. 
 The mountains, the rivers, and the great earth form Bud- 
 dha's image. Why, then, carve or mould an image ?" 
 
 This sect worships, in addition to Buddha, a goddess 
 called the -Kin-mu, or "golden mother." She is believed 
 to protect from dangers, from sickness and from the mis- 
 eries of the unseen world. This sect eat only vegetables. 
 
 BOOLDQ, THE BUDDHISM OF THE COREANS. 
 
 Corea is a country lying between China and Japan. 
 Buddhism entered it in 372 A. D., from China. The 
 Coreans have two names for Ged ; one, a native name, 
 Hannonim, meaning the Heavenly One ; the other, the 
 Chinese name, Shang-te. Buddhism is called Booldo in 
 , Corea. The priests or monks, called Joong, are very 
 numerous ; they are said to form one-fourth of the whole 
 male population. Their principal images are of brass, 
 the secondary ones of carved stone ; they have none of 
 
FOISM, THE BUDDHISM OF CHINA. 
 
 655 
 
 -clay. The priests dress in black or gray, while the rest 
 of the people generally dress in white. They use rosa- 
 ries. Confucius is worshiped twice a year by the magis- 
 trate of each city in Corea. There are two very popular 
 gods — belonging to the old religion that existed in Corea 
 before Buddhism was introduced — they are the god of 
 the mountains and the god of rain. The Buddhists have 
 four sects in Corea. In their ddctrines and general 
 worship there is but little difference between the Corean 
 and the Chinese Buddhists. These few notices of Bud< 
 dhism in Corea must be taken with caution, for our infor- 
 mation respecting that secluded country is too imperfect 
 
 to enable us lo describe it fully or with confidence. 
 
 40 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 Buddhism, that worship without God, that religion of nothingness, 
 invented by despair, is superior, in many respects, to the religion 
 which it has displaced in Japan. — ^Aime Humbert. 
 
 My mountain dwelling's roof of thatch 
 Is with Yahemugura moss o'ergrown, 
 Of passer-by no glimpse I catch, 
 I dwell uncheered and alone. 
 The Priest's Lament for the Deserted Temple (translated from 
 the Japanese). 
 
 BUDDHISM was introduced into Japan in 552 A. D. 
 By this time, the original Buddhism of India had 
 been very greatly altered. " It now had a vast 
 and complicated ecclesiastical and monastic machinery, 
 a geographical and sensuous paradise, definitely-located 
 hells and purgatories, populated with a hierarchy of titled 
 demons. Of these, the , priests kept the keys, regulated 
 the thermometers, and timed or graded the torture or 
 bliss." The Chinese had very greatly modified the Bud- 
 dhism of India, and the Coreans had still further changed 
 the Buddhism which they had received from China ; and 
 now, Japan, in her turn, modifies the religion she received 
 from Corea. The way was prepared for the coming of 
 Buddhism to Japan. Shintoism had become an empty, 
 cold system of political management, used as a support 
 of the government. It had lost its hold on the affections 
 of the people, and they were heart-hungry for j'ust such 
 
 a warm religious system as Buddhism had to offer. In 
 
 656 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 657 
 
 the year 552, King Petsi, of Corea, sent to Kin-Mei, the 
 thirteenth Mikado of Japan, a statue of Gautama, together 
 with books, banners, a baldaquin and other objects of 
 worship. Buddha had said : " My doctrine shall extend 
 to the East ;" and King Petsi desired to aid in fulfilling 
 that prophecy. The mikado suffered the statue to re- 
 main ; a chapel was built for it, and worship offered by a 
 few of the members of the mikado's court. An epidemic 
 broke out ; it was declared that the new image was the 
 cause of it, and the chapel was thereupon burned and the 
 statue cast into the river. 
 
 In the reign of the hext mikado, Bidasu, a Buddhist 
 bonze (priest) came over from Corea. He had been 
 warned of the difficulties before him, but surmounted 
 them by a plqasant device. When he was presented to 
 the mikado at his court, he saw his little grandson, a boy 
 of six years old, at whose birth there had been some ex- 
 traordinary signs. He prostrated himself at the child's 
 feet, and worshiped him, declaring that he recognized in 
 him the incarnation of one of Buddha's disciples, the new 
 patron of the empire. The mikado left the child in the 
 care of the Corean priest, to be educated by him. As 
 might be expected, the child became the first high-priest 
 of Buddhism. Through his efforts, being so closely related 
 to the Emperor, the religion spread with greater rapidity, 
 and soon became the dominant religion of the land. 
 
 BODHIDHARMA IN JAPAN. 
 
 In Japan, as in India, there have been many ascetics, 
 noted for their wonderful penances. One of the first and 
 most famous of these is called Bodhidharma, who founded 
 the Shin-Shin sect of Buddhists. He came from Corea, 
 in 613 A. D., according to the legend, floating upon a 
 large lotus-leaf. Kobo Daishi, the inventor of the Japa- 
 
658 
 
 BODHIDHARMA IN JAPAN. 
 
 nese syllabary or alphabet, was a celebrated priest, born 
 in 774 A. D. Fodaishi was a remarkable inventive 
 genius, who came from China. The priests had been 
 required to read the " wheel of the law," as it was called, 
 with great regularity. He constructed a movable desk, 
 and spread on it the rolls of the sacred books. He 
 allowed his disciples, instead of reading all the books 
 through — which would have' been a most tiresome task 
 — to give this desk a half or three-quarters of a turn, 
 counting it as if they had read the books which passed 
 before them. He and great priests of later days did 
 much to mix the two religions, Buddhism and Shintoism 
 together, and thus secure its readier acceptance. The 
 thirteenth century was the time when Buddhism attained 
 the height of its prosperity. At this time, many of the 
 greatest temples were built, and most of the sects founded. 
 Of these sects, there are seven chief and some twenty 
 minor ones, illustrating the utmost diversity. 
 
 THE SUN-CHILD AND HIS MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE. 
 
 In 1222, a child was born, who was named Nichiren, 
 because his mother dreamed that the sun (nichi, in Jap- 
 anese) had entered her. While still a child, he was in- 
 trusted to the care of a priest. As he grew up, he turned 
 away from all the accepted teachings, and resolved to 
 found a new and purer sect. He changed the coramon 
 Japanese prayer from " Save us ! O Eternal Buddha !" 
 to " Glory to the salvation -bringing book of the law !" 
 This prayer is inscribed in the temples of this sect, upon 
 their tomb-stones and shrines, and was even engraven 
 on the shields of their warriors. Nichiren was a travel- 
 ing preacher, and he founded many temples. He bitterly 
 opposed all other Buddhists, and made many bitter ene- 
 mies. The story is thus told by Griffis: "On a certain 
 
MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE OF A BONZE. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 66 1 
 
 day, he was taken out to a village on the strand of the 
 bay, beyond Kamakura, and in front of the lovely island 
 of Enoshima. This village is called Koshigoye. At 
 this time, Nichiren was forty-three years old. Kneeling 
 down upon the strand, the saintly bonze calmly uttered 
 ^ his prayers, and repeated 'Namu mio ho ren ge kio ' upon 
 /his rosary. The swordman lifted his blade and, with all 
 his might, made the downward stroke. Suddenly a flood 
 of blinding light 
 burst from the sky, 
 and smote both the 
 executioner and 
 the official inspec- 
 tor deputed to wit- 
 ness the severed 
 head. The sword- 
 blade was broken 
 in pieces, while the 
 holy man was un- 
 harmed. At the 
 same moment, Ho- 
 jo, the Lord of 
 Kamakura, was 
 startled at his rev- 
 els in the palace 
 by the sound of rattling thunder and the flash of lightning, 
 though there was not a cloud in the sky. Dazed by the 
 awful signs of Heaven's displeasure, Hojo Tokoyori, 
 divining that it was on account of the holy victim, in- 
 stantly dispatched a fleet messenger to stay the execu- 
 tioner's hand, and reprieve the victim. Simultaneously, 
 ihe official inspector, at the still unstained blood-pit, sent 
 a courier to beg reprieve for the saint whom the sword 
 could not touch. The two men, coming from opposite 
 
 SHRINE OF KWANON. 
 
66a "^^^ DISCIPLES OF NICHIREN. 
 
 directions, met at the small stream which the tourist still 
 crosses on the way from Kamakura to Enoshima, and it 
 was thereafter called Yukiai (meeting on the way) River, a 
 name which it retains to this day. Through the pitiful 
 clemency and intercession of Hojo Tokimuni, son of the 
 Lord of Kamakura, Nichiren was sent to Sado Island. 
 He was afterward released by his benefactor, in a gen- 
 eral amnesty. Nichiren founded his sect at Kioto, and it 
 greatly flourished under the care of his disciple, his rev- 
 erence, Nichizo. After a busy and holy life, the great 
 saint died at Ikegami, a little to the north-west of the 
 Kawasakr Railroad station, between Yokohama and To 
 kio, where the scream of the locomotive and the rumble 
 of the railway car are but faintly heard in the solemn 
 shades. There are to be seen gorgeous temples, pagodas, 
 shrines, magnificent groves and cemeteries. The dying 
 presence of Nichiren has lent this place peculiar sanctity ; 
 but his bones rest on Mount Minobu, in the province of 
 Kai,. where was one of his homes when in the flesh." 
 
 The disciples of Nichiren drank in their master's 
 spirit, and they long continued the most powerful sect of 
 the Buddhists in Japan. The Shin sect, which was 
 brought to great strength by Shinran in 1262 A. D., dis- 
 carded fasting, penances, pilgrimages, separation from 
 society, nunneries and monasteries, and taught salvation 
 by faith in Buddha, and not by works. . They use the 
 sacred Buddhist books in a translation into Japanese, 
 while the other sects used the (to them) unintelligible 
 Sanskrit and Chinese. Their temples- are built mainly 
 in crowded cities. Their priests marry, and their sons 
 succeed them in office. This sect wields a vast influence 
 over the religious life of the people. To these two men, 
 Shinran and Nichiren, and their missionary labors, the 
 great progress of Buddhism in Japan is due. 
 
INTERIOR OF KWANON'S TEMPLE. TOKIO, JAPAN. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. gg- 
 
 FURTHER HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN JAPAN. 
 
 The books and idols were brought from Corea in 552. 
 In 584 several of the nobles at court professed faith in 
 the new religion. In 585 the pestilence broke out, and 
 the progress of Buddhism seemed to be checked. In 
 741 an imperial decree was given that two temples and 
 a seven-storied pagoda be built in each province. This 
 would seem to indicate the establishment of Buddhism 
 in Japan. But, from the time (800) when Kobo Daishi 
 showed that, according to Buddhism, patriotism and 
 piety were one, and that the Shinto gods were but Japa- 
 nese manifestations of Buddha, it gained a sure foothold 
 in Japan ; the religion spread more axid more extensively, 
 until the fourteenth century, when the zeal of Nichiren, 
 Shinran and their co-workers were somewhat forgotten. 
 Many of the largest Buddhist temples now standing were 
 built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and are 
 therefore, five or six hundred years old. In the four- 
 teenth century the great majority of the soldiers were 
 Buddhists. Images of Buddha were sewed into their hel- 
 mets ; texts from the sacred books were woven into their 
 banners ; and amulets or charms, with sacred characters 
 written on the papers within them, were worn as a pro- 
 tection in battle. 
 
 From the year 1570 Nobunaga, a famous warrior, ap- 
 pears as a persecutor of the Buddhists. The Buddhists 
 were then very powerful; they had enormous monas- 
 teries and stone-walled and fnoated fortresses. The 
 priests of the various sects were continually quarreling 
 among themselves, and used arms with the dexterity, of 
 the soldiery. They grew to be less and less strict in 
 their observance of religious rites and rules as they grew 
 prosperous. On the shore of Lake Biwa was the largest 
 
666 
 
 THE HIOGO BUDDHA. 
 
 monastery in all Japan. Here thousands of monks were 
 gathered together. They chanted their prayers before 
 gorgeous altars, while they reveled in luxury and licen- 
 tiousness, drinking wine, eating forbidden food, and 
 yielded to the charms o*f concubines or fanned the flames 
 ^ of wars be- 
 
 tween their 
 followers and 
 those of other 
 sects. Nobu- 
 naga, who had 
 been trained 
 among priests, 
 had no respect 
 for such char- 
 acters ; he was 
 born, bred and 
 educated as a 
 Shintoist, and 
 he hated Bud- 
 dhism. In 1 571 
 he ordered his 
 soldiers to set 
 fire to this and 
 other monas- 
 teries, and to 
 destroy their 
 occupants 
 without exception. Before this, Xavier and other Jesuit 
 missionaries had come to Japan, and they were encour- 
 aged by Nobunaga, because he regarded them as oppo- 
 nents of the Buddhists. But Buddhism thrived in spite 
 of this persecution. Now the whole country, with its 
 35,000,000 of people, may be called Buddhist. But since 
 
 THE HIOGO BUDDHA. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. ggy 
 
 the thirteenth century not many very extensive monas- 
 teries have been built. That work is nearly abandoned. 
 
 BUDDHIST SECTS IN JAPAN. 
 
 Buddhism in Japan is broken up into many ' sects. 
 These sects differ greatly, much more than even Protest- 
 antism and Roman Catholicism. For a time they waged 
 bitter wars against each other, and sought to exterminate 
 each other. 
 
 W. E. Griffis has prepared the following tabular list of 
 Buddhist sects in Japan: 
 
 Chief Sects. Total number of Temples. 
 
 1. Tendai, founded by Chisha, in China, . . . 6,391 
 
 2. Shingon, " " Kobo, in Japan, A. D. 813, . 15,503 
 
 3. Zen, " " Dharma, " .... 21,547 
 
 4. Jodo, " " Honen, " A. D. 1173, . 9,819 
 ■ 5. Shin, " " Shinran, " A. D. 1213, . 13,718 
 
 6. Nichiren, " " Nichiren, in Japan, A. D. 1262, . 
 
 7. Ji, " " Ippen, " A. D. 1288, . 586 
 
 According to the census taken in Japan in 1872, there 
 was a population of 33,110,825. Of these there were 
 75,925 priests, abbots and monks; 9 abbesses; 37,327 
 novices preparing to become monks or priests; and 
 98,585 religious devotees were gathered in monasteries. 
 These last are mostly of the Shin sect. In 1875 the 
 census showed a decrease of over 4,000 of these religieux. 
 Besides the seven chief sects above mentioned, there are 
 twenty-one "irregular," "local" or "independent" sects, 
 which act apart from the others, and in some cases have 
 no templets or monasteries. A number of other sects 
 have originated in Japan, flourished for a time, decayed 
 and passed out of existence. Mr. Griffis estimates that 
 ift took 900 years to convert the Japanese from their 
 nature- worship to Buddhism. 
 
668 
 
 SHINRAN AND SHINSHIN. 
 THE PROTESTANTS OF BUDDHISM. 
 
 The members of the Shin sect, founded in 121 3, some- 
 times called the Shinshin, at other times the Monto 
 sect, are the Protestants of Japanese Buddhism. They 
 protested and still protest against penance, fasting, pil- 
 grimages, convents and monasteries, hermitages, charms, 
 amulets and the reading of the Buddhist sacred books in 
 
 ^Is^M***-*-^ ^ 
 
 BUDDHIST SHRINE AT KOBE. 
 
 an unknown tongue. Its founder, the priest Shinran, 
 married a noble lady of Kioto. The Monto priests always 
 marry and oppose the celibacy of the priesthood. This is 
 the most thoroughly organized and earnestly aggressive 
 of all the Buddhist sects of Japan. Its priests are wide- 
 awake and active. Two of them have been studying the 
 Sanskrit language with the famous Professor Max MuUer, 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 66^ 
 
 preparing better to understand and preach their sacred 
 books, which are written in this tongue. One of the fore- 
 most priests 
 of to-day is 
 Akamatz, who 
 spent several \ 
 years in Eng- Li 
 land studying ' ' 
 Sanskrit and 
 Christianity. 
 Their temples 
 are the most 
 magnificent in 
 Japan, A spe- 
 cially favored 
 visitor to the 
 Nishi-Hongu- 
 wanji temple, 
 which may be 
 described a s 
 the cathedral 
 of the Monto 
 sect, describes 
 what she saw 
 while there as 
 follows: "We 
 walked around 
 
 the Outside of 
 
 the n u b 1 i c Japanese pilgrim in winter dress. 
 
 rooms, which are numerous, large and lofty, by a deep 
 corridor, from which we saw the interior through the open 
 doors and the dull gleam of rich dead gold hinted of the 
 artistic treasures within. For In these dimly-lighted rooms, 
 most of which have been set apart for guests for centuries, 
 
6/0 
 
 NISHl-HONGUWANJI TEMPLE. 
 
 there are paintings nearly 300 years old, and the walls are 
 either paneled in gold, or are formed of sliding-screens, 
 heavily overlaid with gold-leaf, on which, in the highest 
 style of Japanese art, are depicted various sacred em- 
 blems—the lotus, the stork, the peony, and the Cleyera 
 Japonica — executed very richly' and beautifully with 
 slightly conventionalized fidelity to nature. From thence 
 v& passed into the greaJ; temple, the simple splendor of 
 
 DINING-ROOM OF A BUDDHIST MONASTERY. 
 
 which exceeds anything I have yet seen. The vast oblong 
 space has a flat roof, supported on many circular pillars 
 of finely-planed wood ; a third part is railed off for the 
 sanctuary ; the panels of the folding-doors and the panels 
 at the back are painted with flowers on a gold ground ; 
 behind a black lacquer altar stands a shrine of extreme 
 splendor, gleaming in the twilight ; but on the high altar 
 itself there were only two candlesticks, two vases of pure 
 white chrysanthemums, and a glorious bronze incense- 
 
RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL AT NIGHT IN THE TEMPLE-GROUNDS OF ASAKUSA TOKIO 
 41 
 
JAPANESE Mt/DDHI^M. ^yj, 
 
 burner. An incense-burner was the only object on the 
 low altar. Besides these there were six black lacquer 
 desks, on each desk a roll of litanies, and above the altar 
 six lamps burned low. It was imposingly magnificent. 
 The Japanese have a proverb: 'As handsome as a 
 Monto altar.' " 
 
 This sect rejects images and all sensuous paraphernalia 
 addressed to the popular taste. 
 
 The Creed of the Monto sect is thus given by Aka- 
 matz : " Rejecting all religious austerities and other ac- 
 tions, giving up all idea of self-power, rely upon Amita 
 Buddha with the whole heart for our salvation, which is 
 the most important thing; believing that at the moment 
 of putting one's faith in Amita Buddha our salvation is 
 settled. 
 
 " From that moment invocation of his name is observed 
 to express gratitude and thankfulness for Buddha's 
 mercy. Moreover, being thankful for the reception of 
 this doctrine from the founder and succeeding chieif 
 priests, whose teachings are as kind and welcome as the 
 light in a dark night.' 
 
 "We. must also keep the laws which are fixed for our 
 duty' during our whole life," 
 
 kwanon's temple at asakusa, tokio. 
 
 Tokio, the eastern capital of Japan, is the most thickly 
 populated city of the empire. It has a very large number 
 of temples and shrines. The most famous and popular 
 of all is the temple of Kwanon, at Asakusa. Asakusa is 
 really one great play-ground, with the temple in the 
 centre. The people gather there for pleasure as well 
 as worship. The approach to the temple is by a long 
 lane, from twelve to fifteen feet wide, and is lined with 
 booths, stalls and shops, in which toys and articles of 
 
674 
 
 KWANON'S TEMPLE AT ASAKUSA. 
 
 ornament and the like are sold. It is always holiday 
 time here. The toys', dolls and all manner of playthings 
 are displayed in wonderful variety. The shops- are open 
 all along their fronts, and the toys are arranged on steps, 
 rising as they were farther and farther from the front, so 
 that everything in the shops could be seen at a glance. 
 The Japanese are a very domestic people, and think a 
 great deal of their children, and often when they go to 
 the temple to worship they take the children with them, 
 and purchase toys, games, puzzles or dolls for them at 
 these booths. Inside the temple-grounds are "tea- 
 houses," as they are called, whfere the people sit to quaff 
 the tea from tiny cups, while they listen to some inter- 
 esting tale, as it is told by the story-tellers. The story- 
 tellers are a regular profession in Japan. Jugglers and 
 gymnasts, painters and play-actors are doing their best 
 to amuse the worshipers. Little stands are erected, 
 where beans (Japanese peanuts) are being roasted, where 
 savory stews are being prepared, where barley sugar- 
 candy is being pulled, or where sweetmeats are being 
 prepared for little purchasers. It is astonishing td see 
 the manifold ways in which amusements are provided, 
 and all is in connect?on with the temple services. The 
 owners of the booths, etc., all pay a percentage of their 
 profits to the priests. Just before coming into the temple 
 proper, one passes through a huge red gateway, having a 
 compartment on each side of the doorway. In these 
 compartments are two gigantic wooden images, painted 
 red. They are two of the guardians of Heaven, defending 
 the passage-way, to keep out evil spirits. The idols are 
 protected by wire screens, such as are used to protect 
 store windows. To these gratings huge straw sandals 
 are tied. They are the offerings of the worshipers for 
 the use of the gods. On New Year's Eve the priests are 
 
NEW YEAR'S FROLIC IN JAPAN. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 677 
 
 BUDDHIST " NIO," OR TEMPLE GUARD. 
 
 placed on a platform, suspended in this doorway and 
 under the eyes of the gods. From this position they 
 distribute paper amulets to the people^ guaranteeing the 
 
gyg NEW YEAR'S FROLIC IN' JAPAN. 
 
 protection of Kwanon to such who shall be so fortunate 
 as to secure one. They throw them in the air, their 
 servants fanning them, so as to distribute them the more 
 thoroughly, and the great, surging crowds struggle in 
 their search of them. Inside the gateway are more 
 booths ; theSe are for the sale of the objects to be used in 
 worship — idols, rosaries, candles, domestic altars and the 
 like. Here, in a little stable on the left of the way, is an 
 Albino pony. This is for the use of the goddess Kwanon. 
 Eachmorningthe priests lead the pony before the goddess, 
 and ask her if she does not wish to take a ride. At a 
 large table near by, an old woman sells large beans, which 
 the pious worshiper buys and -give to the sacred white 
 horse for food. He has a priest to attend him. On 
 another table the worshiper purchases a small dish of 
 beans, which he throws on the ground, and immediately 
 flocks of pigeons sweep down and eat them. These are 
 sacred pigeons, to whom the right of using the temple and 
 all its buildings is given. Within the temple-grounds, and 
 surrounding the temple of Kwanon, are some forty or 
 fifty sacred buildings, temples and shrines, devoted to 
 the worship, of almost all the national god§ — shrines of' 
 Sanno, the juler-god ; Dai-Koku, the rice god ; Benten, 
 goddess of harmony ; Hachiman, god of war ; and even 
 of the fox are to be found here. The fox is worshiped 
 because of the mischief he can do. His litde chapel is on 
 the summit of a knoll ; just before it are two granite 
 images of the fox, representing him in a sitting posture, 
 with his eyes on every one approaching his sanctuary. 
 The faithful bow, cast their coins in the box placed here 
 for that purpose, kneel in prayer, hang up their offerings, 
 and turn away. Near the central temple is a seven- 
 stoned pagoda, symbolizing the supremacy of Buddhism. 
 From the eaves of each story are suspended wind-bells. ' 
 
yAfAt^ESE SUDDHISM. g^rt 
 
 We turn to ascend tKe copper-edged steps of the 
 central building. This is a plain wooden structure, built 
 with great solidity, and yet so planned as to be secure' 
 against the frequent earthquakes. Its massive sloping 
 roof of gray tiles sweeps up from either side. There' are 
 two main rooms in the temple, a sort of vestibule, where 
 the worshipers perform their ceremonies, and the screened 
 shrine of the goddess. The pigeons are perched about 
 the rafters, and the whole place is noisy and dirty. Huge 
 lanterns are suspended from the ceiling ; private shrines 
 are scattered here and there ; the walls are hung with 
 pictures' and white tablets. Around the great red columns 
 which support the ceiling, and on the wire screens before 
 the idols, are hung scores of braids of hair of men and 
 women, presented as offerings to Kwanon. The celling 
 is covered with paintings of scenes from Buddha's life. 
 The worshiper, as he enters, drops a coin in the lap of 
 an old woman, at the door, who puts a pinch of incense 
 on the fire burning in a brazier, and passes on to the 
 front of the altar to pray. The • great altar; on which is 
 the splendid gilt statue of Kwanon, is protected by a 
 wire screen. Before the screen is a large coffer, extend- 
 ing clear across the front of the altar, with bars across 
 its top. Into this, before engaging in prayer, each wor- 
 shiper casts a coin. Then he kneels, rubbing the palms 
 of the hands together, repeating his prayer and telling 
 his beads. Often one will buy from the priest a written 
 prayer, put it in the mouth and chew it into pulp and 
 then throw the " spit-ball " at the screen. If it sticks, he 
 believes that his prayer will be heard ; if it falls, he ex- 
 pects it to fail ! Men, women and children, shop-keepers 
 and soldiers, peasants and princes, country and city folks, 
 are all the time coming and going. After worshiping at 
 the main altar, the devotee often turns to the side altars 
 
68o 
 
 JAPANESE CONCEPTION ,0F klVAMl^. 
 
 or to some of the shrines. At the right of the altar sits an 
 ugly wooden idol, perched up on a table. He rivals even 
 the main altdr in the number of worshipers that throng 
 to touch him. He is the god Binzuru, one of Buddha's 
 
 sixteen disci- 
 ples who is're- 
 puted io cure 
 disease. It is 
 a pitiable sight 
 to see crowds 
 of blind, lame, 
 diseased,sickly 
 persons com- 
 ing in a long 
 string, eagerly 
 awaiting their 
 turn to touch 
 him; for if they 
 can but first 
 rubtheir hands 
 on him, and 
 then on the 
 diseased spot, 
 it is sure to 
 heal. Often a 
 group of moth- 
 ers, each with 
 a sickly little 
 babe on her 
 JAPANESE PICTURE OF KWANON. , back Carried 
 
 in Japanese fashion, between her inner and outer gar- 
 ments, will approach Binzuru. Reaching around, they take 
 the tiny hand of the sick child, and rub it on the face of 
 the idol. So constant has been the rubbing that the idol. 
 
^APA'NMS^ SUDDHISM. ggj 
 
 though made of hard wood, has lost all its features ; eyes, 
 nose, lips, ears are all rubbed away. Near by is a stand 
 where an old woman sells for the priest pictures, or small 
 shrines of Kwanon, which are exactly like the accompany- 
 ing pictures. 
 
 ' Behind the screen are many smaller idols and altars, 
 and an inclosed matted space, where those who choose 
 may, by paying an extra fee to the attendant priests, 
 enter and worship undisturbed. On high days and great 
 festival occasions, a space near the altar is fenced in, and 
 the priests, richly dressed, chant their prayers, while in- 
 cense is smoking and candles are flaring. The crowd 
 presses against the fence, and by making special gifts of 
 money, secure special prayers for themseflves, and extra 
 candles, representing such prayers, are placed on the 
 stand for them by the attendants. 
 
 To the left of the altar are placed, by the symbols of 
 the Shinto-worship, the mirror and white paper. This 
 enables all shades of opinion to be suited. 
 
 Outside the building are groves of plum and cherry 
 trees, which are esteemed not so much for their fruit as 
 for their blossoms. Here are carefully kept beds of 
 lotus, azaleas, chrysanthemums, and camellias and ever- 
 greens. These evergreens are dwarfed and trimmed into 
 all sorts of fanciful shapes, even while growing. Trees 
 many years old are made to represent cats, dogs, boats, 
 houses, wagons and other objects. Around the bases of 
 the idols of Buddha, scattered everywhere, are heaps of 
 small stones, representing prayers offered. A praying- 
 machine— a stone wheel set to run on a stone post — 
 stands close by. There is an exhibition of wax-works, 
 which would rival Madame Tussaud's, of London. These 
 are intended to depict various deliverances from dangers 
 and peril, wrought by Kwanon. 
 
582 TEMPLE OF SHIBA IN TOKIO. 
 
 
 TEMPLE OF SHIBA, IN TOKIO, JAPAN. 
 
 One of the finest temples of Japan was that of Shiba, 
 in Tokio- It was burned by a fanatic incendiary on the 
 
M' 'i ■■ <) .') 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 685 
 
 eve of New Year's Day, December 31st, 1874. For- 
 merly the visitor passed through an immense red gate- 
 way on the north side of the temple, and then passed 
 
 INTERIOR OF THE TEMPLE OF SHIBA. 
 
 along a wide avenue lined with, overhanging fir-trees. 
 After passing through another gateway, one enters a 
 large court-yard, in which were arranged 200 stone Ian- 
 
586 INTERIOR OF THE TEMPLE OF SIIIBA. 
 
 terns, each the gift of a Japanese prince, the head of a 
 clan. Going on through another carved and gilded 
 gateway, another court-yard is entered, having six large 
 gilt lanterns, each the gift of a prince of the royal family. 
 Then another gateway, more richly- carved and orna- 
 mented than the last, is passed, and the visitor stood be- 
 fore the handsome shrines. The lacquered steps lead 
 up tp gilt doors, which swing open upon a room covered 
 with the finest white matting. The walls, panels and 
 beams are covered with sculpture, There the great 
 altars rise up, resplendent witii golden lacquer and sculp- 
 ture. In caskets are placed the tablets of the deceased 
 shogouns and rulers. Images of Buddha and Kwanon 
 are scattered about. One of these idols represents 
 Buddha on his death-bed. For many years the mikado 
 lived in Kioto, secluded from the sight of the people. 
 The real ruler was called shogoun (in later days, termed 
 tycoon). This functionary lived in Yedo or Tokio. He 
 was accustomed to worship at Shiba. On the great 
 festival occasions he proceeded there with an immense 
 retinue, and the services were performed with great 
 magnificence. 
 
 There are very many idols and shrines in the Country 
 places, as well as in the cities. In every hamlet, by the 
 road-sides, among the rice-fields, by the sea-shor-e, on the 
 hill-top9, by the running streams, in groves of trees or 
 in niches of the rocks. Generally, the temples are placed 
 in elevated positions ; these are reached by long flights 
 of steps. Just outside of Tokio, and commanding a fine 
 view of the city, is the hill called Atagosa Yama. One 
 hundred steps lead to the top of this hill ; there, amid the 
 clumps of cedar and Jsaniboo, are two idols, formerly 
 much worshiped. They are both Buddhas ; the one is^ 
 standing on a lotus-flower; the other is sitting on a tortoise. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 687 
 
 Kobe is the sea-port town of Osaka. High iip on a 
 mountain-peak, near the city, is a famous temple built by 
 Jingu Kogo, the Amazonian empress of Japan, after her 
 return from invading Corea. Many hundreds of pilgrims 
 visit it annually. In Kobe is the shrine of a hero, much 
 loved and honored by the Japanese. This is one of the 
 means used by the Buddhist priests to intrench them- 
 selves ahd their religion in the affections of the people. 
 Immediately, on the death of any hero or noted person- 
 age, they propose erecting a shrine or a monument to ' 
 him, thus cfrawing the devotions of the people anew to 
 that particular shrine, and through it, to their faith. 
 
 TEMPLE OF FIVE HUNDRED GODS. 
 
 The temples of the 500 disciples of Buddha are among 
 the most celebrated in Japan. Of these, there are several 
 — one in Asakusa, and one in Honjo. In one of- these, 
 near the main image of Buddha, is an idol of Hachiman, 
 having three eyes, horns, hoofs and long hair — a curious 
 combination. In each corner, in iron cages, are the gods 
 Daikoku and Yebisu. Yebisu is the god of daily food, 
 and has a fish under his arm ; Daikoku, god of wealth, 
 sits on two sacks of rice, with a mallet in his hand, which, 
 when he shakes it, is supposed to send wealth to'„the 
 worshipers. Great numbers of strips of paper, with 
 prayers written on them, are tied to the railing before 
 ithese gods, and this indicates their popularity. These 
 images are found in almost every household, and receive 
 daily worship. The idols are seated under a scroll, on 
 their throne. Shallow dishes containing oil with floating 
 wicks, are placed on either side and lighted. On low 
 tables are placed loaves of mochi, made of glutinous rice- 
 flour and fishes, and vases containing scrolls.^ The head 
 of the family, kneeling between the tall candlerstick, pre- 
 42 
 
588 OTHER TEMPLES OF JAPAN'. 
 
 sents, each, morning before breakfast, a cup of tea or saki 
 — a very common drink, brewed from the rice, accom- 
 panied with a dish of rice. 
 
 In the Temple of the Five Hundred Gods, there are, 
 besides these gods, a statue of Kwanon and images of the 
 five hundred, of Buddha's disciples. On a throne of 
 weather-stained rocks and pieces of volcanic rock and 
 lava, is a colossal image of Buddha, seated on the lotus- 
 flower. On either side of him is a statue of an elephant 
 and of a lion. Next to Buddh?. is the statue of the dis- 
 ciple who collected all of Buddha's saying^; next, the 
 disciple who never forgot anything his master taught 
 him, and so on through all the list. Away in the rear is 
 the black image of Yema, the god of hell. 
 
 In this representation of the Buddhistic hell Yema sits . 
 upon his throne behind a table, as the Japanese pictures 
 put him, with his pencil in hand, ready to write out the 
 sentence of the condemned. On either side are those 
 who keep ,the records of the misdeeds of men, and, in 
 front, the executioner ready to cast the condemned man 
 from his boat into the lake of fire. In the future state, 
 there are, according to the teaching of the Buddhist 
 priests, eight modes of torture. "First, the wicked are 
 alternately beaten and resuscitated ; secondly, they are 
 dragged limb from limb, chopped to pieces, pounded in a 
 mortar, sawn or planed into various shapes, eyes gouged 
 out, and the tongue and nails are plucked out ; in 4;he 
 third, the crowd of the wicked are beaten about like animals 
 in a pen ; the fourth is weeping; the fifth, is great lamen- 
 tation ; the sixth, burning and roasting; the seventh, hills 
 covered with large needles, over which the wicked are 
 driven ; the eighth, being thrown into the bottomless pit 
 of perdition." These are specimens of the terrors which 
 heathenism holds over its followers. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 691 
 
 THE CASTING OF A TEMPLE BELL. 
 
 Osaka is the greatest commercial city of Japan. In it 
 are many temples. One of the most beautiful sounds 
 
 
 BELFRY OF THE TEMPLE AT OSAKA, JAPAN. 
 
 the traveler ever hears, as he travels in Asia, is the 
 sound of the temple bells of Japan. They are very large, 
 
69 '2 Casting of the temple bMLL. 
 
 and generally sounded by striking a suspended beam 
 .against the bell. Some of these bells are ten feet high. 
 On their sides are cast or engraven texts from the Bud- 
 dhist sacred books, images of Buddha or Kwanon, or of 
 heavenly bdngs. The bell was stuck on a knob on its 
 side by the small tree-trunk. Few sounds are sweeter 
 than the quivering, mellow tones of the Japanese temple 
 bells. The balls are often, as in Osaka, placed in sepa- 
 rate buildings, built for them ; this was to give a better 
 effect to the sounds. The occasion of the casting of a 
 bell was one of great public rejoicing. Offerings of 
 money or jewelry, or utensils of tin, copper, silver or 
 gold were brought by men and women. "When metal 
 enough, and in proper proportion, had been amassed, 
 crucibles were made, earth-furnaces dug, the moulds 
 fashioned, and huge bellows — worked by standing men 
 at each end, like a se(&-saw — were mounted ; and, after 
 due prayers and consultations, the auspicious day was 
 appointed. The place selected was usually a hill or 
 elevated place. The people, in their gayest dress, as- 
 sembled in picnic parties, and with song, and dance, and 
 feast waited while the workmen, in festal uniform, toiled, 
 and the priests, in canonical robes, watched. The . fires 
 were lighted, the bellows oscillated, the blast roared, and 
 the crucibles were brought to the proper heat and the 
 contents to fiery fluidity, the joy of the crowd increasing 
 as each stage in the process was announced. When the 
 molten flood was finally poured into the mould, the ex- 
 citement of the spectators reached the height of uncon- 
 trollable enthusiasm. Another pecuniary harvest was 
 reaped by the priests before the crowds dispersed, by the 
 sale of staipped kerchiefs or paper containing a holy 
 text, or certifying to the presence of the purchaser at the 
 ceremony, and the blessing of the gods upon him there- 
 
*}Ai'ANESE BUtoDillsM. 
 
 ^93 
 
 for. Such a tok«in .became an heirloom ; and the child 
 who ever afterward heard the solemn boom of the bell 
 at matin or evening, was constrained by filial, as well as 
 by holy motives, to obey and reverence its admonitory 
 call." Such devotion to the idol-worship is not so fre- 
 quently seen to-day, as skepticism is becoming prevalent 
 
 THE COLiOS-SaL IDOL, THE ICAMAKURA DAI BUTSU. 
 
 There is a gigantic image about two miles from Kama- 
 kura, and twenty miles from Yokohama. The colossal 
 idolof Buddha here (see frontispiece) is of bronze, and, 
 though sitting in Oriental style, is forty-four feet high, and 
 including the terrace on which it sits, is sixty-five feet. 
 It is probably the most finished work of art the Japanese 
 possess, regarded both for its beauty and the religious 
 sentiment it expresses. After leaving Kamakura,'with its 
 wonderful old temples, the road'passes out amdng the rice 
 fields, down toward the shore washed by the waves of 
 the Pacific Ocean. Every here and there torii, or birds' 
 rests, as they are called, great gate-ways, modeled after 
 those before the topes in India, are placed. They con- 
 sist of two upright shafts of stone, about ten or twelve 
 feet high, with cross-pieces on their tops bending up- 
 wards at the ends, and extending beyond the uprights, 
 and a square cross-piece about a foot from the top run- 
 ning from shaft to shaft. Knowing the immensity, of the 
 statue, the visitor for the first time is on the lookout for 
 it. But its builders have used great judgment in placing 
 it, for it is not to be seen until one reaches the most fa- 
 vorable spot. After passing through the red gate-way, 
 with its Gog and Magog, the- giant idols, on either side, 
 the road seems to end in a clump of trees. However, it 
 passes around the trees, and there, right from the best 
 place to see the idol favorably, there right before him it 
 
694 
 
 THE KaMAKURA DAI BUTSV. 
 
 sits. There is an irresistible charm about it ; the fea- 
 tures oi" the face are in such perfect harmony, the gar- 
 ments are so simple, the face is so serene and benevolent 
 in its contemplative ecstasy, and the whole pose of the 
 figure so well executed. The hills, clad with evergreens, 
 gently slope together in the background, and all the 
 buildings, dwellings for priests, etc., are so dexterously 
 concealed by the foliage. The place is si?ent, and time 
 has so tempered the bronze idol itself and the stones of 
 the terrace, that the whole effect is grand, and compels 
 admiration. 
 
 But, while the whole scene inspires one with a sense of 
 its beauty and grandeur, it saddens one to think that after 
 all it is an idol. Even while one stops to study its 
 beauty he is jostled by the pilgrims with their white gar- 
 ments, broad hats, little bells fastened to their girdles 
 and their staves, as they come bowing and rising alter- 
 nately, till they get near to the idol. The idol is made 
 of bronze plates, nicely united, though time and the 
 weather have somewhat exposed some of these joints. 
 In front of it are vases with bronze lotus 'lilies, and a 
 bronze brazier where incense is burned day by day for 
 the benefit of pilgrims. 
 
 The image is hollow, and inside smaller idols are ranged. 
 A window in his shoulder lets in the light. His ears are 
 large, as are the ears of almost all idols, and the head is 
 covered with representations of snail-shells, to protect 
 him from the sun. The idol was cast and erected about 
 six hundred years ago. At first a building inclosed it, 
 but it was soon destroyed, and for nearly six centuries 
 past he has been exposed to wind and rain, and snow 
 and frost, to earthquake and typhoon, and yet he is there 
 unharmed, and widely admired and adored by hundreds 
 of devout worshipers. 
 
STREET MOUNTEBANKS IN A JAPANESE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. gQ„ 
 
 THE FAMOUS TEMPLE OF THE GREAT BUDDHA, AT NARA. 
 
 " Long ere great Buddha strode 
 
 Upon his calm, colossal, godlike way 
 O'er the broad rolling rivers of Cathay, 
 By the Corean road, 
 
 "And stepping stormy seas 
 
 Hither, to mount the golden lotus throne, 
 O Nara, there to rule and muse alone, 
 Through lingering centuries." 
 
 As usual in approaches to Japanese temples, thet-^ At<c 
 several shops near to the temple itself. In the centre of 
 the large open space between the lesser gateway and the 
 temple is an immense and very old bronze lantern, Idrge 
 enough for a man to stand in. This lantern was pre- 
 sented to the temple by the renowned hero and states- 
 man, Yoritomo, who died in the year 1 1 99, and is 700 
 years old. It is in daily use still. This temple was 
 originally founded, and the immense image made, by the 
 Mikado Shomu, the forty-sixth of the present line of em- 
 perors, and the third of Nara, who died 748 A. D. The 
 temple was destroyed 700 years ago, in the terrible civil 
 ivars of the twelfth century, and again seriously injured, 
 so that the head of the god had to be recast, in the seven- 
 teenth century. The great gateway, however, with most 
 of the other buildings of the great temple; have escaped 
 such injuries, and, although constructed of wood, have 
 stood as they now stand for more than eleven centuries. 
 
 The interest of this place centres in the great god of 
 gold and bronze, which has been the wonder of Japan for 
 so many ages past. It has been positively stated by some 
 that a considerable amount of gold entered into his com- 
 position ; but those on the spot seem to be uncertain as 
 to whether the gold employed in making him was mixed 
 
698 
 
 TEMPLE OF THE GREAT BUDDHA. 
 
 with the bronze of which he is cast, or applied superticially 
 to him. That much has been applied in the latter way 
 there can be no doubt ; and in places in which the gold 
 is visible, and which I closely examined, it seemed to me 
 th^t it conformed to an external line of ornament in each 
 case, which would indicate that it was superficial only. 
 
 JAPANESE IDEA OF THE JUDGE OF HELL. 
 
 The dimensions of this god are truly colossal. His 
 height from the base of the lotus-flower, on which he sits, 
 to the top of his head is sixty-three and one-half feet; 
 and above this rises an aureole fourteen feet wide, above 
 which again rises for several feet the flame-like glory 
 which arches in the whole figure. The face proper is 
 
THE CAWNPORE MEMORIAL. This monument recalls the awful events of the 
 Sepoy mutiny of 1857. By the order of the Mohammedan leader, scores of helpless 
 English women and wounded men were butchered and the bodies of dead and living were 
 flung into a well. Over this well the beautiful monument has been erected by the English 
 Government. It evermore keeps in mind deeds of patient Heroism and of awful suffering. 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 701 
 
 sixteen feet long ; its width, nine and one-half feet. The 
 eyes are three feet nine inches long ; the eyebrows, five 
 and one-half feet ; the ears, eight and one-half feet. The 
 chest is twenty feet in depth. Its middle finger is five 
 feet long. Around the head, shoulders and sides of the 
 god, in front of the aureole, are sixteen sitting figures, 
 said to be eight feet long. The leaves of the immense 
 lotus on which he sits are each ten feet long and six feet 
 wide, and there are fifty-six of them. The casting must 
 have been wonderfully well executed, although the fine- 
 ness of the leaf-edges, and other parts which we were 
 able to examine, and the elaborate engraving which can 
 be traced upon the lotus-leaves in the uninjured parts, 
 leaves no doiibt that the founder's art was elaborately 
 supplemented by the file and graver. The countenance 
 of the god is less mild ' and calm of expression than is 
 usual in images of Buddha. The right hand is open and 
 raised upwards ; the left rests on the lap. 
 
 SOME JAPANESE GODS. 
 
 Many of the gods of Shintoism have been adopted by 
 the Buddhists. Hotel's image is carved into the shape 
 of buttons, and used for holding the pipe in the girdle 
 (a Nitsuki). Inari, the rice-god, and his companion, 
 Kitsune, the fox, are worshiped. A very great many 
 superstitions are connected with the fox. If one is sick, 
 he is said to have a fox in him, and a priest is sent for, 
 who, by beating a drum — at, say, three beats each half 
 minute all night long — will drive him out. He is the 
 cause of a thousand ills to the people. He is reverenced 
 because he is sdpposed to' be the most cunning creature 
 in creation. Kitsune becomes by turns a sacred, amus- 
 ing, perfidious, diabolical personage. One superstitious 
 notion is, that if the traveler fail to honor the fox before 
 
ttQ^ &OME JAPANMSM FESTip-AL^. 
 
 his journey, he, Kitsune, will take revenge by causln|[ 
 will-o'-the-wisps to spring up all over the rice-swamps, anrl 
 so mislead the traveler, and prolong his journey indefi 
 nitely. This lighting the will-o'-the-wisp is called the Fesi 
 tival of the Foxes, and is shown in the opposite picture. 
 
 v 
 
 I SOME JAPANESE FESTIVALS. 
 
 New Year's day is observed in Japan with many cere 
 monies. On the day before all accounts are squared, 
 new clothing is bought, and the people prepare to spend 
 the morrow with great joy. The Chinese seek to drive 
 the devils out of their houses by exploding fire-crackers. 
 The Japanese have a feast on New Year's Eve, and 
 when the merriment is almost over, the head of the 
 house takes a dish of beans and goes all over the house, 
 throwing the beans in every corner; in this way they 
 thihk they drive out the devils, and when they are all 
 out, they place a sacred piece of paper, which they have 
 purchased from the priest, on the door, to prevent their 
 re-entering. On New Year's day the streets are alive 
 with the people. It is the holiday of the nation, and the 
 temples are thronged with the gay worshipers and dex- 
 terous jugglers. ' I 
 
 We will let an eye-witness describe a Matsuri, or fes- 
 tival scene. He writes from Osaka: "The other day a 
 procession passed our door, which you,' perhaps, would 
 like to hear of. We heard a din, a Babel of voices, 
 growing louder and louder, and on going to the door 
 saw a crowd approaching, composed largely of boys be- 
 tween five and ten years of age, though some men were 
 among them. The first fifty or more werye;, dressed in 
 uniform colors, a suit of red and white, in squares of 
 about an inch and a half, the red being a dominant color, 
 looking, indeed, like circus clowns. Each person had a 
 
FESTIVAL OF THE FOXES, 
 
 This is % supposed freak of the foxes in order to mislead travelera who do not honor them. Will-o'-the- 
 wisps are regarded as originating in this way. 
 
cloth tied around his head, with apparently a paper stuck 
 in it, and a paper fan in his hand. They were dancing 
 
7o6 
 
 A JAPANESE RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL. 
 
 A JAPANESE MATSURI, OR RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL. 
 
 along, striking their hands, or perhaps each other, with 
 the fan, and singing and chatting. The men especially 
 
JAPANESE EUDDmsM. 
 
 707 
 
 were cutting up queer antics. Some of the boys had 
 bells hung to their girdles. Then came g, lot of older 
 persons, dressed in blue and white garments. Perhaps 
 a hundred and fifty in all. Last of all came a triumphal 
 car, a miniature temple, or shrine, with a man in it. They 
 were having a jolly time altogether." 
 
 Another festival is that of the god Tengou. The Japa- 
 nese mariner knows no festival so attractive as that of 
 which the sea is the theatre. When the sea-side inhab- 
 itants of Sinagawa, at Tokio, celebrate the anniversary 
 of their favorite deity, Tengou, they believe that they 
 best show their affection for the idol by transporting it 
 into the sea. While the veterans of the priesthood and 
 their servants attend to the annual puri^cation of the 
 temple and its furniture, the most vigorous of the priests 
 take upon their shoulders the frame on which the shrine 
 or Mikosi rests. When they have reached the shore, 
 they lay aside their sacerdotal vestments, and in good 
 order plunge through the waves. Meanwhile the crowds 
 of fishermen, who follow them with tumultuous shouts, 
 encircle the cortege; seize with their strong arms the 
 sacred abode of the god ; raise it above the lacquered 
 caps of the priests ; and in spite of the efforts, real or 
 pretended, of its official guardians, who struggle against 
 the crowd in the midst of the waves, the tottering, but 
 still upright shrine in the hands of the people accom- 
 plishes its maritime pilgrimage. 
 
 This ceremonial takes place on the sixth day of the 
 sixth month, which is about the end of our July. It lasts, 
 with its different rites, to the eighth day, when, to con- 
 clude, the priests distribute to their flocks branches of 
 trees laden with fruit in the condition in which the people 
 most like it — that is to say, when it has scarcely arrived 
 at maturity. 
 
7o8 
 
 SNOW-CROWNED MOUNT fUjr. 
 
 THE SACRED MOUNTAUST, FUJI, 
 
 One of the grandest sights to be seen in all the world 
 is the view of the great Sacred Mountain of Japan, Fuji- 
 Yama. The writer will never forget the impression it 
 made upon hjm. It rises in all its lonely majesty to a 
 height of 1 3,080 feet high. Its beautifully sweeping sides 
 rise, cone-like, from the almost level lands surrounding 
 its base. It is no wonder that the mountain is so dear 
 
 FUJISAN, FROM A VILLAGE ON THE TOKAIDO. 
 
 to the heart of every Japanese. On almost all their 
 works of art, in bronze or lacquer-ware, Mount Fuji is 
 drawn or wrought. Long before the sun has lighted the 
 earth below at the sun-rise, and long after the hills and 
 valleys are shrouded in the darkness of the coming night, 
 Fuji's snow-crowned summit is aglow with light; the huge 
 cone rising high above the clouds, sublime, colossal and 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. «qq 
 
 beautiful in its ruddy purple. To this mountain the Jap- 
 anese are accustomed to make pilgrimages. All who 
 have visited Fuji-Yama in pilgrimage wear a little bell 
 attached to their girdle, in addition to their pilgrim suit. 
 Longfellow has introduced into his Poems of Places, in 
 the volumes on Asia, the following translation of a Jap- 
 anese poem on Fuji: 
 
 "Heaven above from earth below 
 Long ago the gods have parted, 
 Henceforth hiding far from men. 
 Round the hoary peak sublimely 
 Towering o'er Suruga's land, 
 Fuji's venerated mountain, 
 All the wide-arched azure sky 
 Though thou search with wistful gaze 
 Of the hastening sun's bright track. 
 Not a glimpse shalt thou enjoy ; 
 Nor of gentlier beaming moon 
 Hail the shadow-fringing shimmer: 
 Fleecy clouds are hovering, 
 Hovering round the high, bare summit, 
 Veiling it from mortal ken. 
 Hath thereon the white snow fallen; 
 Would'st thou of the lofty gods 
 Know the annals, only Fuji 
 Can the secret story tell thee." 
 
 CUSTOMS CONCERNING BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 
 
 With but a very few exceptions the Japanese Bud- 
 ihists are intensely superstitious. Some of the young 
 men of Japan, who have come in contact with foreigners, 
 have given up their superstitions ; but the rest of the 
 people, more especially the peasants, hold a firm faith in 
 a multitude of superstitious customs. These touch upon 
 the most insignificant occupations of every-day^ life, as 
 well as upon birth, marriage and death. 
 
yjQ BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 
 
 When a child is thirty days old it is taken to the temple 
 of its parents' gods, and, with the assistance of the priest, 
 a name is chosen. Three names are selected by the 
 parents, and written on slips of paper. These slips are 
 tossed in the air by the priest, while he mumbles incanta- 
 tions, and the first slip that falls to the floor is believed' 
 to contain the name chosen by the gods for the little babe. 
 The priest then writes this name on a piece of sacred 
 paper, and it is given' to the parents as a talisman. 
 
 In a few of the Buddhist sects, the priest assist at the 
 marriage, but in the great majority of cases he has no 
 part to perform there. At the marriage ceremony neither 
 bride nor bridegroom can wear any garment containing 
 purple color. The Japanese believe that to do this would 
 be most fatal ; for as purple is the color which fades most 
 readily, so the marriage of those who wear purple would 
 come to an end speedily. The Japanese marriage cere- 
 mony is a very simple one, and is rather singular, because 
 religion finds no place in it. When the bride and bride- 
 groom and their friends are gathered together, a small 
 cup is filled with the native wine, which a chosen friend 
 hands to the bride, who drinks from it, and then passes 
 it to the bridegroom ; he passes it back, after drinking, 
 and thus it passes back and forth .between the two a few 
 times until it is emptied, and this constitutes them man 
 and wife. The Japanese say that it is thus, that, as hus- 
 band and wife, they must drink of the same cup of sorrow 
 or of joy. The writings of Confucius, are the basis of 
 many of the laws of Japan. According to these, among 
 the seven causes for divorce is the one: "If she talk too 
 much." Every heathen religion lowers women to a posi- 
 tion far below that of man. In India, woman's lot is the 
 ^ saddest, and in Japan, probably the happiest of all heathen 
 countries, According to BuddhisjTi i:here is no salvation 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. yu 
 
 for a woman unless she is born over again as a man. 
 The nature-worship of Japan gives to woman a much 
 higher place than Buddhism does. Two things tend to 
 cause the degradation of women in Japan. The one is 
 the custom of having many wives ; the other is the de- 
 mands of parental obedience. In Japan, according to Bud- 
 dhist teaching, a girl must obey her father in everything, 
 and no exception is allowed. Hence it not infrequently 
 happens that the father commands his child to enter upon 
 a life of sin, that he may make money by it. The daughter 
 is bound to do as she is bidden, and thus the greatest 
 evil that can come upon a woman is brought upon her 
 under the direction of a heathen system. But, thank 
 God, noble Christian women have gone forth from our 
 own and other Christian lands, and by their teachings 
 and examples have done much to better the condition of 
 the women of Japan and a brighter day is rapidly dawn- 
 ing upon them. 
 
 From the moment when a person dies in Japan, re- 
 ligious ceremonies are performed in the house of the 
 deceased until the body is removed to the grave. Priests 
 are immediately sent for, who light the candles and in- 
 cense-sticks before the household gods, and-who recite 
 their prayers. The priests, carrying their rosaries, head 
 the funeral procession as it goes to the temple. The 
 nearest relatives are dressed in white, and carry various 
 objects formerly used by the deceased. The square 
 coffin is set down in the temple before the altar, and re- 
 ligious services are performed, with more or less pomp, 
 according to the wealth of those who fee the priests for 
 the services. Very frequently, the bodies are then burned, 
 and the ashes placed in an urn ; at other times, the bodies 
 are buried. After a time, the nearest relative of the dead 
 person buys from the priest a long, narrow board or tab- 
 
-J 2 SOME* JAPANESE SUPERSTITIONS: 
 
 let, containing the new name of the deceased. This is 
 placed on the grave. Fresh flowers and evergreens are 
 kept on the tomb-stones in bamboo vases for a long time. 
 The relatives resort to the tombs for worship ; praying, 
 sometimes, to the deceased, asking his aid, or at other 
 times y»? the deceased, that he maybe freed from the 
 pains of purgatory. In either case they are very devout 
 
 SOME JAPANESE SUPERSTITIONS, 
 
 Scattered all over Japan are trees, which are specially 
 devoted to the gods, or Kami, as. they are called in Jap- 
 anese. Often they twist some rice-straw into a rope, and 
 bind it around the base of a tree to indicate its sacred- 
 ness. Like the Greeks of old, the Japanese imagine that 
 the mountains and valleys, the rills and rivers, the rocks 
 and trees, are all filled with spirits. They tell tales of 
 trees shedding blood, or giroaning in agony, when the 
 woodman cut them with his axe. Some trees, we are 
 told, are believed to have wonderful power to attract men 
 to commit, suicide ; this is because they are possessed by 
 evil spirits. Other trees are noted for the shelter they 
 afford in storms, for the protection they furnish when 
 flying from enemies ; these are supposed to be inhabited 
 by good and helping spirits. Many customs among 
 Christian nations, so-called, are decidedly superstitious. 
 For example, it is counted unlucky in some parts of 
 America to spill salt, to break a looking-glass, to have 
 thirteen people sit down at table together; and many are 
 the stories, undoubtedly true, it is declared, which are told 
 to illustrate the certainty with which evils follow these 
 signs. So in Japan there are many such superstitious 
 signs and customs, some of them just the opposite of ' 
 signs in other lands. These signs ■ are almost innumer- 
 able, and concern the actions of every day. Many are 
 
JAPANESE BUDDHISM. 
 
 715 
 
 the fairy tales and ghost stories which the 0-Baa-San, or 
 grandmother, teUs to the children as they gather around 
 the fire-box at night, and which send thepi shivering and 
 shaking to bed. Some of the superstitious customs, 
 however, are not revolting, but are very beautiful. Mr. 
 Griffis, an American teacher in Japan, tells us one of this 
 better kind. It is called " The Mother's Memorial." It is 
 
 JrZS^ 
 
 popular with all 
 classes, being 
 often used by 
 the Shintoists 
 as well as the 
 Buddhists. He 
 writes thus: "A 
 sight not often 
 met with in the 
 cities, but in the 
 suburban and 
 country places 
 as frequent as 
 the cause of it 
 requires, is the 
 nagare kanjo 
 (flowing invo- 
 cation) . A piece 
 of cotton-cloth 
 
 is suspended by its four corners to stakes set 
 ground near a brook or rivulet. Behind this is 
 
 THE FLOWING INVOCATION. 
 
 m the 
 a high, 
 
 narrow board, notched near the top, and having an in- 
 scription written upon it. Resting by the brookside is 
 a wooden dipper. Perhaps, upon the four corners, in the 
 hollow ends of the upright bamboo stakes, may be set 
 bouquets of flowers. The inscriptions and flowers are 
 like those set up upon graves. Waiting long enough, 
 
/ 
 
 7l5 RELIGION OF HIE AINOS. 
 
 perchance but a few minutes, there may be seen a passer 
 who pauses, and, devoutly offering a prayer, with the aid 
 of his rosary, reverently dips a ladleful of water, pours it 
 on the cloth, and waits until it has strained through, be- 
 fore moving on. All this, when the significance is under- 
 stood, is very touching. It is a silent appeal to the 
 passer-by, by the love of Heaven, to shorten the penal- 
 ties of a soul in pain. The Japanese believe that the 
 mother dying in child-bed, suffers, by such a death, for 
 some sin committed long ago. After death, they say, 
 she sinks into a hell, until this ' flowing invocation ' ceases, 
 by the wearing out of the symbolic cloth. When this is 
 so utterly worn that the water no longer drips through, 
 but falls through at once, the mother's soul is delivered 
 from her sufferings. But in addition to the sadness that 
 this superstition brings upon us, as we think of the delu- 
 sion this people rest under, there is a feeling of indigna- 
 tion awakened as we learn that these cloths can only be 
 purchased from a priest, and that for much money a cloth 
 can be bought, so thin in the middle, that the water soon 
 runs through, while the poor person must be content 
 with a cloth that it will take a long while to wear out." 
 
 RELIGION OF THE AINOS. 
 
 To the north of ,the main island of Japan, and almost 
 touching it, lies the island of Yezzo. The people of 
 Yezzo are called Ainos ; they are savages in their man- 
 ner of life, though their disposition is kind and their 
 manner gentle. 
 
 The following account of Ainos, worship, particularly 
 the strange "sacrifice of the bear," is from Mr. J. J. Enslie, 
 Consul at Hakodate, 1 861-3: 
 
 " The religious creed of the Ainos is the ancient Japa- 
 nese 'Shintoism,' or the adoration of the Kamis. Their 
 
' ^-^ --- 1^1 
 
 rulers have made many attempts to convert them to 
 Buddhism; but the only result of these endeavors is 
 that the Ainos now rub their hands together as a form 
 of worship before their gods, instead of raising the hands 
 above the head as they formerly did. There is a slight 
 difference between the symbols of Japanese and Aino 
 Shintoism — the former exhibiting a looking-glass and a 
 variety of white paper ornaments, while the latter use a 
 polished stone and garlands made of a peculiar descrip- 
 tion of very white wood. The Ainos, however, have 
 numerous festivals totally distinct from Shintoism. The 
 grandest and most solemn of these festivals is undoubt- 
 edly the Sacrifice of the Bear, for which animal the Ainos 
 entertain a strange sort of veneration. 
 
 " The savage denizen of the forest destined to be ex- 
 alted to the position of a god is reared from a cub by 
 the village chief, and the female most distinguished in 
 rank and beauty enjoys the honor of being its wet- 
 nurse. As soon as the bear is two years old, he is car- 
 ried in a cage to an eminence (previously consecrated 
 for the ceremony), amid shouts of joy and the most in- 
 harmonious concert of various noises ever heard ; while 
 from time to time the bereft nurse utters the most 
 piercing and heartrending cries, expressive of her 
 poignant grief. After this uproar has continued for 
 some time, the chief of the village approaclaes the bear, 
 and with an arrow gives him the first wound. The ani- 
 mal, previously maddened by the din around him, now 
 becomes furious, the cage is opened, and he springs 
 out into the midst of the assemblage. Then,, at a sig- 
 nal given by the children of the nurse, everybody in 
 the crowd wounds him with the various weapons they 
 have brought with them, each one striving to inflict a 
 wound: as all believe that he who fails to wound the 
 
7i8 
 
 RELIGION OF THE AINOS. 
 
 beat has no claim to any favor from the new Kami, or 
 god. As soon as the poor animal falls down exhausted 
 from Ae loss of blood, his head is cut off, and the arrows, 
 speaifs, knives, sticks, and in fact all the weapons by 
 which he has been-wounded, are solemnly presented to 
 the headless trunk by the village patriarch, who requests 
 the bear to avenge himself upon the weapons by which 
 he has been insulted and slain. The severed head is 
 then afifixed to the trunk, and the dead bear is car- 
 ried to the altar, where the Rama Matsouri (the sacrifice 
 of the bear) commences amid various solemnities, such as 
 singing, music, and offerings consisting of everything 
 the Ainos most esteem. The nurse meanwhile deals 
 blows with the branch of a tree upon every one who has 
 taken part in the bear's death. The flesh is then dis- 
 tributed among the people, and the head is placed upon a 
 pole opposite the hut of the chief, where it is left to 
 decay. 
 
 " The Ainos entertain great fear and profound respect 
 for strength and courage; and this is the cause of their 
 veneration for the bear — the strongest and fiercest ani- 
 mal known to them. Their most energetic comparison 
 is the bear. A man is 'strong as a bear,' 'fierce as a 
 bear,' etc. The bear is the burden of their national 
 songs, and, in a word, this animal is the symbol of every- 
 thing they think worthy of respect. To compare an Aino 
 with a bear is the surest plan to gain his friendship ; and 
 it must be acknowledged that the merit the Ainos attach 
 to the bear is more or less deserved, as the Yezzo bear 
 is the finest specimen of his species." 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 Utter the scng, O my soul ! the flight and return of Mohammed, 
 Prophet and priest, who scattered abroad both evil and blessing, 
 Huge wasteful empires founded, and hallowed slow persecution. 
 Soul-withering, but crushed the blasphemous rites of the Pagan. 
 
 Samuel Taylor Coleridge. 
 
 THE story of the idol worship of the world would 
 not be complete without having described that 
 system of religion which began as an opposition 
 to all idolatry. This was the motive that led Mohammed 
 to start on his career of destroying idols, and compelling 
 their worshipers, at the sword's point, to believe in the 
 one God. Add to this the fact that this religion has ex- 
 tended far beyond the bounds of its birthplace, and it 
 will be seen to be well worthy of our attention. 
 
 EXTENT OF MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 There are from 1 50,000,000 to 1 80,000,000 of Moham- 
 medans, or Moslems (as they are sometimes called), in 
 the world. These are found in the south-east corner of 
 Europe, and are Scattered over Asia and Africa. Arabia 
 and Turkey are the Mohammedan countries, though in 
 Egypt and India, and even in Chirja, they are to be, found 
 by the hundreds of thousands. This system is a prose- 
 lyting one, and thus has come - to spread so widely. 
 Starting with but a handful, of disciples, the followers of 
 Mohammed include more than one-tenth of the human 
 race. Its believers are true, strong believers, holding 
 
y2o EXTENT OF MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 their faith with firmness and fervor. For hundreas of 
 years they have been trying to bring the world to the 
 faith embodied in their motto, "God is God, and Mo- 
 hammed is His Prophet." , Formerly, in great armies, 
 they swept over Asia and Africa, making their proselytes 
 at the point of the sword ; to-day they borrow Christian 
 methods, and Moslem missionaries go forth to preach the 
 Koran (their sacred book), and thus seek to extend the 
 dominion of Mohammed. In their university at Cairo, 
 10,000 students are gathered to-day, preparing to 
 go as the missionaries of the Moslem faith. A cele- 
 brated traveler describes this university thus: "This 
 university is 900 years old (older than Oxford), and still 
 flourishes with as much vigor as in the palmy days of 
 the Arabian Conquest. There I saw collected together 
 10,000 students. As one expressed it, 'there were two 
 acres of turbans,' assembled in a vast inclosure, with no 
 floor but a pavement, and with a roof over it, supported 
 by 400 columns, and at the foot of every column a 
 teacher, surrounded by his pupils. As we entered, there 
 rose a hum of thousands of voices, reciting the Koran. 
 These students are not only from Egypt, but from all 
 parts of Africa, from Morocco to Zanzibar. They come 
 from far up the Nile, from Nubia and Soudan ; and from 
 Darfour, beyond the great desert, and from the western 
 coast of Africa. Asia, too, is largely represented in stu- 
 dents from Western Asia, from Turkey, Arabia and Per- 
 sia ; and from Central Asia, from Khiva, and Bokhara, 
 and Turkistan, and Afghanistan, and the borders of 
 China. They live on the charities of the faithful ; and 
 when their studies are ended, those who are to be mis» 
 sionaries mount their camels, and, joining a caravan, cross 
 the desert, and are lost in the far interior of Africa." And 
 there, we should say, they meet our no less faithful and 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 721 
 
 ardent Christian missionaries, who are laboring to elevate 
 the depraved Africans. These carry to a happy comple- 
 tion the very imperfect work which Moslem missionaries 
 are able to perform. 
 
 Now let us turn to the story of the man who founded 
 Mohammedanism. 
 
 THE ARABIAN CAMEL-DRIVER WHO FOUNDED A GREAT 
 RELIGION. 
 
 The descendants of Ishmael and of Abraham have in- 
 habited uninterruptedly a land inclosed by the Red Sea, 
 the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates River 
 and the land of Syria. There are a few fertile valleys 
 and excellent pastures in Arabia ; but a great part of the 
 country consists of bleak wildernesses, barren hills and 
 wastes of sandy deserts. There is not one navigable 
 river in the whole country. Goods are carried on cam- 
 els, whose drivers travel in groups called caravans. The 
 Arabs are a simple and temperate race, quick to' revenge, 
 yet exceedingly hospitable. The great majority of the 
 people in the interior live a tent life; thus they are 
 brought into close contact with nature, and are reveren- 
 tial and imaginative. From their out-door life, they were 
 early inclined to worship the sun, moon, planets and all 
 the hosts of heaven and angels. Desiring a visible ob- 
 ject of worship, something to be seen and felt, they made 
 images of their deities. The " Black Stone," in the Tem- 
 ple of the Kaaba, at Mecca, was an especially honored 
 object of worship. This stone, about six inches by eight, 
 was one of the precious stones of Paradise, and fell down 
 to the earth with Adam. At the deluge, it was taken up 
 again, or otherwise preserved, and aftei-ward brought by 
 Gabriel to Abraham, when he and Ishmael were building 
 the Kaaba. This temple was placed in charge of one 
 44 
 
722 
 
 MOHAMMED, THE PROPHEl. 
 
 family. In the year 570 A, D., of this family was born a 
 child named Mohammed, destined to affect the religious 
 life of hundreds of millions of his fellow-beings. 
 
 THE PROPHETS YOUTI-I AND EARLY MANHOOD. 
 
 Miraculous signs were said to have attended his birth.' 
 For five years, he remained away from his mother ; at 
 the end of that time, he became subject to epileptic fits, 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. y 2 1 
 
 and returned to his home. H6 then saw the multitude 
 of pilgrims, with their camels laden with spices arid beau- 
 tiful cloths, coming yearly to visit Mecca, and undoubtedly 
 was impressed with the sights and sounds in the Kaaba. 
 
 When he was twelve years old, an event occurred 
 which greatly influenced his after life. With his uncle's 
 caravan he journeyed to Palestine, where he met Jews 
 and Christians. From these he must have gained that 
 knowledge of the Bible which he used in his teachings in 
 after years. The Jews, from the day when God cured 
 therri of idolatry, by sending them away to Babylon, had 
 persistently opposed the worship of idols, and upheld 
 and urged the worship of the one true God. The 
 Christians were such in name only; for, with their ritual, 
 crosses, pictures, vestments and images, they were hardly 
 better than the idolaters around them. But Mohammed 
 gained only a superficial knowledge of these faiths, and 
 knew almost nothing of their leading features. 
 
 When he was twenty-five years old he entered the ser- 
 vice of the Khadija, a rich widow of Mecca, for his family 
 was poor. She appointed him as a camel-driver, to care 
 for the . caravans. The widow soon was charmed with 
 the noble appearance and energetic manliness of Mo- 
 hammed, and in a modest way led him to seek to marry 
 her. The marriage was a happy one, and Mohammed 
 loved his wife long after her death, even to his old age. 
 When all the world turned its back upon him in scorn, 
 she clyng to him ; and while they called him cheat and 
 irnpostor, she recognized him as the prophet of God. 
 During all this time he always appeared as a very relig- 
 ious and upright person. Often with his wife he retired 
 to a cave, about three miles from Mecca, to pray and 
 fast. Here, when in his epileptic fits, it is claimed, he saw 
 visions and received revelations. 
 
724 
 
 GABRIEL AND MOHAMMED. 
 
 GABRIELS MESSAGE TO MOHAMMED. 
 
 In his fortieth year, he was spending the sacred month 
 in the cave. One night, as he said, there appeared " one 
 mighty in power, endued with understanding," who stood 
 about two bows' length from him. It was the angel Ga- 
 briel, who held a silken scroll in his hand, and bade 
 Mohammed read the writing thereon. He replied that 
 he could not; then Gabriel said, "Read in the name of 
 the Lord, who hath created all things. Read by the 
 most beneficent Lord, who taught the use of the pen; 
 who teacheth man that which he knoweth not." Then 
 the angel flew away, leaving Mohammed in perplexity. 
 After a time, when doubt .and despondency filled his 
 mind, the voice of the angel was heard speaking from a 
 throne midway between heaven and earth, saying : " O 
 Mohammed ! thou art the prophet of God, and I am Ga- 
 briel." This he regards as his commission, and straight- 
 way tells his wife. Secretly he commits the revelation 
 made him to various persons, and after four years gathers 
 together thirty or forty converts. Then Gabriel comes 
 again, and brings from the Lord this message : " O thou 
 covered, arise and preach, and magnify the Lord, and 
 clean thy garments, and fly every abomination." He 
 obeyed this, and in consequence of the changes he urged, 
 was forced to suffer persecution. Even his relatives 
 turned against him. He was mocked and scorned, and 
 occasionally abused. 'His disciples suffered with him, 
 and so he sent away to Abyssinia eleven of them as 
 missionaries. 
 
 At first his teachings had not been uncompromising ; 
 but, so he thought, in a revelation he was warned that 
 this was wrong, and he proceeded to burn the bridges 
 behind him. Of some of the idol gods he had said: 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. -2 q 
 
 " Their intercession may be hoped for with God." After 
 his vision he said, "These are no other than empty 
 names, which ye and your fathers have made gods." 
 Then the idol worshipers turned on him ; he was, said 
 they, a fool, a fanatic, a forger. Then they ostracized 
 him ; he was shut out from their homes and cut off from 
 lAeir friendship. To escape personal violence he fled 
 the city, mingling with the pilgrims from distant lands as 
 they journeyed to Mecca, and preaching to them his doc- 
 trines. Then his wife, Khadija, died. Soon after this he 
 married, and was betrothed (in~ his fiftieth year) to a 
 child of seven years, as it is the custom of the Arabs 
 to allow a man to marry as many wives as he might 
 wish. 
 
 Now came the turn of the tide ; his failing fortunes 
 began to rise again. A few pilgrims from Medina were 
 converted. With zeal they sought to spread Mohammed's 
 doctrine on their return home. They met with astonish- 
 ing success, and soon the prophet's name was in every 
 household in Medina, and the motto, "God is God, and 
 Mohammed is His Prophet," was heard on every side. 
 The prophet was invited to go and live in Medina. After 
 a year, with many companions, his Medina converts re- 
 turned to him at Mecca, and again pledged their fidelity. 
 
 THE FLIGHT OF MOHAMMED. 
 
 On the 20th of June, A. D. 622, the celebrated " Hejira," 
 or flight, took place. From this day, the Mohammedans 
 date their era, as Christians do from the birth of Christ. 
 They regard this as the most momentous event of, their 
 history, for from this time forth, Mohammed's course was 
 one of constant progress. After eight days' journey, 
 they arrived at Medina, and in great pomp made a tri- 
 umphal entry into the city. He waited until his camel 
 
«^^ THE FLIGHT 6f m6hAmMF£). 
 
 voluntarily knelt and there built his house. Then a temple, 
 1 50 feet square, was built; this is called to-day the Mosque 
 of the Prophet. ,Here a simple worship was established, 
 Mohammed was now married to Ayesha, the child to whom 
 he had been betrothed. As he already had one wife he 
 tiius indorsed the custom of having many wives. This 
 practice and, growing out of it, the enormity of treating 
 women as really little better than slave.s, are the conspic- 
 uous blots on Mohammed's career. 
 
 CONVERTS MADE AT THE SWORD'S POINT. 
 
 Mohammed was now established in a secure position. 
 His prosperity spoiled him. He longed for greater num- 
 bers of converts than he could make by preaching simply, 
 hence, his disordered mind prompted him to see a vision 
 in which he was directed to take the sword to compel 
 converts. In one of the sacred months he sent eight of 
 his followers to waylay a Mecca caravaUj One man 
 they killed, two others were taken prisoners, and with 
 their booty the Mohapimedans returned to Medina. The 
 next was the celebrated battle of Badr, when a troop of 
 Meccans came out to destroy Mohammed and his Medina 
 followers, but were themselves destroyed. Mohammed 
 asserted that 3,000 angels fought with them, and that 
 thus they gained the battle. This battle placed Moham- 
 med where he could command (or rather demand) un- 
 hesitating obedience from his followers. Battle after 
 battle followed, and converts were made by the thousands. 
 Mecca was subdued, and then the whole of Arabia. To 
 his followers, he promised Paradise should they fall in 
 the fight. Said they to him: "It is hot." He replied: 
 "Hell is hotter." Mohammed was made of stern stuff; 
 his indomitable will supported him in his great under- 
 takings. He was not a true prophet, neither was he an 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 727 
 
 impostor. His religion was begun, developed and com- 
 pleted under what he took to be the inspiration of God. 
 To all appearance he was sincere, though awfully mis- 
 taken. He believed firmly in his mission and in the 
 
 MOHAMMEDAN CEMETERY AT MECCA. 
 
 assistance of God ; he never faltered, he never hesitated, 
 he went straight forward. 
 
 Thus, until his sixty-second year, his religion kept 
 growing, embracing an increasing territory under its do- 
 
728, 
 
 MOHAMMED'S SUCCESSORS. 
 
 minion. At this time, he was attacked with a violent 
 fever, which in less than a month ended his life. He ex- 
 claimed: "Oh, to depart and be near the Lord," "Eter- 
 nity of Paradise!" "Pardon!" and then the Prophet of 
 Mecca was dead. 
 
 Mecca and Medina long remained the strongholds, the 
 centres of Mohammedan influence. Mecca especially 
 became the Holy Place to which the faithful made their 
 pilgrimages, and in the cemetery of which city they longed, 
 at last, to lie in death. All Mohammedans turn to Mecca 
 in saying their prayers, and in all the mosques, by a niche 
 or by some other means, the direction of Mecca is indi- 
 cated as a guide to. the devotions nf the faithful who 
 assemble there. 
 
 Mohammed's successors, the caliphs. 
 
 After Mohammed's death, his bosom friend, Abu 
 Bekr, was elected to be his successor, called the Caliph. 
 From his attachment to Mohammed he received the name 
 of "The True." The name Abu Bekr means " The Father 
 of the Virgin," and was given him because Ayesha, 
 his daughter, was the only virgin bride of Mohammed. 
 The office of Caliph was the highest that could be held 
 in the Mohammedan world. All the '.'Faithful" recog- 
 nized in the Caliph both the temporal and spiritual head. 
 Abu Bekr proved a worthy successor to Mohammed. 
 He put down the Bedouin rebellions, which began imme- 
 diately after Mohammed's death, and not only conquered 
 them, but won them to his cause, and turned their fierce 
 fanaticism into the service of Mohammedanism. Abu 
 Bekr was a man of the purest character, and had the 
 firmest faith in Mohammed's mission. He died after a 
 reign of about two years and a half, and Omar became 
 the next Caliph. 
 
MOilAMMEVAA OjM 
 
 CALIPH OMAR. 
 
 Under Omar, who reigned from 634 to 643 A. D., 
 Mohammedanism spread northward and westward. Da- 
 
73° 
 
 MOSQUE OF OMAR, JERUSALEM. 
 
 mascus and its neighborhood, then Palestine, and finally 
 all Syria yielded to him. In 636 A.' D., Jerusalem sur- 
 rendered to him. " Mounted on his camel, a bag of dates 
 and a Skin of water by his side — ample provision for his 
 simple wants — he made his entry into the sacred city." 
 On the site of Solomon's Temple, he built the " Dome of 
 the Rock," the Mosque of Omar, as it is commonly, but 
 erroneously, called to this day. The Mosque of Omar 
 
 MOSQUE OF OMAR, ON THE SITE OF THE JEWISH TEMPLE, AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 Stands upon an artificial plateau called the Haram area. 
 This is sparingly ornamented with cypress and other 
 trees and fountains. The mosque is one of the most 
 prominent belongings of Jerusalem. It is second in im- 
 portance only to the Mosque of the Kaaba at Mecca. .It 
 is 170 feet high, and 536 feet around its eight sides. In 
 the interior is a gray limestone rock, from which the 
 mosque sornetimes takes its name, the " Dome of the 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 731 
 
 Rock." This stone is believed by the Mohammedans to 
 have "descended from heaven and to have been sus- 
 pended in the air; that it attempted to follow the Prophet 
 on his ascension to Paradise, but was kept back from its 
 native quarry by the angel Gabriel, who left his large 
 hand-prints as a permanent memorial of the 'miracle!" 
 
 MOHAMMEDANS PRAYING BEFORE THE MOSQUE OF OMAR. 
 
 Persia soon yielded to Omar, and then Egypt. His em-/ 
 pire now extended from Northern Syria to Southern 
 Arabia, and from Eastern Persia to Western Egypt. 
 Omar was the first Caliph who was called the " Pnnce of 
 the Faithful," Though his power &nd honor were so great, 
 
732 
 
 OMAR, PRINCE OF THE FAITHFUL. 
 
 "he affected no regal state, was the friend and companion 
 of the beggar and poor, and in his mud palace, at Me- 
 dina, was ready to share his meal with the humblest 
 brother of the faith." Omar was killed by a Persian 
 slave. He was succeeded by the Caliph Othman. He 
 reigned amidst great turbulence and discontent until the 
 year 654 A. D., when he was murdered. The next Ca- 
 liph, AH, who reigned till 660 A. D., was, likewise, as- 
 sassinated. Hassan, the next Caliph, was poisoned by 
 his wife. Several Caliphs, Muavia and Hosein, occupied 
 thq throne before Valid I. reigned. His reign extended 
 from 705 to 716 A. D. Under him the empire of the 
 " Prince of the Faithful " attained its greatest extent. 
 It then extended from India to Spain. Thus, just about 
 one hundred years from the time when Mohammed had 
 received his call to enter upon his mission as the Prophet 
 of God, to re-establish His worship and to destroy idola- 
 try, the empire which he had founded, and the religion he 
 had started, had spread over Arabia, Syria, Asia Minor, 
 Spain, part of Gaul (now France), Egypt and Northern 
 Africa, and over Persia and Northern India. Soon after 
 this, reigned a Caliph whose name is a household word - 
 among us, Haroun-al-Raschid, of whorn the " Arabian 
 Nights" has so much to say. The Caliph preceding him 
 had moved his capital to Bagdad. As the first calendar 
 says, in the "Arabian Nights" story, " Haroun-al-Ras- 
 chid's generosity was renowned through the world." 
 The stories tell us of his wandering in di,sguise among 
 his people to ascertain more accurately their condition, 
 and thus to be better able to govern them. 
 
 Hitherto the Caliphate has been held by Arabians; 
 soon after Haroun-al-Raschid's time, it passes into the 
 hands of the Turks. They have retained it without in 
 terruption down to the present day. 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. y,. 
 
 THE CRUSADES. 
 
 Attempts were often made to roll back the tide of 
 Mohammedan conquest, but without avail. Rebellions 
 were put down rapidly, and no nation from without 
 seemed disposed to dispute with the Mohammedans their 
 possession of the conquered countries. But in the year 
 1096 A. D., fired by the desire to recover the land of the 
 birthplace of Christ, and anxious to revenge the insults 
 and injuries heaped upon the Christian pilgrims to the 
 Holy Land by the Moslems, led the Christians of West- 
 ern Europe to determine to begin a Crusade. The Pope, 
 Urban II., aided by the preaching of Peter the Hermit, 
 succeeded in inducing an army to start for the conquest 
 of Palestine. They seemed to succeed, and yet theirs 
 was a doubtful victory. They reached Jerusalem, and 
 slew multitudes of the Saracen Moslems. But they 
 could not retain their hold upon the city. A second 
 Crusade was undertaken in 1 148 A. D., but utterly failed 
 to accomplish its object. St. Bernard, who had urged on 
 this Crusade, declared that it had failed because of the 
 sinfulness of the Crusaders, and that none but innocent 
 hands could wrest the Holy Land from the Moslem 
 hands which held it. So in 121 2 began the Children's 
 Crusade ; 30,000 children, under the boy-leader, Stephen, 
 and 20,000 German boys and girls, under the peasant- 
 lad, Nicholas, started for the conquest of Palestine, only 
 to perish by sea or land, or to be carried to the slave 
 markets. Two other Crusades were commenced, but 
 both failed, and to-day the Holy Land is under the do- 
 minion of the Moslem Turk. The religion of Moham- 
 med is still spreading, though only in Africa. It obtained 
 a footing in Western China some time ago, and more 
 lately spread throughout the Indian Archipelago. 
 
734 
 
 The KORAN Of the MoHammedaMS. 
 
 We now pass to consider the Mohammedan Bible, 
 known as the Koran, and give attention to its teachings. 
 
 THE WRITING OF THE KORAN. 
 
 During the lifetime of Mohammed no attempt was made 
 to collect the multitudinous revelations constituting the 
 Koran into one book. The various passages had been 
 written down from his lips, from time to time at their 
 delivery, by some friend or follower performing the office 
 of amanuensis ; or they had been first committed to 
 memory, and then at some subsequent period recorded. 
 For this purpose the rude materials in use among the 
 Arabs were employed, as palm-leaves, leather, stone tab- 
 lets, or the shoulder-blades of goats and camels. There 
 was no systematic arrangement of these materials. There 
 were, indeed, recognized "Suras," or chapters; and it 
 seems probable that the greater part of the revelation 
 was so arranged during the Prophet's lifetime, and used 
 in that form for private reading, and also for recitation 
 at the daily prayers. Some of the Suras were short and 
 self-contained; others were longer, and from time to 
 time were added to by the command of Mohammed, who 
 would direct a new revelation to be " entered in the Sura 
 treating of such and such a subject." There was no fixed 
 repository for these materials ; but there is reason to 
 conjecture that the greater portion, or at least the most 
 important chapters, were laid up in the habitation of one 
 of the Prophet's wives (for he had no separate room or 
 dwelling-place -of his own), or left in the custody of the 
 scribes or secretaries who had first recorded them. They 
 were, moreover, treasured up with pious reverence in the 
 memories of the people, and transcripts of the several 
 Suras or fragments, especially of those, most frequently 
 in use for meritorious repetition, or for public and pri- 
 
MOHAMMEDAmsM. *-- 
 
 vate devotion, were even before the Flight in the hands 
 of many persons, and so preserved with religious and 
 even superstitious care. As the Faith extended, teach- 
 ers were sent forth to the various tribes throughout 
 Arabia to instruct the new converts in the requirements 
 of Islam ; and these carried with them, either in a re- 
 corded form or indelibly imprinted on the mind (for the 
 Arab memory was possessed of a marvelous tenacity), 
 the leading portions of the Mohammedan Revelation. 
 
 THE TEACHING OF THE KORAN. 
 
 Sir William Muir, one of the first expositors of the 
 Koran, thus writes: "The teaching of the Koran is very 
 simple. God has revealed Himself in various ages, under 
 different dispensations, through the instrumentality of 
 inspired prophets. The dispensations varied in outward 
 and accidental form ; but the great catholic faith in th*^ 
 unity of God and Islam (that is, submission to His wiii^, 
 underlies them all. The truth thus successively promul- 
 gated was as often lost or distorted by the ignorance and 
 perversity of mankind. The mission of Mohammed was to 
 establish the last of these dispensations; and, while at 
 first professing to hold that his own teaching was simply 
 concurrent with that of former revelations, in the end he 
 caused it to obliterate and override them all. 
 
 "The first condition of Islam is belief in the creed: 
 'There is no God but the Lord, and Mohammed is His 
 Apostle,' This at once sweeps away idolaltry, and the 
 'association with God' of other objects of worship; and it 
 also establishes the Koran as the paramount rule of faith 
 and practice. There is np priesthood in Islam. Man deals 
 immediately with the Deity. Mohammed is but a Prophet, 
 himself a sinner needing mercy and forgiveness. Salva- 
 tion is promised to the believer; but he is at the same time 
 
736 
 
 THE' TEACHINGS OF THE KORAN. 
 
 bound to abstain from evil, and to do good works, and, in 
 particular, to observe the ordinances of Islam. These 
 requirements, though few and simple, pervade the whole 
 life of a Mussulman. The day opens with prayer at the 
 dawn ; with prayer the night closes in ; and the ceremony 
 is repeated three other times, at fixed intervals, during 
 the day. Each prayer consists of two or more series of 
 prostrations, accompanied by ejaculatory prayer and the 
 recital of short passages of the Koran. Then there are 
 the prescribed tithes, or alms ; the fast throughout the 
 whole month of Ramodhan (which, though rigorous from 
 davm to sunset, admits of entire relaxation by night) ; and 
 the pilgrimage to Mecca, which, although not burden- 
 some to the Arabs for whom it was first established, is 
 evidently unsuitable for observance by all mankind. 
 
 "That the fate of man, and whatever happens, great or 
 small, has been fixed by inevitable decrees is uncondi- 
 tionally asserted throughout the Koran. The doctrine 
 is often intelligibly urged as a ground of resignation and 
 patience under misfortune, of equanimity in success, and 
 of calmness in danger; but it is not confined to such in- 
 nocent and legitimate purposes. The dogma is con- 
 stantly obtruded in its most naked and offensive form : 
 'God misleadeth whom He pleaseth, and guideth whom 
 He pleaseth aright.' 'We created man upright, and then 
 caused him to be the vilest of the vile.' 'The fate of 
 every man have we bound about his neck ;' and so 
 forth. But while there is nothing to be met with in the 
 Koran expressly of an opposite tenor, there is much that 
 by implication conveys the sentiment of free will. Prayer 
 is continually enjoined. It was practiced by Mohanimed 
 himself, and deliverance is often ascribed to its effect 
 Men are exhorted to believe and do good works. They 
 are warned against infidelity and sin, 'lest they cast them- 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. -,- 
 
 selves into perdition.' Salvation, indeed, is dependent 
 on faith, and faith upon the will of God; yet there are 
 not wanting passages which speak of man as choosing 
 the wrong or choosing the right, and of Paradise or hell 
 as the consequence. The believer is frequently bid to, 
 beware of the wiles of Satan. Discretion in the follow- 
 ing of good or evil is implied in many parts of the Koran 
 and retribution set forth as the result of its exercise 
 Man is responsible for his own sin only. 'The burdened 
 soul shall not bear the burthen of another.' Hereditary 
 taint from the fall is nowhere admitted. Adam fell, it 
 is true, by eating the forbidden fruit ; but his fall (as it 
 Would appear) was the consequence, not the cause of the 
 proneness of his nature to sin. All men have sinned, 
 but it has been each his own fault, acting independently, 
 and not because of anything antecedent." 
 
 SOME SELECTIONS FROM THE KORAN. 
 
 We first present one oi the passages in which refcr- 
 i!nce is made to Jesus Christ. In the ninth Sura, the 
 Koran says: "Fight against them who believe not in 
 God, nor in the last day, and forbid hot that which God 
 and His apostle have forbidden, and profess not the true 
 religion, of those unto whom the Scriptures have been 
 delivered, until they pay tribute by right of subjection, 
 and they be reduced low. The Jews say Ezra is the son 
 of God ; and the Christians say, Christ is the son of God. 
 This is their saying in their mouths: they imitate the 
 saying of those who were unbelievers in former times. 
 May God resist them. How are they infatuated ! They 
 take their priests and their monks for their lords, besides 
 .God, and Christ, the son of Mary; although they are 
 commanded to worship one God only: there is no God 
 but He ; far be that from Him, which they associate with 
 4S 'i 
 
738 
 
 MOHAMMED'S PARADISE. 
 
 Him! They seek to extinguish the light of God with 
 their mouths ; but God willeth no other than to perfect 
 His Hght, although the infidels be averse thereto. It is 
 He who hath sent His apostle with the direction and 
 true religion ; that He may cause it to appear superior 
 to every other religion ; although the idolators be averse 
 thereto. O, true believers, verily many of the priests 
 and monks devour the substance of men in vanity, and 
 obstruct the way of God. But unto those who treasure 
 up gold and silver, and employ it not for the advance- 
 ment of God's true religion, denounce a grievous pun- 
 ishment. On the day of judgment their treasures shall 
 be intensely heated in the fire of hell, and their fore- 
 heads, and their sides, and their backs shall be stigma- 
 tized therewith; and their tormentors shall say, This is 
 what ye have treasured up for your souls; taste there- 
 fore that which ye have treasured up." 
 
 The Koran says of idols : " Omen, a parable is pro- 
 pounded unto you ; wherefore hearken unto it. Verily, 
 the idols which ye invoke, besides God, can never create . 
 a single fly, although they were all assembled for that 
 purpose : and if the fly snatch anything from them, they 
 cannot recover the same from it." 
 
 Mohammed's paradise. 
 
 Sura LVL, of the Koran, says : " These are they who 
 shall approach near unto God: they shall dwell in gar- 
 dens of delight. Reposing on couches adorned with 
 gold and precious stones; sitting opposite to one an- 
 other thereon. Youths which shall continue in their 
 bloom for ever, shall go round about to attend them, 
 with goblets, and beakers, and a cup of flowing wine: 
 their heads shall not ache by drinking the same, neither 
 shair their reason be disturbed: and with fruits of the 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. y,Q 
 
 sorts which they shall choose, and the flesh of birds 
 of the kind which they shall desire. And there shall 
 accompany them fair damsels having large black eyes, 
 resembling pearls hidden in their shells, as a reward 
 for that which they shall have wrought. They shall' not 
 hear within any vain discourse, or any charge of sin; 
 but only the salutation, Peace ! Peace ! And the com- 
 panions of the right hand (how happy shall the comj?an- 
 ions of the right hand be !) shall have their abode among 
 lote-trees free from thorns, and trees of many, loaded 
 regularly with their produce from top to bottom ; under 
 an extended shade, near a flowing water, and amidst 
 fruits in abundance, which shall not fail, nor shall be for- 
 bidden to be gathered : and they shall repose themselves 
 on lofty beds. Verily, we havie created the damsels of 
 Paradise by a peculiar creation ; and we have made them 
 virgins beloved by their husbands, of equal age with 
 them; for the delight of the companions of the right 
 hand. There shall be many of the. forrner religions, and 
 many of the latter. And the companions of the left hand 
 (how miserable shall the companions of the left hand 
 be !) shall dwell amidst burning winds and scalding water, 
 under the shade of a black smoke, neither cool nor 
 agreeable." 
 
 THE KORAN ON THE JUDGMEN,T. 
 
 Sura LXXXI. says : " When the sun shall be folded) 
 up; and when the stars shall fall;* and when the moun- 
 tains shall be made to pass away; and when the camels 
 ten months gone with young shall be neglected; and 
 when the wild beasts shall be gathered together ; wid 
 
 * Bayard Taylor writes thus : 
 
 " Till the sun grows cold 
 And the stars are old 
 Aad tha leaves of the Judgment Book unfold." 
 
/ 
 740 ^-^^ KORAN ON THE JUDGMENT. 
 
 when the seas shall boil ; and wh«n the souls shall be 
 joined again to their bodies; and when the girl who hath 
 been buried alive shall be asked for what crime she was 
 put to death; and when the books shall be laid open; 
 and when the heavens shall be removed; and when hell 
 shall burn fiercely; and when Paradise shall be brought 
 near; every soul shall know what it hath wrought" ' 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 One silver crescent in the twilight sky is hanging, 
 
 Another tips the solemn dome of yonder mosque, 
 And now the Muezzin's call is heard, sonorous, clanging, 
 
 Through thronged bazaar, concealed harem and cool kiosk: 
 "In the Prophet's name, God is God, and there is no other." 
 On roofs, in streets, or closets, beside his brother. 
 Each Moslem kneels, his forehead turned toward Mecca's shrine, 
 And all the world forgotten in the one thought divine. 
 
 William Rounseville Alger. 
 
 "La Illah'ir Allah !" the Muezzin's call, 
 Comes from the minaret, slim and tall, \ 
 
 That looks o'er the distant city wall. 
 
 " La Illah il' Allah !" .the Faithful heed. 
 With God and the Prophet this hour to plead. 
 Whose ear is open to hear their need. 
 
 Bayard Taylor. 
 
 THE Mohammedan mosques vary somewhat in 
 their style of architecture in different countries. 
 Their builders borrowed, generally, from the style 
 of the various nations who adopted the Moslem faith. In 
 Christian lands, they seized upon the Christian churches 
 or cathedrals, and turned them into mosques ; in India 
 the mosques are patterned after the temples of the Bud- 
 dhist Jains (this may be seen in the Mohammedan mosque 
 on the Hooghly River, near Calcutta) ; and in Turkey, 
 they accepted the model of the Byzantine architecture of 
 Constantinople. Two or three features are common in 
 all. The dome is one of the most common ana most 
 
 741 
 
743 
 
 MOHAMMEDAN- MOSQUE IN INDIA. 
 
 beautiful features, of the mosques. Sometimes there is 
 an open square in each mosque, in the centre of which ib 
 £ tank or fountain, for the washing required in Moham 
 medan worship. Arabesques and sentences from the 
 
 Koran are in- 
 scribed upon 
 the walls; am, 
 never is there 
 an image or 
 , picture of any- 
 living thing to 
 be discovered 
 in any part of 
 a mosque. 
 Sometimes 
 the floors are 
 covered with 
 mats or rugs ; 
 there are no 
 pews, seats or 
 benches, f o r 
 the worshiper 
 sits, in Ori- 
 ental fashion, 
 with his feet 
 
 MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUE ON THE HOOGHLY RIVER, NEAR doubled U n - 
 CALCUTTA, INDIA. J 1 • 
 
 der him, upon 
 the floor. In one corner — the south-east — is a pulpit 
 for the Imdm or teacher. The Imam is the most honored 
 of Moslem teachers, and always wears a turban higher 
 than that of the common teachers, readers or Moslems 
 generally. The people hold them in great reverence. 
 In the direction of Mecca, there is a niche in every 
 mosque, toward which the faithful mu.st look whenever 
 
GORGEOUS EXTERIOR OF A MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUE IN PERSIA. 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 745 
 
 INTERIOR OF MOSQUE AT DELHI, INDIA. 
 
 they pray. Opposite the pulpit is a platform having a 
 
 reading-desk, upon, which is a copy of the Koran in 
 
 Arabic, of coprse-^for the J\lqslems never allow the Ko- 
 ran to be translated ; and as tp printing it, that is not 
 perm i tted 
 them, except 
 from litho- 
 graphs, so as 
 to keep up the 
 appearance 
 that it is writ- 
 ten. No copy 
 for a public 
 readingwould 
 be allowed to 
 
 be 'printed. Publication in the languages is not permitted, 
 except far away from Arabia. It would be thought grossly 
 unholy in Turkey to attempt such a thing. 
 
 WORSHIP IN THE MOSQUES. 
 
 The congregations of the faithful gather for worship, 
 in the mosques on Fridays. This is the Moslem Sab- 
 bath, because, say they, Adam was created and died on 
 Friday, and because on Friday the world will be judged. 
 The worship consists simply of prayers and washings, 
 with an occasional sermon on a text from the Koran. 
 During the service everyone maintains the utmost sol- 
 emnity ; though, after the service they lounge, chat and 
 even make bargains in the sacred building. On entering 
 the nlosque, the Moslem removes his shoes, carrying 
 them in his left hand, sole to sole, with great care, putting 
 his right foot first over the threshold. He then goes 
 through'with the necessary ablutions (often a mere sham, 
 a mere going through the motions^) and takes his place 
 
746 WORSHIP IN THM MOSQUES. _ 
 
 upon the matting, laying his shoes before him. The wor- 
 shipers generally arrange themselves in rows facing the 
 niche toward Mecca. Women seldom go to the mosques, 
 and if they do, they sit apart from the men. The reason 
 for this is that the Koran does not say that women must 
 pray, and many Moslems believe that wonien have no 
 souls. Yet they believe that they will enter Paradise, 
 but this is only that they may continue to be slaves of 
 
 INTERIOR OF MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. 
 
 men ; each of the faithful is to have in Paradise, so they 
 believe, 80,000 slaves and 72 wives, in addition to those 
 he had in life and who evinced a faithful spirit. 
 
 DANCING AND HOWLING DERVISHES., 
 
 The Dervishes are Mohammedan monks. They are 
 among the most curious devotees of the Moslem religion. 
 They perform their wonderful feats on Friday afternoons 
 In the mosques. Dr. Philip Schafif writes of one of their 
 performances which he witnessed: "After the preliminary 
 
Mohammedan mosques^ and worship: 
 
 1M 
 
 exercises of prayer and prostration, they whirl around on 
 their toes, ring within ring, without touching each other, 
 for about an hour, until they are utterly exhausted, 1 
 saw thirteen of them all dressed in flowing gowns, and 
 
 A WHIRLING DERVISH. 
 
 with high white hats of stiff 'woolen stuff; their hands 
 were stretched or raised to heaven, their eyes half closed, 
 and their minds apparently absorbed in the contempla- 
 
748 
 
 THE HOWLING DERVISHES. 
 
 tion of Allah, They made about forty ipr fifty turnings a 
 minute, The Howling Dervishes swing their heads up 
 and down, crying incessantly with all their might, ' La Ilaha, 
 ill' Allah!' and some other phrases, until they are stopped 
 by sheer exhaustion." All this is done for the same 
 reasons for which the Fakirs of India, and ,|ibe devotees 
 of other nations torment their bodieSjj 
 
 THE SMART AND SMARTING ANSWER OF A DERVISH. 
 
 • 
 
 In the north-west provinces of India there lived a Der- 
 vish who was never guilty of using his tongue too freely 
 in conversation. If a nod or a sign would do, he would 
 spare Ws words. He was considered a quiet, inoffensive, 
 but shrewd man. He went by the name of "the holy 
 Dervish." 
 
 In the same place there lived a rich, native gentleman, 
 good-natured, but given how a|nd then to frolics. 
 
 One day he proposed to some friends to go together 
 and pay the holy Dervish a visit. "I wish," thejgentle- 
 man said, "to puzzle him with three questions which he 
 will never be able to answer," They found the holy man 
 sitting near his hut in a newly-plowed field. 
 
 The Mohammedan gendeman walked up to him, and 
 with great mock humility said unto him, "Holy father,/! 
 am troubled with three questionjs ; will you kindly answer 
 them to me?" The; Dervish gave an affirmative :nod. 
 
 The gentleman began. "The. first question, holy 
 father, is about God. People say that there is a God; 
 but I cannot see Him, and no one can show Him to me, 
 and therefore, I cannot believe that there is a God. Will 
 you answer this question?" A nod was the answer of 
 the Dervish. 
 
 " My second question," the gentleman continued; " is 
 about Satan. The Koran says that Satan is created of 
 
55 ^ — 9 CO 
 O S"- EC JO 
 
Mohammedan MOSQUES AND worship. --j 
 
 fire. ^Jow, if Satan be created of fire, how can hell-fire 
 hurt him? Wiir you explain that too ?" A- nod. 
 ' "The third question refers to myself. It is said in the 
 Koran, that every action of man is decreed; now, if it 
 be decreed that I must comrnit a certain action, how can 
 God bring me into judgment for that action, Himself 
 having decreed it?, Please, holy father, answer me." 
 
 A nod was given by the Dervish, .and whilst the party 
 were standing and gazing at him, he quietly seized a clod 
 from the newly-plowed 'field and sent it with all his 
 might at the gentleman's* face. The gentleman became 
 furious, and had the Dervish carried before the judge. 
 
 Arriving in court the gentleman stated his coittplaint, 
 saying the pain in his head was so severe that he hardly 
 knew how to bear it. ; ,. 
 
 The judge looked at the Dervish, and asked whether 
 these things were so ? A nod was the reply ; but the 
 judge said, " Please explain yourself, for nods will not do 
 in my court." 
 
 The Dervish replied, "This gentleman, came to me 
 with his companions, and asked three questions which I 
 carefully answered." 
 
 " He did no such thing," the gentleman exclaimed ; " a clod 
 of earth he threw into my face — and oh, how it pains me !" 
 The judge looked at the Dervish, and said, " Explain 
 yourself." 
 
 "I will," was the answer.., "Please, your henor, this 
 gentleman said to me that people maintained that there 
 was a God, but he could not see Him, nor could any one 
 show him God, arid therefore he could not believe that 
 there was a God. Now he says he has pain in his face 
 from the clod' I threw at him, but I cannot see his 
 pain. Will your honor kindly ask him to show us his 
 pain, for how can 1 believe lie has any if I cannot see it?" 
 
752 
 
 MOSLEM DAILY WORSHIP. 
 
 " Again, this gentleman asked, that if Satan was cre- 
 ated of fire, how could hell-fire hurt him ? Now, the 
 gentleman will admit that Father Adam was created of 
 earth, and that himself also is earth. Now if he be earth, 
 how could a clod of earth hurt him ?" 
 
 And as to the third question, the Dervish drew him- 
 self up and said with great dignity, "Sir, if it be written 
 in my fate to throw a clod at this gentleman's face, how 
 can and dare he bring me before the judge?" 
 
 The judge allowed that the Dervish had answered the 
 three questions with his clod, but admonished him to an- 
 swer questions in future in a more becoming way, as he 
 might not be able to get himself off so easily from the 
 usual penalities at another time. 
 
 DAILY WORSHIP. 
 
 Five times daily the Moslem says his prayers. On the 
 ship, in the street, in the house or store, wherever he 
 may be, and forgetful of all his surroundings, at the hour 
 
 of prayer he spreads his 
 mat, sits upon it, turning 
 his face toward Mecca, 
 raises his hands to heaven, 
 then bends until his fore- 
 head almost touches the 
 ground. His prayer is, 
 generally, a recital of the 
 first chapter of the Koran. 
 ^ The five hours of prayer 
 are, first, between day- 
 break and sunrise, a little 
 past noon, in the after- 
 noon, four minutes after sunset,\nd at night-fall. The 
 times of prayer are announced from the minaret, or 
 
 MOSLEM BOY STUDYING THE KORAN. 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. 
 
 753 
 
 tower, of each mosque, by the Muezzin, one of the under- 
 ofificers of the mosque. He chants the words "Allah 
 is great. I testify that there is no God but Allah. I tes- 
 tify that Mohammed is the apostle of Allah, Come to 
 prayer. Come to security.* Allah is most great. There 
 is no Deity but Allah!" In the morning he adds, 
 " Prayer is better than sleep." At night, for the sake of 
 the very pious, two extra calls for prayer are sounded. 
 Blind men are often chosen to be Muezzins, because the 
 high position of the minaret would enable one who could 
 see to get too full a view of the interior of the neigh- 
 boring houses and harems. The faithful from earliest 
 childhood are required to be diligent students of the 
 Koran. 
 
 THE MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. 
 
 One of the most celebrated mosques is that of -St. 
 
 MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA, AT CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY. 
 
 Sophia, at Constantinople. This was once a Christian 
 cathedral. It was originally built by Constantine th^ 
 
754 
 
 MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. 
 
 Great, in 325 A, D. It was destroyed in 404 A. D , re- 
 built, and again destroyed in 532. After this Justinian 
 restored it. It took seven years to build it. Ten thou- 
 sand workmen were employed in its erection. It was 
 built of materials gathered from all over the Roman 
 Empire, and comprised' remains of almost every cele- 
 brated heathen temple of ancient times. The dome of 
 the tabernacle was of solid gold, and was surmounted by 
 a solid golden crosSj encrusted with precious stones, in 
 all weighing seventy^five pounds. The whole cathedralis 
 said to have cost more than .^65,000,000 (Mr. Neale's 
 estimate, in his volume on the "Eastern Church.') 
 In the year 1453 A. D., when the Turks entered Cop 
 stantinople, they appropriated this cathedral for a 
 mosque. The Christian emblems were removed, de- 
 stroyed or covered up with plaster; the crosses were 
 •chiseled out of the walls ; the gi^eat cross on the summit 
 of the dome was removed, and the crescent took its 
 place. The crescent is a half moon, with the horns 
 turned upward. It is the distinctive Turkish emblem, 
 and, in some sense, the Mohammedan symbol also. 
 
 THE JUMMAH MUSJID AT DELHI, INDIA. 
 
 In Delhi itself is probably the^ finest Mohammedan 
 mosque in all India. This is called the Jummah Musjid 
 (the Pearl Mosque) . It is built entirely of sandstone, and 
 is raised upon a. high terrace. This masterpiece of Indo- 
 Mohammedan architecture is the most venerable monu- 
 ment of the Moslems in India. Vivid though severe 
 colors clothe every part of the building. After mounting 
 long flights of steps, the visitor passes through huge 
 bronze doors into a large, open court, with a fountain in 
 its centre. At one side is a piece of black marble, in 
 which is the print of Mohammed's foot — at least, the priests 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUMS AND WORSHIP. 
 
 755 
 
 say so. In the interior, the roof, pillars and pavement 
 are of the purest white marble, embroidered With finest 
 
 arabesques. These arabesques are composed of colored 
 marbles, and precious stones inlaid in the marble in vari- 
 ous patterns of scroll-work or of inscription. Bishop 
 
756 
 
 THE JUMMAH MUSJID. 
 
 Hebersaldof this structure: "This spotless sanctuary, 
 showing- such a pure spirit of adoration, made me, a 
 
 Christian, feel humbled, when I considered that no archi- 
 tect of our religion had ever been able to produce any- 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. 757 
 
 TOWER OF THE KOUTUB, INDIA. 
 46 
 
 . ' \ 
 
■ -eg . ^ ^^^^ PROM MOHAMMED'S HEAD. 
 
 thing equal to this temple of Allah." But the worship is 
 not now so pure. The building is reverenced by the 
 Mohammedans, not merely On account of its age orwon- 
 dr9us beauty, but because, it contains a most highly- 
 esteemed relic of Mohartimed. From a small nook of 
 solid marble, with a carefulJy-locked door, the priests 
 take, for the inspection of visitors and devotees, a spiall 
 silver case ; with slowest, most cautious reverence, the 
 casket is unlocked, and the priest exposes to view^-a 
 hair ffom MohammeS^ beard. What would that fierce 
 hater of relics and idols, Mohamitied, say, coujd he but 
 see how far his modern disciples have departed from his- 
 teachings? Besides the hair, they retain as relics a gar- 
 ment and a pair of sandals which once belonged to the 
 prophet. 
 
 Delhi is to the Moslems qf India what Mecca is to the 
 Moslems of Arabia and Egypt. The city is surrounded 
 by walls seven miles in extent :Jn the suburbs one rides 
 through miles of ruins 6f moscjiies, towers and topibs. 
 Few cities have had as splendid a career as' Delhi, and few 
 have suffered as greatly. One of the marks of the Mo- 
 hammedan conquest in India, 600 years ago, is the giant 
 tower of the Koutub, near Agra. ' It is the highest tower, 
 standing alone, in the world ; built of red • sandstone, 
 fluted, and has five stories. The mention of Agra recalls 
 one of the most famous structures of the world, erected 
 by a Moslem Mogul of India. Shortly after a visit to this 
 famous Mohammedan monument, Dr. H. M. Field wrote 
 the accompanying description of it and of his visit: 
 
 THE TAJ MAHAL, THE "JEWEL OF JNDIA." 
 
 The j'ewel of India — the Koh-i-noor of its beauty— is 
 the Taj, the tomb built by the Emper-or Shah Jehan, the 
 grandson of Akbar, for his wife, whom he loved with an 
 
iilOHAMMkbAtf kOSQUkS. AND WORSHti'. 
 
 ^59 
 
 iaolatrous affection, and on her death-bed promised to 
 rear to her memory such a mausoleum as had never been 
 
 TAJ MAHAL, THE TOMB OF THE EMPRESS MUMTAJ MAHAL, AT AGRA, INDIA. 
 
 erected before. To carry out his purpose, he gathered 
 architects from all countries, who rivaled each other in 
 the extravagance and costliness of tbeir designs. The 
 
y^Q TaJ MaHaL, at aGrA, INDIA. 
 
 result was a structure which cost fabulous sums of money 
 (the whole empire being placed under contribution for it, 
 as were the Jews for the Temple of Solomon), and em- 
 ployed 20,000 workmen for seventeen years. The build- 
 ing thus erected is one of the most famous in the world 
 —like the Alhambra or St Peter's — and of which enthu- 
 siastic travelers are apt to say that it is worth going 
 around the world to see. This would almost discourage 
 the attempt to describe it, but I will try and give some 
 faint idea of its marvelous beauty. 
 
 But how can I describe to others what is but a picture 
 in niy memory ? Descriptions of architecture are apt to 
 be vague, unless aided by pictorial illustrations. Mere 
 figures and measurements are dry and cold. The most 
 I shall aim at will be to give a general (but I hope not 
 indistinct) impression of it. For this, let us* approach it 
 gradually. 
 
 It stands on the banks of the Jumna, a mile below the 
 fort at Agra. As you approach it, it is not exposed ab- 
 ruptly to view, but is surrounded by a garden. You 
 enter under a lofty gateway, and before you is an avenue 
 of qypresses', a third of a mile long, whose dark foliage is 
 a setting for a form of dazzling' whiteness at the end. 
 That is the Taj. It stands, not on the level of your eye, 
 but on a double terrace ; the first, of red sandstone, 20 
 feet high and i ,000 feet broad, at the extremities of which 
 stand two mosques, of the same dark stone, facing each 
 other. Midway between rises the second terrace, of 
 marble, 1 5 feet high and 300 feet square, on the corners 
 of which stand four marble minarets. In the centre of 
 all, thus " reared in air," stands the Taj. It is built of 
 marble — no other material than this, of pure and stain- 
 less white, was fit for a purpose so sacred. It is 150 feet 
 square (or rather, it is eight-sided, since the corners are 
 
MOHAMMEDAN- MOSQUE'S AND WORSHIP. 
 
 761 
 
 truncated), and surmounted by a dome, which rises nearly 
 200 feet above the pavement below. 
 
 These figures rather belittle the Taj, or, at least, dis- 
 appoint those who looked for great size. There are 
 many larger buildings in the world. But that which dis- 
 tinguishes it from all others, and gives it a rare and ideal 
 beauty, is the union of majesty and grace. This is the 
 peculiar effect of Saracenic architecture. The slender 
 columns, the springing arches, the swelling domes, the 
 tall minarets, all combine to give an impression of airy 
 lightness, which is not destroyed even when the founda- 
 tions are laid with massive solidity. But it is in the finish 
 of their structure that they excelled all the' world. 
 Bishop Heber said truly : " They built like Titans and 
 finished like jewelers." This union of two opposite fea- 
 tures makes the beauty of the Taj. While its walls are 
 thick and strong, they are pierced by high arched win- 
 dows which relieve their heaviness. Vines and ara- 
 besques running over the stone-work give it the light- 
 ness of foliage, of trees blossoming with flowers. In the 
 interior there is an extreme and almost feminine grace, 
 as if here the strength of man would pay homage to the 
 delicacy of woman. Inclosing the sacred place is a 
 screen of marble, carved into a kind of fret-work, and 
 so pure and white that light shines through it as through 
 alabaster, falling softly on that which is within. The 
 Emperor, bereaved of' his wife, lavished riches on her 
 very dust, casting precious stones upon her tomb as if 
 he were placing a string of pearls around her neck. It 
 is overrun with vines and flowers, cut in stone, and set 
 with onyx, and jasper, and lapis-lazuli, carnelians and 
 turquoises, and chalcedonies, and sapphires. 
 
 But the body rests in the crypt below. We descend 
 a few steps and stand by the very sarcophagus in AYhich 
 
-52 INTERIOR OF THE TAj. 
 
 all that loveliness is enshrined. Another sarcophagus 
 contains the body of her husband. Their tombs were 
 covered with fresh flowers, a perpetual tribute to that love 
 which was so strong even on the throne, to those who 
 were thus united in life, and in death are not divided., 
 
 INTERIOR OF THE TAJ, THE TOMB OF MAHAL. 
 
 Here sentiment comes in to. affect our sense ol the 
 beauty of the place. If it were not for the touching his- 
 tory connected with it, I could not agree with those who 
 pronounce the Taj the most beautiful building in the 
 world. Merely as a building, it does not "overcome" 
 me so much as another marble structure — thq Cathedral 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. 75^ 
 
 of Milan. I could not say with Bishop Heber that the 
 mosques of Islam are more beautiful, or more in har- 
 mony with the spirit of devotion, than Christian churches 
 or cathedrals. But the Taj is not a mosque, it is a tomb 
 — a monument to the dead. And that gives it a tender 
 interest, which spiritualizes the cold marble, and makes 
 it more than a building — a poem and a dream. 
 
 As we came out the moon was riding high overhead, 
 flooding the marble pile with beauty. Round and 
 round we walked, looking up at arch and dome and 
 minaret. At such an hour the Taj was so pale and ghost- 
 like, that it did not seem like a building reared by human 
 hands, but to have grown where it stood — like a night- 
 blooming Cereus, rising slowly in-the moonlight — lifting its 
 domes and pinnacles ^(like branches growing heaven- 
 ward) toward that world which is the home of the love 
 which it was to preserve in perpetual memory. 
 
 With such thoughts we kept our eyes fixed on that 
 glittering vision, as if we feared that even as we gazed 
 it might vanish out of our sight. Below us the Jumna, 
 flowing silently, seemed like an image of human life as it 
 glided by. And so at last we turned to depart, and bade 
 farewell to the Taj, feeling that we should never look at 
 it again ; but hoping that it might stand for ages' to tell 
 its history of faithful love to future generations. Flow 
 on, sweet Jumna, by the marble walls, reflecting the 
 moonbeams on thy placid breast ; and in thy gentle mur- 
 murs whispering evermore ofxLove and Death, and Love 
 that cannot die ! 
 
 PILGRIMAGES AND FESTIVALS. 
 
 Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammed, is the holy place 
 of the Moslems. The Kaaba, Mohammed's homestead, 
 is the holy place of Mecca. From all over Moslemdom 
 
764 
 
 PILGRIMAGES AND FESTIVALS. 
 
 ',TT 
 
 A 
 
 o 
 
 b 
 O 
 
 < 
 p 
 w 
 s 
 s 
 
 once in every year great caravans go to visit the birth- 
 place of the prophet. This is the event in the lives of the 
 
MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES AND WORSHIP. -ge 
 
 faithful. The long processions, mounted on camels, 
 gorgeously caparisoned, file out from the cities, and across 
 hill, and plain, and over the desert to Mecca. Mohamme- 
 danism is probably the most active of the non-Christian 
 religions. The pilgrimages, the numbers of missionaries 
 and the seeming devotion of the people, as manifested in 
 their attendance at the mosques, and on the occasions of 
 festivals indicate this. One of their festivals, celebrated in 
 India, arouses their religious zeal, and carries it to the 
 highest pitch of fanaticism. This is the feast of Mohur- 
 rim, the Moslem "Feast of Martyrs," commemorating 
 the bloody death of Mohammed's grandsons. "The 
 martyrdom of these Moslem saints is commemorated by 
 little shrines in their houses, made of paper and tinsel, 
 and on the great day of the feast they go in procession 
 out of the city (of Delhi) to a cemetery five miles distant 
 where they bury them in newly-opened graves. Men, 
 women and jchildren by tens of thousands on foot, and 
 others in bullock-carts or mounted on horses, camels and 
 elephants. Immense crowds gather by tl|e road-side, 
 mounting the steps of old palaces or climbing to the 
 tops of houses, to see this mighty procession pass, as it 
 goes rolling forward in a wild frenzy to the cemetery. 
 There they lay down these images of their saints as they 
 would bury their dead." 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The Mohammedan religion was established by the 
 sword, it has constantly suffered by the sword, it seems 
 destined to perish by the sword. Its history is tracked 
 with blood. It has k6pt back the nations that have ac- 
 cepted it, retarding their progress. It has degraded 
 woman. It has no teachings of sin or a Sacrifice or a 
 Saviour, God is th'e "All merciful," but His mercy is, 
 
y66 MOHAMMEDANISM TOTTERING. 
 
 according to Moslem teachings, with utter disregard of 
 justice. To be a Moslem is all that is necessary to ob- 
 tain mercy, to refuse to yield to the faith of Mohammed 
 is all that is needed to deprive one of God's mercy. The 
 idea of God is cold and cruel, with no idea of the Father. 
 But Mohammedanijm has rendered this service to the 
 world, it has greatly lessened idolatry. The most stub- 
 born opposition to Christian missionary wdrk comes' from 
 the Mohammedans. But the whole building 'of Moham- 
 medanism, especially in its political relations, seems to be 
 tottering and crumbling, and threatens soon to fall in 
 ruins. 
 
 The terrible events of 1895 ^"^ 1896, when tens of 
 thousands of helpless, defenceless, Armenian Christians 
 were slaughtered by the connivance, if not by the direct 
 order of the Sultan of Turkey, are in a line with all the 
 history of Mohammedanism. There is no question at 
 all about the facts in these cases, they are too jvell estab- 
 lished to be disputed. While they are horrible happenings, 
 there is no question but that they will hasten the down- 
 fall of Turkey^ and of the Sultan, the successor of 
 Mohammed, and so the end of the Moslem faith. 
 
 May the Cross soon gain a peaceful, bloodless triumph 
 over the Crescent ! . 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 WINNING THE WORLD TO THE WORSHIP OF THE ONE GOD. 
 
 There is a cry in Burmah, and a rush 
 
 Of thousand footsteps from the distant bound 
 
 Of watery Siam and the rich Cathay. 
 
 Not for food 
 Or raiment ask they. Simply girding on 
 The scanty garment o'er the weary limb, 
 They pass unmarked the lofty domes of wealth 
 Inquiring for a stranger. There he stands; 
 The mark of foreign climes is on his brow ) 
 He hath no power, no costly gifts to deal 
 Among the people, and his lore perchance 
 The earth-bowed worldling, with his scales of gold, 
 Accounteth folly. Yet to him is raised 
 Each straining eyeball, "Tell us of the Christ !" 
 And like the far-off murmur of the sea 
 Lashed by the tempest, swelled their blended tone, 
 " Sir, we would hear of Christ. Give us a scroll 
 Bearing His name." 
 
 Mrs. L. H. Sigourney. 
 
 BEFORE concluding the pleasant task upon which 
 he has been engaged so long, the author feels that 
 it will be necessary to meet the expectation that 
 he should say something about the work of bringing the 
 world back to its first worship. At first, we have seen, 
 the world worshiped one God; then many gods and idols 
 were introduced. Repeated efforts to restore the pure 
 worship of primitive times ended in failure. Zoroaster 
 
 tried and failed ; Buddha tried, and ^ failed ; Moham- 
 
 767 
 
„gg TH^O NEW ZEALANDERS. 
 
 med tried, and he failed ; Jesus the Christ tried, and He 
 did not fail. 
 
 WHY GIVE THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD f 
 
 The ground of the success of Christianity lies in its 
 
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 superior chg,racter. Its revelations are clearer and fuller, 
 its motives are purer, and its hopes are higher than those 
 of any heathen system. One may glean the choicest 
 
THE WOkLD'S RETURN TO ITS EIRST WORSHIP ygg 
 
 sayings of the masters of religious teachings, and in com- 
 parison with those of Jesus the Christ, their light is as 
 that of a candle compared with the light of the sun. 
 Undoubtedly this conviction has forced itself upon the 
 mind of the reader as he has considered the various sys- 
 tems of religion ; that there is not one among them all 
 that can do for the world that which Christianity can ac- 
 complish. Compare the founders of religions with the 
 Founder of Christianity, in their lives, characters and 
 teachings. Compare together the sacred books ; the 
 Vedas, the laws of Manu, the Zend-Avesta, the Tripi- 
 takas and the Koran, with the Bible. Compare the ef- 
 fects of these religions upon the political, social, civil and 
 domestic life of the people with the effects of Christian- 
 ity; compare Christian and heathen lands, Christian and 
 heathen homes. Christian and heathen governments. 
 Compare the best parts of the best of heathen religions 
 with any part of Christianity. One cannot but see the 
 marked contrasts, and the infinite superiority of Chris- 
 tianity. This being so, then does it not follow that they 
 who are seeking to give the Gospel of Jesus the Christ 
 to the world are rendering'a service to the cause of hu- 
 manity? And they are but obeying the command of 
 Jesus Christ to " preach the Gospel to every creature." 
 A young curate, who had fed on Sydney Smith's diet of 
 sarcastic witticisms, once approached the Duke of Wel- 
 lington with the question, " Do you not think that the 
 work of converting the Hindus is all a fanatical farce ?" 
 " Look to your marching orders, sir !" the stern old Iron 
 Duke replied. Common gratitude moves us to desire 
 that the world. shall be made to know of Jesus Christ 
 When we read of the worship of our heathen ancestors, 
 and remember that we should have been doing to-day as 
 they did, had it not been for the Christian men who took 
 
770 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 "the Gospel to England, we feel new obligations resting 
 upon us. Further, all things are working to this end. 
 Inventions, explorations, the discoveries of science, pro- 
 gress in government, everything waits upon this work. 
 
 \ 
 
 THE STORY OF THE WORK. 
 
 It began 1,850 years ago. A Christian man named 
 Paul went among the heathen of Asia Minor and South- 
 eastern Europe — among the worshipers of the gods of 
 Greece and Rome — to tell them of Christ. He was ac- 
 companied by other Christians. They met with con- 
 siderable success, though they were made to suffer for it. 
 
 In later years, from Rome, that had then become 
 the centre of Christianity, other Christians went to 
 Western Europe. From Greenland, of the Arctic Zone, 
 to the West Indies, of the Tropics, Christianity was ex- 
 tended. Nation after nation gave up its idols, cruel 
 customs were abolished, and a purer life and worship 
 was begun. But it was left for the last hundred years to 
 witness the development of this work to its greatest 
 extent. 
 
 . THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE CHRISTIAN ARMY. 
 
 The Christian camp-fires are lighted and the tents of 
 the Christian army have been erected in almost every 
 land of the globe. The conquering army pursues only 
 peaceful methods; it does not seek to drive but to win; 
 not to harm but to help. In gaining its present position 
 many lives have been lost, many sacrifices have been 
 made. It has had to contend for the ground it occupies, 
 inch by inch ; the forces of idolatry have been mustered 
 against its advance. The giant Goliath, Heathenism, has 
 counted on a speedy destruction of the stripling David, 
 Christianity. One country after another has opened its 
 
THE WORLD'S RETURN TO ITS FIRST WORSHIP. -^jl 
 
 doors to the coming of Christianity. India, in the year 
 1705. opened her doors only to close them again after a 
 little; since 1830, however, the work has been prosecuted 
 vigorously. China, in 1807, and Japan, in 1859, wel- 
 comed the first Protestant Christian missionaries. Thus, 
 too, other countries of Asia, Africa and the Islands of the 
 Pacific have received the Christian heralds, within the 
 last hundred years. Now behold them marshaled fpr 
 the fight. Let us hastily glance at the various fields in 
 succession. 
 
 A FLIGHT OVER THE FIELDS. 
 
 Let us rub our Aladdin's lamps, and summon the 
 genii to bear us away over the world. Let us on imagi- 
 nation's swift wings fly over the battle-fields. 
 
 In yapan we see Buddhism being galvanized into a 
 new life for the moment, and Shintoism cast off by the gov- 
 ernment and in great part by the people. We see a few 
 new temples being erected, but many old ones falling into 
 ruins. Western ideas have been introduced, and western 
 civilization is making rapid progress in this most eastern 
 land. Six hundred and fifty Christian missionaries have 
 won 40,000. The Japanese have the New Testament in 
 their own language. Corea has been reached by mis- 
 sionaries, and the New Testament has been published in 
 the Corean language. ' 
 
 The Chinese and Japanese war of 1895, has had a 
 happy effect on missions in Japan, Corea and China. 
 We may look for a great enlargement. 
 
 Old China is being brought to the childhood of con- 
 version to Christ; her conservatism is passing away ; her 
 exclusive policy is being yielded up ; her hatred of the 
 
n^ 
 
 FLIGBr OVBk the FIELDS. 
 
 foreigners (the "foreign devils" and "barbarians") is 
 being overcome and replaced by respect and in some 
 cases by love. To-day a man behaving himself properl)( 
 and not bearing himself insolently, can travel unmolested 
 in any part of China, even where foreigners once were 
 murdered. Every one of its provinces has been visited 
 by Christian missionaries ; in almost all they reside. The 
 language (said to have been invented by the devil to 
 perplex missionaries) is very thoroughly understood and 
 used. Their false science and law is being replaced by 
 true instruction. Christ is taking Confucius's place, as it 
 is seen that his teaching can never regenerate China. 
 Buddha's dreary faith of annihilation, and Lao-tze's super- 
 stitious materialism are being slowly yielded up by the 
 people. The taking of this Gibraltar of heathenism is 
 by no means accomplished ; yet her walls are being 
 scaled, and a foothold on their summit gained. They that 
 have turned the world upside down have gone thither 
 also. By unique and unexpected providence, God is 
 aiding His workers. The recent terrible famine was such 
 a providence. Yet while the number of converts is not 
 great, a very great deal of unseen work has been ac- 
 complished. It seems as though a whole legion of devils 
 catch up the seed of the Gospel sown in China, almost 
 as quickly as it touches the ground ; still some, and much, 
 brings forth good fruit. Considering the powerful oppo- 
 sition, the gigantic obstacles, the almost insurmountable 
 difficulties, that there should be 65,000 living Chinese 
 Christians to-day, and probably 300,000 nominal Chris- 
 tians, Is surprising. To-day i ,500 missionaries are at work 
 in China, seeking to convert its 400,000,000 people. 
 
 Moravian missionaries are preaching the Gospel of 
 Christ on the borders of Thibet, the stronghold of Bud- 
 dhism. It is here that the Buddhist Lama or Pope resides. 
 
THE WORLD'S RETURN TO ITS FIRST WORSHIP. y-. 
 
 In Siam great changes have recently occurred. ' The 
 country is now open to foreigners ; a missionary is in 
 charge of the government school and this nation, like 
 Japan, seems to be progressing toward the light. Thirty- 
 eight missionaries (one among Chinese colonists), with 
 1,700 converts represent the strength of the church there. 
 
 In Assam " the light of a brighter day gilds the hill- 
 tops .and spreads along the valleys, ripening the long 
 corn-fields for the reaper's sickle." Long and patient 
 toil has not as yet been rewarded with great harvest 
 gatherings, but the missionaries look forward in patient 
 waiting for a better day. There are 36 churches, with 
 3,626 members; 26 missionaries, and 100 native preachers. 
 
 There are European missionaries in Borneo, Celebes, 
 and the Moluccas ; among the aborigines of Australia, 
 and in the Island of Mauritius. 
 
 "^Vhat a grand work has been done in Burmah, where 
 missionary labor has been so emphatically blessed ; among 
 Burmese, Karens, Shans and Kakyens. The young mis- 
 sion at Bhamo is in a precarious condition at present, 
 owing to the relations of King Thee-bau to England ; yet 
 the missionaries there stand by their posts. The Bud- 
 dhism of Burmah seems as yet but little affected by the 
 presence of Christianity ; the work among the Karens 
 has made more rapid progress than among the Burmese, 
 because of the preparation for the Gospel by their singu- 
 lar traditions and prophecies. There are 40,000 Chris- 
 tians, the nucleus of a Christian community of about 
 200,000. There are 155 missionaries in Burmah. 
 
 India has been very thoroughly evangelized. The 
 opposition of the representatives of so-called Christian 
 nations, the strength of caste, and the attachment to the 
 elaborate system of Hinduism were the principal obsta- 
 cles to the progress of Christianity. Five-sixths of all 
 47 
 
774 
 
 WONDERFUL WORK AMONG THE HEATHEN. 
 
 the converts are from the lower castes or ranks of the 
 people. By education in mission-schools, but mainly by 
 direct preaching, about 250,000 converts have been made. 
 There is a native Christian community (M. A. Sherring 
 says) of nearly a million. One thousand and seven hun- 
 
 A MISSIONARY HOME IN BURMAH. 
 
 dred missionaries were at work in 1895. One of the most 
 extraordinary events of all modern missionary history was 
 the sudden turning of the thousands of Telugus to Christ. 
 The people of India have been greatly enlightened, thought 
 awakened, and a wonderful transformation is occurring. 
 The sacrifice of infants, the horrible practice of suttee, the 
 Juggernaut festivals, are no more tolerated. English and 
 American ladies have gaine'^' an entrance into the zena- 
 
THE WORLD'S RETURN TO ITS FIRST WORSHIP. -ye 
 
 nas, and the women of India are becoming aware of a 
 new life of which they never dreamed. All over India, 
 Christian villages and churches dot the land ; and before 
 another generation has passed away, if the increase shall 
 be proportionate to the recent past, India will be a Chris- 
 tian country. The Brahmo-Somaj, a sort of reform on 
 Brahminisni, has recently drawn very near to Christianity, 
 and as illustrated byKeshub Chunder Sen's recent re- 
 markable address may soon become a Christian body. 
 
 Little has been undertaken in Afghanistan, Beloochistan 
 or Arabia, as yet. There are 50 missionaries and 2,675 
 converts in Persia; The converts are principally from 
 the Nestorians, who have long been nominally Christians. 
 Access to the Mohammedans is becoming easier. 
 
 In Turkey, momentous changes- are occurring. The 
 despicable, despotic government is losing its power. 
 The old Armenian race, the Anglo-Saxons of the East, 
 who received Christianity in the fourth century, have in 
 later years shown a remarkable readiness to receive 
 Protestant preaching. Yet, in its death-throes it has fear- 
 fully persecuted its Armenian subjects. The Mohammedans, 
 here as elsewhere, are almost inaccessible. In Constanti- 
 nople alone, a city of the size of Philadelphia, they have 
 300 mosques. There are 277 missionaries in Turkey, 
 and 18,200 converts, and 44,000 children in their schools. 
 In Syria there is a strong missionary body. It is difficult 
 to reach the Jews, Mussulmans and Christians (Greek 
 and Roman Catholic churches), because of their exceed- 
 ing religiosity. The American Congregationalists and 
 Presbyterians, and also the Church of England, have 
 missionaries here. There are 3,317 Protestant Chris- 
 tians, 170 missionaries, and 32,057 scholars in Syria. 
 
 Central Asia is almost the only part of the world yet 
 'Josed against the Gospel, though even here a little has 
 
n^ 
 
 CHRISTIANITY SPREADING. 
 
 been done by the brave old Joseph Wolff and English 
 officers. 
 
 Africa, the dark continent, has a population of about 
 200,000,000. Mohammedanism has thoroughly overrun 
 Africa, especially the northern portions. Fetichism, the 
 lowest form of idolatry, holds the great mass pf the Af- 
 rican peoples. There are two missions in Egypt; the 
 British, with three missionaries at J:wo stati-ons, and the 
 American, with twenty-five missionaries, a hundred sta- 
 tions and 3,500 members, mainly from the Copts, an old 
 Christian sect. The children in the mission-schools are 
 mostly Mohammedan. In South Africa twelve or fifteen 
 societies have not less than 40,000 converts. The west- 
 ern coast, from Sierra Leone to the Gulf of Guinea, is 
 fringed with Christian missions. At the mouth of the 
 Congo, on the west, and on the Niger and Zanzibar 
 coast, on the east, the missions are flourishing. The 
 greatest interest attaches to the very recent occupancy 
 of Central Africa. On November 15th, 1876, Stanley's 
 famous letter, mentioning King Mtesa's request for 
 Christian teachers, was received. A few days after, 
 ;|20,ooo were offered to found a mission at Victoria Ny- 
 anza. Within seven months a picked party of sev,en 
 missionaries stood on the eastern shore of Africa. They 
 have experienced great difficulties and met with a remark- 
 ably great success. 
 
 Madagascar may be called a Christian country now, 
 as may also the Sandwich Islands, the British West In- 
 dies, and, perhaps, the greater part of the islands of Poly- 
 nesia. In Mexico, and in South America, as in the Papal 
 lands of Europe, Protestant missionaries are laboring. 
 
 "The field is the worid;" the motto is — the world for 
 Christ and Christ for the world. The great triumphs of 
 the past are being eclipsed by the greater ones of the 
 
THE WORLD'S RETURN TO ITS FIRST WORSHIP. 
 
 m 
 
 present. The old decrepit and deformed sects of Chris- 
 tianity, long sleeping if not long dead, are taking on a 
 new life. The Pagan religions are attempting the im- 
 possible task of preventing the incoming of Christianity; 
 but their thraldom is broken, and everywhere the dropping 
 of the broken fetters is heard. Mohammedanism alone 
 is gathering itself with vigor to resist and repel and 
 overcome Christianity, but its sword has been wrested 
 from its grasp. The conquests of Christianity have not 
 been won by might of sword; her victories over old 
 faiths have not been gained by worldly wisdom. By 
 love, by persuasion, by patient toil and suffering, the self- 
 offered but God-called missionaries have done this work. 
 God be praised for their lives, their works and their suc- 
 cesses. May the day soon come when, his " Gospel hav- 
 ing been published throughout the whole world for a 
 testimony to all the nations," Christ, by whose command 
 they went forth, shall come and gather out of all nations 
 His own! 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Abhidharma 514 
 
 Abu Bekr 728 
 
 Abyssinia 724 
 
 Adar 130 
 
 Aaiti . ■ 216 
 
 Africa 341 
 
 African Religion, 89, 341 ; Missions, 776 
 
 African Travelers 341 
 
 Agni 216 
 
 Agra 760 
 
 Agricola I95 
 
 Agriculture, Temple of, at Peking . 467 
 
 Ahriman 410 
 
 Ainos 716 
 
 AkamalB " . 669, 673 
 
 Alaskans 362, 371 
 
 Alexander 412 
 
 Alger, W. R. 74I 
 
 Allegory of Winter and Spring . . 369 
 
 Altars 60 
 
 Amatej^u 31 1 
 
 Amazon sun-worship 377 
 
 American Indians, 361 ; Traditions 
 
 of Deluge 72 
 
 Amon 104 
 
 Ancestors, Worship of . . 364, 481, 486 
 
 Angkor - 592 
 
 Anubis 104 
 
 Apis 106 
 
 Apollo and Hermes 159 
 
 Arabian Night's Entertainment . . 567 
 
 Arab slave-dealers 341 
 
 Araucanians 378 
 
 Arhans 626, 687 
 
 Arnold, Edwin . . . 500, 507, 522, 598 
 
 Arnold, Matthew 184 
 
 Asaknsa 673 
 
 Ashtoreth '. . . 141 
 
 Asoka 5'3.S*7f 532. 540 
 
 Assamese Missions 773 
 
 Asihur 127 
 
 Assyrian Triad, 128; Bull .... I3S 
 
 Atagosa-Yama 680 
 
 Athens '6? 
 
 Augustine 209 
 
 Avesta 4' I 
 
 Aztecs S3» 379 
 
 Pagt 
 Baal 142, ^94 
 
 Baalbec, Temple of Sun at ... . 583 
 
 Baal-Peor ' 141 
 
 Babel, Chaldean story of 74 
 
 Babylon 135 
 
 Bangkok, Pagoda of 576 
 
 Baruch 138 
 
 Basutos 347 
 
 Bear Worship 717 
 
 Beatitudes of Buddlm ....... 520 
 
 Beggars, Buddhist 523 
 
 Begging-bowl 525 
 
 Bel 128 
 
 Bell of Osaka 691 
 
 Bells, The 578 
 
 Benares 255, 502, 508 
 
 Benten 328,678 
 
 Benzura 680 
 
 Berosus 63,74, 121, 12S 
 
 Bible and Idolatry 74 
 
 Bible of Thibet 609 
 
 Bible testimony to first worship . . 34 
 
 Bidasu . . 657 
 
 Binzum 680 
 
 Bishamon 328 
 
 Black Stone . . . . : 721 
 
 Bodhidharma 615,657 
 
 Bombay 518 
 
 Bonny 355 
 
 Bon Religion 598 
 
 Bonzes, Chinese 651 
 
 Book of the Dead, Egyptian . . . 108 
 
 Books of Brick 123 
 
 Booldo 654 
 
 Borsippa I36 
 
 Bo-tree, 507, 539,^50; of Ceylon, 546 
 
 Bowring, Sir John 588 
 
 Bbyesen . 200- 
 
 Boy, Moslem 752 
 
 Boy, The Old 424 
 
 Brahma 2l€ 
 
 Brahmanas 217 
 
 Brahminism . . ; 92, 502 
 
 Brahmins and Gautama 507 
 
 Brick Books 123 
 
 Bricks of Chaldea 122 
 
 Bridge-ladder, Turning the ... . 483 
 
 779 
 
ySo 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Britain in ancient times i86 
 
 Brittan, Miss H. G 295 
 
 Browning, Mrs. E 84 
 
 Buddlia, 500; Gaufama ^becomes, 
 
 508, arid Christ S09-S ' 2 
 
 Buddliaghosha, 514, 528, 550; Para- 
 bles of ' 528 
 
 Buddhas, The Three Precious . . 625 
 
 Buddha's Tooth, Worship of . . . 553 
 
 Buddhism, 87, 93, 500 ; in China, 420, 
 
 61 1 ; in India and Ceylon, 532 ; in 
 
 Burmah, 555; in^Siam, 5,75; in 
 
 Thibet, 598; in Corea, 654; in 
 
 Japan 656 
 
 Buddhist Councils 527 
 
 Buddhist Saint's Tomb 590 
 
 Bull, Assyrian 135 
 
 Burmese Buddhism, 555; Missions, 773 
 
 Burmese Superstitions 570 
 
 Bushmen 346 
 
 Byron. . 536 
 
 C^SAR 192, 527 
 
 Cairo University 720 
 
 Calf, Golden 140 
 
 Caliphs 728 
 
 Camljyses . . . ". 106 
 
 Camel Driver 721 
 
 Canton 615, 626, 637 
 
 Canton, Examination Hall in . . . 473 
 
 Caste 222 
 
 Cathay 699 
 
 Causes of decay in religion .... 84 
 
 Cave of Idols 596 
 
 Cazembe Fetich-man 351 
 
 Cemetery at Mecca 727 
 
 Centaurs 163 
 
 Ceremony of Water-lamps .... 653 
 
 Ceres and Liber 179 
 
 Ceylonese Buddhism, 540 ; Bible . 554 
 
 Chair of Nails 652 
 
 Chaldean story of Deluge, 64; of 
 
 Babel, 74; Tablets 119 
 
 Champollion 100 
 
 Channa 507 
 
 Chaos 154 
 
 Charlemagne . . . ,• 527 
 
 Charms, Chinese 439 
 
 Childe Harold 536 
 
 Children taught to worship idols 230, 490 
 China, 416; religionsof, 94,416,419; 
 
 Missions in 771 
 
 Chinese Deities, 56; Languages, 
 
 418; Home Life, 478; Buddhism, 
 
 61IJ Idols, 641 ; Dfcvotees . . . 652 
 
 Chinese in Siam 596 
 
 Chinese tradition of early ages, 44; 
 
 of Deluge 69 
 
 Christ and Buddha, 509-512; and 
 
 other Masters 767 
 
 Christian and Buddhist ideas . . . 515 
 Christianity's Conquest, 95, 767 ; in 
 
 Great Britain 195 
 
 Clement of Alexandria 104 
 
 Coffee, King 346 
 
 Coleridge, S. T 47 
 
 Colossal Buddha 632, 693 
 
 Comparative religion 35 
 
 Confucianism 94, 419 
 
 Confucian Temples 461, 471 
 
 Confucius, 445, 710; andLao-Tsze, 425 
 Constantine the Great . . 513,527 754 
 
 Corea 654, 699 
 
 Corean Priest, 657; Buddhism . . 687 
 
 Corinth 168 
 
 Costumes of Chaldea 125 
 
 Councils of the Buddhists .... 527 
 Creation, Traditions of ... . 62, 307 
 
 Cross and Crescent 766' 
 
 Crusades 733 
 
 Cuneiform Letters 124 
 
 Cunningham, A 540 
 
 Cyclops . , 154 
 
 Cypress-tree of Ceylon . . . J52, 546 
 
 Dagabas 548, 620 
 
 Dagon •. ■ • • 5* 
 
 Dai Butsu of Kamakura, 693; of 
 
 Nara 699 
 
 Daikoku 323,678 
 
 Dalai Lama 6cx) 
 
 Dante 527 
 
 Dead and living Religions .... 82 
 
 Dead,_ Egyptian Book of the . , . 108 
 
 Dead "pan 85 
 
 Dead Religions 84 
 
 Delhi ; . . 754 
 
 Deluge, Traditions of 66 
 
 Dervishes 748 
 
 Devil Mask 549 
 
 Devils, Driving out 705 
 
 Devotees, 281; of China 652 
 
 Dharma 514 
 
 Diana of Ephesus 171, 583 
 
 Dining-room of a Buddhist Tercple, 670 
 
 Dispersion of the Nations .... 45 
 
 Do-nothing Sect 654 
 
 Doolittle, J 653 
 
 Douglass, R. K 446 
 
 Dragon Boat-race 436 
 
 Druids 188 
 
 Du Chaillu, P 358 
 
 Dyaus 214 
 
 Ebisu 326 
 
 Ebh-elFarid ' yy 
 
INDEX. 
 
 781 
 
 Page 
 Cdaa 199 
 
 Edkins, J 419 
 
 Egyptian Architect 38 
 
 Egyptian Book of the Dead ... 108 
 
 Elephanta, Cave of 256 
 
 Elephant, Palace of S79 
 
 Elephant, White 588 
 
 ElSn stoiy 205 
 
 Elijah 144,621 
 
 Elysian Fields 518 
 
 Emerald Idol 579 
 
 English Heathenism 185 
 
 Ephesian Diana 171 
 
 Erebus 154 
 
 Etruscan Religion 174 
 
 Europe 92 
 
 Examinations in China 473 
 
 Exodus of Nations 45 
 
 Fa HiAN 599, 612 
 
 Fakirs 279 
 
 Farrar, F. W. 290 
 
 Fetich 350 
 
 Field, H. M 97, 473. 758 
 
 Fielde, A. M 498 
 
 Fijian Temple 391 
 
 Fiji Islanders' Tradition of the Del- 
 uge 71 
 
 &e Crackers 499 
 
 > Kre-god'S Secret 393 
 
 Fire-worshipers .' . . 407 
 
 Fnst Hymns 53 
 
 First Worship 33 
 
 Five Hundred Gods Temple, in 
 
 China, 626 ; in Japan 687 
 
 Flight of Mohammed . . . : 719, 725 
 
 Flowing Invocation 71S 
 
 Foism 6ii 
 
 "Footsteps of the Law" .... 518 
 
 Fox-worship 7°3 
 
 Freiligrath, F. 34i 
 
 Fuji-yama 329. 7°8 
 
 Fukuroku Jin 322 
 
 Funeral in Japan 711 
 
 Funeral of Burmese Monk . ... 571 
 
 Funeral of Siamese King .... 59^ 
 
 Funeral Ritual of Egypt .... 104 
 
 Funeral Temple of Siam .... 578 
 
 Gabriel's Message 724 
 
 Gambler's God 49^ 
 
 Ganesha 265 
 
 Ganges 2SS. 272 
 
 Garden, Buddhist 502 
 
 Gata and Karpara 4° 
 
 Gate-ways ot Shinto Temples. . . 332 
 
 Gathas 409 
 
 Gautama S02 
 
 Page 
 
 Gedeen-tubpa 600 
 
 Genii of Assyria 132 
 
 Goddess of Mercy, 632; of women . 637 
 God of Letters, 438; of War, 439; 
 
 of Riches, 440; of Kitchen . • 493 
 
 Gods, African, 343 ; Japanese . . . 703 
 
 Gods of Taoism 434 
 
 Gounja-Gounja 345 
 
 Grand Lama 607 
 
 Graves, Worship at 631 
 
 Gray, J. H 443 
 
 Great Spirit 364 
 
 Greek Tradition of Deluge .... 72 
 
 Greek Tradition of Early Ages . . 44 
 
 Gregory the Great 308 
 
 Griffis, W. E 658, 667 
 
 Grouping Ileligions 77 
 
 Guards of Temple 677 
 
 Gutzlaff, C 69 
 
 Gwalior, Cave of 257 
 
 HachimaV 678 
 
 Hairs of White Elephant 587 
 
 Hamonim ........... 654 
 
 Hardwick, C 61, 428 
 
 Hardy, Spence 502, 514 
 
 Haroun-ai-Raschid ...'.... 732 
 
 Heine, H 575 
 
 Hejira 725 
 
 Hell, Chinese idea of, 642; Jap- 
 anese idea of 688, f 00 
 
 Hemis, Monastery of 600 
 
 Herculaneura 183 
 
 Hercules . 163 
 
 Hennes and Apollo 159 
 
 Herodotus ...... ^ ... . 97 
 
 Hesiod 151 
 
 Hiawatha 368 
 
 Hieroglyphics 50, 100 
 
 Hilaire, B. St 500, 510 
 
 Hindu Tradition of Early Ages . . 44 
 Hindu" Tradition of Deluge ... 68 
 
 Hiogo Buddha 666 
 
 H'lassa, 599 ; Cathedral 603 
 
 Holy men of Hindus 279 
 
 Holy Scriptu'es 518 
 
 Homer 151 
 
 Homes, Chinese 478 
 
 Hooghly River Mosque 742 
 
 Horrors, Temple of 642 
 
 Hotei 327, 703 
 
 Hottentots 345, 349 
 
 Household gods of Japan .... 321 
 
 Howqua 47S 
 
 Human Sacrifices ift Britain, 192; 
 
 among Hindus 225 
 
 Humbert, Aime 656 
 
 Humboldt . 387 
 
782 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Ibsambui, 99 
 
 Idolatryand the Bible 74 
 
 Idol, Emerald, 579; Sleeping . . 579 
 
 Idol of Buddha 509 
 
 Idols and Koran 738 
 
 Ilu 127 
 
 Imam 74^ 
 
 Inari 7'^3 
 
 Incarnations of Vishnu 299 
 
 Incas 383 
 
 India, 92, 532; Missions in. . . . 773 
 
 Indian Tradition Of Deluge ... 72 
 
 Indians of America, 363 ; Legends, 367 
 
 Initiation Ceremony 523 
 
 Insect-god 349 
 
 ■ Ise 332 
 
 Ishtar ; 130 
 
 Izanagi and Izanami 308 
 
 Jacob 138 
 
 Jagannath 233 
 
 Jains 518, 532 
 
 Janus 180 
 
 Japanese Customs . 709 
 
 Japanese Gods . 703 
 
 Japanese Pilgrims 669, 709 
 
 Japanese Poem ; 709 
 
 Japanese Shintoism, o'^; Buddhism,. 656 
 Japanese story of Creation .... 307 
 
 Japanese Superstitions 712 
 
 Japan, Mission in 771 
 
 Jesuit Missionaries 665 
 
 Jesus and Buddha, 509—512; and 
 
 Koran 737 
 
 Jimmu Tenno 3'3>3I9 
 
 Jingu Kogo . » ." . 687 
 
 Jogees 532 
 
 Jonas 535 
 
 Joong 654 
 
 Joshua 138 
 
 Joss-stick 461, 620 
 
 Jove •, • • 176 
 
 Judge of Hell 700 
 
 Judgment 739 
 
 Judson, A 767 
 
 Judson, Emily C 402, 555 
 
 Juggernaut 233 
 
 Jummah Musjid . . , 754 
 
 Juno 178 
 
 Jupiter 164, 177 
 
 KaabA 721 
 
 Kaang 346 
 
 , Kaffirs 351 
 
 Kakavanna, King 529 
 
 Kali 240 
 
 Kamakura 661,693 
 
 Kandy 553 
 
 Page 
 
 Karens 402, 55; 
 
 Kamak 113 
 
 Keshub Chunder Sen 212 
 
 Khadija 723 
 
 Kin-ma 654 
 
 Kitchen, God of 493 
 
 Kitsune 703 
 
 Kobe 668, 687 
 
 Kobo Daishi 657, 665 
 
 Koran 734, 737 
 
 Koutub 757 
 
 Krishna 233 
 
 Kronos 154 
 
 Kum-Fa 637 
 
 Kushan Monastery . .■ 622 
 
 Kwanon, 661; Temple of, 673; 
 
 Picture of 680 
 
 Kwante, God of War 439 
 
 Kwan-Vin 631, 645 
 
 Laban 138 
 
 Lama, 600 ; Grand 607 
 
 Lamaism 598 
 
 Lamaist Bible 609 
 
 Lao-Tsze 416 
 
 Lenormant 119 
 
 Leonowens, Mrs. A 583 
 
 Leper King 595 
 
 Letters, God of 4^ _ 
 
 Leyden 230 
 
 Living Worships 86 
 
 Longfellow, H. W 367, 61 1 
 
 Lotus Eaters 161 
 
 Luther, R. M 402 
 
 Luxor 114 
 
 Ma-chu 494, 498, 638 
 
 Maclear, G. F 185 
 
 Magi 410 
 
 Mahawanso 554 
 
 Mahinda 540, 549 
 
 Malayo-Polynesians 387 
 
 Mandarin of China 615 
 
 Mani Padee 608 
 
 Manu's Laws 293 
 
 Mara ' 508, 519 
 
 Marriage in Japan 710 
 
 Mason, Francis 555 
 
 Master Thief, Stories of 37 
 
 Matsuri 704 
 
 Maulmain Pagoda 565 
 
 Mecca 721,727, 752, 763 
 
 Medicine Men 364 
 
 Medina 725 
 
 Memnon 114 
 
 Mencius 475 
 
 Mendes 104 
 
 Mendicants, Buddhist 523 
 
INDEX. 
 
 783 
 
 ' Page 
 Mercy, Goddess of, . 632, 661, 673, 680 
 
 Merodach 130 
 
 Meteor-gods 58 
 
 Mexican Tradition of Early Ages, 
 
 43 ; of Deluge 70 
 
 Michell, N. 210 
 
 Mikado of Japan 657 
 
 Mikado's Crest 317 
 
 Milton, J 138 
 
 Minerva 179 
 
 Ming-ti 611 
 
 Missionaiy and non-missionary Re- 
 ligions , . . -, 82 
 
 Missionary work, Christian, 767 ; in 
 Japan and China, 771 ; in Thibet, 
 772 ; in Siam, Burmah, Assam, and 
 India, 773; in Turicey, 775; in 
 
 Aftica 776 
 
 Mnevis 104 
 
 Mohammed 
 
 Mohammedanism 87, 95, 522 
 
 Mohammedans 210 
 
 Mohurrim 7^4 
 
 Moloch 143 
 
 Monasteries of China 646 
 
 Monks, Buddhist,' 525 ; Burmese, 
 
 571; of Thibet 600 
 
 Monk's M^onument 650 
 
 Monto Priests, 668; Creed of. . . 673 
 
 Monuments, Ancient 50 
 
 Moon-god 
 
 Moses 
 
 Moslem Boy 752 
 
 Moslems 719 
 
 Mosque of Omar ........ 730 
 
 Mosques, 741; Worship in . . . . 747 
 
 Mother's Memorial 715 
 
 Mother, The Goddess 49° 
 
 Mouhot, H 592 
 
 Mountain, Sacred Japanese . . 329, 708 
 
 Mpomo 358 
 
 Muir, Sir W 735 
 
 MuUer, F. Max, 340,407. S'S. 5i7. 668 
 
 MuUer, J. G., 362 
 
 Mummies 104 
 
 Music lesson of Confucius .... ,450 
 Mystic sentence of Thibet .... 606 
 Myths of Greece IS9 
 
 Nagkon Wat 592 
 
 Nanking o". 621 
 
 Naoroji 4i4 
 
 Nara ^99 
 
 Nats ■ ■ 530, 560 
 
 Nature-worship, Beginning of. . . 51 
 
 Ndengei 3^9 
 
 Nebo '30 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar 121 
 
 Nergal 130 
 
 New Testament 514 
 
 New Year's Day in Japan . . , . .704 
 
 Niam-Niams 347 
 
 Nichiren 658 
 
 Nick, Old 198 
 
 Nigban 517 
 
 Nio 677 
 
 Nirvana . 517 
 
 Nitsukis 703 
 
 Nixes 206 
 
 Nobunaga 665 
 
 Numa« 177 
 
 Oannes 128 
 
 Oceanica 387 
 
 Odyssey 155, 162 
 
 Old Boy 424 
 
 Olympus 153 
 
 Omar 729 
 
 Omens 712 
 
 Om Mani Padmi Hum 6o5 
 
 Ongole 272 
 
 Original and Reformed Religions . 82 
 
 Ormazd 409, 410 
 
 Osaka 704 
 
 Osiris 102 
 
 Othman 732 
 
 Oudh, King of ........ . 594 
 
 Pagoda, Shway-da-Gong of Ran- 
 goon, 557 ; of Maulmain, 565 ; of 
 Wat Chang, Siam. ..... 576 
 
 Pagodas, 122; of India, 269; of 
 Burmah, 560; the Seven, 565 ; of 
 
 China 620 
 
 Fan is dead 85 
 
 Papuans i . . 387 
 
 Paradise of Buddha, 517; of Mo- 
 hammed 518, 738 
 
 Parseeism 88, 407 
 
 Parsees 407 
 
 Parsee Worship 414 
 
 Fatagonians 365, 378 
 
 Patna, Council of 527 
 
 Paul, St 164,770 
 
 Pearly Emperor 435 
 
 Pechaburi 596 
 
 Peking 461, 626, 652 
 
 Persia 408 
 
 Peru 372, 383 
 
 Peruvian Tradition of Early Ages . 43 
 Peter, St., Statue of, in Siam . . . 584 
 
 Petsi, King 657 
 
 Phidian Jupiter 164 
 
 Pilgrimage to Mecca 763 
 
 Pilgrim, Japanese 669, 673 
 
 Plagues of Egypt 139 
 
784 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Pliny 189 
 
 Poe, Edgar 578 
 
 Poison-god 394 
 
 Polyphemus 162 
 
 Pombi 344 
 
 Pompeii 183 
 
 Pondict'^rry 270 
 
 Pongyee, Eaixnese Monks .... 571 
 
 Poor Mason 39 
 
 Pope 497 
 
 Porcelain Tower 611, 621 
 
 Prayers, Sale of 6i6 
 
 Praying for rain 344 
 
 Praying-wheels in Thibet, 605; in 
 
 China 649 
 
 Priests 651 
 
 Priest's lament 656 
 
 Priest's trick 350 
 
 Proposed treatment . 87 
 
 Proverbs and Precepts, Chinese . . 431 
 
 Pyramids 117 
 
 Queen of Heaven 497 
 
 Ra 102 
 
 Rahanda 529 
 
 Raiden 318, 319 
 
 Railroad in Japan 662 
 
 Rain, Praying for 344 
 
 RajaratnaCari 554 
 
 Ramayana 594 
 
 Rammohun Roy 212, 221 
 
 Rangoon 557 
 
 Reed, Sir Edw. . , 305 
 
 Refuges, The Three 524 
 
 Relics of Buddhists 540 
 
 Religions, missionary and non-mis- 
 sionary; dead and living; original 
 
 and living 38 
 
 Religions of the World 500 
 
 Renunciation, The Great 506 
 
 Rewards and Punishments, Book of, 430 
 
 Rhampsinitos , . 38 
 
 Rhys-David .... 514, 524, 537. 6o3 
 
 Riches, God of 440 
 
 Rogers, Captain 529 
 
 Romans, Paul's letter to 182 
 
 Ruins of Egypt • • 98 
 
 Sabellian Religion 175 
 
 Sabines 175 
 
 SaCred animals of Egypt .... I06 
 
 Sacred books of Japan 306 
 
 Sacred Bo-tree, 507, 539; of Ceylon, 546 
 
 Sacrifices, Human 192, 225 
 
 Sage, The Little 475 
 
 Sakya Muni 502 
 
 Suilors' Goddess 494 
 
 Page 
 
 Saint Hilaire, B. . ..... loo, 510 
 
 Sale of Prayers 616 
 
 Samoyedes 5^ 
 
 Sanchi Tope 53^ 
 
 Sangha 5^3 
 
 Sanno 67^ 
 
 Sanskrit stories 301 
 
 Sargon, Palace of 132 
 
 Satan 737 
 
 Saxon Paganism 197 
 
 Sayings of Confucius 456 
 
 Schaff, P 748 
 
 Schiller, F. Yon 150 
 
 Schlegel, F. Von 33 
 
 School-boy of China 460 
 
 Schoolcraft, H 368 
 
 Scottish story of the Shifty Lad . . 40 
 
 Sea-God 707 
 
 Sebek 104 
 
 Secret Blessings, Book of ... . 433 
 Sects of Hindus, 218; Buddhists in 
 
 Japan 667 
 
 Serpent Idol 5-9 
 
 Set 103 
 
 Seven Pagodas 565 
 
 Shakespeare 203 
 
 Shamanism 371, 555 
 
 Shanghai 421 
 
 Shang-te 463.654 
 
 Shans 555 
 
 Shasters . . .' 298 
 
 Shiba, Temple of . ... .682 
 
 Shinran 662 
 
 Shin-Shin Sect 657, 668 
 
 Shinto Symbols 681 
 
 Shintoism 94, 656 
 
 Shoes, Putting off 387 
 
 Shrines of Ise 332 
 
 Shway-da-Gong Pagoda 557 
 
 Siamese Buddhism, 575 ; Missions . 773 
 
 Siamese White Elephant 588 
 
 Sigourney, Mrs. L. H 767 
 
 Sikhs 256 
 
 Sioux 365 
 
 Siva 216 
 
 Sleeping Idol 579 
 
 Smith, Sidney 769 
 
 Song of the Threshers lOI 
 
 Sotheby 173 
 
 Soul, Bringing home the . . ^ . . 483 1 
 
 Southern migration 92 
 
 Southey 232 
 
 Spanish story of tlie Poor Mason . 39 
 
 Sphinx . . ■ 97, 112 
 
 Sphes 122 
 
 Spirit, Great 364 
 
 Spirit-house 390 
 
 Stanley, H. M 356 
 
INDEX. 
 
 785 
 
 Page 
 
 Stoddard, R. H 450, 460 
 
 Stonehenge 188 
 
 Stories from the Sanskrit 301 
 
 Stories of the Master Thief ... 37 
 
 St. Paul 164 
 
 St. Sophia 748, 753 
 
 Student. The Tired 475 
 
 Suddhodana • • 502 
 
 Sun-child 658 
 
 Sun-goddess of Japan 313 
 
 Sun, Temple of, in Peking .... 467 
 
 Sun-worship of Indians 372 
 
 Superstitions, Japanese 712 
 
 Suttee . 231, 296 
 
 Tae-Ping Rebellion 621 
 
 Taj Mahal 758 
 
 Talisman of Long Life 424 
 
 Taoism 416 
 
 Taoist Books 428 
 
 Tao-te-king ' 428 
 
 Tartar Woman • 601 
 
 Tartarus 153 
 
 Taylor, B 739, 741 
 
 Tektha . . . ; 567 
 
 Temple of Horrors ....... 642 
 
 Tengou 707 
 
 Tennent, Sir E 546, 548 
 
 Tennyson, Alfired 77 
 
 Teraphim 57, 138 
 
 Teshu Lumbo Monastery .... 602 
 
 Testament, I'lew 514 
 
 "ITiibet, 598; Mission in 772 
 
 Thor 200 
 
 Thoth 104 
 
 Thousand Lamas' Temple .... 626 
 
 Three Baskets 513 
 
 Three Precious Buddhas 625 
 
 Three Pure Ones 434 
 
 Threshers, Song of loi 
 
 Thunder, Japanese God of . . 318, 319 
 
 Tien-chi 5^ 
 
 Tientsin 652 
 
 Tinnivelly 213 
 
 Tired Student 475 
 
 Tissa 54° 
 
 Titans 153 
 
 Tokio 673,682 
 
 Tooth, Buddha's 553 
 
 Topes, Buddhist S08. S-'JS 
 
 Torii 332 
 
 Tortures of Holy Men 283 
 
 Towers 122 
 
 Traditions of man in early ages, 43 ; 
 
 of creation, 62; 305 ; of deluge . 66 
 Trees, Sacred 712 
 
 Page 
 
 Triad, Assyrian 128 
 
 Trick of Priests 348 
 
 Tripitaka 513, 545, 548 
 
 Tsong-khapa . • • • 599 
 
 Tung-cho 620 
 
 Turkish Mission 775 
 
 Tussaud, Madame 68 1 
 
 Umkululu 347 
 
 Umritsur 256 
 
 Universe, Greek conception of, 151 ; 
 
 Hindu 246 
 
 University at Cairo 720 
 
 Varuna 216 
 
 Vedas 49, 54, 92, 286, 548 
 
 Vesta 179 
 
 Vinaya 5^4 
 
 Vindya Mountains 507 
 
 Vinton, Mrs 406 
 
 Virgil 173 
 
 Vishnu, 216; incarnations of . . . 299 
 
 Visions of Gautama 504 
 
 Visparad 414 
 
 Walhalla 199 
 
 War, God of 439 
 
 Wat Chang Pagoda 576 
 
 Water-lamps 653 
 
 Wat P'hra Keau 579 
 
 Wax-works . 681 
 
 Wellington, Duke of 769 
 
 White Elephant of Siam . . . 579,588 
 Whittier, J. G. ....... . 53, 532 
 
 Wilkinson loi 
 
 Williams, M 54 
 
 Williams, S. W. . . . ! . . 416, 482 
 
 Woden 199 
 
 Woman, according to Hinduism, 227, 
 
 295 ; and Mohammedanism . . 748 
 Wu-Wei-Kiau .654 
 
 Xavier 666 
 
 Xisuthrus 66 
 
 Yasnas 413 
 
 Yasodhara 508 
 
 Yebisu 687 
 
 Yema, God of Hell 688 
 
 Yezzo 7'6 
 
 Yuah 403 
 
 Zenanas 228, 29J 
 
 Zend Avesta 43,49,411 
 
 Zoroaster 409 
 
 Zulus 345. 347