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 THE 
 
 
 GLOBE. 
 
GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 FROM THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT 
 SUN TO THE GOLDEN GATE. 
 
 A RECORD OF A TOUR AROUND 
 THE WORLD. 
 
 By D. L. miller, 
 
 Author of "Euroj)e atitl Bihlf Lamia/' ^'Seven Chuychts of Aaia/' 
 *' Wanderings in Bihle Lands." 
 
 PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 Mount Mcjkkis, III.: 
 THE BRETHREN PUBLISHING HOUSE. 
 
 1898. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1898, by 
 
 D. L. MILLER, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congiess, at Washington, D. C. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
THE AUTHOR 
 
 DEDICATES THIS BOOK TO THE CAUSE 
 
 OF MISSIONS, AND TO THOSE WHO, BY GENEROUS GIFTS, HAVE 
 
 MADE IT POSSIBLE TO SEND THE GOSPEL 
 
 TO HEATHEN LANDS. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Across the Atlantic— London— The Palace of a Queen— Paris— Gilded Sin— Results 
 of Infidelity, 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 To Scandinavia— Nordland— The Coast of Norway— Beautiful Scenery— The Love of 
 the Norwegian for his Home— The Laplander— Home Life of the People — Eating 
 Horse-flesh— The Sun at Midnight 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Leaving the Northland — Through Germany— A Beautiful Valley — Schwarzenau and 
 the Eder — Persecuted Reformers — The Rhine — Mayence to Cologne— The City of 
 Worms and Luther's Denkmal— Lucerne— Climbing Rigi — William Tell — The 
 Axenstrasse— The St. Gothard Railway — The Great Tunnel— Lombardy — Arrival 
 at Milan, 69 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Cathedral at Milan— Leonardo da Vinci— The Last Supper— Rome— Kissing the 
 Foot of St. Peter— Pompeii— New Discoveries— An Ancient House — Corinth— Di- 
 ogenes the Cynic— Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles— Athens — The Acropolis — 
 The Market Place — Mars' Hill— Sunset on the Acropolis — Costumes of the Athe- 
 nians— A Greek Soldier— Maid of Athens— A Peculiar Custom, g8 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Athens to Smyrna — The "Unspeakable Turk"— The Massacre of the Armenians — 
 An Agape or Love Feast in Smyrna— Mission Work — Fellow Pilgrims— The City 
 of Figs — How Figs are Packed— A Trial of Patience — Sailing for the Holy Land — 
 Beirut — An Evening Sail along the Coast of Tyre and Sidon — The Mountains of 
 Lebanon— Mount Carmel— The Prophefs Test— At Jaffa, 136 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Landing at Jaffa— A Rough Sea— Dangerous Landing— Our Ebenezer— Railways in 
 Palestine — The Threshing Floor— Unmuzzled Oxen— His Fan is in His Hand — 
 The Gleaners— Lydda— The Effendi and his Wives— The Leprosy— Beth-shemesh 
 and the Ark of the Covenant — Birthplace of Samson — Whited Sepulchres — Farm 
 Life in Palestine— The Ownership of the Land— Casting Lots— The Lines are 
 Fallen to me in Pleasant Places— The Ta.\ Gatherer 157 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Measuring Grain— Poverty of Jerusalem— Excavations— Gates Sunk in the Ground- 
 Two Women Grinding at the Mill— The Shepherd and his Flock— Night on Olivet 
 —A Jewish Funeral— The Ring's Wine Press— Eastward and Homeward— On to 
 Egypt 180 
 
viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Port Said— Railway to Cairo— To tlie Pyramids— Camel Train— Farmers at Work- 
 Casting Seed upon the Water— A Monopolistic Sheik— A Hard Climb— On the 
 Summit— Smelling Salts and the Arabs— The Shame of Cairo— A Street Sleeper— 
 On to India— The Red Sea— Aden and the Divers— The Arabian Sea— The Har- 
 bor of Bombay 204 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A Welcome to Bombay— A Modern City— The Parsis— Fireworshipers— " The Res- 
 taurant of the Vultures"— Towers of Silence— Old Bombay— The Bazaars— Full 
 Jeweled Women— Excessive Jewelry— Rings in the Ears and Nose— Rings on 
 Fingers and Toes— Pan Chewing Versus Tobacco, 233 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Stability of Customs in India— The Sacred Animals— Worshiping the Cow— Bathing 
 —The Hindus' Love for Animals— To Bulsar— The Cocoanut Toddy— Monkeys 
 by the Way— Our Mission Home— A Good Work by a Noble Band of Workers- 
 Hinduism— Caste— The Rajah and his Cabinet— High Caste Woman— Low Caste 
 Woman— The Degradation of Idolaters 259 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Idolatry in India— The Fascination of Idol Worship— The Degradation of the People 
 —Different Sects— The Mark on the Forehead— Branding the Body— The Daily 
 Service Rendered to the Idol— Saktism a Synonym for Sensuality— Animal Wor- 
 ship— The Hindus' Love for Animals— A Strange Case of Suicide— The Worship 
 of Snakes— The Monkey God— Plant and Tree Worship 282 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Among the Common People— Manners and Customs— Burning the Dead— A Crema- 
 tion at the Riverside— " Ram, Ram '" — Vain Repetitions— Sorrow Makes the 
 World Akin— Burning of Widows— The Hindu Widow at the Judgment— Burning 
 Ghat— Native Houses— Home Life of the Villagers— Daily Religious Service- 
 Strict Observance of Rites and Ceremonies — The Parsi Offering his Evening 
 Prayer— Woman Grinding at the Mill— Dress— Dhoti— Rings for the Arms and 
 Legs— Untruthfulness of Natives 3i4 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Interest in Indian People— Inquisitiveness— Cheap Labor— Bricklayers at Work- 
 Human Sawmills— Marriage Ceremonies— Child Marriage— A Double Wedding- 
 Pan and Flowers— The Bridegroom's Procession— Ceremonies— Large Sums of 
 Money Expended— The Hindu Child— Namegiving Ceremony— Boring the Ears 
 —A Visit to Col. Ansel — A Missionary Cocoanut Tree — Toddy — The Toddy 
 Climber 34i 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Leaving Our Bulsar Home— Northward to Jeypore— Slaughter of Innocents— Man- 
 Eating Tigers— The Sacred Crocodiles— The Idols in Jeypore— State Elephants— 
 Agra— The Beautiful Taj Mahal— "An Elegy in Marble "—The Gateway— The 
 Garden— The Marble Screen-Snake Charmers— Indian Jugglers— The Conjurer 
 Khali Khan— Wonderful Feats— The Mango Tree— How the Trick is Performed 
 — Claims to Supernatural Power Disproved • '^64 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS IX 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Delhi — Lucknow— Cawnpore— The Indian Mutiny— The Peacock Throne— Memorial 
 Well at Cawnpore— Savage Cruelty — Benares— Sleepino^ in Tents — The Sacred 
 River Ganges — All Kinds of Gods lor Sale— Bathing in the Ganges — Earnestness 
 of the Devotees — On the Ganges — " Purdah Women" — Image of the God Bhima 
 — Faith-healing— Tlie Burning Ghats — Idols, Idols Everywhere — Christian(.') 
 England Making Idols for India— Golden Temple — The Monkey Temple 388 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 From the City of Idols to the City of Palaces -The Man-eating Tigers of Bengal— 
 Rich Farming Lands — India in Competition with the United States in Raising 
 Wheat— The Indigo Plant— Process of Manufacturing the Dye— Opium Growing 
 — Opium Introduced into China by the English— The Opium War — England's 
 Greatest National Sin — Calcutta " City of Palaces "' — Asiatic Cholera — The 
 Black Hole of Calcutta, 417 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Calcutta to Darjeeling— An Upward Climb— Railroading above the Clouds — The 
 Himalayan Mountains— A Grand View— The Ranjit River— .A Cane Bridge — The 
 Bhooteas— The Prayer Wheel— Wind and Water Assist in Praying — Leaving Cal- 
 cutta — The Hooghly River— Madras— The Juggernaut 442 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Madras to Colombo— The Isle of Spice— Peculiar Boats— The Beauty of Ceylon— The 
 Jinrikisha — The Cinnamon Gardens — Nutmegs and Cloves — Cocoanuts — The 
 Utility of the Cocoa Palm— Precious Stones— Pearl Fisheries 468 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Off for Hong Kong— Til e Sea Captain's "Spicy Breezes"— The " Kaiser-i-Hind"— 
 The Grouping of Passengers— Ship's Log from Colombo to Penang— Straits of 
 Malacca— A Pleasant \'oyage— Singapore — Beauties of the Entrance to the Har- 
 bor — Houses Built over the Water — The Sedan Chair — Botanical Gardens — 
 Through the Streets of Singapore — The Shell Merchant— The Opium Dens— .\ 
 Fearful Sight — Kava— On the China Sea — Sudden Stopping of the Ship's Engines 
 — A Nerve-trying Experience— Hong Kong 4g6 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Short Stay in China— The Black Plague — " Pidgin English"— The Sedan Chair- 
 Crowded Cities — Signboards — Houseboats — The Noonday Meal — A Strange 
 Fashion — Small Feet 516 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 From China to Japan— A Staunch Steamer and a Rough Sea— Trusting in God— A 
 Dangerous Coast— Nagasaki— General Grant's Tree— A Touching Incident— The 
 Inland Sea of Japan — Kobe— .A Japanese Passport— Journey to Kyoto— The Po- 
 liteness of the Japanese — The Ancient Capital of Japan— Historical — Will .\dams 
 — Commodore Perry —The Japanese Dress— Absence of Jewelry— The Kyoto Jin- 
 rikisha- The Temple of Kv.annon— One Thousand and One Images— The Bud- 
 dha 531 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A Buddhist Temple— A Crowd of Worshipers— Selling Prayers— Plastering an Idol— 
 The Liberality of the Idol Worshipers— Kinging a Bell to Awaken the God— The 
 Food of the Gods— The Japanese Kago— Purchasing a Kimono— Japanese Chil- 
 dren — From Kyoto to Yokohama — The Japanese Pipes — Letters from Home — 
 Nikko the City of Temples— The Emperor's Bridge— General Grant's Modesty— 
 A Japanese Hotel — Eating under Difficulties— The Sacred White Horse— Bean 
 Selling— Tokio—" Oh, How I Wish I Could Feel an Earthquake! "—Our Experi- 
 ence with Earthquakes— Destruction Wrought by the Quaking Earth— Earth- 
 quake Houses— The Kingdom of Christ Shall Not Be Shaken, 536 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Land of Flowers— The Flower Seller— The Chrysanthemum— Cherry Blossoms 
 — Nothing but Leaves — The Cherry Blossom Festival— The Homeward Journey 
 — Picking Up a Day— Honolulu— The Golden Gate— Home at Last, 587 
 
IPK.EIT'J^CIE]. 
 
 God permits some to travel and see the marvels of his 
 works displayed in the creation of the world. Others are 
 shut in by en\ironments which j^reclude all possibility of 
 seeing even their own country. Those who can and do go 
 are under obligation to those who remain at home. Recog- 
 nizing this obligation, the writer feels constrained to give 
 this record of a tour around the world. It is written with 
 the hope that it will be helpful to those who read. God 
 has given us the desire to know, and knowledge broadens 
 the mind and gives one a higher conception of the might 
 and power of the great Creator. 
 
 The " we " used by the author includes his wife, who 
 was his constant companion on the long journe)' around the 
 globe, and who has been a constant inspiration to him in all 
 his work. 
 
 The record of northern Europe includes in part two 
 journe}-s, and hitherto unpublished notes on both arc drawn 
 upon. In these tours we traveled over fift\- thousand 
 miles, visited four of the great divisions of the globe, pass- 
 ing through twent\'-four different countries, kingdoms and 
 empires. We spent nearly one hundred days at sea, sailing 
 on more than thirty different ships. 
 
 During the tours of a }ear and a half we enjo)-ed good 
 health, and in ever\- respect the vo\-ages were pleasant and 
 
 XI 
 
Xll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 profitable. W'c felt that God was with us, and to him we 
 give praise for his wonderful f,roodncss to us. 
 
 I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to authors 
 whose works I have used and quoted, to Grant Mahan of 
 Mount Morris College for valuable assistance rendered in 
 preparing the work for the press, and to L. A. Plate for 
 proof reading. 
 
 The author takes this occasion to express his obliga- 
 tions to the church and a generous public who have given 
 such warm welcome to his preceding works. He believes 
 the favor shown his books is in excess of their merit. This 
 record is sent out to the world in the hope that it may do 
 good and add to the sum total of human happiness. 
 
 J, 
 
 Mt. Morris, III., July i, iSg8. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Street Scene in London 27 
 
 North Cape 36 
 
 Svartisen Glacier, Norway 43 
 
 A Whale, Norway 48 
 
 Roskilde, Denmark, 52 
 
 Malmo, Sweden 53 
 
 A Farmhouse, 55 
 
 The Milkman, 58 
 
 The Midnight Sun 65 
 
 Market Place, Halle 68 
 
 Market Women 7° 
 
 Village of Schwarzenau, 71 
 
 The Bridge at Schwarzenau 72 
 
 Hotel at Schwarzenau 78 
 
 The Road to Schwarzenau, 79 
 
 Old Castles on the Rhine 80 
 
 Luther Monument 82 
 
 A Swiss Cottage 84 
 
 Lucerne, Switzerland 87 
 
 Tell's Monument 89 
 
 Fluelen, Switzerland 92 
 
 Tell's Chapel 93 
 
 The Axenstrasse, Switzerland, .... 94 
 
 A Swiss Village, 96 
 
 Milan Cathedral, 99 
 
 Leonardo da Vinci loi 
 
 The Last Supper, 105 
 
 In the Ruins of Pompeii ic8 
 
 House of the Vertii, Pompeii no 
 
 The Acropolis, Athens 113 
 
 Gateway to Market Place 117 
 
 Market Place, Athens, ........ 119 
 
 Mars' Hill, Athens 121 
 
 The Parthenon, Athens, 125 
 
 Shop in Athens 127 
 
 Greek Girl 129 
 
 A Greek Soldier, 133 
 
 Smyrna 137 
 
 Our Pilgrims at Smyrna, 144 
 
 (xiii) 
 
 Page 
 
 Tomb of Polycarp 145 
 
 Lunch in the Temple of Diana at Eph- 
 
 esus 148 
 
 Jaffa iS6 
 
 The Threshing Floor 161 
 
 A Group of Lepers 165 
 
 The One-handled Plow, 178 
 
 Measuring Grain 181 
 
 Women Grinding at the Mill 185 
 
 The Shepherd and his Flock 1S9 
 
 Abana, Damascus 192 
 
 Fishing in Galilee 194 
 
 Ishmaelites, 195 
 
 King's Wine Press, Jerusalem 198 
 
 Natives by the Wayside 201 
 
 A Camel Train 206 
 
 Farmers at Work in Egypt 20S 
 
 A Hard Climb. — Pyramid in Egypt, . 209 
 The Pilgrims on Top of Clieops, . . .211 
 
 Mounted Pilgrims 212 
 
 In the Ezbekiyeh Gardens, Cairo, . . 214 
 
 A Street Sleeper 215 
 
 Donkey Riding in Cairo 218 
 
 Water Wheel, Egypt, 219 
 
 Depot, Bombay 232 
 
 A Group of Parsis 236 
 
 Parsi Girls 239 
 
 Towers of Silence 243 
 
 A Festival in Bombay, Native Street, . 249 
 
 Goldsmith at Bombay, 253 
 
 Full Jeweled 255 
 
 The Rajah and Cabinet 267 
 
 Hindu Girl 271 
 
 Tamping the Streets 27; 
 
 Ganesa, the Elephant-headed God, . . 285 
 
 Brahman Family 289 
 
 An Idol 295 
 
 The Four-headed Brahma 299 
 
 Offering to an Idol, 309 
 
XIV 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Funeral Pyre 315 
 
 Burning Ghat, Benares 321 
 
 A Native Hut, 325 
 
 A Kraliman at Prayers 330 
 
 Natives with Mill, 333 
 
 Tamil Woman 353 
 
 Indian Ox Cart 357 
 
 The Toddy Climbers 361 
 
 Entrance to Taj Garden 369 
 
 The Taj Mahal 373 
 
 Tomb Screen, Taj Mahal, . ..... .377 
 
 Snake Charmer 380 
 
 An Hindu Holy Man, 386 
 
 Memorial Well, Cawnpore 393 
 
 Bathing at Benares 401 
 
 The Golden Temple 411 
 
 Swami Bhaskara Naud Saraswati, Holy 
 
 Man of Benares 415 
 
 Native Preachers in a Village 436 
 
 Darjeeling. — Himalayan Peaks in the 
 
 Distance 447 
 
 Bridge over the Ranjit 450 
 
 Banian Tree, Calcutta, 456 
 
 Kali and her Demon Spouse, .... .457 
 Milk Sellers, Madras, 462 
 
 Temple of Juggernaut 464 
 
 Native Prince, Southern India 467 
 
 The Jinrikisha 471 
 
 Elephants, Ceylon, 479 
 
 Kandy, Island of Ceylon, 4S1 
 
 jTempIe of Dalada, Kandy 485 
 
 Tea Pickers 4S7 
 
 Traveling in China 501 
 
 Hong Kong, China 5n 
 
 Traveling in China 519 
 
 Street in Hong Kong, 523 
 
 A Chinese Woman 527 
 
 Japanese Ladies in Winter Dress, . . 541 
 
 The Japanese Jinrikisha 545 
 
 Temple of 1000 Gods, Kyoto 549 
 
 Buddha Daibutsu 553 
 
 Japanese Temple Ground, 558 
 
 Kago, Japanese Traveling Chair, . . . 563 
 Japanese Boys Carrying Babies. ... 567 
 
 Sacred Bridge, Nikko 573 
 
 Effects of Earthquake 577 
 
 Village Destroyed by Earthquake, . . 581 
 Earth Opened by Earthquake, .... 585 
 
 The Flower Seller 585 
 
 The Chrysanthemum Garden 593 
 
GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Across the Atlantic — London — The Palace of a Queen — Paris — 
 Gilded Sin — Results of Infidelity. 
 
 It was on a bright, beautiful May day morninf^ in 
 1895 that we left our pleasant home in the embowered 
 village of Mount ]\Iorris for our tour around the world. 
 Eastward we took our course, and the very moment we 
 started from home our homeward journey began. Whether 
 we sailed across the broad Atlantic, or on the North, 
 the Baltic, the Adriatic, the /Egean, the Mediterranean, 
 the Red, the China or the Yellow Sea, or on the Indian 
 or Pacific Ocean, we said to each other so many, many 
 times, as we thought of native land and of loved ones 
 there, " Every day's travel takes us nearer home." When 
 we traveled overland through England, and northward 
 to the " Land of the Midnight Sun," and southward 
 through German}-, and over the snowy heights of Switzer- 
 land, and the sunny plains of Italy, and the vine-clad 
 hills of Greece, and the sacred mountains and plains of 
 the Holy Land, and the fruitful valley of the Nile, and 
 rmong the teeming millions of India, and the spice is- 
 lands of the Southern Seas, — wherever we wandered, — 
 there was always present with us the happy thought. We 
 are going home. Heretofore on our travels we have had, 
 when starting, an obiec*^ive point, and when it was reached 
 
 U5J 
 
l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 \vc bc[^an our return voyage. But on this journey we 
 continue our course eastward and homeward until, the 
 Lord willing, we land at San Francisco, and, still pursuing 
 our eastward way, finally reach our home again. We 
 are impressed with the thought that our journey is some- 
 thing like the great voyage of life which we are all mak- 
 ing. There is no turning back. Onward is the word, 
 until, if we follow the compass and chart of God, the goal 
 is won and the haven of eternal rest is entered. 
 
 Leaving New York in the springtime, on one of the 
 big North Atlantic boats with some five hundred cabin 
 passengers aboard, is like starting out on a summer pleas- 
 ure trip. The "floating palace" moves almost imper- 
 ceptibly down the river. You are conscious of motion 
 only because the buildings on both shores are moving 
 backward. Presently New York, with its throbbing pul- 
 sations of busy commercial and social life, is left behind. 
 Now the ship's speed is increased, and the grass-covered 
 hills of Staten Island, the summer resorts with their barn- 
 like hotels, and the Atlantic highlands, rich in foliage 
 and verdure, flit by in quick succession. Then, when 
 you begin to feel that the boat should land you on some 
 greensward, for a day's rambling and meditation, you 
 are out at sea and suddenly awaken to the fact that you 
 have the broad Atlantic before you and that many days 
 must pass before you see land again. 
 
 Land again! How one longs for the sight of it as the 
 days glide into weeks, with only sea and sky to look 
 upon. The eyes grow weary seeking in vain for something 
 fixed upon which to rest. There is something about the 
 sight of land under such circumstances, that, as some 
 one has said, "supplies a want that nothing else can fill." 
 Whether it be your own coast or some foreign land. 
 
 CO o 
 
 GCZ 
 
ON BOARD THE PARIS. I7 
 
 it is all the same. The cry of " Land ho! " brings to the 
 upper deck even the invalid who has not left his cabin 
 during the entire voyage. How you feast your eyes as 
 they rest on the solid earth, for there is no such thing 
 as resting your eyes on the sea. It is much too active 
 and restless to afford rest. The sight of land brings to 
 you a joyous, hopeful, restful feeling, that is pleasant to 
 enjoy. We heard of a young man who emerged from 
 his cabin, as the ship entered New York harbor, to dis- 
 cover what all the other passengers knew, that the ship 
 was in full sight of land. He gave a shout of glad re- 
 lief and pleasure. "That," he cried, pointing to the west, 
 "is Staten Island; but that," pointing to the right, "is 
 LAND." 
 
 I quote from my diary June 19, 1895: At nine A. M. 
 we boarded the " Paris " in New York harbor. A great 
 throng of visitors crowded the deck and rooms of the 
 great ship. Fifteen hundred, we were told, were on board 
 for the voyage. These, with the visitors, made the throng 
 so great that it was impossible to move about. At ten 
 the signal was given for visitors to go ashore, and at 
 eleven the voyage began. This is my seventh voyage 
 across the Atlantic, and, as we sail out upon the uncertain 
 sea, I wonder how it will end. 
 
 " Life giving, death giving, which shall it be? 
 O breath of the merciful, merciless sea." 
 
 Hitherto I have always had some feeling of anxiety 
 as to the result of my sea voyages. Now I am entirely 
 free from care. It rests in God's hands, and, whatever 
 comes, all will be well. The evening shades darken the 
 sea and I go to rest with this prayer: 
 
l8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 "The day is ended, ere I sink to sleep 
 My weary spirit seeks repose in thine, 
 Father, forgive my trespasses and keep 
 This httle life of mine. » 
 
 " With loving-kindness curtain thou my bed, 
 And cool in rest my weary pilgrim feet; 
 Thy pardon be the pillow for my head. 
 So shall my rest be sweet. 
 
 " At peace with all the world, dear Lord, and thee. 
 No fears my soul's unwavering faith can shake. 
 All's well, whichever side the grave fcr me 
 The morning light may break." 
 
 The " Paris " has fifteen hundred souls on board, "and 
 still there's room for more," was said of our ship. By 
 crowding a little, here and there, two thousand men and 
 women may be carried across the ocean on this great 
 American liner. Think of a country town with a popu- 
 lation of two thousand, with its life and activity. The 
 " Paris " would provide comfortable quarters for every soul, 
 and have room and to spare for all their personal effects 
 in her gigantic hold, and would take them all across the 
 Atlantic at one time. 
 
 Our voyage was delightfully pleasant. Two days we 
 enjoyed a stiff breeze. This gave those who were not good 
 sailors an opportunity to become acquainted with the ogre 
 of ocean, — seasickness. But few escape the dread malady. 
 Then came days of calm weather and smooth seas, and 
 everybody was happy and contented. 
 
 A glorious sunset at sea. The only one of the kind I 
 ever witnessed. Low down on the western horizon a bank 
 of clouds, tipping the water's edge, waited the declining 
 god of day. As the sun touched the upper border of 
 fleecy clouds, the effect of gold and crimson on sea and 
 sky was most gorgeous. Through a rift in the clouds 
 
LANDING AT SOUTHAMPTON. I9 
 
 the brilliant white light flashed through crimson and gold, 
 making a pathway of golden light on the Gca, reaching 
 to the open gateway of glory in the clouds. It seemed 
 as if the everlasting gates were lifted up for the entrance 
 of the expected King of Glory. A gentle bree.^.e made 
 the sea all tremulous, and the tiny wavelets reflected the 
 light as would a million mirrors. It was a scene of inde- 
 scribable beauty, once beheld never to be forgotten. Those 
 who saw it were deeply impressed, and from many a heart 
 went up adoration to God who painted this marvelou3 
 scene. Then the twilight and darkness came, shutting out 
 from vision sky and sea. But the wonderful picture was 
 ours. Surely " a thing of beauty is a joy forever." 
 
 Our Atlantic voyage is ended. The "Paris" is made 
 fast to the pier at Southampton, England. A few hasty 
 farewells are said to ship friends, a nominal examination 
 of our baggage is made by polite and accommodating 
 custom ofificers, and we are seated in the cars ready to 
 start for London. Seven days and a half from the harbor 
 at New York to the landing at Southampton, A safe, 
 pleasant voyage. The Lord was with us all the way, and 
 brought us to our desired haven. May he abide with us 
 all our journey through, and be with us when our earthly 
 pilgrimage ends, as soon it must, for the shadows are 
 lengthening. 
 
 London! A city of five and a half million souls, with 
 half a million or more houses, great and small, including 
 fourteen hundred churches and seven thousand five hun- 
 dred drinking saloons, with streets and roads in aggregate 
 that would reach from New York to San Francisco and 
 back again to Chicago, and which are lighted by more 
 than a million gas lamps; a city whose inhabitants eat 
 annually over seventeen million bushels of wheat, two and 
 
20 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 a quarter million beeves, sheep and hogs, making an an- 
 nual meat bill of two hundred and fifty million dollars, 
 drink fifty-five million gallons of beer, wine and spirits, 
 and burn eight million tons of coal; a city with more 
 Irish than in Dublin, with more Roman Catholics than 
 in Rome, and more Jews than in Palestine; a city older 
 than the Christian era, whose history is the history of 
 the rise and progress of the English-speaking race, and in 
 which laws are enacted that govern empires and countries 
 in all parts of the world, — such a city is the world's great 
 metropolis, — the City of London. 
 
 It has been said that to see London is to see the world, 
 but, having seen neither the world nor London, we are 
 not prepared to say whether the saying is correct. It is 
 true we have spent some weeks in the city, and have 
 visited a number of its most interesting places; we have 
 seen something of its streets and great public buildings, and 
 of its rushing, mighty tide of business life; we have seen 
 something of its misery and wretchedness, as we have 
 met a few of its one hundred and fifty thousand beggars 
 and paupers on the streets; we have seen or rather felt 
 its fog, but we have not seen the city; that would take 
 months instead of weeks. 
 
 In London we heard two of the world's noted preach- 
 ers. Dr. Parker and Canon Farrar. Dr. Parker is an in- 
 teresting speaker and a deep thinker. He has a command- 
 ing presence and a magnetism that carries his audience 
 with him. He speaks with great deliberation, and con- 
 stantly impresses one with the thought that he is using 
 only a small portion of his power. Once or twice during 
 the sermon to which we listened, he burst forth in a strain 
 of fiery eloquence that revealed his real power. His au- 
 dience appeared to be electrified b\- these outbursts. His 
 
Canon farrar. 5i 
 
 lani^Liai^e is well chosen and full of beautiful figures. 
 Here is one. Speaking of the grave, he asked, with a ris- 
 ing inflection of the voice, "What is the grave?" and 
 then pausing a moment, so that the question might have 
 its full force on the audience, he answered in a voice full 
 of pathos, " A wound made in the earth by the metal of 
 death." Again, speaking of men who deny God, he asked, 
 "What is a man without God?" The answer was full of 
 scathing contempt, "A circumference without a center; 
 a poor, vain attempt to be a circle, contorted, twisted, 
 vanishing into nothing." The tone of voice in which these 
 words were uttered made them wonderfully effective. 
 His sermon was full of sharp, bristling points, and they 
 were put in such language that his audience could easily 
 understand. Whatever may be said of Dr. Parker's the- 
 ology and of his orthodoxy, he certainly has a wonderful 
 power in the pulpit. 
 
 Canon Farrar, the celebrated author and leading min- 
 ister in the Established Church of England, is as different 
 from Dr. Parker as it is possible for two men to be. He 
 is of medium stature, with a full, round face, and speaks 
 rather rapidly, without any attempt at oratory. He is a 
 man of great learning, and carries his scholastic attain- 
 ments with him into the pulpit. He preaches to members 
 of both Houses of Parliament, and whenever he preaches 
 he has among his auditors members of the English no- 
 bility and oftentimes of the royal family. In the center 
 of the church is a seat reserved for Americans. We lis- 
 tened with much interest to his thirty-minute sermon. 
 It was a learned dissertation on the philosophy of the laws 
 of nature, and abounded in fine passages. It was a learned, 
 finished discourse, intensely intellectual and full of deep 
 thought, but to us it seemed like a cut diamond, polished 
 
22 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 and sparkling, but cold and lifeless. There was in it much 
 food for the intellect, but very little for the heart and soul. 
 
 At St. Paul's, London's great cathedral, we heard the 
 Dean read the Episcopal service. It was in the highest 
 degree formal, for the service " is High Church." It was 
 the very aristocracy of religious service; cold, formal, 
 and dignified. From St. Paul's to the Salvation Army 
 hall is but a short distance, but the contrast is striking 
 enough to make one feel that he has entered another 
 world. There the rich appointments, the millions of 
 wealth, and the quiet reserve and cold dignity character- 
 istic of the "High Church" service; here the loud talk, 
 the aba?idon, the swelling song service, the hearty " God 
 bless you " and amens, the testimony of the lowly to the 
 saving power of Jesus, the tears of the penitent, and 
 all the zeal and earnestness characteristic of Salvation 
 Army methods. There the men and women of wealth, 
 of proud family titles; here the fallen of the street, the 
 poor of London's teeming millions. Could contrast be 
 greater? If Christ were to come to London to-da}', where 
 would you expect to find him? Would }-ou go to St. 
 Paul's Cathedral, among the rich and mighty, to search 
 for him, or would you go among the poor and lowly? 
 
 London presents many sad sights, but the saddest to 
 us was a woman staggering along the streets in a state of 
 intoxication. We saw women in other parts of Europe 
 hitched with dogs to carts; v/e saw them dragging harrows 
 across ploughed fields, but seeing them thus did not touch 
 our hearts as did the sight of the drunken woman of Lon- 
 don. We have always given woman a high place in the 
 world, and have had a high appreciation of her worth and 
 influence. After due reflection, at a time of life when 
 mere sentiment enters not so largely into an estimate 
 
WINDSOR PALACE. 23 
 
 of the formative influences upon my own life, I set it down 
 as my best judgment, that whatever good may come of 
 my having lived in this world, is largely due to the in- 
 fluence of two of the nearest and dearest friends I have 
 ever known, — wife and mother. The one has long since 
 gone to her rich reward, the other is still with me, my 
 constant companion in all my wanderings, my ever-ready 
 helper in time of need; in the fullest and truest sense of 
 the word, my better half. How it saddens the heart to 
 see a woman reeling from a dram shop! But why? Does 
 she not have the same right to drink, chew and smoke 
 that her brother does? Abstractly the answer is yes, but 
 we do thank God that she is so much purer, so much 
 truer, and so much better in every way, that she stands 
 immeasurably above man in these things. But when she 
 does fall from her high place, what a fall there is! 
 
 The home of the Queen is to be found at Windsor 
 Palace, twenty-one miles from London, and it is the fa- 
 vorite home of Victoria, England's most honored ruler. 
 A day spent here took us away from the smoke and fog 
 of London. The royal family was absent and the palace 
 was open to visitors who had secured, from the Lord 
 Chamberlain, permission to enter. Without difficulty the 
 necessary papers were secured, and we were admitted to 
 the royal residence. 
 
 Thirty-four years ago Prince Albert, the husband of 
 Queen Victoria, died, and since then she has lived in 
 widowhood. For many years she secluded herself from 
 society and mourned for her departed husband. To his 
 memory she has erected within the Castle walls a me- 
 morial chapel bearing her husband's name, where he sleeps 
 his last sleep. It stands as one among the most beautiful 
 structures in the world, a monument of wifely love and 
 
24 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 queenly devotion. "The interior, beautiful with colored 
 marble, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, precious stones 
 and gilding in extraordinary profusion and richness, must 
 certainly be numbered among the finest works of its kind 
 in the world. The ceiling is fan-shaped and vaulted, and 
 is composed of Venetian enamel mosaics, representing 
 angels bearing devices relating to the Prince, and with 
 shields symbolical of the Passion. At the sides of the 
 west entrance are two marble figures representing the 
 Angels of Life and Death. The walls are decorated with 
 a series of pictures of Scriptural subjects, inlaid with col- 
 ored marbles in which twenty-eight different kinds of 
 marble have been used. About each scene is a white 
 marble medallion of a member of the royal family, while 
 between them are bas-reliefs, emblematical of the virtues. 
 Round the edges of the pictures are smaller reliefs in white 
 and red marble, and other ornamentation. Below the mar- 
 ble pictures is a dark green marble bench; and the floor, 
 which is very handsome, is also of colored marble. The 
 stained glass windows exhibit ancestors of the Prince, 
 while those in the chancel represent Scriptural subjects. 
 The wall behind the altar is covered with reliefs and is 
 inlaid with colored marble, malachite, porphyry, lapis 
 lazuli, and alabaster, having for their subject the resur- 
 rection. Rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones are 
 set in great profusion in the walls. In the center of the 
 chapel is the cenotaph, or monument of the Prince. It 
 consists of a handsome sarcophagus of colored marble 
 enriched with reliefs. On top of the coffin is a re- 
 cumbent figure of the Prince in white marble." Thus 
 writes an unknown author, and the picture is not over- 
 drawn. An immense sum of money was expended on the 
 structure. Victoria visits the place very often and kneels 
 
STATE APARTMENTS. 25 
 
 to pray at the tomb of the husband whose memory she 
 still reveres, althoui^^h he has been dead more than a third 
 of a century. 
 
 The Queen's palace is beautiful, and its rich splendor 
 cannot well be described. It is the home of an earthly 
 sovereign upon whose dominion the sun never sets. She 
 is deeply loved for her virtues by her people and is the 
 most honored ruler in Europe. Her private apartments 
 are to be seen only by special permission during the ab- 
 sence of the sovereign. They are most handsomely and 
 sumptuously fitted up. All that money and art could do 
 has been done to decorate and beautify the Queen's pri- 
 vate home, and England, or even Europe, can show 
 nothing finer or more artistic than these rooms. In them 
 is to be seen a fine collection of rare china, of oriental, 
 Chelsea, and Sevres manufacture, rich mediaeval and ori- 
 ental cabinets of curious design and workmanship, heavy 
 gold and silver plate of great value, fine oil paintings, 
 the work of the masters, and costly furniture, making al- 
 together the finest private residence in Europe. 
 
 The state apartments are finely decorated v;ith paint- 
 ings and hung with tapestry, and are rich in fine carvings 
 and gilt work. The entire suite of rooms, ten in number, 
 is richly and expensively furnished. Costly tapestry, 
 representing the story of Esther and Mordecai, and fine 
 paintings, the work of the world's great artists, cover the 
 walls and ceilings. The floors are of polished oak, cov- 
 ered in many places with expensive rugs and velvets. 
 We enter the audience chamber and pass through room 
 after room until we reach the throne room, one of the 
 most richly-furnished rooms in the palace. In one of the 
 apartments we were shown the presents sent to the Queen 
 in 1887, when she celebrated the golden anniversary of 
 
26 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 her reign. The crowned heads of Europe vied with each 
 other in sending costly gifts. The entire collection, con- 
 sisting of vases, plate, and many other articles, is made 
 of solid gold in the highest style of the goldsmith's art, 
 and is of immense value. 
 
 Back again to London with its fog and smoke. It is 
 said the fog is so thick at times that one may stick his 
 umbrella into it and hang his hat on the handle; but this 
 statement must be taken with some degree of allowance. 
 London is by far the busiest city in Europe, or, for that 
 matter, in the world. We passed up and down High Hol- 
 born Street a number of times, and the moving mass of 
 cabs, omnibuses, wagons, carts, and humanity, was a con- 
 stant surprise to us. Two great moving processions press- 
 ing on constantly, the one east, the other west, resemble two 
 great rivers, flowing forever onward. At the street crossing 
 policemen stand, and every few minutes stop the mighty 
 procession to allow other smaller streams to cross High 
 Holborn, and then the street is blocked for miles. Start- 
 ing up and stopping, the procession moves on. And so the 
 great throng rushes on from Monday morning until Satur- 
 day night, — a great moving mass of humanit}-. 
 
 The rich and the poor jostle each other on the busy 
 streets, and oh how many haggard faces, upon which are 
 drawn in deep lines the story of sin and miser\', one sees in 
 the great throng! Here are boys and girls picking up a liv- 
 ing on the streets, into whose darkened lives no sunshine ev- 
 er comes. The pinched features of want and poverty, the 
 hardened expressions of sin and crime on prematurely old 
 faces, are to be met on every hand. The picture is dark 
 enough and stands out in darker contrast when compared 
 with the lavish expenditure of money at Windsor. Booth 
 has not overdrawn the picture in his " Darkest England." 
 
STREET SCENE IN LONDON. 
 
 V 
 
 Cb-auncey M. Depew says that one may see more 
 wretchedness and misery in London than any other city in 
 
 STREET SCENE IN LONDON. 
 
 the world; and he might have given the cause, — seven thou- 
 sand five hundred drinking places dealing out misery and 
 
28 CIRDLIXC; THE CLOBE. 
 
 ruin, many of thcni t\\cnl\'-four hours a day for 365 days in 
 the year. Take out of London the seven thousand five hun- 
 dred saloons and the results of the work they have done, 
 and \ou might write the word "brightest " instead of " dark- 
 est" before Britannia's favorite name. But why pursue the 
 theme further? We have the same evil at home in almost 
 every hamlet, village, town and city in America. Oh when 
 will the day come when the saloon power will be wiped 
 from the face of the earth? God speed the day! 
 
 From London to Paris, by way of Dover and Calais, 
 is a day's journey, provided )'ou count in a portion of the 
 night. So it was three years ago when we made the jour- 
 ney. One is glad to get away from the rush and roar of 
 trade and commerce, the grimy atmosphere, and the suffer- 
 ing mass of poverty-stricken humanity in London. It was 
 a real pleasure to leave it all, to breathe once more the pure 
 country air, and catch a glimpse of the bright sunlight fall- 
 ing on green fields. Old England, as seen from the car 
 windows — and, outside of London, this was our only means 
 of observation — is a beautiful country. Well-kept country 
 houses, highly-cultivated farms, with here and there the 
 battlements of an old castle nestling in groves of ancient 
 oaks, beautiful green lawns, bright with rich-colored flowers, 
 hedges trimmed and pruned to wonderful evenness and 
 smoothness, fields without waste places, fine-looking herds 
 of thorough-bred cattle quietly grazing on the rich pasture 
 land, men and women, boys and girls, at work gathering in 
 the late fall crops, — all this we saw like a fleeting panorama 
 as we rushed across the country sorrxC sixty miles from 
 London to Dover. 
 
 At one place, not far from a way station, we saw a pack 
 of English hounds in full hue and cry after a fox. Follow- 
 ing the hounds, on horseback, were a number of the Eng- 
 
ENGLISH HOUNDS. 29 
 
 lish gentry. They rode at full speed across the fields, their 
 well-trained hunting horses clearing hedges and ditches at 
 a single leap and keeping well up with the hounds. The 
 fox was far in the lead, and we confess our sympathies were 
 all on the side of renard. To see a pack of twenty great 
 muscular hounds, and as many more strong men, mounted 
 on fleet horses, at break-neck pace chasing a little animal 
 across the country, under the name of sport, is a spectacle 
 in which the larger animal does not, it seems to us, appear 
 to the best advantage. It is considered fine sport, but it is 
 hard on the peasant farmers, whose growing crops and 
 ploughed fields must suffer, and he has no recourse. He 
 mutters and grumbles, and hides his resentment as well as 
 he can, he repairs as far as possible the damage done, and 
 toils on in his weary work. Thus the strong override the 
 weak,. and the feeling of resentment grows stronger and 
 stronger until some day it bursts forth, and bloodshed and 
 revolution result. So history repeats itself, and in the end 
 the heel of the oppressor becomes one of the means that 
 bring liberty to the downtrodden of earth. 
 
 From England to France in seventy minutes, by the 
 Channel steamer, is the usual time if the wind and waves are 
 propitious. But what a change the voyage of seventy min- 
 utes makes in one's surroundings. A new people, and a 
 new language, which, at first, seems a very Babel to us. 
 The few words of French we had stored away for this occa- 
 sion don't seem to have a place among the strange sounds 
 we hear. The question, ''Parka voiis FrancaisT' (Do you 
 speak French?) coming from a Frenchman's lips, does not 
 sound at all as it is written. We listen and wait for a famil- 
 iar sound, a word or phrase that we understand, and then 
 give it up. 
 
 One phrase we had learned. Showing our tickets to a 
 
30 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 conductor we remarked: ^'^ Dcfc7ise de fiuncry and he at once 
 took us to a compartment set apart in one of the cars for 
 those who do not smoke. On our railways at home cars 
 are set apart for smokers. In Europe smoking is so general 
 that compartments are provided for those who do not 
 smoke, and a notice to the effect that smoking is forbidden 
 is posted on the door. We learned, after enduring tobacco 
 smoke for some time, to look for the compartment where 
 smokers are not allowed to enter. So far as the phrases 
 "No smoking" and "Smoking forbidden" are concerned, 
 we became quite a linguist, and we give them in the differ- 
 ent languages for the benefit of those who may have occa- 
 sion to use them. Danish, Ikkc Rogcrc ; Swedish, Rokniiig 
 Forbjiidcn ; German, Niclit RaucJien; Holland, Ncit Roaken ; 
 Yxt.vic\\., Defense de Fiiiner ; Italian, E proibito di fuinare. 
 
 The City of the Napoleons, Paris, has a population of 
 two and a quarter million. One sees the impress of the 
 Bonapartes on every hand in this modern city of splendor 
 and sin. You are reminded again and again of the First 
 Consul and his ambitious nephew, Napoleon III. The fine 
 streets and alleys, the grand boulevards and open squares, 
 the beautiful gardens and magnificent palaces, the splendid 
 monuments and arches of triumph are what these rulers 
 made them. Short of destruction, come what may to the 
 City of Paris, the name of Napoleon will live within her 
 gates. It was the ambition of Napoleon III. to make of 
 Paris what Nebuchadnezzar succeeded in making of Baby- 
 lon so many centuries ago, — the most beautiful and magnif- 
 icent city in all the world. Such was his success that the 
 capital of France easily holds the palm and is without rival 
 either in the Old or New World. 
 
 Paris is, above all else, a city of pleasure and sin. 
 Her ever thronging and surging crowd of humanity is large- 
 
PARIS. 31 
 
 ly made up of pleasure seekers. She sits as the mistress of 
 fashion, and the mandates of her one-time man-milliner, 
 Worth, were followed all over the civilized world with a zeal 
 worth}' a better cause. Fashion rules, and the people seem 
 intent on having a good time. The streets, squares and 
 public gardens are made to satisfy the desire for pleasure. 
 They are studded w ith costly monuments and life-like stat- 
 uary. You may count a hundred life-size figures in marble, 
 adorning the palace of Louvre. The garden of the Tuiler- 
 ies, in the heart of Paris, contains seventy-four acres. It is 
 laid out in the most beautiful flower gardens. Its prome- 
 nades, the finest in all the world, are lined with chestnut, 
 linden and plane trees. It is adorned with numberless ba- 
 sins, flowing fountains and statues. Life-size, nude human 
 figures, cut from pure white marble, abound on every hand. 
 An eminent author says there is enough nude statuary ex- 
 posed in Paris to send, in a few years, " any city in Europe 
 into the damnation of the foulest social hell." In Paris sin 
 has no covering. It is open and brazen-fronted. The very 
 customs of society present it openly to the world. The 
 drinking saloon has no screen before its door, or shades at 
 its windows. Its doors are thrown wide open, and much 
 of the drinking is done at small tables under awnings on 
 the sidewalk. At some of the large drinking-saloons you 
 may often count a hundred men and women, seated pro- 
 miscuously at tables, drinking, talking, laughing, and hav- 
 ing, as they call it, " a good time." Men and women who 
 are looked upon as moral outcasts by all good people are 
 here petted and flattered. The moral statistics show a state 
 of affairs that " only suggests the enormity of the vice and 
 shame covered by the show and splendor of this proud City 
 of Napoleon that was." 
 
 The cause of this social pollution is not hard to find. 
 
S2 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 The teachings of Voltaire, Rousseau and other infidel writ- 
 ers had a powerful influence on the minds of the French. 
 The influence of Christianity was weakened, and Reason 
 was enthroned as the God of Paris. One of the oldest and 
 most noted churches in the city, Notre Dame, was converted 
 into a Temple of Reason, and within this temple of philos- 
 ophy was raised (after the Greek style, adorned with busts 
 of Voltaire, Rousseau and others), a statue representing 
 Reason seated on a throne, receiving in state the worship 
 of her votaries. Prostitutes clothed in white, with torches 
 in their hands, surrounded the inner temple, while in the 
 side chapels sacrifices were offered, accompanied with the 
 wildest revelry and the most disgraceful orgies. It was 
 the teaching of the infidels, carried to its logical conclusions. 
 
 The final result of this teaching may be read in the 
 Reign of Terror, at the close of the last century, which del- 
 uged the streets of Paris a hundred times with blood. The 
 Commune, guided only by the teachings of infidelity, 
 sacked, robbed and murdered at their own free will, and 
 Paris paid the penalty of a city that forgets God. But the 
 spirit of unbelief did not die out with the restoration of or- 
 der, and it has come down to the close of another century. 
 In 1 8/ I the Commune again ruled for a brief period, again 
 blood flowed like water, and to-day the city is cursed by the 
 influences set at work more than a hundred years ago by 
 infidel teachers. Nominally, the great mass of the people 
 are Roman Catholics; practically, there is but little of the 
 true spirit of the religion of Jesus of Nazareth to be found 
 in this beautiful, pleasure-loving city. 
 
 Take for example the Christian Sabbath. There is, 
 strictly speaking, no such day known in Paris. The first 
 day of the week is the one, more than all others, devoted to 
 business and pleasure. Dance-houses, drinking-saloons, 
 
PLAGUE SrOT OF EUROPE. 33 
 
 theaters, and all like places of public amusement are open 
 all the day. In flaminj^ handbills and in the newspapers 
 horse races and public games are advertised to take place 
 on that day. Business houses are all kept open, and we 
 were told that Sunday is the great business and pleasure 
 day in the City of Paris, and that more business is transact- 
 ed on that day than on any other day of the week. From 
 what we saw of the great crowds of people on the streets, 
 we did not for a moment doubt the truth of the statement. 
 In this respect the contrast between London and Paris is 
 very great. In the former cit}- tlie Lord's Day is strictly 
 observed. Stores, shops, restaurants and all places of busi- 
 ness are closed, and the streets have a quiet and deserted 
 look, but in Paris the people go out on Sunday for business 
 and pleasure. 
 
 Many wealthy Americans send their sons and daughters 
 to Paris to finish their education. Dr. Hott, who looked in- 
 to the social condition of the cit\', sa}-s: " I cannot see how 
 Christian Americans can send their daughters here to be 
 educated, unless they first lose their regard for common 
 decency and purity of morals." Socially, it is the plague 
 spot of Europe, and some day it will again pay a terrible 
 price for its sin and corruption, the fruit of infidelity. His- 
 tory shows how great a loss humanity suffers when the in- 
 fluence of the Bible and Christianity is weakened or lost, 
 and just as surely as infidelity has made of Paris what she 
 is, just so surely will the teachings of Ingersoll and his dis- 
 ciples, if they prevail, produce similar results in our own 
 beloved America. May that day never come to our own 
 prosperous country! 
 
 To us, one of the most discouraging phases of Parisian 
 life is the almost total lack of homes. The hotel and 
 boarding-house take the place of one among the most sa- 
 
34 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 cred, and, so far as its influence goes, one of the best insti- 
 tutions in the world, — the Christian home. In Paris, 
 homes, as we know them, scarcely exist. Indeed, the term 
 is not found in the French language, neither has it an 
 equivalent for that most endearing word, home. Feeling 
 the need of the word the French have borrowed it from the 
 English. To those who regard the Christian home as the 
 most sacred place in this world, and around which cluster 
 so many happy memories that are never forgotten, it seems 
 almost incredible that people should live without homes in 
 the true sense of the word. Doubtless to the fact that 
 there are no real homes in Paris may be attributed, at least 
 to some extent, the low condition of the morality of the 
 city. Young people marry and instead of setting up house- 
 keeping and making a home for themselves, they set up an 
 establishment at a hotel or boarding-house, and the idea of 
 a home is entirely lost. The evils of the system are appar- 
 ent to any one who will take time to think upon and study 
 the question. The same system is gaining in some of our 
 American cities, and it will surely be a sad day for us when 
 our homes are given up for the uncertainties of hotel and 
 boarding-house life. 
 
u 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 To Scandmavia — Nordland — The Coast of Noriuay — Bcatitiful 
 Scenery — The LoTe of the A'oriuegian for his Home — The Lap- 
 lander — Home Life of the People — Eating Horse-flesh — The 
 Sun at Midnight. 
 
 " And then up rose before me, 
 Upon the water's edge, 
 The huge and haggard shape 
 
 Of that unknown North Cape, 
 Whose form is like a wedge." 
 
 A jouRXEY from the City of Gilded Sin to the homes of 
 the common people in Scandinavia affords a most strikin<:^ 
 contrast and gives one a feeling of indescribable relief. It 
 is like leaving a hothouse with its damp, heavy, steamy air 
 and going out into God's glorious sunlight and pure free at- 
 mosphere. The journe)' takes us on our way to the " Land 
 of the Midnight Sun." It means a run bv rail through 
 France, Belgium and Germany to Kiel, and it may be made 
 in twenty-four hours by fast train, ScJincllzug, as the Ger- 
 mans say. At Kiel a steamer awaits your arrival, ready to 
 take you across an arm of the East Sea to Korsor, and you 
 are in Denmark. 
 
 Dane, Swede, and Norwegian have those sterling quali- 
 ties which make home and home life possible. Thrice we 
 traveled through the Northern Peninsula of Europe, and 
 were much impressed w ith the honesty, piety and morality 
 of the people. One should see the coast with its mountains 
 and fjords, from Bergen to North Cape, as we saw it in 
 
 1892, and then travel by railway and private conveyance up 
 
 (37) 
 
38 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 and down and across the country, as we did on this and pre- 
 ceding tours, in order to become acquainted with country 
 and people. 
 
 Going back to my notebook I find this written: I was 
 much interested in noting the vegetation as we traveled 
 northward. Wheat grows and produces a fair yield up to 
 the 64th degree of north latitude. Rye, the universal crop 
 in Scandinavia, with oats and barley, is harvested nearly as 
 far north as the 70th degree. Great forests of spruce and 
 pine are to be found in Norway; and the wood is especially 
 valuable, owing to the fact that in this high latitude timber 
 is of slow growth, which makes it stronger and firmer. The 
 rings which mark its annual increase in size are very close 
 together. The fir, the spruce, the white birch, beech, oak 
 and maple also abound in the forests of the North. Plums 
 abound as far north as 64 degrees, and apples almost up to 
 the Arctic circle, while cherries are found even beyond the 
 line that separates the temperate from the frigid zone. 
 Gooseberries, currants, strawberries and raspberries may be 
 found north of Hammerfest, at North Cape, 71° 10.' 
 
 In addition to the warm ocean current which modifies 
 the climate of Scandinavia, the long Arctic summer days 
 are helpful in ripening grain and fruit. In midsummer the 
 sun does not go below the horizon from the middle of May 
 until in August, and the continuous sunshine forces vegeta- 
 tion very rapidly. It is noticeable that the leaves on the 
 same species of maple are mucli larger here than farther 
 south. 
 
 The entire coast of Norway, from Bergen to North 
 Cape, is a great chain-like archipelago with thousands of 
 mountain islands. The sea cuts into the mainland, and the 
 larger islands form what are called, in Norwegian, fjords, or 
 arms of the sea. Many of the fjords are very large, that of 
 
NORWEGIAN FJORDS. 39 
 
 Trondhjem being 120 miles long and of considerable width. 
 Our ship's course northward carried us over the waters of 
 the great arms of the sea, among the thousand islands with 
 their great mountain walls rising abruptly from the sea, in 
 height from one to three thousand feet. The scenery pre- 
 sented, as we coast along the rockbound shores of Norway, 
 baffles description. In grandeur it does not compare with 
 our own old Rockies or with the Alps of Switzerland, but it 
 has a rough, rugged beauty which is all its own, and which 
 we have never seen equaled. If the great valleys of the 
 Rockies could be filled with water fifty fathoms deep and 
 then opened one into another so as to be navigable, we 
 should have the coast of Norway reproduced, only on a 
 much larger and grander scale. 
 
 We are having most delightful weather for our northern 
 trip. The days and nights, if half daylight can be called 
 night, are wonderfully bright and clear. One of the beau- 
 ties of the Arctic region is the clear atmosphere. The cap- 
 tain of our ship tells us that we are having unusually fine 
 weather, and that rain is quite common at this season of the 
 year, which sadly mars the interest of the trip; but, except 
 the first day, we ha\e had bright, clear weather since we left 
 Trondhjem. In the pure atmosphere every mountain peak 
 is sharply and distinctly cut, and the lights and shadows 
 formed are a study for an artist. 
 
 The fjords at many places have the appearance of great 
 inland lakes, walled in on all sides by precipitous mountains 
 of bleak granite. The water is as smooth as glass, and the 
 ship glides steadily over its unruffled surface. We are shut 
 in by mountains and no opening appears by which we are 
 to go forward on our voyage. At last a break in the moun- 
 tain wall is seen, the ship, obedient to her rudder, which is 
 in the hands of a trusty pilot, glides into a great gorge on- 
 
40 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ly wide enough to allow her free passage, and we enter an- 
 other open fjord; and this ever-changing scenery continues 
 for a thousand miles. 
 
 We are led over and over again to express our wonder 
 and admiration at the wonderful works of the Lord, and 
 here on the rocky coast of Norway we have sermon after 
 sermon preached to us that we shall never forget. Upon 
 these great arms of the sea, amid the granite battlements, 
 reared by the hand of the Almighty, God speaks as plainly 
 to the soul that is searching for him as he does in his re- 
 vealed will, and the interpretation of the language is, "O 
 Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou 
 made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." 
 
 Wife and I sit together hour after hour on the deck of 
 the " Kong Halfdan," drinking in the grand, rugged beauty 
 of the ever-changing scenery. The days are delightfully 
 clear and pleasant, and the time speeds away unnoticed. 
 We are lost in admiration, and before we are aware of it ev- 
 ening comes, or, rather, what would be evening if we were 
 at home. Here in this wonderland we have daylight all the 
 time. Even now at midnight we have a bright twilight, for 
 the sun has sunk only a few diameters below the horizon, 
 and we have not yet crossed the Arctic circle. As we go 
 farther north we shall have less and less of night until we 
 reach a point where, for a time at least, it may be said, 
 " And there shall be no more night there." 
 
 As I sit alone in the large stateroom of our steamer 
 and write these lines, the hands on the dial of the clock in- 
 dicate that the hour of midnight draws near, and I go on 
 deck. The scene is most wondrous for its beauty and 
 grandeur, and it will not, while life and reason last, fade 
 from our memory. The night is brilliantly clear and 
 bright. To the north not a single star is to be seen, and the 
 
 fc> 
 
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. 4I 
 
 words of the sage of Mesopotamia, set down in the Bible, 
 are shown to be literally true: " He stretcheth out the north 
 over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." 
 Our course lies centrally through a great arm of the sea, 
 apparently surrounded by mountains that stand out in clear 
 and bold relief in the transparent atmosphere. In the 
 southeast the full moon, like a great globe of pale light, 
 hangs just above the rim of the inland lake and casts a sil- 
 very sheen across its calm waters. It seems to be many 
 times nearer the earth than we ever saw it before, but it is 
 shorn of much of its brilliancy by the twilight when the 
 midnight sun has sunk below the glowing horizon, and by 
 the wonderful gleams of the Northern lights as they send 
 their white light far up into the northern heavens. The 
 commingling of the different shades of light, as they fall 
 upon sea and mountain, produces an effect so wonderful 
 in its rich beauty that it cannot be set down on paper. 
 The pen of a Taylor or the pencil of a Raphael could never 
 equal the task of describing this wonderful scene. We can 
 only behold and wonder. It is well worth a trip to the 
 Northern climes to see the grandeur of such a night, and it 
 is the experience of a lifetime to behold a sight like this, 
 which we have but faintly described. 
 
 How the Almighty Creator has beautified the universe, 
 and how wonderful are all his works! The soul of the 
 sweet singer of Israel must have been stirred to its depths 
 by a scene like this when he exclaimed, " The heavens de- 
 clare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his 
 handiwork." What a time for meditation in the presence of 
 these earthly scenes, so grand and so beautiful, and how the 
 soul goes out to God and bows in worship to him as it 
 stands in the presence chamber of its Creator! 
 
 In these high altitudes the tops of the mountains are 
 
42 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 covered with snow. The snow comes down to the line of 
 green grass where you may pluck bright Arctic flowers with 
 one hand and make snowballs with the other. North of 69 
 degrees I gathered a bouquet of beautiful wild flowers of a 
 dozen different varieties, some of which were sent to friends 
 at home. Then there are the great glaciers of everlasting 
 ice and snow slowly but surely creeping down the valleys. 
 Our photogravure represents the glacier of Svartisen, which 
 is thirty-five miles in length and ten miles in width. 
 
 A narrow coast line and little valleys opening into the 
 hills and mountains afford a few acres of arable land, 
 where the hardy Norwegian farmer has made himself a 
 comfortable home. He owns the land and pays no rent or 
 interest on mortgages. His field of rye yields all he needs 
 for bread. He has just finished harvesting, and the sheaves 
 are placed on upright poles to facilitate drying. A small 
 patch of potatoes and a few acres of grass complete his 
 farming. This he supplements by fishing, and altogether 
 he gets on quite well. Our glass enables us to see him at 
 work in his rocky field, cutting, drying and gathering in his 
 hay. The grass, after cutting, is placed on horizontal poles 
 a few feet above the ground, so that it dries more readily. 
 Far up the mountain-side you may see him as he searches 
 out every tuft of grass and cuts it for his horse and cows, 
 for the long dark winter night is coming, and they must 
 have food. A strong wire is stretched from his barn to a 
 tree on the mountain side; when the grass is dried he ties it 
 into bundles, fastens the bundles to the wire and sends 
 them by his telegraph line directly to his haymow, thus 
 saving himself many a weary step. His farm has the ap- 
 pearance of being well attended to, and his mountain home 
 has a look of comfort and prosperity that is pleasant to see. 
 
THAT IS MV HOME. 45 
 
 Here he lives in inodcratc comfort, works hard, has but few 
 wants, and is happ\-. 
 
 These people have a strong love for their country and 
 homes. We are informed that if a man sells his home he 
 may redeem it again after five years, or an}' one of his sons 
 may have the same privilege. In either case the price at 
 which it was sold is to be paid with the exact cost of im- 
 provements added. After five years the sale becomes ab- 
 solute. Very often farms that have been sold are redeemed 
 as pro\idcd by law. 
 
 On our way north we met an intelligent Norwegian 
 who had spent some time in America, and who spoke Eng- 
 lish quite fluently. He had been in Chicago and had trav- 
 eled o\'er our great western prairies, and then had returned 
 again to old Norway. In answer to our question, " Did you 
 not like America?" he replied, "Oh }'es, but my home here 
 much better." As our steamer t-ounded a sharp curve, we 
 entered a beautiful little bay, and there close up to the 
 mountain side stood a few well-built houses, surrounded by 
 probably a hundred acres of tillable ground. It was a 
 beautiful little spot. "That," said our friend with a gleam 
 of pride in his eye, '' tliat is Jiiy home.'' After all, there is no 
 place in this world like home, and it requires only loving 
 companionship and a few of the comforts of this life, with 
 godliness and contentment, to make a home anywhere. 
 Somehow, as we watched our friend of a few hours go 
 down into the little boat and row ashore, where loving 
 hearts were waiting to welcome him, our thoughts went out 
 to our own western home, six thousand miles away, and we 
 wished it were our own home coming. 
 
 Many of these hardy sons of the North go to America, 
 and they make excellent citizens, but they never fail to re- 
 visit the old home if they are able to do so. The love they 
 
46 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 have for their country is set forth in the following simple 
 lines which we find in our Norwegian grammar: 
 
 "Ja ! herligt er viit Fodeland 
 Den Gamle Klippefaste Norge 
 Med Sonimerdal og I 'ifttcrborge, 
 Der Evi'g tfodser Tide?is Tand 
 0?>i Kiodeii rokkes end, dets Fjelde 
 Skall St07-7ne7i dog ej kunnefaelde." 
 
 A literal translation reads as follows: 
 
 " Yes! glorious is my native land, the ancient cliff-bound Norway, 
 with summer valley and winter fastness, which ever defies the tooth of 
 time. Even if the globe be shaken, the storm shall be unable to over- 
 throw its mountains." 
 
 "Min Norsk e Vinter cr saa vakker : 
 De hvide Snebcdaeckte Bakker 
 Og gronne Gran incd Piidret Haar 
 Og irofast Is paa dybe Vande 
 Og Engledragt paa nog7ie Strande 
 Jeg bytter ncppe tiiod en Vaar." 
 
 "My Norwegian winter is so beautiful: the snow-clad hills, and 
 green pines with powdered hair, and steadfast ice on deep lakes, and 
 angel garb on barren shores, I would hardly exchange for spring." 
 
 The natural scenery in these far northern regions ex- 
 cites the liveliest interest by its ever-changing variety. 
 The total absence of night at this season of the year, the pe- 
 culiar light of the moon, and the display of the Northern 
 lights, all go to make up a picture that can be seen only in 
 this part of the world. Then, too, as one writer* has said: 
 The weather, the winds, and the fogs, the play of light and 
 shade, the purity of the atmosphere are all unlike corre- 
 sponding phenomena in other parts of the world. The ani- 
 mal world is of extraordinary richness. The sea teems with 
 cod, herring, skate and other fish. Whales are frequently 
 seen spouting columns of water into the air, or rising to the 
 
 *Baedeker. 
 
LAi'i' HUTS. 49 
 
 surface in unwieldy gambols. Swarms of cider duck s\\ im 
 near e\er}' island, and the air is full of sea gulls. Often one 
 may see the industrious sea gull robbed of its prey by the 
 skua, which, unable to fish for itself, compels the gull to 
 drop its booty, and with unerring dexterity catches it be- 
 fore it reaches the water. Often the water is ruffled by 
 shoals of herring pursued by the seal, to escape from which 
 they dart into the nets spread for them, or even spring 
 ashore. 
 
 In these .\rctic waters w hales aboimd and affortl a rich 
 har\est of oil for the hardv seamen of the North. A large 
 oil factor)- was located in one of the fjords we entered. 
 Sixteen great whales, captured out at sea, had been towed 
 into the little harbor, where in turn the huge carcasses were 
 to be cut u{) and turned into oil. One great monster had 
 been dragged ashore, as is shown in our engraving. 
 
 We must not pass by the Lapps, who now are to be 
 found onh' in the far-away frozen North. These interesting 
 people somewhat resemble the American Indian in their 
 habits. We found their huts built of sticks and stones, cov- 
 ered with birch bark and sod. The}' are dome-shaped w ith 
 a hole in the top to let out the smoke from the fire w hich is 
 kept burning in the center, o\er which a pot is suspended. 
 Fine brush cut from birch trees are laid on the ground all 
 around the inside of the hut, and on these are laid the rein- 
 deer skins which serve as beds at night and a sitting-place 
 in daytime. The huts are filthy and forbidding in their ap- 
 pearance, but not more so than the Lapps themselves. 
 Their dress from head to foot is made of the reindeer skin 
 tanned with the hair on, and as this kind of clothing wears a 
 long time and is never washed, our readers may well imag- 
 ine that cleanliness is not a virtue among these people. 
 
 Men and women dress so ncarh- alike that, so far as 
 
50 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 their clothing is concerned, it is difficult to distinguish be- 
 tween them. The only difference observable to us was that 
 the women are less in stature and their hair is longer and 
 more matted and tangled than that of the men. They sur- 
 rounded us as soon as we entered their camp and it was 
 W'Onderful how many men, women, children and dogs came 
 out of a single hut. The dog is a family companion and oc- 
 cupies his place in the wigwam. They had many articles of 
 their own manufacture which they offered to sell us. 
 Spoons made of reindeer horn, shoes made of the skin of 
 the same animal, and many other things were pressed upon 
 our notice. We were strongly urged to make purchases, 
 and judging from the persistent efforts made for this pur- 
 pose we concluded that the Lapps would, vmder favorable 
 circumstances, make very good shopkeepers and salesmen. 
 
 The reindeer is the Lapps' chief source of wealth. In 
 the summer its milk supplies them with wholesome and 
 nutritious food; when winter approaches large numbers are 
 killed, the flesh is dried and smoked, to be eaten during the 
 dark winter months. When the ground is covered with 
 snow the reindeer is harnessed to the boat-like sledge and 
 carries the Lapp over the crusted snow with wonderful ra- 
 pidity. From its skin clothing is made; the sinews furnish 
 thread and fishing lines of great strength, and its horns are 
 made into spoons, knife handles, sheaths, and various do- 
 mestic utensils. The flesh of the reindeer, of which we ate 
 frequently on our trip, is very palatable, and the tongue is 
 considered a luxury. 
 
 The Lapps belong to the yellow race; they are small of 
 stature, the men being less than five feet, and the women 
 about four, or less. The largest men we saw among them 
 would not weigh over one hundred pounds. They have 
 high cheek bones, low foreheads, the top of the head some- 
 
THE REINDEER. 5 I 
 
 what flattened, and light, yellow hair. Their bones are 
 small, and they have but little muscle. We saw five of 
 them tugging at the carcass of a reindeer that would have 
 weighed perhaps 125 pounds, and they seemed to have 
 about all they could do to carry it. The race is becoming 
 extinct; there are now only about 30,000 of them left. 
 Once they dominated the whole of Scandinavia, but, like 
 the American Indians, were compelled to give way before 
 the strong tide of civilization. 
 
 Efforts are made to civilize them, and missionaries 
 from the State church of Norway are sent among them, but 
 as they are constantly moving from place to place it is a 
 very difficult matter to bring them under the influence of 
 civilization. Further than this, they have learned the use 
 of tobacco and intoxicants from our higher civilization. 
 They all use tobacco, and many of them are addicted to 
 drunkenness. Outside of this, they are a harmless, honest, 
 inoffensive and interesting people. 
 
 The camp of Lapps at Tromso own, it is said, between 
 four and five thousand head of reindeer, valued at four dol- 
 lars each. They drive them from place to place for pas- 
 ture, and in this respect are something like the descendants 
 of Ishmael in Palestine. During the summer months the 
 pasture is plentiful in the valleys, and the animals soon be- 
 come plump and fat on the nutritious grass. In the winter 
 they live on the moss that covers the rocks, and w ith their 
 sharp hoofs they dig it up from under the deep snow with 
 wonderful dexterity. The reindeer is milked twice a week, 
 and gives an abundant supply of strong, rich milk. 
 
 The home life of the farmer and laborer of any country 
 is an interesting and instructive study, and this is especially 
 true of northern Europe. Since the da}'s of Taylor's in- 
 conii)arable books of travel, Europe has been written about 
 
5^ 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 over and over, again antl ai^ain, and yet but little has been 
 said about the home life of the countr}' people, the bone 
 and sinew of the civilized world. Even Taylor fails to give 
 more than a mere glimpse of the inner life of the masses, 
 and we may search in vain for books that tell us how the 
 country people \Wc. The reason for this is obvious. As a 
 
 KOSKILDE, DENMARK. 
 
 rule travelers pursue the beaten track; they go from cit}- to 
 city, live in hotels, and see the country only from the car 
 window. Palaces, picture galleries, works of art, great 
 buildings, old ruins and places of historic interest, royalty, 
 notable men and women, politics and kindred topics form 
 the staples from which most writers draw their materials. 
 
DANISH HUME LIFE. 
 
 53 
 
 li' they i^o into the countr\' at all, they arc nu-t with the nat- 
 ural reserve which total strangers receive the world over, 
 and fail to see the people at their best. They cannot give 
 the home life of the country, because they do not see it. 
 In this respect I enjoyed some advantages not accorded to 
 others. The members of our mission churches live for the 
 most part in the country. .Speaking publich- in villages 
 
 
 M.ALMO, SWEDEN. 
 
 and farmhouses I came into close contact w ith the people. 
 We were cordially invited into their homes, and thc\' gave 
 us such a warm welcome and recei\ed us with such a kindly 
 spirit, that we met and [)arted not as strangers, but as 
 u-arm-hearted friends; and this was not only among our 
 ou n people, for this kind reception was quite general. 
 
54 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 The Danish people have a rough exterior, and unless 
 one learns to know them well they are apt to appear harsh 
 and repulsive. The rough, guttural sounds in their lan- 
 guage add to the first impression. Such words as Ska/l, 
 Ikke, Pige, Sciskab, grate harshly on the ear. But beneath 
 the rough exterior I found warm, sympathetic, loving 
 hearts, and was led to conclude that the worst side of the 
 Dane is the outside. The Swedes, on the other hand, are 
 more cultured and refined, their language is smoother and 
 much more musical than the Danish. As a rule they are 
 cheerful and happy and make a favorable impression on the 
 stranger. The)- are exceedingly font! of music and sing 
 well. Sweden has produced some notable singers, promi- 
 nent among them Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale," 
 as she was appropriately called. The Swedes are, as a rule, 
 open-hearted, kind and hospitable, and they succeed in 
 making one feel very much at home among them. 
 
 In Scandinavia the farmhouses are generally but one 
 story high, and often the living apartments of the family 
 and the stables for the horses and cattle are found under 
 the same straw roof. The stories are low, being only from 
 six to eight feet high. The doors are not high enough to 
 allow a man above the medium height to enter without 
 stooping. On several occasions I was made sensible of this 
 fact, and learned by experience to take the advice of the 
 philosopher who said: "If you learn to stoop as you go 
 through the world, you will escape many hard knocks." 
 On some of the large farms the stables are built at right 
 angles with the house, forming an open square. At other 
 places the buildings form a square with a driveway between 
 stables and farmhouse. Others, having caught the spirit of 
 modern improvement, build fine, two-story farmhouses in 
 
SCANDINAVIAN FARMHOUSES. 
 
 55 
 
 the midst of beautiful grounds, and the barns and stables 
 are at some distance from the house. 
 
 The interior of many of the houses is devoid of com- 
 fort. Cooking stoves are rarely found among the poorer 
 class of farmers. The kitchen, paved with brick or stone, 
 and in some cases w ith a door opening directly into the sta- 
 
 A FAR.M HOUSE. 
 
 ble where the cows are kept, is supplied with a large, open 
 fireplace, with a raised hearth two feet higher than the 
 floor. Here the fire is built, here pots, kettles and spiders 
 are set, and here the cooking is done. The first meal of the 
 day is coffee and black bread, served, as we found at one 
 place in north Denmark, before we were out of bed. The 
 
56 GIRDLIxNG THE GLOBE. 
 
 coffee and bread were broui;ht to us at a very earl\- hour, 
 and we were in\'ited to sit up in bed and eat and drink. 
 Wife said: "I can never drink coffee in this place; "but a 
 desire to accept the hospitality so generously offered over- 
 came her scruples, and we partook of the proffered refresh- 
 ments. Breakfast follows, and the kind of food depends 
 upon the pocketbook of }'our entertainer. Among the 
 poor, black bread with lard is the staple article of food. 
 Butter is a luxury almost unknown to them, and often they 
 must be content to eat their bread without lard. 
 
 Black bread, made from unbolted rye flour, about as 
 dark in color as the old-fashioned gingerbread made with 
 dark molasses, which we relished so much in our boyhood 
 da\'s, is found on every table. Sour leaven is used, and 
 the bread is just sour enough to make it very unpala- 
 table to those who are used to eating sweet bread. When 
 it can be found sweet and fresh it is not unpleasant to the 
 taste. Bolted rye flour is also used by those who can af- 
 ford it, and it makes an excellent quality of dark bread 
 which is healthful and very palatable. 
 
 Horse meat is used quite extensively, and in all the 
 larger towns and cities shops are licensed for the sale of 
 Hcsiekiod, horse flesh. It is much cheaper than beef or 
 pork and is often found on the tables of well-to-do people. 
 Since the removal of the prohibition against American pork, 
 meat \\ ill doubtless be cheaper here. 
 
 The following incident may illustrate the truth of the 
 old proverb, "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be 
 wise." We were very kindl}- and hospitabh- entertained in 
 the home of a prosperous and well-to-do merchant. The 
 good wife had prepared coffee for us. The' neat little table, 
 with snowy white lintMi and delicate china, white bread, but- 
 ter, cheese and dried meat presented a very tempting ap- 
 
7. 
 
 
 w 
 
 X 
 
HORSE MEAT. 59 
 
 pearance to the hungry travelers. The dried meat, which 
 looked very much like the home-made dried beef of such 
 excellent quality, which one finds in Pennsylvania and 
 Maryland, was ver)- tempting to the appetite. I ate some 
 of it, and it tasted very good. I ate more, and gave it a 
 favorable recommendation to my wife, who also ate and 
 pronounced it good. Our Bro. Olssen, who sat by our side, 
 said: "You seem to be very fond of horse meat." Our 
 readers may imagine the result; my entire internal anatomy 
 rebelled, and it was only by the most persistent effort that I 
 remained at the table and completed the meal with due 
 dignity and propriety. 1 have no appetite for horse meat, 
 but it did taste good. 
 
 Woman works indoors and out, and her lot is a hard 
 one. Hard labor of all kinds is imposed upon her. She 
 works in the field, mowing, making hay, binding grain, 
 hauling and spreading the contents of the barnyard on the 
 land; in fact she does about all kinds of farm work. She 
 must often be the housekeeper, the mother of the family 
 and the field laborer. As a result, she cannot pay much at- 
 tention to her household duties, and, from our standpoint, 
 the home is often of necessity sadly neglected. 
 
 In parts of northern Europe, especiall}- in Germany, I 
 have seen women and dogs hitched together to heavily 
 loaded hand wagons drawing them through the streets. 
 Dogs are often used as draught animals. The accompany- 
 ing picture shows a milkman with dogs hitched to his cart. 
 
 Men, women and children w'ear the universal wooden 
 shoe, with heavy woolen stockings. When they go into the 
 house the shoes are taken off, and it is not an unusual thing 
 to see a large number of wooden shoes of various sizes at 
 the door as you enter the farmhouse. The wooden shoe- 
 maker flourishes in every village. For men's shoes he gets 
 
60 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 one and one-half kroners, or forty cents a pair, and for 
 smaller ones in proportion. His tools consist of several 
 auger-like gouges with which he makes the inner shape of 
 the foot. A common drawing-knife and a " shaving-horse " 
 complete the outfit, and the shoemaker prides himself up- 
 on the neat shape he can give the foot-wear he turns out. 
 We tried our hand at the work, but found that even mak- 
 iner wooden shoes is a trade that must be learned. 
 
 Wages are very low. At Hjordum we met a strong, 
 healthy-looking girl of sixteen who told us that she was em- 
 ployed on a farm by the )ear, the owner of which was a 
 fisherman. Her work was indoors and out, as her services 
 were needed. Cleaning fish, helping with the nets and 
 lines, working on the farm, she labored from twelve to fif- 
 teen hours a day, Sunday included, and she received only 
 thirty kroners, $8.10 per year for her hard work. The high- 
 est wages paid to girls on the farms is ninety kroners, S24.30 
 per year. We interviewed laboring men and women in the 
 fields and found that they were working at starvation wages. 
 At one place we talked with a man who was cutting rye. 
 After trying his scythe, and proving to our satisfaction that 
 the work was not easy, we asked him what wages he re- 
 ceived, and could scarcely believe him when he said fifty 
 ore, thirteen and one-half cents per day. He explained that 
 his health was poor, and not being strong he could not get 
 hieher waees. The women who bound the grain after him 
 received the same wages. The wages for farm laborers 
 vary in different localities; but one kroner, twenty-seven 
 cents a day, is considered fair wages. We notice advertise- 
 ments in the newspapers in which servant girls offer to 
 work for sixt}- kroners per year, or about thirty-one cents a 
 week. 
 
 In conversation with some of the girls thcv were told 
 
WAGES. 6 1 
 
 of two dollars a week in America, and it seemed like a fairy 
 tale to them. When I told them that as a rule, our women 
 did not work in the fields, and in the West did not milk or 
 blacken boots, one old woman in the company with much 
 apparent surprise said: "Well, what do your women do? 
 They must be lazy." I was not willing to admit the im- 
 peachment, and explained that our women paid much more 
 attention to housekeeping and indoor work than was done 
 in Denmark. It might have been added that some of the 
 work, such as crocheting and fancy needlework did not 
 seem to have much practical value, but I simply made a 
 mental note of the fact. I also noted the fact that if some 
 of our people at home, who are dissatisfied with their lot, 
 could live here a while they would learn some lessons in 
 economy that would be helpful to them, and would be glad 
 to go back again to America, where the conditions are so 
 much more favorable for the laboring classes than they are 
 here. 
 
 The custom of every one helping himself at the table 
 prevails in Sweden. At the eating houses a large table is 
 found in the center of the room on which are placed soup, 
 meats, vegetables, bread, butter, cheese, etc., etc. Plates, 
 knives, forks and spoons are placed at one end of the table. 
 Those who dine take a plate, knife and fork, then march 
 around the table, taking what they want, and then retire to 
 small tables and eat. In this way soup, fish, meats and 
 dessert are served, a clean plate being taken with each 
 course. It looked singular enough to us to see twenty or 
 thirty men and women marching around the great center 
 table, helping themselves to the tempting viands. The 
 same custom prevails in the private family. 
 
 Whether the Danes, or Dans, as the old name runs, 
 and which is )et to be found in old manuscripts and in- 
 
62 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 scriptions, are, as some writers seem to think, the descend- 
 ants of the lost tribe of Dan, we shall not pretend to say, 
 but we were struck by the similarity of some things we 
 saw here with those found in Palestine. The one-handled 
 plow is used here quite extensively, and the old-fashioned 
 hand-mill, so common in Palestine, has been so recently in 
 use here that we saw many discarded millstones. The 
 women did much of the grinding here not many years ago. 
 A sister told me that when she was young she often helped 
 to grind at the mill, and that before her conversion, remem- 
 bering Christ's words, " Two women shall be grinding at the 
 mill, one shall be taken and the other left," she always 
 dreaded to assist at the grinding. 
 
 The windmill and in many places the water mill have 
 superseded the old hand-mills. The former, with its great 
 arms spread out to catch the wind, is to be seen every- 
 where. The arrangement for turning the wheel when the 
 wind changes is quite in keeping with the primitive charac- 
 ter of the country. The mill is built on a central pivot and 
 a large, bent arm reaches to the ground. When the wind 
 changes, as it does quite frequently, the miller, by the use 
 of a chain, a windlass and a long lever, turns the entire 
 mill around. Some of the modern mills are arranged so 
 that only the top is turned. 
 
 In some parts of Sweden the ground is covered with 
 large boulders. The farmer ploughs up the soil among the 
 boulders, pulverizes it and then sows the rye. In sowing, 
 some of the grain falls upon the rocks, but it is not left 
 there for the fowls of the air. We noticed women with 
 brooms, made of brush, sweeping the tops of the stones, 
 and upon inquiry learned that they were sweeping the seed 
 and little soil off the rocks so that it might not be wasted. 
 More than two-thirds of the surface of some of the fields 
 
THE WINDMILL. 63 
 
 are covered with large boulders. It is hard work with but 
 scant reward for the labor expended, and )'et the farmers 
 seem happy and do not complain at their hard lot. 
 
 Before leaving Scandinavia on our journey to the 
 Golden Gate, we go northward on Swedish soil to the 
 home of the Lapp and Finn. Comparatively speaking, 
 only a short time ago the northern part of the Scandi- 
 navian Peninsula was an unknown country. The hardiest 
 and most adventurous traveler dared not invade the re- 
 gions lying north of the arctic circle. Mount Avasaxa, 
 a little south of the circle, from which a perfect view oi 
 the midnight sun can be had June 22-25, was long the 
 northern limit of aspiring travelers. It was easily reached 
 from the head of the Bothnian Gulf. The records kept 
 since 168 1, in an old church near the mountain, give the 
 names of a number of distinguished explorers who visited 
 the place during the seventeenth and the early part of 
 the eighteenth century. But steam and electricity have 
 changed all this. Swedish enterprise and skillful engineer- 
 ing have built a railway far north of the polar circle, 
 and the frigid zone is invaded by steam engine and rail- 
 way trains. We are carried by rail to Malmberg, a little 
 beyond the sixty-seventh degree of north latitude. 
 
 By rail, 1,245 niiles north of Copenhagen, with a va- 
 riation of a few degrees eastward, we reach Gel-li-va-re 
 which is, so far as we know, the northernmost railway town 
 in the world. It is five miles south of the iron n^ills at 
 Malmberg. Leaving the capital of Denmark at 1 1 : 30 A. 
 M., on Tuesday, July 9, we arrived at Gel-li-va-re on the 
 following Friday. After passing Stockholm we traveled 
 by day and rested at night. This is a matter of necessity, 
 for the train stops for two nights on the way. At Gel- 
 li-va-re we found excellent lodging at very reasonable rates, 
 
64 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 and here we spent three days, — " and nights " — we were 
 going to write, but the word night is a misnomer, for we 
 had bright sunshine and daylight during the entire sev- 
 enty-two hours of our stay. But it is hard to realize that 
 we are in a land where there is no night. One of our 
 difificulties is to get sleep enough. Yesterday, after taking 
 what at home would have been our evening meal, we sat 
 down to write. We wrote on and became absorbed in 
 the work. After the lapse of some time, wife said, " Do 
 you know what time it is?" And behold it was nearly 12 
 o'clock, and ought to have been as dark as midnight, but 
 it was as light as day. 
 
 On Friday, July 12, at 10 P. M., we started to climb 
 the observatory on Mount Dundret, some five miles from 
 Gel-li-va-re, and about 2,700 feet above the sea level 
 From the summit is to be had a magnificent view of the 
 "Midnight Sun" from about June i to July 15. The sk)' 
 was cloudless and as clear and bright as crystal. The 
 conditions for the grand sight in store for us were per- 
 fect. After toiling upward for nearly two hours we reached 
 the top of the hill and were rewarded with a view we 
 shall never forget. "Midnight Sun" some one in poetical 
 fancy has called it. But there can be no night where the 
 sun shines. On the mountain top I sat down and wrote, 
 and here are the thoughts and reflections that came to me 
 in this presence chamber of the Almighty. 
 
 There is around and about me the strange, subdued, 
 solemn stillness which marks the midnight hour in those 
 latitudes where darkness at this moment covers the earth 
 as with a mantle. Not a sound is heard. The leafy song- 
 sters are hushed and with folded wing sleep in the green 
 foliage about the hilltop. From the valley at my feet 
 comes no sound of life. Tis midnight hour, but vonder 
 
■n 
 
 a 
 2 
 
 Q 
 
 K 
 
 H 
 
MIDNIGHT SUN. (i"] 
 
 shines the sun. I note that, as the hands of my watch 
 indicate the hour of twelve, tlie sun is shining full in my 
 face, exactly from the northern point of my compass. 
 It is as if the great orb of day had suddenly appeared 
 lighting up the world at its quiet, restful midnight hour. 
 True, the light is somewhat subdued; the northern sky is 
 painted in deep carmine tints, and the sun is bathed in a 
 flood of crimson almost bloodred, but it shines and gives 
 forth its light. 
 
 Creeping, as it were, along the northern mountain 
 barrier, just above the horizon, the sun moves on. It has 
 touched its lowest northern point and rises higher and 
 higher as it hastens eastward on its everlasting circuit of 
 the heavens. The deep red of the sky makes a strikingly 
 beautiful contrast with the clearly-defined blue and white 
 of the mountains. Far up in the eastern heavens hangs 
 the moon, paled to dimness by her midnight rival. She 
 is no longer mistress of the night. The stars which shine 
 so brightly in " the infinite meadows of heaven " in our 
 own homeland, here refuse to give their light; I look in 
 vain for Orion, the Dipper, the Little Bear and the Polar 
 Star. Moon and stars alike hold their light in abeyance, 
 for soon the long, dreary winter night will come, and they 
 shall shine forth with a brightness and a glory compen- 
 satory for all their loss now. The sun rules now, and as 
 I witness his power at this hour, I realize as I have never 
 realized before, that the earth is, after all, only a small 
 factor in the great solar system. 
 
 Sitting thus on Mount Dundret, an astonished beholder 
 of the wonders of God's works, I recall and repeat the 
 words of Israel's sweet singer. From this time forth they 
 will contain new beauty and meaning for me: 
 
68 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 " The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shew- 
 eth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto 
 night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where 
 their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, 
 and their words unto the end of the world. In them hath he set a 
 tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming forth out of 
 his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going 
 forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it." 
 
 Coming down from the mountain we reached our 
 lodging place at 3 A. M., and retired to our beds to rest. 
 but not to sleep. The sun shone brightl}-, lighting up our 
 rooms, and the mind, pondering over what our eyes had 
 seen, was too activel}- engaged for sleep. It came not to 
 our eyes, neither did slumber visit our eyelids for some 
 hours. 
 
 iMARKt'i I'LACE, Jl.^LLE, 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Leaving the Northland — Through Germany — A Beautiful I'alley — 
 Schwarsenau and the Eder — Persecuted Reformers — The Rhine 
 — Mayence to Cologne — The City of Worms and Luther's Denk- 
 mal — Lucerne — Clirnbing Rigi — William Tell — The Axen- 
 strasse — The St. Gothard Railivay — TJie Great Tunnel — Lom- 
 bardy — Arrival at Milan. 
 
 Regretfully we leave the Northland with its " mid- 
 night sun," for country and people have been an inter- 
 esting stud}-. On our southern wa\' we pass through Co- 
 penhagen, where Christian IX., father of kings and queens, 
 holds modest court and gives to the rulers of Europe an 
 example of conjugal fidelity worthy of imitation. Thence 
 we pass into Germany and spend a short time at our old 
 German home, the university town of Halle. Here a fa- 
 miliar sight greets our eyes as we leave the depot and walk 
 up the street, — the market women with great baskets on 
 their backs. The sight is common in many parts of north- 
 ern Europe, for here women are the burden bearers. These 
 seen on the streets of Halle to-day are on their way to 
 the market, a place always interesting to visit. But we 
 must not linger here. We visit our old \Virthi)i (land- 
 lady) and receive a most hearty welcome supplemented 
 by a pressing invitation to drink coffee with her, an act 
 of hospitalit}' never forgotten by the Germans when friends 
 visit them. 
 
 Continuing our journey we visit a place of special 
 historic interest to our people. Again I find my notes 
 
 helpful, for there I find written: We have found a secluded 
 
 169) 
 
;o 
 
 GIRDLING TtlE GLOBE. 
 
 little German village far away from the rush and bustle 
 of the busy world of travel. It is one of those quaint, old- 
 fashioned towns that are quite out of place in the present. 
 It belongs to the past and has not yet awakened to the 
 impulse of the age, which has taken hold of Germany. 
 Its peace and quiet has never been disturbed by steam 
 
 MARKET WOMEN. 
 
 whistle or rumbling of trains of cars. For centuries it has 
 rested in the beautiful valley through which, like a thread 
 of silver in a ribbon of green, flows the historic river Eder. 
 The village is built on both sides of the Eder and contains, 
 as we were informed by one of the inhabitants, about 600 
 souls. On the outer walls of one of the principal houses 
 
SCHVVARZENAU. 
 
 71 
 
 hangs a square signboard, on the white surface of which 
 is painted in large black letters the following official record 
 of the place: D. Schivarzenmi, Amt Arfcld, Kr. Wittgenstein, 
 Rg. Bz. Arnsberg, La?idwehr-Battalio?is, Bezirk Mcschede. 
 
 ^in?f^ 
 
 ■^<mm^- 
 
 :m^ 
 
 ^mm^ 
 
 Mtt-s 
 
 '^m^A^ 
 
 VILLAGE OF SCHWAKZENAU. 
 
 I write, seated on the approach to the footbridge used 
 b\' the villagers to cross the Eder. On both sides of the 
 river stand the quaint-looking old houses with high gables 
 and steep roofs, covered with straw or red tile, which 
 make up the ancient village of Schwarzenau. The village 
 children, in peculiar dress, stand at respectful distance, 
 watching, with open-eyed wonder, the strangers who have 
 invaded their quiet little town. Even the elderly people 
 
;^ 
 
 GIRnLIXO THE CLOBE. 
 
 Stop and give us a look of surprised inquiry and collect 
 in groups to discuss the strange sight of a drosky with 
 travelers in their streets. As they pass b)- the}- greet us 
 cordiall}- w ith a " (iiitcii Tag.'' Wife walks along the mean- 
 dering stream, the water of which is as clear as crystal, 
 and the genth'-sloping banks are covered with grass to 
 
 THE BRIDGE AT SCHWARZENAU. 
 
 the very edge of the river. A well-kept lawn is not more 
 evenly mowed than are the grassy slopes of the Eder 
 It is a quiet October day, a day that recalls our own de- 
 lightful Indian summer weather at home. The mountains 
 that border both sides of the valley are covered with a 
 thick growth of pine, birch, maple and beech. The touch 
 
TIIK RIVER EDER. 73 
 
 of early autumn frost has tinged the foliage with a rich 
 coloring of crimson, red and gold. Up the stream, a hun- 
 dred yards away, is the old five-arched stone bridge built 
 years and years ago; and be}'ond this a beautiful stretch 
 of green meadow land. Sitting here on the old footbridge, 
 with the valley a mile above and below Schwarzenau in 
 full view, I have in mind no picture more beautiful than 
 this. 
 
 On the blue Juniata, as it cuts its way through the 
 Alleghenies, there are some enchanted spots that I recall 
 sitting here by the Eder, but the similarity is scarcely 
 sufficient to base a comparison upon it. The Juniata has 
 a grand, rugged, dashing beauty peculiar to itself; here 
 the sharp curves, the rushing river, the rocky shores, 
 and the steep mountains are replaced by a gently-flowing 
 stream through a valley of green meadow land, formed 
 b\' mountains of even slope and less than half the altitude 
 of the Blue Ridge. Here is a quiet, enchanting beauty 
 which exceeds anxthing I can now recall ever having seen, 
 even in picturesque America. Perhaps the associations 
 connected with the place have their influence upon our 
 estimate of its surpassing beauty; but after making due 
 allowance for all this, I am not willing to say less than has 
 been said. 
 
 And what are the associations connected with this 
 quiet, old-fashioned German hamlet? Many of my read- 
 ers know, and others will be interested in knowing, that 
 here at Schwarzenau, nearly two hundred years ago, the 
 dying embers of primitive Christianity were rekindled and 
 the Brethren church was more fully organized. Here, on 
 the banks of this beautiful stream, doubtless not far from 
 where I write, the Brethren assembled in the year 1708, 
 and, following the example of Christ, as one of our learned 
 
74 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 divines of America recently followed it in the river Jordan, 
 went down into the water and were baptized " into the 
 name of the Father, and into the name of the Son, and 
 into the name of the Holy Ghost." And from here went 
 forth that little band of persecuted believers, exiled from 
 their " Vaterland'"' to find a home in the Quaker colony of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Under the mild rule of the good Count Cassimir of 
 Wittgenstein, who gave an asylum to the persecuted 
 Pietists, the newly reorganized church flourished for a sea- 
 son, and prosperous congregations were soon established at 
 different places, especially at Marienborn and Berleburg, 
 But tiiey were not to live in peace. The reformers, who 
 had been persecuted by Rome, now turned persecutors 
 themselves and laid a heavy hand on the Brethren. Refus- 
 ing to give up their faith in Apostolic Christianity, many of 
 them were cast into prison and heavy fines were imposed 
 upon all " of this way." Hochmann, a prominent minister, 
 was cast into prison and beaten with many stripes. Alex- 
 ander Mack, one of their most prominent ministers, had in- 
 herited a considerable fortune. It was all used in paying 
 fines for himself and his poor brethren. At length the per- 
 secution became so grievous that a number of them left 
 their homes to settle in the wilderness of the New World. 
 Others fled to Switzerland, hoping to secure religious liber- 
 ty in that republic, but a worse fate awaited them there. 
 They were imprisoned, and some were put to death. By 
 these rioforous measures the State Church succeeded in its 
 purpose, and no vestige of the church of the Brethren is to 
 be found in those valleys to-day. 
 
 We have been brought into close contact with the 
 homes of our Brethren in Germany. We have seen where 
 they lived and labored, and we are much impressed with 
 
PERSECUTED BRETHREN. 75 
 
 the thought of the great sacrifice they made when they left 
 these beautiful and fertile valleys for the wilds of the New 
 World. We are made to admire, more and more, their 
 courage and the spirit of self-sacrifice which led them to 
 abandon home and the associations of a life-time for the 
 sake of primitive Christianity. How they must have suf- 
 fered and what hardships they must have endured, all for 
 the sake of religious liberty! How often from their lonely 
 homes on Indian Creek and the Wissahickon, at White 
 Oak, at Ephrata, and at Germantown, surrounded by the 
 Red Man of the forest, must they have looked back with 
 longing, yearning hearts to this beautiful valley of the Eder, 
 once their quiet, peaceful, happy home, from which they 
 were exiled never to return again. 
 
 How often must they have battled with the homesick 
 feeling that will come to all who love home and leave it. 
 How often they dreamed that their feet pressed again the 
 grassy slopes of the Eder, that they drank again of its crys- 
 tal water and breathed again the pure mountain air, and 
 were happy again in their old homes, only to awake and 
 find it all a dream. We have thought more of all this per- 
 haps because we are far away from home and friends and 
 know something of the desire to return again. These brave 
 men and women endured much so that they might serve the 
 Lord in his own appointed way. Long ago they were 
 gathered to that home where the weary are at rest and 
 from which they will never be exiled. The cause they 
 loved so well, and for which they sacrificed so much, still 
 lives. And shall it not continue to live? Shall not we, who 
 to-day stand in the places of those who have gone before, 
 hold up the cause of Apostolic Christianity? Shall we not 
 be true to the cause we have espoused and for which our 
 fathers suffered so much, yea, for which Christ died? 
 
']Ci GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 The people of the village are engaged in farming and 
 appear to be well-to-do and happy. Their piety asserts 
 itself in the custom of engraving passages of Scripture on 
 the oak sills and panels in the sides and gables of their 
 houses. Not only at Schwarzenau, but at other villages in 
 the valley of the Eder, we noticed passages of Scripture, 
 short poems, and pious mottoes graven deeply in the sills, 
 beams, and gables of the houses. 
 
 " Gott segne dieses Hans 
 Unci einen jedeii- Stand, 
 Den Burger in der Stadf, 
 Den Bauer auf dem Laud, 
 Gib Segeii tmd GedeiJien 
 A ucJi fiir ein jedes J Vesen , 
 Besonders noch fiir den 
 Der diesen Sprue h thut iesen." 
 
 Translated this reads: 
 
 " God bless this house, 
 And each and every occupation, 
 The citizen of the town, 
 The farmer on the field, 
 Give blessings and prosperity 
 Also to each being. 
 Especially to him 
 Who may read this iiiscription." 
 
 As I stood copying these lines the owner of the 
 house came out and informed me that he had placed them 
 there with his own hand. He read them over several times 
 and seemed to be much pleased that his work was thus no- 
 ticed. At another place I read, " Dieses Ha7is gelidrt Gott 
 u?id miry Here the owner takes the Lord into partnership 
 with him. A lesson may be learned from this simple vil- 
 lager. We have two much of the "' I o:i'/i this property" 
 and not enough of the " It belongs to the Lord " in our way 
 of looking at that over which God has itiade us stewards. 
 
CHRISTOPHER SAUR. ']'] 
 
 One more example will suffice: " Ich gctraii Gott in allcr 
 Notliy Much of the carving is very skillfully done, the old 
 German letters being used and the capitals finely decorated. 
 
 Not far from Schwarzenau is the town of Berleburg. 
 This was a noted center for our Brethren and other so- 
 called Pietists. They came here from many parts of Ger- 
 many. Among others who came was a printer from Strass- 
 burg named John Jacob Hang. He had been awakened, 
 and came to Berleburg to enjoy the society of kindred 
 spirits. A [)rinting jjress was set up — for these early Breth- 
 ren believed in the use of printer's ink — and Hang took 
 charge of the office. Here in 1726 the celebrated Berle- 
 burg Bible, with notes, was published in three volumes. A 
 copy of this Bible may be seen in the Cassel Library at Mt. 
 Morris, 111. The printing press was afterwards sent to 
 America where, in 1736, it came into the possession of Eld. 
 Christopher Saur, and he used it to print the first religious 
 paper and the first Bible (1743) that was printed in 
 America. 
 
 Christopher Saur, Sen., the printer, was a man of more 
 than ordinary ability. He received a liberal education at 
 the University of Marburg, Germany. He united with the 
 Brethren and used his ability and education to further the 
 cause of Christ. He had energy and business push. He 
 gave the German colonists their first almanac and their first 
 religious paper, and then, owing to the fact that Bibles 
 were very scarce in the new colony, he determined to give 
 to his countrymen the Scriptures in their own tongue. He 
 began the work under great difficulties. A friend in Frank- 
 fort, Germany, sent him a part of the type. A few pages 
 were set up and printed, and then the type distributed to be 
 set up again. At last, in 1743, he sent out the first edition 
 of the first Bible ever published in a European language in 
 
78 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 America. The credit of this important work thus belongs 
 to the band of exiled Brethren. The book, a large quarto, 
 was bound in boards and leather, and of such excellent 
 workmanship was the binding that many well-preserved 
 copies are yet to be found. The demand for the Bible 
 made it necessary to issue two more editions, one in 1763 
 
 HOTEL AT SCHVVARZENAU. 
 
 and the last in 1776. The author is the fortunate possessor 
 of a copy of each of the three editions of this now rare and 
 valuable book. The volumes are in a good state of preser- 
 vation, showing the excellent character of the work done by 
 the honest bookbinder more than a century ago. 
 
 A short stay at Schwarzenau's only hotel, the " Roesner 
 House," and we drive down the valley of the Eder over a 
 
COUNTRY PEOPLE. 
 
 79 
 
 well-kept macadamized road. What fine roads are to be 
 found in Germany! In this respect Europe is far ahead of 
 our own country. There are no fences by the wayside, and 
 the grass is kept mowed down to the edge of the road. 
 Fruit trees — pear, cherry, apple and plum — are planted by 
 the roadside. The pears were ripe, and for five cents we 
 
 THE ROAD TO SCHWARZENAU. 
 
 purchased a small measure and regaled ourselves on the 
 luscious fruit. We meet the country people, in quaint and 
 curious costume, returning from the market. In the fields 
 women are at work mowing grass and digging potatoes. 
 They must work hard and keep at it constantly. Now we 
 cross a range of hills and enter the valley of the Eder, and 
 as the evening shades come down we drive into the univer- 
 
8o 
 
 GIKDLIXC; THE (ILDliE. 
 
 sity city of Marburg. The drive of twenty miles was de- 
 lightfully pleasant and most enjoyable. 
 
 From Marburg to Germany's most famous river is but a 
 few hours by rail. The beauties of the Rhine have been 
 extolled in song and story for centuries, and yet the sub- 
 ject has not been exhausted. From Mayence to Cologne 
 
 OLD CASTLES ON THE RHINE. 
 
 and return took two days of our time. The distance trav- 
 eled in making the round trip is only two hundred and fifty 
 miles; but there is crowded into this short limit more beau- 
 tiful scener\', historic associations, weird stories and won- 
 derful legends than is crowded into a similar distance on 
 any other ri\er in the world. The legends of the Rhine fill 
 a volume in themselves, and here is to be found the jilot 
 
CASTLES OX THE RHINE. 8l 
 
 and groundwork of many a modern novel and love story. 
 Every hill and mountain and valley has legends of brave 
 knight, of fair lady, of doughty deeds of arms, of faithless 
 lover and womanly devotion of the ages of chivalry. In- 
 termingled with these are the older stories of heathen times, 
 when dragon, gnome, water n\-mph, and fairy, as the peo- 
 ple believed, frequented all the shores of the Rhine. There 
 is not a ruined castle wall or dilapidated tower between 
 Mayence and Cologne, — and there are scores of them, — that 
 does not have its historical association and its equally 
 interesting and often beautiful legend. 
 
 But in all Rhineland there is no place of more historic 
 interest than the quaint old city of Worms. It was here, 
 in April, 1521, that the Imperial Diet, or council, was held, 
 at which Luther defended his doctrines before the Emperor 
 Charles V. and an august assembly of the notable church- 
 men and rulers of Europe, closing with these memorable 
 words: '' Hicr stcJic icJi; icJi kaiui nicJit anders. Gott helfe 
 mir. A)nciiy " Here I stand, I cannot act otherwise, God 
 help me! Amen." These bold words, uttered before the 
 highest council in all Europe, sounded the death knell of 
 papal rule in Germany and stood out in the great struggle 
 for religious freedom as words of hope and courage. Two 
 places in this old Rhine city no traveler will pass by with- 
 out a visit. One is the Luther Denkmal ( monument) and 
 the other the beautiful modern residence of Heyl, the 
 wealthy manufacturer of Worms, which stands on the site 
 of the Bishofshof or episcopal palace where the Diet of 
 Worms was held. The palace was destroyed by the French 
 in 1689. The site, as before intimated, is now occupied by a 
 fine private residence. The pious owner has these words 
 placed prominently on the outer wall: 
 
82 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 " DitScs I fans itiid Vatcrland 
 Nimm, Gott, in dcin gctrcuc //and. 
 
 The Luther inonuinent was erected in iS5S at a cost of 
 nearly a hundred thousand dollars, and it is said to be one 
 of the finest of the kind in Europe. It has been said that 
 it is worth a trip across the Atlantic to see this memorial of 
 
 LLlllLK MONUMENT. 
 
 the great reformer. It is composed of a massive platform 
 forty-eight feet square and nine and a half feet high. In 
 the center is a large bronze pedestal, surrounded by sev- 
 en smaller ones; on the central pedestal stands Luther's 
 statue in bronze, eleven feet in height. In his left hand he 
 holds the Bible, with his right hand resting upon it. His 
 face is turned upward and the features show deep faith and 
 
< 
 
 H 
 H 
 
 O 
 
 u 
 
 C/2 
 
LUTHER MONUMENT. 8$ 
 
 trust. On the smaller pedestals are statues of those " bold 
 spirits " who before or along with him had fought the last 
 struggle for the freedom of the reformation. Here are Peter 
 Waldrus the Frenchman, John Wickliffe the Englishman, 
 John Huss the Bohemian, Savonarola the Italian and Phil- 
 ipp Melanchthon the German. These strong words of the 
 reformer compose one of the most striking of the nian\- in- 
 scriptions found here: 
 
 " Das EvajigeliuDi, -juelches dcr Herr den Aposteln in dot Miiiid 
 geiej^t hat isi sein Schwert, damit schldgt cr in die iVcU als in it Blitz 
 und Donncr." 
 
 " The Gospel, which the Lord hath put into the mouths of the apos- 
 tles, is his sword; with it he strikes the world as with lightnin<^ and 
 thunder." 
 
 Switzerland, the Republic of Europe, the land of the 
 free, the home of Tell and his brave compatriots! How my 
 heart burned within me when, in m\' schoolboy days nearly 
 fifty \-ears ago, I read over and over again the story of the 
 brave, 'heroic, successful struggle of these hardy mountain- 
 eers to throw off the yoke of their tyrant masters! And 
 now, under God"s providence, we are permitted to visit the 
 oldest republic in the world. Worms and its Dcnlanal, the 
 Rhine and its beautiful scenery are lost as in a dream in the 
 presence of the awful grandeur of the Alps, with their ever- 
 lasting mantles of ice and snow. 
 
 In the beautiful cit}- of Lucerne, nestling at the feet of 
 Pilatus and Rigi, we found a pleasant little hotel with the 
 modest name of " Des Alpes," and here for a season we 
 make our home. Here one meets people from all parts of 
 the civilized world, attracted b\- the grand scenery and the 
 romantic Vierwaldstatter See, as Lake Lucerne is called. 
 It is said to be one of the most famous and popular summer 
 resorts in all Europe, and the crowds of tourists " on pleas- 
 
86 CIKIH.IXC rilK GLOBE. 
 
 lire bent" attest the truthfulness of the statement. In the 
 quiet bosom of the valley, surrounded by Alpine mountains 
 whose crags and peaks are mirrored in its placid waters, 
 lies the beautiful lake, bounded by the four Swiss cantons, 
 or states, of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne. It is 
 unsurpassed, not only in Switzerland, but in all Europe, in 
 the grandeur and magnificence of its scenery. The lake 
 seen from the top of Mount Rigi presents to view the 
 shape of a cross; the bay of Lucerne forming the head, the 
 ba\-s of Kiissnacht and Alpnacht the arms, and those of 
 Buochs and Uri the foot. At the north end of the lake the 
 river Reuss, with its clear emerald-green waters, issues from 
 the lake with the swiftness of a torrent. Lucerne is built 
 on both sides of the river, which is crossed by five bridges. 
 Both lake and river abound in fine fish, and those who find 
 pleasure in taking the finny tribe with hook and line may 
 here indulge to their heart's content. The walks and drive- 
 ways along the quay and the banks of the river are densely 
 shaded and delightfully pleasant in midsummer. 
 
 Our little party determined to try mountain climbing, 
 and the ascent of Mount Rigi, it was thought, would satisfy 
 our ambition in this direction; and it did. The regulation 
 AlpLintocks — heavy sticks some six feet in length, armed 
 at one end with an iron spike — were secured and an early 
 start was made for the mountain top. In the cool of the 
 morning the gentle mountain slopes were easy enough, but 
 when the ascent became steeper and the sun shone down 
 with midsummer heat we were compelled to seek shaded 
 resting places many times before the coveted summit was 
 reached. But at last, when the grand, rugged beauty of the 
 Alpine scenery burst into full view, from the mountain top, 
 every one felt amply repaid for the fatigue incident to the 
 upward climbing of nearly si.x thousand feet above sea 
 
y. 
 
 S 
 
 N 
 
 H 
 
 'A 
 
 u 
 
TELL S MONUMENT. 
 
 89 
 
 level. Owing to the isolation of the mountain the view 
 from Rigi sweeps over three hundred miles in extent, and 
 
 TELL'S MONUMENT. 
 
 is by far the grandest in Switzerland. The descent was 
 made in the evening time, and it was much easier than the 
 
90 GIRDLING THE GLOliE. 
 
 climbing, and yet the strain on the muscles was much more 
 tr\-ing than in going up. I'or several days after the climb 
 to the top of Rigi I sat in my room in the hotel nursing 
 tired and painful muscles, and making resolutions to give 
 up Alpine mountain climbing. 
 
 A boatride from Lucerne to Fliielen and return is one 
 of the most pleasant and at the same time interesting ex- 
 cursions on tiic lake. Fiiielen is at one end of the "See" 
 and Lucerne at the other. The distance between the two 
 points is twenty-three miles, and the greatest width of the 
 lake is two and a half miles. During the summer season 
 steamboats pl\' regularly between Lucerne and Fliielen, 
 stopping at intermediate points. Two places of special his- 
 toric interest on the tour of the lake always attract the at- 
 tention of the traveler. The one is the spot where, with an 
 arrow, William Tell, by order of Gessler, shot an apple from 
 the head of his son, and the other where he shot and killed 
 the tyrant. The first is at Fliielen. The day before our 
 arrival a fine monument had been unveiled to commemorate 
 Tell's wonderful feat of archery. A bronze figure of the 
 patriot, with his left hand resting on his boy's head at his 
 side and his right hand holding his trusty crossbow on his 
 shoulder, stands on a granite base bearing this inscription: 
 
 Efzd/i/ci! loird man. 
 Von dcin ScJiittzen Tell, 
 So lang die Be7\s[e, 
 Stchn auf ilireni Cnuide, 
 
 1307 
 W'llhelin Tell, 
 
 iSqs. 
 
 The spot where Gessler fell pierced by Tell's unerring 
 arrow is marked by a beautiful chapel, the outer foundation 
 of which is built in the water of the lake. It is a spot of 
 wondrous beauty. The steep mountain side is covered 
 
PS 
 
 w 
 
 D 
 
TELL S CHAPEL. 
 
 93 
 
 with a dense shrubbery. In the distance the snow-covered 
 Alps are to be seen. Beyond the chapel among the rocks, 
 almost hidden by the green foliage, is pointed out the place 
 where Tell stood, and from which sped the fatal arrow that 
 freed his native land from the oppressor. Some writers 
 there are who w ould deprive the world of the story of Tell, 
 but I prefer to accept it as it has been immortalized by the 
 pen of Schiller How with bated breath, and anxious heart 
 for the fate of the hero, I first read the story in my school- 
 boy days nearly half a century ago. And now it is doubly 
 interesting to recall it all here, amid the mountains and on 
 this beautiful lake where the thrilling events occurred. 
 
 -li=*;. — :',. 
 
 TLLLS CHAPEL. 
 
 Returning from Fliielen in the afternoon we walked as 
 far as Tell's Chapel, where the steamer stopped to take up 
 passengers for Lucerne. The distance is two and a half 
 miles and it is a very interesting walk. The road, called 
 
94 
 
 GIRDLING Till-: GLOliE. 
 
 the Axenstrasse, is among the wonders of Switzerland, 
 and is remarkable for the boldness of its construction, bein<^ 
 to a great extent hewn in the rock. It skirts the lake, and 
 after leaving the water level at Fliielen ascends rapidh', af- 
 fording from the mountain side a beautiful view of the lake 
 and the Swiss villages that cluster on its borders. At a 
 point still higher the road passes through a tunnel cut in the 
 
 THE AXENSl'RASSE, SWITZERLAND. 
 
 curiously contorted limestone strata. Portions of the outer 
 rim of the rock have been cut away, forming window-like 
 openings through which the light is admitted. Through 
 these rocky windows fine views are to be had of the blue 
 lake three hundred and sixty feet below. A short time 
 after passing through the tunnel we reach Tellsplatte, 
 from which a most charming view is had of lake and 
 mountains. Here we leave the Axenstrasse and descend 
 the mountain side to the little chapel marking the spot 
 
SWISS VILLAGE. 95 
 
 where Tell sprang from Gessler's boat. Then the shrill 
 whistle of our steamer sounded out, echoing^ and re-echoing 
 among the hills and mountains, as we hastened to the land- 
 ing. The delightful evening ride was much enjoyed, and we 
 reached Lucerne well pleased with our day's sight-seeing. 
 
 My notebook says wc left Lucerne Sept. 7, for Milan, 
 Italy, I'ia the St. Gothard railwa}', which, with its great 
 tunnel nine and a quarter miles in length, piercing the 
 snowy Alpine range of mountains, is one of the engineering 
 marvels of the nineteenth century. The road is one hun- 
 dred and six miles in length and passes through no less 
 than fifty-six tunnels, aggregating twenty-five miles in 
 length. The St. Gothard tunnel is, as has been stated, nine 
 and a quarter miles long, twenty-eight feet wide and 
 twenty-one feet high. It is laid with a double railway track 
 and is arched with masonry throughout. 
 
 The scenery between Lucerne and Goeschen, the en- 
 trance to the tunnel, is grand beyond description. The 
 railway passes through no less than seven loop tunnels, and 
 in winding back and forth up the mountain side ue pass 
 and repass the same villages. One of our party called at- 
 tention to the similarity of the churches in Switzerland, 
 when, as a matter of fact, he had seen the same building 
 three times. Nestled in the valleys are many small Swiss 
 villages built at the base of great cliffs. After seeing these 
 villages one does not wonder that, when the great ava- 
 lanches of snow sweep down the mountain side, death and 
 destruction come to the Swiss homes in these valleys. 
 
 We enter the great tunnel at the north end, and twenty 
 minutes later emerge into the blinding sunlight at Ariola. 
 A wonderful change has taken place. We are still in 
 Switzerland, it is true, but instead of the German Schweiz 
 we are among the Italians. The beautiful Swiss cottage has 
 
96 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 given way to Italian architecture. The faces and costumes 
 of the people are changed. The fair skin of the north has 
 given way to the darker complexion and lustrous eyes so 
 common in Italy The language has undergone a complete 
 change. The " Wirthschaft," the German hotel, is here 
 
 Trattoria." The railway station, a 
 
 named on the signs 
 
 A SWISS VILLAGE. 
 
 " BaJmJiof at the other end of the tunnel, is transformed 
 into a " Stazio7ie " at this. The German merchant who 
 places on his sign '' Handhiiig'' is imitated by the Italian, 
 but he uses the word " NcgozioT The hillsides are now 
 covered with vines and the chestnut trees, literally burdened 
 with ripening nuts, are as plentiful as in our o\\ n AUeghe- 
 nics and Blue Ridge mountains. 
 
ARIOLA TO LAKE COMO. 97 
 
 The ride from Ariola to lake Como is no less interest- 
 ing than that from Lucerne to Goeschen. " There are some 
 more loop tunnels, and wonderful bridges, and a bewilder- 
 ing succession of wild bits of scenery, with feathery, snow- 
 white cascades leaping from the summit of lofty cliffs, or 
 bursting forth from some cranny in their sides, and falling 
 hundreds of feet through the air; brawling glacial torrents, 
 hurrying down over beds of boulders, eager to reach the 
 distant sea; eyries where apparently inaccessible chalets 
 are perched; fantastic rocks, seamed and split by long for- 
 gotten convulsions of nature; endless battlements, and 
 walls, ' rock ribbed and ancient as the sun '; and darting 
 through, over beyond them all, now disappearing into a tun- 
 nel, now leaping a chasm, now skirting the edge of a preci- 
 pice, the glistening steel tracks of the St. Gothard railway, 
 which has conquered this wilderness, and transformed its 
 fastnesses into a pleasure ground for man." So writes the 
 poet. But the railway has not only opened a pleasure 
 ground for man, but a roadway as well for the commerce of 
 all nations. The wondrous skill of the engineers who con- 
 structed this road is only equaled, but not surpassed, by 
 the skill of our own engineers in crossing the Rockies and 
 building railways in the almost inaccessible canyons of the 
 backbone of the continent. 
 
 Descending still farther on the southern side of the 
 mountains, the valley broadens, the rock-ribbed walls of the 
 Alps are left far behind, and we roll out upon the rich Lom- 
 bardian plain. The vine and the mulberry tree flourish, and 
 here and there are small fields of Indian corn, reminding 
 one very forcibly of home. At eight o'clock in the evening 
 our train enters the electric lighted stazione at Milan, and 
 our Alpine journey is ended. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Tlic Catlicdral at Milan — Leonardo da Vinci — The Last Supper — 
 RofHc — Kissing the Foot of St. Peter — Pompeii — New Discoveries 
 — An Ancic7it House — Corinth — Diogenes the Cynic — Paul the 
 Apostle to the Gentiles — Athens — The Acropolis — The Market 
 Place — i>jars' L/ill — Sunset on the Acropolis — • Costumes of the 
 Athenians — A Greek Soldier — Maid of At he f is — A Peculiar 
 Custom. 
 
 The Milanese regard their beautiful cathedral as the 
 eighth wonder of the world, and never tire of sounding its 
 praises. Having seen most of the noted cathedrals in Eu- 
 rope, I am ready to admit that the interior is exceeded in 
 magnificence only by St. Peter's in Rome, and that the ex- 
 terior surpasses all others. The immense structure covers 
 an area of fourteen thousand square yards, and it is esti- 
 mated that it will hold thirteen thousand people. The 
 floor is laid in fine marble mosaic work of different colors 
 and presents a beautiful appearance. The stained glass 
 windows are said to be the largest in the world. The ex- 
 terior is a magnificent display of the richest architecture. 
 The roof is of marble and is surmounted by ninety-eight 
 turrets. More than two thousand marble statues adorn the 
 outside of the building. The main tower is three hundred 
 and sixty feet high; on it stands a marble statue of the Vir- 
 gin Mary. Each of the turrets also bears a statue. The ef- 
 fect of the exterior is beautiful and striking. There is such 
 a bewildering profusion of ornamentation on the exterior 
 that it would require a volume to describe it all. The forest 
 of spires, slender and graceful in shape, the immense num- 
 
 (.8) 
 
MILAN CATHEDRAL. 
 
 99 
 
 bcr of marble statues, each in itself a fine work of art, and 
 the great size of the structure, make it one of the most 
 
 noted buildings in the world. 
 
 
 MILAN CATHEDRAL. 
 
 On the Lord's Day morning we attended services in the 
 cathedral, which is Roman Catholic of course. There were 
 thousands of people present attending mass. The music 
 was deeply impressive. The great organ pealed forth its 
 deep notes, and hundreds of trained voices joined in the 
 song of praise; it swelled forth filling the great building 
 with joyous harmony. What wonderful singers these Ital- 
 ians are! 
 
 Here we witnessed the ceremony of the baptism or 
 
100 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 sprinkling of an infant by a priest and his two assistants. 
 There was much reading and bowing and making of long 
 prayers. The infant was laid on a richly embroidered pil- 
 low held on the arms of the mother. The priest now read 
 a special service, and at the proper time dipped his hand in- 
 to a silver vessel filled with water and applied it to the 
 head of the little one. This he did three times in succes- 
 sion, and the ceremony ended. Formerly the rite was per- 
 formed by dipping the candidate three times into the water, 
 but about the thirteenth century this was changed by the 
 authority of the pope and of the church, and sprinkling is 
 now the almost universal custom among Roman Catholics. 
 
 No one thinks of leaving Milan without seeing the 
 celebrated painting, " The Last Supper," by Leonardo da 
 Vinci. Indeed many make the journey to Milan solely for 
 the purpose of viewing this master work of art. Unfortu- 
 nately the picture is in a bad state of preservation, owing to 
 the fact that it was painted in oil on the wall of the chapel. 
 The painter sought to give a picture of the last supper of 
 Christ with the twelve at the moment when the Lord an- 
 nounced the startling fact that one of them should betray 
 him. Of the painting Goethe says: "The painter has de- 
 parted from precedent in grouping the company of disci- 
 ples, with their Master in the midst, along the far side anJ 
 two ends of a long, narrow table, and in leaving the near or 
 service side of the table towards the spectator free. The 
 cliamber is seen in a perfectly symmetrical perspective, its 
 rear wall is pierced by three plain openings which admit 
 the sense of quiet distance and mystery from the open 
 landscape beyond; by the central of these openings, which 
 is in the midst of the three, the head and shoulders of the 
 Savior are framed in. On his right and left are ranged the 
 disciples in equal numbers. The serenity of the holy com- 
 
Leonardo da Vinci. 
 
THE CELEBRATED PAINTING. IO3 
 
 pany has within the moment been broken by the words of 
 their Master, ' One of you shall betray me.' In the agita- 
 tion of their consciences and affections, the disciples have 
 started into groups or clusters along the table, some stand- 
 ing, some still remaining seated. There are four of these 
 groups, of three disciples each, and each group is har- 
 moniously interlinked by some natural connecting action 
 with the next. The relations of the groups to one another, 
 and of each figure within the several groups to its neighbor 
 and to the central figure of Christ, are not only triumphs of 
 technical design, they are evidences of a complete science 
 of human character, emotion, and physiognomy held at the 
 service of a nobly inspired and nobly directed art. The 
 furniture and accessories of the chamber, very simply con- 
 ceived, have been rendered with scrupulous exactness and 
 distinctness; yet they leave to the human and dramatic ele- 
 ments the absolute mastery of the scene. Neither do the 
 academical draperies of the personages impair the sense of 
 imaginative truth with which the representation impresses 
 us. Our first glance at the ruins of the famous picture 
 makes us feel, and study does but strengthen the convic- 
 tion, that the painter rose to the height of his argument, 
 and realized worthily and for good this momentous scene in 
 the spiritual history of mankind." 
 
 From Milan our course lay southward through Italy, 
 by way of Genoa, Rome, and Naples, to Brindisi, where we 
 took ship for Patras, and journeyed thence overland by way 
 of Corinth to Athens. This part of our journey has been 
 fully described in a preceding volume,* and but brief refer- 
 ence is here made to the cities named. 
 
 A week at Rome was none too long, although it was 
 my third visit to the City of the Caesars. St. Peter's, the 
 *" Wanderings in Bible Lands." 
 
104 GIRDLING THE GLOBE, 
 
 Coliseum, tlie Forum, the Catacombs and other points of 
 absorbint; interest came in for their share of time. The 
 Trappist monk who served as our guide through the cata- 
 combs was exceedingly talkative. He seemed to be deter- 
 mined to make up for lost time. The Trappists, fearing 
 they may not be able to bridle their tongues, take the vow 
 of continual silence, and they are supposed to go through 
 the world without speaking a word. The pope has ab- 
 solved a dozen of the monks from their vow s of everlasting 
 silence and i)laced them in charge of the catacombs; where 
 they act as guides and sell relics to visitors. I asked my 
 guide why he did not keep his vow and remain silent. His 
 reply was, " Et is neccessra for me speaka, so I guida you 
 in catacomba." He pointed out many things of interest in 
 the sleeping places of the dead. The particularity of de- 
 tail entered into b)- the ancients is shown in one of the in- 
 scriptions on the tomb of a child. The name and date of 
 death are given, and then the age, one year, three months, 
 twenty-three days and six and a half hours. 
 
 My diary says: Sunday, Sept. 15, I stand beneath the 
 lofty dome of St. Peter's in the city of Rome. Near by is 
 the bronze statue of the apostle for whom the church was 
 named. In less than twenty minutes I see more than a 
 hundred people kiss the foot of the image. Old and young, 
 rich and poor, learned and unlearned, soldier and civilian, 
 decrepit, tottering age and children in their mothers' arms 
 reverently bow the head, and kiss the bronze foot. An old 
 woman, short in statue, perhaps eighty years old, unable 
 to raise herself to the foot, which is five feet from the floor, 
 is lifted up by her companions that she may press her 
 lips against the cold metal. Half grown boys and girls, 
 taking hold of the extended foot and then placing their 
 feet on an offset in the pedestal, are thus enabled to reach 
 
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ST. PETER S STATUE. 10/ 
 
 the coveted kissing place. An old man with an intelligent 
 and kindh- face, a priest, bows his head kissing the foot and 
 then placing his forehead where he has pressed his lips, 
 stands a few moments in silent pra}-er. A group of nuns, 
 waiting until the priest concludes his devotions, press their 
 lips to each of the toes, offer a prayer and pass on. A 
 richly dressed lady, with diamonds flashing on her neck and 
 fingers, approaches and, taking a fine cambric kerchief, 
 wipes the foot carefully and then kisses it lightly. And so 
 the devotees come and go, as I meditate upon this phase of 
 worship and study the faces as they go b}'. Some are jest- 
 ing and laughing, and it is evident that to them the cere- 
 mony is a mere matter of form. Then there are those 
 whose faces are blank, no sign of feeling or emotion is man- 
 ifest; and these form the larger number of the devotees. 
 Others still pass by and press their lips to the foot and 
 bow the head a moment in silent prayer, and their faces are 
 so full of earnest devotion that one is forced to the conclu- 
 sion that ihcy believe that there is merit in this act of 
 image worship and that it meets the appro\'al of God. 
 
 It is a peculiar phase of human nature, or rather of the 
 religious side of man. The mind clings to the seen and the 
 material, and the Roman Catholic church, recognizing this 
 tendency, accommodates it by introducing image worship. 
 The toes of the bronze image, as may be seen in the accom- 
 panying photogravure, have been almost wiped and kissed 
 away by the worshipers. 
 
 Sept. 19: To-da\' I revisit the excavated cit\- of Pompeii, 
 and find a second visit to the ruins as full of interest as the 
 first. The excavations are being pushed forward with much 
 energy, and more than two-thirds of the old cit}' is now 
 cleared of the ashes of \ esuvius. Before many }'ears the 
 work of excavating will be completed and the entire citj- be 
 
io8 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 Open to visitors. It is now the plan of those having charge 
 of the work of excavating to restore the ruins, as far as pos- 
 sible, to their original condition. Heretofore when statuary 
 and other objects of interest were found they were at once 
 removed to the museum in Naples. In some instances 
 mural paintings were taken from tlie walls and placed in the 
 
 ^ 
 
 IN THE KUIXS OF FOMFEII. 
 
 museum. Now when a house is uncovered everything that 
 is found about it is placed as nearly as possible in the place 
 it occupied \\ hen the city was covered up. The houses are 
 rcofed and such portions of the walls as were broken are 
 rebuilt in exact imitation of the original, so that one may 
 now see just how the Romans lived m the middle of the 
 first century. 
 
HOUSE OF THE VERTII. Ill 
 
 The house of the Vertii recently excavated and restored 
 is now open to visitors. The courtyard of the house is 
 laid out as a flower garden, in which bloom all the year the 
 most beautiful flowers. Round about are columns of mar- 
 ble, with statues of bronze and marble occupying the places 
 where they were found. At both ends of the court arc 
 fountains with artistic basins to catch the flowing water, in 
 place as they were on that fateful day when the eruption 
 took place. The rooms are decorated with frescoes, and 
 those which are preserved are remarkable for their beauty 
 and freshness of color. The floors are of marble. In one of 
 the rooms were found two treasure chests in which the own- 
 er of the house kept his valuables. These were empty 
 when found, the treasures having been removed, doubtless 
 immediately after the first eruption, either by the owner or 
 by thieves. Then there are bathrooms, bedrooms, living 
 rooms and a diningroom, and a kitchen with a pantry con- 
 taining a sleeping place for the slave. In the kitchen were 
 found cooking utensils; on the hearth were iron tripods 
 for holding pots, and the bronze pots were near at hand. 
 Everything is in the position it was left when the owners 
 Rid. The Vertii were doubtless a very wealthy family, for 
 only great wealth could provide and keep up the expenses 
 of such a house. Here we have a house restored in all 
 its original beauty, and are able to see into the home life of 
 the Romans in the days of Paul. Other houses are being 
 excavated and restored, giving much additional interest to 
 a visit to the ancient city of Pompeii. 
 
 An all-day ride over a rough, dusty railway, in dirty 
 Italian cars, — these people have not yet learned that clean- 
 liness is akin to godliness, — brought us to the ancient sea- 
 port town of Brundusium. It was a national holiday in 
 Italy, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the entry of Victor Em- 
 
112 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 manuol into the city of Rome. Flags were flying, bands of 
 music playing, fireworks being displayed, and all the coun- 
 try was aglow with enthusiasm and patriotism. 
 
 It was in the night when we reached Brindisi, tired, dus- 
 t}' and travel stained. The Austrian Lloyd's steamer "Me- 
 dia " came into port soon after our arrival. At midnight we 
 went aboard, sailing the same hour for Greece. The sea was 
 calm and the weather pleasant, and we enjoyed the change 
 from the dusty cars to a clean, cool steamer. After a very 
 enjoyable voyage we cast anchor at noon the next day in 
 the beautiful harbor of Corfu. In a very few minutes our 
 ship was crowded with venders of fruit. It was the time of 
 grapes, figs and pomegranates. We purchased, for a few 
 pennies, great bunches of large white grapes, sweet, and of 
 good flavor; but the best of them are not equal to our table 
 grapes at home. The sweetness palls on the taste, and one 
 soon tires of them. Ripe figs, fresh from the trees, are rel- 
 ished by those who have acquired a taste for them, but it 
 takes time and perseverance to cultivate the taste. 
 
 The evening shades were approaching when the anchor 
 was weighed and we steamed out over the blue waters of 
 the beautiful bay of Corfu. Landing the next morning 
 at Patras, we continued our journey to Athens by rail, 
 passing Corinth on the way. The modern City of New 
 Corinth, Nca Korinthits, contains a population of eight 
 thousand souls, and is neatly and regularly laid out. It 
 was founded forty years ago when the town on the site 
 of ancient Corinth, three and a half miles away, was com- 
 pletely destroyed by an earthquake. A carriage road has 
 been constructed to the ruins of the ancient city, and many 
 travelers visit the place. Corinth, in ancient times, was a 
 city of great importance and power, and was noted for 
 its great wealth and the sensuality and wickedness of its 
 

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ANCIENT CORINTH. II5 
 
 people. Here lived the cynical philosopher Diogenes, 
 whose dwelling was a tub. He it was who failed to find an 
 honest man in Corinth, although he searched diligently day 
 and night with a lighted lantern. During the search a 
 friend met him in broad daylight with his lighted lantern 
 and said, "What are you looking for, Diogenes?" "An 
 honest man," was the curt reply of the cynic, as he con- 
 tinued his fruitless search. Rollin tells of a visit of Alex- 
 ander the Great to Diogenes. The philosopher was at the 
 time lying down in the sun. When the conqueror ap- 
 proached he sat up and eyed the great warrior intently. 
 Alexander, seeing the poverty of the man, was moved to 
 pity, saluted him kindly and inquired whether he could do 
 anything for him. At the time the king's shadow fell upon 
 the philosopher, and he replied, " Yes! stand out of my 
 sunlight."* 
 
 But ancient Corinth is more especially interesting to us 
 because there came to this important city of Greece a 
 greater conqueror than Alexander, — the apostle to the gen- 
 tiles, Paul of Tarsus. Here he preached the Gospel and 
 organized a church out of the most unpromising material. 
 He tells us that among its members were former outcasts, 
 adulterers, fornicators, sodomites, idolaters, thieves, drunk- 
 ards, extortioners, revilers, and slanderers.f The darkened 
 characters he declared were washed, were sanctified, were 
 justified; " in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit 
 of our God." At Corinth the apostle spent many months 
 preaching in the synagogues and holding converse with 
 Aquila and Priscilla. From Corinth he wrote the two 
 epistles to the Thessalonians, and the church at this place 
 had his deepest anxiety and thoughtful care. The tempta- 
 
 ♦Rollin's " Ancient History," Vol. II, p. 7, 
 ■\i Cor. 6:9-11. 
 
Il6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 tions to sensual indulgence and to departures from the truth 
 were stronger here than in most Greek cities. His epistles 
 to the Corinthians are full of warnings to the church. After 
 the death of Paul, Clement was made bishop of the church. 
 
 Our stay of three da\-s in Athens was none the less in- 
 teresting because of former visits. One never sees all nor 
 learns all about these old cities on a first or second visit. 
 There is a strange fascination about these ancient Bible 
 cities that draws one toward them. One never tires of trac- 
 ing the associations in touch with the Bible, visiting the 
 places recorded in the Book and reading the incidents con- 
 nected with them. Those interested in the study of God's 
 Book might visit Athens a dozen times and always be inter- 
 ested in going to the market place where Paul disputed 
 with the Jews, and to ]Mars' Hill, where he preached to the 
 court of the Areopagites. To stand where Paul stood, in 
 market place or on hilltop, and read his words where 
 they were spoken, is a privilege which once enjoyed is never 
 to be forgotten. It gives a wonderful reality to the Bible to 
 read it under such circumstances; especially when there are 
 about you so many evidences of the truth of the Book. 
 
 The old market place, with the four slender Doric 
 columns bearing the heavy architecture of the gateway 
 through which Paul must have passed, remains unchanged. 
 The columns form three entrances. The center passages 
 used for carriages is eleven and a quarter feet wide; those 
 for foot passengers at the sides are only four and three- 
 fourths feet wide. Inside of the gate stands a long tablet 
 with an inscription in Greek relating to the price of com- 
 modities offered for sale in the market place. 
 
 Mars' Hill and the Acropolis are close together, and 
 both are places of absorbing interest. When Paul stood on 
 the hilltop and spoke to the Areopagites the Acropolis was 
 
Gateway to Market Place. 
 
MAKS HILL. 
 
 119 
 
 crowned with many magnificent temples, culminating in 
 the Parthenon, the most perfect monument of Grecian art, 
 
 MARKET PLACE. ATHENS. 
 
 and the glor)- not only of Athens but of the Ivastern world. 
 South of liars' Hill the Apostle had a view of the temple 
 
120 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 of Theseus, which stands to-da)' the best preserved of all 
 the old temples, not only of Athens but of the whole of 
 ancient Greece. Not far away was the market place with 
 its temples and altars erected for the worship of the false 
 gods of the Greeks. Then there was the altar bearing the 
 inscription " To tJie Unk/ioiv?i God,'' which Paul used so 
 vigorously on that memorable day, and with such telling 
 effect that at least one member of the court — Dionysius — 
 was converted to Christianity. Our photogravure gives a 
 view from a point north of and above Mars' Hill. The ar- 
 tist stood on the rising ground of the Acropolis. In the 
 distance " Moreas' Hills " bound the view. To the right is 
 the temple of Theseus with houses suburban to Athens, 
 while Mars' Hill occupies the center of the foreground. A 
 close study of the picture will reveal the steep cut in the 
 rock by which the ascent to the top of the rocky bluff was 
 and is still made. A heavy growth of aloes fringing the 
 base of the Acropolis is shown in the picture. It is one of 
 the most interesting views in Athens. 
 
 We spent an evening on Mars' Hill, and enjoyed one of 
 those mar\elous sunsets so graphically described by Byron. 
 As the sun neared the horizon I left my companions and 
 climbed to the top of the Acropolis and stood on the plat- 
 form of the Parthenon. The sky was marvelously clear, 
 and as the sun sank behind the Delphian cliff I recallec 
 these lines of the author of Childe Harold: 
 
 Slow sinks, more lovely ere his race be run. 
 
 Along Moreas' Hills the setting sun; 
 
 Not, as in northern climes, obscurely bright. 
 
 But one unclouded blaze of living light! 
 
 O'er the hush'd deep the yellow beam he throws, 
 
 Gilds the green wave, that trembles as it glows. 
 
 On old Aegina's rock and Idra's isle. 
 
 The God of gladness sheds his parting smile; 
 
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MODERN ATHENS. 123 
 
 O'er his own regions lingering, loves to shine, 
 Though there his altars are no more divine. 
 Descending fast the mountain shadows kiss 
 Thy glorious gulf, unconquer'd Salamis! 
 Their azure arches through the long expanse 
 More deeply purpled meet his mellowing glance, 
 And tenderest tints, along their summits driven, 
 Mark his gay course, and own the hues of heaven; 
 Till darkly shaded from the land and deep 
 Behind his Delphian cliff he sinks to sleep. 
 
 One cannot full\' appreciate the descriptive beauty of 
 these lines unless he stands where the poet stood, when the 
 inspiration to write came to him, and witnesses with him 
 one of these glorious sunsets. There was a wondrous play 
 of light and shadow among the ruins as the last rays of the 
 sun fell on the grand old columns of the Parthenon. I 
 came down from the Parthenon as the shades of evening 
 shut out the view of Moreas' Hills. All that is left me now 
 of that glorious sunset is a memory; but it will not depart. 
 
 Modern Athens has a freshness and cleanliness about 
 it not common to Eastern cities. I refer of course to the 
 better part of the place, where broad streets and beautiful 
 residences, many of them built of marble, adorn the city. 
 Here everything is new and fresh. The new palace, with a 
 new king from Denmark, the new residences, new university 
 buildings, and new streets laid out with great regularity 
 give the new city an air of freshness and newness in strong 
 contrast with the ruins, yellow with age, standing as per- 
 petual reminders to the Athenians that their town is very 
 new indeed. The Parthenon, built by Pericles five hundred 
 years before Christ, in contrast, for age, with the Royal Pal- 
 ace constructed in the middle of the present century, — 
 could contrast be stronger? 
 
 On the crown of a gentle slope. In the center of the 
 city, stands the king's palace, a building of considerable 
 
IJ4 (ilKDLINc; THE GLOBE. 
 
 proportions and of beautiful exterior. It is built of the 
 noted Pentelican marble and in the full sunlight is dazzling 
 in its whiteness. Surrounding the palace on three sides are 
 beautiful gardens and extensive grounds, finely shaded with 
 semi-tropical trees, among which the eucalyptus and the 
 pepper tree abound. The front of the building opens upon 
 a very large square, ornamented with high, umbrageous 
 trees. Along the sides of the square stand many beautiful 
 buildings, and here are also found most of the first-class 
 hotels. Leading out from the square are several fine boule- 
 vards, with rows of shade trees and magnificent marble resi- 
 dences that excel even those of aristocratic Paris and Lon- 
 don. On one of these beautiful streets are to be found the 
 Schliemann Museum and the new college buildings. The 
 material used in construction is the purest white marble, cut 
 from the ancient Pentelican quarries, noted alike in ancient 
 and modern times. The architecture is somewhat modern- 
 ized, but I notice that the Corinthian, the Doric and the 
 Ionic columns hold their place, as they did on the Acropo- 
 lis twenty-three hundred years ago, in the golden age of 
 Greece, when Phidias fashioned and Pericles builded what 
 has since been the marvel of all ages. 
 
 Driving about the palace, the square and the streets of 
 the newer portions of modern Athens one sees marble ev- 
 erywhere and is struck with the beauty of the cit\-. Seeing 
 only this much of the place we would carry away the notion 
 that modern Athens is the gem of Attica, beautiful for situ- 
 ation and magnificent in appearance. But on the borders 
 of this marble city, and clinging to it as a hideous ulcer on 
 a beautiful face, is the older Athens, built when the crescent 
 waved over the Acropolis and the rule of the sultan was su- 
 preme. Here are the narrow, filthy streets, with rows of 
 bazaars on both sides that remind one of oriental scenes in 
 
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SHOPS IN ATHENS. 
 
 127 
 
 Cairo and Damascus. Here are the cheap "oinio," or wine 
 shops and cafes, where, I am told, a quart of Greek wine, 
 
 SHOP IN ATHENS. 
 
 fiery and resinous, may be bought for six cents. Penetrat- 
 ing farther into the purlieus of Athens, one finds the streets 
 narrower and more filthy still. Poorly paved, with open 
 
128 GIRDLIXr; TIIF. CLOBE. 
 
 drainage in the center, tlie stench becomes almost unbear- 
 able. In the open passageways men and women, donkeys, 
 dogs, children and goats jostle each other in passing, and 
 one must have a care lest he be crowded into the filthy gut- 
 ter in the middle of the street. The whole aspect of this 
 squalid quarter of Athens is tluit of an ov^cr-crowded, filthy 
 Turkish village. In its relation to new Athens, it is as if 
 one who had a beautiful home and a well kept lawn should 
 construct a pigpen in one corner of his }'ard. It is to be 
 hoped that the modern spirit of energy and enterprise now 
 apparent in Greece will soon change this condition of 
 things. 
 
 The men one meets on the streets of Athens are well 
 built, fine looking, carry themselves erect and impress one 
 with their bearing and carriage. They are, I am told, kind 
 and coiirteovis to strangers, warm-hearted and generous in 
 their intercourse with each other, and may be classed as the 
 peers of any European people. The young men among the 
 educated class speak one, and sometimes two languages in 
 addition to their own, the French standing first and Italian 
 and English coming next in choice. 
 
 The Athenian matron is a comel>-, well dressed, not 
 gaudy woman who impresses you, when }'ou meet her, with 
 a sense of culture and refinement. The maidens are mod- 
 estly reserved, with clear-cut, refined features, large, dark, 
 languishing eyes and are, by judges of the human form di- 
 vine, classed among the lovely. One is not surprised that a 
 man of Byron's susceptibilities should have fallen hopeless- 
 ly in love with a fair maid of Athens. 
 
 The ancient Albanian costume is still much worn in 
 Athens by the men. This peculiar and picturesque style of 
 dress consists of a deep plaited white muslin skirt, confined 
 closely about the waist with a belt and standing out from 
 
Greek Girl. 
 
I 1 
 
WINE, VAT. 131 
 
 the hips like the skirt of a ballet L,nrl. The lower limbs, 
 from the hips down, aie incased in closely fitting white 
 trunk hose. On the feet are worn ornamental curved slip- 
 pers, or shoes, made of red leather, with rosettes and tas- 
 sels. The upper part of the body is covered with richly 
 embroidered shirt and vest. Add to this the jaiuit}' red cap 
 with tassel, and }-ou have the complete Albanian costume. 
 So popular is it in Greece that eight battalions of the Greek 
 army wear it as a uniform. The costume is constantly seen 
 on the streets of Athens, and is a source of much curiosity 
 to strangers. 
 
 Just now the streets of Athens present a lively appear- 
 ance. It is in the time of grapes and the vintage of wine. 
 Everywhere you meet the vender of the fruit of the vine, 
 wounding the quiet air with his loud, discordant cries, call- 
 ing attention to the luscious fruit he has to sell. He uses 
 the patient donkey as his beast of burden. Six baskets are 
 tied together in pairs and slung across the back of the little 
 animal, three on each side. These are tastefully decorated 
 with branches of the vine and olive, and are then filled with 
 the largest and finest bunches of the sweetest grapes I ever 
 tasted. A pair of scales is added, and the peripatetic grape 
 merchant is ready for business. For ten Septra, two cents 
 in our coin, but much less in the depreciated copper coin of 
 Greece, you may have grapes and grapes. 
 
 In many parts of the country the ancient method of 
 treading the wine vat is still in use. The ripe fruit is 
 thrown into the vat and barefooted, barelegged men tread 
 the grapes until the entire mass is reduced to pulp and 
 juice. The new wine is put into new bottles, and in the sea- 
 son great numbers of wine carts are to be seen in Athens 
 Now their number is legion. Each one is loaded with a 
 dozen wine skins, and each skin bottle holds ten to twelve 
 
132 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 gallons of the juice of the grape. Both skins and w ine are 
 new, and the former must be. The new-made wine is still 
 fermenting and has expanded until t-ach indixidual bottle is 
 stretched as tight as a drumhead. Old bottles would sure- 
 ly burst and both "wine and bottles perish." 
 
 One of the peculiar customs noticeable in Athens is 
 that of taking the body of the dead in solemn procession 
 through the principal streets of the city. I witnessed one 
 of these lying-in-state processions, and the impression made 
 upon the mind was by no means a pleasant one. A govern- 
 ment official of high position had finished his work and 
 gone to his long home, and a great military and civic pa- 
 rade was made in honor of the dead officer, his body beiner 
 the central object in the procession. First came a band of 
 music wounding the unoffending air with blaie of trumpets 
 and pounding of drums. Following the band came not- 
 ables of the government in carriages and a battalion of sol- 
 diers in full dress uniform, and then the mortal remains of 
 the dead. The body was placed in a sitting posture on a 
 chair and had the appearance of having been carefully 
 dressed for an evening party. Just in front of the face of 
 the dead man was arranged a mirror in which his features 
 were reflected, presumably for the benefit of those who 
 walked in the rear. The head and face were uncovered, 
 and the people on the streets, who cared to look, could 
 have a full view of the dead man. The face had a natural, 
 life-like appearance, and had it not been for the slight pal- 
 lor of death and the immobility of the features, one might 
 have concluded that he had fallen asleep in his chair, as he 
 was being carried through the city which delighted to hon- 
 or him. The procession moved slowly to the time of a sol- 
 emn funeral march. After the passing of the corpse, which 
 v;as shocking to my sensibilities, I reflected that this, after 
 
A Greek Soldier. 
 
FUNERALS. 135 
 
 all, was only a different way of doing the same thing that is 
 done at home. If a man or woman of note dies, the body 
 is arranged carefully, with all the skill of the undertaker's 
 art, laid in state in some large church or hall, and the mass- 
 es pass through to look at the body of the dead. The dead 
 of lesser note are exposed to view in our churches until the 
 entire congregation passes in review and takes a last look 
 at the body. Some come out of idle curiosity, others out of 
 respect, and the few out of love. The Athenians deem it 
 best to take the dead in state through the city, thus accom- 
 modating the great mass of the people. After all, their 
 way may be the best. It were better if there were less 
 pomp and show^ at funerals, less money spent for costly 
 processions, less care for the dead and more for the living. 
 
 " Imperial Caesar dead and turned to clay, 
 Might stop a hole to keep the wind away; 
 O, that that earth which kept the world in awe 
 Should patch a wall to expel the winter's flaw!" 
 
 Let the dust be laid decently away, without show and 
 parade, and turn ye to the wants of living souls who are 
 without Christ and God in the world. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Athens to Smyj-iia — Tlic " Unspeakable Tuik " ■ — T/ie Massacre of the 
 Ariiieniatis — An yi<^af>e or Love Feast m Smyrna — Amission 
 li^orh — Fellow Pilgrh/is — The City of Figs — Hotv Figs are 
 Packed — A Trial of Patietice — Sailing for the Holy Land — 
 Beirut — An Evening Sail Along the Coast of Tyre and Sidon — 
 The Mountaitts of Lebanon — Mount Carniel — Ihe Prophef s Test 
 — Atfaffa. 
 
 A SHORT vo}age of twenty-four hours brought us from 
 Athens to Sni)rna. Short as the voyage was, the change 
 from well-governed Europe to the loose, irresponsible gov- 
 ernment of the " unspeakable Turk " in Asia Minor, was as 
 great as if we had journe\cd halfway around the earth. 
 The change was neither to our liking nor advantage. The 
 custom-house ofificcrs examined our baggage with evident 
 suspicion, and although our passports were properly visaed 
 by the Turkish consul at New York, the}' relieved us of all 
 our books and papers, including our Bibles, before permit- 
 ting us to go to our hotel. We learned b)- later experience 
 the truth of what we had heard from travelers, that it re- 
 quires patience, time and mone}- to recover from Turkish 
 officials what has been wrongfully taken from )'ou. It 
 might have been as well to pay the money out in the first 
 place and save ourselves annoyance, but our part}' did not 
 take kindly to bribery. 
 
 Bro. G. J. Fercken, in charge of our missions in Asia 
 Minor, met us on board the steamer and gave us a most 
 cordial and hearty welcome to Smyrna. It was pleasant to 
 
 meet our brother and encourage him in his good work. He 
 
 (136) 
 
< 
 
 'A 
 
 •Si 
 

 a«. 
 
 s^. ■ 
 
RUMORS OF WAR. 1 39 
 
 had secured comfortable rooms for our party at Hotel des 
 Londres, not one of the most pretentious houses in the city, 
 but one among the best. We found the service excellent 
 and had pleasant quarters during our sta\' in the Cit}' of 
 Figs. 
 
 While we remained at Smyrna the air was full of rumors 
 of war. The poor Armenians were being slaughtered by 
 the thousand, and we were at best a little uncomfortable as 
 to results in Smyrna. When the terrible massacre at Con- 
 stantinople took place there was much excitement as the 
 magnitude of the slaughter became known. The American 
 and European residents were not a little relieved by the 
 presence of several warships in close proximity. The pa- 
 pers from the outside world, which escaped the censorship 
 of the Turks, brought news of the proposed action of the 
 powers of Europe to put a stop to the barbarous cruelt}' of 
 the Moslems; but it never came to an}'thing. The selfish- 
 ness of the powers was too great for their philanthropy. If 
 the sultan's empire be dismembered, how shall it be shared 
 b}' the powers? This question overshadowed all else. The 
 Armenian Christians were left to be massacred while the 
 diplomats fought battles of words and shed gallons of ink 
 to maintain the balance of power in Europe. In the mean- 
 time the wily Turk, the most accomplished diplomat in the 
 world, came out of the contest with flying colors, attesting 
 his victory over all Europe. 
 
 Our sta}' at Smyrna was made doubly pleasant by the 
 enjoyment of special religious services. In a quiet upper 
 room in our hotel, provided for us by the kindness of the 
 proprietor, we met on the Lord's Da}', Sept. 29, to hold an 
 agape or feast of love. Doubtless it was the first apostolic 
 love feast held in Smyrna, the site of one of the Seven 
 Churches of Asia, since the time when a church council as- 
 
140 GIRDLING THE GI.ORE. 
 
 sumed authority to set aside the feast that had been author- 
 ized by Christ and instituted b)- the apostles themselves. 
 The place, and the associations connected with it, made the 
 feast one of peculiar significance and of special enjoyment 
 to those who were permitted to enjoy it. Here it was, 
 without much doubt, that St. Paul i)reached the Gospel and 
 laid the foundation for the afterwards prosperous and faith- 
 ful church of Smyrna. It was to the church at Smyrna that 
 the Seer of Patmos wrote by the direction of the Spirit, " I 
 know^ thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art 
 rich." It was here that the saintly Polycarp, the first bish- 
 op of the church, labored for the flock, over which the 
 Holy Ghost had made him overseer, and kept the feast of 
 love as well as all the other ordinances of God as they had 
 been delivered to him; for the good bishop had sat at the 
 feet of John the Beloved and was taught by him the Gospel 
 of Jesus Christ. Here it was, too, that when he had passed 
 fourscore \ears he was bound to the stake and, rejoicing 
 that he was counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, 
 burned to death. 
 
 To hold a primitive love feast at- such a place, with 
 such surroundings, was felt to be indeed a blessed, God- 
 given privilege b}- all who were permitted to enjoy it. 
 Brother and Sister Fercken, with brethren H. B. Brum- 
 baugh, W. L. Bingaman, T. T. Myers, and the writer and 
 wife — our band of pilgrims — composed the number who sat 
 down at the table of the Lord. We were seven, two sisters 
 and five brethren, and we feel sure that no one of those who 
 enjoyed the feast at Smyrna, with the rich spiritual blessing 
 attending it, will ever forget it. The reading of the Script- 
 ure, the observance of the ordinances, the speaking, the 
 song service, and the fervent prayer of faith were all won- 
 derfully blessed of God. Several Greeks were present as 
 
HOSTILE FEELINGS. I4I 
 
 spectators. Each with a New Testament in hand, they fol- 
 lowed very closely and with much interest the order of ex- 
 ercises. In their own tongue, which he used fluently, 
 Brother Fercken also full}' explained the ordinances ob- 
 served. They were deeply impressed, and one of them 
 said, " This is surely all in harmony with the teaching of 
 Christ." 
 
 At the time of the feast Brother Fercken was ordained 
 to the bishopric, so that he might be fully equipped for the 
 work which the church had placed upon him. Brother and 
 Sister Fercken desire an interest in the prayers of God's 
 people. Only those who have experienced it can know 
 what it means to leave home and friends and settle, as our 
 missionaries do, in strange lands among strange people. 
 The yearning for home and friends, the discouragements 
 that come from isolation and the lack of social intercourse 
 make the burden a heavy one to be borne. Our mission- 
 aries need our prayers, our sympathy and our active help 
 and aid in the important work they have to do. 
 
 Just now Brother Fercken is much hindered in his work 
 by the hostility of the Turkish government. This has been 
 aroused by the Armenian troubles and b}' the action taken 
 by the three great powers of Europe in insisting upon re- 
 forms. Owing to a mass of misinformation which has been 
 poured into the ears of the officials of the sultan's govern- 
 ment by those who are opposed to Protestant missions, they 
 are led to believe that the American missionaries are re- 
 sponsible for all their troubles. They are told that the 
 American missionaries teach and incite revolt and rebellion 
 on the part of their subjects, hence the feeling just now is 
 strong against us. An effort may even be made to "close 
 some of the American missions and schools. When the 
 
142 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 Turks once learn that we teach the people to live in peace 
 and not ^o to war, there will be a chanj^^e in sentiment. 
 
 Another cause that operates against the American 
 Protestants is, as we were told by a prominent American 
 who has his home in Smyrna, "the bad specimens they send 
 out." The name of Christianity suffers here, as well as it 
 does at home, by the nominal professor. 
 
 Brother Fercken has now rented a house and in a few 
 weeks will be living in his own " hired house," where he can 
 meet those who come for religious instruction. The loca- 
 tion was not hastily chosen; and, as much of the future suc- 
 cess of the work depends upon where the start is made, our 
 missionary acted wisely in deferring this until he had an 
 opportunit}' to study the situation thoroughly. Some dififi- 
 culty was also experienced from the fact that those who 
 have houses to let insist that no religious services be held in 
 them. The place secured is in the Armenian quarter of the 
 city, among the oppressed, and the foregoing conditions are 
 not exacted. 
 
 We are hopeful for the future, but must not expect too 
 much at first. Our missionary is well qualified for the 
 work, speaking five languages. The more we learn to 
 know of him and of his self-sacrificing spirit, his zeal and 
 earnestness, his devotion to the cause, and his ability to 
 meet the people and speak to them in their own tongue, the 
 more we feel that the Lord has raised him up for this work. 
 But it will take time, and failure may come. Paul did not 
 succeed in every city he entered. 
 
 The cost of the mission w ill also be considerable. The 
 conditions here are so entirely different from what they are 
 at home. If it were possible for our missionary to live as 
 the native Turks do, the expenses would be much less, but 
 this is simply impossible; and if it were possible and the at- 
 
BROTHER FERCKEN'S WORK. I43 
 
 tempt were made the mission might as well be given up. 
 To explain all this fully would require much space. When 
 we deal with the oriental mind we have to meet a mental 
 organization quite different from the one at home. In 
 order to Christianize these people they must be raised to a 
 higher plane of living and thinking. To do this they must 
 be lifted up, and the lifting power must be above them, — 
 not on their own level or below them. The missionary 
 must live above them, ami bring them u\) to his plane. 
 Let us not be discouraged, then, if it docs take some of our 
 money to reestablish primitive Christianity in the East, 
 where it first saw the light. Let us not forget our mission- 
 aries, for persecution is nigh unto them. 
 
 Brother Fercken is doing a quiet work, and already 
 some are much interested in the Truth, He \\ill do what 
 he can to teach the people without arousing opposition. 
 We do not believe in converting people with the sword or 
 at the mouth of the cannon. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is 
 a gospel of peace on earth and good will to man, and the 
 ministers of the Gospel should be men of peace. If the- 
 world is ever converted to the religion of Jesus it will be 
 done only when his professed disciples follow after those 
 things which make for peace, and live up to their profes- 
 sion. The swords must be beaten into plowshares and the 
 spears into pruning hooks, and the law of the Lord be 
 written in the heart and made manifest in the life before the 
 world can be conquered for Christ. 
 
 In a previous work* I have given an extended descrip- 
 tion of the sites of the seven churches of Asia, the subject of 
 so much anxious care to the beloved disciple and apostle 
 John. To him came the wonderful vision at Patmos in 
 which there were given him, from the Son of God, special 
 
 *" Seven Churches of Asia," 
 
144 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 messages of warning and encouragement to these impor- 
 tant centers of the Christian religion in Asia Minor. While 
 Smyrna loses none of its interest by a repeated visit, I shall 
 give only a brief account of our stay, reserving space for 
 other cities and countries visited on our tour around the 
 world. 
 
 ?!t,-' 
 
 OUR PILGRIMS AT SMYRNA. 
 
 Our fellow pilgrims made a number of excursions 
 around the city, and spent one day among the interesting 
 ruins of Ephesus. They mounted donkeys and rode to the 
 top of the Acropolis (see photogravure), where an old tradi- 
 tion says was located the Apocalyptic church. Not far 
 away, beneath the shade of a little grove of cypress trees, is 
 
CITY OF FIGS. 
 
 M? 
 
 pointed out the tomb of the good bishop Polycarp, who 
 cared for the church at Smyrna for many years, and then 
 
 as 
 
 TOMB OF PULVCAKP. 
 
 a reward for his faithfulness was permitted to wear a 
 martyr's crown. He was burned at the stake, in the streets 
 
146 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 of Smyrna, in his eij;hty-fifth year, about the middle of the 
 second century. 
 
 Smyrna is the city of figs, being by far the largest 
 market for this kind of fruit in the world. The best figs 
 l<no\\n to the trade are grown in Asia Minor, and the pull- 
 ing, pressing and packing of figs forms one of the principal 
 industries of the people. During the season thousands find 
 employment in the packing houses. IMany varieties of figs 
 are grown in Asia Minor, ranging in color, when ripe, from 
 deep purple to yellow or nearly white. The trees bear two 
 crops a }-ear. The crop produced by the buds formed in 
 the winter ripens in the beginning of summer, and the 
 other, which forms the principal harvest, late in the au- 
 tumn. Man}- of the figs of the earlier crop do not mature, 
 but drop off. These are the " untimel)' " figs of the Bible. 
 " Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is 
 shaken of a might)' wind."* 
 
 When ripe the figs are picked and dried in the sun. 
 The large quantitx- of grape sugar which the\- contain pre- 
 serves them, and the only additional process after drying is 
 pulling and packing. The fruit grower, after the dr}ing 
 process has been completed, puts them into large sacks and 
 takes his crop to Sm) rna, usuall)- on the back of camels. 
 It is an interesting sight to see a camel train laden with figs 
 passing through the streets. The fruit is sold to the pack- 
 ers, and is thrown on the floor in large rooms. When the 
 packing begins the figs are sorted b\' women and girls. 
 Three grades are made — small, medium and large. The 
 small figs are packed in baskets and sacks and are the 
 cheapest grade. The medium and large grades are packed 
 in boxes. The work is all done b}- hand. A vessel con- 
 taining salt water is placed at the side of the packer, into 
 
 *Rev. 6: 13. 
 
PACKING FIGS, 1 47 
 
 which he dips his fingers frcquentl\- as lie pulls and presses 
 the figs into the proper shape. The salt water prevents thi' 
 sugar and gummy substance from adhering to the fingers. 
 After being properly manipulated the figs are placed in 
 boxes in la\ers. The top layer is pressed quite flat. Both 
 the fingers and the teeth are used to give the proper shape 
 to the figs. I watched the packing process for some time. 
 When the packer finds a fig dr\' and hard, and has difficul- 
 ty in shaping it with his fingers, he places it between his 
 teeth and gives it the rec]uired pressing. I confess that 
 after witnessing the manipulation of the figs b\- the packers 
 I concluded that I did not care for the fruit of which I 
 have alwa}s eaten with great relish. W'iien we left, the 
 proprietor, one of the largest fig merchants in Smyrna, 
 handed my wife a box containing six pounds of the best 
 figs, branded " Elemi." the highest quality known to the 
 trade. The figs were opened in India, three months later, 
 and were relished as of old. It is strange how soon we for- 
 get temporarx' impressions and fall back into our old ways 
 Before leaving Smxrna a determined effort was made 
 to recover our books. We had been negotiating for several 
 da\s with the Turks for the return of our stolen property . 
 We used the hotel dragoman and interpreter as a means of 
 communication with the Moslem ofificials. After each in- 
 terview we were told that on the morrow the books would 
 be returned without fail. He that trusteth in the word of a 
 Turk shall surely come to naught. Promise after promise 
 was made, but the hooks came not. Had it not been for 
 the loss of our Bibles the matter would have been carried 
 no further. We could not think of leaving these behind, 
 and an api^lication was made to Col. Madden, the American 
 Consul. He said: " We shall get those books to-day," and 
 we got them. The Consul detailed his cavassc and drago- 
 
148 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 man to assist us in findinir our property. The search began 
 at once, and in good earnest. We were sent from office to 
 office, until we had called upon some twenty officials. We 
 were finall)' sent to the censor, whose dut}' it is to examine 
 all books and papers brought into Smyrna by Christian in- 
 fidels. In his office we were informed that we might look 
 
 LUNCH IN THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EFHESUS. 
 
 around and find our belongings. In a pile on the floor we 
 recognized most of our books and papers, and we finally 
 found all but one of them. This was a copy of bishop 
 Newman's work on Palestine. The censor pointed out the 
 objectionable paragraph in which the bishop makes some 
 strictures on Mohammed. The book was destroyed, and 
 Brother Myers was the loser. After placing the official 
 
BEIRUT. 149 
 
 seal of Abdul Hamid on each of the books, to show that 
 they had been passed upon by the censor, we were allowed 
 to take them away. It is said that every experience that 
 comes to us in this life ma}' be of som^e use to us. This 
 may be true, but I have \'et to learn what good is to come 
 out of this experience with the Turks, unless it be the good 
 that results from having one's patience tried. 
 
 On the second day of October, the " Cleopatra," one of 
 the best ships on the Austrian Lloyd's, steamed into the 
 harbor. Some months before we had engaged passage for 
 Jaffa on this ship, and here she was on time. After having 
 a farewell meeting with our missionaries and commending 
 them and ourselves to the grace of God, we went on board 
 the ship and in the evening sailed away for the Hoi)- Land. 
 At Smyrna Rev. Dr. Grismer, of the M. E. church, who had 
 'been with us at Athens, joined us again and became a mem- 
 ber of our party for the tour of the Holy Land. Day after 
 da}' and night after night we sailed awa}' over the blue 
 waters of the sea. There were no storms, no swelling 
 waves, no seasickness; it was in every respect a perfect sea 
 voyage. We cast anchor for a few hours at Rhodes, and 
 sailed by Cyprus, and on the evening of the fourth da}- put 
 into the harbor of Beirut. 
 
 M}- journal under date of Oct. 6 sa}s: We parted with 
 our traveling companions at Beirut. We had enjoyed a 
 most delightful sea vo}'age together from Sm}rna. A 
 gentle breeze, soft and balm}-, made the warm October 
 days delightfully pleasant. The sea, on its good behavior, 
 was smooth and calm, and its waters blue as only the 
 "great sea" is blue. A bright, clear sky, with the full 
 moon making night ashamed of its darkness, added ma- 
 terially to the pleasure of the journey. I set it down in my 
 notebook as one of the most delightful sea vo}ages I ever 
 
150 (.1 Kl»l.l.\(. IIIK (.I.OliK. 
 
 enjoyed. On Satiirdaw Oct. ;, wc cast anchor at the Ijase 
 ol Lebanon. l''arl\- on tlie Lord's Da\- niorninL;" brethren 
 Brumbaui^h, Bin<,faman, Myers and Grisnier hit us to jto to 
 Damascus by the new railway, and thence to Jerusalem in 
 ten (n- twelve daxs on horseback, while we, — wife and I, — 
 were to $2^0 on by sea to Jaffa, and thence to Jerusalem, 
 where we again met our companions two weeks later. 
 
 At two o'clock P. M. we steamed oat of the harbor at 
 Beirut and took our course southward along the Syrian 
 coast. Westward the horizon was bounded by the waters of 
 the Mediterranean. The fine weather continued, and the 
 sea was literally as smooth as glass. We congratulated 
 ourselves that we were to have a pleasant afternoon sailing 
 along the western border of the Hoh- Land, and upon the 
 prospect of a smooth landing at Jaffa on the morrow. East 
 of us the Lebanon mountains were in full \iew; once the 
 pride of S\ria, now brown and bare. The cedar and the fir 
 have been cut down, and the " glor\' of Lebanon " has de- 
 parted. As we skirted the foot of the mountain range we 
 had ample time to look up and meditate upon the Bible as- 
 sociations connected w ith Lebanon. 
 
 Yonder on the tlat beach, which was so close to us that 
 it seemed that we might almost throw a stone to the shore, 
 may have been the very spot to which Hiram's woodmen 
 brought the hewn cedar and fir trees, making a veritable 
 logging camp of the place until the floats were made and 
 the costly timber was sent by sea to Jaffa, where it was de- 
 livered to king Solomon's workmen. In full sight of the 
 supposed logging camp was the ancient city of Sidon. And 
 force is given to the statement that the camp w as located 
 in this neighborhood, from the fact that there were none 
 
CITY CJi' TVRE. 151 
 
 among^ all the people in all the land that could " skill to 
 hew timber like unto the Sidonians."* 
 
 Along the shores of ancient Phcenicia we sailed, and so 
 close, too, that the shore line was plainl\- visible to the 
 naked e}e. JVIodern Sidon, closely and compactly built, 
 presents a pleasing,'' sis^ht from the sea. Her groves of mul- 
 berr\- trees, and gardens of oranges, lemons, pomegranates, 
 apricots, bananas and palms are in striking contrast with 
 the oppressive barrenness all along the coast. These gar- 
 dens are the pride of Sidon. The silk industry flourishes, 
 and the little cit\-, with fifteen thousand souls, is fairly pros- 
 perous. The ancient name Zidonf and the New Test^.ment 
 name Sidon are still preserved. Here Paul landed when on 
 his wa\- to Rome as a prisoner, and went "unto his friends 
 to refresh himself,";]; a positive evidence that Christianit\' 
 had been introduced at Sidon at a very earl}- period. 
 
 Just as the sun touched the watery horizon we sighted 
 the island and mainland on which, at one time, stood the 
 mighty cit}- of T\re, the proud mistress of the sea. If )-ou 
 would like an accurate description of her wealth and great- 
 ness, read carefull\- the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel. 
 Follow this with the reading of the thirt}-si.xth and thirt\- 
 eighth chapters of the same prophec}- and learn the fate of 
 the proud cit}', and know that the prophecy has been liter- 
 all)- fulfilled. There is not in all the East a more remark- 
 able fulfillment of prophecy than that connected with this 
 very cit}- of T}-re. The dust has been literall}- scraped from 
 her and she has become "like the top of a rock." And this 
 ver}- da}- it is "a place for the spreading of nets in the 
 midst of the sea." The histor}- of the place, from the da}'s 
 
 * I Kings 5: 6. 
 
 tGen. 49: 13; .\cts 12: 20. 
 
 t Acts 27: 3- 
 
152 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 of Ezekicl until it became a iniscral)lc fishers' villa,<:^e, com- 
 posed of a few poor hovels, is full of interest. It was a 
 struggle against prophecy, for the Lord had said, "I am 
 against thee, O Tyrus." The modern town has a popula- 
 tion of some four or five thousand souls. The streets are 
 narrow, dirty and miserable, and the houses dilapidated. 
 The inhabitants are poor, and many of them subsist by fish- 
 
 ing. 
 
 While we look at Tyre the sun sinks into the sea; 
 
 "Not as in northern climes obscurely bright, 
 But one unclouded blaze of living light." 
 
 Sunsets at sea have often been described b}' poets and 
 prose writers, but descriptions only feebly portray the glo- 
 ries of the god of day, as he sinks to rest in the v/aves of the 
 sea. As the twilight fades awa}-, and darkness comes down 
 upon land and deep, the moon, full-orbed, mounts upward 
 from the heights of Hermon and floods hill and plain with 
 her silver light. She shines in full brightness upon the por- 
 tion of Dan, and not far from us the site of the ancient city 
 of Lachish, so terribly punished by the Ninevites, catches 
 her beams. And there, dimly shining across the sea, are 
 the lights of the village Ptolemais, where Paul landed and 
 saluted the brethren, abiding with them one da}', before go- 
 ing on his fatal journey to the city of Jerusalem.* 
 
 Together we sit on the deck and enjoy the beauties of 
 the night. We can plainly see every indentation of the 
 shore line, and the hills are brought out bold and clear in 
 the bright moonlight. And now we have Mt. Carmel be- 
 fore us, boldly jutting out into the sea. Every outline of 
 the mount of the prophets is clearly cut on the horizon. 
 Our steamer headed for the shore, where the lights revealed 
 
 * Acts 21: 7. 
 
C^SAREA. 153 
 
 the site of Caifa, the seaport of Nazareth. In an incrcdi- 
 bl}' short time the steamer was surrounded b)' a howling, 
 yelling mob of Arab boatmen. With cat-like agility they 
 climbed up the sides of the ship and solicited passengers to 
 go ashore. It was a scene of wild, noisy confusion, wit- 
 nessed not on!}' here at Caifa, but at all these eastern ports 
 where the ships cast anchor lialf a mile from the shore, and 
 passengers are landed by mean.s of the small boats pro- 
 pelled by Arab boatmen. Caifa is an interesting spot. 
 Fifteen miles away, in a straight line, is Nazareth and the 
 Sea of Galilee. Here the brook Kishon empties into the 
 sea, as it has ever since the da\- its waters ran red with the 
 blood of the prophets of Baal, slain by the zeal of the 
 prophet of the true God after their signal failure at Carmel. 
 The light on the hill, shining above the brightness of the 
 moon, marks the site of the convent of the monks, the tra- 
 ditional spot of the great test between Elijah and the Baal- 
 ites. On the edge of the cliff stood the servant of the 
 prophet looking out upon the blazing heavens for the first 
 sign of the cloud that was soon to appear, no larger than a 
 man's hand at first, but to grow rapidly until all the heavens 
 were overcast with dark clouds and the rain came down in 
 torrents, and the three years' drought was broken. Here 
 the prophet Elisha dwelt when the Shunammite woman 
 came to him in heartbroken haste, for the boy she loved so 
 well la)' dead in the little room at Shunem. All these and 
 many more Bible associations came to mind as we lay 
 anchored in the silvery moonlight at the foot of Mt. Car- 
 mel. 
 
 Southward again our ship toolv: her course and passed 
 by Caesarea, whither Peter, nothing doubting, came from 
 Jaffa and gave to the Gentiles the wonderful message from 
 the Son of God. Here, too, Paul was brought a prisoner 
 
1 51 (.IKI)I.I.\(. 1 UK (.LOliK. 
 
 {yom jciusalcni. Here he was tried, and appealed to Cctsar, 
 and then made bV'lix tremble and Agrippa hear the Word 
 of Truth 1)\- the power of the Hol\' Ghost. And so we 
 sailed on, and nature demanded rest and repose. We went 
 below to our comfortable rooms, and sleep, blessed sleep, 
 shut out all the world. We were awakened b\' the rattling- 
 chains of the droppino- anchor and the swashini^" of the 
 waves ai>ainst the sides of the ship, and we knew that we 
 were at Jaffa. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Landing at Jaffa — A Rough Sea — ■ Dangerous Landing — Our Eb- 
 enezer — Railways in Palestine — The Threshing Floor — Unmuz- 
 zled Oxen — His Fan is in His Hand — The Gleaners — Lydda — 
 The Effendi and his Wives — The Leprosy — ■ Beth-shejnesh and the 
 Ark of the Covenant — Birthplace of Samson — IVhited Sepulchres 
 — Farm Life itt Palestine — The Ownership of the Land — Cast- 
 ing Lots — The Lines are Fallett to me in Pleasant Places — The 
 Tax Gatherer. 
 
 ■ Our awakening at Jaffa dispelled all hopes of the 
 smooth landing which we had reason to expect when we 
 went below the evening before. The sound of the waves 
 as they broke against the sides of the ship was ominous, and 
 when we went on deck and saw how the small boats that 
 were coming from the shore were tossed by the waves we 
 said, " The sea at Jaffa keeps up its old-time, Jonah-like 
 reputation." By tlie time we were ready to go ashore the 
 sea was quite rough enough to set sensitive nerves in a 
 tremble. 
 
 It was the fifth time we had landed and embarked at 
 Jaffa, and we took some comfort in the fact that the sea 
 was not quite so rough as it was twelve years ago when we 
 landed here the first time, or as when Brother Lahman was 
 with us two years ago last March. Our old dragoman, 
 Bernard Heilpern, who traveled with us through Palestine, 
 was among the first to come aboard the ship, and he gave 
 us a hearty welcome to the Holy Land again. Many of 
 our readers will no doubt recall the account we gave of the 
 
 brave Arab boatman, SuUeimann, when we were here be- 
 
 (137) 
 
158 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 fore, — how he saved a large number of lives and was after- 
 wards, through envy, cast into prison. They will rejoice 
 with us to know that the brave fellow has regained his 
 liberty and is in charge of his boat again. 
 
 With the usual amount of noise and confusion, — for 
 the Arab does nothing without confusion and noise, wheth- 
 er it be the changing of a half piaster or the landing of a 
 boatload of passengers, — our trunks and grips were taken 
 down and placed in the boat at the imminent risk, we 
 thought, of being thrown into the sea; but they. were safely 
 stowed away. Then we went down the swinging, stair-like 
 ladder, waiting at the foot luitil the boat came up on a ris- 
 ing wave, and then, somehow or other, we found ourselves 
 seated in the stern. We both needed and used the strong 
 arms of the Arab boatmen to help us to a seat. Tossed 
 about b\' the troubled sea, the spra}- fl}'ing at times over 
 the prow of the boat, we were at last carried on the crest 
 of a wave through the narrow opening in the rocks into 
 c dm water, and were soon safe on shore. 
 
 A few days after we landed, Mv. RoUa Flo\d, an Amer- 
 ican who has lived in Palestine about thirt\' years and taken 
 many tourists through the country, had taken a part}- of 
 travelers to a ship, and, in trying to regain the shore, the 
 sea being very rough, the boat was thrown on the rocks and 
 broken to pieces. Mr. Floyd was badly injured, but was 
 rescued from drowning b\' the boatmen, who are all good 
 swimmers. Over against our rough landing should be 
 placed the smooth sea when we embarked for P^g)-pt on oiu- 
 way to India, Oct. 1 1, 1895. For once we enjoyed a smooth 
 sea at Jaffa, and are happy to record the fact in these 
 gleanings. 
 
 Here at Jaffa, twelve years ago, we raised an Ebenezer. 
 And now again, as twice before, we knelt down and reverent- 
 
RAILWAYS IN PALESTINE. I 59 
 
 ly thanked God for his wonderful goodness to us. We said, 
 " Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," and surely wc may 
 trust him for all that is to come to us; whether it be pros- 
 perity or adversity, sickness or health, life or death, all will 
 be well, for his mercy endureth forever. 
 
 The changes which have taken place in Palestine since 
 we visited it the first time are many and marked. This is 
 true not only of Jaffa, but of Jerusalem, and man)' other 
 places, as well. Indeed, the old Palestine with its ancient 
 Bible customs is rapidly passing away, and before many 
 more years shall come and go the Holy Land will be 
 modernized. One of the important factors in these changes 
 is the introduction of the railway. Already two lines are in 
 operation, — one from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and the other 
 from Beirut to Damascus, — while a third has been partiall\' 
 constructed from Caifa, at the foot of Carniel, to Nazareth. 
 When the contemplated lines are completed, Jerusalem will 
 be in direct railway communication with Damascus. As 
 these changes take place, Palestine loses more and more its 
 chief charm. This is to be regretted in one way, yet it 
 brings joy to the Christian heart when he remembers that 
 all these changes are in the line of the fulfillment of 
 prophecy; and in these are to be found evidences that the 
 coming of the Lord is near at hand. Even now we may 
 "learn a parable of the fig tree; when its branch is }-ct ten- 
 der, and putteth forth leaves, ye know thac the summer is 
 nigh." 
 
 The chief means of conveyance between Jaffa and Je- 
 rusalem, in years gone by, were horses, camels and donkeys. 
 Then a guard of soldiers was necessary, for the road was in- 
 fested with robbers, and many a pilgrim was stripped and 
 left wounded by the way. Later a wagon road was con- 
 structed, and the journey of forty-one miles could be made 
 
l60 GIRDLING THE GI QBE. 
 
 with some degree of comfort. Now .ill this is changed. 
 You take \our scat in comfortable cars at Jaffa, drawn by 
 American locomotives, and arc whirled over the plain of 
 Sharon, across the valley of Ajalon and up the hills of 
 Judea, and in four hours )-ou have traveled the entire 
 length of the railway, fift\--two miles, and are in Jerusalem. 
 Leaving Jaffa the road crosses the plain of Sharon, now 
 brown and sere, for no rain has fallen for six or seven 
 months. We notice a number of village threshing floors as 
 we pass along. The oxen move lazily around the floor 
 treading out the grain. The farmer with his fork manipu- 
 lates the mass, and the tramping process continues until the 
 straw is broken quite fine. The oxen, we observe, are un- 
 muzzled and help themselves to the grain when the\' will. 
 The Scriptural injunction, " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox 
 that treadeth out the corn," still holds among most of the 
 farmers in Palestine. There are enough exceptions to the 
 rule to give the Scripture force. Some farmers there are 
 who are mean enough to muzzle the ox so that he may eat 
 none of the corn. It is remarkable that these "old customs 
 continue so long. I suppose that in the da)s of Abraham 
 the threshing floor was used in Palestine as it is to-day. 
 Our photogravure, taken especially for this work, gives us 
 a good view of the threshing floor, with the oxen treading 
 out the corn and the farmer with his fork superintending 
 the work. When the threshing is completed the farmer 
 comes with his fan (shovel) in his hand, thoroughly cleans 
 his floor and gathers his wheat into his garner, burning the 
 chaff, which is not only useless to the farmer but hurtful as 
 well, as it contains the seeds of the tares and other noxious 
 weeds. One is reminded of the words of John the Baptist 
 when he says of Jesus, " He th*ht cometh after me is might- 
 ier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. . . Whose 
 
C/3 
 
LYDDA. 163 
 
 fan is in his hand, and he will thorough])- purge his floor, 
 and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up 
 the chaff with unquenchable fire.."* 
 
 Here is another threshing floor. It is close by the way- 
 side and very small, not large enough for oxen. It is where 
 the gleaners have threshed their scanty store. They have 
 toiled all the long day in gleaning the fallen heads and even 
 the single grains of wheat that have been shattered out. 
 There is but little left in the field for them, for there are no 
 generous hearted Boazes in Palestine to-day. As soon as 
 the last sheaf is gathered, the field is free for the gleaners, 
 and as in the day of Boaz and Ruth, so now the gleaners 
 gather up what is left by the reapers. 
 
 The train now stops at Lydda, the first station after ' 
 leaving Jaffa. The place is noted for its large olive or- 
 chards, the finest in Palestine. Here it was that Peter 
 healed the palsy-stricken ^neas, and was then called in 
 great haste to comfort saints at Jaffa who were in deep 
 mourning on account of the death of Dorcas. 
 
 At Lydda a Turkish Effendi (an officer of rank) 
 brought his harem, or family, on board the cars. There 
 were four wives and a number of small children. The 
 women were all closely veiled and were after much confu- 
 sion placed in a compartment designed for them. The 
 car is divided into four compartments, opening into each 
 other by doors, and through the center there is an aisle. 
 We were seated in the compartment next to that occupied 
 by the ladies of the harem. When the conductor came 
 through for the tickets he gave a signal by pounding on the 
 door with his ticket punch. After waiting a few moments 
 he opened the door to pass through, when there was a gen- 
 eral scream among the Turkish women, and the door was 
 
 * Matt. 3: II, 12. 
 
l64 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 closed with much violence. The women had uncovered 
 their faces and felt greatly outraged to be seen by the con- 
 ductor; he was compelled to wait in our compartment un- 
 til the women had adjusted their veils, and was then admit- 
 ted. Ibrahim, the husband, to whom we were introduced 
 by Mr. Heilpern, sat in the compartment with his male 
 friends and spent the time in smoking. 
 
 Leaving Lydda, the road passes by Gezer, which still 
 retains its ancient name. It was a wedding present to king 
 Solomon's Egyptian wife from her father.* She brought 
 the wise king not only many rich presents, but idolatry as 
 well, and was the primary cause of his fall and the loss of 
 the kingdom to his family. Both before and since the days 
 of Solomon men and women have been led into sin by be- 
 ing unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 
 
 We are now at the village of Ramleh, the traditional 
 home of the rich counselor, Joseph of Arimathea, who 
 begged the body of Jesus. Here in 1884 we saw the 
 dread disease of leprosy for the first time. Since then we 
 have seen hundreds of people afflicted with this loathsome 
 malad}', but never without a feeling of pity for the poor un- 
 fortunates. The group of lepers so faithfully photographed 
 for this book will give the reader a correct idea of the ap- 
 pearance of these poor outcasts. It is a pitiful sight, and 
 would move a heart of stone to sympathy. What I wrote 
 of the leprosy in 1884, and again in 1893, is true to-day. I 
 then said: 
 
 At Ramleh we saw, for the first time, a company of 
 lepers^a horrible sight, with which we were destined to be- 
 come more familiar before finishing our journey in Pales- 
 tine, There were ten or twelve of them sitting by the way- 
 side, at the entrance of the town. As we approached them 
 
 * I Kings g: 16. 
 
CO 
 
 OS 
 W 
 
 cw 
 
 1-1 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
LEPERS. 167 
 
 tHey all got u[) aiul crowded around us, holding their arms 
 and hands up, so that we could see their terrible condition, 
 at the same time uttering the most mournful and beseech- 
 ing cries for help. Nothing can be more deplorable than 
 their condition; and their agonizing cries and the sight of 
 their wretched state would bring pity to the hardest heart. 
 In some the disease had gone so far that only the stump 
 of a hand was left; joint after joint of the fingers had de- 
 cayed, shriveled and fallen away, until all were gone. In 
 others the arms were a mass of sore^ to the elbows, and the 
 face presented a most horrible and disgusting sight. 
 
 In the law of Moses very exact directions are given, 
 first, for the detection of the disease, and, secondly, for the 
 separation of the unclean people from the camp of Israel. 
 It was by the means provided for in Leviticus, 13th and 
 14th chapters, that the dread disease was kept from 
 spreading among the people. After being separated from 
 the camp, the lepers were shunned and dreaded by all, and 
 if they saw any one approach them they were compelled to 
 cry out, "Unclean! unclean!" When the ten lepers met 
 our Savior the)' lifted up their \oices from afar in entreaty 
 and supplication for help, perhaps with the thought that 
 he would give them an alms; but he commanded them to 
 go according to the law, and show themselves unto the 
 priests; and lo, as they went, they were healed. As then, so 
 now, the disease is incurable, except by the hand of the 
 Almighty. As then, so now, the lepers raise their voices 
 in entreaty as the traveler approaches them. As then, so 
 now, they are shunned by all; the}' live apart, outside of the 
 villages, in some old, ruined buildings, subsisting on the 
 charity of the travelers and the villagers. They intermarry, 
 and so the dread disease is propagated, for their offspring 
 are always leprous. 
 
l6S GIRDLING THE GlObE. 
 
 It seems strange, indeed, that these wretched people 
 are allowed to intermarry and thus propagate the horrible 
 disease. But, under the Turkish government, little atten- 
 tion is paid to the welfare of the common people. Sanitary 
 questions do not seem to concern the tyrants who rule and 
 ruin the country. As a result, many children are born into 
 the world — bright and healthy-looking at first — only to be- 
 come the victims of this terrible and loathsome disease. 
 According to the best medical authorit}-, leprosy is incur- 
 able; and so it has been regarded in all ages of the world. 
 No one afiflicted with it has ever been healed, except by 
 divine aid. God alone can heal and restore the flesh to the 
 leper. 
 
 When Naaman came from Damascus to the king of 
 Israel, and presented his letter, asking that he might be 
 cured of the leprosy, the king was amazed beyond measure. 
 He rent his clothes and cried, " Am I God, to kill and make 
 alive, that "this man doth send to me to recover a man from 
 leprosy?" 2 Kings 5: 7. This strong language shows 
 that the king of Israel regarded the healing of a leper as 
 great a miracle as restoring a dead man to life. And when 
 the Syrian had humbled himself enough to wash in the 
 Jordan, and his flesh came upon him again, as the flesh of a 
 child, he said, " Behold, now I know that there is no God 
 in all the earth, but in Israel." 2 Kings 5:15. 
 
 At Damascus — where, singular to say, the disease is yet 
 to be found, and there is no doubt that it has clung to the 
 city ever since the days of Naaman — as well as at Jerusa- 
 lem, there is a hospital for lepers, supported by charity. 
 Here the sufferers have medical treatment, but most of 
 them choose not to enter the hospital, as they are not al- 
 lowed to marry when once they enter, and the\- prefer the 
 liberty rather than the care afforded them in the hospitals. 
 
LEPROSY. IDQ 
 
 Dr. Thomson gives a striking analogy between leprosy 
 and sin, and it illustrates the character of both diseases so 
 well that we quote it in full: 
 
 " There is nothing in the entire range of human phe- 
 nomena which illustrates so impressively the divine power 
 of the Redeemer, and the nature and extent of His work of 
 mercy in man's behalf, as this leprosy. There are many 
 striking analogies between it and the more deadly leprosy 
 of sin, which has involved our whole race in one common 
 ruin. It is feared as contagious; it is certainly and inevit- 
 ably hereditary; it is loathsome and polluting; its victim 
 is shunned as unclean; it is most deceitful in its action. 
 New-born children of leprous parents are often as pretty 
 and as healthy in appearance as any others; but, by and by, 
 its presence and workings become visible in some of the 
 signs described in the 13th chapter of Leviticus. The scab 
 comes on, by degrees, in different parts of the body; the 
 hair falls from the head and eyebrows; the nails loosen, de- 
 cay and fall off; joint after joint of the fingers and toes 
 shrinks up, and slowl\' falls away; the gums are absorbed, 
 the teeth disappear; the nose, the eyes, the tongue and the 
 palate are slowly consumed, and, finalh', the wretched vic- 
 tim sinks into the earth and disappears, while medicine has 
 no power to stay the ravages of this fell disease, or even to 
 mitigate sensibly its tortures. 
 
 "Who can fail to find, in all this, a most affecting type 
 of man's moral leprosy? Like it, this, too, is hereditary, 
 and with infallible certainty. As surely as we have inher- 
 ited it from our fathers, do we transmit it to our children. 
 None escape. The infant, so lively with its cherub smile 
 and innocent prattle, has imbibed the fatal poison. There 
 are those, I know, who, as they gaze on the soft, clear heav- 
 en of infancy's laughing eye, reject, with horror, the 
 
170 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 thou_<:jht that even here the lcpros\- of sin lies deep within. 
 So any one niii^ht tliink and say who looked upon a beauti- 
 ful babe in the arms of its leprous mother. But, alas! give 
 but time enough, and the physical malady manifests its 
 presence, and does its work of death. And so in the anti- 
 type. If left unchecked by power divine, the leprosy of sin 
 will eat into the very texture of the soul, and consume ev- 
 erything lovely and pure in human character, until the smil- 
 ing babe becomes the traitor Iscariot, a Nero, a Cesar 
 Borgia, or a bloody Robespierre. They were all once smil- 
 ing infants. 
 
 " Again, leprosy of the body none but God can cure. 
 So, also, there is only one Ph)'sician who can cleanse the 
 soul from the leprosy of sin. Medicines of man's device 
 are of no avail, but with Him, none are needed. He saw 
 the ten lepers who stood afar off, and lifted up their voices 
 and cried, ' Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us. And when 
 He saw them, He said unto them. Go, show yourselves unto 
 the priests; and as they went, they were cleansed.' And, 
 with the same divine power, He sa\'s to many a moral leper, 
 ' Go in peace; thy sins be forgiven thee,' and it happens 
 unto them according to their faith. To my mind, there is 
 no conceivable manifestation of divine power more trium- 
 phantly confirmatory of Christ's divinity than the cleansing 
 of a leper with a word. When looking at these handless, 
 eyeless, tongueless wrecks of humanity, the unbelieving 
 question starts unbidden, ' Is it possible they can be re- 
 stored?' Yes, it is more than possible. It has been accom- 
 plished once and again by the mere volition of Him who 
 spake, and it was done. And He who can cleanse the leper, 
 can raise the dead and can also forgive sins and save the 
 soul. I ask for no other evidence of the fact." 
 
 Leaving Ramleh for Jerusalem, the road passes over a 
 
BETH-SHEMESH, I7I 
 
 portion of country rich in Bible associations. Yonder is 
 Gimzo which the Philistines wrested from the weak, idola- 
 trous king Ahaz. He put his trust in Tiglath-pileser, the 
 Assyrian, but received no help from his father's ally. The 
 Philistines took from him six cities and their villages lo- 
 cated in the low country south of Judea, the plain over 
 which the road passes, among which were Gimzo, Ajalon 
 and Beth-shemesh.* 
 
 It was to the same Beth-shemesh that the Arlc of the 
 Covenant was taken b}- the kine. The ark, after its cap- 
 ture b)- the Philistines, had been carried to Ashdod. But 
 it proved an unwelcome visitor, and much to the conster- 
 nation of the inhabitants of P^kronf it was sent to them. 
 This was all brought forcibl\- to mind as we passed by 
 t^kron and read the account over again in the Bible. The 
 railwa)' follows the course taken by the two milch kine 
 with the cart and the ark of the Lord, for the)' " went 
 along the highwa}' lowing as the}- went, and turned not 
 aside to the right hand or to the left,^ until the)- came to 
 Beth-shemesh." To the right of the road, as we go up to 
 Jerusalem, is the site of the ancient cit)', and yonder in 
 the valle)' is the very spot where " they of Beth-shemesh 
 were reaping their wheat harvest . . . and they lifted up 
 their e)'es, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it."§ Their 
 rejoicing, however, was of short duration. Curiosity led 
 them to look into the sacred chest, and the\' paid dearly 
 for their violation of the law. They were doubtless as glad 
 to give the ark to the men of Kirjath-jearim as the)' had 
 been in the first place to receive it from the Philistines. 
 
 The birthplace of Samson, Zorah, is passed to the left, 
 
 *2Chro.n. 28: 18. 
 t I Sam. 5; 10. 
 X I Sam. 6: 12. 
 § I Sam. 6; 13. 
 
1/2 niKDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 lunv noticeable on account of the whitewashed tombs, visi- 
 ble from the railwa)' as we pass b)'. We were informed 
 that these tombs are carefully whitewashed ever)' two or 
 three years, and here we have a practical illustration of 
 the Savior's words to the Pharisees: " Ye are like unto 
 whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, 
 but are within full of dead men's bones and of all unciean- 
 ness."* But these arc not the only whited tombs in Pales- 
 tine. The)' are to be seen at many places. Still farther 
 up the valley Etam is passed, and a cave in the top of 
 the rock is pointed out where, tradition sa)'s, Samson hid 
 from the Philistines after he " smote them hip and thigh 
 with a great slaughter." It is interesting to read these 
 Bible events where they occurred so long ago. But while 
 we have been reading and meditating, the train enters the 
 valley of Rephaim, and we are at Jerusalem again. Mr. 
 Gelat, our host of the New Hotel, meets us at the depot, 
 and we are soon comfortably lodged "at our Jerusalem home. 
 
 A subject of general interest is that of land tenure, and 
 the question is often asked, " How are the lands held in 
 Palestine, and what are the rights and privileges of the 
 owners?" We are indebted to Mr. S. Berghman, who 
 has spent ten )-ears farming on the plains of Sharon near 
 Ramleh, for reliable information as to the ownership of 
 land. 
 
 The Fellahin or Arab farmers dwell in villages, and 
 the village lands are divided into three classes: 
 
 I. The lands belonging to individuals in whom the 
 title vests. The owner of such land may give awa)-, sell, 
 or bequeath his real estate, and if he owns any at his death 
 it falls to his heirs. The owner of such land must pay an 
 annual tax of from three to five per cent on the actual 
 * Matt. 23: 27. 
 
AGRICULTURAL LANDS. 1/3 
 
 valuation of the land. Such valuation is made ever\' five 
 years. Buildinfrs may be erected at the pleasure of the 
 owner but are subjected to a tax, in addition to that paid 
 in on the land, based on their actual cost. Lands of this 
 class are usually close to the village, and are almost al- 
 ways used for orchards and gardens. 
 
 II. The lands belonging to the State or Imperial Gov- 
 ernment, /. c, the sultan at Constantinople. These are 
 called the agricultural lands, and are farmed in common 
 by the villagers, who raise wheat, barley, beans, lentils, 
 millet, and at some places small quantities of tobacco. 
 The right to cultivate these lands is held in common by 
 all the members of the community. No individual can 
 own any lot or parcel of the arable land, and his right be- 
 gins only after an allotment has been made for the year. 
 The title vests in the state, and no houses may be built 
 or trees planted on lands of this class without a special 
 permit from the highest officer of the treasury department. 
 When such permit has been given, the houses and trees 
 become freehold property, but the ground on which they 
 stand still belongs to the state. 
 
 Each year the agricultural lands are apportioned for 
 plowing and sowing to the members of the community who 
 desire and are able to cultivate them. Each individual 
 has by inheritance the right to plow and sow on the state 
 land, and it is divided into equal portions, according to 
 the number of yokes of oxen in the village; the man who 
 runs two }'okes of oxen gets twice as much to plow as he 
 who owns but one, and two men owning an ox each, to- 
 gether get just as much as he who owns a yoke. These 
 two work together, one day on the land allotted to the one 
 and the next on that allotted to the other. 
 
 No stranger is allowed to cultivate any of the lands of 
 
1/4 GIRDT.lNr, TUF, r.LORE. 
 
 a villai^c w ilhout Ihc consent of the entire coininuiiilx', and 
 no member of a communit)' can let or rent his portion of 
 land to a stranger. He may enter into partnership with 
 one who will furnish seed and oxen, but this must be 
 arranged before the allotment is made. Such a stranger 
 then becomes a member of the communit)', subject to all 
 its laws and regulations. The portion of land allotted 
 to a villager is his from the time he begins to plow until 
 he carries the last sheaf from his field to the village 
 threshing floor. Then his individual right lapses, and the 
 land reverts to the community. 
 
 The land is apportioned, as in Bible times, by lot. Aft- 
 er the fields have been measured with a rope or line, each 
 is named. Their names are given either accidentally or 
 for some special reason. Thus, a field with a peculiar 
 rock in it is called "the field of the rock," another, "the 
 field of the trees," and others still "field of road," "field 
 of the mound," " field of the fight," etc. One is here ver)' 
 forcibly reminded of the name given to the parcel of 
 land bought with the thirt\' pieces of silver, " the field of 
 blood."* The land has been previously laid out in four 
 great divisions, eastern, western, northern and southern. 
 The names of the fields of each of these divisions are then 
 plain!)' written on small, smooth pebbles, and these are 
 put into four small sacks, one for each great division of 
 the land. The farmers then form themselves into a half 
 circle, in the center of which is seated the ima)i, the head 
 or chief man of the village. Two little boys, alwaws under 
 five )-ears of age, so that they may be wholly unbiased, 
 stand near him, one on each side. 
 
 They are now ready for the casting of lots. One of 
 the small sacks is taken up, and one of the l)oys puts his 
 
 * Matt. 27: 5-8. 
 
DIVIDING THE LAND BY LOT. I75 
 
 hand into it and talces a pebble or lot. The iman then 
 asks the other boy, "Whose field is this?" and the boy 
 either calls out the name, or points to one of the villagers, 
 and the land is allotted to him and so recorded. There is 
 no appeal from this lot, and each farmer must be satisfied 
 with the field which has been assigned to him. 
 
 As the farmers stand around waiting for the lots that are 
 to fall to them, each one exclaims, as the boy puts his 
 hand in the sack, " God keep, maintain and uphold my 
 lot," and David's words are brought to mind, "Thou main- 
 tainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant 
 places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."! Mr. Berghman 
 is of the opinion that this passage would be more correctly 
 rendered from the Hebrew text as follows, " Tiiou holdest 
 or standest by the pebble of my lot. The dividing lines 
 have been stretched out for me in pleasant places. Yea, 
 a goodly inheritance by lot is given me." It is an inter- 
 esting proceeding, and may not differ widely from that 
 adopted by Joshua when he divided the land by lot among 
 the Israelites more than three thousand years ago. 
 
 The land in this way is divided every year, and thus no 
 member of the community receives the same portion of 
 land ever\' }-ear. It may fall to him again by lot, and it 
 ma)' not; the chances are against its doing so. 
 
 The dividing lines between the fields are deep, double 
 furrows, but as these disappear after heavy rains, stones 
 are piled up at each end, and these are called the stones 
 of the boundary. To remove such stones while the crop 
 is growing, or before it is gathered in, is considered a great 
 sin. He who does so robs his neighbor not of part of his 
 land but of his crop, which is his living, and is sure to 
 bring upon his head the malediction of all right-thinking 
 
 tPsa. 16:5,6. 
 
176 GIRDLING THE GLOHE. 
 
 men. As it was in the da}'s of Joshua so it is now. 
 " Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's hind niari<."* 
 The curse is based on the older law, which says, "Thou 
 shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark which they of 
 old time (/. c. chiefs or elders) have set up."^ 
 
 Each village supports two public servants. The intati, 
 who is a kind of preacher, leads in the prayers, performs 
 whatever marriage ceremon}' is necessar\-, buries the dead, 
 keeps all public accounts, such as taxes, repairs of the 
 mosque, and expenses of the guest-chamber provided for 
 strangers. The other is the imtoor or watchman, whose 
 duty it is to keep a lookout for strangers, invite them to 
 the guest-chamber and provide them with food. He must 
 take care that no cattle from a strange village stray upon 
 the lands or graze on the pastures of the community. 
 They receive their pay not in mone\-, but in grain, each 
 farmer contributing so many measures, according to the 
 number of fields he cultivates. The chief and watchman 
 also have a parcel of land allotted to them, which is usu- 
 ally plowed and sown for them by the farmers without 
 charge. 
 
 Oxen are usually employed for plowing, but I have 
 seen on the plains of Sharon an ox and an ass yoked to- 
 gether. This is considered unjust, and is done only when 
 it cannot well be avoided. " Thou shalt not plow with an 
 ox and an ass together. "§ I have also seen horses, mules, 
 and camels drawing the plow, and Mr. B. tells us that on 
 several occasions he has seen a man or a woman attached 
 to a plow, pulling side by side with a donke)\ 
 
 The agricultural lands pay two kinds of taxes; first, a 
 
 * Deut. 27: 17. 
 % Deut. 19: 14. 
 § Deut. 22: 10. 
 
TAX GATHERERS. 1 77 
 
 money tax of from three to fi\e per cent on the valuation 
 of the land. The farmers pa)- in proportion to the amount 
 of land they cultivate. If any of the land is not cultivated, 
 the tax on it is collected from the male inhabitants of the 
 village equally. The elder or chief man collects this tax 
 and pays it to the government. Second, the tenth or tithe 
 of all the land produces. This tax is based on the Bible, 
 and is as old as the time when Jacob set up a pillar at 
 Bethel, and made a vow unto the Lord, saying, "And of 
 all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth un- 
 to thee."* And this vow of Jacob was afterward incorpor- 
 ated in the law by Moses: "And all the tithe of the land 
 whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree is 
 the Lord's. . . . The tithe of the herd, or of the Hock, 
 even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall 
 be holy unto the Lord."t 
 
 The collection of the tenth is the source of much op- 
 pression, and the poor farmer is made to suffer. The lax 
 is sold to the highest bidder, and the asliar or tax collector, 
 in addition to the bribes he pa}'s the officials to secure 
 the purchase, has to pay a larger sum than the actual value 
 of the tenth if it were honestly collected. The villagers 
 are not allowed to begin harvesting until the asJiar arrives. 
 His whole object is to get as much out of the farmer as 
 he possibly can, and this is done by a series of annoyances, 
 until the farmers, out of sheer necessity, are obliged to 
 compromise with the tax gatherer. Mr. B. gives it as his 
 opinion, after ten years' experience among the Arab farm- 
 ers, that instead of the tenth honestly due b}^ law the 
 asJiar carries off at least one-third of the crop. These tax 
 gatherers are hated by the people, and the term asliar is 
 
 *Geii. 2<S: 22. 
 
 t Deut. 27: 30-32. 
 
1/8 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ahva\s applied to extortionate, merciless men. They enjoy 
 no better reputation than did the publicans in New Testa- 
 ment times. 
 
 III. The third class of lands are those set apart at 
 various times for the maintenance of mosques and tombs, 
 such as the Mosque of Omar and the tomb of David at 
 
 THE ONE-HANDLED PLOW. 
 
 Jerusalem, and the mosque over the tomb of Abraham at 
 Hebron. These lands are held and taxed in the same way 
 that the agricultural lands are managed. The' tax, how- 
 ever, is paid into a special treasur).- 
 
 A new law has been introduced within the last few- 
 years in reference to land tenure, which, if enforced, will 
 change these old Bible customs. The lands of the second 
 
MODERN INNOVATIONS. I/Q 
 
 class are to be divided by an imperial commissioner into 
 various portions, and given to individual villagers. They 
 receive title deeds and may sell their right to cultivate 
 either to a villager or to a stranger. The taxes, of course, 
 remain the same. It is said the law is to be strictl}- en- 
 forced, and if it is, a number of the ancient customs or land- 
 marks of Bible times will entirely disappear. Gradually 
 modern innovations are revolutionizing the Holy Land. 
 Great changes have taken place since we first visited it in 
 1884. Present indications are that greater changes will take 
 place in the years to come, and very soon a visit to Pales- 
 tine will have lost its chief charm, — the ancient Bible cus- 
 toms. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Measzirincr Grain — Poverty of Jerusalem — Excavations — Gates 
 Sunk in the Ground — Two Women Grinding at the Mill — The 
 Shepherd and his Flock — Xight on Olivet — A Jetuish Funeral — 
 The Kings I Vine Press — Eastward and Hotneward — 0)i to 
 Egypt. 
 
 A MONTH and a half spent in the Holy Cit\-, after two 
 previous visits, was none too long. There are many nooks 
 and corners to be searched out, places of great interest to 
 the Bible student, which are never seen b\' the hast\- travel- 
 er. Make haste slowh', is a good rule in \'isiting Jerusalem. 
 I had an illustration of this one da\' as I walked b)' the 
 grain market and saw the merchant selling and measuring 
 grain; something m\' two previous visits to the cit\' had not 
 revealed to me. The photogravure tells the whole stor\-, 
 but needs an explanation. The merchant takes the meas- 
 ure, — about the size of the old-fashioned, honest half bush- 
 els of m}' bo\-hood da)'s, — and fills it \\ ith grain. He then 
 seizes the measure with both hands, shaking it vigorously 
 so that the grain is well shaken together. Adding more 
 grain, he presses it down with both hands, seeming anxious 
 to get all the grain possible into and on the measure. He 
 heaps it up, pressing the grain on; and when \ou think it 
 impossible for him to add an)' more, he makes a hole in the 
 top of the heap, and then takes up a handful of grain and 
 allows it to run from his hand into the hole until it fills up 
 and then runs over the measure all around. Then the pur- 
 chaser carefully puts the mouth of the sack over the meas- 
 ure, and thus secures every grain when it is emptied into his 
 
 (.So; 
 
7. 
 
 6 
 
 o 
 z 
 
 2 
 
 CO 
 
 < 
 
MEASURING GRAIN. 183 
 
 sack. I watched the measuring intently for some time, and 
 my mind naturall)' went back to the words of the Master, 
 who, when he was in Palestine, witnessed many times just 
 such mcasuriuf^ as is here described: "Give, and it shall be 
 given unto }'ou; good measure, pressed down, and shaken 
 together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. 
 For with the same measure that }e mete withal it shall be 
 measured to you again."* 
 
 I contrasted the measuring of the grainseller in Jerusa- 
 lem with that with which I was familiar in my )'Outh when 
 I worked on the farm in Maryland and Pennsylvania, when 
 grain was often sold by measure. How carefully the old 
 half bushel was handled so that the grain was not shaken 
 together, and then how evenly it was stroked with a 
 straightedge so that the measure should be only level full. 
 In those days it was even whispered that some farmers had 
 a stroke slightly convex, so that after the stroking of the 
 measure it was not even-full of grain. But the Jerusalem 
 grainseller does not measure that way. He presses down, 
 shakes together, heaps up and fills the measure to running 
 over. The scene was of intense interest, and was worth a 
 trip to Jerusalem to look upon. To see the very same way 
 of measuring so graphically described by the Master, and 
 to realize that the old Bible custom has continued here for 
 at least two thousand years, is to give one a stronger faith 
 in the Book and in God's providences. 
 
 Many persons who visit Jerusalem are seriously disap- 
 pointed. Instead of the beautiful city pictured in their im- 
 aginations, which are no doubt assisted by the writings of 
 some of the poetical dreamers and word painters who visit 
 Palestine from time to time, they find houses without archi- 
 tectural beauty, streets poorly paved, narrow and dirty, des- 
 
 *Luke6:38. 
 
184 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 olation on all sides, obtrusive poverty that can be felt, filth 
 ami dirt everywhere, with tradesmen whose sole living de- 
 I)ends upon the money they can get out of travelers, and 
 this often without regard to adequate return. Add to all 
 this the barren, desolate hills around the cit}', which at this 
 season are without a spear of grass, and the picture of deso- 
 lation is quite complete, and it is no wonder that the travel- 
 er is not favorably impressed. But to us all these things 
 are full of interest, because they are the fulfillment of 
 prophec}% and bear testimony to the truth of the Bible. 
 Keeping in mind the filthy streets, the poverty and desola- 
 tion of the city, read these words spoken b)- God's prophets 
 twent\'-five hundred years ago, " How doth the city sit soli- 
 tary that was full of people, how is she become as a widow. 
 . . The ways of Zion do mourn, her gates are desolate. . . 
 All her beauty is departed. . . All that honored her de- 
 spised her. . . Her filthiness is in her skirts. . . Zion 
 spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort 
 her." And those bitter, sad words, uttered b}^ the greatest 
 of all the prophets, "Behold }'our house is left unto you 
 desolate." If the prophets lived te^-da}', and were to de- 
 scribe Jerusalem, they could not write in more expressive 
 language than they used so man)- centuries ago. Their 
 words became history, for history is prophec}' fulfilled, 
 
 One of our company expressed his feelings about Jeru- 
 salem in this way: "Take out of the city a few of the fam- 
 ilies who live there, and I should sa}' it is the meanest cit)' 
 I have ever seen." The very statement is in harmony with 
 the predictions of the prophets. "All her beaut)' is de- 
 parted. . . All that honored her despised her." Despised 
 and spoken against as she is, sitting in solitude and weep- 
 ing, yet the day will come when Jerusalem shall rejoice as a 
 regal queen. As the days of her desolation have been fore- 
 
EXCAVATIONS. 1 8/ 
 
 told, SO, also, has the glad day of her restoration been pro- 
 claimed. 
 
 We were much interested in the work of excavating the 
 ancient walls, now being carried on b)' Dr. Bliss, for the 
 Palestine Exploration Fund. We visited the excavations a 
 number of times, climbing down shafts and exploring dark 
 luiHU'ls. At some future time a synopsis of the work done 
 may be given. Here space is taken for only one discover)'. 
 
 At one point an ancient gate was discovered, and on 
 excavating about it they found that it occupied the site of 
 not onl}' one, but of two earlier gates. These three gates, 
 one built above the other, are to be seen very plainl)'. The 
 first thrown down ''sa/ik into the ground'' as it were, and then 
 a second was built above the first, and so also the third. 
 We examined all this very carefully and saw the sockets in 
 which the gates swung. The most striking fact about it is 
 that the prophet Jeremiah, speaking of the desolation of 
 Jerusalem, uses this language: "The Lord hath proposed to 
 destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. . . Her gates are 
 sunk in the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars." 
 The sunken gates of the wall of Zion bear testimony in 
 these last days to the truth of the Book of God. 
 
 But while Jerusalem and Palestine are desolate, — and 
 never so desolate looking as at this season of the year, just 
 before the early rains fall, — yet the city and country are so 
 full and rich in Bible associations, and existing conditions 
 agree so exactly with God's Book, that he who is interested 
 in Bible study forgets the desolation and enjoys a rich feast 
 in visiting the Holy Land. The agreement between the 
 Land and the Book settles beyond all question of doubt the 
 historical accuracy of the Bible. In the measuring of grain, 
 already referred to, there could be no closer agreement with 
 the words of Christ; and instances of this kind might be 
 
iSS GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 multiplied many times. It would be a pleasant and profit- 
 able theme for investigation, l)ut in i^irdlin*^ the globe I 
 cannot enter largely into this interesting subject. I must be 
 content with referring to but two ancient Bible customs still 
 retained in Palestine. Our artist has well and faithfully 
 photographed both of these and rendered valuable assis- 
 tance to both writer and reader. One pictui'e is of "two 
 women grinding at the mill," the other is of a shepherd 
 leading his flock out of the sheepfold to the pastures. 
 
 The Master, referring to the coming of the Son of Man 
 and the judgment day, says: "Two women shall be grinding 
 at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."* 
 The photogravure on page 185 reproduces just what Jesus 
 saw many, man\' times when he walked through Palestine. 
 Study the picture, for you have before you the scene from 
 which he drew the illustration in the language quoted, and 
 by which he taught a great truth; and then reflect that 
 eighteen hundred and sixty-four years passed from the time 
 Jesus saw the women grinding at the mill till the taking of 
 the photograph. Through all these centuries the custom 
 has not ceased, and who will say that the Lord, when he 
 comes again, will not find women grinding just as he said 
 he would? 
 
 And here is the shepherd leading his flock out of the 
 sheepfold. Along the valleys and on the hillsides — where- 
 ever the grass grows — he leads his sheep. One cannot 
 look upon a scene of this kind without calling to mind 
 numerous scriptural allusions to the shepherd and his flock. 
 As in the days of the Shepherd King who said, "The Lord 
 is my shepherd; I shall not want," and in the days when 
 our Lord, the great Shepherd, led his sheep about Pales- 
 tine, so to-day the shepherds in the Holy Land lead their 
 
 *Matt. 24: 41. 
 

 y. 
 
 < 
 
 X 
 
 w 
 
 a: 
 
THE SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK. I9I 
 
 sheep and call them by name. Our Lord said: "I am the 
 good shepherd, and know ni)- sheep, and am known of 
 mine;" and again: "He calleth his own sheep b}- name, and 
 leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own 
 sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for 
 they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, 
 but will flee from him: for the)' know not the voice of 
 strangers."* How man)' times in Palestine have I seen the 
 shepherds lead their flocks. Among the hills which encom- 
 pass Jerusalem on ever)' side, on the plains about Bethle- 
 hem, in the valley of the Jordan, along the shores of the 
 Sea of Galilee, over Hermon and Lebanon and b)' the 
 waters of Abana and Pharpar, have I witnessed the shep- 
 herd going before his flock and calling his sheep b)- name, 
 and the sheep following their leader. Once in the valley 
 south of Jerusalem I saw a shepherd leading his flock, and 
 called to the sheep, but they knew not the voice of the 
 stranger and fled awa)- affrighted. Often in the evening 
 you ma)' hear a shepherd calling from a hilltop to a com- 
 panion in the valley below, asking whether there are an)' 
 stray sheep in his flock. The answer is: "Call, and I will 
 see." The shepherd whose sheep have gone astray then 
 gives a peculiar call with which his sheep are familiar, and 
 his stra)' sheep lift up their heads, while the rest of the 
 flock go on grazing as if nothing had happened. The sheep 
 know their shepherd's voice. 
 
 There is something strikingly beautiful and assuring in 
 the language of the first verses of the twenty-third Psalm, 
 and it is not a fancy of the imagination; but it is a simple 
 fact, both as to the custom to which David alludes and the 
 care of the Lord for his people: "The Lord is m)' shep- 
 herd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green 
 
 *John 10:3-5. 
 
193 
 
 GIRDLING the; globe. 
 
 pastures: ho Icadeth inc beside the still waters."* Could 
 lansfuasfe be more tender or beautiful? Then to see the 
 shepherd leadini^- his flock with tender care to the pastures 
 and the water brooks, makes the language all the more real 
 and gives the entire figure an intensified meaning. 
 
 AB.ANA, DAMASCUS. 
 
 Isaiah also refers to the Good Shepherd in this beauti- 
 ful language: "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he 
 shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 
 bosom.""!" And Micah says: "Feed th)- people with thy rod, 
 and the flock of thine heritage. "J As a rule the shepherd 
 
 * Psalms 23: 1, 2. 
 flsa. 40: II. 
 tMicah 7: 14. 
 
FISHING IX GALILEE. . I93 
 
 does not ncetl to fectl his flock; but late in the fall, when 
 the pastures are dried up, this becomes necessary. The 
 shepherd carries a rod or staff when he leads his flock forth 
 to the pastures to feed them. With it he guides his sheep 
 and defends them from their enemies. The rod and staff 
 are referred to in the twenty-third Psalm: "Thy rod and thy 
 staff they comfort me." Thomson sa}s of the shepherds of 
 Palestine that they are armed in order to defend their 
 charges and are ver}' courageous. Many adventures with 
 wild beasts, not unlike that recounted b}' David, occur; and 
 though there are now no lions here, wolves, leopards and 
 panthers still prowl about these wild valle}'s.* They not 
 infrequenth' attack the flock in the presence of the shep- 
 herd. I have listened with interest to their descriptions of 
 desperate fights with the savage beasts. And when the 
 thief and robber come — and come they do — the faithful 
 shepherd has often to defend his flock at the hazard of his 
 life. "The shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. "f 
 
 And now we are made glad by the coming of our fel- 
 low pilgrims, who left us some weeks ago at Beirut. They 
 report an exceedingly interesting but tiresome and some- 
 what dangerous journey from Damascus to Jerusalem. In 
 northern Syria, at Hermon and Banias they were in peril by 
 robber.^ and lawless inhabitants, and it was only after reach- 
 ing Galilee that they felt comparatively safe. Here they 
 enjoyed fishing in the Sea of Galilee and our picture shows 
 them as spectators at the interesting scene. 
 
 After their arrival the days went by more rapidh' still. 
 There were journeys to Hebron, to the Jordan, to the home 
 of the prophet Samuel, to Bethlehem and Bethany. Jerusa- 
 lem and the hills and valleys round about occupied days of 
 
 *i Sam. 17:34-37. 
 tjohn 10: II, 
 
194 
 
 OIKDLIXC THE GI.Or.E. 
 
 walkinrr and donkey ridin<j^, and l)v the time tlir work was 
 done we were a weary band of pilc^rims. In these wallas 
 and rides we saw much of interest, but here wc have space 
 for but a moonlight night partly spent on 01i\et. This 
 
 FISHING IN GALILEE. 
 
 from my notes: Saturday, Nov. 2. At eight o'clock in the 
 evening we left our hotel, passing through the streets of Je- 
 rusalem and going out at St. Stephen's gate, which pierces 
 the eastern wall of the city. As we descended the hillside, 
 going down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, I spoke to the 
 pilgrims about the probability of Christ having gone down 
 this same steep hillside after the last supper. The full 
 moon shone with a wonderful brightness from a clear skv. 
 The hills and valleys were shown in clear outline, and the 
 
JliWISH FUNERAL. 
 
 195 
 
 shadows fell (lcepl\- in tlie valley of Kidron. The subdued 
 light of the moon brought out the beauty of the scene with- 
 out the barrenness so apparent in the bright sunlight. 
 From the valley we climbed up Olivet, passing Gethsemane 
 on the way, until we reached a level platform, and there 
 under an old olive tree we sat down and sang together: 
 
 ISHMAELITES. 
 
 "Alas! and did my Savior Bleed?" "Have vou ever heard 
 the Story of the Babe of Bethlehem?" and " Nearer, my God, 
 to Thee." It vvas a solemn, but at the same time an enjoy- 
 able prayer meeting, held at a sacred place— Gethsemane 
 at our feet, Jerusalem quiet and peaceful lying over yonder 
 in the bright moonlight. 
 
 Then we moved farther vip the mountain, and there 
 
K/) GIKIiLlXG TIIK C.I.OBE. 
 
 came to our cars I he low, moaning sound of solemn 
 chanting. It was not far from the hour of midnight. 
 Looking across the valley from where the moaning came, a 
 procession was seen coming down into the valley of Jehosha- 
 phat from the southeast corner of the city wall. The lan- 
 terns and torches were dimly visible in the bright moon- 
 light. As it crossed the valley and ascended Olivet we as- 
 certained that it was a funeral procession on the way to the 
 Jewish burial ground on the slope of the mountain. The 
 body of the dead was carried on a stretcher made by unit- 
 ing two strong poles with a number of chains. On the 
 chains the body was laid and covered with a white cloth, 
 and carried on the shoulders of four men who frequently 
 changed places with others who walked by their side. The 
 body was that of an elderly woman, and the procession was 
 made up of about fifty of the sons of Abraham. As it 
 passed where we were standing we joined the procession 
 and followed the body to the grave. The stretcher with its 
 silent burden was laid down on a flat tombstone at the side 
 of the open grave. A man laid aside his outer robe and got 
 down into the grave. Others removed the white cloth from 
 the dead. The body was closely wrapped in black cloth. 
 Two men, one at the head, the other at the feet, took the 
 body and lowered it to the man in the tomb. The man 
 took it in his arms and laid it in the grave, and then with 
 flat stones built a box over it. First stones were set up on 
 edge at both sides of the body, with one at the head and 
 another at the feet. Then flat stones were laid on these, 
 covering the body in a coftin of stone. The grave was then 
 hastily filled by scraping in the earth. When it was level 
 with the top of the ground a stone wall about a foot in 
 height was built around the grave and the inside was filled 
 with earth. A psalm was read, a prayer for the soul of the 
 
Wine vats. 197 
 
 dead was offeretl by the attending priest, the funeral party 
 dispersed, and we turned away from the Jewish necropolis 
 on the w^estern side of Olivet. 
 
 After the burial I conversed with an intelligent German 
 Jew, one of those who attended the funeral. He said: 
 " When death occurs the body is at once prepared for the 
 tomb, and is buried within a few hours." I was informed 
 that as soon as God takes the soul out of the body a poi- 
 sonous emanation arises from it; hence the desire to bury as 
 quicld}' as possible. If death occurs on a feast or sabbath 
 day the burial is deferred until after sunset, which closes the 
 Jewish day. Hence the burial on Olivet by moonlight, of 
 which we had been interested witnesses. 
 
 On our return to the city we walked around to the 
 Jaffa gate and found it open after the hour of midnight. 
 As a matter of fact the gates of Jerusalem stand open day 
 and night. 
 
 In our walks about Jerusalem we revisited what are 
 now called the " king's wine presses," or, more properly 
 speaking, wine vats. The outline sketch made after my 
 own measurement will assist the reader in getting a correct 
 idea of the wine vats in use in Palestine in Bible times. A 
 series of vats is hewn into the solid rock on the slope of 
 the hill. In the sketch two vats are shown; the smaller one 
 has a capacity of thirteen hundred and forty gallons, while 
 the larger would hold three thousand gallons. It will be 
 observed that the upper has a smaller one connected with it 
 by means of a gutter or trough cut in the rock. The smaller 
 vat is the real wine press; into this, and the five smaller vats 
 connected with the lower and larger receptacle, the grapes 
 were thrown and the treading process took place. Men, 
 barefoot, trod upon the grapes until the entire mass was re- 
 duced to pulp and juice. Then more grapes were thrown in 
 

 mu\\\\[i Mll MlliMi >f 
 
 KiNCi's Winepress. 
 
WINE SKINS. 199 
 
 and the treading went on, the juice flowing through the gut- 
 ters into the larger vats below. 
 
 Referring to the wine vats, I repeat the observations 
 made in a previous volume.* Treading the wine press was 
 hard and wearisome labor, and as the red grape, with juice 
 red as blood, was grown in Palestine, the raiment of those 
 who trod in the vats became red, and from this fact Isaiah 
 drew one of his most vivid figures of speech: " Wherefore 
 art tJi07i red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him 
 that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress 
 alone; and of the people there ivas none with me."t Some 
 of the treading vats or presses were large enough for sev- 
 eral men to stand in them and crush grapes at the same 
 time. Others were so small that but one could stand in 
 each of them, and he " trod the winepress alone." The 
 treading out of the blood-red juice of the grape is referred 
 to by St. John in the Apocalypse when he speaks of the 
 " great winepress of the wrath of God," and of the 
 wicked who are cast into " the great winepress of the wrath 
 of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, 
 and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse 
 bridles. ";|; 
 
 Near the winepress is a great cistern or cellar hewn in- 
 to the rock, in which it is more than likely the wine was 
 stored in skin bottles. y\fter the wine had fermented in the 
 large vats it was put into the skins and then stored away in 
 the cellars. The one here is forty-six feet deep and, it has 
 been estimated, would hold fifty thousand wine skins, or 
 about half a million gallons of wine. The kinij's wine cellar 
 
 ♦"Wanderings in Bible Lands." 
 
 tlsa.63:2, 3. 
 
 X Rev. 14: 19, 20. 
 
200 GIRDLING TI'E GLOBE. 
 
 Avas of such inii:ortance that an overseer was appointed 
 " over the increase of the vine}"ards for the wine celhir."* 
 
 How rapid is time in its flight, and doubly rapid it is 
 when we are busily engaged in an enjoyable work. To us 
 no other days and weeks ever went by so quickly as did 
 those spent in the Holy City. And now the time comes 
 to move on again. Eastward and homeward, thank God! 
 we turn our faces. The weeks spent at Jerusalem were full 
 of interest and of profit. Much of the time was spent in 
 walks about the city and in making short tours to places of 
 biblical interest in the neighborhood of the city. With the 
 Bible as a guidebook, and with the knowledge gained on 
 previous visits, we went about from place to place without a 
 dragoman. In this way the time passed quickl}*, and not a 
 single day dragged heavily on our hands. We saw much 
 and learned much, and we were glad for the opportunity to 
 gain a better and more intimate personal knowledge of the 
 city of the great King and its close relation to the old, old 
 Bible story. 
 
 While the time passed quickly and pleasanth*, there 
 was also some anxiety connected with our sojourn in Pales- 
 tine. The cholera broke out in Egypt, and at one time it 
 was reported that it also prevailed at Damascus. This 
 rumor, however, proved, much to our relief, to be without 
 foundation. But the political situation gave us the most 
 concern. Rumors of war were rife, and during the last 
 week of our stay the Turkish authoiities suppressed all 
 newspapers. These were burned at Jaffa by the postof^ce 
 ofificials, and we were left without news from the outside 
 world. Toward the last scarce!}' a day passed that did not 
 witness the arri\al of recruits for the army. These passed 
 through the streets singing war songs, the burden of which, 
 
 * 1 Chron. 27: 27. 
 
■J) 
 
 <; 
 Z 
 
FRESH-WATER CANAL. 2O3 
 
 we were informed, at some places at least, w-as, " Long live 
 the sultan and death to the Christian heretics." Under 
 these circumstances we were not sorry to get away from 
 Palestine. We learned afterwards that, the evening before 
 we left, the mission at Shechem was attacked by Moham- 
 medans, and some of those connected with the work were 
 severely wounded. 
 
 We left Jerusalem Nov. ii to go down into Egypt. 
 From the Holy City to Jaffa we journeyed by rail, and 
 thence by steamer to Port Said. Although the long sum- 
 mer drouth of seven months was broken two weeks before 
 by a grateful fall of the early rain, the mountains, valleys, 
 and plains were still barren. A few months later and they 
 would be covered with verdure, and beautiful flowers would 
 bloom by the wayside. At Jaffa we enjoyed the novelty of 
 a smooth, calm sea when we embarked, — something so un- 
 usual in our experience that we make a note of it. The 
 voyage on the " Vorwarts " was delightfully pleasant. In 
 the evening, as the shades of night came down upon the 
 hills of Judea and the plains of Sharon, shutting off the 
 Holy Land from our sight, we sailed away from Jaffa, and 
 early next morning cast anchor at Port Said and were 
 again in the land of the Pharaohs. 
 
 Since the writer visited Egypt in 1891-2, in company 
 with Brother Lahman, a railway has been constructed on 
 the right bank of the Suez Canal to Ismailia, so that the 
 former port is now connected with Cairo by rail. A fresh- 
 water canal has also been completed, and Port Said now has 
 a plentiful supply of Nile water. Such is the fertilizing 
 power of the water of the river of P>g)'pt that it rapidly 
 turns the desert into a garden, and the city can now boast 
 of beautiful gardens and umbrageous groves of palm, 
 acacia, and pepper trees. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ro7t Said — Railway to Cairo — To the Pyramids — Camel Train — 
 Farmers at Work — Casting Seed Upon the Water — A Monopo- 
 listic Sheik — A Hard Climb — On the Siamnit — Smelling Salts 
 and the Arabs — The Shanie of Cai?-o — A Street Sleeper — On to 
 India — The Red Sea — Aden and the Divers — The Arabian Sea 
 — The Harbor of Bombay. 
 
 Port Said, according to the verdict of Rudyard Kip- 
 ling, is the wickedest town in the world. "There is wicked- 
 ness in many parts of the world, and vice in all, but the 
 concentrated essence of all the iniquities and all the vices 
 in all the continents finds itself at Port Said." What Dodge 
 City was as the terminus of the Santa F6 railroad on our 
 western plain, Port Said was, and more, during the con- 
 struction of the Suez Canal. Both places have changed for 
 the better, and Port Said now puts on airs of semirespect- 
 ability, and is perhaps not beyond Paris in vice and iniq- 
 uity. 
 
 The railway from Port Said to Ismailia is built on the 
 African side of the canal. To the west are the sand-bor- 
 dered lakes of Bittir, where all the day long, o\'er desert 
 sand and salt water, play the most beautiful mirages in the 
 world. At Ismailia the train stops for lunch, and then a 
 long, dusty ride in a rumbling train, — over a hot, sandy des- 
 ert, past Tel-el-Kebir, where the British army surprised the 
 forces of Arabi and ended the war in Eg\pt, and where the 
 Elder and I found ourselves after being lost on the desert 
 and wading the salt marsh near the town, — brings us to the 
 
 borders of the land of Goshen. How beautiful are the 
 
 (204) 
 
THE GREAT PYRAMIDS. 20$ 
 
 green fields after the desert. We enjoy things in this life 
 by contrast, and if you want to enjo)' the verdure of nature 
 to the full, cross a desert first. At six in the evening the 
 train rumbles into the station at Cairo, and after running 
 the gauntlet of donkey boys and cabs we are again comfort- 
 ably lodged in the Khedival Hotel, w itli the windows of our 
 rooms facing the Ezbekiyeh gardens. 
 
 Our second visit to Cairo, the one oriental capital of 
 the world, enabled us to revisit with increased interest and 
 profit many places of such importance that thousands of 
 travelers from all parts of the world annually flock to 
 Egypt to see and admire them. We saw again with re- 
 newed interest the great pjramids of Gizeh, the sphinx and 
 its ancient temple but recently recovered from its sandy 
 tomb, Heliopolis with its lone obelisk marking the site of 
 the Cit\' of the Sun where Joseph married his wife, the isle 
 of Rhoda between the two banks of the Nile where Pha- 
 raoh's daughter found and loved and saved the infant Mo- 
 ses, the ancient tree under which Joseph and Mary rested 
 with the "Babe of Bethlehem" when they fled from the 
 wrath of Herod to the land of Egypt, the Egyptian Museum 
 founded by Marietta Bey where lie in state the royal mum- 
 mies of Rameses H., the Pharaoh of the oppression, his 
 father Seti I., and his grandfather Rameses I., and mosques 
 howling dervishes, streets and bazaars. 
 
 A da}' was spent very pleasantly in an exclusion to the 
 great pyramids. I went along, for the more one sees of the 
 pyramids the more he wants to see of them. Not that I 
 cared to climb to the top of Cheops again, for one ascent is 
 about all any one cares to make, but I wanted to look upon 
 the great, dignified structure again and wonder, and admire. 
 Hassan, the faithful coachman who took us out two years 
 ago, was ready in the early morning with carriages, and our 
 
206 
 
 (IIKIU.lNc; THE GLOBE. 
 
 liost of the Khcdival stocked the lunch basket with abun- 
 dant store of ajipetizing food. A delightful dri\c of sc\H-n 
 miles through the streets of Cairo, across the great Nile 
 bridge and thence over an excellent road, as level as a floor 
 and densely shaded with acacia trees, brought us to the des- 
 ert; then a strong jnill up a steep, sandy road, and we are at 
 the base of Cheops. 
 
 A CAMEL TRAIN. 
 
 On the way out we met long strings of camels, heavily 
 burdened, making their way solemnly and silently toward 
 the city. The animals walk single file and from ten to 
 twenty are tied together with ropes. As we were passing 
 one of these heavy-laden camel trains, the last camel, a 
 
EGYPTIAN FARMERS. 207 
 
 frisky youngster, became frightened and ran around one of 
 the trees on the border of the road. The train moved on 
 and the rope around the neck of the young camel drew it 
 tight against the trunk of the tree. For a brief moment it 
 was a question as to whether the trunk of the tree, the rope 
 or the camel's neck would be broken. The rope gave way 
 and the problem was solved. 
 
 The farming land, on both sides of the road, was nearly 
 all covered with the overflowing water of the Nile, which 
 was now rapidly receding. The higher ground was already 
 above the water, and on this the Egyptian farmers were 
 busily engaged in sowing wheat. The seed was scattered 
 broadcast on the soft mud and was covered by dragging 
 over it a pole to which were attached branches from the 
 palm tree. Ropes were attached to the pole and two men 
 did the dragging. The seed was covered by smearing the 
 mud over it. Treated in this way the grain sprouts quickly 
 in the hot sun, and in an incredibly short time the field is 
 carpeted with verdure. At several places I saw men sowing 
 the seed in the shallow water. In a few days the water re- 
 cedes and the seed is covered by a deposit left upon it by 
 the muddy water. It grows quickly and produces an abun- 
 dant crop. From this custom, as old as the days of Moses, 
 of sowing seed on the water is drawn the beautiful words of 
 the wise man: "Cast thy bread upon the waters, and after 
 many days it will return unto thee." 
 
 "Cast thy bread upon the waters, 
 
 Ye wh(i have but scant supply, 
 Angel eyes will watch above it; 
 
 You shall find it by and by! 
 He who in his righteous balance 
 
 Doth each human action weigh, 
 Will your sacrifice remember, 
 
 Will your loving deeds repay. 
 
208 
 
 f^IRDLIN'G THE GLOBE. 
 
 "Cast thy bread upon the waters, 
 
 Ye who have abundant store, 
 It may float on many a billow. 
 
 It may strand on many a shore; 
 You may think it lost forever. 
 
 But, as sure as God is true, 
 In this life or in the other, 
 
 It will yet return to you." 
 
 FARMERS AT WORK IN EGYPT. 
 
 At some places, where it was highest, the ground had 
 already become dry and hard, and it was necessary to turn 
 it over before sowing the seed. Instead of using plows a 
 number of Arabs armed with hoes were at work digging up 
 and turning over the soil. Then the seed was sown and 
 covered with the drag. 
 
THE PYRAMIDS. 
 
 209 
 
 Upon arrival at the base of Cheops you must deal with 
 the sheik of the pyramids, who has a monopoly of the busi- 
 ness. He furnishes you guides, for which service he charg- 
 es you twenty-five cents. He w ill send two or three light- 
 footed Arabs with }'ou, and you are expected to give each 
 of these as much as the sheik received, of which, it is said, 
 
 A HARD CLIMB.-PVRAMID IX EGYPT. 
 
 he exacts a large percentage. He receives quite an income 
 from the toll he gathers from those who climb Cheops. Oiu' 
 pilgrims prepared to make the ascent, and after much noise 
 and confusion among the would-be guides and assistants 
 they set off for the top, each accompanied by two nimble- 
 footed Arabs. Having made the ascent once, we two re- 
 mained comfortabl}' seated in our carriage watching our 
 
210 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 companions toiling upward until they were lost to sight on 
 the summit. The camera caught a picture of one of the 
 pilgrims on the upward climb, and it is here r-eproduced so 
 that 111)' readers may know that pyramid climbing is hard 
 work. 
 
 The sellers of "antikas" are numerous at the pyramids, 
 and \'ou are importuned in the most persistent way to buy 
 relics, which you are solemnly and positively assured were 
 taken from the tombs of the Pharaohs. Here are scarabs, 
 lamps, beads, small images of the ancient gods, and a hun- 
 dred other things offered at prices to suit purchasers. The 
 prices are fixed on a sliding scale, and are subject to vio- 
 lent fluctuations, depending upon the merchant's notion of 
 your ignorance of the real value of the object offered for 
 sale. He will offer you a scarab for ten dollars, assuring 
 you that it is four thousand years old. If you show no dis- 
 position to buy he comes sliding down the scale until }'Ou 
 are at last induced to take the thing for fifty cents, only to 
 learn afterwards that }'ou can buy all the scarabs of the 
 same kind you want in Cairo at from five to ten cents each. 
 These articles are manufactured and offered for sale, in 
 these degenerate days, by a degenerate race, as real objects 
 of antiquity, and so skillfully are they made that only an 
 expert can detect the fraud. I bought a scarab for twenty- 
 five cents and afterwards compared it with one that cost ten 
 dollars, and it was impossible for me to detect any differ- 
 ence between the two. 
 
 Our carriage was the center of a crowd of merchants 
 and curious Arabs, who came to sell and to see. My wife 
 had with her a bottle of smelling salts. It had been pur- 
 chased but recently, and emitted strong fumes of ammonia. 
 She was using it cautiously for a slight headache. The 
 descendants of Ishmael are exceedingly inquisitive an J 
 
INQUISITIVE ARABS. 
 
 211 
 
 superstitious, and those who stood about us got th.e idea 
 that the little bottle contained a charm against the cholera, 
 which was raging in some parts of Egypt, and of which the 
 natives are in mortal dread. They wanted to try the rem- 
 edy, but at first none were bold enough to make the experi- 
 ment. At length a fine-looking fellow, Ahmed by name, 
 
 THE PILGRIMS ON TOP OF CHEUPS. 
 
 came forward and took a strong, deep sniff at the bottle. 
 The result was a surprise to Ahmed and bordered on the 
 ridiculous. The Arab's head was thrown back, his eyes 
 filled with tears, and there was a look of surprise on his face 
 that always comes with the first unexpected experience. 
 For a moment he was at a loss to know what had happened. 
 
212 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 and then rccovcrin;^ liinisclf he wainily recommended the 
 wonderful cholera cure to others w illi such success that a 
 score or more were not satisfied until thc\- took the nictli- 
 cine. It was an amusing incident and it is to be hoped had 
 the desired effect. 
 
 We walked around the p)Tamids and realized again 
 something of their magnitude and dignit\-, and by the time 
 
 MOUNTED PILGRIMS. 
 
 our companions came down from the summit and explored 
 the King's Chamber it was high noun. We ate our lunch in 
 the shade of Cheops, grateful for the shadow of the great 
 pile in a weary land. Then we looked at the Sphinx again, 
 and the great granite temple between its paws. The pil- 
 grims mounted the pyramid camels for the regulation ride 
 
IMMORAL CAIRO. 213 
 
 over the sands of the desert and then, when the sun was 
 sinking in the west and the shades of evening were coming 
 down, we drox'e back to Cairo well pleased with the da)'s 
 outing. 
 
 Cairo is a great winter rt'sort for l^uropc. It is said 
 that not less than twent}-five thousand people from the 
 North spend their winter here, and among this number are 
 many Americans. The fashionable hotels, notably Shep- 
 heard's and the New Grand, where the charges range from 
 four to twelve dollars per day, are crowded during the win- 
 ter months with wealthy pleasure seekers, and immense 
 sums of mone\' are left in the city by her winter guests. 
 
 The natives of Cairo, never noted for their good morals, 
 are not, as one might suppose they would be, made better 
 by this great annual influx of northern civilization. It 
 might and ought to be otherwise. Is not northern P.urope 
 Christianized, and are not the most of these pleasure seekers 
 professed followers of Christ? One would naturally sup- 
 pose, at the point of contact between Islamism and Chris- 
 tianity, that a marked improvement would result. And 
 this is true when the Christianity is real and the Spirit of 
 Christ pervades, but this is not, as a rule, the kind that 
 comes to Cairo with millions of wealth on pleasure bent. 
 The coffers of the hotelkeepers and merchants are filled, 
 but resultant immorality and vice are the shame of the fair 
 city. The harlot waits not for the darkness of night to 
 cover her shame, but in the open daylight follows her voca- 
 tion, soliciting patronage in the streets of the city. Girls of 
 twelve, mere children in age, but old in sin and settled and 
 fixed in a life of sin and shame, accost you on the thorough- 
 fares of the city, and man\' there are who go after the ways 
 of strange women. " Wheresoever the carcass is, there will 
 
214 
 
 GIRDLING THK GLOBE. 
 
 the eagles be gathered together." The carrion and the 
 vultures both abound in Cairo. 
 
 Here is work for the earnest Christian missionary, and 
 Dr. Watson and his noble band of workers are doing all 
 they can to stem the tide of evil. But it is hard work. 
 They must labor not onl\' against the Moslem faith, but 
 
 IN THE EZBEKIYEH G.XRDENS, CAIRO. 
 
 against the immorality and sin of professed Christians. 
 The task seems almost a hopeless one. And yet, in the 
 end, the religion of Jesus must prevail. 
 
 The condition of woman in Egypt is pitiable. She is 
 as much a slave as ever were the negroes of our South. 
 She has no rights that man is bound to respect, and is 
 classed as an animal without a soul. Harlotry is semi- 
 
WOMAN A SLAVE. 
 
 215 
 
 respectable. The first thing to be done to better the con- 
 dition of Egypt is to free the women. When the mothers 
 and daughters are free, the first step toward the regenera- 
 tion of Egypt will have been taken. No country can pros- 
 per and rise to true greatness when women are held in 
 bondage and are without voice, influence and respect. 
 
 A STREET SLEEPER. 
 
 In front of our hotel is the park known as the Ezbeki- 
 yeh gardens, containing a variety of rare and beautiful trees 
 and shrubs and flowers. In the center of the garden is a 
 beautiful lake. It is much frequented by invalids who 
 spend the winter in Cairo for the sake of their health. The 
 garden is surrounded by an iron fence and an ample side- 
 
2l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 walk borders the broad street. In the afternoon the 
 place is thronged with visitors and the sidewalk outside 
 presents a busy scene. Passing- aloni;- one afternoon we 
 noticed a bundle lying on the walk. Closer inspection re- 
 vealed the fact that there was a man in it. He had laid 
 his bed an.d himself down on llu- sidewalk, and using his 
 mantle for a covering" was enjoying an after dinner nap. 
 His bed was a thin mattress composed of a couple of narrow 
 quilts. This is a common sight in Cairo, for many people 
 of the lower class sleep on the streets. Upon waking they 
 take up their bed and go their way. Not only in Cairo, but 
 in Jerusalem as well, have I seen men carrying their beds 
 about the streets; and one is forcibly reminded of the Mas- 
 ter's command to the palsied man, " Arise, take up thy bed 
 and walk." * 
 
 A visit to the bazaars in Cairo is always full of interest. 
 The bargaining, the bu}-ing and selling and manufacturing 
 are carried on in the open street, and one may see and ad- 
 mire as one passes along. The conflict betv/een seller and 
 buyer waxes furious, and you expect to see them come to 
 blows, but it all ends peaceably. But the old, old custom of 
 the bu}'er saying: " It is naught, it is naught; but when he 
 is gone his way, then he boasteth/'j is as common in all 
 the Bible lands to-day as it was when the wise man wrote. 
 I am of the impression that this habit of saying, " It is 
 naught, it is naught," is not confined alone to the Orient. 
 At one of the bazaars we witnessed the process of putting 
 on a girl's arms rings which she had purchased from the 
 dealer. One of the pilgrims gave his impression of the 
 scene in these words: 
 
 " While passing along the street we came in front of 
 
 *Matt. 9:6. 
 t Prov. 20: 14. 
 
DONKEY RIDING. 2l7 
 
 one of the stores where the salesman was putting wristlets 
 over a young girl's hand. As they were solid rings, the 
 wonder to us was how he would get them over the hand, 
 and }'et fit tightl}' after they were on, so we halted to see 
 tlu- operation. Two were already on and he was placing 
 the third one. This he did by squeezing the hand so hard 
 tl at we thought he would unjoint the bones and smash tlu' 
 flesh. Then })lacing the ring over the fingers and thumb, he 
 poured oil over the hand, after which lie caught the fingers 
 with liis one hand and with the other forced the ring over 
 the bulk of the hand, and it was to its place. The opera- 
 tion must have been very painful, as her facial expression 
 indicated most excruciating suffering. We tarried until 
 five rings were placed on her one wrist, and we were made 
 to think. What a terrible tyrant ' Madam Fashion ' is, and 
 what willing slaves the human kind are. How much sacri- 
 fice and suffering for sin, — how little for Christ! Yes, you 
 say, but these are heathen. Perhaps so, but we know and 
 have seen professing Christians do more hurtful, sill)' and 
 sinful things than these poor, untutored heathen do."* 
 
 Uonkey riding is one of the enjoyable pastimes in Cai- 
 ro. The donkey boy, bright and shrewd, with his patient 
 little animal, is everywhere present and always at }'our 
 service. He will follow you for hours, driving the donkey 
 at a gallop and never seems to tire. The donkey and the 
 donkey boy are an institution of Cairo and nowhere will 
 you find better donkejs or better bo}'S to drive them. I 
 spent many hours threading the narrow streets of the city 
 on the back of one of these faithful little animals. 
 
 Our fourteen days in Cairo were gone, and our pilgrim 
 band was to be broken. Six months we had journeyed to- 
 gether in three continents. Now brethren Brumbaugh, 
 
 *Eld. H. B. Brumbaugli in Gospel Messenger. 
 
2l8 
 
 r.iRni.iNn tuf. hlobe. 
 
 Myers and Bingaman were to turn their faces homeward, 
 goin<^ by way of Alexandria and Naples to New York. 
 Parting with friends is, under the most favorable circum- 
 stances, not pleasant. When the separation comes in a 
 strange land among strangers it is a most trying experience, 
 and I thus characterize our parting at Cairo. In the early 
 
 DONKEY RIDING IN CAIRO. 
 
 morning we met in our room in the hotel. Brother Myers 
 read the ninety-first Psalm, and then we all knelt down and 
 in prayer commended ourselves to the keeping power of 
 God. It was a sacred, solemn season, and while the tears 
 would flow, we rose from our knees comforted and made 
 stronger for what was pointed out as the path of duty. 
 
WATER WHEEL. 
 
 2ig 
 
 Then the farewells were said, and we parted, possibly to 
 meet no more in this world. 
 
 From Cairo we recrossed the land of Goshen passing 
 through the cholera-infected city of Zagazig. The railway 
 runs along the great fresh-water canal used for irrigating 
 the land. At many places the water wheels, with the ox 
 supplying the motive power, were in operation, lifting the 
 
 WATER WHEEL, EGYPT. 
 
 water to the level of the fields. In the evening we reached. 
 Ismailia where a day's wait was made for the arrival of the 
 steamer for India. Here the unexpected happened — a 
 heavy rainstorm in Egypt, and that too on the desert. It is 
 such an unusual thing to have rain here that the houses are 
 
220 GIRDI.lXr, THE GLOBE. 
 
 !iv)t built for such a contingency. The water came through 
 tiic roof of the hotel, antl we were compelled to change 
 (luiTters a number of times in order to keep dry. The Suez 
 aiul the fresh-water canals, furnishing abundant water for 
 c\ai)oration, have changed the cliiuatic conditions on the 
 desert. Where formerly rainfall was unknown it now occa- 
 sional 1}' occurs, and when it does rain it comes in torrents. 
 ;\t nine P. M. the steamer arrived, antl we were soon on 
 board and c/i route for India and home. 
 
 The traveler who crosses the Atlantic Ocean a*^^ this 
 season of the year (December) supplies himself with heavy 
 winter clothing and makes every preparation to keep warm. 
 He who journeys southward on the Red Sea and the Indian 
 Ocean, bearing close down upon the equator, and continues 
 his journey to India, desires the best methods to keep cool. 
 In the midst of winter it seems odd enough to have a sweat 
 pad under your hand to keep the perspiration off your pa- 
 per while you write. Such was our experience on our 
 southward journe\'. 
 
 On the morning of Nov. 28, 1895, the " Caledonia," with 
 nearly five hundred passengers, steamed out of the southern 
 end of the Suez Canal and entered one of the notable seas 
 of the Bible, whose waters opened for the safe passage of 
 God's people, and closed as quickly upon their cruel task- 
 masters and pursuers, overthrowing and destroying the host 
 of the King of Egypt. From the entrance of the sea at 
 Suez, to the Straits of Babelmandeb at Aden, where we en- 
 ter the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, the distance is 
 in round numbers fourteen hundred miles. This is the 
 greatest length of the Red Sea, whilst its extreme width 
 does not exceed two hundred miles. This body of water 
 is the division line between Asia and Africa, and, lying 
 between two great deserts, the temperature is very high. 
 
SUEZ. 221 
 
 It is the hottest zone of sea and land on the globe, except- 
 ing the Persian Gulf and the coast of Senegambia. Even 
 in the winter months the mercury ranges as high as lOO de- 
 grees in the shade. In midsummer the heat is simple- 
 frightful, and many who undertake the \'oyage at that sea- 
 son of the year are overcome by the intense heat, and are 
 buried beneath the waves of the sea. Just a few months 
 ago a shipload of French soldiers was returning home 
 from Madagascar by this route, and some thirty of the 
 poor fellows were overcome by the heat and were buried 
 at sea. 
 
 At Suez we have the place where the Israelites passed 
 through the sea, and not far awa\' are the fountains, or 
 wells, of Moses. I visited this place three years ago in 
 company with Brother Lahman. It is supposed by some to 
 be the bitter water of Marah where the Jews murmured, and 
 they longed for the waters and fleshpots of Egypt. It is 
 not a difficult matter to go back in the imagination thirty- 
 three hundred years, and people these shores with the es- 
 caping Israelites. Their slavery had been long continued 
 and grievous to be borne, but at last their groanings and 
 cries, forced from them b)' the severit}' of their bondage 
 and burdens, came up before God and were heard, and the 
 time of their deliverance had come. In the full hope of 
 blessed freedom, six hundred thousand men, able-bodied 
 and strong, besides the old and )oung, the women and 
 children, stood on }onder shore. The\' had thus far es- 
 caped from the land of bondage, and now the\' were shut in 
 b\- mountain and sea. The Egyptian host pressed hard 
 upon them, determined to recover their escaping slaves and 
 take them into bondage again. To the sons of Jacob came 
 quick despondenc}-. superseding their high hopes. When 
 all human help failed the Lord opened the waters of the 
 
222 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 sea, and his people passed throu<Th. The \va)' of escape 
 became the way of destruction to their pursuers. How 
 these now silent shores and this dark, silent sea must have 
 resounded on that sprini:,r day, so long ago, to the glad 
 shouts of the victors, intermingled with the dying groans 
 and curses of the drowning host! How the song of Moses, 
 and the loud sounding timbrel in the hands of Miriam rang 
 out over " Egypt's dark sea," for " Jehovah had tri- 
 umphed, and his people were free." 
 
 But while we meditate on these scenes the ship passes 
 on, and Suez, the wells of Moses, and the place of crossing 
 are left far behind. Before midday we pass the insignifi- 
 cant port of Tor, to which a line of small Eg}'ptian steam- 
 ers carry passengers who wish to visit Mt. Sinai and do not 
 care to make the desert trip. From Tor Mt. Sinai can be 
 reached with camels in two dax's, and the dangers and fa- 
 tigue of the long desert route ma\' be, in part, avoided. 
 The Sinaitic range of mountains is in full sight from the 
 ship, but the Mountain of the Law, which is thirty-seven 
 miles awa}', is hid from view by the intervening hills. But 
 it is interesting to have a close view of the range of moun- 
 tains from one of the peaks of which, amidst fire and smoke, 
 and thunders and lightnings, the law of God was given to 
 Moses. It has long been one of our desires to visit Mt. 
 Sinai, but it is not likel)' that we shall ever see more of it 
 than was visible from the deck of the " Caledonia " as we 
 steamed down the Red Sea. 
 
 The only other place of general interest on the Red 
 Sea is the port of Jiddah. Here the Mohammedans land 
 on their great annual pilgrimages to Mecca, the birthplace 
 of the false prophet, which is sixt}' miles east. Jiddah has 
 a population, including the small villages surrounding it, of 
 about forty thousand. It has an interest peculiar to itself 
 
PORT OF JIDDAH. 223 
 
 because it is one of the breeding places of the Asiatic chol- 
 era. Shipload after shipload of pilgrims is landed here 
 from India and other parts of Asia. They bring with 
 them the germs of the disease, and at Jiddah and Mecca it 
 becomes epidemic. The returning pilgrims carry with 
 them the cholera germs to Eg)'pt, Palestine, and Turkey 
 in Europe, and as a result an outbreak of the scourge oc- 
 curs on the continent. It would be a good thing if the 
 pilgrimages were either entirely prohibited, or else placed 
 under such sanitary regulations as would prevent the chol- 
 era from being carried to all parts of the world. 
 
 As we continue our journey southward, nearing the 
 equator, the heat, becomes intense, the mercury ranging 
 from 85 degrees to 95 degrees in our staterooms. It is a 
 difificult matter to keep cool. In the diningroom great fans 
 or punkahs, as they are called, are swinging back and forth, 
 making it more comfortable than it otherwise would be. 
 We are now some two thousand miles south and eight thou- 
 sand miles east of Chicago, and realize more than ever 
 before that our planet is very large. I thought of the boy 
 who had left his home for the first time and had traveled 
 a hundred miles westward. When he came home he had 
 much to say about what he had seen, but was most im- 
 pressed with the bigness of the earth. One day he ex- 
 pressed himself in these words, " I tell you, father, if the 
 world is as large the other way as it is this, it's awful big." 
 We have something of the same feeling; having traveled, 
 at this writing, something like sixteen thousand miles 
 since we left home, and having nearly as many more 
 miles to travel before getting home again, we are im- 
 pressed with the thought that the world is big. With 
 the sense of the magnitude of the globe comes incensed 
 
224 r.lKDIINT, THE GTORF. 
 
 rcxcrcncc Idt the Almighty Creator who math' the heavens 
 and the earth, and holds them in the' hollow of his hand. 
 
 On Sunday me)rning, Dec. I, we cast anchor at Aden, 
 tlie coaling station for steamers going to India. No sooner 
 is the ship at rest than it is surrounded with small boats 
 filled with men and bo\-s whose onl}' clothing is a piece of 
 white cloth wrapped about the loins. These are the j)ro- 
 iessional divers of Aden. A dozen of them sprang into the 
 water shouting, " Hab a dive, sir, hab a dive, sir? Throw in 
 money, )'Ou plenty, me none." A dozen black heads are 
 bobbing about in the water when a passenger throws a sil- 
 ver coin into the sea. At once the heads disappear and 
 twent\-four feet flash upward in the air and then go down 
 after the heads. For what seems a long time, all is silent, 
 then one b\- one the divers come to the surface, while one, 
 more fortunate than his fellows, holds the coveted piece of 
 silver in his hand, shouting in triumph, " Me hab him, sir." 
 Then the shouting is renewed and the same scene is enact- 
 ed over and over again. The divers climb up the ropes and 
 clamber over the rail of the ship, and then, like a shot, go 
 down into the water thirty feet below. They dive down on 
 one side of the ship and come up on the other, and as the 
 "Caledonia" draws twenty-four feet of water and is about 
 sixty feet wide, it is not an easy feat to accomplish. 
 
 The merchants of the town came on board the ship, of- 
 fering for sale ostrich feathers and plumes, tiger and leop- 
 ard skins, baskets filled with the most beautiful sea shells, 
 Arab spears anci swords, with numberless trinkets of curious 
 make and fine workmanship. These were pressed upon the 
 passengers in the most persistent manner. The merchants 
 were for the most part Jews, and they made every effort to 
 sell their wares. The descendants of Jacob are scattered to 
 the uttermost parts of the earth, and we never meet them in 
 
THE CALF.n(1XT.\. 225 
 
 ovil" tiM\els witliMiii thiiilxin^ Iiow wdiulcrfully the Lord has 
 dealt \\illi thcni, and liow, in their dispersion, the Scrii)tures 
 are so litcrall}' tidfilled. 
 
 In a few hours we are olT from y\den and passing- 
 throut^h the straits. We took our course a h'ttle north of 
 east for Homba\'. A stiff breeze, know n to seamen as the 
 northwest monsoon, was blowini^, but this made the vo^-age 
 \cr\- pleasant. Indeed the entire journey from Ismailia to 
 FxMiibay, with the exception of the hot da\s and nights on 
 the Red Sea, was all that could be desired. A good ship, 
 smooth seas, a balmy breeze and good companionship fell 
 to our lot all the wa\-. 
 
 The " Caledonia " is the largest and best ship of the 
 Peninsular and Oriental Company. The ventilation is as 
 nearly perfect as it is possible to be made. Great funnels at- 
 tached to pipes and portholes force the fresh air into all parts 
 of the boat, and there is none of the peculiar bilge-water 
 smell so common on many of the Atlantic steamers. The 
 staterooms and cabins are large and handsomely furnished. 
 Instead of the box bunk, iron bedsteads with wire mattress- 
 es are used, and they are ver\' comfortable. The appoint- 
 ments of the ship are in ever\- respect most excellent. In a 
 word, the "Caledonia " is a perfect model of all that mod- 
 ern skill and money can d() in shipbuilding. 
 
 We secured second-class cabins and found them most 
 comfortable, while the food was all that could be desired. 
 At half past six in the morning coffee, or tea, as you pre- 
 ferred, was brought to the staterooms. At half past eight 
 we had breakfast in the large dining-saloon. The dinner 
 hour was fixed at one o'clock. Then at four P. M. there 
 was tea and biscuits for those who desired them, and at half 
 past six came the supper hour. An abundance of well- 
 
226 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 cooked and most excellent food was served, while fruit was 
 to be had at all of the meals. 
 
 We found in the second cabin a very respectable and 
 congenial class of people. They were exceedingly well be- 
 haved and very kind and sociable. Indeed, from our own 
 personal experience, we do not hesitate to say that, as a 
 rule, much more sociability is manifested among the sec- 
 ond-cabin passengers than those of the first. Of course, in 
 the first cabin, on board an East India steamer, will be 
 found more of the aristocracy of wealth and title than on 
 the Atlantic, and people of this class are exclusive. At our 
 end of the ship there was a social, friendly feeling among 
 the passengers that helped to make the time pass pleasant- 
 ly. Several of the first-cabin passengers spent a good deal 
 of time with us, and one of them expressed her pleasure 
 and said, '.'You do enjoy yourself here. At the other end 
 of the ship we all try to see who can dress the finest and ap- 
 pear the grandest." 
 
 The expense of traveling in the East is much higher 
 than in the West. From New York to Bremen, by the best 
 steamers of the North German Lloyd, second-cabin passage 
 cost us sixty dollars, and the distance is three thousand, 
 five hundred miles, whilst our tickets from Ismailia to Bom- 
 bay, the distance being a trifle less, were one hundred and 
 sixty-five dollars apiece. 
 
 We had in our company some thirty missionaries, all of 
 them on their way to India to labor among the heathen. 
 Some of them had spent many years in India and had been 
 at home on furloughs, and were now returning to their work 
 again. Others had left home and friends for the first time, 
 and were going into untried fields to labor for the uplifting 
 of a nation of idolaters. We formed the acquaintance of a 
 number of missionaries who had worked in India many 
 
QUAKER MISSIONARY. 227 
 
 years. We made the best of our opportunities and learned 
 some things about mission work among the heathen that 
 may be helpful to us in our fields of labor in the future. 
 And those with whom we talked very kindly gave us much 
 valuable information of a practical kind, which we prize 
 very highly indeed. 
 
 The same evening we went on board the steamer at Is- 
 mailia one of the passengers approached us and asked 
 whether we were not members of the Society of Friends. 
 We soon learned that he was a Quaker missionary, Mr. T. 
 by name, sent out by the Friends of England. He and his 
 wife had been in India six )ears, and were returning from 
 their first furlough. He told us of the successes and the 
 failures, of the encouragements and discouragements of the 
 missionary. He also gave us an insight into the life and 
 character of the people of India, which we very much ap- 
 preciated. We also met Miss Carroll, of Joliet, Illinois. 
 She had spent a year and a half at home, and was returning 
 to her work among the women in Bombay where she had 
 spent five years. She had been reading about our travels, 
 and said she thought she knew us when we came aboard the 
 ship. We felt quite at home with each other at once, and 
 formed a very pleasant acquaintance with her and her trav- 
 eling companion, Miss Dart, of Kansas City, who was going 
 to India as a medical missionary. 
 
 At ten in the morning some forty of the passengers 
 met in the lower dining-saloon where an hour was spent in 
 Bible readings. To us these exercises were always enjoy- 
 able and profitable. They were opened and closed with 
 singing and prayer. On the great deep it was good to 
 study God's Book, and to commit and commend our all to 
 the keeping power of him who holdeth the winds and sea in 
 his hands. 
 
228 CIRDl.INc; rilF". (iLOBE. 
 
 We had iti our Bil^lc class Ouakers, Methodists, Presby- 
 terians, Bajitists, Episcopalians, Salvation Army officers, 
 and those of our own faith. W hilc these different denom- 
 inations were all represented there was no clashin<:^- of opin- 
 ion. In one thin<;^ they had a common bond of union. 
 They had all left their homes to labor amon*;- tlie heathen, 
 and for the time they were thrown together on board the 
 ship they made the most of their agreements and the least 
 of their differences. 
 
 Among the second-cabin passengers was Booth Tucker, 
 of the Salvation Army, Gen. Booth's son-in-law. He at one 
 time had a lucrative position as India Commissioner under 
 the British government. He resigned his place and began 
 preaching to the natives. Ten years ago he was arrested 
 for marching and preaching in the streets of Bombay. The 
 judges sentenced him to a term of imprisonment at hard 
 labor, and then called him before them and said they would 
 commute his sentence if he would promise to give up 
 preaching on the streets. His answer was characteristic of 
 the man: "If you were to put a rope about m\' neck and 
 threaten to hang me the next minute I would not give up 
 my work." He served out his sentence and then went to 
 preaching again. He tramped through the country bare- 
 foot, dressed in native costmne, and told the people the 
 story of the Cross. He speaks twelve languages and has 
 gone all over India, east and west, north and south, and 
 is perhaps better known among the natives than any other 
 man in the country. As a result of his persistent labors, 
 thousands of the heathens gave up idol worship and ac- 
 cepted his teaching. Zeal, earnestness, and self-sacrifice 
 are characteristic of the man, and without these qualities 
 no one can succeed in mission work. 
 
 As already stated, we had much conversation wilii Mr. 
 
REFUSED TO DANCE. 22$ 
 
 T., the Quaker missionan', not onl\ in regard to iiiissionary 
 work, but as to the progress being made by tlie Society of 
 Friends. As we hold alike to peace principles, plain dress- 
 ing and some other points, we had some things in common 
 to draw us together. I noticed that Mr. and Mrs. T. did 
 not wear the well-known Quaker form of dress, and he in- 
 formed me that the English Friends had entirel)'^ given up 
 the form, but insisted ver\- strongly on plain dressing, plain 
 speech and plain living as Bible principles. In answer to 
 the question, "Since you have given up the Quaker form of 
 dress, how has your society succeeded in maintaining plain 
 dressing?" he said, "The question is somewhat difficult to 
 answer; there are alway.s some who go to extremes, and we 
 can hardly restrain them." It was apparent that in giving 
 up the form the principle went with it. 
 
 At this juncture of the conversation the wife of the 
 missionary came up and joined us. She was dressed quite 
 as fashionably as any of the lady missionaries on board the 
 steamer and wore three gold rings, one of them with a 
 small diamond set. Further talk on the subject I found 
 was embarrassing to them, but Mr. T. explained that the 
 rings were gifts from ver)' dear friends and were worn as 
 keepsakes. On another part of the deck some of the 
 young people were dancing, and a young man came to 
 where we were and invited Mrs. T. to join them. She de- 
 clined, and when he had gone away she said rather indig- 
 nant!}', "What did he mean b}' asking me to dance? What 
 does he take me for?" Then after a moment's thought she 
 said, "Well, I am ver\- sure of on 2 thing; if I had been 
 dressed in the good old Quaker garb I should not have 
 been asked to join the dancers." And here our conversa- 
 tion closed. 
 
 The ila)'s of our voyage on the Arabian Sea passed 
 
230 GIRDLING THP: GLOBE. 
 
 a\\a\- like a dream. The weather was fine, the ship one of 
 the best, the company agreeable, the da}-s clear and bright 
 and the nights delightfully cool and pleasant. And now, 
 on the morning of Dec. 5, in the distance is to be discerned 
 the dim outline of the coast of India. At ii A. M. we cast 
 anchor in the harbor of Bombay and another of our long 
 sea voyages is ended, as is also this chapter. 
 
< 
 
 o 
 pq 
 
 H 
 
 o 
 
 W 
 
 Q 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ./ IWhoine to Bombay — A Modern City — TIic Parsis — Firewor- 
 skipt'fs — " T/ie Restaurant of the Vultures " — Towers of Silence — 
 Old Ronibay — The Bazaars — Full feweled Women — Fxcessii'e 
 fewelry — Rings in the Ears and Nose — Rings on Fingers and 
 Toes — Pa>i Chewing Versus Tobacco. 
 
 'A 
 
 We were not to land at Bombay without first having a 
 warm greeting and a hearty welcome to the land of Hindu- 
 ism. Brother W. B. Stover, in charge of the mission at Bul- 
 sar, bronzed by the heat of India's sun came on board the 
 " Caledonia " and bade us welcome. We were rejoiced to 
 see him. When last heard from he was lying in the hospital 
 sick with a fever. His illness was of a very serious charac- 
 ter, and as we had not heard from him for a month we were 
 all the more anxious to see him. As may be imagined, our 
 meeting was a pleasant one. The Lord had raised our 
 brother up, and we rejoiced and gave God thanks. Brother 
 Stover took charge of us. Entering a steam launch, we 
 were taken ashore. With a mere formal examination our 
 baggage was released by the custom house officers, and we 
 were taken to Mrs. Brigg's Temperance Hotel, where we 
 spent several weeks very pleasantly. 
 
 The traveler who comes to Bombay for the first time is 
 sure to be surprised. He has read of the city and knows 
 that not far from a million souls dwell within its borders, 
 and that in some respects it equals some of the more preten- 
 tious capitals of Europe and the United States. But some- 
 how in his mind he associates Bomba)' with India, and In- 
 dia with heathendom, and he is not prepared for tlie fine 
 
 (233) 
 
234 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 modern city — more English than oriental — which he enters 
 upon landing from the steamer. 
 
 This was our experience. We had in mind the straw- 
 covered mud huts of the natives, and the lack of civilization 
 among the people of which we had so often read. These 
 things are so largely dwelt upon b)' imaginative writers that 
 we were not prepared for what we saw. We landed on a 
 handsomely constructed stone pier, with custom house ar- 
 rangements almost perfect and much more convenient than 
 we have in New York. The native officers speak English 
 fluently, and are polite and accommodating. In a very 
 short time we are through the customs and on our way to 
 our hotel. We pass through broad, shaded avenues and 
 streets with handsome buildings on both sides, and with a 
 street railway system equal to the best at home, for it is 
 owned and operated by an American company. Then there 
 are beautiful architectural designs in which is found a pleas- 
 ant mixture of the Swiss and Hindu style. Among the 
 larger buildings are the magnificent railway station — the 
 pride of India, and well it may be, for one sees nothing to 
 excel it either at home or abroad, — the university, with its 
 great clock tower, the courts of justice, the town hall, tlie 
 general postoffice, the government buildings, and scores of 
 other structures with a happy blending of different styles of 
 architecture. Revisiting India after many years' absence, 
 Sir Edwin Arnold said, " I left Bombay a town of ware- 
 houses and offices; I find her a city of parks and palaces." 
 This of the New Bombay, for there is the older native city 
 where the tide of " Asiatic humanity ebbs and flows " day 
 by day, which we hope to visit and describe hereafter. 
 
 Bombay, as already intimated, contains a population of 
 nearly a million, and these are divided as to religious belief 
 about as follows: 
 
■•'i^r'S. 
 

 O 
 
 a 
 < 
 
THE TARSIS. 23/ 
 
 Hindus, 560,000 Christians, 50,000 
 
 Mohammedans, 60,000 Jains, 30,000 
 
 Parsis, 50,000 Jews, 6,000 
 
 The rest of the population is composed of lUiddhists, 
 Rrahmans and smaller subdixisions of the Indian famil)'. 
 Placing the population in round numbcrs'at one million, it 
 will be noticed that only one; in twenty is set down as a 
 Christian, and we are told by the missionaries that many 
 of these are Christians only in name. How apparent it is 
 from these facts that but little has as }et been done toward 
 the conversion of this great gatewa\- to India, and that 
 many )ears must elapse before the three hundred million 
 heathen in this land will accept the "Light of the World" 
 as their Savior! 
 
 As a rule one is apt to speak first of what impresses 
 him most, and so first of all I give an account of what 
 most impressed me in Bombay, — the people known as the 
 Parsis, It is always dif^cult to write of a people with whom 
 we have but slight acquaintance, and especialU' is this 
 true v/hen the writer is wholly unacquainted with their lan- 
 guage. Generalizing from a few facts is not safe. It does 
 well enough when it hits the truth, but it so often misses 
 that the careful writer hesitates to use it too freely. Fortu- 
 natel)- for me, the Parsis speak English fluently and are al- 
 ways ready to speak of their belief. Then I have had some 
 opportunity to study their peculiar belief, having read }^ears 
 ago the Sacred Books of the East. 
 
 Among the various classes of native people one meets 
 on the streets of Bombay the Parsis are by all odds the 
 most interesting. They dress better, are better educated, 
 are well to do, many of them being very wealthy, si)eak 
 English fluently; and it may be said that they are the peers 
 of any class in India. The n,en wear clothing, made 
 
238 GIRDLING THK GLOBE. 
 
 somewhat after the prevailing European styles, over which 
 is put on the sadora, or sacred shirt, of white cotton gauze. 
 
 The head is covered with a. peculiar shaped stiff hat, or 
 cap, without brim or rim. The women are dressed in 
 flowing robes, with the bright colored sari, a strip of cloth a 
 yard wide and six yards long, thrown over the head and 
 shoulders. These are of all the colors of the rainbow, with 
 rose, saffron, olive, seagreen, sapphire, and many other 
 bright tints added. A group of Parsi ladies presents a 
 gorgeous picture on the streets. Their glossy black hair, 
 literally as black as the raven's wing, covered in part with a 
 close fitting white cloth, their fair complexion, — they are as 
 white as many of the Caucasian race, — and their finely-cut 
 features, make them a handsome people. 
 
 The Parsis formerly inhabited Persia, and are the mod- 
 ern followers of Zoroaster. They are commonly known as 
 fireworshipers and hold to one of the ancient religions that 
 have come down to modern times. The Zend-Avesta, their 
 sacred book, is traced back to 600 B. C, and Zoroaster is 
 believed to have lived about the same time that Moses led 
 the Israelites out of Eg\-pt. His followers hold the four 
 elements — fire, air, earth and water — sacred, but fire is the 
 most sacred of all. The sacred " fire is never to be allowed 
 to go out. Its altar must be kept pure; it is a heinous sin 
 to pollute the sacred element in any way whatever." Ev- 
 erything good is to be worshiped, and prayers are offered to 
 human souls, animals, vegetables, springs of water, rivers, 
 mountains, the earth, the sun, the sky, the moon and stars, 
 and other things without number. Evil prevails, but finally 
 it shall be overcome and slain. " Then comes the perpetu- 
 ation of life. The fair creation that had been slain by the 
 fiend revives; the good live in a renovated world; and 
 everlasting joy prevails.' 
 
Parsi Girls. 
 
PARSI FUNERAL. 24 1 
 
 When the Persian empire was overthrown b)- the Sara- 
 cens, A. D. 650, the Zoroastrians were persecuted and a 
 luunber of them fled to India, where they found protection, 
 but were more or less persecuted until the English occupa- 
 tion. The British government protects all religions alike. 
 It ma}- be stated as a curious fact that the Queen of 
 England has more Mohammedan subjects than the sultan of 
 Turkey. The fireworshipers number now about sixty thou- 
 sand and form an important factor in Bombay. 
 
 The Parsis' belief that fire, earth and water are sacred 
 elements, leads them to a peculiar method of disposing of 
 their dead. As soon as the spirit has fled, the bod}- is con- 
 sidered unclean, so unclean indeed that to burn it would 
 render the fire impure, and to bury it would pollute the 
 earth. They therefore expose the bodies of their dead to 
 be devoured b\- birds of prey. To us the ver\' thought 
 seemed disgusting, even horrible, but long usage makes it 
 all right to the Parsis. 
 
 In the environs of Bombay is an eminence known as 
 Malabar Hill. The wealth}- Parsis of Bomba}- own several 
 hundred acres of land on the summit of the hill. It is a 
 garden-like park and is open onl}- to the Parsis and to those 
 who can secure admittance from them. It is green with 
 ferns, and the palm and other tropical vegetation grow 
 luxuriantl}-. In this park are the Towers of Silence, " the 
 restaurants of the vultures," as Hawthorne calls them. 
 Having received permission to visit the park. Brother 
 Stover and Miss Carroll accompanied us. While we waited 
 at the entrance a funeral arrived. The dead was laid upon 
 a stretcher, covered with a white cloth, and borne on the 
 shoulders of four men, known as the " carriers of the 
 dead," their sole business in life being their present occu- 
 pation. After the bier came a number of Parsi men, all 
 
242 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 dressed in white, walking in procession, each pair holding a 
 white handkerchief between them. A flight of eighty stone 
 steps ascends the hilltop. As the procession slowly wended 
 its wa}' upward, the vultures, anticipating their horrid feast, 
 flapped their broad wings and sailed overhead. The bod\' 
 was taken to one of the towers and laid on the iron grating 
 prepared for it. The procession turned away to worship at 
 the fire temple near by, and the vultures began their work. 
 In lialf an hour it was done. The bones, entirely bare, are 
 left to lie in the sun a few days, when the "carriers " with 
 gloved hands take iron tongs and throw the bones into the 
 deep well in the center of the tower. The carriers are a pe- 
 culiar class; they are unclean and do not mix with other 
 Parsis in social intercourse. After touching the bones, even 
 with iron tongs, they must purify themselves and cast away 
 their garments. 
 
 We were not allowed to enter the place until the pro- 
 cession came out. The Parsis do not want the shadow of 
 an unbeliever in their religion to fall upon their dead. At 
 the upper gateway we were met by an attendant who 
 walked with us about the grounds. We found beautiful 
 gardens full of flowers, with shaded walks, quiet retreats 
 and pleasant nooks where one might sit in quiet solitude 
 and meditate without a single reminder of the close prox- 
 imity of the grim towers. Coming to within thirty feet of 
 the largest tower the attendant stopped and said, " No one 
 goes nearer except the carriers of the dead." We learned 
 that the largest tower is two hundred and seventy-six feet 
 in diameter and thirty feet high. Eight feet from the 
 ground is a doorway to which the carriers ascend by a 
 flight of steps, and then they go to the top by other steps 
 on the inside. On the edge of the wall of the tower were a 
 Dcore or more huge vultures resting in expectation of the 
 
w 
 u 
 z 
 
 ■s. 
 
 c 
 
 CO 
 
 o 
 
TOWERS OF SILENCE. 245 
 
 next procession, while at least a hundred of these same foul 
 birds of prey were perched on the tops of the palm and 
 tamarind trees within the enclosure. We turned away from 
 the sight with a sickening feeling, and went toward the fire 
 temple and funeral buildings. We were not allowed to en- 
 ter, but could see the inner altar upon which the sacred fire 
 was burning,— the fire which ever\- faithful Parsi believes 
 was brought down from heaven by Zoroaster himself. It is 
 watched day and night b)' priests, and is fed with sandal 
 wood. The buildings are of stone with low roof. The in- 
 terior is provided with seats. There are also metal vessels 
 containing water for the washing of the mourners before 
 prayer, and for the cleansing of the carriers of the dead. 
 Gongs are used to give the signal for the various parts of 
 the ceremony, which are said to be very elaborate. As on- 
 ly Parsis are admitted to these last rites of the dead, we saw 
 nothing of them. 
 
 Our aged attendant very kindly explained to us every- 
 thing connected with the place. He showed us a small 
 wooden model of the largest tower. The inside plan of 
 the building resembles a gridiron, sloping inward and 
 downward to the pit or well in the center, which is five feet 
 in diameter. Between the circular wall, which encloses 
 the well, and the outer wall of the tower are two other cir- 
 cular walls at equal distances from the inner and outer 
 walls. From the center are radiating walls dividing the 
 space into compartments. The outer and larger recepta- 
 cles are used for men, the second for women and the inner 
 or smaller for children. The well in the center into which 
 the dry bones are thrown, is connected with four deep 
 drains at the bottom of the tower. Through these the rain 
 water collected in the center escapes, carrying with it the 
 bones as they rapidly crumble to dust. The fluid passes 
 
246 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 through charcoal and is disinfected before it runs into the 
 sea. A ladder affords a means for the carriers of the dead 
 to go down and remove obstructions from the opening to 
 the drains, if it becomes necessary. The dust in the well, 
 it is said, accumulates very slowly. In forty years it rose 
 only five feet. In this way the Parsis dispose of their dead, 
 as they believe, without contaminating the earth, fire or 
 water. 
 
 Just before we entered the grounds in which stand the 
 grim, gloomy and silent towers, there came a carriage in 
 which were two Parsi women. They came by where we 
 were sitting, and the broken sobs spoke of a broken-hearted 
 wife or mother who had come to weep in solitude for the 
 loved and lost. We could not keep back the thought that 
 there must be but little consolation to come to a place like 
 this to weep, and we were not surprised to learn that the Parsi 
 women very rarely come to the silent towers to shed tears. 
 In our beautiful cemeteries we can sit by the graves of our 
 sainted dead, and while we weep we have the glad consola- 
 tion that Jesus, our Savior, was laid in the tomb, that he 
 burst the bars of death and came forth victorious over death 
 and the grave; and that we, with our sleeping dead, shall 
 come forth in like manner in the glad resurrection morning 
 with a glorified body, and so dwell with the Lord forever. 
 But what sentiment but that of horror can the Parsi wife or 
 mother feel in the presence of these gloomy towers where 
 their loved ones are torn by foul birds of prey? 
 
 Thus are we impressed by the vultures gorging them- 
 selves to stupor on human flesh and whitening the walls of 
 the tower with droppings of digested humanity. But how 
 do the Parsis feel about it? They have a precept which 
 says, "The rich and the poor must meet in death," and they 
 literally carry this out in their method of disposing of their 
 
OLD BOMBAY. 24/ 
 
 dead. The dust of the millionaire cotton manufacturer of 
 Bombay, who lives surrounded by all the luxury that wealth 
 can afford, and that of the poor inmates of the Parsi asy- 
 lum, dependent upon the charity of others, here find a com- 
 mon receptacle. The Parsis also believe in the resurrection 
 and that the bodies here dispersed will come forth again. 
 In the arrangement of the park nothing has been left un- 
 done which would induce calm and quiet meditation. 
 Shade trees abound, and flowers bloom everywhere. The 
 height of the hill and the proximity of the sea insure a 
 cool, pleasant breeze. Here the relatives of the deceased 
 may sit and meditate upon the certainty of death. After 
 looking at all these pleasant surroundings the horrible 
 thought of the vultures tearing the flesh from the bones of 
 the dead comes back, and we dismiss the subject, thanking 
 God for the humanizing influence of the religion of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 The native city, or Old Bombay, as it may be very ap- 
 propriately called, is in striking contrast with the new town 
 briefly described above. It has the characteristics of all 
 oriental cities, but, with wider, better, cleaner streets, and 
 more orderly people, it is in advance of the native portion 
 of the most Eastern capitals. The natives are kindly dis- 
 posed, gentle in demeanor and respc-ctful to strangers. 
 They have the reputation of being quiet, peaceable and 
 orderly, except when aroused by race or religious prejudice. 
 Between them and the quarrelsome, yelling, fanatical Turk 
 and Arab, found in many parts of Asia Minor, there is a 
 striking contrast, with the advantage all in fa\or of the gen- 
 tle Hindu. 
 
 To me it was a source of constant interest and pleasure 
 to wander about the streets of the native city and visit, with 
 the missionaries, the homes of the people. Thus, by com- 
 
248 GIRDLTXn THE GLOBE. 
 
 ing in contact with the Hindus in their home and street 
 life, in three weeks more was learned of their mode of li\- 
 ini; antl habits of life than could ha\e been ascertained in 
 any other way. 
 
 In the bazaars, — the streets on which all kinds of goods 
 arc sold, — one never tires of wandering about and seeing 
 sights strange to the Western eye. Merc are flashes of bril- 
 liant color, and scenes of lively animation, to be witnessed 
 nowhere but in India. The little, d^-n-like shoi)s on both 
 sides of the street, with the dealer sitting in the midst of his 
 curious merchandise, patiently but anxiously awaiting a cus- 
 tomer, are always a sight worth seeing. Then there are 
 crowds and crowds of Asiatic humanity, especially after the 
 heat of the day has passed, when everybody seems to be 
 out of doors. People, }'oung and old, great and small, men, 
 women and children, some in gay-colored dresses, "but 
 most with next to none at all," are coming and going in 
 constant streams. I said to Brother Stover, "Surely the 
 people of Old Bombay all live on the streets," and the re- 
 mark was quite in line with the truth. Here, in open shop 
 and veranda, on sidewalk and street, the native Indian does 
 a hundred things openly that we do indoors in the United 
 States. The carpenter, the chair-maker, the furniture-mak- 
 er and the shoemaker all have their shops in the open air. 
 The gold and silversmith, who fashions the ornaments so 
 dear to the hearts of the barbarous and half-civilized peo- 
 ple, — with shame it must be added, and many professing 
 Christians, — skillfully plies his trade before the multitude. 
 You may see him making chains for the head and neck, 
 bracelets for the arms and ankles, and rings for the toes, 
 ears and nose. The barber shaves and shampoos his cus- 
 tomer on the sidewalk, the baker mixes his flour and bakes 
 his bread in full sight of his customers, th^ weaver throws 
 

 
 H 
 
 
 C 
 
 
 
LAND OF DREAMS. 25 I 
 
 his shuttle and rolls up his web of cloth in the broad glare 
 of sunlight, and so the work and the crowd move on until 
 night, with but brief twilight, falls quickly upon the city. 
 Then thousands of the moving mass, covering themselves 
 with their loin-cloths, lie down on the street to rest and 
 sleep away dull care. Passing through these same streets 
 in the early morning one may see the people making their 
 simple toilet in the open air and getting ready for their 
 day's work. 
 
 "This is indeed India. The land of dreams and ro- 
 mance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splen- 
 dor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pesti- 
 lence, of genii and giants and Aladdin's lamps, of tigers and 
 elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a hun- 
 dred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions 
 and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace 
 of human speech, mother of History, grandmother of Leg- 
 end, great-grandmother of Tradition, whose yesterdays bear 
 date with the mouldering antiquities of the nations — the 
 one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an im- 
 perishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for 
 lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond 
 and free, the one land that 'all' men desire to see, and, 
 having seen once by even a glimpse, would not give that 
 glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe com- 
 bined."* 
 
 In hot climates where winter is unknown, the natives 
 wear but scanty clothing, and this is true of central and 
 southern India. Even the common demands of decency 
 are often neglected, and in many places one of the first 
 cares of the missionary is to get the people to wear a prop- 
 er amount of clothing. It is not so much a question of 
 
 * Clemens. 
 
252 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 kind as of quantity. Children until they are six or seven 
 arc commonly seen without clothing; a cord or sometimes a 
 white metal chain, with a charm attached, is fastened about 
 the waist. When they are older clothing is worn, but this 
 is only a cloth for the loins, and among the very poor little 
 more is ever worn, even in coldest weather. As the mer- 
 cury rarel)' falls below sixty-five degrees, they do not suffer. 
 The wealthy class wear very thin and often very rich cloth- 
 
 ing. 
 
 Shoes and stockings are never worn by the common 
 people. Sandals are sometimes used, but the rule is to go 
 without cover for the feet or the lower limbs, except among 
 the females, who wear many rings. It is not an uncommon 
 sight to see women with the lower limbs literally covered 
 witli rings or bands from the ankle to the knee. Among 
 the poor the ankle rings are made of brass, and, taken to- 
 gether, those worn by one woman weigh from eight to ten 
 pounds. The bands do not fit tightly, but rest loosely one 
 on top of the other. I have often seen women stop by the 
 w^ayside, gather a few leaves and tuck them under the lower 
 ring where it rested on the foot, to keep it from cutting into 
 the flesh. It is, of course, a great inconvenience, but it's 
 the fashion, and she only does what millions of her more 
 enlightened sisters do in Europe and America, — suffers the 
 inconvenience for the sake of being in the fashion. The 
 arms, from elbow to wrist, are in like manner covered with 
 bracelets or bands of metal, glass and ivory. Then the ears 
 are pierced all around the outer rim and half a dozen rings 
 are worn in each. The nose, too, must bear its burden of 
 ornament. Great rings, dangling over the mouth, hang 
 from the nasal organ. The completion of bodily ornamen- 
 tation is only reached when each of the fingers and the 
 thumbs and the ten toes are all supplied with rings. This 
 
WEARING OF JEWELRY. 
 
 253 
 
 may all seem like exaggeration, but it is onl}' a plain state- 
 ment of facts witnessed a thousand times and more since I 
 have been in India. If further proof is desired, turn to the 
 photogravure on page 255. The camera has reproduced for 
 us two full-jeweled Indian maidens. The Snri thrown over 
 the head covers the ears so that the rings are not in sight. 
 
 GOLDSMITH AT BOMBAY, 
 
 A close inspection will rc\eal two of the ear jewels on the 
 figure to the left. The bangles are on the forehead, the 
 earrings and the nose rings are in place. About the neck 
 and throat are the beads and the silver and gold necklaces. 
 The fingers, the wrists and the arms come in for their full 
 share of ornamentation, and the ankles and toes are made 
 to bear a burden of silver rings, bands and chains that must 
 
254 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 be a threat inconvenience to the dusky daughters of India. 
 But it is the fashion, and the matter of inconvenience is 
 never questioned either in India or in America when fash- 
 ion's mandates go forth. What a tyrant fashion is and 
 how it has enslaved the whole world! 
 
 The love for ornaments reaches its highest limit among 
 the lower classes and the ignorant idol worshipers. The 
 educated and wealthy wear jewelry in great profusion and 
 of immense value, but are more moderate as to quantity. 
 Indeed such is the love of display along this line that polit- 
 ical economists give, as the main cause of the poverty exist- 
 ing in India, mo?iey spe?it for jewelry. Speaking on this sub- 
 ject one authority sa\s: "India has been called the grave of 
 the precious metals. It now absorbs about one-fourth of 
 the gold and one-third of the silver produced throughout 
 the world." According to the last census there were for.r 
 hundred and one thousand, five hundred and eighty-two 
 goldsmiths in India. This vast army of workmen are con- 
 stantly engaged in melting gold coins and shaping them 
 into curious ornaments for their customers. The only gold 
 coins I have seen in India were those I brought with me 
 and these, after being exchanged for silver rupees, went in- 
 to the goldsmith's pot. 
 
 In view of this inordinate desire among the people all 
 over the world for ornaments, it is no wonder that the Holy 
 Scriptures contain a positive injunction against wearing 
 gold and pearls for bodily adornment. And yet how many 
 professing Christians there are who pay no heed to this 
 plain, sensible commandment! Even missionaries who are 
 sent out to lead these people to the lowly Man of Sorrows 
 come wearing jewelry. What an example they give to their 
 poor, heathen sisters! If this letter comes to the notice of 
 any of these jewelry-loving missionaries I beseech them by 
 
Full Jeweled. 
 
PAN LEAF AND BETEL NUT. 257 
 
 the mercies of God to lay aside their rings and jewels, that 
 they may the better lead the heathen away from idolatry 
 One said to me not long ago: "The reason why Christianity 
 is not more readily accepted here is because so many 
 Christians give such bad examples." 
 
 Speaking of customs brings us to another very peculiar 
 habit seen all over India. Walking through the streets I 
 noticed that many of those whom I met had their lips and 
 teeth colored as with blood. I soon learned that this was 
 caused by chewing pan, which answers to the opium habit 
 of China and the tobacco habit in the United States, though 
 it is but fair to say for the heathen tliat pan is not so inju- 
 rious as either opium or tobacco. 
 
 I stop at one of the little, box-like shops where the 
 dealer is busily engaged in serving his numerous customers 
 with a "chew." He has by his side a large quantity of 
 green pan leaves about the size of the leaf of the oak. Tak- 
 ing one of these in his hand, he places in the center of it a 
 small quantity of slaked lime from a tin can at his side. 
 Then he puts on the lime a small portion of the betel nut 
 with cinnamon, cardamus and other spices. The leaf is 
 then carefully folded over these ingredients. The folds are 
 held together on top by a clove inserted like a pin. The 
 little package, about the size of a large fig, is taken from 
 the dealer and goes into the mouth of the chewer. The 
 saliva at once becomes red, and gives the chewer's lips and 
 teeth the repulsive and frightful appearance of a blood- 
 drinker. When I first saw them I felt sure that each one 
 had taken a mouthful of blood. It is said pan is a tonic 
 and hence good for the health. The spices make it aromat- 
 ic and slightly astringent to the taste, while the lime mixed 
 with the juice of the pan leaf and betel nut turns it to the 
 color of blood. Great splotches of red saliva from the 
 
258 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 mouths of the chcwcrs arc to be seen on the sidewalks and 
 about their houses, reminding one of our tobacco chewers at 
 home. The fact is that in a choice between the two, tobac- 
 co or pan, I should prefer the latter, even if it is a heathen 
 custom. It gives the breath a pleasant odor, and is not 
 nearly so filthy as tobacco. Then, too, the heathen can ex- 
 cuse its use on the ground that it is healthful, while tobacco 
 is known to destro}' the nerves and to produce evil effects. 
 Yes, we turn away from the Christian (?) tobacco cheuer to 
 the heathen pan muncher. 
 
 Pan chewing is a national custom in India, and every- 
 where among the natives it is offered to guests, and it is 
 considered rude not to accept it. Europeans and Ameri- 
 cans are excused on the ground of nationality. During our 
 first week in Bombay, wife visited some Hindu ladies, and 
 she brought home with her the pan which she could not, ac- 
 cording to the rules of politeness, refuse to take. Neither 
 of us felt like chewing it. Bishop Heber, the Indian mis- 
 sionary, tried pan chewing. In his diary, June 24, 1824, is 
 found this entry: "I tried chewing pan to-day and thought 
 it not unpleasant; at least I can easily believe that where it 
 is fashionable people may soon grow very fond of it. It is 
 warm and pungent. My servants fancy it is good for the 
 teeth; but they do not all take it. I see about half the crew 
 without the stain on their lips; but I do not think the teeth 
 of others are better." 
 
 Americans and Europeans rarely, if ever, acquire the 
 habit of chewing pan. They regard it disgusting to appear 
 with lips and teeth stained red. This appears, after all, to 
 be simply a difference of taste as to color. We know many 
 Americans who do not object in the least to having their 
 lips and teeth stained yellow with tobacco juice, and their 
 breath made offensive by the noxious weed. Surely great 
 is the god of habit! 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Stability of Cust07>is in India — The Sacred Animals — Worshiping the 
 Cow — Bathing — The Hindus' Love for Anitnals — To Bulsar — 
 The Cocoanut Toddy — Monkeys by the Way — Our Mission Home 
 — A Good Work by a Noble Band of Workers^ Hinduism — 
 Caste — The Rajah and his Cabinet — High Caste Wo/nan — Low 
 Caste Woman — The Degradation of Idolaters. 
 
 To the westerner the land of the Orient is not only a 
 source of great interest but of surprises as well. Here he 
 comes in contact with an entirely new, or, rather, an old 
 world, for he is surrounded by a semi-civilization, the foun- 
 dations of which are rooted in the Aryan invasion of India, 
 which took place three thousand years before the discovery 
 of America. He realizes at once that he is among a people 
 whose traditions, activities and lines of thought are wholly 
 different from his own. He is quite at a loss — unless he has 
 made himself acquamted with the history and religious 
 thought of the people — to account for the strange scenes 
 about him. If he has traveled in Palestine and Egypt be- 
 fore coming to India, he is somewhat prepared for the 
 striking contrasts that meet hmi. But western enterprise is 
 changing the aspect of the former countries. The popula- 
 tions are small, hence easily affected. But India, with her 
 three hundred million, does not change, and, practically 
 speaking, western influence, aided by the missionaries, has 
 made but little impression upon her population. 
 
 Animal life is held sacred by the Hindus, hence they 
 are vegetarians. They believe in transmigration, or that 
 after they leave the body they now live in they will bj 
 
 <259) 
 
260 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 transferred to that of some animal. This belief makes them 
 especially kind to all animals, for they say, " How do we 
 know but that some of our ancestors, even our father or 
 mother, may now be living in the body before me." But of 
 all animals the cow is held to be the most sacred, and is 
 actually worshiped by all orthodox Hindus. They teach 
 that, when the class known as the Brahmans was created, 
 the cow was also made to supply sustenance to man by her 
 milk and butter for the burnt offerings to the Creator. It is 
 also claimed that the cow is the mother of the gods. Her 
 five products — milk, butter, curds, and the excreta — are 
 held in high veneration and even worshiped. 
 
 I have seen a Hindu, when meeting a cow in the morn- 
 ing, which is always regarded as a sign of the very highest 
 good fortune, place both hands upon her back with much 
 apparent affection and reverence, and then rub them over 
 his face and breast. After putting the palms of his hands 
 together and bringing them with the thumbs touching the 
 forehead, he would bow the head reverently and repeat one 
 of the mantras or prayers, of which Arnold's translation is 
 given: " Hail, O cow! Mother of Rudra, daughter of Vasu, 
 sister of the Aditya, thou who art the source of Ambrosia." 
 Indeed so sacred have cows become in the eves of the 
 orthodox Hindu that to kill one is considered a greater 
 crime than for one to slay his own father or brother, and 
 some years ago an offense of this kind was punished by 
 death. 
 
 As an illustration of the worship of this animal, the fol- 
 lowing incident is given: The widow of the last ruler of 
 Nagpore spent twelve hours daily in the adoration of cows, 
 the tulsi plant, the sun, and her idols. When her end was at 
 hand, five cows, in order to be bestowed on the priests, were 
 introduced into the room where she lay. The gift of the 
 
IGNORANT IDOLATERS. 261 
 
 animals was accompanied by a further donation of money, 
 and as the cows one after another passed onward from the 
 bedside, they were supposed to help the dying woman for- 
 ward on her way to heaven. Among the last acts of her 
 life was that of calling for a cow and falling at its feet. As 
 far as her waning strength would allow her, she offered it 
 grass to eat and addressed it by the venerated name of 
 mother. 
 
 Some years ago, when reading the Zend-Avesta, the 
 Vedas, and other so-called sacred books, or bibles of the 
 East, it seemed impossible for the mind to accept the ex- 
 travagant statements made in them with reference to the 
 worship of the cow and the veneration accorded to her ex- 
 creta. Now these very things are seen every day, and 
 many of them are so revolting in their nature that they can- 
 not be described here. And yet there are some writers who 
 would have us believe that Hinduism is to be compared 
 with the Christian religion. Something more will be said 
 on this subject of comparative religion later on. Now we 
 can only say, God pity these ignorant idolaters, and put it 
 into the hearts of his people to help lift them out of their 
 ignorance and bring them to embrace the religion of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Several conditions, resulting from animal worship, are 
 to be spoken of in words of commendation. The Hindus 
 are very kind to animals and take good care of them. The 
 cows that are driven about the streets and milked at the 
 doors of customers are regularly bathed. In Bombay I 
 watched with interest the process of bathing. About fifty 
 of the animals had been gathered at a large tank full of 
 clear water, and the herdsmen bathed them with as much 
 care as a mother would bathe her child at home. The head, 
 the ears, the nose, tlic inoulh, the legs and ft-et all came in 
 
262 GIRDLING THE GLOBE, 
 
 for a due share of careful attention. After much rubbing 
 and scrubbing and washing, a great quantity of water was 
 poured over the animals, and the bath was completed. In 
 this way they are kept scrupulously clean, and being well 
 fed are sleek and fat. They present an inviting appearance, 
 and one in striking contrast with the way some of our 
 dairy cows are kept at home. In this warm climate the 
 bath must be very grateful to them. At least they take it 
 with patience and evident comfort. 
 
 Space is taken for but one more pleasing phase of the 
 Hindus' love for animals. They provide homes for them, 
 where they are fed and cared for when they are injured or 
 become old and worn out. While in Bombay, at a later 
 date, we visited a place of this kind and found a remarkable 
 collection of lame, blind, wornout animals of various kinds 
 — cows, oxen, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, monkeys, etc., etc. 
 There were also many feathered fowls, some with broken 
 wings and legs, wounded presumably by some Christian (?) 
 sportsman and left to suffer and die until found by a 
 humane Hindu and brought to this place to be fed and 
 cared for. I thought of the cruelty practiced by some of 
 our friends at home in pigeon shooting and wished they 
 might learn a lesson from these heathen. The attendant 
 who showed us around the place was intelligent and polite, 
 and, after asking us to register our names, did not fail to 
 point out a strong box with a slot in the top where contri- 
 butions might be placed. 
 
 But the time has come to leave Bombay. We might 
 stay here longer, and write and write, but we have not yet 
 met sisters Stover and Ryan, and they are anxiously awa.it- 
 ing our coming. We therefore arranged to go to Bulsar on 
 the i6th day of December. The latter place is located on 
 the Bombay and Baroda railway, one hundred and twenty- 
 
TODDY DRINKERS. 263 
 
 five miles north of Bombay. Leaving the city, the line 
 passes for some distance along the seashore and close by 
 the " burning ghaut," the place where the Hindus burn the 
 bodies of their dead, a description of which must be given 
 in another chapter. We also pass Malabar Hill, and we 
 think again and again of the gloomy " towers of silence," 
 with great vultures perched about them awaiting in silence 
 their awful meal. 
 
 After leaving the cit}- the general aspect of the country 
 is flat and level, with low hills in the far distance. In some 
 respects it reminds us of our western prairies, but the simi- 
 larity embraces only the level surface. The plain is dotted 
 here and there with native villages composed of very low 
 mud huts, covered with rice straw. The land is laid out in 
 numberless squares and irregular shapes, varying in size 
 from about an eighth of an acre to a small plat but a few 
 feet square. These are separated by narrow ridges a foot 
 and a half high. In these little plats the farmer plants his 
 rice when the rains come, and.it grows for some time in the 
 water. The ridges keep the water on each patch separate 
 and also prevent the washing of the ground. 
 
 Then there are the cocoanut, the date and the palmyra 
 palms, with their long, slender trunks and crowns of feath- 
 ery foliage waving gracefully in the balmy air. Cocoanuts 
 in various stages of development are to be seen on the trees, 
 while the palmyra palms are marked and numbered and 
 taxed by the government like our distilleries at home. 
 Each tree produces every day about three quarts of a white 
 liquid, resembling in taste and appearance the milk in the 
 cocoanut. It is quite sweet when first taken from the trees, 
 but in a few days it ferments and becomes a very strong in- 
 toxicant. Great quantities of " toddy," as it is called, are 
 drunk by all classes of the natives, and drunkenness is quite 
 
264 GIRDLING THE GLOBE, 
 
 common. J^ut this is not to be wondered at, for many of 
 their Ljods are represented as being addicted to strong drink, 
 and by some it is held that indulging in intoxicants to ex- 
 cess is pleasing to them. How a belief of this kind would 
 gladden the hearts of Christian (r) distillers and brewers 
 and saloonkeepers in Europe and the United States! 
 
 As we continue our journey northward, occasional!}' a 
 monkey may be seen b)- the roadside, and farther north 
 still, at Ahmedabad, as Arnold says, troops of them are vis- 
 ible, as they scamper from the track on both sides of 
 the train. At a short distance they stop and curiously 
 scrutinize the passing cars. There are hundreds of them, 
 and they may be observed from the windows of the train, 
 ualking meditatively ahead on th.e rails, jumping o\er the 
 cactus fences, perching with long drooping tails upon the 
 branches of the trees, or solemnly assembled on some open 
 field in a grave congress, discussing the next plundering ex- 
 pedition. They steal and destroy much fruit and grain, 
 but the natives rarely ever molest them, for the\' worship 
 the monke\' god Hanuman, and to them these great apes are 
 sacred. 
 
 At 9: 30 P. M. we reached Bulsar and had a jo\ful 
 meeting with our dear missionaries. Doubtless no one of 
 the five of us who were present at that meeting will ever 
 forget it. Tears of joy were shed and grateful liearts 
 thanked the dear Lord that we were thus brought together 
 in far-away India. A number of the friends of our mission- 
 aries came with them to meet us, and as it was night we 
 formed a kind of procession with lanterns and torches, and 
 so walked together to the mission home. 
 
 Bulsar, the location selected by our missionaries for 
 their work, is a city of about fifteen thousand inhabitants, 
 situated in the Bombay Presidency, one hundred and twen- 
 
MISSION WORK IN INDIA. 265 
 
 ty miles north of the capital of the district. The language 
 spoken is the Gujerati. We are of the opinion that, when 
 all the conditions are considered, a good selection of terri- 
 tory was made. The climate for at least one-half of the 
 }'car is delightfully pleasant. During the da\' we sit on the 
 open veranda and read and write. At night it is cool 
 enough to make light blankets comfortable. This is all the 
 more pleasant as we read letters from home telling of snow 
 and snowdrifts and of zero weather. In a location free 
 from malaria Bulsar may be called a healthy place, and 
 after those who come here are acclimated they enjoy as 
 good health as at home. Were it not for some home 
 interests that demand our personal attention we should 
 very much like to remain here. 
 
 In the mission h.ome we spent six weeks most pleasant- 
 ly and happily. It was a real joy to be with this devoted 
 band of Christian workers. The days passed away all too 
 soon for us. They are now a memory, but are ahva\s re- 
 called with much pleasure and satisfaction. 
 
 I was tleepl}' impressed with the great importance of 
 our mission work in India. The conviction that the church 
 will not be held blameless if she neglects her part in the 
 great work of rescuing India from idolatry and winning her 
 for Christ, has grown many times stronger since I have seen 
 the people bow down to images made of wood, clay and 
 stone. I am especially pleased to sa\' that our missionaries 
 are doing well. They have won the love and esteem of all 
 with whom they have come in contact, and this promises 
 well for their success when they are read}' to preach Christ 
 to the people. The\' are studying hard and are making 
 rapid progress in acquiring the language. 
 
 Many important problems will have to be met and 
 solved as the work progresses in India, but tluse will be 
 
266 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 met and solved as they arise. The religion of Jesus Christ 
 is not local in its character, but is adapted to meet the 
 wants of the whole world. National characteristics and 
 customs, dependent upon climatic conditions, so long as 
 they are not in conflict with the Gospel, should not be inter- 
 fered with. It may even be necessary to modify to som.e 
 slight extent our church government, to meet the exigencies 
 of the case. Those who are converted from idol worship 
 cannot, until they are educated and lifted out of their igno- 
 rance, intelligently exercise the right to vote in the congre- 
 gations. But, as already intimated, these various conditions 
 will be met and settled in accordance with the Gospel as 
 they arise. 
 
 Our mission in India gives us an increased interest in 
 the people whom we are assisting in leading away from 
 idolatry, and its consequent degradation, to the worship of 
 the true and living God. Many of my readers do not have 
 access to books containing information about India and 
 its people, and therefore the rest of this chapter will be de- 
 voted to the subject of " The People of India, their Beliefs 
 and Form of Worship." The Hindu comes first in the list. 
 
 Of India's three hundred million* souls, by far the 
 largest number are worshipers of the gods of Hinduism; 
 and so numerous are their gods that Umbalal Desai, a high- 
 caste Brahman and teacher of the high school at Bulsar, 
 said to us: " There are three hundred million people in 
 India, and there is a god for each." Before speaking of 
 their gods, however, we refer to the curse of India, Hindu 
 caste. 
 
 The word " caste," meaning " race," was used by the 
 Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to trade with 
 India, to denote the classes into which the people were di- 
 
 *In the absence of exact statistics these figures are given approximately. 
 
H 
 U 
 Z 
 
 3 
 u 
 
 in 
 
 Q 
 Z 
 
 <; 
 
 w 
 
BRAHMANS. 26g 
 
 vided. The word was changed by English writers into 
 caste, and this term is now universally used when referring 
 to Hinduism. Caste is so closely bound up with the relig- 
 ion of India that it seems impossible to separate them. 
 
 There are four great castes or divisions of the people in 
 India, and these again are subdivided into numerous smaller 
 classes. The great castes are 
 
 1. The Brahmans, or priest class, who are said to have 
 issued from the mouth of Brahma, the Hindu god, at the 
 moment of creation. Their business is to read and teach 
 the sacred books, and to offer sacrifices for themselves and 
 others. They are held to be the chief of all created beings, 
 and it is claimed that the lower castes enjoy life through 
 them. From this caste came the rulers of the land, the 
 petty kings, rajahs and princes. Their power is now very 
 much circumscribed by the English, but at one time they 
 ruled according to their own will. A picture of one of the 
 rajahs and his cabinet is given, and they make up a group of 
 fine-looking men, 
 
 2. The soldier class are said to have sprung from the 
 arms of the god. They bear arms and administer the laws 
 made by the Brahmans. The executive government is 
 vested in the soldier caste alone. 
 
 3. The merchant caste came from the thighs of Brah- 
 ma. They are to engage in trade, keep cattle, cultivate the 
 soil and loan money at interest. They are the Hindu busi- 
 ness men. 
 
 4. The Sudra, or servant class, are believed to have 
 come from the feet of Brahma. They are not to be held as 
 slaves, but as servants of servants. They are to serve the 
 classes above them, and especially the higher caste. They 
 cannot accumulate or own property, and their condition 
 cannot be changed or improved. The Sudra women do all 
 
270 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 kinds of manual labor, and are to he pitied. I have seen 
 tluni in groups on the streets with irons in their hands, 
 hard at work tamping the fine stone and clay so as to make 
 the street solid and firm. It is hard work. See page 275. 
 
 From the Rig Veda, the book the Hindus call their bi- 
 ble, the following quotation is made, showing the origin of 
 caste. Speaking of Brahma it sa)'s, 
 
 "What were his arms, and what his thighs and feet? 
 The Brahma was his mouth, the kingly soldier 
 Was made his arms, the husbandman his thighs, 
 The servile Sudra issued from his feet." 
 
 There is still another class, known as Pariahs, or out- 
 casts, that is without caste. They are the most degraded of 
 all the people in India. None of the four castes will hold 
 any communication with them. Food is defiled if the shad- 
 ow of a Pariah falls upon it. All those who violate their 
 caste fall into the low class, which the Hindu mind regards 
 as the depth of vileness. If a man and woman of two dif- 
 ferent castes should marry, they may under severe penalties 
 hold their caste, but their children are doomed to become 
 outcast Pariahs. 
 
 As before noted, these classes are again subdivided into 
 numerous castes. The British census report for 1881 gave 
 no less than nineteen thousand and forty-four caste names, 
 and these were entered in the order of their relative impor- 
 tance, beginning with the Brahmans and ending with the 
 Pariahs or outcasts. Were it not for the fact that these fig- 
 ures are taken from the official report, one might doubt 
 their being correct. As it stands, it shows how hopelessly 
 India is divided by caste. 
 
 One cannot remain long in India without seeing the ef- 
 fects of caste. It is one of the great hindrances to mission 
 work. It builds a wall of separation between the different 
 
Hindu Girl. 
 
LAWS OF CASTE. 273 
 
 classes that keeps them from all social intercourse. It 
 dries up all human sympathy, and is directly in opposition 
 to the great Christ-given doctrine of the fatherhood of God 
 and the brotherhood of man. At home we have some idea 
 of caste as it exists between the white and black races in 
 the South, but that is but a shadow of the power of castes 
 as it is felt in India. Here it is observed with the strictness 
 of a religious rite and enforced by the severest penalties. 
 It determines, with all the power of an unreasoning tyrant, 
 every Hindu movement, from the day of his birth until he 
 is laid on his funeral pyre, and even here it reigns, for the 
 burning of his body and the disposition of his ashes are sub- 
 ject to the iron rule of caste. 
 
 The statement of Dr. Wilson, an authority on this sub- 
 ject, will give our readers an idea of how the laws of caste 
 regulate all the actions of life among the Hindus. Caste 
 has ordained for infancy, youth and manhood methods of 
 "sipping, drinking and eating; of washing and anointing; 
 of clothing and ornamenting the body; of sitting, rising, re- 
 clining; of moving, visiting, traveling; of speaking, reading, 
 listening and reciting; and of meditating, singing, working 
 and fighting. It has its laws for social and religious rites, 
 privileges and occupations; for education, duty, religious 
 service; for errors, sins, transgressions; for intercommunion, 
 avoidance and excommunication; for defilement and purifi- 
 cation; for fines and punishments. It unfolds the ways of 
 committing what it calls sins, accumulating sin and putting 
 away sin; of acquiring, dispensing and losing merit. It 
 treats of inheritance, possession and disposition of property; 
 and of bargains, gains, loss and ruin. It deals with death, 
 burial and burning; and with commemoration, assistance 
 and injury after death. It interferes, in short, with all the 
 relations and events of life, and v/ith what precedes and fol- 
 
2/4 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 lows or what is supposed to precede and follow life. It 
 reigns supreme in the innumerable classes and divisions of 
 the Hindus, whether they originate in family descent, in re- 
 ligious opinions, in civil or sacred occupations, or in local 
 residences; and it professes to regulate all their interests, 
 affairs and relationships. Caste is the guiding principle of 
 each of the classes and divisions of the Hindus, viewed in 
 their distinct and associated capacity." 
 
 Whilst the rules of caste thus enter into all the simplest 
 and most minute details of life, there are four general rules 
 that are held more important than others, and these have all 
 the force and power of a sacred law, and may be classed as 
 follows: 
 
 1. Intermarriage between persons of different castes is 
 strictly prohibited. This rule also enforces child marriage 
 and prohibits widows from remarriage. A man may marry 
 as many times as he likes, a woman but once. 
 
 2. Restrictions as to the kind of food to be eaten, and 
 its preparation by cooks who must be of a caste not lower 
 than those for whom they cook. Dry food and fruits may 
 be eaten together; but if these be cooked they come under 
 caste rules. Brahmans, being the highest caste, may cook 
 for all others. 
 
 3. Those of different castes must not eat together, 
 neither must water be accepted by a high from a low caste 
 person. Pariahs or outcasts are excluded from eating ex- 
 cept among themselves. 
 
 4. The castes are prohibited from engaging in any oc- 
 cupation except that which falls to the different classes. 
 The sons follow the occupation of their fathers and are not 
 allowed to change at will. 
 
 These iron rules fix a man's lot in life in India, and he 
 is absolutely helpless to change or alter it. It destroys all 
 
a 
 
 H 
 
 H 
 
CASTE DESTROYS. 2^/ 
 
 hope and ambition to better the condition in life, and it di- 
 vides the people into so many classes, and separates them 
 so completely that there is but little unity of action amont^ 
 them. England, with her sea-girt islands and comparative- 
 ly small population, rules India's three hundred millions to- 
 day, because caste makes unity impossible. Were it not for 
 this pernicious system, with its twin sister idolatry, India, 
 with her vast population and her infinite resources, might 
 be, and would be, one of the leading nations of the world. 
 As it is, she is ruled by a handful of men who are not al- 
 ways alert for her best interests. 
 
 Well might Bishop Heber say, "The caste system 
 tends, more than anything else the devil has yet invented, 
 to destro}- the feelings of general benevolence, and to make 
 nine-tenths of mankind the hopeless slaves of the remain- 
 der.' 
 
 An English author* of note and authority recognizes 
 the fact that the British rule in India depends upon caste. 
 He says: "Its action tends to arrest progress, to paralyze 
 energy, to crush manly independence, to stifle healthy pub- 
 lic opinion, to make nationality, patriotism, and true liberty 
 almost impossible. . , . And certainly the antagonism of 
 these caste associations has helped us to govern tJic country 
 by inaking political combinations impracticable ^ 
 
 But worse than all these, caste distinction alienates men 
 from the true Gotl and makes the task of lifting them out 
 of ignorance and idolatry, and leading them to Christ, a 
 most difficult one. 
 
 It would be but an easy matter to fill a volume with in- 
 cidents showing to what extent caste controls the Hindus 
 in their relation to each other and in their dealing with 
 strangers. Only a very few instances can be given in the 
 
 *Sir Monicr Williams. 
 
2/8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 space allotted. When making purchases at the shops, the 
 Hindu tradesman, instead of handing you the money that is 
 due you in change, drops it into }'our hand. If the high- 
 caste shopkeeper should but touch the hand of a customer 
 of a lower caste he would at once become impure and un- 
 clean. I noticed this peculiarity many times in dealing 
 witii the natives. 
 
 In drinking from a vessel the liquid is poured into the 
 mouth in a constant stream, so that the lips do not become 
 polluted by coming in contact with a cup, bowl, or glass, 
 that may have been touched in manufacture, or sale, by one 
 of a lower caste than the drinker. If you would know how 
 difficult it is to take water in this way, try it as we did, and 
 you will learn that drinking from a vessel is much more de- 
 sirable than pouring. 
 
 In the home men and women of different castes must 
 be engaged to do different kinds of work. At Bombay the 
 men who made the beds and swept the rooms and cleaned 
 the shoes could not be induced, by any means, to empty the 
 jar into which the wash water had been thrown. This was 
 the work of a lower caste man, and this work he did every 
 morning. It required four different persons to do the 
 chamber work. As a result of this senseless system of 
 caste there is a small army of servants about the hotels. 
 
 One of the missionaries relates an amusing phase of 
 caste rules. His Hindu servant would carry tea and toast 
 to him in the morning when he was sick, but when a boiled 
 egg was wanted some one else was required to bring it. 
 The boiling and eating of an egg implied to the Hindu the 
 premature death of a prospective chicken, and to him that 
 would have been a most serious offense. He drew the caste 
 line, and, as a result, the Hindu brought the tea and toast, 
 followed solemnly by another servant with the egg. 
 
CASTE A VIRTUE. 2/9 
 
 At one of the missions, during a heavy rainstorm, the 
 roof of one of the houses fell in and covered up a number 
 of low caste men. The missionary plead all in vain for 
 help from those who passed by. No one would lend a hand 
 to help the poor fellows out. "We cannot without violat- 
 ing our caste," they said, and went their way, wholly indif- 
 ferent to the sufferings of their fellows; and so the poor 
 men remained under the roof at least an hour before low- 
 caste men could be secured to help them out of the wreck. 
 It must not be thought that the Hindus are not hospitable. 
 So far as the rules allow they are exceedingly kind and gen- 
 erous. But caste is a sufficient excuse for not giving help 
 to a lower or an unknown caste. 
 
 Bishop Heber gives the following illustration: A 
 traveler falls down sick in the street of a village, — a real 
 occurrence, — nobody knows to what caste he belongs, there- 
 fore nobody goes near him, lest they should become pol- 
 luted. He wastes to death before the eyes of the whole 
 community, unless the jackals take courage from his help- 
 less state to finish him a little sooner, and, perhaps, as hap- 
 pened in the case here alluded to, the children are allowed 
 to pelt the poor fellow with stones and mud. 
 
 The extreme selfishness of caste, as here illustrated, is 
 admitted freely by the Hindus themselves. Selfishness is 
 made a kind of virtue. You may judge a people by their 
 songs and proverbs. One of the many Hindu proverbs 
 inculcates selfishness in this way: 
 
 " Preserve your wife, preserve your pelf, 
 But give them both to save yourself; 
 There's other wealth, another wife, 
 But where is there another life?" 
 
 How different is this from the teaching of our Savior, 
 " He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it," and, " If 
 
280 niRDLING THE Or.OBE. 
 
 ail}' man would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take 
 up his cross and follow me." Surely we should thank God 
 for the pure, holy, unselfish life and teachini^s of Jesus, our 
 blessed Savior, and thank him, too, with full hearts, tliat 
 the lines did not fall to us in this land of idols and caste 
 distinctions. 
 
 One of the almost insurmountable difficulties in the 
 way of the missionary is the caste system. He finds it even 
 more'firmly fixed in the hearts and lives of the people than 
 idolatry itself, and it may be said to be a great part of their 
 religion. Some missionaries sought success by admitting 
 caste into the congregations of their con\erts, but the)' sig- 
 nally failed. 
 
 It seems entirely unreasonable to us, but to the Hindu 
 it is a great birthright, for caste depends upon birth alone. 
 No possible condition of merit or true worth avails. One 
 of a higher caste may be degraded and sink into a lower 
 order, but there is no royal road for ascent. To be born a 
 Sudra is to be a servant for life. The gods have so decreed, 
 and so must it be. Between each caste in the ascending 
 scale an impassable gulf is fixed. You might as well, and 
 with far better hope of success, talk to an orthodox Brah- 
 man of changing his sacred cow into a horse or an elephant, 
 as to speak of making a soldier or merchant of the servant 
 class, or a Brahman priest of any one of a lower caste than 
 himself. The educated Brahman may have a purpose in all 
 this, for one of their ow n number who renounces Hinduism, 
 says, "Caste is the bulwark of Hindu idolatry, and the safe- 
 guard of Brahmanical priesthood." 
 
 India caste is the logical result of such social and class 
 distinctions — born of pride, rank, and wealth — as are so 
 rapidly gaining ground in our own country. It is, after all, 
 only a less exaggerated form of class division which to-day 
 
HOW SHALL THIS EVIL BE MET? 281 
 
 separates and alienates people in Europe and America, 
 The "Four Hundred" of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, 
 and Boston, the aristocracy of wealth and accidental birth 
 all over the countr}', with its exclusive social conditions, 
 and its selfish, arrogant assumption, which says: "I am bet- 
 ter than thou," and the race question in the South are all 
 born of the caste principle. And these conditions need be 
 carried only a little farther at home until an impassable gulf 
 is fixed between the classes as in India, "so that they which 
 would pass from hence to }-ou cannot; neither can they pass 
 to us that would come from thence." 
 
 The important question is, How shall this great evil be 
 met and overthrown? It will be a Herculean task, and it 
 will take time. We believe the only antidote for the per- 
 nicious and poisonous system, as it exists in India and as it 
 is growing at home, is the self-denying religion of Jesus 
 Christ. His teachings, full\- accepted and lived out in the 
 lives of his followers, will most assuredly destroy all class 
 distinctions except those based on true worth and merit. 
 The Gospel teaches the common brotherhood of all men, 
 that out of one blood God made "all nations of men to 
 dwell on the face of the earth," that we all are brethren, and 
 that there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, high 
 nor low, rich nor poor, "for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." 
 Caste distinction and all differences born of human pride 
 have no place in the religion of Jesus Christ. On the con- 
 trary it forbids all such things and will overthrow caste and 
 unite all peoples. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Idolatry in India — The Fascination of Idol Worship — The Degrada- 
 tion of the People — Differ e7it Sects — The Mark on the Forehead — 
 Branding the Body — The Daily Service Rendered to the Idol — 
 Saktisni a Synonytn for Sensuality — Animal Worship — The Hin- 
 dus' Love for Animals — A Strange Case of Suicide — The IVor- 
 ship of Snakes — The Monkey God — Plant and Tree Worship. 
 
 In closing the last chapter it is said that the religion of 
 Jesus Christ will overthrow caste. It will do much more 
 than this for India. It will not only destroy caste and unite 
 the people on the plane of a common love for humanity, 
 but it will make impossible the system which makes caste 
 possible. The idolatry of India will disappear, the worship 
 of the true God take its place, and the root of caste be de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 Before coming to India I had heard much, and read 
 more, about idols and the idolatry of the people; but the 
 half has never yet been told. Neither can it be told. Such 
 is the degradation to which idolatry has sunk many of the 
 people of India that it cannot, for the sake of common 
 decency, be put into print. It dazes the mind, and one is 
 led to exclaim: " Is it possible that men and women can go 
 down so low in degradation and depravity as these have 
 gone? " They have " changed the glory of the uncorrupt- 
 ible 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 lust 
 of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between 
 
 themselves." This strong language of Paul, with the verses 
 
 (282) 
 
IDOLATRY A CHARM. 283 
 
 that follow, depicts the depraved state of idolatrous Rome, 
 but the depth of degradation found here is not described by 
 the inspired writer. 
 
 In the short time we have been in India we have seen 
 much of the idolatry of the people. We have visited many 
 of the temples where images of wood, clay and stone are 
 worshiped. We have seen the Hindu prostrate himself be- 
 fore his gods and offer sacrifices to them. And we have 
 seen some of the depravity and obscenity of idol worship, 
 but we desire to call other witnesses to give testimony. 
 
 The eminent Sanscrit scholar and missionary to India, 
 M. A. Sherring, who spent thirty years among the Hindus 
 and knew their sacred books, the Vedas, well, says: "Idol- 
 atry is a charm, a fascination to the Hindu. It is, so to 
 speak, the air he breathes. It is the food of his soul. He 
 is subdued, enslaved, befooled by it. The nature of the 
 Hindu partakes of the supposed nature of the gods whom 
 he worships. And what is that nature? According to tra- 
 ditions handed about among the natives, and constantly 
 dwelt upon in their conversation, and referred to in their 
 popular songs, — which, perhaps, would be sufficient proof, — 
 yet more especially according to the numberless statements 
 and narratives found in their sacred writings, on which these 
 traditions are based, it is, in many instances, vile and abom- 
 inable to the last degree. Idolatry is a word denoting all 
 that is wicked in imagination, and impure in practice. 
 Idolatry is a demon — an incarnation of all evil — but never- 
 theless as bewitching and seductive as a siren. It ensnares 
 the depraved heart, coils around it like a serpent, transfixes 
 it with its deadly fangs, and finally stings it to death." 
 
 Another eminent authority on Hindu idol worship has 
 these severe words upon the subject. His party was travel- 
 ing in the Madras Presidency, and they came to a temple or 
 
2^4 GIRDI.IXC. THE GLOBE. 
 
 " pagoda whose higii tower is a revoltincT sight. It is, in 
 fact, a mass of obscenity cut in stone, such as one could 
 hardly imagine depravity itself capable of inventing. Yet 
 this is part and parcel of the religion of Brahma, that relig- 
 ion upon the excellency of which some- Sanscrit professors 
 expatiate! One sight of this temple at Cocanada would 
 suffice to disabuse them of their fine pictures of Hinduism 
 and of the elevating power of the Vedas. A few pet quota- 
 tions are always at hand when one would praise Brahman- 
 ism. They are, in the oldest Vedas, grains of wheat in 
 bushels of chaff. If we would learn what the Hindu relig- 
 ion really is, and what are its practical fruits, we must visit 
 the temples of India." 
 
 To enter fully into the subject of Hinduism, with its in- 
 numerable idols and symbols, w'ould be the work of years, 
 and require volume upon volume of printed matter; and yet 
 the missionary w ho would successfully meet and overthrow- 
 Hinduism must fully acquaint himself with its religious 
 teachings and its philosophy. In a brief way it may be said 
 the Hindus have three principal gods, known to them as 
 Brahma the creator, \'ishnu the preserver, and Siva the de- 
 stroyer. The last two, with their wives and sons, are the 
 principal deities worshii^ed, and from these come all the 
 gods of Hinduism. 
 
 In a general way Hindu worshipers may be divided in- 
 to five classes or sects: 
 
 1. Those who worship Siva, classed under the general 
 name of Saivas. 
 
 2. Worshipers of Vishnu, who are known as Vaish- 
 navas. 
 
 3. Worshipers of the wives of the deities or female 
 energ}', called Saktas. 
 
Ganesa, the Elephaxt-headed God. 
 
GANESA. 287 
 
 4. Worshipers of Ganesa or Gan-pati, designated by 
 the name of Ganapatyas. 
 
 5. The sun worshipers or Sauras.* 
 
 These different sects use the same so-called sacred 
 books, and from the foregoing list come the great multitude 
 of gods and idols which hold India in a bondage of the 
 worst possible description. It has been stated after a most 
 careful estimate that there are three hundred and thirty 
 million idols worshiped in India. This vast number seems 
 quite incredible, but, after visiting the bazaars in different 
 cities where idols made of brass and bronze of all sorts and 
 sizes are exposed for sale, and having seen others made of 
 clay, moulded by the potter's hand, and still others of wood 
 and stone, we are ready to accept the statement. 
 
 We have in our possession a number of these idols or 
 images. One of them, Ganesa, or Gan-pati, has a human 
 body disfigured with the head of an elephant. The accept- 
 ed history of how this strange thing occurred will show the 
 character of the gods of the Hindus and also of the igno- 
 rance and superstition of the people who accept as inspired 
 such silly stories. It is said that when Ganesa was born, 
 his father, Si\a, suspected the chastity of the goddess, his 
 wife, and in his anger cut off the boy's head. Afterward, 
 convinced of his spouse's innocence, he repented his rash 
 act, and taking the head from an elephant placed it on his 
 son. 
 
 Krishna is another popular god among the Hindus. 
 His uncle cruelly slew all his brothers and sisters, and he 
 was saved onl\- by being exchanged by his mother for a 
 shepherd's child. When the boy grew to manhood he slew 
 his uncle. Such are the stories told and accepted in full 
 faith by these simple-minded, ignorant, idol worshipers. 
 
 *Sir Monier Williams. " Brahmanism and Hinduism," 
 
288 (WKDLINC THE Cl.OBE. 
 
 And these might be multiplied indefinitely. Many of the 
 stories told are unfit for publication. 
 
 The Hindus have the curious custom of placing upon 
 the forehead a distinguishing mark of their sect or of the 
 god they worship. These marks are of different colors, 
 bright red, yellow and white being oftenest used. Ashes 
 are used, and the coloring matter is mixed with these. The 
 marks art placed on the forehead in the morning after bath- 
 ing, and remain there all through the day. The marks of 
 the worshipers of Vishnu consist of an upright bar made 
 with bright red and yellow colors, while that of the Saivas 
 is three horizontal strokes made with white ashes. There 
 are some seventy of these marks used, most of them, how- 
 ever, arc placed on the arms and shoulders. " The face 
 marks are the fewest and most striking. These consist of 
 spots, circles, triangles, straight lines, curved lines, cres- 
 cents, simple and in combination, and of varied colors." 
 
 In addition to the marks made with colored matter, 
 man}' of the worshipers of Siva and Vishnu brand their 
 breasts, arms, and other parts of their bodies with distinctive 
 emblems of their sect. Such marks are burned in the flesh 
 with red-hot stamps, sometimes made of gold. The sym- 
 bols of Siva are the trident and linga; while those of Vishnu 
 are the dicus, the club and the conch-shell. The photo- 
 gravure shows a group of high-caste Hindus, three men and 
 their wives and a small bo)'. The face markings are plainly 
 shown on the forehead, the women being marked as well as 
 the men. It will be observed that they also wear the ear 
 and nose jewels. It is an interesting picture, as it shows the 
 costumes of this class of people. 
 
 The worship of Siva requires considerable work on the 
 part of those who attend to it. Dr. Mitra, quoted by Wil- 
 liams, is authority for the following description of this kind 
 
< 
 < 
 
 X 
 
 < 
 
TWENTV-TWO CEREMONIAL ACTS. 29 1 
 
 of worship. A slab or block of uncarved granite was used 
 as the idol. Blocks of stone are set up and painted red and 
 worshiped. We have seen hundreds of idols of this kind 
 worshiped by the Hindus^ The dail}' worship consists of 
 no less than twenty-two ceremonial acts. 
 
 1. At the first appearance of dawn bells are rung to 
 rouse the deity from his slumbers. 
 
 2. A lamp with many wicks is waved in front of the 
 stone. 
 
 3. The god's teeth are cleansed by pouring water and 
 rubbing a stick about a foot long on the stone. 
 
 4. The deity is washed and bathed by emptying sever- 
 al pitchers of water on the stone. 
 
 5. He is dressed by placing clothes on the stone. 
 
 6. The first breakfast is offered, consisting of grain, 
 sweetmeats, curd and cocoanuts. 
 
 7. The god has his principal breakfast when cakes and 
 more substantial viands are served. 
 
 8. A kind of a little lunch is served, 
 g. The god has his regular lunch. 
 
 10. The midday dinner is served, consisting of curry, 
 rice, pastr}', cakes, cream, etc., while a priest waves a many- 
 flamed lamp and burns incense before a stone. 
 
 11. Strains of noisy, discordant music rouse the deity 
 from his afternoon sleep at 4 P. M., the temple having been 
 closed for the preceding four hours. 
 
 12. Sweetmeats are offered. 
 
 13. The afternoon bath is administered. 
 
 14. The god is dressed as in the morning. 
 
 15. Another meal is served. 
 
 16. Another bath is administered. 
 
 17. The full dress ceremony takes place, when fine, 
 costly vestments, yellow flowers and perfumery are placed 
 on the stone. 
 
292 (IIKDI.ING THK CI. QBE. 
 
 18. Another offerin;^ of food follows, 
 ig. iVftcr an hour's interval the regular supper is 
 served. 
 
 20. I'^ive masks and a kind of musical instrument are 
 brought in and oblations are made. 
 
 21. Waving of lights is performed before bedtime. 
 
 22. A bedstead is brought into the sanctuary and the 
 god composed to sleep. 
 
 The Hindus do not starve their gods. Of course it is 
 understood that the priests do the eating, and personal ob- 
 servation leads us to say that they are sleek and fat, and 
 show evidence of having an abundance of good food. Any 
 surplus is sold and the money belongs to the priests. 
 Many of the priests do not believe in all this nonsense, but 
 they say the people want it so, and they are willing to serve 
 them; for in this way they get their living. Why should 
 they not do it? There are some ministers of the Gospel 
 who are treading dangerously near the path trodden by the 
 Hindu priest — preaching to please the people. 
 
 But the worst features of Hinduism and idolatry are 
 yet to be related; that is, so far as it is possible to relate 
 them with due regard to the rules of propriety. The wor- 
 ship of the wives of Vishnu and Siva, or female energy, un- 
 der the name of Saktism is so utterly degrading in its char- 
 acter as to more than deserve these strong words by a thor- 
 oughh' reliable author: " In Saktism we were confronted 
 with the worst results of the worst superstitious ideas that 
 have ever disgraced and degraded the human race." Sen- 
 suality, drunkenness, carnal passion, licentiousness and all 
 the grosser appetites are held to be forms of \-irtue. All 
 social rules and restrictions are disregarded, and the vilest 
 orgies are indulged in by those who seek in this way to 
 gratify their deities. Prostitution is made a virtue and 
 
PROSTITUTION A VIRTUE. 2g3 
 
 adultery has tlie sanction of a religious rite. Thousands 
 of innocent girls, even before their birth, are dedicat- 
 ed to the idol temple service, where, in the name and in the 
 service of their gods they lead lives of shame. While 
 it is claimed that they are married to the idol, they at 
 once become the slaves of licentious priests who rule in 
 the temples where they belong. All this but faintly de- 
 scribes the depth of the degradation to which idolatr)' has 
 sunk these people. Depravity ami sin seem to have no 
 depth that has not been reached b)- them. Ignorance and 
 superstition have bound them with error's chain, until they 
 are led to commit all these excesses with the sanction of 
 their idols, and in the belief that by them they will please 
 their gods. 
 
 We have heard it said by those at home who are not 
 favorable to sending the Gospel to the heathen, "We have 
 the heathen at home, convert them first, and then it will be 
 time to go to foreign lands." If the apostles had taken a 
 course of this kind, the religion of Jesus Christ would have 
 remained in Palestine for many centuries. It is true we 
 have heathen at home, but they have access to the Bible, 
 and we may thank God that to the enlightened conscience 
 of our nation sin is sin, while here it is, even in its worst as- 
 pect, a form of righteousness. The people at home have 
 the Gospel, here they sit in the deepest darkness of sin's 
 darkest night. 
 
 We have asked ourselves o\er and over again — since 
 coming into actual contact with idolatry, and coming to 
 know by hearing and seeing the reality as it exists — how 
 shall we, as a church, escape if we neglect to do our part in 
 giving the Gospel of light to these people? 
 
 Probably many of us will go on, as we have been going 
 in the past, building fine houses, costing from fixe to ten 
 
294 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 thousand dollars, antl furnishing them with costly carpets, 
 rich furniture, expensive organs and pianos, and with pic- 
 tures and bric-a-brac, because the love of the beautiful in 
 us must be cultivated; probably many of us will go on load- 
 ing our tables to groaning with delicacies and luxuries, eat- 
 ing to repletion, chewing and smoking tobacco, riding in 
 fine carriages drawn by splendid horses in expensive har- 
 ness and costly trappings, wearing gold and costly array, 
 spending the Lord's money for that which is not bread and 
 for that w4iich satisfieth not. and letting these poor souls 
 die in the depths of sin and idolatry. 
 
 We repeat again, this is what some of us are doing, and 
 shall we go on in this way until some day God calls us as 
 unfaiithful stewards to give an account of our stewardship? 
 And the /I what? Let each answer this question for himself, 
 and answer it not as unto man, but as unto God! 
 
 And here is another question: How many missionaries 
 could we support in India and in other parts of the world, 
 if all the actual unnecessaries of life were cut off among us, 
 such as tobacco, table delicacies, costly garments, useless 
 photographs, unnecessarily expensive houses and furniture, 
 and indulgences which only gratify a perverted taste and 
 appetite? Would one hundred missionaries be too high an 
 estimate? 
 
 It is not always easy to obtain reliable information in 
 traveling through a country without a speaking knowledge 
 of the language. Guides and even guidebooks are not al- 
 ways to be depended upon. The former are often given to 
 exaggeration, and the latter are sometimes gotten up more 
 for the money to be made in selling them than for giving 
 reliable iniormation. In these gleanings dependence has 
 not been placed upon information picked up at random here 
 and there, but the best authorities on India and Hinduism, 
 
mkmmmm^mM 
 
 An Idol. 
 
ANIMAL WORSHIP. 297 
 
 Brahmanism and Buddhism have been examined and used. 
 It may be in point to state that the best books on India are 
 sold at very high prices. Sir Monier Williams' books on 
 Buddhism and Hinduism, although of only medium size, 
 bound in cloth, cost about six dollars each. It is some- 
 times urged that our books at home are too high, but com- 
 pared with the prices here and in England, they are very 
 cheap. 
 
 Since the foregoing part of this chapter was written we 
 have visited some temples, the stone carvings upon which 
 are too obscene and degrading to even think about. If 
 tliere is a depth of degradation and vileness that has not 
 been reached by the Hindu Saktists in their idolatr}', it has 
 not been made known to humanity. It is really pleasant 
 to turn away from the most revolting phase of idolatry to 
 one at least less degrading in its tendencies, that is, animal 
 worship. 
 
 Before giving a brief account of animal worship, it is 
 only right to say that the educated Brahmans do not be- 
 lieve in idolatry. In conversation with them they have told 
 us that there is nothing in the idols, but the people w'ant 
 them and worship them, and the priest gets his living and is 
 satisfied to allow them ignorantly to worship stocks and 
 stones. Ignorance is the devil's stronghold. In the days 
 of slavery in the South, laws were enacted against educating 
 the negro. So here the lower classes are kept in ignorance, 
 the ready handmaid of t}'rann\- and oppression. If the 
 masses were educated the power of the Brahman priest 
 would be shaken off and idolatry receive a deadly blow. 
 
 Animal worship as it is found in India has been com- 
 mon among idolatrous peoples in all ages of the world. 
 The Egyptians, as is well known, worshiped many kinds of 
 animals, including birds, reptiles, and even insect life. The 
 
298 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 Israelites made their golden calf at Mt. Sinai, having re- 
 ceived their idea of the idol from their taskmasters in 
 Egypt, who worshiped Apis, or the White Ox. But his- 
 tory gives no record equaling the excess to which the wor- 
 ship of animals has been carried in India. According to a 
 popular belief among the people, there are no less than 
 eight million, four hundred thousand living creatures into 
 which a man may pass before reaching a final resting place. 
 And this belief, firmly held by the masses, has led them to 
 worship everything in which there is life. This may, and 
 does, seem quite absurd to us, but it has to the Hindu the 
 reality of an unbounded faith. He firmly believes that not 
 only his own soul, but even the soul of his god may pass in- 
 to an animal form. Indeed, we need not go back very far 
 in the history of our own ancestry until we find them wor- 
 shiping animals and offering human sacrifices to their idols; 
 and such would we be to-day, were it not for the religion of 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 This belief among the Hindus accounts for the fact 
 that they rarely eat flesh and take no delight in killing ani- 
 mals. Hunting simply for sport is unknown among them. 
 Many of the most radical of them will drink no water with- 
 out straining it, lest they inadvertently destroy animal life. 
 One necessary article to the so-called holy man's scanty 
 outfit is a small water strainer. This belief also begets in 
 the Hindu a strong love for all of God's creatures; and it is 
 alwa}'S a matter of great interest and curiosity to see how 
 animals of almost every description live on terms of the 
 very closest intimacy with human beings. We observed 
 this relationship many times while in India. While we 
 write these lines a crow sits within a few feet of us, eyeing 
 the movement of the pen with much apparent interest. No 
 fear is manifested, for even the birds trust their friends. 
 
The Four-headed Brahma, 
 
HINDU LOVE FOR ANIMALS. 3OI 
 
 And so here in India the feathered songsters build their 
 nests and brood their _\oung about the houses, by the \va\-- 
 side, and in the fields before the eyes of every passer-by, 
 and within easy reach of every schoolboy, without the least 
 fear of being molested. The birds of the air and the beasts 
 of the field share a portion of the home and food of the 
 farmer as a matter of right, without protest or grudging on 
 his part. In the towns and cities the ox and the cow roam 
 at their own will on sidewalk and pavement, and jostle you 
 on the streets; monkeys make their homes on the housetop 
 and amuse you with their playful antics, and annoy you 
 with thieving propensities; squirrels frisk about the veran- 
 das and gladl)- share your meal on the slightest invitation; 
 parrots in brilliant plumage of red, green and gold chatter 
 about the windows and peer inquisitively into your cham- 
 bers. Crows sit on your window sills and make themselves 
 quite at home in your rooms, carrying off and hiding any 
 small article that may please their fancy; sparrows come 
 and go at their own sweet will, picking crumbs from the 
 tablecloth or bread-plate, and resting complacently upon 
 any projection on the wall; lizards chase each other up and 
 down the walls of your sitting-room and hide themselves 
 av^ay in the folds of your bed-clothing; snakes, at some 
 places during the rainy season, make themselves unpleas- 
 antly familiar with the interior of your home; and if your 
 house be on the outskirts of the town, the jackals will give 
 you a nightly serenade with almost human-like voice. 
 
 We confess that the Hindu love for animals touches a 
 responsive chord in our heart, and while we would love to 
 have them all embrace Christianity and worship the true 
 and living God, we should not like to see them lose their 
 sympathy for the lowest of God's creatures. We willingly 
 admit that many professing Christians, who beat and abuse 
 
302 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 their faithful animal servants, might well learn lessons of 
 mercy from the Hindus. Let us remember that our Bible 
 teaches that "a righteous man regardeth the life of his 
 beast," and that the Master said: "Be ye therefore merci- 
 ful." 
 
 Of all animals worshiped by the Hindus, the cow and 
 ox must be placed at the head of the list. In a preceding 
 chapter attention was called to the worship of the cow. To 
 a people who never kill animals for food, and who have no 
 horses for their plows and carts, the value of the cow for 
 nourishment and the ox for farming purposes cannot be 
 overestimated. The cow is held in the highest veneration. 
 Every part of its body is the supposed abode of some one 
 of the Hindus' many deities. Every hair on its body is 
 held sacred, and to the cow worshiper, its five products are 
 of all things most holy.* The very ashes of her excreta, if 
 applied to the person of a wicked man will, it is supposed, 
 make a good man of him. Believing all this, it is not to be 
 wondered at that the heaven of one of the Hindu gods, — 
 "Krishna," — is known as Go-loka or, literally, "cow world." 
 
 The Hindus also believe in a divine cow known as 
 Surabhi or "cow of plenty," representations of which are to 
 be seen in temples, and are also kept in houses for the pur- 
 pose of domestic worship. The ox is dedicated to the god 
 Siva, and in every temple where the symbols of this god are 
 displayed is to be seen the stone image of the ox in a re- 
 clining posture facing the idol. Pious Hindus believe that 
 they cannot attain higher merit than to brand an ox with 
 Siva's trident and turn it loose to roam at full freedom 
 about the city of Benares, or Gaya. At Benares we saw a 
 number of these huge animals walking independently about 
 
 * Sir Monier Williams. 
 
cow WORSHIP. 303 
 
 the streets. The gift and turning loose of such an animal is 
 attended with much ceremony. 
 
 Cows are also kept in Hindu temples. We visited 
 many of these temples, and we could see scores of cows 
 stalled inside where the priests would not allow us to walk 
 lest we should pollute the holy place. Even if we entered 
 the outer court we were required to put off our shoes. The 
 temples were, according to our notion, made filthy by being 
 turned into cow stables, but to the Hindu this only purified 
 and made them holy. How radically different are our 
 views as to what is pure and cleanly! 
 
 To show to what excess cow worship has been carried, 
 the following fact, related by Williams, is given: "At Ogra 
 there is an image of a man named Mukunda. The Brah- 
 man, who was my guide when I visited this place, gravely 
 informed me that it represented a celebrated saint, who felt 
 himself compelled to commit suicide by jumping into a 
 neighboring river, as a penalty for having accidentally swal- 
 lowed the hair of a cow by drinking milk without straining 
 it." 
 
 Snakes are the second class of animals to which divine 
 honors are given in India. There is something about the 
 very name itself that gives one an involuntary shudder, and 
 how people can worship these reptiles is difficult to under- 
 stand. It is probably due to the fact that they excite great 
 fear among the people. Perhaps in no other country in the 
 world are there so many poisonous snakes as are to be 
 found in India. Some of them by merely pricking the skin 
 cause almost instantaneous death. Among these is the 
 well-known deadly black cobra, and the almost equally ven- 
 omous rock snake. Death from the bite of the cobra usual- 
 ly occurs within a very few hours after the wound has been 
 inflicted. 
 
304 CIKDI.INC Till': r.I.ORE. 
 
 Tiic habit of tlic natives in walkinj^ alxnit barefoot with 
 the lower hiubs eiitirel\' unclad, exposes them to constant 
 peril of beint^ bitten by these deadly reptiles. Reliable 
 authorit}' places the number who die annually in India from 
 this cause alone at twenty-five thousand. So great has 
 been the destruction of human life from this source, that 
 tlie British Government offered a small money reward for 
 every poisonous snake killed. Ver)' few of the nati\'e Hin- 
 dus, howe\cr, could be induced to kill the reptiles, fearing, 
 as they said, lest they might kill one of their gods. The 
 English-speaking people with the missionaries and Mos- 
 lems had no such scruples, and between the years 1875- 
 80 over one million venomous snakes were killed, for 
 which the government paid the stipuLatcd reward. During 
 the same period one hundred and three thousand persons 
 died from snake bites. One of the missionaries, Mr. A. 
 Haegart, told us at Calcutta that he had himself killed no 
 less than three hundred snakes during his stay in India, 
 over a hundred of them being deadly cobras. 
 
 Whether the motive be fear or something else, the ig- 
 norant Hindu is much given to serpent worship. It is stat- 
 ed that some years ago there were in Cashmere seven 
 lunulred temples for snake worship. At Benares we had 
 pointed out to us, by our intelligent Hindu guide, a huge 
 stone image of a cobra, to which offerings were being made. 
 Our guide said, " We worship the image of the cobra, hop- 
 ing that b)' so doing we shall be protected from being bit- 
 ten by poisonous snakes." At the same place is a snake 
 pool which is believed to possess great cleansing power. If 
 a man bathes in it he is assured by the attendant priest, who 
 receives a small gratuity, that an}' sin he may have commit- 
 ted will l)e washed away. Some draw the form of a serpent 
 on their walls and do homage to it. Others go to the holes 
 
KKPTILE WOKSlIir. 3O5 
 
 where the snakes have their underground lionies and place 
 sticks in the ground, wrap cotton thread about them and 
 make offerings of flowers and food to the reptiles. 
 
 Pool, in his work on India, gives the following quota- 
 tion from a lecture by an educated native: " Though people 
 die from their venomous bites, serpents are worshiped as 
 living deities by man)' of my fellow-coimtrymen. Respect- 
 able citizens deem it a duty to set apart a cool patch in 
 their gardens for the comfortable residence of snakes. 
 Occasionally tlie reptiles creep out into the house itself, 
 just by way of a little change. I have seen many title-deeds 
 of estates in which the snal^es are conveyed along with 
 other rights to the purchaser. Cobras wander about freely 
 and in broad daylight in certain of the famous pagodas. 
 There is a temple dedicated to Krishna, which is particular- 
 ly sacred to cobras. Every time I have visited the tempL 
 I have been greeted by one or more of these reptiles. 
 Once I saw a huge cobra quietly passing a few yards off, 
 followed by a train of worshipers with clasped hands. Sud- 
 denly it turned and began to crawl toward me, when I sud- 
 denly remembered that I had urgent business elsewhere 
 and hurriedl}' left the sacred precincts." 
 
 The same author tells how the natives place offerings 
 of sugar, butter, flour, milk and fruit near the holes where 
 the reptiles have their homes. Th.e women and children 
 then join hands and circle five times round the place, and 
 then lie down and watch anxiously to see if the snakes wall 
 come out of their holes and partalce of the things presented 
 to them. If so, which is usual))' the case, the foolish people 
 are delighted, and go back to their homes believing that 
 their god has heard their prayers and will give them a 
 blessing. 
 
 It makes the heart sad to see and know that all these 
 
306 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 things are terrible realities among India's millions of igno- 
 rant heathen. May the day speedily come when these peo- 
 ple shall know and worship God, and learn that in the name 
 of Jesus Christ there is pardon for all sins, for "as Moses 
 lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the 
 Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him 
 should not perish, but have eternal life." 
 
 But the depth of absurdity, it seems to us, is reached in 
 Hindu animal worship when divine honors are paid to the 
 monkey. That this mischievous, thieving, antic-loving lit- 
 tle animal should be placed among the gods of India seems 
 almost too ridiculous for belief. And yet, absurd as it 
 may seem to us, it is too true. The Hindu is not at all par- 
 ticular in selecting his objects of worship, for the monkey 
 is perhaps the most mischievous and ungodlike of all ani- 
 mals. Very often we are told a troop of them will appear 
 in a village and out of mere love of mischief proceed to 
 tear off the roof of a native house. The natives would nev- 
 er dream of killing one of them. He is to them an imper- 
 sonation of one of their gods, and his sacred character 
 shields him from all harm. 
 
 Brother Stover informed us that when the villagers 
 quarrel, as they sometimes do, they throw handfuls of rice 
 on each other's house roofs, and the monkeys assist them 
 by tearing up the tiles in search for the food. He also re- 
 lated the following incident: " Mr. McDonald, an English 
 engineer, spends his vacation in hunting. He was called 
 upon at one time by a native, whose stock of patience had 
 been entirely exhausted by the destruction of his crops by a 
 lot of monkeys. He requested the hunter to come to the 
 village and shoot some of them. Mr. McDonald went, but 
 when about to begin the execution the native's heart failed 
 him and he cried out, ' O Sahib, don't kill him, don't kill 
 
MONKEY GOD. 307 
 
 him, he is our god.' Then Mr. McDonald argued the point 
 with the Hindu in this way: ' You say the monkey is a god, 
 I say he is not. You can't kill a god by shooting him. I 
 will shoot the monkey, and if he dies then I am right; if he 
 lives then he is a god and you are right.' To this very 
 reasonable proposition the native agreed. Result — one less 
 monkey god for India." 
 
 The name of the monkey god is Hanuman, and he is 
 held in high esteem and is greatly reverenced by the igno- 
 rant worshipers of Vishnu. His images are often hideous 
 caricatures of the human body with the head of a monkey. 
 They are also sometimes seen in the form of a shapeless 
 mass of stone or clay. They are painted, or rather daubed 
 all over with red paint of the brightest hue, and then part of 
 the oil that is given as an offering is poured over the idol. 
 Nothing can be more disgusting in appearance than these 
 hideous images painted red and reeking with oil, to which 
 the dust adheres. 
 
 Brother Stover and myself, in our frequent walks about 
 Bulsar, often saw people buying small quantities of oil and 
 carrying it in brass vessels to the temples where it was 
 handed to the priest as an offering to the idol. With a 
 spoon the priest would pour a small portion on the image 
 and then bless the donor and place a red mark on his fore- 
 head, using a little of the soft paint from the idol. Then, 
 after prostrating himself before the idol and repeating a 
 form of prayer — simply a repetition of the god's name — the 
 worshiper would depart, doubtless feeling that he had 
 served his god. 
 
 We saw many of these idols while in India, and we 
 thought many times. How can people be so foolish as to 
 bow down before these gods of clay and stone! Williams 
 tells of an image of the monkey god which he came across 
 
308 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 in Poonali. It was said to be over two luindretl years old. 
 .\t the lime a man was in the act of paiptin^r jt red, and an- 
 other man was prostratinf^ himself at full length on the 
 t^rouiul before it. Offerint^s of oil are being constantly 
 made to the images of Hanuman. Of course only a very 
 small portion of the oil is poured on the idol, the rest being 
 appropriated and sold by the priest. And this brings him 
 a large income. It is authoritatively stated that a single 
 offering, made by a wealthy worshiper to an image of Hanu- 
 man at Kaira, consisted of eight hundred gallons of oil. 
 The accompanying photogravure shows a wealthy Hindu 
 in the act of worshiping his god. The priest sits by with 
 folded hands and solemn face. The crov/n of his head has 
 been carefully shaved. Notice the three horizontal bars 
 drawn on his forehead, marking him as a follower of Siva. 
 He has the sacred cord thrown over his shoulder. He 
 seems to be in deep meditation and is probably offering a 
 prayer for the worshiper. His appearance shows that he 
 has been well fed. Whoever else may starve and die of 
 famine, the priest will not suffer for the want of food. The 
 worshiper has before him a small dish in which is an image 
 of his god. He has in his right hand a spoon and is pour- 
 ing oil on the head of the image. He has a bright, intelli- 
 gent face, and it al\va)'s seemed incredible to me that men 
 of the apparent intelligence of this one would worship an 
 image made with men's hands. 
 
 We have space here for but one more illustration of the 
 veneration in which monkeys are held. The accoimt is giv- 
 en in Ward's " Hindus." To us it seems incredible, but in 
 India it is not thought out of the wa}'. A certain rich rajah 
 (nati\e prince) of Bengal spent about thirt)' thousand dol- 
 lars in marrying a male and female monke>'. The cere- 
 monies lasted twelve clays and were carried on with all the 
 
o 
 
 p 
 
 5^ 
 < 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 O 
 
TREE WORSHIP. 3II 
 
 pomp, pageant and expense usual at the weddings of the 
 rich. The male monkey was dressed in the richest robes 
 with a crown fastened upon his head, and was borne along 
 in a costl}' vehicle, with a whole array of servants to wait 
 upon him. Money was lavishly spent, and there was much 
 feasting and great rejoicing, the prince doubtless believing 
 that in this way he was showing great honor to his god and 
 securing a vast amount of merit for himself. 
 
 But space forbids that we should go further into the 
 details of animal worship, as found throughout India. The 
 subject is practicably inexhaustible. We ma}-, in addition to 
 the animals already named, say that elephants, lions, tigers, 
 buffaloes, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, eagles, crows, peafowls, 
 the tortoise, turtles, fish and alligators or crocodiles are 
 worshiped by many Hindus. As is well known, at one time 
 it was quite common for mothers to throw their infant girls 
 into the jaws of the sacred crocodiles of the Ganges river as 
 an offering to their god. Happil}' this terrible practice has 
 been stamped out by British authority. 
 
 In addition to animal worship, the worship of trees and 
 plants is also quite common in all parts of India. To the 
 ignorant Hindu some of these are deities themselves, while 
 others are believed to be permeated b)' the essence of cer- 
 tain deities. Among these are the pipal or bo tree, sacred 
 to Hindu and Buddhist alike, the banyan tree and the soma 
 and tulsi plants. To the latter plant the following prayer is 
 offered: " I adore that tulsi in whose roots are all the sacred 
 places of pilgrimage, in whose center are all the deities, and 
 in whose upper branches are all the Vedas." 
 
 But the great estimation in which the tulsi is held is 
 best indicated by the fact that it is to be found in almost 
 every respectable Hindu household throughout India. It 
 is a small shrub, not too big to be cultivated in a good- 
 
312 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 sized flower pot, and is often placet! in rooms. Generally, 
 however, it is plantctl in the coin"t\'arcl of a wtll-to-do man's 
 house, with a space arouiu! it where the o\\ ner ma\' rever- 
 entl}' walk. In real fact, the tulsi is above all others a do- 
 mestic or hoiiscb.old di\ inity. As a rule the one daily re- 
 ligious rite among the Hindu women consists in walking 
 round the tulsi plant, saying pra\'ers to it, (U' in placing 
 offerings of flowers and rice before it. It is also c|uite com- 
 mon to marry the tulsi jjlant to the image of Krishni. The 
 idol is brought from one of the temples in procession to the 
 residence where the tulsi is ke[it. The idol is placed in a 
 palanquin and followed by a long train of attendants. 
 Then the marriage festivities are celebrated, perhaps at the 
 cost of several hundred dollars.* 
 
 We have entered at some length into the subject of idol 
 worship in India, ai^d some ma\' conclude that too much 
 has been giv^en. But, as before intimated, we ha\e merely 
 glanced at the subject, gleaning a little here and there as 
 we passed along. Volume upon \olume might be written, 
 and still much v.ould remain to be told. It is hoped, how- 
 ever, that these brief and hastily-written " gleanings " may 
 give the reader a general idea as to how wholh' and how 
 fully the Hindu mind is dominated b)- idolatr}' and idol 
 worship. There is not even the ordinar\' excuse of image 
 worshi}). that the Creator is worshiped through the idol. 
 All the Hindus veritably believe that the ver)- essence of 
 the deity is in the wood, the cla}', the stone, or the metal of 
 which idols are made. It is also hoped that the thoughtful 
 reader may be impressed with the great necessit}' of giving 
 to these benighted heathen the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We 
 have but recently ascertained, from reliable statistics, that 
 Hinduism numbers not less than two hundred million souls 
 
 *" Bralimanism and Hinduism,'' pp. 334-35. 
 
TEACH ALL NATIONS. 313 
 
 and that, by the natural preponderance of births over 
 deaths, it is rapidl\- incrcasins^- in numbers. Whatever we 
 do in this work, in our day and n-eneration, must be done 
 quickl)'. Here are millions upon millions of human beings, 
 made in the image of God, who have never had the slight- 
 est opportunity to hear of Christ and his salvation. And 
 these are fully embraccil in one of the most positive com- 
 mands in the New Testament, a command that comes to us 
 iii full force, because we strongly profess to obey all the 
 commandments, " Go ye therefore, and teach all na- 
 tions." Will we obe}' the Master's last commandment? 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Among the Common People — Manners and Customs — Burning the 
 Dead — A Cremation at the Riiterside — " Ram Ram " — Vain Rep- 
 etitions — Sorrow Makes the World Akin— Burning of Widows — 
 The Hindu Widow at the Judgment — Burning Ghat — Native 
 Houses — Home Life of the Villagers — Daily Religious Service — 
 Strict Observance of Rites and Ceremonies — The Parsi Offering 
 his Evening Prayer — Woman Gritiding at the Mill — Dress — 
 Dhoti — Rings Jor the Arms and Legs — Untruthfulness of Natives. 
 
 The manners, customs and home life of the people of 
 India were of absorbing interest to me, and a description of 
 them may be equally interesting to others. I give not only 
 such incidents as came under my own observation, but 
 glean from all available sources of information. By coming 
 into personal contact with the people, going into their 
 homes, meeting them in their villages, learning from the 
 missionaries we met and from the books read, reliable in- 
 formation has been gained and is given to those who may 
 care to read. 
 
 It must always be borne in mind, however, that India is 
 a large country with a score of languages and as many dif- 
 ferent peoples, and that what is true of one part of the 
 country may not be true of another. If a traveler from Eu- 
 rope should visit our country, landing at Charleston, South 
 Carolina, and visit several of the Southern States, where the 
 colored population equals or exceeds the white, and, trust- 
 ing to appearances, should write that there are as many ne- 
 groes in the United States as there are white people, he 
 would make a very natural, but, at the same time, a very 
 (314) 
 
BURNING THE DEAD. 
 
 315 
 
 great mistake. So, in writing about any country, one may 
 easily fall into the very common error of generalizing from 
 a few facts. It shall be our aim to avoid this as much as 
 possible. It may be safel}- stated that while Hinduism is 
 almost universall}' found in India, many of tb.c manners and 
 customs of the people are local in their character. 
 
 With the exception of small children under two or 
 three years old, and of the so-called holy men who are 
 buried at death, the Hindus burn the bodies of their dead. 
 Small children are buried, except among those who live 
 near the sacred river Ganges, into which the bodies are 
 
 FUNER.\L PYRE. 
 
 thrown as soon as possible after life is extinct. The funeral 
 rites and ceremonies attending the burning of a dead body 
 are very expensive, ranging in cost from ten to fifteen dol- 
 lars for the ver}' poorest, to many thousands for the wealthy. 
 Much of the money is spent in feasting relatives, paying 
 priests, and giving gifts to religious beggars and vagabond 
 hoi)' men. It is authoritatively stated that some of the 
 
3l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 wealthy rajahs of Bengal, of high princely famil\-, have ex- 
 pended as much as a quarter of a million dollars at a single 
 funeral. In this wa\' man\- Hindus incur drbts that hurdcn 
 them as long as they live, and are left as burdens upon their 
 children; for in India a man's debts, as well as his property, 
 if he has either, are inherited b)' his heirs, and they are 
 bound to pay them. 
 
 When a Hindu becomes dangerousl)' ill his relatives at 
 once make arrangements for the disposal of his body. If 
 he lives within ten or fifteen miles of the Ganges, or some 
 other sacred stream, he is immediatel}' placed upon a litter 
 and carried by his eldest son and nearest relatives to the 
 banks of the river, so that he ma\' look upon its hoi)- water 
 and have its protection when he dies. Such a proceeding, 
 it would seem to us, would have a tendenc\- to hasten death, 
 but the Hindu tliinks this is the onl\' proper thing to do. 
 
 As soon as death intervenes, the bod)' is prepared for 
 the burning. The eldest son, or his nearest representative, 
 carefull)' shaves the body and bathes it with water from the 
 sacred stream, and places upon it bits of sandal wood and 
 flowers. It is then wrapped in a white cloth and laid upon 
 th.e litter. A small ball made of rice flour is also laid with 
 it as an offering to the deit)' of the soil. At the same time 
 the dead man's name is called out b\' his son, while others 
 of the relatives wall-: about the bier weeping and uttering 
 loud lamentations. The litter is then taken upon the 
 shoulders of four men, the eldest son being one of the num- 
 ber, and the body is borne rapidly to the burning ground, 
 which, if possible, must lie near a river. The next act in the 
 drama is the burning of the bod)'. Among the wealthy the 
 funeral pile is made of sandal wood and of the sacred tuisi 
 shrub to which reference was made in our last chapter. 
 Others use the wood of the sacred pipal or bo tree. The 
 
HINDU FUNERAL. 317 
 
 jTTouml selected for the pyre must be puritied by spriiil<liii![T 
 holy water upon it. Five balls of rice flour are i:)lacecl upon 
 the b(Hl)' which is made to face the north, and its orifices 
 are filled with ij;hee, — clarified butter. The eldest son ap- 
 plies the torch to the wood, sa\'inf^: " Alay the guardian 
 deity Pushan convex' thee hence on thy distant road; ma)- 
 he deliver thee to the Fathers! " * 
 
 Durin;.^ our stay at the mission hemic at Bulsar we were 
 awakened ver)' early one morninj:,^ b}' a chorus of voices 
 cr}-ing out, " Ram-ram, Ram-ram." Brother Stover said 
 it was a Hindu funeral, and goini;^ out upon the veranda 
 we saw some twenty persons following the bearers of the 
 dead. Two bamboo poles tied together with ropes formed 
 the litter, and on this the body, wrapped in white cloth, was 
 borne. The bearers, as the}' hurried along cried out, 
 " Ram-Ram" with the falling inflection on the last syllable; 
 but Sir Edwin Arnold is authority for the statement that the 
 bearers cr\' out '"Ram-Ram such hai! '' ( /. c.) " Rama is the 
 true god! " — while those who follow, carr\'ing the fire and 
 clarified butter, used in the cremation, answered: '' Jo kalia 
 bhas sucJl Jiai! " literally, " What you sa)- is true, broth- 
 ers! j 
 
 Ilastil}' getting read)', we followed after the procession, 
 but as they went along at a half run they were soon out of 
 sight; but we could hear the bearers calling out the name of 
 their god, repeating the words " Ram- Ram " over again and 
 again. It was an exam[)le of the vain repetition of the 
 heathen to which our Savior referred when he taught his 
 disciples how to pra)'. The river was a mile awa)', and 
 when, we reached the stream those who had charge of the 
 ceremonies were preparing for the burning. The wood was 
 
 *"Brahmanism and Hinduism." p 200. 
 
 tSir E. Arnold, "India Revisited," pa^je 15S. 
 
31'S GIRDLING THE GLOI5E. 
 
 thrown from the ox cart on which it had been brought to 
 the place. Brother Stover asked if our being there was ob- 
 jectionable, and was assured that we were quite welcome to 
 stay and witness the ceremony; and we at once became in- 
 terested spectators. Nearl)' all present took some part in 
 carrying the wood and building up the funeral pyre. The 
 dry wood used was cut into pieces about five feet in length. 
 Two heavy pieces were laid parallel on the ground, and 
 upon these transversely the pile was built some three feet 
 high. The bod}- was then dipped into the water and care- 
 fully laid upon the funeral pyre, upon which a little water 
 had been sprinkled. Several pieces of wood were laid upon 
 the bod}', some clarified butter poured upon the head and 
 breast, and five balls made of rice were laid by its side as 
 an offering. The torch was now applied and slowly the 
 wood ignited and began to burn. 
 
 Up to this time nothing in the manner of the natives 
 present indicated any feeling of sadness. A short distance 
 from the burning wood sat a little group watching the pro- 
 ceedings with apparent interest; but surely not with more 
 interest than was manifested by the missionary and the 
 traveler. While we looked the fire blazed up and envel- 
 oped the body, and then from the dusk}^ group sitting near 
 by broke forth a long, low wail of pent-up grief and sorrow, 
 and floated out upon the cool morning air, over the bosom 
 of the placid stream. Up to this moment we had been in- 
 terested spectators, but the cry of grief from the crushed 
 and sorrow-stricken hearts found and touched a responsive 
 chord of sympathy. We were no longer mere spectators, 
 but our deepest sympathies went out to these heart-sore, 
 dusky children of India, and they were, for the time, our 
 brethren; for had we not also learned the lesson of grief at 
 the tomb of loved ones? So we found, not for the first 
 
WIDOWS BURNED. 3IO 
 
 time, here in far-away India, that a touch of sorrow makes 
 the whole world akin. 
 
 We left the burning' pile, the body rapidly turnini^ to 
 ashes and dust, and the group of gentle, brown-skinned 
 mourners by the side of the quiet river; but the scene, one 
 of the acts in the drama of real life, we shall not easily for- 
 get. It occurred two months ago, but as we write it all 
 comes back as vividly as it appeared on that bright Decem- 
 ber morning on the banks of the river at Bulsar. 
 
 After the body and wood have been consumed, — ^about 
 five hours is usually required, — the ashes and bits of broken 
 bones that have not been calcined are all carefully gath- 
 ered up and thrown into the river. And so century after 
 century have the rivers of India borne the ashes of her num- 
 berless millions of dead down to the sea. What a coming 
 forth there will be here, when the rivers and the sea shall 
 give up their dead! 
 
 Years ago it was a custom, often observed, for a faith- 
 ful Hindu wife to give proof of devotion to and her love 
 for her dead husband by allowing her living body to be 
 burned with his corpse. But in 1S29 this terrible practice 
 of self-immolation was happily prohibited by statute in Brit- 
 ish India. Since then it has been unknown save in a few 
 isolated cases. According to the best authorities it never 
 was compulsory, unless the unhappy lot of the Hindu widow 
 made her choose this as the least of two evils. The teach- 
 ing and faith of the Hindus was that the widow who thus 
 sacrificed herself with her dead husband would cleanse him 
 from all sin and make a saint of him, and that she would 
 dwell in happy union with him in the other world as many 
 hundred thousand years as there were hairs on his body. 
 Part of this belief is embodied in an old verse. The trans- 
 lation is from Arnold: 
 
320 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 'When the Hindu wife, embracing tenderly lier husband dead, 
 Mounts the funeral pyre besiile him, as it were a bridal lied; 
 Thou.^h his sins were twenty thousand, twenty thousand times o'er told 
 She would bring his soul to Swarza* for that love so strong and hold." 
 
 With a faith of this kind firmly held b)- the widow, with 
 her heart broken b\' the los.s of her husband, with the terri- 
 ble life of widowhood before her — which means more in 
 India than anywhere else — it is not to be wondered at that 
 she oftentimes chooses the terrible ordeal of being burned 
 alive rather than to live the life of seclusion and privation 
 that would inevitably fall to her lot. 
 
 This devotion all seems very strange to us, but we have 
 asked ourselves the question many, many times, What of 
 the future of these poor, ignorant people? In their blind 
 faith, without a knowledge of the true God, or of his Son 
 Jesus Christ who died to save them from all sin and to give 
 them eternal life, man)- of these Hindu women were, and 
 are still, v.illing to die a terrible death of agony to save 
 their husbands and to enioy, as they believe, unnumbered 
 happy years with them. Will it not be more tolerable for 
 these in the da\' of judgment than for those men and wom- 
 en in our Christian land, who have the Gospel preached to 
 them and bear the name of Christian, and \et violate God's 
 first law of marriage? The divorce courts are kept bus)-, 
 that Christian (?) men and women may break the bond 
 that unites them, and, for the gratification of sinful lust, 
 marry again and again. The poor, ignorant, yet true, Hin- 
 du wife, heathen as she is, knows no divorce but death. If 
 the Master were here, would he not say to those who thus 
 trample the laws of God under their feet, " But I say unto 
 you. It shall be more tolerable for the Hindu nidow at the 
 day of judgment, than for you? " 
 
 * Hindu place of rest and happiness. 
 
^■' M 
 
 
 in 
 
 W 
 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 K 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 y. 
 
 m 
 
BURNING GHAT. 323 
 
 From the burning ghats at Benares, a view of which 
 may be had on page 321, the smoke of cremation constantly 
 rises from the riverside and floats away over the city. We 
 visited the place later in our travels, but refer to it here. 
 In the picture a boatload of bamboo poles and wood, to be 
 used in burning the dead, is seen at the shore. In the cen- 
 ter, near the boat on a rude stretcher just touching the wa- 
 ter's edge, lies a silent object, wrapped in a white cloth 
 The two men near by with backs toward us are arranging 
 for the burning. To the right are two burning funeral pyres 
 from which the smoke is ascending, and near by is a man 
 who, with a long pole, is throwing together the remains of 
 an almost consumed pile. At the lower left hand corner is 
 a small monument marking the spot where some faithful 
 Hindu wife and widow voluntarily placed herself on the 
 pyre with her dead husband and was burned to death. On 
 the banks of the Ganges, at Benares, there are a number of 
 these burning places, but this description will suffice for all. 
 
 At Bulsar, and at other places, we went into the homes 
 of the natives and saw something of their home-life, and to 
 this we now direct attention. The houses of the poor in 
 villages or in the native quarters of the large cities ma}' b2 
 described as mere mud huts. Usually several of them are 
 built together, with an open space or yard in front. The 
 mud walls are very thick and the thatched roof made of 
 rice straw is several feet in depth. Bamboo, which is very 
 strong and tough, and grows abundantly in India, enters 
 largely into the construction of the hut. A basket-like 
 framework with heavy corner posts is first set up, and this 
 is plastered over inside and out with mud, until the required 
 thickness is obtained. The rafters and lathing for the straw 
 roof are also of bamboo and are held firmly in place by be- 
 ing tied together with rope made of the fibre of the cocoa- 
 
324 GIRDLING THE Gl OBE. 
 
 nut husk. The doors arc low and narrow, and one must 
 stoop to enter. The huts we entered were without windows. 
 In central and southern India the houses are built, not as a 
 protection from cold, but from heat and rain. In front the 
 roof extends some five or six feet and is supported with 
 posts. This extension forms the veranda. The floor of the 
 hut is usually raised several feet above the level of the 
 ground, and is made of earth tramped solid. 
 
 Generall}' the house is divided into three compartments 
 — the veranda, which is sittingroom and parlor, and the in- 
 terior sleeping and storerooms. The natives spend much of 
 their time in the open air, and the veranda is a favorite 
 place for sitting. Here visitors are received and enter- 
 tained, the ground floor being provided with bamboo mats. 
 
 The better grade of houses are occasionally built of 
 brick, are one story high, but usually have but two or three 
 rooms in them. These may also have windows. The hous- 
 es of the rich classes are well and substantiall)- built, usuall)' 
 of brick, and are comfortably furnished. 
 
 Let us go into one of the houses belonging to the poor- 
 er classes. There is a group of them together. We enter 
 the Nard, which is shaded by a grove of cocoanut palms. 
 From a large tree at one side a red flag is flying, marking 
 the location of the famil\' idol. The owner meets us, and, 
 in answer to a question, says: " Yes, that is our god," point- 
 ing to an ugh' caricature of the human face, painted red and 
 reeking with oil and filth. We were shown through the 
 house and found not a single piece of furniture in it. Bed- 
 steads, chairs, stools, benches, tables or wardrobes were not 
 to be seen. On a bamboo pole hung several cotton quilts 
 which served as beds. A stone hand-mill, similar to those 
 used in Palestine, and a number of earthen vessels stood in 
 one corner. In several rude baskets were the poultry be- 
 
H 
 
 P 
 
 X 
 
 
VEGETABLE FOOD. 32/ 
 
 longing to the housekeeper. As it was evening the owner 
 informed us that they were gathered in; otherwise they 
 would fall a prey to the jackals. The householder led by 
 the hand his oldest son, a bright little fellow about four. 
 His dress was that provided by nature. A small silver coin 
 brought a smile to his face as he placed his hand to his 
 forehead, and said, " Salaafn, Sa/iid." 
 
 Chairs are never used by the poorer classes. The na- 
 tives squat down, bringing the heels close up to the hips 
 with the chin almost between the knees; others sit down 
 flat, folding the lower limbs in front of them. In this way 
 they rest. If you gave them a chair they would use it in 
 one of the two ways here described. We have seen them 
 many times sit in this way on the seats in the cars. We 
 confess we often envied them the ability to sit down and 
 rest quite independent of such modern inventions as chairs. 
 
 The food of the people is almost entirely vegetable. 
 At some places the flesh of goats offered to idols is eaten, 
 as it is not considered wrong to take life for this purpose. 
 Fish are also eaten in some districts, but a strictly vegetable 
 diet with milk and its products is the general rule. Among 
 the masses of the laboring classes, rice of the poorest quali- 
 ty and pulse — a coarse, nutritious grain, similar to that eat- 
 en b)' Daniel and the Hebrew children at Babylon — with a 
 little milk, a kind of butter and curds, are the staple articles 
 of food. When it is remembered that many of these people 
 work for four cents a day, and are often compelled to sup- 
 port a large family on from two to three dollars a month, it 
 will be understood that the bill of fare cannot be an elabo- 
 rate one. 
 
 Knives and forks, and, in many cases, even plates are 
 not used. When the food has been prepared, each member 
 of the famil)- is served with a portion on a piece of plantain 
 
328 GIRnLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ov banana leaf, and the fin,^ers are found to be much more 
 convenient than forks. It is interestintr to see how skill- 
 full}- rice and pulse art^ taken up with the thumb and three 
 fingers and thrown into the mouth. Flat cakes, called 
 " cliupattics " — baked of flour, made of pulse or wheat — are 
 also eaten, but the poorer people seldom enjoy the luxury 
 of wheat flour. A brass or earthen vessel containing cirink- 
 ing water is placed within reach of those eating, and from 
 this the water is poured into the m;)uth, the lips not touch- 
 ing the vessel. At the close of the meal the hands are 
 washed; the housewife has but little work to do in the way 
 of dish-washing and clearing away what is left. 
 
 The houses of the wealthy are often two or three sto- 
 ries high and have an open court in the center. Furniture 
 is not generally used. Bedsteads are to be found in the 
 sleeping rooms, and in a secluded upper room is a strong 
 box containing the family jewelr\'. The ground floor has a 
 kitchen which is also used as a dining room. There are also 
 storerooms for grain and fuel, and even stalls for cattle. In 
 one of the lower rooms there is usually a reservoir or well 
 for water. Here are also many brightly-scoured brass wa- 
 ter vessels ready for use. 
 
 Another room on the ground floor is set apart for daily 
 worship. There, in a small wooden temple, or sacred recep- 
 tacle, are kept the household gods or idols, usuall}' five in 
 number; and here each member of every respectable Hindu 
 family pays worship to the idols at least once every day. 
 In this room is also retained the sacred fire which is still 
 worshiped by a few orthodox Hindus. Especially is this 
 true at Benares, where the sacred fire is daily worshiped. 
 And here, too, or in the court, is ke[it the sacred tulsi 
 plant to whicli the women of the family offer adoration. 
 
DAILY RELIGIOUS SERVICES. 329 
 
 The daily religious services of an orthodox pious Brah- 
 man are exceedingly irksome and tedious. We give a 
 synopsis of these duties from Sir Monier Williams' work. 
 A modern orthodox Brahman is fettered and bound to his 
 idols and will often devote four or five hours a day to their 
 worship. Every faculty and function of his nature is bound 
 b)- an iron chain of traditional observances. For example, 
 his dail}' duties now comprise (1 ) the morning bath, a re- 
 ligious observance. (2) Prayers and meditation, to be ob- 
 served three times a day. (3) Worship by formally repeat- 
 ing the first word of each of the sacred books. (4) The 
 threefold daily oblation of water to the secondary gods. (5) 
 The sacrifice to fire by fuel, rice, clarified butter, etc., etc. 
 (6)The daily worship of his idols or gods in the room set 
 apart for that purpose in his house. (7) The solitary visit 
 to the neighboring temple, not necessarily for prayer, but 
 simpl)' for bowing before the idol, or merel)- for looking at 
 it after its decoration by the idol priest. 
 
 There are, in addition to these, other duties that he 
 must not neglect. The service before the midday meal, 
 with offerings of food, the daily homage of men by offering 
 food to guests and beggars, the solemn fasts, to be observed 
 twice a month and on special days, the reading of passages 
 of the Puranas or sacred books, held to be an act of great 
 merit, the pilgrimage to some sacred shrine or to the Gan- 
 ges, and finall)' the last great sacrifice when the body ought 
 to be burned by the same sacred fire which was originally 
 kindled by husband and wife on their domestic hearth. 
 This is an outline of an orthodox Brahman householder's 
 life in modern times. It is to be noted that Hinduism does 
 not enjoin assembling together for congregational worship. * 
 
 These duties seem to us so burdensome that we wonder 
 
 ♦"Brahmanisra." pp. 393-394. 
 
ai 
 
 
 m:' < 
 
MORNING DEVOTIONS. 331 
 
 again and again, that such a vast number of people willingly 
 submit to them. We ought to rejoice with exceeding glad- 
 ness that the religion of the New Testament enjoins no such 
 heavy burdens upon the followers of Jesus. The observ- 
 ances, so few in number, enjoined in the Gospel, ought to be 
 gladly and gratefully accepted and carried out. But to 
 some even the very few given are burdensome and are said 
 to be useless and of none effect. Of some of them it is said, 
 they applied to the time in which they were given, but are 
 not applicable to this age; of others, that they were given to 
 teach certain lessons, but this observance is not now neces- 
 sary. How the faith of such people in the inspiration of 
 God's Word and their devotion to it sinks down when com- 
 pared with these heathen! 
 
 Others there are who seem anxious to obey Christ in 
 all things, but who have not even erected a family altar, 
 and who fail to give audible thanks to God for the food 
 they eat. While we were at Bulsar, Sister Stover sent one 
 of their helpers to a shop to make a purchase. In a short 
 time the man returned without the required article, stating 
 that the shopkeeper, a Parsi, was engaged in his morning de- 
 votions to the sun, and that he would be through in an hour, 
 when the purchase might be made. We said, " Think of a 
 shopkeeper at home, if such a thought is possible, closing 
 his place of business each morning that he might devote an 
 hour to worship! " Let those Christians who do not find 
 time for family worship and prayers, or are too timid and 
 backward to thus call upon the name of their God, take a 
 lesson from the heathen. This is put down in all good con- 
 science, free from personality, with the hope that it will do 
 good. 
 
 In connection with the customs of the people a photo- 
 gravure is given, which is exceedingly interesting, showing, 
 
33:^ GIRDLING THE GI.OP.E. 
 
 as it dors, the haiulniill, with a woman i^riiulin;^ at it. This 
 mill, which has been in use in Palestine ever since the days 
 of Abraham, is also in use in India. The lower millstone is 
 imbedded in clay and has four short legs to raise it from the 
 ground. A rim is raised around it far enough away to form 
 a receptacle for the meal which is thrown out b\' centrifugal 
 force. The upper millstone is of the pattern so often seen 
 in Palestine. The long wooden handle upon which the 
 woman has her hand is used to turn the upper stone. Two 
 women do the grinding. It will be observed that the huts 
 in the background, with their thatch of rice straw, are circu- 
 lar in form, a style of architecture often found among the 
 lowly natives of India. Notice the hea\y earrings worn 
 by the women. I have seen them of such weight that the 
 iobe of the ear was drawn dov/n and greatly extended. 
 
 Clothing in India is limited in suppl\', and the poorer 
 classes, especiallx', are never burdened with a superfluity of 
 wearing apparel. The laborer who works in the fields and 
 on the streets often satisfies his ideas of propriety by wear- 
 ing the merest strip of cloth wrapped about his loins. Bare- 
 headed, bare-backed and bare-limbed, he works for hours 
 under the fierce, burning ra\-s of a tropical sun without suf- 
 fering inconvenience. 
 
 The better class of people are satisfied with two gar- 
 ments made of white cotton cloth. The lower one, called 
 the dhoti or waist cloth, is simply a piece of white muslin 
 three-quarters of a }'ard wide, and four \'ards in length. 
 This is wrapped and tucked about the body jusf above the 
 hips, one end being caught up between the lower limbs and 
 tucked in at the back. The lower limbs below the knees are 
 left bare. When running the garment is girded about the 
 loins so as not to impede progress, so that the people here 
 literally gird up their loins as was done in Bible times. One 
 
< 
 
NATIVE DRESS. 335 
 
 sees thousands of men in the cities, towns and villages, with 
 no other garment save the dhoti. 
 
 An upper garment, called uttariya, is also worn by 
 large numbers. It is made of white cotton, and is about the 
 same size and shape as the dhoti. It is thrown over the 
 shoulder and worn lilce the Roman toga, covering the upper 
 part of the body except one arm and shoulder. These two 
 garments constitute the clothing of the great majority of 
 the men of India. There is neither needlework nor buttons 
 about them. The good housewife never worries herself lest 
 when her husband changes his garments there may be a but- 
 ton wanting. 
 
 B}' some a close-fitting vest or short coat is worn, 
 called a body protector. It is cut and made to fit, and is 
 worn under the upper garment. 
 
 The laboring man's working dress, or cloth, costs him 
 but a few pennies. We purchased a dhoti, a uttariya, and a 
 close-fitting jacket, such as are here described, for about 
 four rupees, a little over one dollar of our money. It will 
 be seen from this that clothing in India is very cheap; and 
 it is well for the poor that this is the case. With the wages 
 received, they cannot pay more. 
 
 As to headdress, the greater number of the people of 
 central and southern India wear nothing on their heads. In 
 cold weather they muffle their heads in the upper garment, 
 and some carry a cloth on the arm for this purpose. The 
 wealthy class wear turbans, some of them of permanent 
 shape, but, for the most part, they consist of a long piece of 
 cloth wrapped and folded about the head in conformity to 
 the rule of the caste to which the wearer belongs. 
 
 It may be safeh' said that two-thirds of the people of 
 India never wear shoes, and stockings are practically un- 
 known among the natives. Some who have adopted the 
 
^^^6 CilRDLING Till': (il.OI'.K. 
 
 English style of dress wear both shoes and stockings, hut 
 their number is ver\- small. Leather is su[)posed to be un- 
 clean, and lu'uce is not in favor. " It is common for the 
 most dignified and refined gentlemen to come into one's 
 presence with naked feet, leaving their shoes outside the 
 room." 
 
 Women's dress consists ordinarily of a bodice and a 
 long garment called a sari. The latter is a piece of cloth of 
 various materials and colors, according to the wealth and 
 taste of the wearer, about a yard wide and from eight to fif- 
 teen yards in length, so wrapped and folded about the 
 body as to cover it, except one arm and shoulder. The 
 fashions in India never change; indeed, such a thing as fash- 
 ion in dress, as it is known in Europe and America, does not 
 exist here. It may be safely said, that for three thousand 
 years there has been but little change in wearing apparel. 
 
 In a preceding chapter I referred to the great love for 
 jewelry innate in the women of India. There are eight 
 principal kinds of ornaments worn. Nose-rings, earrings, 
 necklaces, bracelets, armlets worn about the elbows, finger- 
 rings, anklets and toe-rings. Finger-rings, earrings and 
 nose-rings are also worn by men. The jewelry worn by one 
 woman sometimes weighs as much as sixteen pounds. 
 Among the rich, gold and silver, with pearls and precious 
 stones, are worn. Others use ivory, plated metal, and glass, 
 while the poor use brass and even bracelets made of wood. 
 The ears, the nose, the fingers and toes, the arms, and the 
 lower limbs, from ankle to knee, are often literally covered 
 with jewelry. 
 
 At Bulsar I bought, for a couple of rupees, the brass 
 arm-rings from the woman who served us as water carrier. 
 She had twenty-two on each arm, and from wrist to elbow 
 her arms were literally encased in brass. As she was quite 
 
HOME-LIFE. 
 
 y^y 
 
 old, we had some hope that she might use the money for a 
 better purpose, but in the afternoon she appeared with her 
 arms covered with new brass rings. She was much pleased 
 with her bargain, for she had secured new rings for her old 
 ones, and had been able to add a few more to the number. 
 
 What did I want with this heathen woman's brass arm- 
 rings, do you ask? To show some of our jewelry-loving 
 people at home how their Indian sisters can excel them in 
 display. 
 
 But little attention is given to the attire of small chil- 
 dren. Until the offspring of the wealthy attain to their 
 third or fourth year, they are entirely innocent of all cloth- 
 ing. A silver chain is sometimes fastened around the waist, 
 to which a charm is attached to keep away the evil spirits; 
 bracelets and anklets also encircle the tin\- limbs at a very 
 early age. The children of the poor go as do those of the 
 rich, except that if a charm be worn, it is fastened to the 
 body with a brass chain or string, and that the time w^hen 
 propriety demands that the small dhoti be worn is at the 
 age of six or seven years. 
 
 The home-life of the people, so far as we are able to 
 judge from our limited association with them, seems to be 
 pleasant and happy. The children are light-hearted, play 
 about their homes and appear to enjoy life. In many 
 places kite-flying is a great source of amusement, among 
 both bo}s and men. The}' are kind-hearted and .gentle, 
 and, except those who are degraded by the idolatry of the 
 Saktists, it is a pleasure to meet them. The women are the 
 most superstitious and fanatical concerning their religion, 
 and it is hard to turn them awa}- from their idols. They 
 can be reached only b\' women, hence the importance of 
 having women in the fields as missionaries. Zenana work, 
 /. c, work among the native women, is of the utmost impor- 
 
338 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 tance. For, althouirh she is not considered her husband's 
 equal, she has a commanding influence in the home. 
 
 To iUustrate this, Dr. Mansell, at Agra, told us that a 
 native once came to him and asked to be baptized; during 
 the interview the man's wife came and upbraided him for 
 forsaking their gods, and ended by saying if he were bap- 
 tized she would go home and jump into the well. In this 
 way she succeeded in intimidating her husband, and he nev- 
 er was baptized. " Would she have carried out her threat if 
 you had baptized the man?" we asked the doctor. " Yes! 
 and that too, in the full belief that she would go directly to 
 heaven because of her self-sacrifice," was the reply. 
 
 One lamentable failure among the people is their disre- 
 gard for the truth. We know some people in the United 
 States who are afflicted in this way, but here the failing is 
 quite general. They do not seem to have any conscience in 
 the matter, and the missionaries tell us that one of the 
 greatest difificulties they have is to get those who unite with 
 them to understand that it is wrong to tell an untruth, or to 
 take things belonging to others. Mr. Taylor, the Quaker 
 missionary, told us that this was the most trying thing he 
 had to contend with among his people. 
 
 At Calcutta it was our good fortune to find a home with 
 Mr. and Mrs. A. Jewson, Baptist missionaries. Mrs. J. has a 
 large orphanage and is doing a good work among the chil- 
 dren. While with them we had occasion to go to an ofiice 
 in a distant part of the city. A cab was called and Mrs. 
 Jewson directed the driver in Bengali where to go, and then 
 asked if he knew the place. " Yes, yes, quite well," was the 
 reply. She turned to us and said, " He says he knows the 
 place, but I am quite sure he is not telling the truth; you 
 will have to inquire on the way." For the moment we felt 
 that Mrs. Jewson was a little too severe, but it turned out 
 
UNTRUTHFULNESS AND DISHONESTY. 339 
 
 just as she said. The man didn't know the place, and we 
 reached it only after considerable trouble. Our hostess 
 knew the native characteristics much better than we. 
 
 Mr. Pool, who spent many years in India, says, "Un- 
 truthfulness and dishonesty are bad traits of eastern charac- 
 ter. To tell a lie, seems, I am afraid, to man)' Hindus and 
 Mohammedans, as natural as to tell the truth. I was fortu- 
 nate in my servants in India; but still, every now and then 
 something would disappear from the house. I would miss 
 mone)' from my pockets, and writing paper from my desk, 
 and various curiosities I had collected would vanish, and no 
 more be seen or heard of." Once he missed a valuable um- 
 brella; he called his servants together to assist in finding it, 
 but the search was in vain. At night he searched on his 
 own account and found the missing article carefully hidden 
 away behind a piece of furniture. He concluded to leave it 
 there till morning and teach the servants a lesson. After 
 breakfast he called them in, but the thief had been too 
 sharp for him; the umbrella was no longer there. He con- 
 cludes the incident by saying, "Words fail me to describe 
 my chagrin as to the discovery. As for the servants, not a 
 muscle of their countenances moved, though I could see 
 from the sparkle in their eyes that they were enjoying my 
 discomfiture, I had to buy another umbrella." 
 
 The untruthfulness and dishonesty among the people is 
 not to be wondered at when the character of some of the 
 gods they worship is known. A nation never rises above its 
 highest ideals. The tendency is to come far below them. 
 The Christian has the life and character and teaching of a 
 perfect Savior to follow, and how far we fall below that life 
 and character! The Hindu gods, especially Shiva and 
 Krishna, two of the most popular deities, are credited with 
 lying, stealing, adultery and many other wicked things. 
 
340 GIRDLING THE GLOHE. 
 
 It has been stated that the people are really better than 
 the gods they worship, and after looking into the facts, we 
 are prepared to say that nian\' of them are far better than 
 their religion or their gods. 
 
 We can never be too thankful for our pure and holy re- 
 ligion. We are only better than these people because we 
 worship the true God and have his Son for our Savior. 
 And it is onl}' as we assimilate his holy life and pure char- 
 acter, and make him manifest in our dail\- living, that we 
 show to the world that we are Christians in the true sense of 
 the word. Obedience and conformity to his will and law 
 there must be, but this is not enough. We must have the 
 Christ-life in us. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Interest in Tndian People — Inguisitii'eness — Cheap Labor — Brick- 
 * layers at Work — Human Sawmills — Marriage Ceremonies — 
 Child Marriage — A Double iVedding — Pan and Flowers — The 
 Bridegroom' s Procession — Ceremonies — Large Sums of Money 
 Expe7ided — The LLindu Child — Namcgiving Ceremony — Boring 
 the Ears — A Visit to Col. Anse-l — A Missionary Cocoanut Tree — 
 Toddy — The Toddy Climber. 
 
 One might fill volume after volume with interesting ob- 
 servations on the peculiarities of the people of India, and 
 not exhaust the subject. In the compass of this book space 
 is not afforded to give a lengthy account of all that was 
 seen, however interesting it might be. I was intensely in- 
 terested along these lines of investigation, and am giving 
 more space to this phase of Indian life than otherwise 
 would have been done. 
 
 Both in thought and action the Oriental differs radical- 
 ly from us Westerners, and these differences are not, on his 
 part, the result of accident, but are deeply wrought into the 
 very life and nature of the people by custom and tradition 
 thirty centuries old. Those over-sanguine people who 
 come to India with a fixed determination to change the 
 present status in a few months or years, will, if their lives be 
 prolonged, grow gray and depart in ripe old age, and see 
 the Orient as it was when they came. Verily the Oriental 
 changes not hastily. 
 
 To us it seems as if the eastern people were doing ev- 
 erything backward. To them, however, it no doubt seems, 
 that we are the ones who do things the wrong way. Upon 
 
 (311) 
 
342 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 entering a house, if they wear shoes at all, they take them 
 off and keep their heads covered. We keep our shoes on 
 our feet and consider it impolite to enter the house without 
 removing our hats. Why? Simply because custom says 
 we shall do so. And is our custom better than theirs? 
 They carry no dirt into your house on their shoes. But the 
 differences are legion. "Their saws have the teeth set 
 towards the handle, and the carpenter pulls it towards him; 
 their screws turn the wrong way; their writing begins at the 
 wrong end; they beckon with their fingers downward; and, 
 strangest of all, if a man wishes to spite his enemy he occa- 
 sionally does so by hurting himself." This last method is 
 so novel, and would be, in our judgment, such a good thing 
 for those who are disposed to be quarrelsome at home that 
 we venture to recommend that it be given a trial. 
 
 Another peculiarity of the native is his innate curios- 
 ity. At home there is a common saying that a woman's 
 curiosity is limited only by her ability to find things out. 
 Here the men excel the women in this trait, and, perhaps, if 
 the truth were known, the same statement would fit among 
 ourselves. This peculiarity is apparent on every hand. 
 When at Bulsar, Brother Stover and the writer frequently 
 walked about the town and country. Upon meeting an ac- 
 quaintance, after the usual greetings had been exchanged, 
 the following questions always followed: "Where are you 
 going? What are you going for?" or "Where have you 
 been and what did you go there for?" Among the house 
 servants who are always men, the secrets of your home are 
 known. What you eat, what you do, how you talk to your 
 wife and children — if you are blessed with wife and children 
 — is the common property of the neighborhood. Pool says 
 "that the servants will obtain keys to open drawers and 
 desks when the master's back is turned, and will count 
 
Curiosity. 343 
 
 money and read any correspondence they find, if they can. 
 I have known a packet of love letters to disappear for a 
 few da}s, and then be brought back again. In all probabil- 
 it}' the precious parcel was placed for a while in the hands 
 of some one who could read English, and who, for a consid- 
 eration, would tell the inquisitive servant w^hat the contents 
 were." At one of the hotels we noticed an officer's servant 
 carefully examining the contents of his master's trunk, 
 looking over papers, letters, etc. Of course the officer was 
 absent. 
 
 A native, writing of this peculiarity, says: "I have ob- 
 served there is a great difference between Hindus and Euro- 
 peans in this respect. An Englishman is offended if you 
 ask him where he is going, where he has come from, his ob- 
 ject in coming, his profession, the amount of his salary and 
 the like; whereas a Hindu regards such inquiries as an indi- 
 cation of polite and kindly interest in him. He will answer 
 freely, though not always truthfully, all queries, and will, by 
 magnifying his salary, seek to give you a high opinion of 
 his importance." May it not be barely possible that while 
 the Hindu is too inquisitive we have gone to the other ex- 
 treme and do not take kindly and polite interest enough in 
 each other's affairs? 
 
 The peculiar methods of doing work in India are also a 
 source of interest. Labor is cheap because the supply is 
 largely in excess of the demand. We have seen hundreds 
 of men slowly and laboriously sawing great logs into boards 
 by hand. A long saw, a platform on which the log is laid, 
 one man above, another below to pull and push the saw, 
 and you have an Indian sawmill. In Bombay we saw the 
 harness-makers holding the leather firmly between the soles 
 of their feet while the}' did the stitching with their hands. 
 
344 oiRnLixo the globe. 
 
 The cirpenter, in like manner, uses his feet as a kind of a 
 vise while he makes the mortise. 
 
 By the side of our hotel a building is in course of con- 
 struction. We have watched with interest the people at 
 work. The bricklayer sits down, as described in a previous 
 chapter, at his work-, the mortar and brick are carried to him 
 b}' women who bear their burdens on top of the head, one 
 of them carrying fourteen large-sized bricks at one time. 
 Here are a number of men and women dicr<Tin"- a founda- 
 tion. The men have heavy, broad hoes with which they 
 loosen the earth and throw it out of the trench. Others, 
 with similar hoes, scrape it into the conical-shaped baskets, 
 each holding about half a bushel. Then the women carr\' it 
 away on their heads. When the excavation becomes too 
 deep for the workmen to throw the earth out with hoes it is 
 scraped into baskets and lifted out by being handed from 
 one workman to another until the top is reached. Shovels 
 are not used and wheelbarrows arc unknown. And it was a 
 surprise to us to sec how much they accomplished in their 
 way of working. 
 
 And this brings me to consider the amount of wages 
 paid for labor in India. But first a word about their money. 
 The silver rupee, supposed to be w^orth fifty cents, is the 
 unit of value. It is divided into sixteen annas, these in- 
 to four pice, and these again into twelve pi. The cowry 
 shell also circulates, as many as fift\'-six of them being val- 
 ued at one pice, or say one-fourth of one cent. The rupee, 
 notwithstanding the fact that it bears the government stamp 
 and, when at par, is worth fifty cents, is in fact worth only 
 the market value of the silver it contains. When we landed 
 at Bombay we received on our bills of exchange rupee^ at 
 the rate of 28}4 cents each. It was like buying half dollar 
 pieces for 28^ cents. This depreciation in the unit of val- 
 
WAGES. 345 
 
 ue bears heavil\' on all who work for wages. Wages remain 
 the same while the purchasing power of the money the)' get 
 grows less. That we may readily calculate the amount of 
 wages received we place the rupee at 30 cents and the anna 
 at two cents, which is a little more than their real value. 
 
 At Cawnpore Mr. Bond — a large manufacturer whom 
 we met at Jerusalem, and at whose home in India we made 
 a very pleasant visit — told m.^ that he paid his head carpen- 
 ter fifteen rupees, and those who worked under the foreman 
 ten rupees per month. In Illinois, a few years ago, we paid 
 as much per clay to the carpenters who put up a small 
 building for us. For ordinary labor he paid from six to 
 eight rupees per month while field men received two annas 
 per day. 
 
 The superintendent of one of the large tea farms in 
 Bengal, whom we met on our way to Darjeeling, gave me 
 the following rate of wages paid to workmen in the cultiva- 
 tion of tea: Men six to eight rupees per month, women four 
 to six and children two to three rupees per month. Of 
 course it must be understood that in all these cases the 
 workmen find their own food and keep themselves. 
 
 On the railways native engineers receive from twelve to 
 twenty-five rupees per month. At home I have heard of 
 engineers receiving from seventy-five to one hundred dol- 
 lars per month, and then striking for higher wages. The 
 trackman gets six to ten rupees per month and feels that he 
 is doing remarkably well. 
 
 How laborers can live on such wages is a m^'ster}', but 
 they succeed in doing it and look as if the\' were well fed, 
 and appear to be happy. Their clothing costs but a trifle. 
 They don't spend their substance for whiskey and beer. 
 They don't waste their money in riotous living; and their 
 wants are few and easily supplied. Some writer has said 
 
346 GIRDLING THE GLOBfi. 
 
 that happiness consists in having but few wants. If this be 
 a correct test, then the working people of India must be 
 happy, for their wants are very few indeed. 
 
 For the social economist this cheap labor presents an 
 important problem, especially since it is more than likely to 
 come into active competition with our labor at home, AI- 
 read\- its effect is being felt in Europe, and the British Gov- 
 ernment has raised a storm of indignation in India by tax- 
 ing cotton cloth that is produced here, so that the product 
 of Lancashire looms may be protected. It is not our prov- 
 ince to enter into this question, but it will be well for our 
 workmen at home to learn habits of economy and save their 
 money against the day when competition with this cheap 
 labor comes, for sooner or later it will come. 
 
 As already stated, the orthodox Hindu is bound by tra- 
 ditions and customs older than the Christian era, and these 
 customs bind every operation of life in India. The able 
 author of "Buddhism, Brahmanism and Hinduism," who 
 spent many years in making a careful and exhaustive study 
 of social life in India, tells us that each man finds himself 
 cribbed and confined in all his movements, and fettered in 
 all he does by the most minute traditional regulations. He 
 sleeps and wakes, dresses and undresses, sits down and 
 stands up, goes out and comes in, eats and drinks, speaks 
 and is silent, acts and refrains from acting, according to an- 
 cient rule. And by this rule the intervention of the priestly 
 caste begins with his first unconscious existence as a living 
 organism. From that moment to death, and even long aft- 
 er death, every Hindu is held to be the lawful property of 
 the priests, who exact fees for many offices performed on 
 his behalf. 
 
 And here we may impress a lesson that will, if heeded, 
 be helpful to us. Custom and tradition must alwa)s give 
 
CHILD MARRIAGE. " 347 
 
 way to the truth; otherwise they bind upon the human race 
 burdens that God never intended we should bear. There is 
 always a present danger of placing undue importance upon 
 any practice of the church simply because it has become a 
 traditional custom. The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be our 
 only standard, and as we receive the light and truth re- 
 vealed in the "Perfect Law of Libert)'" we shall be free 
 from all customs based only upon ancient usage and tradi- 
 tion. 
 
 One of the chief concerns of the Hindu parents is to 
 have their children suitabl)' married, and this concern takes 
 precedence of all others. The first thought is not for the 
 child's health, "not for its wealth, not for its physical, men- 
 tal or moral well being, but for its betrothal and marriage." 
 When the boy has reached the age of five or six years a 
 wife is usually selected for him, and this is sometimes done 
 at even an earlier age. Of course in this important matter 
 the children are never consulted. Li making the arrange- 
 ments, the services of a priest or professional matchmaker 
 are required, and his fee depends upon the wealth of the 
 parent. He looks about until he finds a little girl from two 
 to four years old of the same caste as the boy, and reports 
 to the prospective bridegroom's father. A meeting of the 
 parents of both children is then arranged for, and when all 
 is satisfactorily completed the betrothal takes place. This 
 is the first of the three acts in the marriage drama. 
 
 It is but just to say that money is quite a secondary 
 consideration in Hindu marriages. Li some cases it is an 
 operative element, but this is not the rule. Caste stands 
 first and physical conditions next on the list of marriage re- 
 quirements. Neither does love between the parties to the 
 marriage have any consideration. This is supposed to 
 come after marriage. 
 
34B r.IRDLING THE OLOHfi. 
 
 The second act in the dranii takes place when the chil- 
 dren have reached the respective ages of about seven and 
 ten, and is of a religious character. Then, when the boy 
 has reached his fifteenth or sixteenth year, and the girl her 
 eleventh or twelfth, the final wedding ceremony is celebrat- 
 ed amid great festivities and rejoicing, and the children be- 
 come husband and wife and set up housekeeping in the 
 home of the bridegroom's father. 
 
 Child marriage is undoubtedly one of the great social 
 evils in India to-day. In 1891 the government passed a law 
 forbidding the actual marriage of girls under twelve years 
 of age, but it is a difficult matter to enforce the law. Par- 
 ents in their great anxiety to have their children married do 
 not hesitate to tell an untruth as to their ages, and in this 
 wa}' the wise provision of the law is evaded. The entire 
 question of child marriage with attendant evils is one that 
 appeals strongly to the sympathy of those who are ac- 
 quainted with all the facts. 
 
 One among the many sad features of child marriage is 
 that if the boy husband dies after his betrothal, his child- 
 wife is doomed to perpetual widowhood; so it often occurs 
 that little girls three or four years old are widows. The lot 
 of this unfortunate class is a sad one indeed. She must 
 have her hair cut close to her head, and in India it is a 
 shame for a woman to have her head shaven or shorn. She 
 is allowed to eat but one meal a day and becomes a mere 
 household drudge. This sad condition of widowhood 
 doubtless was one of the causes that led some of them to 
 prefer death by burning on the funeral pyre of the husband 
 rather than face their lot in life. 
 
 On the subject of child marriage we glean some further 
 thoughts from a tract on the subject published by the Chris- 
 tian Literature Society of Madras, India: 
 
CHILD MARRIAGE. 349 
 
 In most countries of the world, men do not marry till 
 the}- are able to support a wife; but in India mere children 
 are often thus united. The first marriage is properly a be- 
 trothal, a contract to marry at a future time. Practically, 
 however, it has the force of marriage, for if the boy-husband 
 dies the infant wife is condemned to perpetual widowhood. 
 The age at which marriage takes place varies in different 
 parts of the country, and among different castes. Certain 
 classes betroth even infants. The last census of the small 
 native state of Baroda shows that 132 males and 558 females 
 were married before the}' had completed their first }-ear! 
 
 Two of the causes which led to the modern custom of 
 early marriage ma}' be noticed: 
 
 1. During centuries of invasion and disorder, it was 
 desirable that every Hindu woman should have a protector 
 for life as early as possible. 
 
 2. The desire to have sons to perform certain cere- 
 monies. A childless man who has no son to make offerings 
 for him is said to fall into the hell called////. Pntra, a son, 
 is supposed to mean one who saves from hell. 
 
 It is justl}' claimed that the large proportion of widows 
 in India is parti}- owing to earl}- marriage. About one- 
 third of all that are born die before they are five }'ears of 
 age. Others are cut off in }-outh. If mere girls are mar- 
 ried, it is plain that a number of their husbands must die 
 before the}- attain puberty. The unhappy girls are, accord- 
 ing to Hindu usage, doomed to be widow-s for life. 
 
 In an earnest appeal against child marriage to the edu- 
 cated Hindus of India a nati\-e Christian writer sa}s: 
 
 " Of course you may look upon such an occurrence as 
 the death of a child-wife in this way as nothing, }-ou before 
 whom, these wives must stand in silence, and who must wor- 
 ship you as gods. The traditions of ages have blinded }-ou, 
 
350 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 SO that you cannot see this matter in its real nature. From 
 the ver\' nature of the relationship your forefathers have ar- 
 rogated to themselves towards women and handed down to 
 you, it is impossible that you could have a real conception 
 of the heinousness of this custom. If your women are re- 
 garded by you as so inferior that you can only look upon 
 yourselves as gods in comparison to them, if \ou look upon 
 them merely as a means of raising children, to celebrate 
 certain ceremonies over your remains when you condescend 
 to die; or if you look upon them merely as cooks and 
 drudges; if you not merely look upon them in these lights, 
 but if your very nature is saturated with these ideas, and 
 you regard them as founded on an inviolable religious foun- 
 dation, I say, how could it be possible that you should se- 
 riously regard any treatment \'ou might choose to mete out 
 to your women as either harsh or cruel? You look upon 
 your women as chattels, as ' \our own "... your ' females * 
 as you call them. It never occurs to you that they are, 
 equally with you, citizens of the empire, so that no matter 
 what your fantastic notions of your own importance may be, 
 the rulers of this empire being bound to protect all the citi- 
 zens, without distinction, from violence or insult are bound 
 to come forward and teach you what, through no fault of 
 yours, you do not seem to know, viz., that this custom is a 
 brutal one, and that as it interferes with the comfort and 
 safety and imperils th6 lives of certain of Her Majesty's 
 subjects in India, you must relinquish it." 
 
 We visited the school of Mr. Umbalal Desai at Bulsar, 
 where a large number of boys — none apparently above six- 
 teen years — were studying English. Judge our surprise 
 when we were told that the most of them were married and 
 some of them were fathers. A prominent teacher tells us 
 that he has frequently examined the classes in the Indian 
 
DOUBLE WEDDING AT BULSAR. 35 I 
 
 high schools, in which most of the boys were fathers. The 
 girls, of course, receive but little education. 
 
 While we sojourned at the mission house at Bulsar we 
 attended two weddings, one in company with our mission- 
 aries and some Parsi friends, and the other with Mr. La 
 Personne, a warm personal friend of our missionaries. One 
 of these was a double wedding, the father wisely choosing 
 to have one series of ceremonies for both his boys at the 
 same time. Perhaps it would be better to say that we at- 
 tended a part of the ceremony, for the festivities continue 
 sometimes for eight da}s, and large sums of money are 
 spent. At those we attended, the bridegrooms were pre- 
 paring to set out upon a visit to the homes of the brides. 
 We reached the place about nine o'clock in the evening. 
 Seats were given us on the veranda, and bouquets, garlands 
 of flowers, and the inevitable " pan," were presented to us. 
 We were received with much cordiality and made to feel 
 welcome. The father of the boy said he was very glad, in- 
 deed, that we came to the wedding. 
 
 From our seats on the veranda we had a good view of 
 the proceedings. The first thing that took place was the 
 bathing of the bridegroom. A platform was placed on the 
 street in front of the house, vessels of water were brought, 
 and the bath completed, the boy was enveloped in a white 
 robe, and carried into his dressing room. In the meantime 
 a number of men were making night hideous with tom- 
 toms, drums and cracked horns. Each one seemed intent 
 upon making as much noise as possible, and this passed for 
 music; the musicians were hired for the occasion. So far as 
 noise was concerned they easily outdid the brass band at 
 home. Torches flashed on every hand, and the house and 
 surroundings were beautifully illuminated. 
 
 Presently the bridegroom appeared, adorned for his 
 
35- GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 bride. He was placed (in a richly-caparisoned horse, glit- 
 tering in gold and silver tinsel. After he was seated a veil 
 of fragrant flowers was thrown over his head and he was 
 literally covered with beautiful white blossoms, which also 
 partly envelojied the horse. The procession now started, 
 but it moved very slowly. In fact, after moving a fevv^ feet, 
 it stopped and a collection was taken up for the bride. All 
 were invited to give, and all did give. Then, amid the 
 flashing torches and the loud, discordant music, the proces- 
 sion moved away and we retired. It reminded us somewhat 
 of going out to meet the bridegroom, to which our Savior 
 refers in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. In 
 the procession we noticed many girls bearing lamps and 
 torches. 
 
 Among the wealthy the marriage ceremonies are kept 
 up for a number of da)'s and the houses of both bridegroom 
 and bride are decorated with flowers and paint, and at night 
 are brilliantly illuminated with lamps and Chinese lanterns. 
 The savings of a lifetime are often spent in wedding festivi- 
 ties. Custom, as some one saN's, compels the well-to-do 
 parent to squander large sums of money on mere idlers and 
 pleasure-seekers, instead of giving it to aid the newly-mar- 
 ried pair in starting in life for them-selves. If he were to 
 practice economy in a wedding he would never be able to 
 hold up his head among his neighbors. The more lavishly 
 he spends money the more pride and satisfaction he has in 
 looking back upon what he regards as the most meritorious 
 act in his life. 
 
 We should not, however, judge the Hindu too severely. 
 Our home papers bring us the account of a princely wed- 
 ding in New York. Two hundred thousand dollars is the 
 amount said to have been expended in decorations and lav- 
 ish display. We are also forced to say that even among 
 
Tamil Woman. 
 
NAME-GIVING. 355 
 
 our own professedly plain people weddings are sometimes 
 made the occassion of spending money uselessly. 
 
 The final religious ceremony of an orthodox Hindu 
 wedding takes place after the festivities. A priest fastens 
 one end of a piece of consecrated cloth to the dress of the 
 bride and the other end to that of the bridegroom. Their 
 hands are joined under this cloth and sometimes their faces 
 are marked with red paint. A sacred cord is wound about 
 the necks of the pair by a priest who mutters a Vedic pray- 
 er. The placing of the bridegroom's hands in milk, the 
 sprinkling of rice and cocoanut milk, eating together and 
 sitting for some time face to face follow. Then the bride 
 and bridegroom go to one of the temples and worship the 
 idol, after which the bride goes to the house of her father- 
 in-law and takes up her abode. The sacred fire which is 
 kindled during the wedding festivities is taken to the home 
 and is supposed to be kept burning continually. 
 
 From birth until it is betrothed and married, a child 
 is subjected to many religious ceremonies. We have space 
 for only a very few of these. When the child is only six 
 days old it is believed that one of the gods writes its future 
 destiny upon its forehead, and from the fate thus recorded, 
 invisible to human eyes though it be, there is no escape. 
 So, when the Hindu widow bewails her sad lot, her language 
 is said to be, " Oh Parvati, why didst thou write all this suf- 
 fering upon ni)' forehead! " 
 
 At ten days the name-giving ceremony takes place. It 
 is then for the first time fed solid food in the shape of a 
 little boiled rice. Boys are often named after the favorite 
 gods, and the names of Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Gopala and 
 Ganesa are quite common. Of course the name-giving is a 
 religious ceremony, and has its counterpart in the Roman 
 Catholic and many of the Protestant churches in the rite 
 
356 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 known as christening or infant baptism. A name is given 
 to the child and a few ch-ops of water are sprinkled upon 
 the forehead. 
 
 The next ordeal to which the Hindu child is subjected 
 is that of ear-boring, and this is also regarded as a religious 
 rite. Both boys and girls have their ears bored, and the 
 girls, and sometimes the boys, have the same operation per- 
 formed on the nose. The rule is to make two or three holes 
 in each ear and one in the nose, but we have seen many 
 girls with no less than six holes in the outer rim of each ear, 
 each large enough to insert a goose quill. Among the 
 Tamil girls in southern India it is the custom to cut a large 
 opening into the lower lobe of the ear. Heavy rings are 
 worn, and the weight of these draws the lobe down until it 
 almost touches the shoulder We saw many Tamil girls 
 and women in Ceylon with openings in the ears so large 
 that two fingers could easily be inserted at the same time. 
 A glance at the picture of the Tamil woman on page 353 
 will show how the weight of the heavy metal rings worn 
 has drawn the ear down and disfigured it. The only rea- 
 son assigned for this custom is that it is the fashion and it 
 is presumable that the Tamil woman would as soon be out 
 of the world as to be out of fashion. 
 
 The original scope of this work did not include a con- 
 tinuous record of our long journey around the world. To 
 give such a record in detail would very far exceed the limits 
 of our space. Not what to write, but what not to write, is 
 the puzzling question amid the mass of rich material con- 
 stantly coming under our observation as we journey through 
 the wonderland of the Orient. We must be content to 
 glean, and so pass over many things of much interest. 
 
 During our stay at Bulsar, in company with Brother 
 Stover, we visited Col. Ansell at his cocoanut plantation on 
 
'J 
 
 y. 
 
 7. 
 
 1- 
 
COCOANUT PLANTATION. 359 
 
 the seashore, not many miles away. The colonel played a 
 prominent part on the losing side in the War of the Rebel- 
 lion. He was taken prisoner, but escaped, leaving the 
 country and coming to India where he has since resided. 
 Here he turned his attention to the cultivation of the cocoa- 
 nut palm and is now the owner of a large plantation. In 
 order to reach his place we were driven across the country 
 in a bullock cart, — a two-wheeled vehicle without springs, 
 drawn by a pair of oxen. The box, fitted on the cart, is 
 provided with bows over which is spread a white canvas 
 cover to shelter the occupants from the rays of the sun. 
 Rice straw is placed in the box and a quilt is spread over it, 
 and upon this you are supposed to sit. This is all well 
 enough for the natives who sit upon their feet, but for us 
 the only thing was to lie down and take the jolting as it 
 came. The driver sat on the tongue and kept the bullocks 
 going at a dog trot. When a piece of rough road was 
 passed over, the shaking can be better imagined than de- 
 scribed. 
 
 Col. Ansell received us with genuine Southern hospital- 
 ity and seemed greatly to enjoy talking of old times and of 
 the homeland from which he has been a self-exile for nearly 
 a third of a century. And we also enjoyed our stay very 
 much, indeed, in his typical Indian home. A few years ago 
 his wife died, of whom he spoke with much tenderness of 
 feeling and not without tears, and since then he lives alone 
 with his Hindu servants, the only white person on the plan- 
 tation. 
 
 We rambled over the place in the cool of the day, the 
 feathery crests of the palms affording a delightful shade 
 and protection from the rays of the tropical sun. The colo- 
 nel's Indian servant climbed nimbly up to the crown of the 
 trees and brought down nuts full of sweet, fresh milk and 
 
360 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 rich meat. We regaled ourselves with a draui^ht of nature's 
 refreshing beverage and ate of the fruit of tlie nut, ruid 
 found both much better here where they are grown than the 
 imported ones we get at home. Col. Ansell takes a special 
 interest in our missionaries, and having read in the Mcsse}i- 
 gcr \.\\c proposition, made a year and a half ago by Bro. A. 
 M. T. Miller, set apart a cocoanut tree for the missionary 
 orchard. From the tree we have two cocoanuts in their or- 
 iginal husks. If we reach home in safety, one will hang in 
 the Secretary's ofifice and the other in our own home. 
 
 The cocoanut palm is grown in India for the nuts and 
 for the sap or milk that is drawn from it. This forms the 
 v/ell-known toddy, which is drunk all over India. It is 
 sweet, refreshing and wholesome when first drawn, but it 
 soon ferments and then becomes quite intoxicating. The 
 tree begins bearing at ten years and as it increases in age 
 and size produces a larger quantity of nuts, some of the 
 best producing trees bearing from fifty to one hundred each 
 }'ear. These develop and ripen in one year, and are sold at 
 about $2.00 per 100. 
 
 Trees that are tapped for toddy do not bear fruit, as 
 the sap is necessar}' to develop the nuts. The tap is made 
 at the crown where the fronds, or limbs, as we should call 
 them, are thrown out. Earthen vessels are hung to the 
 tree, into which the milk falls and is gathered each day by 
 men who are called "toddy climbers." These men climb up 
 the trunk of the tree to a height of from forty to sixty feet, 
 empty the sap from the smaller to a larger vessel fastened 
 to the back and descend with great ease and dexterity. A 
 full-grown tree produces twenty gallons of milk each year, 
 and this is drawn in alternate weeks during three months of 
 the year. For nine months the tree is allowed to rest and 
 recuperate. 
 
The Toddy Climp.ers. 
 
' »^1 
 
TODDY CLIMBER. 363 
 
 Toddy is the one intoxicating drink of the natives of 
 India, and the government licenses the sale of the liquor. 
 Each tree tapped is numbered by the inspector and the 
 owner must pay a tax of from forty-five to ninety cents, de- 
 pending on the size of the tree. The owner gets about fifty 
 cents per year for the milk of each tree in excess of the tax. 
 Some idea of the amount of toddy consumed in India may 
 be formed when it is stated that the men who control the 
 sale of the intoxicant in Bulsar, a cit)' of fifteen thousand 
 souls, pay an annual license of three thousand dollars. For 
 these figures we are indebted to Mr. Niswongee, General In- 
 spector of the Bulsar district. 
 
 There are fifteen toddy-shops in Bulsar. These are 
 open sheds under which the dealer sits with a large tub, — 
 the one we saw was shaped like the half of a kerosene oil 
 barrel, — filled with the liquor before him. In his hand he 
 has a long-handled dipper. In the evening his customers 
 crowd around him and he is kept busy dipping and filling 
 the vessels of the thirsty natives. Sometimes a dozen ves- 
 sels are held up at the same time to be filled. The dealer 
 serves each in order from the small chattie that holds half a 
 pint to the larger one with capacity for a gallon. After be- 
 ing served the natives squat in groups on the open space 
 about the shop and drink and gossip. Men and women 
 alike indulge. Near by is the pan seller and the rule is that 
 after drinking a "chew" must be taken. Here, as at home, 
 drinking, chewing and smoking seem to have a kind of af- 
 finity with each other. At least the first, as a rule, is asso- 
 ciated with the second and third. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Leaving Our Buhar Home — Northward to Jeypo7-e — Slaughter of 
 Innocents — Ma7i -Eating Tigers — The Sacred Crocodi/es — The 
 Idols in Jeypore — State Elephants — Agra — The Beautiful Taj 
 Mahal — "An Elegy in Marble'' — The Gateway — The Gardeii 
 
 — The Marble Screen — Snake Char/ners — Indian Jugglers — 
 The Conjurer Khali Khan — ll'onderful Eeats — The Mango Tree 
 
 — Hoiu the Trick is Performed — Claims to Supernatu7-al Power 
 Dispro7'ed. 
 
 From Bulsar and our mission home, — henceforth to be 
 a green spot in our memories, an oasis in the desert of trav- 
 el, — we journe)-ed northward and eastward, visiting a num- 
 ber of the most important cities in India. W'e left our 
 India home with real and deep regret. How we missed the 
 sweet, homelike atmosphere of Christian love that pervaded 
 the place where we had so much enjoyed the Christian as- 
 sociation of those we love. Then there was the social wor- 
 ship, the singing of Gujerati h\'mns, the public meetings 
 and the quiet, peaceful, restful days — how we did enjoy 
 them all! All too soon for us those bright days of glad sun- 
 shine passed awa\', and before we fully realized it the time 
 for our departure was at hand. Those whom we had met 
 but a short time before as strangers, we now bade farewell 
 as warm-hearted friends, some of them even going with us 
 to the station at two o'clock in the morning. Our mission- 
 aries, as in apostolic da}'s, accompanied us on our journey 
 as far as Calcutta. We said good-by to Bulsar, strong in 
 the hope that in the )'ears to come it will be one of the 
 
 strongholds of primitive Christianity in India, 
 (364) 
 
MAN-EATING TIGERS. 365 
 
 Journeying northward the air grows colder and more 
 bracing, and in the evening and morning warm wraps added 
 to our comfort. The country becomes less densely wooded, 
 and the jungles less numerous, but still frequent enough to 
 serve as hiding places for tigers and leopards. The man- 
 eating tiger is a terror to the natives, who arc ill prepared to 
 contend Viith their powerful foe. At Jeypore eight of these 
 animals are imprisoned as state captives. It is said that 
 each of them has tasted human blood. They crouch at the 
 bars of their cages and glare upon those who pass by. One 
 of them has devoured seven, another ten human beings. In 
 any other countr\' these animals would have been shot. 
 Here pitfalls were made for them, and after much patient 
 waiting they were ensnared. They were allowed to remain 
 in the i)it until hunger had reduced them to the last extrem- 
 ity of weakness, when their captors managed to draw them 
 forth and shut them up as lifelong prisoners.* From such 
 prisons zoological gardens and menageries in other parts of 
 the world are supplied with the royal denizens of India's 
 jungles. 
 
 We pass through, with brief stop, the Mohammedan 
 city of Ahmedabad, with one hundred and fifty thousand in- 
 habitants. It was founded A. D. 141 1 b\- the Sultan Ah- 
 med I., whose name in part it bears. Here are a number of 
 old Mohammedan mosques, noted for their architectural 
 beauty and for the marvelous delicac}- of the carvings in 
 stone. They are the boast of the city, and are alwa}-s 
 shown to visitors. We hurried on, however, without visit- 
 ing the mosques, having in mind a visit to the architectural 
 pearl of all India, the Taj JMahal at Agra. 
 
 .From Ahmedabad, continuing our journe\' northward, 
 we traverse the large district of Rajpunata, containing a 
 
 * Arnold, 
 
366 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 population of about ten million. Here the sin of female in- 
 fanticide was once so common that more than half the little 
 girls born were put to death by their parents. In 1871 the 
 census showed, in the Rajput population of Oudh, 250,849 
 males living above ten years of age, to only 184,623 females. 
 It is claimed that the destruction of the innocents has 
 ceased, but these figures show how countless were the mur- 
 ders of their offspring by these heathen idolaters. 
 
 At Jeypore, the capital of Rajputana, a city with a popu- 
 lation bordering on a hundred and fifty thousand, we spent 
 a short time in visiting places of interest. It is the seat of 
 the rajah, or king, who, as a vassal of England, still enjoys 
 the empty title of ruler, with all the pomp and circumstance 
 of royalty so dear to the oriental heart. We visited the 
 palace and the gardens, and saw something of the eastern 
 notion of splendor. The large audience room is richi}' 
 furnished and decorated in the highest style of Indian art. 
 Marble floors, magnificent chandeliers and costly furniture 
 give the room a fine appearance. Strange to say, pigeons 
 are allowed to roost on the chandeliers befouling the marble 
 floor beneath. 
 
 In a small lake within the palace garden are kept a 
 score of sacred crocodiles. Entering a low doorway we 
 found ourselves on a small platform overlooking the lake. 
 On the gravelly bank a dozen or more of the huge saurians 
 lay basking and sleeping in the hot sun. The attendant had 
 a piece of raw meat tied to the end of a rope. This he 
 splashed in the water and called out in a loud voice, " Hai, 
 Hai." Presently two or three of the monsters moved lazily 
 into the water and swam to the platform where we stood. 
 There they lay with extended jaws viciously snapping at 
 the meat. Between those jaws a man's head would have 
 been crushed as an eggshell. The crocodile is sacred to the 
 
IDOLS AT JEYPOKE. 367 
 
 Hindu, and the bodies of thousands of children have been 
 thrown to them in the Ganges. Looking into the open jaws 
 of the reptiles I marveled at the faith of the mother who 
 could tear from her bosom her darling child and throw it 
 into those cruel jaws to be crushed to death. This she did 
 for her religion. Ignorance and superstition are the devil's 
 strongest powers over the human race. I am always afraid 
 of ignorance. 
 
 In no other town or city visited in India, up to this 
 time, have we seen so many idols as in Jeypore. The city 
 is wholly given to idolatry. Temples there are by the score 
 where the idols are worshiped with great ceremony by at- 
 tendant priests; and no one is allowed to enter the sacred 
 portals. Even if you would walk in the outer court, close 
 enough to see the stone god, you must take off your shoes. 
 But these larger temples do not satisfy the demand of the 
 people for idols. In the squares, on street corners, inside 
 and outside the city gates, and even in the middle of some 
 of the wider streets are shrines, in each of which sits en- 
 throned a wooden, a clay, a stone, or a brass god. The fea- 
 tures of these are all hideous, and when, in addition to their 
 distorted faces, they are daubed over with red paint and 
 smeared with dirty oil, they are the very personification of 
 ugliness. How people can be induced to worship such ob- 
 jects seems strange indeed, but one need spend but a short 
 time in India to learn how thoroughly idolatry degrades a 
 people. 
 
 But the idols do not always escape harm. Dr. Mansell, 
 who has been a missionary in India for some thirty years, 
 told us that not infrequently the people break their gods to 
 pieces. In one of the villages visited by him the people 
 during a severe drought made a large number of images of 
 one of their gods and prayed to them continually for rain. 
 
368 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 but it came not. Then they took all the images out of the 
 temples and pounded them to pieces and selected another 
 god and set up new idols. As they have countless thou- 
 sands to select from, it is not a difficult matter to make a 
 change. 
 
 The rajah of Jeypore claims to be descended from an 
 unbroken line of one hundred and thirty-nine kings. The 
 best blue blood of which English noblemen are so proud is 
 but a thing of to-day when compared with these proud rul- 
 ers of Rajput. In the museum their portraits adorn the gal- 
 leries something as the portraits of the popes do at St. 
 Paul's in Rome. 
 
 The elephant stables at Jeypore, it is said, contain one 
 hundred of these huge animals. They are used on great 
 state occasions when the entire number, richh' caparisoned, 
 form an important part of the pageant. The present ruler, 
 who is also a famous hunter, uses some of them in tiger 
 hunting. We saw one of the largest of the state elephants; 
 evidently he had been but recently captured, for he was se- 
 curely bound with lieav)' log chains attached to each of his 
 four legs. The restless motion of the animal, wiih the vi- 
 cious, wicked look from his small e}-es, gave us to under- 
 stand as plainly as spoken words what the result would be 
 if he were freed from his chains. 
 
 One of the pleasant sights in Jeypore is the feeding of 
 the pigeons. In the great open square the birds are fed 
 every day, and they come to the feast by thousands. They 
 are nearly all the same color, dark blue, and at the feeding 
 time the square is a mass of this color. No one thinks of 
 hurting them, and they are very tame. The cruel sport of 
 pigeon shooting, so common at home, is unknown here. 
 The very mention of such a cruelt)' outrages the feelings of 
 the Hindu, 
 
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EMPEROR AKBAR. 37I 
 
 Our next stopping place was at Agra, in some respects 
 one of the most interesting cities in India. It was for }'ears 
 the capital of the great Mogul Emperors, and here Akbar 
 the Great and Tekan Shah built, in marble, mosques, tombs 
 and temples, that are to-day among the architectural won- 
 ders of the world. Akbar, who reigned at the close of the 
 fifteenth century, was an absolute monarch, great in 
 achievement, but as cruel a tyrant as ever reigned in India. 
 He carried with him a box containing sweetmeats, one side 
 of which was filled with caramels made of honey and al- 
 monds, the other with sweet-scented lozenges, into which 
 had been distilled a most deadly poison. "If Akbar gave 
 you a bit of cand}' from the kind side of his box you were 
 in high favor in court, and likely to command a province. 
 If he smilingly offered you one from the other, you could 
 not refuse, for none dared say 'No!' to Akbar, and your 
 mouth for awhile became full of the fragrance of nard and 
 myrrh, while you rode hurriedly home in your litter, and 
 there died before your golden palace robes could be well 
 taken off. They sa}' Akbar himself perished by making a 
 mistake one evening when he wished for a sweetmeat."* 
 
 When dead Akbar was laid in a marble tomb, built 
 during his lifetime, the like of which the world had not 
 seen before, and which after a lapse of more than three 
 centuries is one of the wonders of India! But Akbar's 
 tomb, beautiful as it was and is, was to be far exceeded b\' 
 one of his successors who built the Taj. We turn to our 
 notebook and find what we compiled and wrote at Agra. 
 
 Jan. 18. This afternoon we visited the Taj Mahal, the 
 architectural crown of the world. The wonderful beauty 
 and magnificent proportions of this marvelous structure 
 
 ♦"India Revisited.' 
 
''7-> CIKDI-INC; TllK GLOBE. 
 
 seem now, since I have seen it, like some vision of a half 
 waking, half sleeping revery. 
 
 This " Crown of the World " was Ijuilt by the Snltan 
 Shah Jehan 1630-52, as a receptacle for the body of his 
 queen, Arjaniund Banoo Begum, called the " Pride of the 
 Palace," and his own body was afterwards laid to rest in it. 
 It has been called " an elegy in marble," in which the royal 
 love of the great shah has translated itself into alabaster. 
 It was built at a cost of ten million dollars, which would 
 mean many times more in Europe or America if the differ- 
 ence in wages were added. Twenty thousand men worked 
 twenty-two years before the mausoleum was finished, and, 
 sad to state, many of the workmen were never paid. In 
 Shah Jehan's memoirs it is stated that the masons alone re- 
 ceived thirty lakhs or rupees, which at par would represent 
 a value of a million and a half dollars. The entire struc- 
 ture is of snow-white marble, and much of the vast interior 
 is inlaid with precious stones and costly jewels. 
 
 A great gateway opens into the Taj court or garden, 
 and is in itself a magnificent structure. It is built of red 
 sandstone inlaid with white marble ornaments. The top is 
 surmounted with twenty-six white marble cupolas. Impa- 
 tient as we were to see the Taj itself, we could not help but 
 stop to admire the fine effect of this massive gateway. " It 
 is not only beautiful, but it increases the glories of the 
 mausoleum itself, by the contrast of its somewhat stern-red 
 sandstone with the soft and pearl-white marble of which it 
 is built." There are three of these gateway's, the main en- 
 trance at the south, and the other two at the east and west 
 ends of the garden. 
 
 Having entered the gateway there bursts upon the view 
 a scene of unequaled beauty. You stand on the border of a 
 beautiful garden three hundreds yards long and one hundred 
 

 
PEARL OF INDIA. 375 
 
 and fifty wide, with the flora of India in all its richness be- 
 fore you. In the center of the garden is an avenue of state- 
 ly cypress trees standing on both sides of a stream of pure 
 water, clear as crystal, with twenty fountains. On both 
 sides of the avenue are the garden beds, all aglow with 
 patches of rich color. The air is laden with the sweet per- 
 fume of rose and jasmine, and the choice shrubs and trees 
 are alive wnth feathered songsters, whose soft notes lend a 
 rich charm to the scene. You raise your eyes from the 
 beauty of the garden, and there meets your astonished vi- 
 sion, in all its beauty and grandeur, " the snow-white won- 
 der," the Taj itself. It stands in the center of a platform 
 faced with white marble, exactly three hundred and thirteen 
 feet square and eighteen feet high, with a white marble 
 minaret one hundred and thirty-three feet high at each cor- 
 ner. The building itself is one hundred and eighty-six feet 
 square, with thirty-three and one-half feet cut off at the 
 corners. 
 
 I stood before the Taj as if entranced. I wondered 
 again and again how human mind and hand could invent 
 and fashion anything so w^ondrously beautiful. I have ad- 
 mired the tomb of Napoleon I. at Paris, world renowned for 
 its beauty; I have wandered through the Albert memorial 
 chapel at Windsor palace, the gem of all Europe, a worthy 
 memento of the wifeh' love and affection of England's 
 greatest queen for her dead husband; I have stood beneath 
 the dome of St. Peter's at Rome, the ecclesiastical architec- 
 tural wonder of the world, and have beheld with amazement 
 the beauties of the alabaster mosque at Cairo, but none of 
 these are to be compared with the Taj. This pearl of India 
 easily bears the palm of victory. 
 
 Entering the great doorwa}- to the central dome — both 
 doors of which were at one time of solid silver, but were 
 
3/6 CI K 1)1. INC THE GLOBE. 
 
 melted down and coined b\- one of the shah's more practical 
 successors — the wonder increases. Beneath the Ioft\- dome 
 lies the dust of the emperor and his wife. Surrounding the 
 gem-like tombs is a screen of marble, cut through and 
 through into beautiful scrolls and trellis work. Here the 
 art of the marble cutter reaches its highest skill. The 
 delicate cutting of the screen is like fine lace-work. The 
 columns and borders of the screen, inside and out, the 
 tombs and thousands of square feet of the interior of the 
 dome are inlaid with precious stones and jewels. It is the 
 perfect work of the most skillful jeweler. Graceful vines, 
 pendent leaves, fruits, flowers and buds in various colors are 
 the forms of embellishment. And these inlaid figures are 
 of turquoise, coral, agate, sardonyx and bloodstone, while 
 here and there sparkle gems of the first water. 
 
 The echo in the interior is exceedingly fine. A note of 
 low, soft music is caught up in the marble vault and ampli- 
 fied into a hundred harmonious sounds, swelling out into a 
 grand chorus and then dying away into a hushed whisper. 
 
 At the entrance gateway is an inscription which reads, 
 " Only the pure in heart shall see the garden of God," while 
 on the tomb of Jehan are these words: 
 
 "This world is a bridge; 
 Pass on over it, but build not upon it; 
 This world is one hour; 
 Give its minutes to thy prayers, 
 For the rest is unseen." 
 
 Such is the Taj Mahal, and it has its lesson. Built as a 
 memento of human love, it shows what the mind can con- 
 ceive and the hand finish. The most perfect work of its 
 kind in the world, it stands as an evidence of what men are 
 willing to do for the objects of their love. How much more 
 ought we to do for the One who loved us and died to save 
 

 o 
 
 £ 
 
 o 
 
THE JUGGLER. 379 
 
 us! Immeasurably greater than human love was the love 
 that brought our Savior down from heaven to endure the 
 deepest sorrows that ever wrung the human heart, and to 
 die the cruel death of the cross. Surely we ought to be 
 ready to consecrate our lives and all we have and are to 
 our dear Savior. If Shah Jehan builded so for his favorite 
 queen, how much more ought we to build for Christ! Not 
 in perishable marble are we called upon to build, but a tem- 
 ple in our hearts for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, sent 
 into the world to comfort and abide with all the disciples of 
 Jesus. 
 
 The conjurer and juggler have flourished in the Orient 
 ever since the days when Jannes and Jambres withstood 
 Moses and succeeded in part, by enchantment or sleight-of- 
 hand, in producing imitations of the plagues sent by the 
 Lord upon Pharaoh, and thus hardened his heart. You will 
 meet the snake-charmer and the sleight-of-hand performer 
 even in Egypt to-day, and no doubt they handle their 
 serpents much the same as the ancient enchanters handled 
 theirs, and play all manner of clever conjuring tricks with 
 wonderful dexterity. For aught we know these may be the 
 descendants of the old-time conjurers of the days of Moses. 
 
 But India is the home of the juggler. The Hindus, — ■ 
 both young and old, — appear to take the greatest delight in 
 their performances, and they are easily led to believe that 
 they possess supernatural power. The juggler meets )-ou 
 on the street and in front of your hotel, and is always 
 ready, with or without your consent, to display his powers, 
 hoping in the end to be rewarded for his skill. He carries 
 his entire outfit in a small bag, slung over his shoulders, and 
 many are the stories told in the books written on India 
 about the wonderful tricks he can perform. To some his 
 powers appear so remarkable and his performances so 
 
3^0 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 wonderful, that even intelligent men and women have said 
 " Surely, these men are more than human." The Spiritual- 
 ists at home have long made the claim that the jugglers of 
 India have the assistance of departed spirits in the perform- 
 
 SNAKE CHARMER. 
 
 ance of their tricks. So exceedingly clever are they that 
 even some of the missionaries have been deceived, and in 
 some instances their published descriptions have strength- 
 ened the belief held by the Spiritualists. 
 
CONJURERS IN INDIA. 38I 
 
 Because of the claims made by the Spiritualists and 
 Theosophists, because enchantment and conjuring is a Bi- 
 ble subject, and, further, because some of our friends re- 
 quested us to investigate the matter carefully, and, if possi- 
 ble, prove the truth or falsit}' of the claims made, we took 
 som_e pains to look into the doings of these men, and have 
 concluded to give our readers the result of the investigation. 
 
 The jugglers in India form a distinct class, the business 
 descending from father to son for many generations. 
 From earliest childhood the training begins. The hands, 
 ' and especially the fingers, are the special "objects of train- 
 ing. All the secrets of the profession arc handed down, 
 and the son of a juggler is an adept in the art when he is a 
 mere boy. It is not to be wondered at then that, with in- 
 herited and acquired ability and with the secrets of genera- 
 tions of jugglers in his keeping, he becomes exceedingly 
 proficient in his calling. 
 
 We met scores of conjurers during our stay in India and 
 Ceylon, and upon the street and in the open space before 
 the hotels we saw many of them perform the most sur- 
 prising and wonderful tricks. One of them, seated upon 
 a white cloth, asked one of those present to lay a silver 
 rupee — a coin a trifle smaller than our half dollar — upon the 
 cloth. The conjurer then commanded the coin to come to 
 him, and immediately it began to move slowly over the 
 cloth, and kept on moving until it reached the magician's 
 hand. It is needless to add that the owner never saw his 
 coin after the juggler's hand closed over it. 
 
 At Agra the noted conjurer, Khali Khan, came to our 
 hotel. A number of persons were sitting on the porch, and 
 Khali seated himself on the ground and, without the aid of 
 an assistant, performed a number of what appeared to us to 
 be very woriderful feats. We watched very closely and 
 
382 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 were unable to solve the myster\- of his doings. He mixed 
 a quantity of three colored powders — yellow, red and blue — 
 in a glass of water, and then swallowed the mixture. Pres- 
 ently he blew out of his mouth a quantity of the yellow, red 
 and blue powders. From an apparently empt\' bag, which 
 he hammered on the ground, he produced a number of eggs. 
 He made balls and coins disappear and reappear in strange 
 places and in a remarkable manner. He produced an emp- 
 ty basket and handed it around among the spectators for 
 examination, and all decided that it was really empty. He 
 placed it on the ground, and then lifting it up there ap- 
 peared half a dozen beautiful little singing birds. They 
 chirped, picked up crumbs thrown to them, and were, with- 
 out doubt, real birds. All these things were done with a 
 dexterity and cleverness that defied the closest scrutin)'. 
 
 Among other things, he performed the mango tree 
 trick. The mango is said to be the best fruit in India; when 
 ripe it is about the size of an orange and yellow in color. 
 The conjurer apparently causes a small tree to grow and 
 bear fruit in the space of a very few minutes. We had 
 heard much of this extraordinary feat, and it was claimed 
 that more than human power was required to perform it. 
 It had, however, been noticed that the juggler produced 
 the ripe mango only when that fruit was in season. But 
 when the time of mangoes had been past several months, — 
 the fruit is perishable and can be kept only a short time, — 
 here was Khali Khan apparently causing a small mango 
 tree to grow and bear ripened fruit. 
 
 As this was one of the most clever tricks performed, I 
 give the details: First the conjurer gathered some dust 
 from the rOadwa}- and filled an ordinary eastern flowerpot 
 with it. Into this he put a dry mango seed. He then cov- 
 ered the pot with a white cloth some two yards square. In 
 
JUGGLER AT WORK. 383 
 
 a few minutes he lifted the cloth and poured some water in- 
 to the pot and covered it up again. In his right hand he 
 held the skull of a monkey, 'and this he passed' over the 
 cloth, repeating some words in Hindustani, and then, when 
 he lifted the cloth, behold the seed had sprouted and two 
 small leaves had pushed their way above the ground, show- 
 ing that the tree was growing. Again more water was add- 
 ed and the pot covered, and when in a few minutes the 
 cloth was again lifted, the rustling leaves and small branch- 
 es of a little mango tree a foot high met our astonished 
 gaze. But the surprise was greater when Khali dug up the 
 little tree and showed us how it had sprouted out of the 
 seed and how the rootlets had grown down. He then re- 
 planted it, poured in more water and replaced the cloth. 
 In the meantime he performed a number of feats, all of 
 which showed him to be an adept in his line of work. He 
 then turned his attention to the mango tree again. He 
 raised the cloth and there stood a miniature tree between 
 two and three feet high, with several branches all covered 
 with bright green leaves, among which appeared two man- 
 goes, one fully ripe, the other green on one side and yellow 
 on the other. All this had been done so quickly and so 
 cleverl}- that, notwithstanding we had watched every move- 
 ment of the juggler, we were unable to tell how it was done. 
 In the open street, without the aid of an assistant, the con- 
 jurer had caused a mango tree to grow and bear ripe fruit in 
 less than ten minutes after he deposited the seed in the dry 
 earth. Look at it as we might, it was a wonderful feat. 
 There stood the tree with its fruit. To doubt this would 
 have been to doubt our senses. To us it seemed that the 
 performance was fully equal to what Jannes and Jambres 
 had done. Every one present was perplexed. Could it be 
 possible that Khali possessed more than human power, and 
 
384 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 that the claims of the Spiritualists, after all, were true? We 
 could, by no possible means, tell how the feat had been ac- 
 complished, but we felt sure it was but a clever display of 
 sleic^ht-of-hand, and we determined, if i)Ossible, to find out 
 how it was done. 
 
 After Khali had finished his tricks and taken up a col- 
 lection, we called him to one side and invited him to our 
 roouL There we had an interview with him, and by the of- 
 fer of a few pieces of silver we induced him to give us an 
 insight not only into the mango tree trick, but into a num- 
 ber of other equally clever performances. 
 
 The different-sized mango trees were carefully and 
 closely wrapped up in the edge of the cloth in such a man- 
 ner as to entirely escape notice. While he was pouring wa- 
 ter into the flowerpot and manipulating the cloth, he man- 
 aged to put the first shoot into the earth, and this he did so 
 quickly as to escape detection. In like manner the suc- 
 ceeding growths were put in. The fruit was an imitation, 
 and it was so much like the real mango that every one was 
 deceived. After we were shown how the trick was accom- 
 plished, we wondered at our simplicity in being so easily 
 deceived. But as the old man sat on the floor in our room, 
 and several of us sat around him watching him closely be- 
 fore he showed how it was done, he performed the trick 
 again and we failed to solve the m)'stery. We saw here an 
 illustration of the simple fact that motion is quicker than 
 sight. After he disclosed to us the secret, it all seemed sim- 
 ple enough. We now had evidence of what we were person- 
 ally fully convinced of before, i. e., that the claim of the 
 Spiritualists that the jugglers of India have supernatural 
 power is false, that it is based upon the clever ability of the 
 sleight-of-hand performers in playing their tricks; and that, 
 
CLAIMS OF SUPERNATURAL POWER. 385 
 
 as the conjurers deceived Pharaoh, so, in like manner, have 
 the jugglers of India deceived the Theosophists. 
 
 In answer to a question as to how long he had been in 
 the business of juggling, Khali said, "All my lifetime," and 
 when we met him he must have been at least sixty years 
 old. He also told us that his father, grandfather and great- 
 grandfather had all been famous conjurers in their time; 
 and, no doubt, if the Khans had kept a family record, it 
 would appear that for a thousand years the secrets of the 
 conjurer had been handed down from father to son. As be- 
 fore stated, this fact accounts in part for their remarkable 
 power to perform seeming miracles. After we left Agra we 
 met many jugglers, for their name is legion in India. At 
 Calcutta, Madras and Colombo, they are to be met in 
 scores, and at these places they are especiall)' noted for the 
 cleverness with which they perform their tricks. When 
 they invited us to witness their feats, we usually replied b}' 
 saying, "We have seen Khali Khan at Agra," and the repl\' 
 would be, "Ah, Khali Khan; him very good juggler, he my 
 cousin." 
 
 Our investigations have only more full\- confirmed us in 
 the belief that all claims of supernatural power made in 
 these days are based either upon error or fraud. The Gos- 
 pel teaches that in the last da}'s men shall arise mailing 
 such claims and going even so far as to claim that they are 
 Christs. These false teachers are to have remarkable pow- 
 ers, sufificient, if it were possible, to deceive even the very 
 elect. But they claim ability that they do not possess, and 
 are either deceivers or self-deceived All this is only an in- 
 dication that the coming of the Lord is near at hand. Let 
 us not be deceived and drawn away from the truth by these 
 claimants of supernatural powers! They may be able to do 
 just as wonderful things as Khali Khan, but the)' possess no 
 
386 
 
 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 more supernatural power than does the astute and clever 
 juggler at Agra. We are not to be understood as limiting 
 
 
 h'Z. 
 
 
 A HLXDU HOLY MAN. 
 
HOLY MEN. 387 
 
 the power of God. We are referring to men who claim 
 such power and walk not after the truth as it is in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Another class to be met in all parts of India is the 
 fakirs or so-called holy men. They are India's religious 
 tramp, and the ignorant people delight to do them honor. 
 The)' gain their reputation by mortifying the flesh, and in 
 the pursuance of this object endure all kinds of physical 
 suffering. They believe there is merit in works, and carry 
 the doctrine to the utmost extreme. Some of them wear 
 about the neck an iron frame which is not only inconvenient 
 but very painful. They smear their bodies with mud and 
 daub lime on the hair of the head and the beard, presenting 
 a most revolting appearance. Many of them wear but a 
 few rags about the loins, and this because the government, 
 in the interest of common decency, forbids them to walk 
 about in a nude state. The}' beg their way as the}' go from 
 place to place and the poor people feed them and are thus 
 heavil}' burdened by this constant drain on their resources; 
 but they give cheerfully, accepting the tramp's blessing in 
 exchange for what they give. One of these fakirs came to 
 Bulsar and gained quite a reputation for piety by suspend- 
 ing himself head downward from the limb of a tree and 
 swinging back and forth over a fire. Another at Benares 
 has held his hand above his head until the arm has grown 
 stiff and has shriveled away to a skeleton form. As a re- 
 sult he is accorded divine honors. Ignorance and supersti- 
 tion, twin sisters, are responsible for these things; both are 
 to be feared and dreaded. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Delhi — Luc /enow — Cawnfiore — The Indian Mutiny — Tlic Peacock 
 ■ Throne —Memorial Well at Cawnpore — Sava^s;e Cruelty — Benares 
 — Sleeping in Tents — The Sacred River Ganges — All Kinds of 
 Gods for Sale — Bathing in the Ganges — Earnestness of the Dev- 
 otees^On the Ganges — ''Purdah Women" — Image of the God 
 Bhifna — Faith-Healing — The Burning Ghats — Idols, Idols Every- 
 where — Christian {?) England Makiitg Idols for India — Golden 
 Tejuple — Tlie Monkey Temple. 
 
 Delhi, Lucknow and Cawnpore, — the names of these 
 three cities are inseparably connected with the history of 
 the Indian Mutiny of 1S57. The siege and storming of 
 Delhi and the defense of Lucknow by English soldiers, 
 are among the most remarkable instances of personal 
 bravery recorded in the annals of war. The sad fate of 
 some two hundred defenseless Christian women and chil- 
 dren, — reserved for a fate worse than death by their cruel 
 captors, and finally massacred by order of the rebel. Nana 
 Sahib, and thrown, the living with the dead, into a deep 
 well — will not be forgotten while the name of Cawnpore 
 is known among men. War is mercilessly cruel, and those 
 who are responsible for it take upon their heads the blood, 
 and tears, and sorrow, and suffering of countless millions of 
 human beings. 
 
 But it is not our purpose to go into the bloody records 
 of the most cruel war of modern times. Our route of 
 travel through India took in Delhi, as it did Lucknow and 
 Cawnpore. But a smallpox epidemic was raging in the 
 former city, and we passed it by. We, however, make a 
 
 brief reference to the " The City of the Siege." 
 
 (388) 
 
THE PEACOCK. THRONE. 389 
 
 Delhi was founded in 1628, by Shah Jehan, he who 
 built the Taj Mahal at A<^ia, described in a preceding 
 chapter. He was one of the great Mogul Emperors of 
 India, and sought, more than all else, to leave behind him 
 monuments in the shape of magnificent buildings. It was 
 he who caused to be made, it is said at a cost of thirty 
 million dollars, the Peacock Throne, the wonder of the 
 Orient for centuries. The following description of this 
 royal throne, resplendent in the richest precious stones, 
 is quoted from Beresford's work: "The Throne was so 
 called from its having the figures of two peacocks standing 
 behind it, their tails being expanded, and the whole so 
 inlaid with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other 
 precious stones of appropriate colors, as to represent life. 
 The throne itself was six feet long by four broad. It stood 
 on six massive feet, which, with the body, were of solid 
 gold, inlaid with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was 
 surmounted b}' a canopy of gold, supported b\- twelve 
 pillars, all richly emblazoned with costly gems, and a 
 fringe of pearls ornamented the borders of the canopy. 
 Between the two peacocks stood the figure of a parrot of 
 the ordinar}' size, said to have been carved out of a single 
 emerald. On either side of the throne stood an umbrella, 
 one of the Oriental emblems of royalty. They were formed 
 of crimson velvet, richly embroidered and fringed with 
 pearls; the handles were eight feet high, of solid gold, and 
 studded with diamonds." It stood in the private audi- 
 ence hall of the palace which was also equally richly and 
 lavishly decorated. According to Arnold, " Nothing in 
 Imperial Rome ever exceeded the magnificence of this 
 royal retreat of Shah Jehan." 
 
 A European, who visited Delhi and had an audience 
 with the Mogul, gives this description: "The king ap- 
 
390 r,IRDLIX(; THK GLOBE. 
 
 peared, seated upon his throne at the end of the great hall, 
 in the most magnificent attire. His vest was of white and 
 delicately-flowered satin, with a silk and gold embroidery 
 of the finest texture. The turban, of gold cloth, had an 
 aigrette whose base was composed of diamonds of an ex- 
 traordinary size and value, besides an Oriental topaz, 
 which may be pronounced unparalleled, exhibiting a lustre 
 like the sun." 
 
 This brief description may give us some idea of the 
 magnificence and wealth of the Mogul rulers of India. It 
 was from the jewels of these rich emperors that England's 
 ruler received, as a present, the Kohinoor, the largest dia- 
 mond in the world; and it was from such regal splendor 
 as this that the last of the great Mogul emperors was 
 taken by the English to die the miserable death of a pris- 
 oner of war at Rangoon; and now the British flag floats 
 triumphantly and peacefully over what was the magnificent 
 palace of the Moguls. 
 
 The throne of fabulous price became one of the rich 
 prizes of war in the seventeenth century. It seems almost 
 incredible that thirty million dollars, — some authorities 
 place the amount at double this, — in gold and jewels, 
 should, in the form of a throne, become a spoil of war. 
 
 At Cawnpore we spent several days very pleasantly, 
 and enjoyed a visit at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. T. 
 Bond. We met these good people at Jerusalem, on their 
 return to India from America. Mr. Bond is largely inter- 
 ested in manufacturing and has a delightful home. He 
 gave us much valuable information concerning social ques- 
 tions in India. Mrs. Bond is an active missionary worker 
 and is doing what she can to help the natives to a higher 
 and a better life. 
 
 At Cawnpore we saw an illustration of the veneration 
 
MEMORIAL WELL. 391 
 
 of the Hindus for the monkey. The city is literally over- 
 run with these mischievous and destructive marauders. 
 As we passed along the streets we saw them playing on 
 the housetops and peering curiously from the combs of 
 the roofs. Many times a troop of them would chase each 
 other across the street and into the branches of the trees 
 by the wayside. Mr. Bond told us that they were exceed- 
 ingly destructive and made the lot of the poor natives a 
 burden. But they would not consent to have a single one 
 killed. An attempt to destroy the monkeys would cause 
 the natives to rise in rebellion. A few years ago they had 
 become so numerous and burdensome that the people con- 
 sented to allow them to be captured and carried to a for- 
 est, a considerable distance from the city. For some time 
 the city was free from annoyance, but, one by one, their 
 old friends returned again, and it was not long before mon- 
 keys were as plenty as before. Another attempt was made 
 to capture them, but the animals cunningly avoided the 
 traps. They had been caught once, and that was enough 
 for them. They had gained wisdom from experience, 
 which is more than can be said of some people, and so 
 Cawnpore is overrun with monkeys, and the animals es- 
 cape destruction because the natives look upon them as be- 
 ing sacred. 
 
 One place in Cawnpore, of more than usual interest, 
 is the Memorial Well. We stood before the monument 
 and reflected upon the terrible cruelty of war, and if there 
 is any place in the world where such reflections crowd 
 upon the mind, that place is here, where the most cruel 
 tragedy of the Sepoy Mutiny occurred. 
 
 The story may be told in a very few words. In 1857, 
 when the natives rebelled against the rule of Great Britain, 
 Cawnpore was garrisoned by three thousand Indian troops 
 
39^ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 with sixty English officers. The total white population was 
 about nine hundred, including men, women and children. 
 Among these were a number of missionaries and their 
 families, who had been laboring for some years among 
 the people. The entire body of native soldiers, with the 
 exception of eighty, who remained true to the English, 
 joined the mutineers. The arms, magazine with ammu- 
 nition, and artillery fell into the hands of the rebels. The 
 English were enabled to arm but three hundred men, and 
 these were called upon to defend the non-combatants 
 against the assaults of the enemy. An intrenchment was 
 hastily made, and within the lines were collected the 
 doomed band of aged and infirm men, with the women 
 and children, about seven hundred in number. " Never be- 
 fore had a besieged garrison been called upon to do greater 
 things than this little body of about three hundred English 
 soldiers, hampered by every disadvantage, and exposed 
 to the continuous fire of three thousand trained soldiers, 
 well fed, lodged and armed." In three weeks the deaths 
 within the intrenchment were two hundred and fifty. 
 Their provision was at last exhausted, and under the prom- 
 ise of safe conduct to the river side and of boats to take 
 them down the Ganges, the garrison surrendered. They 
 marched down to the river, hopeful that their worst trials 
 were over. But the hope was delusive, for, as they were 
 entering the boats, their treacherous enemies opened fire 
 upon the devoted band, and only four escaped to tell the 
 stor}'. About two hundred women and children were 
 saved from the massacre by the leader. Nana Sahib, for 
 a fate worse even than death. They were imprisoned in 
 small houses near the rebels' headquarters, and, after suf- 
 ferings too terrible to relate, they were, on Jul)' 15, 1857, 
 cruelly massacred by order of the rebel chiefs. Many were 
 
Memorial Well, Cawnpore. 
 
394 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 severely wounded, but the " dead and the dying " were 
 thrown into a well near the spot where the fearful deed 
 was enacted. It was a terrible crime, and it met a swift 
 and terrible retribution. Not many days later an English 
 army marched upon the place, and, frenzied to madness 
 by the horrible cruelty of the mutineers, signally defeated 
 them, and a number of the prisoners taken were actually 
 blown from the mouths of cannon. 
 
 Over the well containing the dust of the two hundred 
 women and children a monument was erected, and the 
 place is now knowm as the memorial well and garden. 
 The thirty acres of ground is beautifully laid out and plant- 
 ed with trees, shrubs and flowers. Over the well a mound 
 is raised and this is surmounted with the monument. The 
 principal figure is the angel of the resurrection in white 
 marble — a fine piece of sculpture. The hands are meekl\' 
 folded across the breast and in each is the emblem of 
 peace. An arch bears this inscription, "These are they 
 w^hich came out of great tribulation." Around the wall 
 which marks the circle of the well are engraved these 
 words: 
 
 " Sacred to the perpetual memory of a great company of Christian 
 people, chiefly women and children, who near this spot were cruelly 
 murdered by the followers of the rebel Xana Dhunda Paut, of Bithur, 
 and cast, the dying with the dead, into the well below, on July 15, 1857." 
 
 War is terribly cruel. The common instincts of hu- 
 manity are changed to the ferocity of the evil one. Mad- 
 dened by blood, men made in the image of God become 
 human tigers, destroy life and rejoice at human suffering. 
 Talk about a humane war. All war is inhuman and con- 
 trary to the teaching of the Prince of Peace. On this side 
 of the world we hear of the rumors of war at home, and 
 
Benares. 395 
 
 our prayer is that God may graciously keep such a calam- 
 ity from falling upon our beloved home land. 
 
 From Cawnpore, with its memorial well and great bur- 
 den of sad associations, and Lucknow, with its battle- 
 scarred residency, silent and ruined monument of the most 
 notable defense of all modern times, we hurried on to 
 Benares, the great center of Hindu idolatry. Here we 
 found the hotel crowded, and, as there was no room Tor 
 our little compan}' of travelers at the inn, we were obliged 
 to take up our abode not in a stable, but in tents. These 
 were large and had the advantage of good ventilation; but 
 as the air was quite cool after the setting of the sun our 
 roomy quarters were too cold for comfort. Then, too, our 
 nightly slumbers were often broken by the howling of the 
 jackals and the deep, hoarse growl of the jungle cat. 
 When the animals came too close to our tents, the guards 
 who kept watch by night called out to each other and 
 drove them away. But one could not help feeling a little 
 nervous when thinking about the possibilities of the close 
 proximity of these ferocious animals. 
 
 Benares, with a population of two hundred and twenty- 
 five thousand souls, is built on the high banks of the Gan- 
 ges, the most sacred stream in all the world to the Hindu. 
 The early history of the place is lost in the myths of tra- 
 dition. It is claimed that the city existed six hundred 
 years before the Christian era, and that it was certainly 
 older than Alexander the Great. It may be said with 
 certainty that Benares is older than the Christian era. As 
 the Hindus paid little attention to records, scarcely any- 
 thing is known of events which occurred in more recent 
 years. 
 
 If the Great Apostle of the Gentiles were living to-day, 
 and were to visit Benares as he did Athens nearly nineteen 
 
396 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 centuries ago, surely his great spirit would be stirred within 
 him, for this modern city is wholly given to an idolatry, 
 which, in many of its features, is worse than was the idolatry 
 of the Greeks. The ancient Greeks numbered their gods by 
 the thousand, the modern Hindus number theirs b\' the mil- 
 lion, and are continually adding to the list. Benares is the 
 very center and stronghold of Hinduism. Here are to be 
 found more priests, more so-called holy men, more temples, 
 more sacred places, more idols and more idolaters than in 
 any other city in India or, for that matter, in all the world. 
 There are no less than fourteen hundred temples in the city, 
 with idols innumerable. It requires an army of twenty 
 thousand Brahman priests to conduct the worship and re- 
 ceive the gifts offered by the deluded people, for these peo- 
 ple give liberally of their means to build temples, to set up 
 idols and to support the priests. 
 
 It has been said that what Jerusalem is to the Jew and 
 Christian, and what Mecca is to the Mohammedan, all that 
 and much more is Benares to the Hindu. To make a pil- 
 grimage to the city of thousands of temples and millions of 
 idols, to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges or to die 
 upon its shore — with the last lingering gaze of the eye fixed 
 in death upon its flowing tide — is to secure full forgiveness 
 for all past sins and to gain eternal life. And more than 
 this. If the body of the dead be but dipped in the water of 
 the stream and burned on its shore at Benares, eternal hap- 
 piness is secured, no matter what the life of the dead may 
 have been. Such is the faith of the orthodox Hindu, and he 
 clings to it with much greater tenacity than some Christians 
 hold to theirs. This being true, it is not to be wondered at 
 that the Hindus flock to Benares not only by hundreds and 
 thousands but by hundreds of thousands. The streets are 
 thronged with them and the bathing places are crowded 
 
BATHING GHATS. 397 
 
 from early morning until late in the evening. Men and 
 women of all ages and conditions in life are met in the 
 streets. They come for one purpose alone, and when that 
 is accomplished they go their way rejoicing, and are thence- 
 forth regarded by their less fortunate fellows as holy. 
 
 Early in the morning of the day following our arrival, 
 we placed ourselves under the care of an experienced guide, 
 an educated Brahman who spoke English quite well, and 
 started out to see the city. Our first objective point 
 was the Ganges and its bathing places, known to the Hin- 
 dus as ghats. These are simply broad stone steps built 
 from the water's edge up the sloping bank of the stream to 
 the temples which line its shore for a league or more. 
 There are no less than forty-seven of these immense stone 
 stairways, ranging in width from forty to sixty feet. There 
 is neither roof nor screen. The bathing place is entirely 
 open and public. At some places large umbrellas are sta- 
 tioned to shelter the more favored bathers from the hot 
 rays of the midday sun. On the platforms at the head of 
 the stairway are to be found throngs of priests going to 
 and fro to the numerous temples, busily receiving offerings 
 from the crowds of pilgrims that constantly come and go. 
 
 We drove several miles before reaching the native city, 
 for our tents are pitched near the hotel which is really out 
 in the country. Very few foreigners care to live in a native 
 town. Hence hotels and mission houses are usually built in 
 suburbs known as Cantonments. After reaching the native 
 portion of the city we passed through a number of bazaars 
 crowded with natives, some intent upon the ordinary affairs 
 of every-day life, while others were hurrying down to the 
 river to worship and bathe. 
 
 After an hour's drive we came to a portion of the city 
 with streets too narrow to admit our carriage. Our guide 
 
398 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 now led us hither and thither through a perfect labyrinth of 
 streets and lanes. The streets were crowded with pilgrims 
 on their way to the Ganges, while priests, vendors of idols, 
 and the sacred ox and cow mingled with the throng. On 
 both sides of the narrow streets were little, box-like shops 
 where \'Ou might buy your choice of idols, not only as to 
 size and to kind, but also as to quality of material. Here 
 were gods big and little, made of clay, of wood, of stone, of 
 brass, of bronze, of silver, and even of gold. Some of them 
 are large enough to set up in a temple, others are small 
 enough to dangle as a charm at your watch chain. But 
 among them all none are more highly prized than the long, 
 round, smooth stones taken from river or brook, polished 
 by the water and worshiped as the symbols of Shiva, the 
 ignorant idolater believing that the spirit of his god dwells 
 in the stone, and that it was sent to him from the god him- 
 self. 
 
 We threaded our way along the narrow streets, jostled 
 by the great throng until we emerged from among the 
 shops and temples and stood upon the upper platform of one 
 of the giant stairways that lead down to the water's edge. 
 It was thronged from top to bottom with bathers. Some, 
 having completed their ablutions, were coming up, while 
 others were hurrying down to plunge into the sacred stream. 
 At our feet flowed the tranquil river. It must be nearly 
 half a mile wide at this point. The water is far from being 
 clear and reminded us of the muddy Missouri. Slowly we 
 made our way down to the water's edge where we entered 
 a small boat, and slowly floating down the river obtained 
 the best possible view of the ghats, of the bathers, and of 
 the temple-crowned shore. 
 
 We now had before us a sight that once seen cannot be 
 forgotten. Thousands of men and women, boys and girls 
 
OFFERING TO THE RIVER. 399 
 
 thronged the stone steps and stood in the water bathing and 
 offering up their pra}'ers. Hundreds of bouquets made of 
 beautiful flowers were laid upon the water as offerings to the 
 divine spirit of the river. The morning air was crisp and 
 cold, and we found our heavy overcoats and shawls none 
 too warm for comfort. But the pilgrims heeded not the 
 chilly water or the cold air. Into the stream they plunged, 
 dipped up the water with their hands, drank, and poured 
 some of it back again into the stream as they muttered their 
 pra)'ers. Arnold, who saw the same sight witnessed b)' 
 ourselves, has this to say of it: " Some of the pilgrims are 
 old and feeble, weary with the long journey of life, emaci- 
 ated by maladies, saddened from losses and troubles; and 
 the morning air blows sharp, the river waves run chilly. 
 Yet there they stand, breast deep in the cold river, with 
 dripping garments clinging to their aged limbs, visibly 
 shuddering under the shock of the water, and their lips blue 
 and quivering while they eagerly mutter their prayers 
 None of them hesitate; into the Ganges they plunge upon 
 arrival, ill or well, robust or sickly; and ladle the water up 
 with dark, trembling hands, repeating the names of their 
 gods, and softly mentioning the sins they would expiate, 
 and the beloved souls they plead for." 
 
 The entire ceremony of making an offering to the river, 
 of bathing and plunging beneath its waves, and of praying 
 occupies from a half to a full hour. The water is dipped up 
 with the hands and then allowed to drip through the fingers 
 while the worshiper repeats the name of his god, ''Ram, 
 Ram, Ram, Ram'' over and over again, giving a striking il- 
 lustration of the "vain repetitions of the heathen." The 
 hands are then placed palms together and carried to the 
 forehead while the worshiper continues repeating the name 
 ot his god. I observed one of the pilgrims who performed 
 
400 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 this ceremony of dipping of the water seven times and then 
 plunged himself beneath the waves as many times more. 
 So intent arc the bathers and worshipers upon their duties 
 that they do not even cast a glance at the strangers in the 
 boat who are curiously watching them. No stronger evi- 
 dence of their earnestness and zeal and strong faith in the 
 sacred stream could be given than their absolute oblivious- 
 ness of their surroundings. 
 
 After the bathing and praying is completed, the soiled 
 garments of the pilgrim are washed. As he stands on the 
 lower stone step the clothing is dipped into the water and 
 then pounded on the stone until it is cleansed. The bather 
 then puts on his garments, damp and wet as they are, and 
 goes his way to visit the various temples, bows down before 
 the gods made with men's hands and makes to the idols 
 he worships an offering commensurate with his wealth. 
 He is not content with a visit to half a dozen temples, but 
 scores of them are visited in a single day, and the wealthy 
 are known to distribute hundreds of dollars in one round 
 among the temples. Whatever else the Hindu may neg- 
 lect, he does not fail to give to the support of his idol wor- 
 ship. 
 
 And so we floated down the river, passing ghat after 
 ghat, with the thousands of bathers thronging the great 
 stone stairways or standing in the water, only their bronzed 
 shoulders and dark faces being visible. Some of them were 
 so close to us that we might almost have touched them as 
 we passed, but they gave no sign, by look or gesture, that 
 we were even noticed. It was a strange, sad sight, which, 
 to be fully appreciated in all its force, must be seen, for it 
 cannot be fully described. We visited the place twice on 
 two different days, floating down and rowing up the stream 
 for miles, and yet we felt that we were unable to take in the 
 
■ri 
 ■-\ 
 
 < 
 y. 
 
 
PURDAH WOMEN. 403 
 
 whole situation. In those two forenoons we saw enough 
 strange sights, if related in detail, to till a volume. We can 
 give but a brief sketch here. 
 
 Yonder is a mother among the j)ilgrims, plunging her 
 naked babe into the dark, chilly water. The little fellow 
 struggles and \-ells lustih-, but down he goes and comes up 
 struggling, for the water has filled his wide-open mouth. 
 But struggle as he will and cr\' as he ma\', he must take his 
 enforced bath, and time and again the little bronze figure 
 goes down and disappears under the water. Should he live 
 to manhood this unwilling bath in the Ganges will be held 
 as the one great meritorious action of his life, and will cover 
 a multitude of sins. 
 
 Here is an old man, bent with the heavy burden of 
 many, many years. His friends are tenderly helping him 
 down into the water. His naked body is so emaciated by 
 disease and worn by age that he is but a mere skeleton, a 
 tottering frame of skin and bones. But in his dim, faded 
 eye there burns the fire of an enthusiast. At last the one 
 great desire of his life is to be realized. He has reached 
 the goal of all his earthly hopes, and is permitted not only 
 to gaze upon the Ganges, but to bathe his worn-out body in 
 its sacred tide. No wonder his e\-es sparkle and his wrink- 
 led face lights up with joy. For him all that now remains 
 is but to bathe and die and enter Swarza.* 
 
 At one of the ghats, called the Dasashwamedh. a num- 
 ber of higher class people are bathing, wives and mothers 
 of the wealthv, for wealth is not without its distinctions 
 even in India. Some of them are "purdah women," who 
 would never dream of laying aside their veils, or stepping 
 from behind their sheltering curtains. In their homes even 
 
 * The Hindu place of rest and peace fur tfie good. It is supposed by some to be lo- 
 cated in the Snow Mountains of tiie Himalayan range, north of India. 
 
404 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the windows of their apartments, which never face the 
 streets, are closely screened day and night lest e^es other 
 than their own husband's might fall upon their faces. No 
 greater shame could be brought upon one of these women 
 than to compel her to appear unveiled on the streets. It 
 would exceed an hundredfold the shame of the harlot, for 
 here the calling of the harlot is made semi-respectable. 
 But with the most implicit faith in the sanctity of a pilgrim- 
 age to the holy city, and of the sacred character of the 
 Ganges, they lay aside their heavy veils and folds of silken 
 cloth, and with thin, cotton gowns, which but scantily cover 
 their bodies, they unflinchingly go down into the river and 
 bathe as common mortals. 
 
 If further proof of the childlike simplicity of this 
 brown-skinned multitude of bathers is needed, it may be 
 found in their implicit belief in the following supposed mir- 
 acle: At the Ras Sahib Ghat is a huge recumbent image of 
 the god Bhima. It reclines on the outer edge of the giant 
 stairway, and in the absence of data or of an opportunity to 
 measure, we should say it is at least forty feet long. Our 
 guide tells us, in a tone that carries with it the conviction 
 that he believes what he says, that the Ganges rises high 
 enough each year to wash the image away, and that the god 
 miraculously restores it as often as it is removed. We 
 found, upon careful examination, that the statement of the 
 guide is held as a common faith by the Brahman priest and 
 by the people generally. The old image appears to be 
 crumbling away and is in sad need of repairs, but this slight 
 fact makes no difference in the faith of the Hindu. To him 
 the image is washed away and restored annually. 
 
 The Someshwar Ghat, or stairway, dedicated to the god 
 of the moon, is of special interest to us because here every 
 kind of disease that the human body is heir to is supposed 
 
SO-CALLED FAITH-HEALIXG. 4O5 
 
 to be healed. There are special shrines and bathing places 
 for special diseases, such as fevers, dysentery, cholera, 
 smallpox, swollen hands and feet, and scores of other ills, 
 but at the bathing place of the *'Lord of the Moon," the 
 bather believes he may be healed of all diseases. Like the 
 Grotto of Lourdes in France, it is crowded with the sick 
 and afflicted all the day long. They come to be healed, 
 strong in their belief in the efficac\- of the waters. Many 
 receive the help they come for, but the masses go away un- 
 benefited. Notwithstanding the failures are innumerable 
 and the real cases of healing are few, the place loses noth- 
 ing of its reputation. Year after year the people flock here 
 by the thousand, hoping against hope, and believing against 
 evidence in the healing power of the water of the Ganges at 
 this one particular spot. 
 
 As already intimated, some receive help. As at 
 Lourdes — and we say it with all due respect — as at many of 
 the so-called faith-healing establishments at home and 
 abroad, some, under strong mental excitement, produced by 
 their surroundings and their religious beliefs, are benefited; 
 and this is to be accounted for by the well-known powerful 
 influence of the mind upon the body. And this is wrong- 
 ly attributed to supernatural power. We believe in Bible 
 faith-healing, — the healing that comes in answer to prayer 
 when the will is wholl)' and unreservedly given up to God, 
 and when God's own perscribed means are used. But we 
 raise our voice in earnest protest against the frauds per- 
 petrated upon the ignorant by the Brahmans at Benares, 
 the priests at Lourdes, and the so-called Christian Scien- 
 tists at home. The}- are not of God and obey not the 
 Gospel of Christ. 
 
 Our boat now approaches a part of the great bathing 
 ground from which wreaths of blue smoke arise and. 
 
406 OIRDLIXG THE GLOBE. 
 
 forniin<j into thin, ncec\- clouds, float away down the river 
 on the mornin<^ air. It is the burniiiL;- ghat, or place 
 where the dead are cremated. At a word from our guide 
 the boat is anchored near the shore, and we become 
 interested spectators of the strange scene. The sellers 
 of the " death wood " carry bundle after bundle of the 
 prepared fuel down to where the funeral pyres are to be 
 built. One p>re from which the blue smoke goes up is 
 full ablaze, and the shape of a silent form is visible amidst 
 the flames. At another the embers are smouldering, and 
 the white, calcined bones are visible in the ashes. At 
 still another the "burners of the dead" are searching care- 
 fully among the ashes for treasures. They are looking for 
 melted silver and gold, for but yesterday the body of a 
 wealthy Hindu woman was burned and the jewels she 
 had worn all her life were committed to the flames with 
 her poor bod}', now no longer in need of the tinsel of 
 earthly ornament. On the shore, within easy reach, is a 
 figure wrapped in a white cloth, from which only the 
 cold, brown, bare feet protrude, touching the outer edge 
 of the stream. The funeral pyre is being arranged after 
 the manner already described. The wood is piled up, the 
 body is laid upon the pyre, the torch is applied, and the 
 smoke darkens the air. While we watch and wait, another 
 and another body is brought down to the water side, and 
 the burners of the dead are kept busy at their task; for 
 the nex^t greatest good after bathing in tlie sacred stream, 
 is to be burned on its banks and to have one's ashes car- 
 ried down to the sea on its tide. 
 
 Two bodies are brought from the State Prison, and 
 pyres erected for their burning. No matter what their 
 sins and crimes may have been in life, they are now, ac- 
 cording to common belief, to be purified by the side of 
 
FILIAL LOVE. 4O7 
 
 the Ganges. True, their bodies are handled roughly, and 
 after being dipped in the water, even the thin cotton 
 cloth is removed, but they are accorded honorable cre- 
 mation beside the flowing tide of the river. And so we 
 watch the sad funeral rites, absorbed in the scene around 
 us. We hear no wail of woe at the burning ghat of the 
 dead, for to-day the poor and unknown are committed 
 to the flanu's. Yonder is a monument raised to commem- 
 orate the spot where a broken-hearted widow laid herself 
 on the funeral pyre of her dead husband, and was burned 
 to death. Such scenes are now happily no more to be wit- 
 nessed in India. 
 
 But we must not remain here longer. Already the 
 sun's power is being felt. Our boat is brought to a landing 
 place, and we ascend the stairway amid the great throng 
 of people. At the top is a poor fellow who has brought 
 the dead body of his father a long distance, to have it 
 burned on the banks of the Ganges. To a Hindu this is 
 the highest mark of filial love and affection. As a duty, 
 it stands before all others. The son has spent his all in 
 his journey, and now begs for a pittance with which to 
 buy the " death wood," For sweet charity's sake his need 
 is supplied, and he goes his way muttering his tearful 
 thanks. 
 
 We left the bathing place, but the memory of it went 
 Vv'ith us and it clings to us still. To us the sight of this 
 vast multitude of rich and poor, old and young, men and 
 women, the weak and the strong, bathing in the Ganges, 
 burning their dead on its shore, bowing before idols and 
 shrines, and dragging their enfeebled bodies to its sacred 
 waters, hoping to be healed, was inexpressibly sad. Ob- 
 livious of all around them, save the duty of worship, they 
 seemed so earnest and so zealous in doing what they be- 
 
408 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 lieved to be necessary to obtain the forgiveness of their 
 sins that we could not for a single moment doubt their 
 sincerity. They believed fully and unreservedly in what 
 they were doing. It was the action of a blind, unreasoning 
 faith. We returned to our tents depressed in spirit and 
 sad at heart. We had seen the impregnabilit}' of Hindu- 
 ism. Its strength lies in the ignorance and superstition 
 of the common people. 
 
 Two thoughts were deeply impressed upon us b)' what 
 we had seen. First, How can these people be freed from 
 error's chain and led away from their terrible idolatry? 
 Second, How much greater sacrifice the Hindus seem will- 
 ing to make in serving their false gods than we, as Chris- 
 tians, seem w illing to make in the service of our true God! 
 
 The answer to the first question, it seems to us, rests 
 as a burden upon the church. Give them the Gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, educate them, not o\"er-much, but enough 
 to remove ignorance and superstition. This is the only 
 way to save them, and this is essentially the work of the 
 church. Individuals are to go, but they must be sent and 
 the church must do the sending. 
 
 As to the second thought, it rests as a burning shame 
 upon every professing Christian who is not willing to give 
 up all the world for the sake of Christ. 
 
 If, after visiting Benares, you were asked to describe 
 the city in a few words, you would say, " Temples and 
 idols everywhere," and your answer would be true to the 
 situation. India is preeminently the land of idols and 
 Benares is the very heart and centre of the vast system 
 of Hindu idol worship. As you walk about the city \'Ou 
 see temples and idols, and idols and temples, until you 
 become satiated with the sight and are glad to get away 
 from it all. 
 
BLESSING THE IDOL. 4O9 
 
 You leave the temples and wander aimlessly about the 
 streets of the old city and }ou see row after rov*^ of shops 
 or stores where idols of all kinds and sorts are offered 
 for sale, and you are met by peddler after peddler with 
 their baskets full of little images, inviting you to inspect 
 and buy. You will see the potter forming the shapeless 
 mass of clay into a hideous image of some one of the 
 most popular gods; the carpenter sawing and cutting 
 and carving on some great idol, presently to be set up and 
 worshiped in one of the temples; the sculptor shaping 
 marble figures with mallet and chisel for household gods; 
 the brass worker pouring molten metal into the moulds, 
 to be taken out, when cold, in the form of little gods 
 which the natives buy for a few pennies each; and the 
 goldsmith, skilled in his art, turning the precious metals 
 into idols for the rich; and you are again ready to say, 
 " Idols, idols, everywhere." 
 
 But the images, as they come from the hand of the 
 maker, are nothing more than common clay, wood, or met- 
 al. Before they are worshiped they must be blessed by the 
 Brahman priest. This is known as the life-giving cere- 
 mony and is considered a very solemn affair. After the 
 idol has received at the hands of the priest the supposed 
 life of the god it was made to represent, it becomes holy to 
 the idol-worshiper and must never be approached without 
 due form and ceremony. By this ceremony it becomes an 
 object of great reverence. If, after the idol has been 
 blessed by the priest, it should be touched by an unclean 
 person it can no longer be worshiped but must be replaced 
 by another. 
 
 It has been said that England not only sends missiona- 
 ries to India but many idols as well. It is also stated that 
 the brass founders at Birmingham make a specialty of man- 
 
410 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ufacturing idols. Poole, in referring to these charges, says: 
 "I have heard it whispered in more than one quarter that 
 many of the idols that are worshiped in India are manufac- 
 tured in England; but I would fain believe that the report is 
 not correct, for I do not like to think ill of my countr\'- 
 men." Another reliable author says, "I strongly suspect 
 that many of the idols offered for sale are of English manu- 
 facture, for it is currently rei:)orted that Birmingham ex- 
 ports an immensely large proportion of the idols of Hindu- 
 stan, and finds them a profitable speculation." 
 
 Like Poole we were not disposed to credit this report 
 about his countrymen; we are not quick to accept an evil 
 report and it was hard for us to believe such a report about 
 any people. If India will have idols to worship, surely no 
 nation calling itself Christian should supply the demand. 
 But later we had the evidence of a witness whom we could 
 not doubt, and with shame it must be said that the report is 
 too true. Miss Brittan, now of Yokohama, Japan, who 
 spent twenty years as a missionary in India, gave us the fol- 
 lowing statement. She visited Birmingham, England, some 
 years ago with friends and relatives. One of these held a 
 prominent position in one of the brass foundries, and with 
 him she visited the works. He took her into one of the 
 finishing rooms, where, using her own language, " I saw 
 thousands and thousands of brass images of Krishna, Ga- 
 nesa, Vishnu, Parvatti and other Hindu idols. These were 
 being finished and packed ready for shipment to India." 
 
 The fact set forth in the preceding paragraph is a most 
 humiliating one, but it is only another evidence that men 
 can always be found to do anything for money. The inor- 
 dinate thirst for gold is the curse of the world to-day. Aft- 
 er all it is only fitting that the Christian (?) nation which 
 forced opium upon the Chinese at the point of the bayonet. 
 
z 
 a 
 
 c 
 
412 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 against the most earnest appeals and protests of the heath- 
 en emperor, who sought to save his people from the ter- 
 rible effects of the deadly drug, should manufacture and 
 ship idols to India. But England is not the only trans- 
 gressor. Of like character is the shipping of rum and 
 whiskey into the newly-opened territory of Africa. It is a 
 startling commentary upon the principles and morals of the 
 age in which we live when a heathen chief protests against 
 the distillers and whiske}-sellers of the United States ship- 
 ping their poison into his country to degrade his people. 
 
 The sins of nations are as surely to be punished as are 
 the sins of individuals. A people may sacrifice the eternal 
 principles of right for accidental association and for present 
 gain; the strong may, for a time, triumph over the weak; 
 wrong may rule for a season, but in the end sin must be ex- 
 piated. England is filling for herself a vial of wrath which 
 will one day burst and bring upon her a swift and terrible 
 retribution, and our own country is condoning sin and re- 
 ceiving stores of gold from the whiskey traffic, bedewed 
 with the tears of widows and orphans, and red with the 
 blood of murder. But the day of reckoning is sure to 
 come. Surely we have not forgotten the curse and blight 
 that fell upon us because of the national sin of human slav- 
 ery. The dark blot was not obliterated until it had been 
 deluged with the best blood of our people. It should be 
 remembered that "righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin 
 is a reproach to any people." National sins will not go un- 
 punished. The mills of the gods grind slowly but they 
 grind exceedingly fine. 
 
 Our readers will pardon this digression. The case is 
 one that cannot be dismissed lightly. 
 
 We continued our walks about the city until we grew 
 weary of temples and idols and, lest our readers experience 
 
THE GOLDEN TEMPLE. 413 
 
 the same condition, we limit our description to several of 
 the numerous places visited. 
 
 The "golden temple," dedicated to the poison god, is 
 so called because one of its domes is gilded with gold. 
 The interior presented what seemed to us to be only a very 
 poorly-arranged cow-stable. It was reeking with filth, for a 
 number of sacred oxen and cows were stalled in the main 
 room, where we could not have gone had we desired to do 
 so, lest our feet should desecrate the holy pavement. As it 
 was we not only had no desire to tread upon the filth, but 
 were glad to escape from the stench of the place which was 
 simply overpowering to our untrained olfactory nerves. 
 The Brahmans, we are told, enjo)' the odor and declare it 
 to be the sweetest fragrance. During our hasty visit to the 
 temple we observed that it was crowded with idols on every 
 side. The cows and the idols and the priests had the place 
 to themselves, and we were glad to leave them in posses- 
 sion. 
 
 Near the golden temple is the famous Gja/i Kiip, or 
 well of knowledge, in which every orthodox Hindu believes 
 that the god of Shiva dwells. The pavement surrounding 
 the well is by no means pleasant, but the well itself is simp- 
 ly a fetid pool, emitting a fearful smell, caused by the de- 
 caying flowers that are thrown into it by worshipers. There 
 is a cloth resting upon a grating spread over the mouth of 
 the well, but there are several large rents in the cloth, and 
 the flowers are continually dropping through into the water. 
 The stench and the filth drove us away, and we look to 
 another for a description: "The worshipers also throw water 
 into the well, and as they are not careful how they throw it, 
 the pavement is one vast puddle and the clothing of their 
 fell'ow-votaries is in a dripping state. The platform is 
 thronged by men and women, and the horrible din of gongs 
 
414 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 and voices deafens the visitor. Crowds of fresh pil<^rims 
 are constantly arri\ in_[^, and as numbers of cows arc mixed 
 up in the throng, and must be treated with great considera- 
 tion, the jostling is something terrific." And all this be- 
 cause it is handed down as a tradition, that at one time the 
 golden temple was destroyed and a priest, in order to save 
 the idol, threw it into this well. Since then it has been con- 
 sidered as one among the most sacred places in Benares. 
 
 Not far from the well is a temple, to which we can re- 
 fer only brief!}', without entering into details. The carvings 
 in stone are so vulgarly indecent that even the slightest 
 reference to them is questionable. Oh the depth of the 
 \ileness and depravity to which idolatr\' can sink men made 
 in the likeness and image of God! And vet there are men 
 who talk about the good to be found in this great system of 
 idolatr}'. At the Congress of Religions, held in Chicago, 
 these base features of Hinduism were never even hinted at. 
 It is not fair to condemn any system of morals, ethics or re- 
 ligion by what some of its followers may do, but we have a 
 perfect right to judge it by its own teachings. And when 
 the temples of worship become brothels, and vice and sin 
 are called virtues, we have a right to condemn the entire 
 system. 
 
 The temple of Durga is known as the monkey temple 
 because a large number of these mischievous animals are 
 quartered and fed in the building. The sacred character of 
 the monkeys gives them special favor in the sight of the 
 Hindus. Durga is the terrible form of the wife of Shiva, 
 and as she is said to delight in blood, a goat is occasionally 
 sacrificed before the idol. We noticed the blood of the sac- 
 rifice on the platform before the shrine of the idol. As we 
 approached the place, about two dozen monkeys came 
 trooping out to meet us. At the; same time the priest came 
 
HOLY MAN OF BENARES. 
 
 415 
 
 with a large plate full of food for the animals, which he dis- 
 tributed among the visitors, who were expected to feed the 
 animals and then pay for the privilege. They were fed and 
 
 SWAMI BHASKARA NAUD SARASWATI. 
 Holy Man of Ben.^res. 
 
 amused the visitors for some time with their antics. The 
 Hindus actually worship these chattering, antic-loving crea- 
 tures, regarding them as living gods and goddesses. Sat- 
 urday is a day especialh' set apart for the worship of the 
 monkeys. Aside from the animals, nothing worthy of note 
 
4l6 GIKDI.ING THE GI OBE. 
 
 was seen, save the hideous idol daubed with red ochre, 
 seated in a shrine within the portals of the temple. 
 
 Before leaving Benares we called upon Sri Swami 
 Bhaskara Naud Saraswati, the famous ascetic, known as the 
 " Holy Man of Benares." He enjoys a home with a beauti- 
 ful garden, the gift of a wealthy rajah. When we entered 
 the garden his attendant wrapped a white cloth about his 
 loins. This because of the presence of ladies; otherwise he 
 wears no clothing. He met us with a beaming face and a 
 happy smile, and spoke of the fact that he had been invited 
 to visit Chicago in 1893. He is already worshiped by 
 thousands in India and has received a place among the gods 
 of the country. A beautiful marble image of the Swami 
 stands in the garden, which he took great pleasure in show- 
 ing us. He has the satisfaction of seeing his fellow-coun- 
 trymen come to worship it. He presented us copies of his 
 books printed in Sanscrit, with a pamphlet containing a 
 photograph of himself which is here reproduced. Present- 
 ing us with garlands of flowers, he raised his hands and 
 called the blessings of the Creator upon us, and then dis- 
 missed us. I observe that it is better to have blessing than 
 cursing from a man. As we turned to leave our Hindu 
 guide knelt down and kissed the feet of the Swami. He 
 believes him to be a part of divinity and worships him. On 
 the way back to Benares we met a great train of elephants 
 and attendants. In state the rajah's wife was on her way 
 to pay her respects to the " Holy Man of Benares," 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 From the City of Idols to the City of Palaces — The Man- Eating Ti- 
 gers of Bengal — RicJi Farn/ing Lands— India in Competitioji with 
 the United States in Raising Wheat — The hidigo Plant — Process 
 of Matiufacturing the Dye — Opiwn Growing — Opinvi Introduced 
 into China by the English — The Opiwn W'ar — England's Great- 
 est National Sin — Calcutta, " City of Palaces" — Asiatic Cholera 
 — The Black Hole of Calcutta. 
 
 The journey from Benares, the City of Idols, to Calcut- 
 ta, the City of Palaces, is made in about seventeen hours,— 
 this by the fast express train running at the average rate of 
 thirty miles an hour including stoppages. The cars on the 
 Indian railways are divided into compartments with seats 
 facing each other on both sides of the coach. The com- 
 partments arc entered from both ends of the car, and are 
 quite comfortable. All first and second class travelers in 
 India carry with them a supph' of bedclothes, and with pil- 
 lows and comforts we changed our compartment into a very 
 good sleeping room, fully as comfortable as the sleeping- 
 cars at home. By notifying the agent in time, a party of 
 four or five may have a compartment reserved for them, and 
 thus have a pleasant time together. By the kindness of the 
 agent at Benares, an 'entire section was placed at the dis- 
 posal of our little party. We had purchased second class 
 tickets, but we were shown into a first class coach. The on- 
 1\- appreciable difference between the two is in the name, 
 not in the comfort. Some people do not like to be placed 
 in the second class. They would rather pay double the 
 
 money for the name of being ranked first, and they do it. 
 
 (417) 
 
4l8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 The rate of fare charj^^ed on the Indian railways is much 
 below that of Europe and America. Second class tickets 
 are sold at a rate of about one cent a mile, while first class 
 cost nearly double as much. The third class rate is very 
 low and the cars of this class are usually crowded with na- 
 tive passengers, who find the very small sum charged for 
 tickets an incentive to make short journeys. 
 
 Good eating houses are to be found at all the principal 
 railway stations, where an excellent meal, composed of 
 roasted mutton (goat meat), rice and curry, pudding and 
 fruit may be had for the nominal sum of one rupee, about 
 twenty-eight cents in our money. Living is cheap in India. 
 We found some vcr)- good hotels at say eighty cents per 
 day for lodging and board. The same class of accommoda- 
 tions at home would cost from two to three dollars a day. 
 
 Leaving the Northern Provinces, we entered that por- 
 tion of the great Indian Peninsula known as Bengal. Here, 
 in the dense jungles of wild, tropical vegetation, roams the 
 royal Bengal tiger, a terror to both man and beast. Even 
 the king of the jungle, the mighty lion, fears to attack a 
 full-grown tiger. We saw several specimens of this fine, 
 but fierce, savage animal. One, a recent capture, and a 
 reputed man-eater was in a public garden or park at Madras. 
 He was said to measure twelve feet in length, a statement 
 we did not care to make an attempt to verify. The huge 
 animal was restlessly pacing to and fro in his great iron 
 cage, casting occasionally angry side glances at us as we 
 stood watching him. He was the very embodiment of 
 strength and agility, and we could not help but shudder at 
 the thought of meeting him alone in his native jungle. 
 Such is the strength of the full-grown Bengal tiger that he 
 can carry off a full-grown bullock in his jaws. 
 
 The food of the tiger, when he prowls in his own jun- 
 
FOOD OF THE TIGER. 419 
 
 gle, appears to be deer, antelope and the wild hog. When 
 these are plenty he rarely disturbs domestic cattle. In 
 some places the natives even regard him as a kind of pro- 
 tector, as he saves their crops from destruction by the wild 
 animals upon which he feeds. But, as noted in a former 
 chapter, when he once develops a taste for human flesh and 
 blood, many a poor, defenseless native falls a prey to his 
 savage cruelty. The man-eater is generally an old beast, 
 not able to overtake and capture his usual prey. He then 
 turns upon the natives and slaughters them, not only for 
 food, but out of sheer cruelty. "A single tiger is known to 
 have killed one hundred and eight people in the course of 
 three years. Another killed an average of about eighty per 
 annum. A third caused thirteen villages to be abandoned, 
 and two hundred and fifty square miles of land to be thrown 
 out of cultivation. A fourth, so late as 1869, killed one 
 hundred and twenty-seven people, and stopped a public 
 road for many weeks, until the opportune arrival of an Eng- 
 lish hunter, who at last killed him. Such cases are, of 
 course, exceptional, and generally refer to a period long 
 past, but they explain and justify the superstitious awe with 
 which the tiger is regarded by the natives."* The Govern- 
 ment pays a reward for every tiger slain. The number 
 killed in a single year was nearly sixteen hundred, and the 
 money paid out in rewards amounted to about twenty thou- 
 sand dollars. While so many were killed, there were re- 
 ported for the year eight hundred and nineteen persons and 
 sixteen thousand cattle killed by tigers. 
 
 In these same jungles the leopard is far more common 
 than the tiger, and is at least full}' as destructive to life 
 and property. Tiger and jungle cats, wolves, jackals, w ild 
 dogs, striped hyenas, bears, elephants, the rhinoceros, the 
 
 ♦Encyclopedia Britaimica. 
 
420 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 wild hof^, the wild ass and various species of the deer family 
 also abound in the forests and jungles of eastern India. 
 
 In coming down from Benares to Calcutta we pass 
 over some fine, rich farming land. This is especially true of 
 the great river bottoms which are annually overflowed dur- 
 ing the monsoon (rainy season). During the overflow the 
 land on both shores is covered with a thin coating of mud, 
 so that no fertilizers are needed. As the Nile overflows 
 Egypt each year, enriching the soil, so the Indus, the Gan- 
 ges, the Brahmaputra, the Hooghly and other rivers of 
 India overflow and enrich the great plains on their borders. 
 With abundant rainfall the farmer is sure of plenty in return 
 for his labor; but if the rain comes not, then famine and 
 death prevail in all the land. 
 
 According to the census report more than forty mil- 
 lions of the male adults of India are engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits and farm labor. This is equal to more than two- 
 thirds of the entire male adult population of the countr\-. 
 It may be said that the people of India are a nation of 
 farmers. . 
 
 On the great river plains, two, and sometimes three, 
 crops are harvested each year. In the early springtime the 
 lower Bengal farmer harvests his crop of pease, pulse and 
 oil seeds. In September the early rice is harvested, and in 
 November and December he is busy gathering in the great 
 rice crop and the wheat harvest. Of the latter grain about 
 the same number of acres are sown annuall}- as in the 
 United States, and the average production per acre for a 
 long series of years is thirteen bushels. It ma\' be a matter 
 of interest to our readers to know that farm laborers in 
 India receive only from two to four cents per day for their 
 labor, and they work from devv}' morn till starr}' eve. The 
 ten-hour a day system is unknown among these people. 
 
AGRICULTURAL COMPETITION. 421 
 
 Their food is a kind of coarse bean, known as pulse. It is 
 believed to be the same kind of food selected by the young 
 Hebrew prophet Daniel for himself and companions in 
 Babylon. It is the cheapest food in India. The poor 
 laborer cannot afford the lu.xur}' of rice, and the taste of 
 meat is unknown to him. 
 
 An interesting phase of the agricultural question was 
 suggested to the mind by what we saw while in India, and 
 that was this: How can our farmers at home raise wheat in 
 competition with the cheap labor of India? They pay from 
 ten to fifteen dollars per month for labor, which is fifteen 
 hundred per cent more than is paid in India. Their food 
 and clothing supplies cost them fully as much more in pro- 
 portion as does labor. Then, too, the Indian farmer has the 
 advantage in the rent, or rather the tax which he pays on 
 his land. Practically, the land belongs to the government. 
 It is assessed ever)- thirty years, the farmer pays annually a 
 fixed sum for the use of the land. The rate for the rich 
 black soil lands of Guzerat is $I.I0 per acre. Less product- 
 ive lands are assessed at a lower rate. At home, in north- 
 ern Illinois, the farmer must pay, say $70.00 per acre for the 
 best improved farms. Counting the money worth six per 
 cent, this makes the land cost him four dollars and twenty 
 cents per acre annually; to this must be added the taxes, 
 and the sum is raised to about five dollars per acre. In oth- 
 er words, our northern Illinois farmer must pay an annual 
 rental of from four to five dollars per acre for the use of 
 his land, as against the one dollar used by the Indian farmer. 
 Of course these conditions vary in different parts of the 
 country. 
 
 The conclusion is that the Indian farmer can and does 
 raise wheat at much less than one-half what it costs our 
 farmers at home to produce it. As it costs him less, he can 
 
422 GIRni.IXr. THE r.LORE. 
 
 sell it for less than uc can, and as a result, when we come 
 into competition with him, he can easil)' undersell us and 
 drive us out of the market. It will be well for us to con- 
 sider these conditions, for at no distant day in the future we 
 shall have to meet the Indian farmer in the markets of the 
 world. 
 
 Among other productions of Bengal is the indigo plant 
 from which the indigo used in cheing is distilled. It is 
 grown in large quantities on the alluvial soil of the river 
 bottoms. The seed is sown as the waters recede, and from 
 that time until the plant is harvested the farmer gives it but 
 little attention. 
 
 Some account of the production of indigo dye, so 
 commonly used in all our families at home, may not be 
 uninteresting. In a general way it may be said that India 
 supplies the w^orld with indigo. About ten million pounds, 
 worth as many dollars, are produced annually. The plant, 
 as its name indicates, is a native of India, although it is 
 cultivated in other parts of the world. The dye produced 
 in Bengal is the best to be found in the market. 
 
 When the indigo plant {^indigo fern) has attained its 
 growth, the stems are cut down and tied into small bun- 
 dles. This is done just when the buds are about to open, 
 as it is thought that then the leaves are fully charged with 
 coloring matter. The same stock produces two, and in 
 some localities three, crops of stems and leaves each year. 
 The bundles are taken at once to the factories and are 
 thrown into large vats and covered with warm water. 
 Here they remain until fermentation takes place, which 
 occupies from ten to fourteen hours, depending upon the 
 temperature. This process releases the coloring matter 
 from the leaves and it is held in solution by the water. 
 When the water assumes a fine, clear, yellow color, it is 
 
INDIGO PLANT. 423 
 
 judged that the leaves have given up the indigo. The 
 water is then drawn off into a series of vats placed on a 
 lower level than the first, and the stalks are thrown out 
 into the sun to dry, after which they are used as fuel in 
 the furnaces. The yellow liquid now undergoes a process 
 of violent agitation. Natives, armed with long bamboo 
 poles, lash it for several hours. Graduall}- the blue flakes 
 separate from the water and sink to the bottom. The men 
 who lash the water wear no clothing save a small cotton 
 cloth w rapped about the loins, and from head to foot the\' 
 are as blue as blue can be. 
 
 After the lashing has gone on for three or four hours, 
 the liquid is allowed to settle, and as the blue flakes sink 
 to the bottom of the tank, the clear water is drawn off. 
 The mass of blue paste is then taken out of the tanks, put 
 into kettles and boiled for three hours, and is then filtered 
 through a thick cloth. The paste is then dried under 
 pressure, cut into square cakes, weighing about eight ounces 
 each, upon which is stamped the name of the factory. 
 The cakes are then laid aw'ay in the shade to dry, after 
 which they are packed into boxes ready for shipment. 
 The entire process of making indigo takes about three 
 months. At one time the manufacture of the dye was 
 very profitable, and large fortunes were made by the 
 English, but for some years, owing to over-production and 
 consequent low prices, it has not made satisfactory returns. 
 As a result, Bengal and Behar are dotted with the sites 
 of abandoned indigo factories. In the Madras Presidency 
 the business is carried on entirely by the natives. 
 
 The opium-producing poppy growls to perfection in 
 India, and the English Government reaps a large annual 
 income from the cultivation and manufacture of this pow- 
 erful and destructive drug. We have fully described the 
 
424 GIRDLING TIIK GLOBE. 
 
 cultivation of the l)opp\- and the gathering of opium in 
 " The Seven Churches of Asia," pp. 279-81. The exporta- 
 tion of opium from India reaches in value the enormous 
 sum of seventy-five million dollars, of which the govern- 
 ment receives as its share of net profit not far from forty 
 million dollars. Nearly one-half of all the opium ex- 
 ported goes to China and the Straits Settlements. 
 
 The cultivation of the poppy and the manufacture of 
 opium by the English Government in India, and its forci- 
 ble introduction into China, against the earnest protests 
 and strong appeals of the heathen emperor, forms one of 
 the darkest chapters in the history of that so-called Chris- 
 tian nation. It is only another illustration of what the 
 greed for gold will do. We referred to this very briefly 
 in a former chapter, but the importance of the subject de- 
 mands further notice. Another consideration also induces 
 us to give this matter further attention. The use of opium 
 is constantly increasing in our own nation, and this in- 
 crease is alarming in the highest degree. Every neigh- 
 borhood, village, town and city has its victims. Bright 
 intellects are destroyed, and thousands are daily stupefied 
 with the insidious drug. Even professing Christians are 
 victims to the mind and soul-destroying opium habit. 
 
 When Warren Hastings became the first Governor 
 General of India, in 1774, the opium-yielding poppy was 
 grown in India onl)- to a very limited extent. The use 
 of the drug, except for medicinal purposes, was forbidden 
 by the religion as well as the laws of the countr)'. Some 
 of the rulers even went so far as to inflict the death penalty 
 upon those who violated the law. Enough was used, how- 
 ever, against creed and law, to enable Hastings to see 
 that here was an opportunit}- to fill the coffers of the 
 government with gold. He had no thought of the ruin 
 
OPIUM HABIT. 425 
 
 and degradation that would result. These people and the 
 Chinese are only pagans. Let them eat and smoke the 
 drug, and destroy themselves. It would bring gold into 
 the treasur}-, and gold was what was wanted. 
 
 He lost no time in furthering his project. He stim- 
 ulated the cultivation of the poppy, furnishing means 
 where the\' were lacking and establishing factories, so 
 that the drug might be put up in form for popular use. 
 He established agencies for its sale, receiving large fees 
 for licenses and in a few years quite a revenue accrued to 
 the government. He sent two ship-loads of opium to 
 China and this was given away to the people, and they 
 thus acquired a taste for the drug which has been such a 
 great curse to that country. The next year he sent two 
 more ship-loads and this was sold at a low price. After 
 this, tlie price was gradually increased. The appetite for 
 opium was thus created among the Chinese and then they 
 were willing to pay a high price for it. Results: the de- 
 struction of the moral and mental powers of the Chinese 
 who used the drug, and more gold for the English Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 When Hastings resigned in 1785 and returned to Eng- 
 land, he was arraigned before Parliament for crimes, the 
 opium traffic being one of the accusations. He defended 
 himself and claimed great credit for establishing this source 
 of revenue. Later, the British Government assumed the 
 entire control of India, and has pursued the same plan 
 adopted b\' Hastings in the production, manufacture, and 
 sale of opium. The government stipulates the number of 
 acres to be planted in poppies each year. If there is a sur- 
 plus of opium one year, the amount produced the next is 
 reduced. In this way the price of the drug is kept up. 
 
 The valley of the Ganges around about Benares and 
 
426 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 Patna is the principal opium-producing district in India. 
 At Patna there is a large factor)' where three thousand per- 
 sons arc emplo}'ed in {)reparing the drug for use. "Two 
 hundred British soldiers keep constant guard, and the flag 
 of Great Britain, that flag which, the British boast, has 
 'braved the battle and the breeze for a thousand years/ 
 floats over the establishment, and the manufactured article, 
 which is turned out in the form of balls, has stamped upon 
 each ball the initials of the Queen of England and P^mpress 
 of India." 
 
 P^om an authority* on this subject we learn that under 
 the Bengal system the farmers enter into an agreement to 
 sow a certain number of acres of land with poppy. No one 
 is compelled to do this, but the government always finds 
 plenty of willing cultivators. An advance in money is 
 made to the farmer before he sows the seed and settlement, 
 in full, is made when he delivers the opium to government 
 agencies. He is compelled to deliver all he produces, and 
 is paid at a fixed price according to quality. The delivery 
 of the opium begins early in April, when the farmer brings 
 all he has raised to the local government agent, who weighs 
 and examines it and settles accounts. It is then taken to 
 the factories at Patna and Ghazipur, where the final process 
 of preparing the drug in balls for the Chinese market is 
 conducted. This takes until the end of Jul}', but the balls 
 are not dry enough to be packed in chests until October. 
 
 Up to 1774, when Hastings became Governor General 
 of India, but a few chests of opium were sent to China each 
 year. The small quantity brought into the empire from 
 India was used for medicinal purposes. Two )ears after 
 Hastings took the matter in hand, i,000 chests of the 
 drug were sent to China, and in 1790 nearly 5,000 
 
 * Encyclopjedia Biitannica, Vol. 12, P. 749. 
 
EVIL EFFECTS OF OPIUM USING. 427 
 
 chests were requiied to supj)l\" the demand. This meant 
 that the Chinese had acquired such a taste for opium that 
 it required 67,000 pounds annually to satish- the demand. 
 And this has gone on until now the British Government 
 sends to China annually thirteen and a half million pounds 
 of the drug. Persia and Turkey also add to this immense 
 amount, while the thirst for the drug has become so great 
 among them that the Chinese cultivate the poppy and pro- 
 duce thirt}- million poinids of opium, all of which is con- 
 sumed in the celestial kingdom. All this is the result of 
 the British introducing and afterwards forcing opium upon 
 the Chinese at the j:)oint of the bayonet. 
 
 The opium trade which Hastings had opened up with 
 the Chinese was not only a success, but became very profit- 
 able. Those who acauired a desire for the drug and the 
 habit of using it, demanded more, and the number of those 
 who used it constantly increased. The heathen emperor 
 of a heathen land soon became aware of the great wrong 
 that was being done to his subjects. He saw the terrible ef- 
 fects produced by the use of the opiate upon the people. 
 He saw prosperous and comparatively happy families liter- 
 ally destroyed by the poison. He saw strong men reduced 
 to helplessness, idiocy and a living death; and seeing this 
 he felt it his duty, heathen as he was, to save his people, if 
 possible, from the evils which the cupidity and the inordi- 
 nate love of gold of the English was forcing upon them. 
 He protested in the most earnest manner against the traffic, 
 and plead w ith the English to bring no more opium to his 
 country. His appeal fell upon ears deafened by the clink 
 of gold. 
 
 In 1796 the Chinese Emperor, Lea- King, issued a proc- 
 lamation forbidding the importation of opium into his do- 
 minions. He also forbade the smoking of the drug by his 
 
428 GIRDLINT. THE GLOBE. 
 
 subjects, and affixed severe i)unishnieiits as penalties upon 
 all who violated the decree. But these severe measures did 
 not have the desired effect. The English found means to 
 smuggle their opium into the country, and the people 
 smoked it and suffered the penalties. The trade increased 
 so rapidly that in 1820-25 on an average a million and a 
 quarter pounds were annually imported from India and con- 
 sumed by the Chinese. 
 
 There was a constant conflict between the English who 
 were engaged in importing and selling the drug and the 
 Chinese officials who, by the instruction of their imperial 
 master, were seeking, by all means in their power, to sup- 
 press it. The death penalty was now fixed as a punishment 
 upon all the subjects of the emperor who smoked, bought 
 or sold opium. And in order to show the English that they 
 were in real earnest in this matter, several offenders were 
 taken to the English warehouses where the drug was stored 
 and sold, and were strangled or beheaded before the Eng- 
 lish official. This was regarded as an insult to the high- 
 minded men who were violating both the laws of God and 
 man in their nefarious business. The relations between the 
 Chinese and the English became anything but friendly. 
 The former were determined to force their opium upon the 
 heathen Chinese and the officials of the latter were just as 
 determined that the destructive drug should be driven out 
 of their country. Efforts were made to have the importa- 
 tion and sale of opium legalized by law, and sold under a 
 license. By this means the emperor might have added 
 largely to his income, but the heathens had not learned that 
 it was right to license and legalize the wrong, and the 
 proposition was indignantly refused. The Chinese author- 
 ities saw the terrible effects and the fearful evils growing 
 out of the use of opium and determined to rid their country 
 
DESTROYING THE DRUG. 42g 
 
 of it. But the)' did not know the strength of England. 
 They could not understand why a country that was sending 
 missionaries to convert them to Christianity should, at the 
 same time, force upon them a commodity to destroy the 
 life and souls of their people. They knew not of England's 
 determination to force opium upon them at the point of the 
 bayonet, if necessary. 
 
 In January, 1839, the governor of the Canton district, 
 by order of the emperor, issued a proclamation threatening 
 to destroy the opium ships if they were not sent away from 
 Canton, where several had been anchored and used as opi- 
 um depots. He also announced that a special commission- 
 er had been appointed by the emperor to carry out his 
 instructions, and that it was his determined purpose " to cut 
 off utterly the source of this noxious abuse, to strip bare 
 and root up this enormous evil; and, though his axe should 
 break in his hand or his boat should sink from beneath him, 
 yet will lie not stay his efforts till the work of purification 
 be accomplished." 
 
 The high commissioner, Lin, arrived at Canton in 
 March and he at once ordered that all the opium in the 
 store-ships should be given up to him, and all who had been 
 engaged in the traffic in any way should give bonds that 
 they would never bring any more into the country, under 
 pain of death. The demand for the delivery of the opium 
 was complied with, and by the fourth of May a little over 
 three million pounds had been given up under protest. 
 
 " The destruction of the drug, which was valued at ten 
 million dollars, took place a short distance from Canton in 
 the presence of commissioner Lin. The Chinese authori- 
 ties were unwilling to cast the opium into the river, lest the 
 fish should be poisoned by it. The method of destruction 
 adopted was as follows: Three large vats, or trenches, on? 
 
4,^0 (ilKI)I.l\(i THE c;L(J15E. 
 
 luiiuliHtl Ici'l lonij, scvcnty-fivc feet wide and seven feet 
 deep, were constructed. Ivich trench was flagged with 
 stone and lined aroiuul with heav}^ timbers, and was sepa- 
 rately enclosed, having an entrance only on the side, which 
 was carefull}' guarded day and night. The trenches were 
 filled from about one to two feet deep with fresh water, into 
 which the balls of opium, having been previously broken 
 into small i)ieces, were thrown. Coolies (the term applied 
 to common laborers .in the East), were employed in the 
 trenches, treading upon them, and keeping the opium 
 turned up from the bottom of the vat, while others were 
 em])loy(.d in spreading salt and lime over the whole surface 
 of the pit. When the whole mass was in a state of decom- 
 position and in a suflficiently liquid state to be drawn off, a 
 sluice, furnished with a screen to stop solid pieces, was 
 opened and the liquid flowed into the creek." 
 
 The time required to complete the work of destruction 
 was twent)' days. Thus the Chinese officials gave abundant 
 proof that they were in deep earnest in their efforts to sup- 
 press the trafific and to save their people from the dire ef- 
 fects resulting from the use of opium. A parallel case 
 would be if the offlcials of our own country were to deter- 
 mine to stamp out the trafific in intoxicating drinks and 
 would collect all the intoxicants in the countr}' and destro}' 
 them, and would forbid, under pain of death, the importa- 
 tion, manufacture, sale and use of the poison. 
 
 The action of commissioner Lin in destroying the opi- 
 um was taken by the English as a sufficient pretext for war, 
 which was accordingly declared in 1840. The British fleet 
 soon after arrived and the work of coercion commenced. 
 It was the strong against the weak, the giants among pig- 
 mies. The Chinese were defeated at every point. \n the 
 records of the war such statements as these are to be found: 
 
OPIUM TRAFFIC. 43 I 
 
 " Chinese loss, five hundred killed; the English did not lose 
 a man." " Several thousand Chinese troops defended a 
 fort." " Onl}' one hundred of them accepted quarter." It 
 was slaughter and massacre instead of war. 
 
 Under such conditions the heathens soon sued for 
 peace. Their cities and towns had been bombarded and 
 some of them destroyed, and many lives had been sacrificed 
 to save the country from the evil that was being forced 
 upon them b)- a Christian (?) nation. But these people 
 died in vain! A treaty of peace was concluded and signed 
 in 1842, which provided that four additional ports were to 
 be opeiKtl to English trade and that opium must be admit- 
 ted without molestation. In addition to this, the Chinese 
 were compelled to pa)' the English $21,000,000 as indemnity 
 and cede to them the Island of Hong Kong, which the 
 Queen holds to-day. Such was the impetus given to the 
 opium trade by the war, which is known in history as " The 
 Opium War," that in 1850 the amount sent into China was 
 not far from three million pounds. The traffic continued 
 and still continues under the protest of the Chinese Em- 
 peror. 
 
 There is not recorded in the history of modern nations 
 so dark a blot as that borne by the British on account of 
 the opium war. It must not be forgotten that this took 
 place under the reign of England's best ruler, Queen Vic- 
 toria. 
 
 Dr. M. M. Chipman, an authority on the opium ques- 
 tion, has this to say concerning the traffic: 
 
 " The enforced traffic of opium upon China is the great- 
 est national sin and the most far-reaching in its conse- 
 quences perpetrated by an\' natit)ii of the centur\-. In its 
 quiet l)ut uninterrupted s\vee[) of tlestruction it has caused, 
 so far as numbers alone are involved, greater loss of human 
 
432 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 life than war with all its attendant consequences. It has in- 
 creased the death rate more than the epidemic diseases 
 which have prevailed during the century. It has caused 
 more helplessness and degradation, a wider spread of im- 
 poverishment, a greater aggregate of suffering and misery 
 than has any other of the agencies of the indulgence of ap- 
 petite, or gratification of sensual pleasure. It has blocked 
 the wheels of progress in the matter of the dissemination of 
 Christian truth, and obstructed the advance of civilization 
 more than any other obstacle." 
 
 One of the Queen's own subjects, Rector Cleife, of 
 Hardington, Somerset, England, in his book, " England's 
 Greatest National Sin," in which he tells of the enormity of 
 the opium traffic and of the dark blot it has brought on 
 England, says: " I am pleased to see there is a new period- 
 ical called Darkest Russia, published by a committee formed 
 in London for the purpose of making known the leading 
 facts with regard to the Muscovite Jew. I wish I could sug- 
 gest to philanthropists in Russia a similar periodical enti- 
 tled Darkest E/igla;id, and devote its pages to the opium 
 question and England's relation to it. Should each nation 
 thus cause the other to ' cease to do evil,' a very great bless- 
 ing to humanity would be the result. There may be some 
 men in both countries who may be justified in taking up 
 these causes, but let no man condemn the national sin of an- 
 other country while he ignores his own nation's guilt. 
 
 " I have called the opium traffic ' England's Greatest 
 National Sin' for these, among other, reasons: 
 
 " I. Because we allow our Indian subjects to indulge 
 in a vice which is unlawful in this country. 
 
 " 2. Because we sell opium in Burmah against the re- 
 ligion and wishes of the people, 
 
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS. 433 
 
 " 3. Because we sell it to China, and will not allow an 
 extra tax to be put on it when carried inland, thus prevent- 
 ing any province of China from protecting itself by a local 
 prohibitive duty. 
 
 " 4. Because it is a very great hindrance to Christian 
 missions. 
 
 " Dr. Medhurst tells us, ' Almost the first word uttered 
 by the Chinese when anything is said concerning the excel- 
 lence of Christianity is, "Why do Christians bring us opi- 
 um? . . . The vile drug has destroyed my son, has ruined 
 my brother, and well-nigh led me to beggar my wife and 
 children. Surely those who import such a deleterious sub- 
 stance, and injure me for the sake of gain, cannot be in pos- 
 session of a better religion than my own." ' This is a con- 
 troversial subject, and let it be remembered that I plead on 
 one side, viz., the anti-opium side, and have adduced, to 
 prove my views, the strongest and most reliable evidence I 
 can find. It is for others to refute these statements if pos- 
 sible. All who attempt it, in ni}- opinion, will find that 
 there are very man}' difficult questions to answer. 
 
 "Take the following four as examples: 
 
 " I. As the sale of opium is restricted in England, so 
 that it cannot be sold in any form without being labeled 
 ' poison,' why is it that in India it is sold without that most 
 proper restriction? 
 
 " 2. The former rulers of Burmah condemned opium- 
 smoking, and punished the offenders with death. Why, 
 then, should we, the present rulers of that country, give 
 them such facilities as we do to procure that drug, and es- 
 pecially when by such conduct we encourage them to act 
 contrary to the teachings of their religion? 
 
 " 3. As the Indian opium is stronger, and therefore 
 more injurious, than the same drug grown in China, why do 
 
434 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 \VL- [)rcvcnt the Chinese protectiiii,^ themselves a^rainst it in 
 any way wliich they may please, and arc \vc justified in dic- 
 tating the niaxiniuni tax to be ))ut upon it? 
 
 "4. Would the opium traffic be defended if it were not 
 for the revenue obtained from it? 
 
 " Perhaps there is no greater anomaly than the fact 
 that her Most Gracious Majest}- is both ' Defender of the 
 Faith ' and also a dealer in opium, selling it in ver\- large 
 wholesale quantities; and what perhaps seems still more 
 anomalous is that a single cake of the drug can be pur- 
 chased at the Government stores for other than medicinal 
 purposes. Morcowr. her Majesty identifies herself with it 
 so very closeh' that her initials are placed on the drug, and 
 the stores are guarded by her soldiers. 
 
 "When our beloved Queen in 1858 took possession of 
 India, the proclamation announcing her direct control ren- 
 ders homage to our national faith in God and in Christ — 
 ' Firmly relying ourselves on the truth of Christianity, and 
 acknowledging with gratitude the solace of religion.' Let 
 these noble words inspire us to use ever\- lawful effort, that 
 no one may say: The same person who is st}led * Defender 
 of the Faith ' ma\' also be described as ' A seller of opium- 
 balls for other than medicinal purposes.' I mean, of course, 
 in the same limited sense as when we speak of the Queen's 
 soldiers. 
 
 "Think not that I thus write from lack of lox'alty, but 
 rather, being a most loyal subject, I argue that, as our opium 
 trafific is associated with the name of the best Queen who 
 ever lived — and this is especiall}- the foreigner's view of the 
 subject — it affords an extra powerful reason for demanding 
 an immediate reform. Those in power profess loyalty and 
 affection to our beloved Queen; let them show it by wiping 
 
CITY OF PALACES. 435 
 
 out the darkest blot which, in a qualified sense, is connected 
 with her most illustrious name. 
 
 "The 'Annual Reports on the Administration of the 
 Bombay Presidenc\- ' show that opium which is grown, 
 manufactured, and sold by the Indian representatives of our 
 Christian queen, Victoria, is beginning to find its way into 
 Africa. In her earl\' womanhood she was able to tell an 
 African chief that the secret of England's greatness was the 
 Bible. The majority of Englishmen concur with that state- 
 ment. Let them therefore demand that our Asiatic policy 
 be not contrary to the teaching of God's Word, and thus 
 uphold our religion and the honor of our beloved Queen." 
 
 While we have been engaged in making observations 
 upon the introduction of opium into China b\' England, 
 with its attendant evils, our train has rolled along the side 
 of the Hooghl}^ river, and a few minutes later we reach 
 Calcutta, in name only the City of Palaces. 
 
 Upon our arrival in the city we considered ourselves 
 especially fortunate in finding lodgings in the comfortable 
 home at the Baptist Mission, presided over by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Jewson. Mrs. Jewson { >icc Miller) formerly resided at 
 Sharpsburg, Md., and was well acquainted with a number of 
 our own church members in that localit}-. We at once felt 
 quite at home. It seemed that we were not among stran- 
 gers, but with warm-hearted friends. Both ]\Ir. and Mrs. 
 Jewson are earnest missionar\' workers and are full of zeal 
 for the cause in which the\- have enlisted. They have been 
 in India nearl)' a score of years, and are well acquainted 
 with the work and its demands. Mr. Jewson devotes his 
 time to preaching the Word to the natives and he informed 
 me that the best helpers are the native preachers. They are 
 earnest and zealous and succeed where the white man often 
 fails. We enjoyed our stay at this place very much indeed. 
 
ASIATIC CHOLERA. 437 
 
 and received much valuable information as to the mission 
 work among the heathen. We left them, feeling under 
 many obligations to this kind missionary family. 
 
 Calcutta is the capital of British India, and the seat of 
 the Supreme Government. It is one of the largest cities in 
 India, having a population of 840,000 souls, with more Eu- 
 ropeans and Americans, perhaps, than an)^ other city in the 
 East. The city is situated on the banks of the Hooghly 
 river, one of the mouths of the sacred Ganges, nearly a hun- 
 dred miles from the sea. Being so far inland, it is cut off 
 entirely from the sea breeze, and during the greater part of 
 the year it is oppressively hot, the average temperature for 
 a series of years being about eighty degrees. The mercury 
 often rises to one hundred and six in the shade. 
 
 In this part of India is to be found the home of the 
 dreaded disease, Indian or Asiatic cholera. With the ex- 
 treme heat and an annual rainfall reaching as high as nine- 
 t}'-three inches, all the conditions for the propagation of 
 the disease are found. When the disease assumes the form 
 of an epidemic, as it often does, thousands of the natives 
 and many Europeans are carried away. We learned, soon 
 after our arrival in Calcutta, that the disease had broken 
 out and that a number of natives w^ere dying every day. 
 One report gave the number of deaths at forty-eight each 
 day. A danger faced loses much of its dread. We found 
 this to be true when we were in close quarters with the 
 cholera. We did not seem to fear it as much as when at 
 home we heard that our country was threatened by an in- 
 vasion of the disease. Of course it was confined to the 
 native quarter of the city, and we did not come into im- 
 mediate contact with it. 
 
 Calcutta is like most other large cities in India. It has 
 its European and its native quarters, and what has been 
 
438 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 said of Bombay in these pages, might be applied to the 
 Capital of India. The Government House, Town Hall, 
 Legislative Chamber and Post-office are all imposing struc- 
 tures built after modern architectural models. There are 
 also many fine private residences, the property of the gov- 
 ernment ofTficials. Then there are the narrow streets and 
 crowded bazaars and low mud houses of the native quarter. 
 As in Bombay, so here, many of the people live in the 
 streets. 
 
 There is not a large city or town in India that has not 
 been the scene of some terrible crime perpetrated in the 
 name of war, and Calcutta is no exception to the rule. 
 Cawnpore has its Memorial Well, Lucknow its battered 
 Residency, Delhi the wonderful story of its siege, and Cal- 
 cutta its Black Hole. The story has been told over and 
 over again, but in the hope that it will create a stronger 
 sentiment against war, with all its cruelties, it is repeated 
 again. We are indebted to Poole and Macaulay for the ac- 
 count here given. 
 
 It was in 1756, when Calcutta was a small town, with a 
 European population of some two hundred merchants and 
 traders. The East India Company supplied these traders 
 with a small body of troops for their protection. Nazim 
 was the ruler of Bengal at this time, and he had alwa)-s 
 shown a friendly spirit toward the English. Upon his death 
 his grandson, Dowlah, ruled in his stead. For some unex- 
 plained reason he hated the merchants of Calcutta with a 
 deadly hatred, and he determined to exterminate them. 
 For this purpose he assembled an army of fifty thousand of 
 his best soldiers and marched upon the doomed city. The 
 English were able to put only one hundred and seventy 
 armed men in defense of the place. Mr. Hoi well was the 
 leader of the little band of defenders. They kept the ene- 
 
THK lir,A(K I10I,K. 439 
 
 my at bay four days, and then, under promise tliat their 
 lives would be spared, the}- surrendered to the young Na- 
 bob. How well this promise was kept the sequel will show. 
 
 Mr. Hoi well was taken before the Indian prince, who 
 fiercely upbraided him for defending the place. When he 
 returned to his comrades, he found them surrounded by a 
 strong guard. Then, without a suspicion of the fate that 
 awaited them, the prisoners asked where they were to be 
 lodged for the night. 
 
 Then was committed that great crime, memorable for 
 its singular atrocit}', memorable for the tremendous retribu- 
 tion by which it was followed. The English captives were 
 left to tlie merc\' of the guards, and the guard.s determined 
 to secure them for the night in the prison of the garrison, a 
 chamber known by the fearful name of the Black Hole. 
 Even for a single European malefactor that dungeon would, 
 in such a climate, have been too close and narrow. The 
 space was only twenty feet square. The air holes were 
 small and obstructed. It was the summer solstice, the 
 season when the fierce heat of Bengal can scarcely be ren- 
 dered tolerable to natives of England by lofty halls and 
 the constant wavings of fans. The number of prisoners was 
 one hundred and forty-six. When they were ordered to en- 
 ter the cell, they imagined the soldiers were joking; and, be- 
 ing in high spirits on account of the promise of the Nabob 
 to spare their lives, they laughed and jested at the absurdity 
 of the notion. The\- soon discovered their mistake. They 
 expostulated, they entreated, but in vain. The guards 
 threatened to cut down all who hesitated. The captives 
 were driven into the cell at the point of the sword and the 
 door was instantly shut and locked upon them. 
 
 Nothing in history or fiction, not even the story which 
 Ugolino told in the sea of everlasting ice, after he had 
 
440 GiRDLixr; the globe. 
 
 wiped his bloody lips on the scalp of his murderer, ap- 
 proaches the horrors which were recounted by the few sur- 
 vivors of that night. They cried for mercy. They strove 
 to burst the door. Kolwell, who, even in that extremity, 
 retained his presence of mind, offered large bribes to the 
 goalers, but the answer was that nothing could be done 
 without the Nabob's orders, that the Nabob was asleep, and 
 that he would be angry if anybody awoke him. Then the 
 prisoners went mad with despair. They trampled each 
 other down, fought for the places at the windows, fought 
 for the pittance of water with which the cruel mercy 
 of the murderers mocked their agonies, raved, prayed, 
 blasphemed, implored the guards to fire upon them. The 
 goalers, in the meantime, held ligiits to the bars, and 
 shouted with laughter at the frantic struggles of their vic- 
 tims. At length the tumult died away in low gaspings and 
 moanings. The day broke. The Nabob had slept off his 
 debauch, and permitted the door-to be opened. But it was 
 some time before the soldiers could make a lane for the 
 survivors, by piling up on each side the heaps of corpses 
 upon which the burning climate had already begun to do its 
 loathsome work. When at length a passage was made, 
 twent)'-three ghastly figures, such as their own mothers 
 would not have known, staggered out of the charnel-house. 
 A pit was instantly dug; the dead bodies, a hundred and 
 twenty-three in number, were flung into it promiscuously 
 and covered up.* 
 
 As soon as the dead were buried, Dowlah called the 
 living into his presence. Holwell was among the number. 
 Mrs. Carey, a lady who had refused to leave her husband 
 when the other women escaped in the ship, also appeared. 
 It was marvelous how she lived through tiie night in the 
 
 * Macaulay. 
 
RETRIBUTION AND VENGEANCE. 44 1 
 
 dungeon, when her husband and other strong men perished. 
 She was placed in the harem of the Nabob at Moorshede- 
 bad, and kept a prisoner for six years. She died at Calcut- 
 ta in 1 80 1. 
 
 Mr. Holwell was loaded with chains and sent to a pris- 
 on in the interior; the rest of the survivors of that fearful 
 night were lodged in miserable huts and fed only on grain 
 and water. They all eventually gained their liberty. Mr. 
 Holwell survived the event forty years. 
 
 Retribution and vengeance soon fell upon the monster 
 in human shape who was responsible for this terrible crim3. 
 Lord Clive marched upon him with twenty- four hundred 
 English troops and overthrew his vast army. A great 
 slaughter ensued. The Nabob was captured and put to 
 death, and thus closed another chapter of the horrible cru- 
 elties of war. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Cahutta to Darjceling — ./;/ Upivard Clitnb — Railroading Above the 
 
 Clouds — The Himalayan Mountains — A Grand rieit,' — The Ran- 
 
 jit River — A Cane Bridge — Tlie Bhooteas — The Prayer Wheel — 
 
 \Vi7id and Water Assist in Praying — Leai'ing Calcutta — The 
 
 Hooghly Ri7'er — Madras — The Juggernaut. 
 
 We were glad to leave the hot, stiflint,^ air of Calcutta, 
 with its indescribable smells and its cholera-infected dis- 
 trict, for a journey to the Himalayas, where we could enjoy 
 the fresh, crisp, frosty mountain air. The trip was made in 
 the early days of February. We had been having warm 
 summer weather from the time we left home in May until 
 now, and we longed for a breath of fresh winter air. We 
 were told that we would need our overcoats and heavy 
 wraps for our trip to the "Top of the World," as the Hin- 
 dus call Mount Everest and its surrounding peaks, and we 
 found the advice timely. It requires twenty-four hours to 
 make the journey, a distance of two hundred and forty-si.x 
 miles, and the expense of the round trip is about eighteen 
 dollars. 
 
 Leaving the capital, we pass through many native vil- 
 lages where the people were busy with their daily labor. 
 Rice fields, indigo plantations, and the opium-producing 
 poppy gardens cover the rich bottom lands of the Hooghly 
 and Ganges rivers. The huts of the dwellers in eastern 
 Bengal are much like those in other parts of India, and the 
 same statement applies to their mode of living. About 
 clothing they have but little concern. The dhoti is gener- 
 ally worn in the towns and villages, to be laid aside in the 
 (442) 
 
HIMALAYAN RAILROAD. 443 
 
 fields, and you may see thousands of bronzed figures at 
 work in the hot sun, with no covering save that afforded by 
 a mere strip of cotton cloth wrapped about the loins. 
 
 The railway stations along the line have peculiar names, 
 as, for example, Rhanaghat, Damookdea, Jalpaiguri and 
 others equally unpronounceable to our English tongue. 
 At Silliguri we reached the terminus of the North Bengal 
 Railway. From this point runs the Himala\'an railroad, 
 with the iron rails laid but two feet apart, and with such 
 small cars that, upon seeing them, one is forcibly reminded 
 of a to}' railway. But it is a real iron road, and, it is said, 
 pays the fortunate stockholders, the Gladstones of England, 
 some forty per cent annually. 
 
 The distance from Silliguri to Darjeeling is fifty miles, 
 and the schedule time is eight hours. This is but six and a 
 quarter miles an hour, — slow running for a train of cars, and 
 yet quite fast enough for the nerves of passengers; fast 
 enough when the dizzy heights are scaled and the abrupt 
 sides of the mountain peaks are rounded. The road, with a 
 gradient of one mile in thirty, starts a few feet above the 
 level of the sea and reaches an elevation of some seven 
 thousand feet at its terminus. 
 
 The scenery is grand beyond the power of the pen to 
 describe. The Himalayan mountains rise abruptly from the 
 plain and reach their culmination in the lofty peak of Mount 
 Everest, nearly five and a half miles high. Pike's Peak, in 
 our own grand Rocky Mountain range, is less than half as 
 high as Everest, and then, as you approach the " Old Rock- 
 ies," you ascend gradually until the foot-hills are reached, 
 and then you are six thousand feet above the sea. But the 
 Himala}-as rise up in all their grandeur abruptly from the 
 plain, which is but a few feet above the common level. The 
 
444 GIRDLING THE (JLOiiE. 
 
 Rocky Mountains, if placed by the side of the Asiatic 
 giants, would form for them only appropriate foot-hills. 
 
 No sooner had we left the station than the ascent be- 
 gins. We pass through jungle after jungle where the un- 
 dergrowth of tropical vegetation is so dense that the eye 
 cannot penetrate it. In these jungles amid the mountain 
 fastnesses are to be found the homes of the Bengal tiger, 
 the spotted leopard, and many other savage beasts of pre)\ 
 
 Our powerful engines move us slowly upward, and we 
 notice that in two hours we have ascended two thousand 
 feet. The scenery now becomes more wild and rugged. 
 At one place the mountains surround a deep circular open 
 space, resembling, more than anything else, a gigantic bowl 
 formed by the hand of the Creator. It is at least two thou- 
 sand feet deep, and more than a mile wide at the rim. The 
 bottom is covered with villages and rice-fields, while on the 
 sides are numerous tea plantations, or gardens as they are 
 called. The road passes round and round the inside of the 
 rugged bowl, rising higher and higher at each circuit until 
 at last — rounding a high mountain peak, and running so 
 near the edge that from the side of the car you might, if 
 your nerves were strong enough, look down thousands of 
 feet — it passes through a tunnel and reaches the top of the 
 first mountain ridge. 
 
 The last part of our journey was among the clouds. 
 The mist gathered about us in great, dark folds and rolled 
 down the mountain side. So dense and dark it was that we 
 could scarcely see an object by the roadside only a few feet 
 away. Presently we emerged from the thick vapor. Look- 
 ing down upon the silvery mass at our feet, upon which the 
 sun was shining, we realized that we were railroading above 
 the clouds; for we had reached an elevation of more than a 
 mile above our starting point. The lofty mountain peaks 
 
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN. 445 
 
 were visible for a few minutes only, and then the clouds, 
 having given up part of their wealth of water, rose again 
 and shut out mountain [)cak and sun. We reached our 
 destination in rain and mist, and were glad to find a home 
 in the Woodland Hotel, situated on the steep mountain side. 
 The evening was dark and gloomy and gave but little hope 
 of a view of the snowy range on the n^orrow. 
 
 In the early morning, before sunup, we were out climb- 
 ing up the mountain side in order to reach a peak from 
 which the best view of the snowy range could be had. The 
 sky was cloudless. The rain of the day before had cleared 
 the atmosphere of rain and mist. The air was cool and 
 crisp. The ground was covered with white frost, and our 
 upward climb was in every way very enjoyable. At last we 
 reached the top of the peak and sat down to rest and enjoy 
 the view. 
 
 And what a scene it was! The pen is powerless when 
 it comes to describe, and words fail to impart to others the. 
 impressions made upon the mind of the entranced beholder. 
 To be realized andyt'// it must be seen. In the east the sun 
 was just showing his upper rim, shining with noonday 
 brightness in the clear, limpid atmosphere, and flooding 
 hill and mountain top with the golden light of morning. 
 Turning to the west there broke upon our astonished vision 
 the grandest mountain scenery on the globe. The snowy 
 range of the Himalayas, with a dozen peaks — all of which 
 are more than eighteen thousand feet high, while the high- 
 est towers upward twenty-nine thousand and two feet— is 
 spread out before us in a grand panoramic view, grandly 
 magnificent and marvelously beautiful. 
 
 The Hindus are right. Surely this is the "top of the 
 world." The sun shining with all his powers, undimmed by 
 fog or mist, brought out, in full relief against the bright blue 
 
44^ GIRDLING THK GLOBE. 
 
 sk\', each mountain i)eak, covered with {)ure white snow 
 The clear-cut precipices, the deep valle)s, and, above all, 
 the snowy mountain range, transformed by the bright sun- 
 light into huge masses of embossed silver, overwhelm one 
 with the majest)' of nature and the power of the Creator. 
 Looking u[)on these grand peaks, touching, as it were, the 
 azure of heaven, we said, Sureh' the earth showeth the 
 handiwork of God; for ever since the world was formed by 
 the power of the Almighty, and the morning stars sang to- 
 gether for jo)-, this eternal region of ice and snow has held 
 in close embrace these stupendous peaks, reared by the 
 hand of God himself. 
 
 Such were some of our thoughts as we saw the rising 
 sun shine full and clear upon the snow-white mountain 
 range. Another thus describes the setting sun, "Language 
 cannot describe the glories of the Himalayas, seen from 
 Darjeeling, lit up by the ra\'s of the setting sun. Against 
 the azure sky, in an atmosphere far clearer than we ever see 
 at home, the snowy range reflects the colors of the sunset, 
 ever changing and deepening in richness from bright yellow 
 to pink, from ])ink to crimson, and that, too, long after the 
 sun is hid from us. A scene like this is something to be 
 treasured as one of the noteworth}' moments of life." 
 
 The Hindu has selected these snov/y fastnesses as the 
 location of his future abode, for here, says he, no human ev- 
 er has or ever will tread. And yet many a poor wanderer 
 has met death in the vain attempt to scale the snowy range 
 in search of Swarza. 
 
 But there are not only heights upon heights to be 
 viewed at Darjeeling. There are depths below depths as 
 well. Here one gets a new and deeper meaning of Paul's 
 words, "depth and height," as he looks down and down to 
 the bed of the Ranjit river, rushing downward to the sea 
 
a 
 
 CJ 
 < 
 
 
 Z 
 
 IT. 
 
 'J. 
 < 
 
 a 
 
 
BRIDGE OVER THE RAXJIT RIVER. 449 
 
 more than six thousand feet below. Then, from this lowest 
 point of vision, the exes are raised along the side of the 
 forest-clad hills, upward to precipice and peak, up to the 
 realm of everlasting ice and snow, and still up higher and 
 higher to the tops of the azure-kissed peaks soaring in the 
 sky. It is said that from the lowest point which the eye 
 can reach in tlic \alley of the Ranjit to the top of the high- 
 est peak visible, the vertical height is at least five miles, and 
 that such thickness of the earth's crust can be seen nowhere 
 else on the globe. 
 
 From Darjeeling to the bed of the Ranjit river, which 
 separates it from the Himalayan range, shown on another 
 page, you go down six thousand feet in traveling eleven 
 miles. The river is crossed by a cane bridge of peculiar 
 construction. Bamboo and rattan canes are used in its con- 
 struction. The limbs of two overhanging trees are utilized 
 as main supports for the frail structure. The trunks of the 
 trees are used as piers. Side rails are provided, and but a 
 single traveler may pass over at a time. The swing of the 
 structure is considerable, but it is perfectly safe for the pas- 
 sage of the river. 
 
 From one point of view we looked down several thou- 
 sand feet, upon what seemed to us a great valley covered 
 with snow. But wc soon found that what had the appear- 
 ance of snow was a great mass of white clouds, upon which 
 the sun poured his rich, white light and transformed the 
 whole upper surface of the cloud into a seeming lake of 
 molten silver. Then we knew more fully than we had ever 
 known before that every cloud has a silver lining. Below 
 the mist was the village, and to the inhabitants thereof was 
 only visible the darkness and blackness of the storm cloud; 
 but we knew that above it and upon it the sun did shine. 
 
 Then came the thought that over the horizon of all our 
 
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 w 
 
 H 
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 o 
 
 u 
 o 
 
 Q 
 
 5 
 
NATIVES OF DAKJEELING. 45 I 
 
 lives come the storm clouds. We were not created to 
 dwell on mountain peaks, but in the valleys under the 
 clouds, where human help and human sympathy must be 
 given and received. The notion that we can live above the 
 sorrows and the sympathies and the cares and anxieties of 
 life is a mistaken one. The Christian religion teaches us to 
 meet, with humble boldness, the trials of life, and promises 
 to give us grace to bear and overcome them all. The 
 words, " My grace is sufficient for thee," were not spoken 
 for dwellers above the clouds, but for those who come in 
 contact with the "thorn in the flesh." The idea of a spirit- 
 ual elevation that brings spiritual seclusion is contrary to 
 the teachings of the New Testament. 
 
 At Darjeelingwe come in contact with a new race of 
 people, radically different from the gentle natives of the 
 plains below. They are small in stature but strong and 
 powerfully built. They are inured to hardships and have 
 wonderful powers of endurance. They tramp over the hills 
 and mountains, carrying on their backs great burdens which 
 we could not raise from the ground. They carry in their 
 girdles long, murderous-looking, sickle-shaped knives. 
 These serve them for all ordinary purposes, from the cut- 
 ting down of small trees to the paring of their nails. An 
 enraged Himalayan with his long knife, which he uses with 
 great dexterity, would be a formidable antagonist. But 
 they are a peaceable, quiet, contented people, having few 
 wants and knowing but little of the outside world. They 
 live on rice, speak the Thibetan dialect and are followers of 
 the Buddhist religion. 
 
 Here, too, we met, in large numbers, a race of people 
 known as the Bhooteas. They are "tall and robust, sturdy, 
 flat-faced people, weather-beaten, with broad mouths and 
 flat noses; their complexion is whitish yellow, but incrusted 
 
452 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 with dill aiul t;ir smoke. They seldom wash. Tiiey are 
 dressed in loose blankets, £^irt about the waist with a leath- 
 ern belt, in which the\' place their brass pipes, their long 
 kni\cs, tinder box, tobacco pouch, and tweezers, with which 
 they pluck away all traces of the beard. They wear stout, 
 woven boots, — boot and stocking all in one. The women 
 have their faces tarred and their hair plaited in two long 
 tails, the neck loadjd with a string of amber and corals, and 
 large, heavy earrings dragging down the lobe of the ear. 
 They are almost continuously engaged in spinning." 
 
 The Bhooteas are worshipers of a corrupt form of Bud- 
 dhism. In their worship they use curiously-constructed 
 wheels, known as prayer wheels. They also hang pieces of 
 cloth, with prayers inscribed on them, on long poles stuck 
 in the ground. When they cross the mountains they tie 
 their prayer-rags on the bushes and scatter grains of rice on 
 the hillsides to keep away the evil spirits. 
 
 It seems strange, indeed, to meet a people who believe 
 in making use of machinery in their worship. Rut strange 
 as it may seem, the Buddhists of Darjeeling and the coun- 
 try farther north used many kinds of wheels or cylinders in 
 their devotions. One may see machines of various kinds 
 and shapes in almost constant use among these people. 
 There are the hand wheels which the worshiper twirls 
 around with his fingers as he walks through the streets, the 
 larger house and temple wheels propelled by the wind, and 
 the still larger water wheels, the motive power being sup- 
 plied by the running stream of water. 
 
 According to Poole the use of these wheels can be 
 traced back for at least a thousand, four hundred years. 
 They are believed to have originated from the notion that 
 it is an act of merit and a cure for sin to be forever reading 
 pr reciting portions of the writings of Buddha. But as 
 
PRAYER WHEELS. 453 
 
 many of the poorer classes were unable to read, it came to 
 be considered as sufficient for devotional purposes to turn 
 over the rolled manuscript containing the precious sayings. 
 This was found to save so much time and trouble that the 
 people at once took to rolling instead of reading the writ- 
 ings of their leader. In time this method became tiresome 
 and the pra}'er wheel, ars now used, was the result. 
 
 " A hand prayer wheel is a little, round box or c^dinder 
 of either brass, copper or silver, about three inches in length 
 by two and one-half in diameter. Ascriptions of praise to 
 Buddha are closely written on strips of paper or cloth, and 
 are tightly rolled around a spindle about six inches long, of 
 which the lower half, forming the handle, is left bare. The 
 upper half of the spindle, covered with the written prayers, 
 is enclosed in a cylinder, made of brass and, in some cases, 
 of silver. From the middle of the cylinder hangs a chain 
 with a small lump of metal at the end, which, when tlie 
 wheel is twirled around on a pivot, gives the necessary im- 
 petus to the little machine, which rev^olves with but the 
 slightest exertion and goes on grinding out any given num- 
 ber of prayers." 
 
 The form of prayer most generally used is the six- 
 s}-llabled charm, containing these words, dn Maiti Padini 
 Hoti. Howard gives this translation of the words, " Hail to 
 him of the lotus and jewel." Buddha is represented as be- 
 ing seated on a lotus blossom with a jewel in his forehead, 
 hence the allusion to jewel and lotus in the prayer. Thou- 
 sands and tens of thousands of times are these words re- 
 peated over and over again by every Buddhist worshiper, 
 thus illustrating the truth of the words of the Savior when 
 he referred to the vain repetitions of the heathen. 
 
 We saw a number of men walking about the streets 
 twirling their little wheels, praying after their notion of 
 
454 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 praying as they went. Some of them offered their wheels 
 for sale, and no relic hunter leaves Darjeeling without one 
 of these curious little cylinders. Some of the worshipers, 
 however, are averse to selling them, fearing that the pur- 
 chaser might turn them the wrong way, which, according 
 to their belief, would result in great ev^il to them. 
 
 But the people use not only hand wheels in their de- 
 votions; they harness the wind and the water and compel 
 these elements to assist them in repeating" their prayers in 
 honor to Buddha. The wind wheels are placed on horizon- 
 tal bars, supported by upright posts. Each wheel has two 
 fan-like projections, and revolves rapidly when the wind 
 strikes them. They are placed on the top of a hill or 
 mountain where they will constantly catch the breeze. The 
 water cylinders are constructed over a running stream, 
 where a miniature wheel, propelled by the water, keeps the 
 praying machine in constant motion day and night, grinding 
 out tens of thousands of prayers. While the wind blows 
 and the water flows, the Buddhist believes that he is storing 
 up unlimited merit without other expense or trouble than is 
 necessary to construct and keep in order his praying ma- 
 chines. 
 
 Then, too, at all the temples are cylinders, as large as an 
 oil barrel, filled with prayers. These are so arranged that 
 b)- pulling on a rope they are set in rapid motion. Those 
 who come to worship first ring a bell to wake their god 
 from his sleep, then take a pull at the rope, and go away 
 satisfied that they have performed their religious dut)\ 
 
 There are also prayer flags a yard in width and of great 
 length. These are attached to high poles and are inscribed 
 with prayers and ascriptions of praise. As the\' are stirred 
 by the mountain breeze, and their folds are spread out on 
 
MACHINE PRAYING. 455 
 
 the wings of the wind, the worshiper believes that his prayer 
 is wafted to the ears of his god. 
 
 One can have no other feeling than that of sadness in 
 looking upon these evidences of the superstition of the peo- 
 ple. It is not easy to believe that men and women can be 
 duped in this way. But ignorance, superstition and idolatr)- 
 are a triplet that walk hand in hand. Destroy the first, and 
 the second and third go down. Replace their false religion 
 with the true religion of Jesus Christ, and idols and prayer 
 machines will disappear from among them. 
 
 We wondered whether all the machine praying is con- 
 fined to the Buddhists of the Himalayas. How about the 
 form of words that some Christians fall into the habit of 
 repeating over and over again, having neither purpose nor 
 spirit? Let us take heed lest the words of our mouths fall 
 mechanically from our lips and make our prayers like unto 
 those of the Buddhist, whose prayer wheels are twirling all 
 about the Himalayas to-da\-. 
 
 Returning again to the hot, stifling air of Calcutta, we 
 arranged for our departure for Madras and Ceylon. Before 
 going we visited the Botanical Gardens and had a view of 
 Kalighat, which gave its name to Calcutta. The gardens 
 are said to be the finest in India and are well worth a visit. 
 The great banian tree with a circumference of fifty-four feet 
 — whose branches and descending roots, forming additional 
 trunks, reach out to a circumference of about three hundred 
 \'ards — is the center of attraction. As the branches grow 
 from the parent stem they throw out root-like tendrils, and 
 these grow downward until the}' reach the ground, and then 
 take root and form the body of a tree. So the process goes 
 on until a large tract is covered by a single banian tree. 
 
 Kalighat is four miles south of Calcutta, and here the 
 worship of Kali, the bloody goddess of India, is engaged in. 
 
H 
 
 U 
 < 
 
 U 
 
 < 
 < 
 
TEMPLE AT KALIGHAT. 
 
 457 
 
 We did not visit the temple, but gi\e the experience of one 
 who did. The legend connected \\ith the place sa\'s that 
 when "Kali, wife of Shiva, was cut in pieces b)' order of the 
 gods, one of her fingers fell here, and a temple was raised 
 in her honor. The present temple was built three hundred 
 
 KALI AND HER DEMON SPOUSE. 
 
 years ago, and renewed in 1S09; its priests are called ' Hal- 
 dar,' and amass great wealth from, the daily offerings of pil- 
 grims. There are man\' festivals, to which immense crowds 
 resort, especiall}' on the second day of the Durja Puja, the 
 great Bengali religious festival in honor of the goddess, 
 
458 r.IRDI.TNT, THE GLOBE. 
 
 held at the autumnal equinox. The street off which the 
 temple lies is full of shops for the sale of idol pictures, im- 
 ages and charms. When we arrived, sacrifices were being 
 offered in the midst of an excited crowd. In an area before 
 the temple stood the priest, and beside him the executioner, 
 sword in hand. We saw three kids and two buffaloes sacri- 
 ficed. The head of the victim is fastened in a wooden vise, 
 its body is held up b}- the hind legs, and the sacrificer 
 strikes with his sword. If the head is severed with one 
 stroke, the victim is considered acceptable to the goddess, 
 and its blood is collected b)' the priest, carried into the 
 shrine, and sprinkled upon her huge projecting tongue. We 
 could see in the distance the hideous idol within, its tongue 
 streaming with blood. If the head of the animal is not sev- 
 ered with the first stroke, it is considered unacceptable, and 
 is cast aside. The officiating Brahman, almost naked, with 
 the sacred cord round his neck, was a fierce-looking, but 
 very shrewd man. He could speak English. W'e found 
 that he had been when a bo\' five years at the Bhowanipore 
 Mission School, and that a near kinsman of his was a con- 
 vert to Christianity and a missionary. Upon my saying, 
 'How can you carry on these revolting rites? You know 
 that they are in vain;' 'Yes,' he replied, 'I know it, but the 
 people will have it, and I must get my living.' The man 
 evidentl}' disbelieved in his heathenism and might be a 
 professor of Christianity if he saw it would pay." 
 
 We sailed away from Calcutta for Madras and Ceylon's 
 spicy isle on the 4th da}- of February by the staunch steam- 
 er "Chusan," of four thousand tons burden and well fitted 
 for the comfort of the passengers. We took leave of north- 
 ern India and of our missionaries with the feeling strong up- 
 on us that we should see each other's faces no more in the 
 flesh. But we commended them and ourselves to the grace 
 
THE HOOGHLY RIVER. 459 
 
 of God, who is able to keep what we have committed to 
 him against that daw In the evening when we went aboard 
 the boat, as we were entering the companionway, I had the 
 misfortune to make a misstep, which resulted in a sprained 
 back, necessitating close confinement in the stateroom for 
 several da}s. 
 
 From the City of Palaces we sailed down the Hooghly 
 river some ninety miles to the sea. The navigation of the 
 stream is a delicate and dangerous business. It is one of 
 the most treacherous rivers in the world, and many a good 
 ship lies embedded in its sand and mud. The stream, after 
 uniting with the Ganges, flows into the Bay of Bengal, the 
 birthplace and home of the cyclone and hurricane. A short 
 distance below Calcutta, thrown up by the swirl of the river, 
 is a great sand bar, which can be crossed only at high tide. 
 Our pilot cast anchor before reaching the bar, and our ship 
 rested on the bosom of the river eighteen hours waiting for 
 high tide to carr)' us over the dangerous shoal. The day 
 was delightfulh' cool, and the delay was not unpleasant. 
 On both banks of the stream were numerous Bengali vil- 
 lages, each nestling in its grove of palms and bamboos. The 
 natives could be seen about their work, and the scene was a 
 pleasant one. At last the anchors were lifted, the sand bar 
 crossed in safety, and, continuing our course down the 
 stream, we saw Sangor Island, the paradise of the tiger. It 
 is said the place is full of these ferocious animals. The 
 stream gradualh- widens and we steam out upon the yellow 
 flood of the Ganges, bounded on both sides by the blue wa- 
 ters of the sea. 
 
 The voyage from Calcutta to Ce)lon, by way of Mad- 
 ras, a distance of some fifteen hundred miles, was quiet and 
 tranquil. The cxclone and hurricane, so common in these 
 tropical waters, came not to disturb our peace of mind; and 
 
460 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 day after da}- the "Chusan" elided over the blue waters of 
 the sleepinsj ocean on her way to Colombo. A cloudless 
 sky, from which the sun shone with ever-increasing power 
 as we ncared the equator, made a striking contrast with the 
 sapphire of tlie bay which was broken into a chain of beauti- 
 ful silver-crested ripples by schools of flying fish rising and 
 falling as the ship moved on her course. One of these sin- 
 gular fish, taking a higher flight than its companions, came 
 through an open porthole and was found in one of the 
 cabins. It served a }oung lady artist on board the ship as a 
 model for a fine drawing of this winged denizen of the 
 deep. It was at one time thought that the fish did not fiy, 
 but was carried into the air from the crest of the waves by 
 the force of the motion secured before leaving the water, 
 but the)' do use their fin-like wings in sailing through the 
 air. Hour after hour we watched them sporting on the sur- 
 face of the sea, and are satisfied that the\- do use their large 
 fins as the bird uses its wings in making long flights. 
 
 And now we cast anchor at Madras, the one important 
 city of southern India, with nearly half a million souls. 
 How it ever grew to its present importance is a query with 
 all who visit the place. Without a large river, without a 
 natural harbor, on a coast swept by cyclones, hurricanes 
 and tidal waves, Madras has clung to the shore of the sea 
 until it has become one of the leading cities of India. It is 
 only thirteen degrees north of the equator and the people 
 know nothing of cold weather even in winter. In the mid- 
 summer months the heat becomes almost intolerable. 
 
 We spent only time enough in this southern capital to 
 gain a superficial knouledge of its surroundings. The im- 
 pressions received were not unpleasant. We drove through 
 the parks and the business streets, and visited some of 
 the temples and found that in a general way Madras is 
 
TEMPLE OF JUGGERNAUT. 461 
 
 like most other cities of India alread\- fully described in 
 this work. 
 
 One of the temples visited had more than usual inter- 
 est. It was the storeroom of the well-known car of Jugger- 
 naut. Who has not heard of this great car and of the peo- 
 ple crushed to death beneath its massive wheels in the fes- 
 tival given in honor of the lord of the world, as the people 
 call the idol whose image makes the great car so hideous? 
 
 The largest temple of Juggernaut is at Buri, and is on 2 
 of the sights of India. Within the large enclosure is the 
 idol, with his brother and sister on either side. They are 
 the most hideous caricatures of the human body that can 
 well be imagined, and ma\- be described as nothing but 
 huge logs of wood roughly carved into a semblance of hu- 
 man shape, but without arms or legs. Upon inquiry why 
 the god has been deprived of these necessar\' parts of the 
 body, the priest in charge will tell you that the lord of the 
 world has no need of arms or legs; a statement easily be- 
 lieved after getting a view of the idol. The trio form the 
 ugliest, as well as the most popular, group of idols in India. 
 
 Each of the three idols has a special car for its own use. 
 The great car designed for the chief god is fort\-five feet 
 high, thirty-five feet square, and is supported b\' sixteen 
 broad wheels, each seven feet in diameter. During the car 
 festival the idol is brought out of his temple and placed on 
 the immense wagon. According to a commom belief, ele- 
 phants, horses or oxen must not be used to draw the car. 
 Four thousand, two hundred men arc selected for the pur- 
 pose of dragging the huge structure. It is deemed a great 
 honor to be chosen for this purpose, and those who do the 
 work are kept at Puri free of expense during the festival. 
 
 One of the missionaries who witnessed the dragging of 
 the car sa^s that it is a remarkable sight. Immense ropes, or 
 

 ■X. 
 
VOLUNTARY SACRIFICE. 463 
 
 rather cables, are manufactured and attached to the car, and 
 at the word of command from the priests, the thousands 
 rush forward, seize the ropes and arrange themselves in the 
 order of march, and the next moment are straining and pull- 
 ing at the cumbersome conveyance, which at length moves 
 with a heavy, creaking noise. The road over which the car 
 is dragged is crowded with tens of thousands of excited 
 spectators, all wild with fanaticism, some of whom are even 
 willing to attest their faith in Juggernaut by throwing them- 
 selves beneath the great wheels of the moving car and being 
 crushed to death. Cases of this kind are now of very rare 
 occurrence, and are rather the result of accident than of in- 
 tentional self-immolation. The British government now 
 takes great care to prevent accidents of this kind. When 
 the festival takes place police officers surround the car to 
 keep the excited throng away from the wheels. 
 
 Mr. Tac\-, a missionary at Puri, once saw a man crushed 
 b\' the car, and has this to say of the horrible spectacle: 
 " This afternoon I had an awful subject for my discourse, — 
 the body of a man crushed to pieces by the car Juggernaut. 
 The massive wheels had passed over his loins, and he pre- 
 sented a shocking sight to look upon. The wheels of the 
 car are made for this work of death most effectually, as 
 the spokes project three or four inches beyond the felloe. 
 The poor wretch had thrown himself from the front of the 
 car, and so was a voluntary sacrifice. He seemed a respect- 
 able man, apparently a Brahman. I felt I ought not to lose 
 such an opportunit}' of witnessing against a system that 
 produced suoh effects; so I took my stand over the body, 
 and spoke with some feeling of the nature of the Hindu re- 
 ligion and compared it with Christianit)-; and perhaps I 
 never had a more serious congregation. .Some hardened 
 wretches standing b\- said, ' See, sir, the glory of Jugger- 
 
TAX ON IDOLATRY. 465 
 
 naut,' pointing to the mangled body. I concluded by re- 
 buking them, and recommending them to look to Jesus 
 Christ for mercy and salvation which Juggernaut could 
 never give." 
 
 The most remarkable thing about the worship of Jug- 
 gernaut is the great number of Hindus that make the pil- 
 grimages to Puri to be present at the festivals. A Hindu 
 gentleman who spent his life at Puri is authority for the 
 statement that the number who flock to the temple never 
 falls short of fifty thousand a year, and that three hundred 
 thousand is the usual number of strangers present at the 
 car festival. Some visitors aver that these figures are too 
 low, and that from a half to one million human beings are 
 present at the great festivals given each }ear to Juggernaut 
 on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. 
 
 The government, seeing the great masses of people 
 coming up to the temple each year, determined to place a 
 tax on each one and thus secure a rev^enue. When the Mo- 
 hammedans were supreme rulers of India, it is said they 
 secured half a million dollars in this way. The British gov- 
 ernment continued the tax for some years, but finally, from 
 a sense of shame, it is presumed, gave up the income re- 
 ceived from a tax placed on idolatry. At the present time 
 all taxes and fees paid by the pilgrims, amounting, it is 
 said, to a quarter of a million annually, are divided between 
 the rajah — local governor of the district — and the priests. 
 " The richer pilgrims heap gold and silver and jewels at the 
 feet of the god, or spread .before him charters and title- 
 deeds conveying rich lands in distant provinces. Every 
 one, from the richest to the poorest, gives beyond his abili- 
 t}-; many cripple their fortunes for the rest of their lives in 
 a frenzy of liberality; and hundreds die on their way home 
 
466 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 from not having kept enough to support them on their 
 journey." 
 
 Such is a brief account (if the worship of the armless 
 and legless image of the Hindus' so-called lord of the 
 world. As we looked at the car of Juggernaut, one 
 thought came to us stronger than all others, and that was, 
 Can it be possible that men and women, created in the im- 
 age and the likeness of the living God, can be satisfied to 
 worship these hideous idols? It is too true. And then we 
 thought, Such as these are would we be, were it not for the 
 blessed religion of Jesus Christ. We need only go back to 
 the earl\' centuries of our era to find our ancestors worship- 
 ing idols in northern Europe. In their sacred groves were 
 the images of Wodan, Thor, Fria, Saetere and Tiw. To 
 these our forefathers offered sacrifice, and we have their 
 names perpetuated to us in five of the days of our week. 
 Let these facts impress upon our minds the truth that but 
 for the religion of Jesus we should be idolaters to-da)-, as 
 are the Hindus; and that as the missionaries of the cross 
 brought the Gospel to our fathers, so it is our duty to send 
 the light to the nations still in heathen darkness. 
 
si 
 
 X 
 
 D 
 O 
 C/3 
 
 O 
 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Madras to Coiot/ibo — The Isle of Spice — Peculiar Boats — The Beau- 
 ty of Ceyloft — The finrikisha — The Ciiiiiamon Gardctis — Nttt- 
 megs ajtd Cloves — Cocoaniits — The Utility of the Cocoa Palm — 
 Precious Stones — Pearl Fisheries. 
 
 "What though the spicy breezes 
 Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle, 
 Though every prospect pleases, 
 And only man is vile," 
 
 Sang good Bishop Heber more than seventy years ago, 
 when, as a missionary, he first visited the beautiful island of 
 Ceylon, which has been called, not inappropriateh, "The 
 Pearl of India." In prospect the island pleases every be- 
 holder, but " the spicy breezes" are to be set down to poet- 
 ical fanc}' or license. The cinnamon shrub, the nutmeg and 
 clove trees, the pepper vine and other spices give out no 
 fragrance until they are gathered, or the trees and shrubs 
 are crushed. 
 
 The journey from Madras to Colombo, b\' large ocean 
 steamer, takes two days. There is a narrow passage crossed 
 in a single night b}' the small mail steamers which ply be- 
 tween- the coast of India and Ceylon, but the depth of water 
 is not sufficient for the "Chusan," and we take the longer 
 route, coasting around the island, from north to south, until 
 we arc but five degrees from the equator. The first evening 
 out we encountered a genuine tropical rainstorm. The ex- 
 pression, "the rain came down in torrents," so commonly 
 used at home, but feebh' describes a heavy rainfall in this 
 
 latitude. The air was literall)' a sheet of descending water. 
 
 (468) 
 
COLOMBO. 469 
 
 The officers of the ship, unable to see the prow of the boat 
 from the bridge, stopped the engines and we lay to until 
 the storm was over. The rain was unaccompanied by wind, 
 and after witnessing the downpour of water we could well 
 believe the statement that it is not an unusual occurrence to 
 have from ten to twelve inches of rainfall in a few hours in 
 the tropics. 
 
 Ceylon is about one-half as large as the State of Illi- 
 nois, having an area of twenty-five thousand square miles. 
 The population is a little over three million, of whom less 
 than six thousand are pure-bred Europeans. The island is 
 rich in all kinds of tropical vegetation and is of unsurpassed 
 natural beaut)-. 
 
 It was eleven o'clock in the morning when the "Chu- 
 san" steamed into the harbor of Colombo, which was crowd- 
 ed with ships from all parts of the world; but the craft that 
 occupied the most attention were the native boats. The 
 canoe itself is but a foot and a half wide, with only room 
 enough inside for the feet and the legs of the occupants. 
 To this is fastened, by two bent spars about six feet long, a 
 log which balances the boat and keeps it from upsetting. 
 These odd-looking boats, driven before the v/ind by a single 
 sail, cut through the water with wonderful speed. In 
 stormy weather a man squats on the log to give the craft 
 greater steadiness. 
 
 Colombo, the capital, principal cit}- and port of the 
 island, is beautifully situated on the seashore, amidst groves 
 of palms, bamboos and other fine shade trees. The popula- 
 tion numbers about one hundred and thirty thousand, and 
 the city enjo}'s a large trade in tea, coffee, spices, cocoanuts 
 and other articles of export. On the street one sees a mixed 
 crowd of busy people. Here are the native Cingalese, with 
 Moors, Malays, Tamils, Brahmans, Burmese and a slight 
 
4/0 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 admixture of Europeans. The natives of tlie island have a 
 dress peculiar to themselves. The men wear a dark-colored 
 coat or jacket over a kind of white frock or skirt. Their 
 long, black hair is combed back from the temples and is 
 kept in place by a circular comb of tortoise shell. The 
 women wear plaid skirts of various colors, a loose, white 
 jacket, and secure their hair in a roll or knot. 
 
 Upon landing we found that the hotels were crowded, 
 owing to the fact that the Governor General had just ar- 
 rived from England. We thought for a time that it would 
 be impossible to find a lodging place, but, after going a 
 mile from the principal part of the cit\-, we found a very 
 pleasant home at the Galle Face hotel, where we spent sev- 
 eral weeks. Our home was on the seashore in a large grove 
 of cocoanut palms, and although we were ver\' close to the 
 equator the sea breeze made the place delightfully pleasant. 
 The thermometer never rose above 86 by day or went below 
 76 at night. In a temperature like this, with plenty of rain 
 to keep the earth moist, the growth of vegetation is some- 
 thing marvelous. We are tempted to quote, in part, Ar- 
 nold's description of the place. 
 
 It is impossible to exaggerate the natural beauty of 
 Ceylon! Belted with a double girdle of golden sands antl 
 waving palm-groves, the interior is one vast garden of na- 
 ture, deliciously disposed into plain and highland, valley 
 and peak, where almost everything known to the tropical 
 world grows under a sky glowing with an equatorial sun, 
 yet tempered by the cool sea winds. Colombo itself, out- 
 side the actual town, is a perfect labyrinth of shady bowers 
 and flowery lakes and streams. For miles and miles },'ou 
 drive about under arbors of feathery bamboos, broad-leaved 
 breadfruit trees, talipot and areca palms, cocoanut groves, 
 and stretches of rice fields, cinnamon, and sugar-cane, amid 
 
< 
 
 X 
 in 
 
 
 X 
 
STUDIES OF TROPICAL NATURE. 4/3 
 
 which at night the fireflies dart about in glittering clusters. 
 The lowliest hut is embosomed in palm fronds and the 
 bright, crimson blossoms of the hibiscus; while, wherever 
 intelligent cultivation aids the prolific forces of nature, there 
 is enough in the profusion of nutmegs and allspice, of the 
 India rubber and cinchonas, of cannas, dracoenas, crotons, 
 and other wonders of the Cingalese flora to give an endless 
 and delightful stud\- to the lover of nature. 
 
 The lanes and carriage drives about Colombo are con- 
 tinuous studies of tropical nature at her brightest. Delight- 
 ful it is to ride or drive under league-long avenues of giant 
 bamboos, and palms loaded with green and yellow cocoa- 
 nuts; to see the most splendid exotic sprays of bloom, of all 
 conceivable hues and perfumes, running riot everywhere. 
 It gives, in truth, a new conception of the bount)' of crea- 
 tion, to explore those dark-green alleys of Colombo, to cut 
 a branch from the glossy cinnamon and taste its fragrant 
 bark; to break out the new-veined nutmeg from its shell of 
 scarlet mace; to send \our willing Cingalese bo)' into the 
 crown of the cocoanut tree, and to receive nut after nut full 
 of sweet, fresh milk; to bu}' pine-apples a foot long for a few 
 pennies and get vegetable breakfast-rolls from the bread- 
 fruit tree; to watch ripe bananas sold b\" the cartload, and 
 see flowers everywhere of the loveliest hues and forms, which 
 would be costly exotics at home, draping every cottage 
 door, and running wild over every hedge; to find the grass 
 beneath \our feet carpeted by the sensitive plant, which 
 shrinks like a live thing if }ou touch it with your foo-t or 
 stick in passing; to rest beneath a jack-fruit tree, laden with 
 vast, scaly fruit, growing monstrousl}' out of the trunk; to 
 sit on the bench with the cinchona boughs on one hand and 
 the graceful tulip branches on the other, and an avenue 
 of mahogan\- trees behind, having twenty different species 
 
474 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 of palms within view; }'et all this and more \-ou may see al- 
 most anywhere within the environs of Colombo. 
 
 At Colombo we enjoyed, or rather, were compelled to 
 submit to, a ride in a jinrikisha, or 'ricksha as the vehicle is 
 called all over the East. The word means literally " man 
 power carriage." It is a small, two-wheeled vehicle with a 
 top exacth' like those on our buggies at home. It has 
 springs and a comfortable seat for one occupant, and is 
 drawn by a man who holds the shafts in his hands and pulls 
 you along at the rate of from four to six miles an hour. It 
 seems so much out of place to be hauled around by men 
 instead of horses that it w-as some time before we could feel 
 at all comfortable in the jinrikisha. But it is the only mode 
 of conveyance for short distances, and as the men were so 
 glad to pull us, in order to earn a little money, we soon fell 
 in with this custom of the country. The expense of riding 
 is about the same as one pa\s on the street-cars at home- 
 For long distances the charge is fifteen cents per hour. 
 
 Our first ride was through the cinnamon gardens, and 
 along the beautiful palm avenues. Perhaps in no other 
 place in the world could such a delightful ride or drive be 
 enjoyed. The avenues are delightfully shaded and the 
 roads are as smooth as a floor. 
 
 In the great riches of material found in the Island of 
 Spices, from which to glean for our readers, we are more at 
 a loss as to what we shall leave undescribed than as to what 
 we shall describe. An interesting volume might be written 
 descriptive of Ceylon. Our space gives us opportunit}' to 
 refer to only a few of the things which so much interested 
 us during our two weeks' sta)- on the beautiful island of the 
 sea. 
 
 On the west coast of Ceylon cinnamon is largely cul- 
 tivated for export, there being about thirt}--five thousand 
 
CINNAMON TREE. 475 
 
 acres of ground devoted to the culture of the spice. It is 
 probabl}' a native of Ce}-lon. In 1894 the export of the 
 spice was nearly three million pounds, valued at about four 
 hundred thousand dollars, or a little over thirteen cents a 
 pound to the planter. In London the bark of the first qual- 
 ity sells in large lots at about forty cents per pound, while 
 at home, in a small retail way, the consumer pa)s five cents 
 per ounce for it, — a wide range of margin between what the 
 producer gets and what the consumer pays. 
 
 Cinnamon is referred to in the Bible, Exodus 30: 23, 
 where God directs Moses to use spice, with other things, in 
 compounding the holy oil, or ointment, with which Aaron 
 and his sons were anointed. Reference is also made to it in 
 Proverbs 7: 17, Songs of Solomon 4: 14, and Revelations 
 18:13. 
 
 In Bible times Rome traded with India and Ceylon, 
 and cinnamon was one of the spices carried over the desert 
 on camels, boated across the Red Sea and then, packed 
 again on the back of the faithful ship of the desert, it was 
 taken to the Nile and floated down to the sea. Here it was 
 loaded on ships and taken to Puteoli, where Paul landed, 
 and was then carried to the Imperial City of the Cssars. 
 
 In those olden da)'s the odors of the far-famed cinna- 
 mon bark came to be associated with " Araby the blest." 
 In the time of Augustus Cassar the fragrant bark sold in 
 Rome for the enormous sum of forty dollars a pound. 
 
 The cinnamon tree, or shrub, is kept well pruned, so 
 that it does not grow more than ten feet high. The leaves 
 are large and of a dark green color. The shoots from which 
 the bark is taken are allowed to grow two or chree years, 
 until they are eight or ten feet in height. They are then cut 
 down, the leaves and small twigs trimmed off, and the stem 
 cut into pieces each about one foot in length. The cinna- 
 
47^ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 mon peeler inserts the thin blade of a knife between the 
 bark and wood, and carefully peels it off in cylindrical 
 pieces. These are placed one within another and the bark 
 is tied up into bundles. It is now laid away until it passes 
 through the sweating process. This makes it possible to 
 remove the very thin outer bark, which is done by placing 
 each piece on a stick separately and then carefully scraping 
 it. After this the smaller pieces are placed within the larger 
 ones, which curl around them and form the solid stick of 
 cinnamon so well known to all. The fragrant spice is tied 
 in bundles and placed in matting made of the palm tree, 
 and is then ready for export. 
 
 Nutmegs and cloves are also grown in Ceylon, but not 
 so largely as the spice which we have been considering. 
 The trees bearing these spices grow quite large, that of the 
 nutmeg resembling in size the walnut tree. The nut is sur- 
 rounded by a thick outer hull, which opens in sections like 
 the hull on the shellbark. The nutmeg is covered inside 
 the outer hull with a thin lacing of a yellow-colored spice, 
 known as mace. We picked a number of these nuts from 
 the trees and removed the outer hull, allowing the mace to 
 remain in its place. 
 
 The clove tree bears abundantly in the great gardens at 
 Paredenia, near Kandy. After the bloom falls off, the min- 
 iature clove is to be seen on the trees. It forms without 
 hull, and when fully matured is of a dark green color. 
 They are gathered and dried, and in the drying process turn 
 to the dark-brown color as we find them when in the retail 
 stores. Zanzibar furnishes the world with cloves, shipping 
 as many as twenty-eight million pounds a year. 
 
 Pepper and allspice are also produced in Cejdon in 
 small quantities. These grow on vines and are cultivated 
 in some parts of the island. Other spices grow in sufficient 
 
COCOANUT PALM. ' 477 
 
 quantities in Ceylon to entitle it to the name it bears in 
 Heber's missionary hymn. 
 
 But of all the trees and shrubs that grow on the island, 
 none are more extensively cultivated than the cocoanut 
 palm, and this because of its value and the multiplied uses 
 made of its products. 
 
 At the Galle Face Hotel we picked up a report of hor- 
 ticulture of Ceylon, and among other things learned that the 
 cocoanut palm has these as well as many other uses: The 
 leaves are used for roofing, for mats, for baskets, torches, 
 fuel, brooms, fodder for cattle, and manure; the stem of the 
 leaf for fences, for yokes, for carrying burdens on the 
 shoulders, for fishing rods, and for man\' domestic utensils; 
 the cabbage, or cluster of unexpanded leaves, for pickles 
 and preserves; the sap for todd\', for distilling arrack, and 
 for making vinegar and sugar; the unformed nut for medi- 
 cine and sweetmeats; the young nut and its milk for drink- 
 ing, for dessert, and the green husks for preserves; the nut 
 for eating, for curry, and the milk for cooking; the oil for 
 rheumatism, anointing the hair and the body, for soap, for 
 candles and for lamps; and the refuse of the nut, after ex- 
 pressing the oil, for feeding cattle and poultry; the shell of 
 the nut for drinking-cups, charcoal, tooth-powder, spoons, 
 medicine, pipes, beads, bottles, and knife handles; the fibre, 
 which envelops the shell within the outer husk, for mat- 
 tresses, cushions, ropes, cables, cordage, canvas, fishing- 
 nets, fuel, brushes, oakum and floor-mats; the trunk of the 
 tree for rafters, laths, sail-boats, troughs, furniture, fire 
 wood, and, when very young, the first shoots or cabbage as 
 vegetables for the table. 
 
 The foregoing are only a few of the many uses to which 
 the cocoanut palm is adapted. It is, perhaps, more gener- 
 ally cultivated in Ce\lon than in other parts of the world. 
 
478 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 In 1894 it was estimated that there were nearly a million 
 acres planted with the nut-bearing palm. The estimated 
 number of trees was si.\t\-eight million, and the production 
 of nuts, as given b)- one authority, exceeded a thousand 
 million annuall\'. The exports of the product of the cocoa- 
 nut palm reaches an annual value of nearly six million dol- 
 lars. 
 
 The nut, when taken from the tree, is full of milk, and 
 furnishes the thirsty traveler with a refreshing draught. At 
 any of the plantations )'ou may buy them fresh from the 
 trees for a few cents each. If one is hungry and thirsty, 
 both conditions ma)- be relieved with one of the large Cey- 
 lon cocoanuts. 
 
 The natives of Ceylon are a very pleasant people. 
 They are kind and courteous to strangers and make a favor- 
 able impression upon those who visit them. We were out 
 walking on one of the beautiful palm-shaded avenues. It 
 was evening time and the fresh sea breeze cooled the tropi- 
 cal atmosphere and made the walk decidedly pleasant. 
 Just in front of us was a Cingalese lady. Her hair was 
 raven black and its wealth was rolled up in a knot at the 
 back of the head. On top was a circular comb of tortoise 
 shell. She had on a striped skirt, coming down to the 
 ankles, with a white blouse covering the body. As we came 
 nearer to the figure, it turned around and faced us. Judge 
 of our surprise when we saw the bearded face of a man. 
 Our w^ell-dressed lady turned out to be a Cingalese gentle- 
 man. 
 
 The men wear the hair long. We have seen some with 
 hair three feet in length. It is as black as the raven's wing; 
 no such black hair being seen among the Caucasians. It is 
 rolled up on a knot and on top of the head is worn the tor- 
 toise shell comb. This, with the long skirt and blouse. 
 

 w 
 
48o GIRDLINC. THE GLOBE. 
 
 gives the men a decidedh' feminine appearance. One can 
 no more form a correct opinion of a person here by outward 
 appearances than at home. 
 
 Seventy-five miles inland from Colombo is the city of 
 Kandy, the center of the Buddhist religion. We decided 
 to see something of the inner part of the island of spices, 
 and spent some days in making an excursion to the interior. 
 A good railway connects Kandy with the sea coast. After 
 leaving Colombo and crossing the coast plain, covered ev- 
 erywhere with tropical luxuriance, the railway winds its way 
 upward among the hills and mountains amidst scenery Al- 
 pine in its grandeur with the added beauty of the rich vege- 
 tation and flowers of Ce)lon. Among these hills and 
 mountains the elephant abounded at one time, but now is 
 to be rarely seen in a wild state. Like the American buffa- 
 lo, this monster of the tropical zone vanishes upon the ap- 
 proach of the whites. The Ceylon elephant is not so large 
 as his African brother, and seldom has the great ivory tusk 
 so highly prized in the latter. 
 
 In the valleys we pass innumerable rice fields and on 
 the mountain sides great tea plantations. The laborers in 
 the field are Tamils brought over from southern India, at- 
 tracted b\' the higher wages paid in Ceylon. They are car- 
 ried at reduced rates by the railways, and children under 
 four feet in height are charged half fare. At home children 
 under twelve are carried at half fare. If the measuring rule 
 were adopted more fares would be collected. You can't 
 shrink a foot measure as you can the years of a boy or girl. 
 
 Kandy is one of the most beautiful little cities in Cey- 
 lon. It is nestled among the thick wooded hills fifteen 
 hundred feet above the level of the sea. A beautiful artifi- 
 cial lake adds to the beauty of the surroundings. The cli- 
 mate is delightful, the elevation making it cooler than the 
 
o 
 
 a 
 
 
TEMPLE OF DALADA. 483 
 
 plains, and the scenery is charming. I do not know a more 
 delightful place so far as scenery and climate are concerned 
 than Kandy. It is a summer resort for the Europeans who 
 spend the cooler months on the coast. 
 
 On the borders of the lake is found the temple of 
 Dalada, the shrine of Buddha's tooth. The building is not 
 imposing but it is the very center of Buddhism. It is 
 claimed that the eyetooth of Buddha is enshrined in the 
 temple. This relic of Gautama has a curious histor}'. It 
 was brought to Ce)'lon A. D. 310. It was afterwards taken 
 back to India, but at a later date restored again to Kandy. 
 When the Portuguese missionaries went to Ceylon in the 
 sixteenth century they secured the tooth and in the pres- 
 ence of witnesses reduced it to powder and scattered the 
 powder to the four winds of the heaven. The records of the 
 Portuguese show that this was done because the tooth was 
 an object of worship. But the priests of Kandy produced 
 another tooth, which they claimed was the real relic, and 
 that the one taken b\- the Portuguese was only a counterfeit. 
 It was conveyed to Dalada with much pomp and ceremony 
 amidst great rejoicing b)^ the people. When the English 
 took possession of Kandy in 181 5 they allowed the priests 
 to retain possession of the relic. " The sanctuary in which 
 it reposes is a small chamber without a ray of light, in 
 which the air is stifling hot, and heavy with the perfume of 
 flowers, situated in the inmost recesses of the temple. The 
 frames of the doors of this chamber are inlaid with carved 
 ivory, and on a massive silver table, three feet six inches 
 high, stands. the bell-shaped shrine, jewelled and hung round 
 with chains, and consisting of six cases, the largest five 
 feet high, formed of silver, gilt and inlaid with rubies; the 
 others are similarl}- wrought, but diminish in size gradually, 
 until, on removing the innermost one, about a foot in height, 
 
484 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 a fToldcn lotus is disclosed, 011 which reposes the tooth. In 
 front of the silver altar is a table upon which worshipers de- 
 posit their gifts. 
 
 Three miles from Kandy is the Paradenia Botanical 
 Garden covering one hundred and fifty acres, where is to 
 be found the finest collection of tropical vegetation in the 
 world. A fine avenue of India rubber trees leads up to a 
 wealth of palms of almost every known variety. We spent 
 hours in the beautiful garden and wondered whether the Gar- 
 den of Eden made for our first parents was more beautiful. 
 Indeed tradition says that Eden was located here. Not far 
 away is Adam's peak, the highest mountain on the island, to 
 which it is claimed Adam fled after being expelled from the 
 garden, hence the name of the mountain. Of course this is 
 all legendar}', but not out of harmony with the beauty of the 
 place. 
 
 We visited a large tea plantation in the vicinity of 
 Paradenia and were much interested in seeing the cultivation 
 and manufacture of tea. A field planted with the tea shrub 
 presents a lively appearance during the picking season. 
 Our photogravure will present more clearly the scene to the 
 reader. The pickers each have a large basket which, when 
 filled with the tender leaves, is carried to the factory, locat- 
 ed in the centre of the grounds. Here the leaves are placed 
 on cloth frames under roof for the w ilting process. When 
 they are plucked from the stalk the leaves are crisp and 
 easily broken. After lying on the frames for a day they 
 wilt and become tough so that the}' may be rolled. After 
 wilting the tea is passed through the rollers. These are 
 large steel plates turning in opposite direction. As it 
 passes between these revolving plates the tea is rolled up 
 and shaped as it comes to us ready for steeping. Next 
 comes the firing process where the product is thoroughly 
 
Q 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 Q 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 Q 
 
 O 
 
 J 
 
 
486 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 dried. It is then boxed ready for shipment. The manager 
 of the tea plantation received us very kindly and gave us 
 every facility for looking into the tea business. Of one 
 thing the lovers of tea may rest assured. Ceylon tea is pure 
 and clean. The same cannot be said of the Chinese product 
 which is rolled by hands at best never clean. 
 
 The mountains about Kandy abound in gems, for Cey- 
 lon is not only the land of spices, but of pearls and precious 
 stones as well. It has had many names given it, among 
 which are "a pearl on the brow of India," " the island of 
 jewels," and " the land of the jacinth and ruby." These 
 names were given the island because of the many pearls 
 found in its waters, and precious stones in its hills and val- 
 leys. The place has also, not without good reason, been as- 
 sociated with the Land of Ophir named in the Bible, to 
 which Solomon's ships came in quest of gold and silver, 
 ivory, apes, peacocks, almug trees, or sandal wood, and 
 precious stones.* It is a fact worthy of note in this connec- 
 tion that Ceylon and the coast of India at one time fur- 
 nished all the products named in the Bible as being brought 
 from Ophir. 
 
 No sooner were we comfortabl)' settled in our hotel 
 home than we were besieged by vendors of pearls and pre- 
 cious stones. The merchants are Moors and carry about 
 their persons, wrapped in bits of cloth, gems of rarest qual- 
 ity and of great value. We were shown in great profusion, 
 and urged to buy the finest rubies, sapphires, emeralds and 
 pearls at less than half the price asked for them by dealers 
 at home. As we made no purchases, the dealers soon 
 learned to pass us b)' for more profitable customers. One 
 of our traveling companions secured a fine sapphire, at what 
 
 * 1 Kings lo: 11-22. 
 
C/2 
 
 Si 
 
 
PRECIOUS STONES. 489 
 
 he deemed a good bargain, but at what seemed to us an im- 
 mense price for a small bit of carbon. 
 
 The following named precious stones are to be found in 
 Ce\lon: Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, the topaz, ameth)'sts, 
 wliite sapphires, spiral rubies, chrysoberyl, tourmalines, 
 moonstones, zircons, garnets, rock crystals and agates. It 
 is an interesting fact that of the twelve gems which God 
 commanded Moses to put into the breastplate, to be worn 
 by the high-priest, nine are found on this island. It also 
 produces seven of the precious stones with which the twelve 
 foundations of the New Jerusalem, of John's vision on Pat- 
 mos, were garnished and made beautiful. 
 
 When it is remembered that neither Palestine nor an\' 
 of the surrounding countries produced either the gems used 
 in the high priest's breastplate or those spoken of by John, 
 the reason for importing them from Ophir is apparent. We 
 incline to the opinion that the island of Cc)'lon was included 
 in the borders of the land of Ophir. 
 
 We were much interested in examining the precious 
 stones offered for sale by the Moors, and especially those 
 named in the Bible. A brief account of some of the Bible 
 gems may not be without interest to our readers. 
 
 Precious stones are valued according to their weight 
 and purity, the carat being the unit of weight. It equals 
 nearly three and a fifth grains troy weight. A gem of one 
 hundred and fifty-one and a half carats would weigh one 
 ounce, and if it were a ruby of the first water it would be 
 worth a kingdom, as the following list of prices will show: 
 
 Finest ruby one carat in weight $750 
 
 Finest sapphire same weight, 1 50 
 
 Finest diamond same weight 100 
 
 Finest emerald same weight, 75 
 
490 niRDLING THE GLORE. 
 
 These prices seem high, but they increase in a kind of 
 geometrical progression as the gem increases in weight. 
 A ruby of two carats would be worth four times as much as 
 one of the same quality weighing one carat. 
 
 The ruby is the most valuable of all the gems, and was 
 used in the high priest's breastplate, and is also found in 
 one of the foundations of the Holy City which John saw 
 coming down from heaven. A perfect rub}- of five carats 
 weight would command a price ten times greater than a 
 diamond of the same weight, while a perfect ruby of ten 
 carats is of almost incalculable value. An expert in such 
 matters says that a ruby weighing one carat, of the true 
 pigeon blood in color, untainted by either brown or violet, 
 would be worth in Ceylon, where jewels are comparatively 
 cheap, as much as seven hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 The sapphire stands next to the ruby in value. It is of 
 a sky-blue color and a perfect stone is of matchless brillian- 
 cy. We saw one of these royal gems cut ready for mount- 
 ing. It was of the softest azure in color and of wondrous 
 luster. As the Moor held it up in his dark fingers, the 
 light flashed and glittered on its facets as if it were a thing 
 of life. The price asked for the stone was to be reckoned 
 by tens of thousands. 
 
 The sapphire is one of the stones used in garnishing 
 the foundations of the Cit}- of God, the light of which "was 
 like unto a stone most precious, even like unto a jasper 
 stone, clear as crystal."* The other foundations of the city 
 were made all grand and glittering with emeralds, ame- 
 thysts, chrysolytes, rubies, jasper, berxls. and other stones 
 most precious, of incalculable value and of wondrous splen- 
 dor. One cannot conceive of the richness of the founda- 
 tions of the Holy City, "the bride, the Lamb's wife," when 
 
 * Rev. 21: 10-27. 
 
PEARL FISHERIES. 49^ 
 
 the present value of the gems with which it was decorated 
 is taken into account. The finite mind cannot grasp the 
 problem. It is be\'ond human comprehension. And yet 
 God has prepared a home like this for all those who love 
 him and obey his Word. " Blessed are they that do his 
 commandments, that they ma)- have right to the tree of life, 
 and ma)' enter in through the gates into the city." 
 
 We have already referred to Ccxlon as the land of 
 pearls and precious stones. Now it is our purpose to have 
 something about pearls and where they are found. 
 
 When we have a reference in the Bible to pearls they 
 are always considered as having great value. The Savior 
 tells his disciples not to cast pearls before swine, and also 
 uses this jewel to illustrate the great worth of the kingdom 
 of God.* Its use as an ornament for the body was so com- 
 mon in ancient times that the Divine Mind was exercised to 
 prohibit it for such purposes. Pearls were used also by the 
 scarlet woman as one of her principal decorations. f 
 
 On the coast of Ceylon, not very far from Colombo, are 
 to be found the celebrated pearl fisheries of the island, and 
 the)' are well worth a visit. However, it requires strong ol- 
 factor)' nerves, for the stench about the place where the 
 pearl oysters are opened is almost unendurable. 
 
 As is, no doubt, known to most of our readers, the 
 pearl is found in the o)'stcr of that name. It was at one 
 time thought that a grain of sand placed into the shell of 
 the bivalve would result in a pearl being formed, but this 
 view is not now held by those who have made a study of 
 the subject. 
 
 Upon examination the pearl is found to have a small 
 opening in the center, which would not be the case were a 
 
 * Matt. 7:6; 13: 45. 
 
 t I Tim. 2: q; Rev. 17: 4. 
 
49- GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 grain of sand introduced. It is now generally believed tliat 
 an insect attacks the shell, bores a hole through it, and de- 
 posits a foreign substance of vegetable matter. This the 
 mollusk at once proceeds to cover with layer after layer of 
 a pearl-like substance which hardens after it has been de- 
 posited. The vegetable matter is absorbed, and thus the 
 small hollow in the center of the pearl is accounted for. 
 The matter deposited is the same as that which forms 
 "mother-of-pearl," from which the common pearl button is 
 made. Year after year the la}'ers are placed on the grow- 
 ing pearl, until it is formed in all its beauty. 
 
 A pearl of " great price " may be perfectly round like a 
 shot, or pear-shaped. It is of the most delicate texture, 
 free from speck, flaw or break. In color it is almost trans- 
 lucent white; that is, you can see the rays of light through 
 it, but cannot distinguish objects. It has a beautiful sheen, 
 giving off the colors of the rainbow. A large-sized pearl, 
 answering this description, would bring to its owner, were 
 he disposed to sell it, a large sum of money. 
 
 The oyster banks are under the control of the govern- 
 ment, and the proper ofificers determine when the fishing 
 shall take place. When the time arrives thousands of pearl 
 divers, with merchants, traders and jewelers, crowd the 
 shore of the bay. The divers go out to the oyster beds in 
 small boats, large enough to carry ten men, and they usual- 
 h' work in pairs. The banks are from eight to twent}' miles 
 from the shore, and the water covering them is from forty 
 to fifty feet deep. It is thought that the oyster produces 
 the best pearls at from four to seven \'ears of age. 
 
 The diver goes under the water without a diving bell or 
 clothing of any kind. He has a basket attached to a belt, 
 fastened around his waist, into which he throws the oysters 
 as he gathers them from the bottom of the sea. He is 
 
PEARL DIVERS. 493 
 
 armed with a short spear, with which he repels the attacks 
 of the sharks and other large fish which infest the tropical 
 waters. But, be he as careful as he ma}', many a poor, 
 brown-skinned diver serves as a dainty morsel for the vora- 
 cious denizens of the deep. 
 
 In order to facilitate his descent, a stone weighing forty 
 pounds is attached to his bod\' b)' a strong cord, and there 
 is also a strong rope fastened to him, so that he can be 
 drawn up with his burden by his companion in the boat. 
 He remains under usualh' from 'a minute to a minute and 
 a half, and is then drawn up. He rests a short time on the 
 side of the boat and then goes down again. He works on in 
 this way until he is completely exhausted, and then his com- 
 panion takes his place, and he remains in the boat. Some 
 of the best divers remain under the water from four to six 
 minutes. If any one would know what an exertion this re- 
 quires, let him suspend breathing for half a minute and he 
 will have a practical test. The work of the divers is very 
 exhausting, and, as a rule, they are a short-lived race. 
 
 Generally the fishing goes on from sunrise until noon, 
 then a signal gun is fired and the boats are rowed ashore. 
 The divers are very closely watched lest they secrete pearls 
 in their mouths and so get more than their share. The . 
 oysters must all be landed at the government storehouse, 
 where each man's catch is divided into three heaps, care be- 
 ing taken to make the division equal. The government takes 
 two of the piles and the diver gets one for his share. The 
 oysters are now sold by auction to the dealers who are pres- 
 ent in large numbers; the price secured is from twenty to 
 thirty rupees per thousand. The rupee has about the same 
 amount of silver contained in our half dollar and ought to 
 be worth as much, but it has depreciated until it is now 
 
494 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 worth only about twenty-eight cents. The diver thus gets 
 from six to eight dollars per thousand for his oysters. 
 
 The trader into whose hands the oysters now fall takes 
 all the risk of finding the pearls, and, as a rule, he reaps a 
 ricli harvest. The oysters are spread out in the hot, tropi- 
 cal sun and are allowed to remain for six days, when they 
 are easily opened. The pearl finder opens each one care- 
 fully and picks out the pearls he can find. The rotten, 
 putrid mass is then laid out in the sun to dry. The stench 
 arising from the reeking filth is something terrible, and very 
 few strangers can endure it. When it is thoroughly, dried it 
 is rubbed fine and then is passed through sieves of different 
 sizes. At each sifting pearls are found, and after it has 
 been thrown away by the traders the natives carefully search 
 the whole mass for the smaller pearls that may have passed 
 through the smallest sieve. 
 
 The shells of the oysters are shipped to Europe where 
 they are manufactured into pearl buttons and various orna- 
 ments. The government has received as much as seven 
 hundred thousand dollars for the privilege of fishing the 
 oyster beds for a single season, but now it is managed as 
 has already been described. In 1891 the income to the 
 government from the pearl fisheries was nearly one million 
 rupees. 
 
 As early as the thirteenth century the Chinese intro- 
 duced foreign substances into the pearl mussels which 
 abound in the rivers of China, and thus facilitated the pro- 
 duction of pearls. This led to a practice on the part of 
 the priests which made stronger than ever the bonds that 
 hold the ignorant masses of that great empire in supersti- 
 tion and idolatry. Very small images of their god Buddha, 
 seated in meditation, are cast in lead, or cut from tin. These 
 are introduced into the mussel. Sometimes as many as 
 
PEARL OF GREATEST PRICE. 495 
 
 twenty of them may be seen adhering closely to the shell, 
 covered over with the pearl substance. They are beautiful 
 and have all the appearance of natural objects. The igno- 
 rant regard these as miraculously-formed images of Buddha, 
 and prize them very highly as amulets and charms. So in 
 all countries the ignorant are the dupes of designing men. 
 
 In this brief sketch we have sought to give our readers 
 some information concerning the production of pearls. It 
 is a Bible subject, and while there are interesting facts con- 
 nected with it, there remains in the heart of the writer the 
 hope that all who read this may find the " pearl of greatest 
 price," even the joy and comfort that comes from a full as- 
 surance of our acceptance with God. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Off for Hong Kong — The Sea Captain s " Spicy Breezes " — The " Kai- 
 ser-i-Hind" — The Grouping of Passengers — Ship's Log from Co- 
 lombo to Penang — Straits of Malacca — A Pleasant Voyage — Sin- 
 gapore — Beauties of the Entrance to the Harbor — Houses Built 
 Over the Water — The Sedan Chair — Botanical Gardens — 
 Through the Streets of Singapore — The Shell Aferchant — The 
 Opium Dens — A Fearful Sight — Kava — On the China Sea — 
 Sudden Stopping of the Ship's Engines — A Nerve-Trying Experi- 
 ence — Hong Kong. 
 
 The time had come when wc must leave the beautiful 
 " Isle of Spices " and continue our journey onward to the 
 homeland. We lingered here, reluctant to leave the " Pearl 
 of India;" but time and tide wait for no one. The same 
 statement may be made in regard to the Peninsular and 
 Oriental steamers. We had taken passage on the " Kaiser- i- 
 Hind" for Hong Kong and far-away Cathay. This was to be 
 no six days' voyage across the Atlantic on one of the great 
 ocean greyhounds, now^ so common as to be but an ever\- 
 da)' occurrence. With but a few breaks in the journey we 
 had before us a voyage of some 13,000 miles before enter- 
 ing the Golden Gate and setting our feet on the " land of 
 the free and the home of the brave." 
 
 Our steamer, of curious name, is a staunch, well-built 
 boat of four thousand tons burden, and, wind and weather 
 permitting, will carr\' us over the sea at the rate of two hun- 
 dred and sixty miles a day. We cannot say much in favor 
 of the " Kaiser " as to comfort. The company reserves the 
 best boats for the Australian and Indian trade. On this far- 
 away sea we must be content with second and even third- 
 (496) 
 
SPICY BREEZES. 497 
 
 class steamers. But we have the satisfaction of knowing 
 that our ship was built for storms and not fair weather. She 
 has outridden the typhoons of the China Sea, and we feel 
 moderatel)' safe when we step out on the deck. 
 
 A gentle breeze was blowing across Ceylon's Isle as we 
 steamed away from Colombo. But the strongest olfactory 
 nerves failed to discern the spicy odors made famous by 
 Bishop Heber's missionary hymn. It is said that once upon 
 a time a sea captain, when his ship was nearing Ceylon, and 
 while his passengers were below eating their dinner, rubbed 
 a quantity of the oil of cloves and cinnamon on the rail of 
 the upper deck. As the passengers came up one by one, 
 they were not only delighted with a view of the famous is- 
 land, but with the " spicy breezes " borne to them on the 
 wings of the wind. The captain assured them that they 
 were having an evidence of the truth of the statement made 
 by Heber. 
 
 We had on board the " Kaiser-i-Hind " a full comple- 
 ment of passengers. It v/as a mixed multitude and essen- 
 tially cosmopolitan in its make-up. The four quarters of 
 the globe were represented on board this one small ship. 
 Not onl}' did we have people from the world's various na- 
 tionalities, but from the different social walks in life as 
 well. Here were Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Africans, 
 Australians, and the inhabitants of the islands of the sea. 
 Among the passengers were an English earl, high in govern- 
 ment circles, a Scottish nobleman with the same rank, two 
 German counts, a Frenchman with some kind of a title, sev- 
 eral members of the English Parliament who wrote the 
 word " Lord " before their names, Church of England and 
 Scotch Presbyterian ministers, missionaries on their way to 
 China, representatives of the great commercial houses of 
 the world, Chinese and Japanese government officials, and 
 
498 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the usual number of the i^enus " Globe Trotters," a term now 
 generally applied to a class of persons with more money 
 than brains, who wander aimlessly around the world, with 
 the high ambition of being able to say, "We have been 
 around! " 
 
 There is a common saying that "birds of a feather flock 
 together," and the truth of this old proverb is fully exempli- 
 fied on shipboard. O.n a long sea voyage the passengers 
 soon group themselves according to their likes and dislikes, 
 and these groups are quite separate and distinct. Before 
 the first day has passed two general classes have been 
 formed, — those who pla)' cards and gamble, and those who 
 do not. The first class usually occupy- the smoking room, 
 for, as a rule, the card player and the gambler use tobacco. 
 To these two accomplishments must be added a third, that 
 of taking strong drink. These three things appear to be in- 
 separably con.nected, — gambling, strong drink and the use 
 of tobacco. Those who do not gamble, smoke and drink, 
 are grouped about the deck on steamer chairs and spend 
 the time in reading, writing and talking. Those who are re- 
 ligiously inclined are found spending a part of the day in 
 Bible readings and in divine w^orship. 
 
 The weather was delightfully pleasant, and with a calm, 
 smooth sea the days passed by rapidly. In the tropics, at 
 this season of the )-ear, there is a constant breeze stirring, 
 and this moderates the heat so that it is not oppressively 
 hot. The ship's log — a daily record of the distance made 
 and of our longitude and latitude at noon — is hung up in 
 the companionwa)-, so that all ma\' Icnow what progress is 
 being made. The ship's log from Colombo to Penang is 
 here given. It may not be without interest to at least some 
 of our readers: 
 
SINGAPORE. 499 
 
 Longitude. Latitude. Distance. 
 
 Feb. 26, 1896 82, 50, 00 5, 14, 15 238 miles. 
 
 Feb. 27, 1896, 87, 19, 00 5. 53. 00 267 miles. 
 
 Feb, 28, 1896, 92, 00, 00 5, 50, 00 280 miles. 
 
 Feb. 29, 1896 96, 34, 00 5, 56, 00 275 miles. 
 
 March i, 1896, 100, 18, 30 5, 17, 15 231 miles. 
 
 The run of March i brought us to Penang at 7:30 A. 
 M., and the passengers had an opportunity of spending a 
 few hours on shore. The island lies some nine miles off the 
 west coast of the Malay Peninsula. It contains, all told, 
 sixty-nine thousand acres of land, with a population not far 
 from a hundred thousand souls. The city is uninteresting, 
 and its few sights hardly pay for the necessary walk 
 through the hot sun. About one-half the population is 
 Chinese. These yellow-skinned, coarse-featured, almond- 
 eyed celestials present to us a striking contrast with the 
 bronzed color and fine features of the natives of India, with 
 whom we had been surrounded for several months; and the 
 advantage was, according to our judgment, altogether on 
 the side of the dwellers in India. In these tropical climates 
 clothing of scantiest proportions is worn, and the color of 
 the body is at once strikingly noticeable. 
 
 From Penang a two days' run on the smooth waters of 
 the Malacca Straits brought us to the city of Singapore, 
 within a few miles of the equator. The weather was pleas- 
 ant and not too warm. We had anticipated very hot weath- 
 er as we approached the great circle, but were happily 
 disappointed. The mercury ranged from 80 to 94 degrees. 
 There seems to be but little difference in the temperature at 
 Madras, Colombo and Singapore. Here the ship took coal 
 for her long voyage across the China Sea to Hong Kong. 
 As the coaling process required a full day, we had ample 
 time to see everything of interest in the capital of the 
 Straits Settlement. 
 
500 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 Ovvin_f^ to the dangers of navigation, our ship cast an- 
 chor outside the harbor in the night and waited the coming 
 of daylight. When the morning sun, rising clear and bright 
 over Sumatra, turned sky and mountain top to red and am- 
 ber we slowly steamed up to the wharf. No other harbor 
 at which we landed or embarked in Asia is so picturesquely 
 beautiful as that of Singapore. The devious waterway of 
 exquisite beauty leads among hills and mountains all cov- 
 ered with the riches of tropical vegetation. If Ceylon is 
 the land of spices, much more is this, around about these 
 palm-covered hills, red and scarlet with thickets of the flow- 
 ering hibiscus. Here the clove, the nutmeg and the cinna- 
 mon flourish, and the luscious mango and mangosteen grow 
 to perfection. The bright equatorial sun, tempered b)- a 
 generous rainfall and by a constant sea breeze, clothes hills 
 and valleys with a verdure that never fails. It is the land 
 of unending summer, where the beautiful flowers, the bright, 
 happy children of the Southland, bloom )'ear in and year 
 out without ceasing. Amid these beauties of bounteous na- 
 ture we threaded our way until we entered the land-locked 
 bay and moored at the wharf of Singapore. 
 
 Singapore is located on an island of the same name, ly- 
 ing at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula. The 
 island is twenty-seven miles long and fourteen broad. The 
 population may be set down, in round numbers, at one hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand; about two-thirds of these are Chi- 
 nese. John, with his long pigtail and patient, enduring face, 
 has forced himself into all lines of trade, and monopolizes 
 the business of the island. You will find him everywhere. 
 At the bank he calculated our exchange on the wooden but- 
 tons of his peculiar counting-board, and paid us in the sil- 
 ver dollars of the Straits. In all the stores and shops he 
 greets you in terms polite and asks as to \'our wants. He 
 
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 5 
 u 
 
 o 
 •A 
 
 > 
 
SEDAN CHAIR. 503 
 
 has learned sufficient English for the purposes of trade, and 
 if )Ou will note the fact that he drops the " r " and replaces 
 it with an " 1," \'ou will soon be able to converse with him. 
 He is, so far as trading qualities are concerned, the Jew of 
 the Orient. 
 
 A drive of half an hour in a gliarric (the oriental name 
 for a carriage) behind a swift pair of Pegu ponies, over a fine 
 driveway made of the red soil of the island, brought us to 
 the Botanical Gardens, noted for the richness of their floral 
 wealth. On the way we passed many curious houses built, 
 not on the ground, but over the water. Here lived the fish- 
 ermen, to the manner born, who approach their houses in 
 their little fishing boats, and reach the doors by means of 
 steps and ladders. Piles are driven into the mud at the bot- 
 tom of the bay, and on these, above the reach of high tide, 
 the dwellings are constructed. These are, for the most part, 
 built of palm leaves, the roofing being of the same material. 
 They present but a temporar\' appearance on their stilt-like 
 foundations. An ordinar)- western breeze, so common on 
 our home prairies, would soon distribute the palm-leaf 
 houses over the sea. But in this favored spot the storms 
 never come, and the Malay fisherman dwells in safet)- in his 
 palm-covered hut. 
 
 In Singapore the gliarric and jinrikishi are supplemented 
 by the sedan chair as a means of travel. The chairs are of 
 simple construction, as our picture will show. Two long, 
 springy bamboo poles with a cushioned box, containing a 
 comfortable seat for one person, securely fastened in the 
 middle of the poles, comprise the Asiatic carrying chair. It 
 has been in use in China for man\- centuries. Two strong 
 Chinese coolies — one in front, the other in the rear — place 
 the ends of the poles on their shoulders and carry you about 
 the town and country at the uniform fare of five cents ai. 
 
504 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 hour. It is hard work, and I observed that the chair carri- 
 ers had great calloused lumps on the shoulders produced by 
 their heavy burden bearing. It was hard enough for us to 
 get used to having a man pull us around in the jinrikisha, 
 and here we drew the line. It was too much to be carried 
 on the shoulders of men. We took tk gharrie and saw all of 
 Singapore in the time allotted for that purpose. 
 
 Our first visit was to the Botanical Gardens where one 
 never tires of wandering beneath the shade of the spreading 
 palms and a hundred other rare and beautiful trees. There 
 are flowers and fruits in great profusion, strange in appear- 
 ance and stranger in name. Some kinds of the fruit are lus- 
 cious and palatable, while others are of such peculiar smell 
 and taste that it requires a long and patient training to 
 learn to eat them with any degree of relish. Here are the 
 names of some of the fruits common at Singapore: custard, 
 apples, pineapples, sour-sop, limes, oranges, mangoes, plan- 
 tains, mangosteens, durians, dukus, tampangs and half a 
 score more, strange of name and indescribable as to taste. 
 
 Conspicuous among the trees is the "travelers' palm," 
 growing gracefully in the shape of an immense, wide-spread 
 fan. It grows out from a center filled with sweet water, 
 forming a huge representation of our common palm-leaf 
 fan, a score of feet in diameter, with the trunk of the tree 
 for a handle. One can imagine that if it was ever used as a 
 fan there must have been giants in the land in those days. 
 
 A drive through the busy streets of the city reveals the 
 usual type of an eastern town. The European quarter, the 
 hotels, the banks, the bungalows of the wealthy natives, and 
 the huts of the poor are to be seen as an evidence that 
 wealth has its power in all parts of the world. But far more 
 interesting to us than the gardens and the busy streets of 
 the city is a study of the people themselves. At the wharf, 
 
BEAUTIFUL SHELLS. 505 
 
 where our ship is moored, one may study types and charac- 
 ter by the hour. Here are all styles of dress, all manners of 
 costumes, and no costume at all; for these residents of the 
 tropics have a total disregard of what are to us the common 
 proprieties of life. But the scantiness of their attire seems 
 not inappropriate when the climatic conditions are taken in- 
 to consideration. 
 
 On the wharf we are beset by merchants of every class, 
 all intent upon disposing of their numerous wares. We are 
 importuned to buy parrots of brilliant plumage, and are as- 
 sured by the salesman that they can talk English, "AUee 
 samee Inglisman." Then there is the monkey-trader. 
 He offers for sale the specimens of the Malay monkey with 
 long silken arms and soft, melancholy eyes, blinking at you 
 as if inviting you to buy. Great, luscious pineapples, that 
 would not cost less than twenty-five cents in Chicago or 
 New York, may be purchased for a penny or two, for this is 
 the home of this fine fruit. We notice our provident stew- 
 ard is placing a large number in his locker, and we shall 
 have plenty of the fruit on our voyage to China. 
 
 But the most beautiful of all the wares offered to tempt 
 our pocketbooks were the shells, — the rare and beautiful 
 children of the sea. Boatload after boatload was rowed up 
 to the wharf by the Malay shellfishers, who did a thriving 
 business. Here were the finest specimens of the nautilus, 
 nature's sailor of the sea, the most interesting denizen of 
 the deep — pearly white, and fully twice as large as the 
 largest seen in the shell stores at home. Then there were 
 great flat shells of mother-of-pearl, with spirals and cowries 
 of every shape and hue, and of the most brilliant colors 
 imaginable. These were so tastefully arranged with great 
 masses of red, pink and white coral that one hardly knew 
 which most to admire, the shells and corals, or the skill of 
 
506 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the ycllow-skinncd merchant in arranging them to show to 
 the best advantage. We enriched our little collection with 
 a few rare shells. As we look at them we are satisfied that 
 the hand of the most skillful painter in the world never pro- 
 duced such deep, rich hues, or such fine shadings and 
 blendings of color as are seen on these beautiful shells; and 
 no marvel, for these were painted by the artist hand of God. 
 One can only look, admire and wonder. That God made 
 so beautiful and colored so richly the shells that serve their 
 purpose and are then cast on the shore of the restless sea, 
 only teaches that the love of the beautiful, which he has 
 given to man, may be legitimately gratified. 
 
 But all is not beautiful at Singapore. There are sad, 
 repulsive sights to be seen that sicken the heart and make 
 the soul sorrowful. As we study the people who come and 
 go, we see scores of wild, haggard-eyed, emaciated, woe-be- 
 gone faces that tell of the opium habit, as surely as the red 
 nose, the watery eyes and the bloated face tell of the drunk- 
 ard at home. These poor heathen, bearing the image of 
 God on their faces, have been ruined, — mind, soul and 
 body, — by English thirst for gold; for be it known that the 
 foul opium dens are licensed by a Christian (?) nation, and 
 that an immense revenue falls into the coffers of the state 
 each year from the opium trade. 
 
 Let us look into one of these opium dens! The sicken- 
 ing stench arising from the opium pipe is even worse than 
 the fumes of a long-used tobacco pipe, and one must have 
 courage to set his foot inside the door. The room is small 
 and is crowded with depraved, half-naked barbarian smok- 
 ers. The stench of the smoke is supplemented b}- that aris- 
 ing from the bodies of the unclean "opium fiends." In the 
 center of the swarthy circle, assembled in the filthy den, is 
 a small, dirty oil-lamp, burning with a dim, uncertain flame. 
 
OPIUM DENS. 507 
 
 One of the smokers has a pipe with a small bowl, and a 
 stem so thick that he must open his mouth wide to take it 
 in. On the end of a long iron needle he takes up a bit of 
 sticky opium about the size of a pea and heats it over the 
 flame of the lamp. After it is heated he drops it into the 
 small opening in the pipe. He then lies down at full 
 length, places the bowl of the pipe over the flame, draws in 
 the smoke, swallows it, and emits it through his nostrils. 
 In a few moments the muscles relax, the head drops over 
 and the smoker is unconscious of all the world. The pipe 
 is then taken up by another waiting his turn, and so the 
 smokine goes on until the entire crowd are in an uncon- 
 scious stupor. 
 
 I give a worci of warning to our boys and young men 
 who are given to the habit of cigarette smoking. It is now 
 stated, on the best of authority, that the manufacturers of 
 cigarettes are putting a small quantity of opium in the to- 
 bacco they use. It would seem that men who would do 
 this thing must be lost to all that is good; but the thirst for 
 gold is at the bottom of it all. In this way they hope to 
 fasten the habit of smoking on their victims and thus in- 
 crease the sale of their wares. When the taste for opium 
 is once acquired it becomes a destroying demon, never to 
 be satisfied; and, because it destroys the will and moral 
 powers, it is almost impossible to throw it off. Many of 
 our state legislatures prohibit the sale of cigarettes, but the 
 consumption of them is on the increase. From smoking 
 the cigarette saturated with the drug it is but a small step 
 to the opium habit itself. As you prize the God-given in- 
 tellectual and moral powers in your possession, be warned 
 in time. 
 
 In addition to the opium eating and smoking, so com- 
 mon among the Orientals, there is a considerable consump- 
 
508 GIRDLING THK GLOBE. 
 
 tion of intoxicating drinks. Drunkenness is not, however, 
 so common as in the Western world. Toddy, the product 
 of the cocoanut palm, is the most common beverage used in 
 India, Ceylon, and the Straits Settlements. A liquor is also 
 distilled from rice and is used in large quantities in the 
 East. It is known as ".sa-ke," and is quite intoxicating. 
 It is largely used in China and Japan and in the islands 
 south of those countries. 
 
 One of the drinks common to the South Pacific is 
 'ka-va," a product of the Samoan group of islands. The 
 manufacture of this peculiar drink is thus described by one 
 who witnessed the process: "Ka-va is prepared from the 
 root of a species of the pepper tree, found on most of the 
 islands of the Samoan group. The shrub attains a height of 
 five or six feet and has a pretty green foliage, tinged with 
 purple. The root, having been thoroughly washed, is cut in 
 small slices, which are distributed to young girls with per- 
 fect teeth, to be chewed, by which process they are reduced 
 to a complete pulp. Mouthful after mouthful of these little 
 pulpy masses is thrown into a large bowl, ceremoniously 
 placed in front of the one who is to serve the beverage, and 
 water is then poured upon them. The mass is now worked 
 with the hand until all the strength and virtue of the fibre is 
 expressed, when it is deftly strained away with a bunch of 
 long fibre from the inner bark of the hibiscus, and the liquid 
 rs now ready for drinking. Its appearance is like that of 
 weak tea, its taste like that of soap suds." In the case of 
 the ka-va, it may be said that the drink is chewed. The 
 process of manufacture, if witnessed, would doubtless keep 
 most of our home people from trying the beverage. 
 
 If our readers will take a map of the Eastern Hemis- 
 phere, and locate Singapore, almost on the equator, and 
 then draw a line a little east of north, nearly the entire 
 
MALAY BOYS DIVING. 5O9 
 
 length of the China Sea, with a slight curve around the 
 coast of Siam, to Hong Kong, they will have the route tak- 
 en by the " Kaiser-i-Hind " from Malay to China. The dis- 
 tance, as the ship runs, is barely fifteen hundred miles, and 
 yet six days are required to make the voyage. Navigation 
 on the China Sea is attended with no little danger, owing to 
 the typhoons that sweep over its waters. As our voyage 
 was made at a season when these cyclonic storms do not 
 prevail to any great extent, we had but little fear of encoun- 
 tering this great danger. 
 
 The " Kaiser-i-Hind " moved slowly away from the 
 wharf, and we were off on our way to the land of Cathay. 
 The ship was surrounded by Malay boys in their little 
 boats, clamoring to have the passengers throw money over- 
 board, so that they might dive for it. One knew not which 
 to admire most, the diving or the skill with which the boys 
 sprang into their boats after coming up from the depths. 
 A score or more would spring out of the boats and disap- 
 pear, diving after the coveted money. After a struggle be- 
 neath the water they would reappear, the successful diver 
 holding the coin aloft between his fingers for a moment and 
 then putting it into his mouth in order to be ready for 
 another dive. Swimming to their boats they sprang into 
 them, and, with a quick movement of the foot, kicked the 
 water out while paddling. Sometimes the boats would fill 
 with water and sink. The occupants, two in number, would 
 roll out, seize the little craft at each end, turn it over, emp- 
 ty out the water, right the boat again, spring into it and 
 paddle after the slowly-moving ship, shouting for a dive. 
 The Malay boys are perfectly at home in the water. 
 
 We soon left boats and divers far behind, as we moved 
 out to sea. In the harbor there was 'Only the slightest 
 breeze stirring, but Captain Daniels said: " We shall have a 
 
510 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 blow when we i^et out to sea; it is onl\- local, however, and 
 we shall outrun it during the night." His prediction proved 
 to be true. A strong wind was blowing outside the harbor, 
 which increased in force during the evening. The sea ran 
 high and the ship pitched and rolled, much to the discom- 
 fort of the passengers. Seasickness added its misery to 
 the ship's unhappy company. We turned in early and slept 
 soundly through the night. When the morning came we 
 were sailing over a sunlit sea, as smooth as glass. So the 
 sorrows of the night were turned into joy in the morning. 
 
 And now began a long voyage on the China Sea. The 
 passage was not a pleasant one. Sunshine and smooth seas 
 were succeeded by clouds and storms, accompanied by 
 heavy rainfalls. The northeast monsoon made its force felt 
 to the discomfort of all the ship's company, and no one of 
 the passengers expressed the least regret when we steamed 
 into the harbor of Hong Kong, and landed amidst a throng 
 of almond-eyed, yellow celestials. 
 
 On a long sea voyage the continuous throbbing of the 
 engines and the revolutions of the propeller, after a time, 
 become almost a part of one's life. When you lie down at 
 night, the throbbing comes to you with the regularity of the 
 beating of your pulse, and, unconsciously, you will discover 
 that it is keeping time with the pulsations of your heart. 
 You breathe in unison with the throbs, and as the days go 
 by they become a part of your life. It is the great heart of 
 the ship, beating with the regularity of clockwork, which 
 gives motion to the vessel and drives it through the water 
 at such a rapid rate. To have the throbbing suddenly 
 cease, when out at sea, brings great alarm to the passen- 
 gers and much confusion to the ship's company. 
 
 An experience of this kind fell to our lot on the China 
 Sea, and wc shall not soon forget it. We were sitting to- 
 
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 i5 
 
 O 
 
AX ACCIDENT AT SEA. 513 
 
 gether on deck at nine o'clock in the evening. The night 
 was dark, a heav)' wind was blowing and the rain was com- 
 ing down in torrents, and in these latitudes it literally pours 
 down. The sea was rough, but as the monsoon was blowing 
 from the direction we were going, we suffered only from the 
 pitching of the ship. The deck was brilliantly lighted with 
 electricity, and in our protected corner we rather enjoyed 
 the warring of the elements. Suddenl)-, and without a mo- 
 ment's warning, the engines stopped, the heart of the ship 
 ceased its throbbings and we were in Egyptian darkness. 
 The moment the engines stopped, the current of electricity 
 was cut off, and we were left without light. The vessel, no 
 longer propelled through the water, could not be steered, so 
 fell into the trough of the sea and was at the mercy of the 
 waves. She rolled heavily, and at times it seemed as if the 
 ship would roll over on her side. We clung to an iron rail- 
 ing and waited anxiously for developments. The passen- 
 gers were much alarmed; some put on life-preservers and 
 others began calling on the Lord for help. A few moments 
 before all were in good spirits, and now all was gloom and 
 darkness, with dread and fear. Presently the old-time oil 
 lamps and lanterns were lighted, and never was light more 
 welcome. An officer came on deck and assured the people 
 that nothing of a serious character had happened, that the 
 repairs would be made in a few hours and we would be un- 
 der wa}- again. A steam supply pipe had bursted and 
 caused the trouble. This information parti}' quieted the 
 fears of the nervous ones. When, a few hours later, the 
 engines were again started, and the throbbing of the pro- 
 peller was again heard, great relief was felt by all, and from 
 many hearts grateful thanks went up to God who had pre- 
 served us in the face of a great danger. 
 
 The storm was succeeded by clear weather and a 
 
514 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 smooth sea, and this in turn b}- strong winds and rough wa- 
 ters. The best of discipline is maintained on board ship. 
 The officers and men are courteous to the passengers and 
 prompt in attention to their duties. The monoton\- of the 
 vo\'age was broken b\- an occasional lifeboat drill. At a 
 signal from the commanding officers the men hurried on 
 deck and took their places. There was no fire, there was 
 no need of the lifeboats; but if the ship had been in the most 
 imminent danger from fire or storm no greater promptness 
 could have been shown in getting fire hose and lifeboats 
 ready for the emergency. Every officer and man was at his 
 post read}' for action. It was the perfection of discipline 
 and gave the passengers confidence in the ability of officers 
 and crew to meet the danger promptly and intelligenth* if 
 it came. The drill, I reflected, was an excellent exercise. 
 It prepared the men for any emergency that might come, 
 and it is always well to be prepared for a danger that may 
 come. 
 
 A dull, leaden sk\', witli a horizon heavy with storm 
 clouds, greeted us when we went on deck on the mornin<j of 
 March 9. The coast of China was in full view, and in a 
 short time we were steaming into the magnificent harbor of 
 Hong Kong, the best and most commanding on the Chi- 
 nese coast. England has planted her standard here, and as 
 a result prosperity has smiled on the little fishing village of 
 1 84 1. Then Hong Kong had but a few thousand souls and 
 was a poverty-stricken place; now it has a population of 
 about two hundred thousand and is rich in commerce and 
 merchandise. The place is strongly fortified and com- 
 mands the approach to Canton and the commerce of the 
 Chinese coast. The cit}- is built on a genth'-rising slope 
 which recedes from the water, and then rising abruptly 
 forms Victoria heights. We were glad to leave the " Kai- 
 
WINDSOR HOTEL. 515 
 
 ser-i-Hind" which had been our home for thirteen days, 
 and seek a home on shore. We found a pleasant resting 
 place at the Windsor Hotel where we spent a week very 
 pleasantly. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Short Stay in China — The Black Plague — "Pidgin Etiglish" — The 
 Sedan Chair — Crowded Cities — Signboards — Houseboats — 77/1? 
 Noonday Meal — A Strange Fashioft — Small Feet. 
 
 Our stay in China was of short duration. Both at 
 Hong Kong and Canton the black plague prevailed and 
 many deaths were reported daily; so our first concern was 
 to secure a passage at the earliest possible date for Japan. 
 We considered ourselves fortunate in securing berths on the 
 English steamer " Ancona," sailing a week later for Yoko- 
 hama, by way of Kobe and the inland sea of Japan. These 
 arrangements being made, the time was spent in seeing 
 something of Chinese life. Our observations were limited. 
 China and the Chinese are a life-long study, and the week 
 spent on the coast gave us but little opportunity to see the 
 people in their homes. 
 
 The plague which was raging is one of the most fatal 
 diseases known. Instances are given where, in certain 
 places, every person attacked died. It is usually fatal in 
 from a few hours to three days after the attack. The first 
 symptoms are similar to those of the ague. There are se- 
 vere pains in the limbs, followed by extreme nervous pros- 
 tration, with excruciating pains in the head. The patient 
 becomes distracted and tosses about in deep fear. In many 
 cases death intervenes during the first twenty-four hours of 
 the attack. Cases are recorded where the victim succumbed 
 to the disease in less than three hours. The glands of the 
 
 neck are usually much swollen, and dark spots appear on 
 (516) 
 
THE BLACK DEATH. 51/ 
 
 the skin. This last symptom gave the disease the name of 
 the black death. 
 
 In the fourteenth century the plague invaded Europe, 
 and, according to statistics resulting from an inquiry made 
 by Pope Clement VI., the total number of victims of the 
 dread disease is given at 42,800,000. Other authorities give 
 tlie total deaths as 25,000,000. These figures are startling 
 and will serve to show the deadl}' nature of the disease. 
 The cities of London and Venice each lost one hundred 
 thousand of their people. The deaths in Germany were 
 given at a million and a half, and Italy lost fully one-half of 
 her population. 
 
 In 1656 the most destructive of all recorded epidemics 
 in Europe raged in Naples, when, it is said, 300,000 people 
 perished in about five months. In 1665 occurred the last 
 Great Plague in London. In a few months 68,596 people 
 perished out of a population of 460,000, two-thirds of whom 
 are supposed to have fled in order to escape the ravages of 
 the disease. The last outbreak of the plague in Europe oc- 
 curred in 1878-79, on the banks of the river Volga. It 
 caused a panic throughout Europe, but was confined to the 
 villages surrounding the place where it first appeared. 
 
 In the old time God sent plagues upon the nations be- 
 cause of their sins. If ever there was a time when sin 
 needs rebuke, it would seem that we are living in that 
 time to-da}-, — so-called Christian Europe allowing the Mo- 
 hammedans to massacre the Armenian Christians and pro- 
 tecting the Moslem from the righteous indignation of the 
 Greeks. A day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a 
 thousand years as a day. But the sins of nations will not 
 go unpunished. Because of sin the plague fell upon the 
 Israelites in the days of David. Because of sin it may fall 
 
5l8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 upon the nations of Europe at the close of the nineteenth 
 century. 
 
 The Windsor proved to be a comfortable hotel. The 
 Chinese servants were kind and obliging, the food was well 
 prepared after the American method of cooking, and had it 
 not been for the fact that the plague was prevailing we 
 might have spent a month in China very comfortably. The 
 Chinese waiters speak what is known as " Pidgin English," 
 a mixture of sounds, at first quite difficult to understand. 
 The elevator bo\- soon learned that our room was on the up- 
 per floor, and his wa}' of stating the fact was, " Melican man 
 loom topside." The " r" is too much for the vocal organs 
 of John, and he invariably substitutes " 1." To him the top 
 or upper is alwa\-s " topside." He seems to think that out- 
 side and inside should be supplemented with topside and 
 bottomside. One of the statements made to us was, " I 
 ling glong seven clock you leady eat." 
 
 At Hong Kong and Canton, as at Singapore, the com- 
 mon means of rapid transit is the sedan chair. It is some- 
 what different in appearance from those seen along the 
 Straits of Malacca, as may be seen by a comparison of our 
 fine photogravures, on pages 501 and 519. A very comfort- 
 able chair is fastened to and suspended between two 
 bamboo poles, wide enough apart to rest on each shoulder 
 of the carriers. You take your seat in the chair, and two 
 strong men kneel down between the poles, one at each end. 
 Placing one pole on each shoulder, they rise to their feet 
 and start off at a half trot. In the narrow, dirty, crowded 
 streets of Canton and the Chinese quarter in Hong Kong, 
 where walking is at times unsafe and entirely out of the 
 question, the sedan chair is the only means by which the 
 traveler can be taken from place to place with safety. The 
 chairs here are made with a view to comfort, and are finely 
 
< 
 u 
 
 > 
 
DENSITY OF POPULATION. 521 
 
 finished, showing considerable skill in workmanship. A 
 cover, made of waterproof material, is attached to protect 
 the passenger from the rays of the sun and from the rain, 
 so common at this season of the year on this part of the 
 Chinese coast. When one overcomes the natural aversion 
 — only a prejudice after all — to being carried about on men's 
 shoulders, the sedan chair is found to be a comfortable and 
 easy means of transit. It is much slower, however, than 
 the jinrikishas. But the chair will take }'ou where the 
 tu o-wheeled " pull-man-car " cannot go. But think of a 
 large city where the most rapid means of transit is the se- 
 dan chair! At home the horse car has long been too slow 
 for our people. Electricity has come to solve the problem 
 of rapid transit in our cities. In the Orient the donkey, the 
 camel, the jinrikisha and the sedan chair are fast enough 
 for these easy, slow-going people. Verily the Oriental 
 clings to the ways of his father. 
 
 But little attention is paid to sanitary conditions in the 
 cities of China. Sewerage is neglected, the streets are nar- 
 row and the houses are crowded with human beings. It is a 
 matter of amazement to the traveler to know how many 
 people can be stowed away in an ordinary Chinese house. 
 Canton has a population of a million, and you wonder where 
 the people live. No marvel that the plague carries off so 
 many of them; the wonder is that the death rate is not 
 much higher than it is. The narrow streets are paved with 
 cut stone, and during the heat of the day are shaded with 
 awnings. The)- are lumbered with articles for sale, and dur- 
 ing the busy part of the day are overcrowded with natives. 
 Our picture on page 523 shows a narrow business street 
 after the business of the day has closed, and only the mer- 
 chants are left to look after and care for their wares. The 
 Chinese merchant sets forth his virtues on his signboard. 
 
522 GIRDLINC; THE GLOBE. 
 
 You ma)' read, if you can master the hieroglyphics, such 
 signs as these, " Unselfish Generosity," " Benevolence and 
 Justice," " Peace and Righteousness," " Friendship and 
 Fidelity." These high-sounding phrases are supposed to 
 set forth the excellent character of the trader; but it is said 
 he falls far below the standard he sets for himself. The 
 name of the merchant seldom appears on the signboard, but 
 his keenness and sagacity are made known in phrases like 
 this: " No credit given here; we have grown wise by expe- 
 rience." He also informs his patrons that " No cheating 
 is done here." The inscriptions like the last are not always 
 appropriate. Here is one copied frorn a sign above the 
 door of an opium den: " May health and happiness rest on 
 all who enter here." The sentiment ex«pressed is as much 
 out of place over the door of an opium den as it would be 
 over that of a rum shop in Chicago or New York. 
 
 Morally, the Chinese standard, like that of all heathen 
 nations, is very low. Paul's description, in Romans i, of the 
 depravity of the Imperial City may be applied to the great 
 mass of the people in China. Those who have made a care- 
 ful study of the Chinese, and their moral and social life, say 
 that while there are among them some excellent traits of 
 character, yet side by side with these " are found habits 
 which are gross and sensual, and practices which reveal a 
 sorry lack of cultured moral sense." 
 
 Like the Hindu, the average Chinaman has no idea of 
 the beaut)- of truthfulness or the moral depravity of l)'ing. 
 He seems to be without conscience on the subject. It is 
 said, that " to lie is with them a sort of Spartan virtue 
 Parents feel pleased at the dexterity with which a child of 
 theirs can lie. The)' regard it as a touch of genius — a hope- 
 ful sign that their son will make his way in the world." 
 
 In trading, this infirmity is made manifest. The mer- 
 
Stref.t in Hon'g Kong. 
 
PILFERING CHINAMEN. 525 
 
 chant on whose sign you read " Benevolence and Justice," 
 will tell you with all the earnestness of apparent truthful- 
 ness that the article which he is offering you for four dol- 
 lars, and which would be dear at half the price, cost him 
 three dollars and ninety cents, and that he is charging you 
 ten cents profit for keeping it and for the trouble of selling 
 it to \ou. If you offer him two dollars for it he will declare 
 he is losing money and being ruined, but in the end you get 
 the article, only to find out later that }ou have paid two 
 prices for it. 
 
 In " Everyday Life in China" we find this reference to the 
 deceptive propensities of the people: "The ingenuit}- of the 
 Chinaman comes out strongly in his pilfering habits. As 
 we said of their lying, where affection or self-interest con- 
 strain them, they are all that could be wished. The same is 
 true of honesty. Valuables may be safel\- intrusted with a 
 man who has sufficient reason to be honest; but all is fair 
 gain that can be safely gotten, is the loose principle of 
 ' childlike and bland' John Chinaman. Robbery becomes a 
 high art with certain classes, especially as the New Year ap- 
 proaches. Several years ago, while the supreme court of 
 Hong Kong was in session, a man entered the court room 
 with a ladder, which he proceeded to place upon a bench 
 near the judge. The judge and counsel were annoyed at 
 the ill-timed procedure and asked what he wanted. He 
 said he had been sent to fetch the clock to be cleaned. In 
 a rash moment the judge said that, seeing he was already 
 upon the ladder, he might as well take the clock there and 
 then, instead of coming back for it at a more convenient 
 season, and so he did; but the clock was never heard of 
 more! We have known a housetop stripped of its lead by 
 persons who said they had been sent to repair it. One al- 
 most feels as though they had earned it by their daring! " 
 
526 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 A very peculiar phase of Chinese life is to be found 
 amony; the dwellers on the water. House-boats are com- 
 mon on all the rivers and harbors of China. Tens of thou- 
 sands are born, live, and die on and in the house-boats. 
 They go ashore only to sell fish and bu)- such things as are 
 necessary to supply their very limited wants. They are at 
 home on the water. The day we steamed away from Hong 
 Kong several house-boats cast anchor alongside the " An- 
 cona," and from the deck we had an opportunity to study 
 some phases of this peculiar life. We watched with inter- 
 est the movements of a large family on one of the boats. 
 The mother, with a year-old babe strapped to her back, was 
 busily engaged in preparing the noonday meal for her nu- 
 merous progeny. A large pot, set over the fire which was 
 burning on a kind of hearth placed on the deck, was boiling, 
 and as the woman lifted the lid and stirred the contents the 
 odor of cooking rice came to us on the ship. Half a dozen 
 children were plaj'ing about the deck and were having a 
 good time generally. Around the neck of the smaller chil- 
 dren is tied a heavy cord, to which is attached a piece of 
 bamboo. If, in their romping about the deck, one of them 
 falls overboard, which often happens, the mother fishes the 
 little one out of the water with a boat-hook, the cord about 
 the neck, with the bamboo attached, being very convenient 
 for that purpose. 
 
 When the woman gave the signal for dinner, the father 
 and more children came from below deck. They squatted 
 down, forming a circle around the dinner pot, ten in num- 
 ber. The mother gave each of them a china bowl filled 
 with the steaming hot rice. Spoons, knives or forks were 
 not used, chop-sticks taking the place of these useful arti- 
 cles. It is surprising how skillfully these two straight, thin 
 sticks, about seven inches in length, can be used in convey- 
 
A Chinese Woman. 
 
SMALL FEET. 529 
 
 ing food from dish or bowl to the mouth. The dinner end- 
 ed, the chop-sticks were cleaned by drawing them through 
 the hand, the bowls were washed in a little water dipped 
 from the sea, and the woman's work was done for the time. 
 
 One of the most distressing customs or fashions to be 
 observed in China is that of arresting the growth of the feet 
 in childhood, so that when the girl baby has grown to 
 womanhood she ma}- shine in the highest ranks of fashion 
 and aristocracy, because of the smallness of her feet. In 
 early childhood, when the bones and cartilage are soft, the 
 feet are bandaged and compressed in such a way that 
 growth is impossible. For several years the process is said 
 to be extremely painful, and the little v'ictim to the de- 
 mands of custom and fashion can onl\' cry and moan in 
 agony until the feet become wasted and bloodless, and in- 
 sensible to pain. A photograph of a Chinese lady's feet 
 shows that all the toes, except the great one, are turned 
 under and are to be seen only on the sole of the foot. At 
 Hong Kong we purchased several pairs of shoes, such as are 
 worn b}- the ladies of that country. The inner measure is 
 exactly three inches in length, and at the heel, the widest 
 part of the shoe, an inch and a quarter in width. The shoe 
 tapers to a point lilce the most fashionable tooth-pick shoes, 
 now so generally worn in our own country. 
 
 The Chinese women, whose feet are deformed as before 
 described, find it a very dif^cult matter to walk, and many 
 of them must be carried from place to place b}' servants. 
 Their "golden lilies," as they call their feet, are so de- 
 formed and weak that they cannot bear the weight imposed 
 upon them. We saw several of them tr}ing to walk, and 
 their steps were as short and as unsteady as those of a child 
 taking its first lessons in walking. It will be understood 
 that this fashion prevails only among the rich Mandarins — a 
 
530 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 wealthy, office-holding caste — and that the common people 
 appear to have too much good sense to follow this hurtful 
 and ridiculous fashion set up by the upper class. 
 
 In our own civilized and Christianized country we won- 
 der how people can be so silly as to follow such sense- 
 less and injurious fashions as prevail in heathen lands. 
 There is no accounting for taste in fashion. The Chinese 
 compress their feet and Christians compress their waists by 
 tight lacing. Of the two evils eminent physicians do not 
 hesitate to say that the latter is by far the more injurious 
 to the health of the devotee of fashion. The feet are de- 
 formed by the Chinese, but the more important organs of 
 the body are not interfered with. The Christian, by tight 
 lacing, compresses, deforms, and displaces the vital organs, 
 and ill health, suffering, and a broken constitution result. 
 These evils fall not onl)- on those who indulge in the hurtful 
 fashions, but upon unborn generations. A comparison of 
 the follies, excesses, and injuries entailed by following the 
 goddess of fashion, is fully as favorable to the heathen as to 
 the Christian. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Frojii China to Japan — A Staunch Steamer and a Rough Sea — Trust- 
 ing in God — A Dangerous Coast — Nagasaki — General Grant's 
 
 Tree — A Touching Incident — The Inland Sea of Japan — Kobe 
 — A Japafiese Passport — Journey to Kioto — The Politeness of the 
 Japanese — The Ancient Capital of Japan — Historical — Will 
 A dams — Commodore Perry — The Japanese Dress — A bsence of 
 Jeivcby — The Kioto Jinrikisha — The Temple oj Kwannon — One 
 
 Thousand and One Images — The Buddha. 
 
 I FIND in my notebook under date of March 13, i8g6, 
 the following entry: To-day at noon the English steamer 
 " Ancona," three thousand tons burden, swung around in 
 the harbor of Hong Kong and our voyage from China to 
 Japan began. A strong wind was blowing from the north- 
 east and the feeling was pretty general among the passen- 
 gers that we should have a rough passage. This feeling 
 was intensified when orders were given to take down awn- 
 ings and close portholes and hatchways. The few sails the 
 ship carried were securely lashed to the \"arcis and every 
 rope and chain made tight. We were prepared for the 
 storm if it came. There is wisdom in being ready, and 
 these preparations gave us all confidence in our captain. 
 Outside the harbor the sea was rough, but our course lay 
 through the Straits of Formosa, so that we had the protec- 
 tion of the land for some distance. Then came the wide 
 stretch of sea where wind and waves had full pla}\ The 
 storm swept down with increasing force from the Yellow 
 Sea, piling up the water into hills and ridges, tossing our 
 
 staunch little steamer to and fro on the crest of the waves, 
 
 (531) 
 
532 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 to the full content of those who enjoy a storm at sea, and 
 to the great discomfort of those who fall an easy prey to 
 seasickness. 
 
 The night came down on the sea with inky blackness, 
 and the storm wind howled and shrieked as it swept across 
 the foaming, seething waters. It was a wild night. Before 
 going to our cabins we commended ourselves to him in 
 whom we trust. Then we sang, not only with our lips but 
 from the innermost depth of the soul: 
 
 "Jesus, lover of my soul, 
 Let me to thy bosom fly, 
 While the nearer waters roll. 
 While the tempest still is high; 
 Hide me, O my Savior, hide, 
 Till the storm of life is past; 
 Safe into the haven guide, 
 O receive my soul at last." 
 
 What if the storm comes and the billows roll, in the 
 bosom of the Shepherd we sought and found refuge, and 
 so through the night we slept the sleep of rest and peace. 
 What a power there is in prayer, in this that while God 
 does not remove the ills of life from us he gives us, as he 
 did Paul, grace to bear them. And so amid the storms of 
 life we may lie down in trustful peace, knowing that God 
 will do that which is best. Shipwreck may come, a watery 
 grave may be our lot, but if so it will be an open gateway to 
 a home where storms never come. Is it not best to take 
 this broader view of God's dealings with us? Do we not 
 often belittle God's providence by our narrow views and ex- 
 treme selfishness? God, help me to see thy wonderful good- 
 ness and mercy in all thy dealings with me. 
 
 The wind abated somewhat during the night, but the 
 storm clouds still cover the sk'/. We have not had a 
 
PORT NAGASAKI. 533 
 
 glimpse of the sun for two weeks, and how we long for the 
 bright sunlight of India and the Isle of Spices. 
 
 All day we coast along the southern shores of China. 
 The captain of the " Ancona " tells us this is the most dan- 
 gerous sea in the world to navigate and that many good 
 ships are wrecked in these waters every )'ear. We pass 
 many rocks that seem dangerously near to our ship, as 
 they are partly hidden by the water; but still they are far 
 enough away when the water is smooth. But woe to the 
 luckless mariner whose craft is caught here by the t\'phoon. 
 Certain destruction awaits him. 
 
 Four days out from Hong Kong we cast anchor in the 
 harbor of Nagasaki, one of the ports of Japan, and have 
 our first experience among the Japanese, who are by far the 
 most interesting people in the Orient. As we remained at 
 this port but half a day we had no time for extended obser- 
 vation. We saw something of the old city which is without 
 special interest outside of its people, who are always inter- 
 esting. Near the city is a beautiful garden or park. The 
 jinrikishas were ready to take us to the garden, and we spent 
 part of the time very pleasantly strolling about the well- 
 kept place. At one place we noticed a granite block upon 
 which is engraved the following letter, in the well-known 
 handwriting of General Grant: 
 
 Nagasaki, Japan, June 22, 1879. 
 At the request of Gov. Utsuma Mrs. Grant and I each 
 planted a tree in the Nagasaki Park. I hope both trees 
 may prosper, grow large, live long, and this growth, pros- 
 perity and long life may be emblematical of the future of 
 Japan. U. S. Grant. 
 
 Near by the tablet stand the trees planted nearly a 
 score of years ago. Their growth in no way indicated the 
 length of the lives of those who planted them. The one 
 
534 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 planted b\- the cjreat <^eneral prospers, f^rows and gives 
 promise of long life, while the one planted by Mrs Grant is 
 dead and will soon be rotted away. Only a few years after 
 the trees were planted Grant closed his earthl)- career. His 
 wife still survives him. 
 
 From Nagasaki our course lay through the Inland Sea 
 of Japan, one of the n:ost beautiful and picturesque bodies 
 of water in the East. It is bordered with undulating hills 
 and valleys, covered with a carpet of green, and dotted here 
 and there with thriving cities and towns. This part of the 
 voyage was delightfully pleasant, and we enjoyed it all the 
 better because of the rough experience of the preceding 
 da)'s. 
 
 As we steamed across this beautiful body of water an 
 incident occurred which no one who witnessed it will soon 
 forget. We had on board the " Ancona " the wife of the 
 captain of a sister ship, the "Verona," and the two vessels 
 running between Yokohama and Hong Kong would meet 
 and pass within a hundred yards of each other on the Inland 
 Sea. The wife was anxious to see and greet her husband as 
 he passed, and the passengers were all interested in her 
 wifel)- devotion. Presently the "Verona" appeared in 
 sight, and the captain's wife stationed herself on the upper 
 deck and waited to catch a glimpse of her husband as he 
 passed by. We all watched with her, and as the ships 
 neared each other the husband's voice was heard, and greet- 
 ings were exchanged as the ship moved rapidly on. It was 
 a pleasant incident, and }-et it had a sad side — husband and 
 wife so close together and \'et so far apart. As the ships 
 drew rapidly awa}- from each other I thought of the day of 
 judgment, when man)- a husband and wife will pass one to 
 the right, the other to the left, and w ill see each other no 
 more. 
 
TRAVELING INLAND. 535 
 
 Arriving at Kobe, an important seaport of Japan, we 
 decided, provided we could secure passports, to leave the 
 " Ancona " and proceed by railway to Yokohama. This 
 would give us an opportunity to see something of the in- 
 terior of Japan and to become better acquainted with the 
 people and their manners and customs. Without a pass- 
 port a foreigner cannot travel inland beyond the narrow 
 treaty limits of the open ports. Accordingly I trudged 
 through the rain to the United States Consulate, where the 
 state paper was to be had for the asking and the payment 
 of one yen — about fifty cents of our money. The consul 
 was absent, but his assistant, a gentlemanly Japanese, ar- 
 ranged the matter and we were soon in possession of the 
 needed papers. The passport was printed in Japanese. 
 The English translation attached reads as follows: 
 
 Consulate of the United St.ates of America. 
 At Hiogo, March 19, i8g6. 
 The annexed passport has been granted to the citizens 
 of the United States whose names appear below, by the 
 Hiogo Ken-Cho, for travel in the interior, at the request of 
 the undersigned officer, through whom it must be returned 
 at its expiration. The bearers are expressly cautioned to 
 observe, in every particular, the directions of the Japanese 
 Government printed in Japanese characters on the back of 
 the passport, an English translation of which is given here- 
 with, and they are expected and required to conduct them- 
 selves in an orderly and conciliatory manner towards the 
 Japanese authorities and people. 
 
 The directions accompanying the passport say that 
 upon request the traveler must show the paper to any 
 officer or innkeeper for inspection. Failing to do this, he 
 will be sent back to the nearest open port. The bearer 
 must not rent a house in the interior, hunt, or use firearms, 
 
536 GIRDLING THE GLOBE, 
 
 travel in a carriage by night without a light, attend a fire on 
 horseback, drive rapidly on narrow roads, neglect to pay 
 ferry and bridge tolls, injure notice signs, house signs and 
 mile posts, scribble on temple or shrine walls, injure crops, 
 shrubs, trees or plants, trespass on fields, or light fires in 
 woods or hills or moors. 
 
 The numerous prohibitions on the official document did 
 not interfere with the pleasure of our tour through the coun- 
 try. We had not the remotest idea of attending fires on 
 horseback or of renting a house in the interior or of kin- 
 dling a fire on hill or moor. It is evident that the Japanese 
 are acquainted with the propensity of the average Ameri- 
 can to write his name wherever he goes; hence the prohibi- 
 tion against scribbling on temple walls. 
 
 Armed with our passport, which threw around us the 
 protection of the United States, we left Hiogo, otherwise 
 Kobe, by railway for Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan 
 and by far the most interesting city in all the country. 
 Railroading in Japan is much like railroading in other parts 
 of the world. The cars were comfortable, the seats facing ■ 
 each other with a spacious aisle in the center. The floor of 
 the coaches was covered with heavy rugs, and closed flat 
 tin vessels filled with hot water furnished a grateful warmth, 
 for the air was damp and cold outside. The roadbed was 
 firm and the train ran without jolting or jarring. The rate 
 of speed did not exceed twenty-five miles an hour; numer- 
 ous stops were made to let off and take on passengers. 
 
 Our first impression of the people was favorable to 
 them. We found them polite, courteous, kind-hearted and 
 well disposed toward Americans. Their politeness and cour- 
 tesy is so strongly marked, and so manifest on all sides, that 
 it may be set down as a national characteristic. During 
 our two months' stay in Japan we never saw an exception 
 
CITY OF THE MIKADOS. 537 
 
 to the general rule of refined courtesy on the part of those 
 with whom we came ui contact. From the highest official in 
 government circles to the Coolie who pulls your jinrikisha 
 through the streets you w ill receive the most polite atten- 
 tion. The officials in charge of the train were as polite as 
 the most refined gentlemen. Rudeness was entirely out of 
 the question with them. 
 
 At five in the evening the train rolled into the depot, 
 and half an hour later we were going through the streets of 
 the old capital of Japan, jinrikisha fashion, for the Kyoto 
 hotel, where we found very pleasant and comfortable quar- 
 ters during our stay in the City of the IVIikados. 
 
 A few facts as to Japan historically may not be without 
 interest. The ancient history of the Japanese is so mingled 
 w ith the fiction of mythology and the supernatural that it is 
 wholly unreliable. Shintoism was the religion of the peo- 
 ple; it means, literally, the " way of the gods." The em- 
 perors were, according to this belief, descendants of the 
 gods and divine honors were paid them living or dead. 
 The motto of the times was, " Obey the emperor and be 
 happy." This intermingling of the human and the divine 
 led to the belief that the rulers possessed miraculous pow- 
 ers, and wonderful stories are told of them. No depen- 
 dence can be placed on the records prior to the fifth century 
 of our era. Even the annals of the sixth and seventh centu- 
 ries cannot be accepted with full credence. 
 
 About A. D. 600 the nation was converted to the 
 teaching of Buddha. From India the teachers of this doc- 
 trine went into China, from where, in a corrupted stream. 
 Buddhism was carried into Japan. Shintoism was not, how- 
 ever, overthrown. It was taken into Buddhism and the two 
 exist in Japan to-day. 
 
 Coming down to later times, the first Englishman that 
 
533 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ever resided in Japan was a sea captain by the name of 
 Adams. On A[)ril ig, 1600, in a heavy storm he ran his 
 ship into tiie harbor of Nagasaki, where he was taken pris- 
 oner and carried before the emperor. The ruler was shrewd 
 enough to recognize in Adams an able and useful man, and 
 from that time until his death in 1620 he remained an exile 
 from his native land. He was retained at the Japanese 
 court and employed as a ship-builder and a teacher of ways 
 P^nglish, and later as an agent to treat with other English 
 traders who now began to visit the ports of Japan. Adams 
 often referred to his wife and children in England, and re- 
 iterated a desire to return to them again; but he died with- 
 out having his desire gratified. It would seem that the em- 
 peror amph' rewarded the old sea captain for his services. 
 In a quaint letter written by another adventurer, who visited 
 Adams on his estate at Hemi, we have this account: " The 
 estate is a Lordshipp given to Capt. Adams per the ould 
 Emperour to hym and his foreaver, and confermed to his 
 sonne, called Joseph. There is above 100 farms, or hous- 
 holds, uppon it, besides others under them, all of which are 
 his vassals, and he hath power of l)fe and death over them, 
 they being his slaves; and he having as absolute authoritie 
 over them as any king in Japan hath over his vassals." 
 
 Not to an Englishman, however, but to an American 
 belongs the praise and the title to lasting fame for having 
 thrown open the door of eastern Asia to the world. Japan 
 stubbornly refused to acknowledge the existence of an out- 
 side world. Japan for the Japanese and death to foreigners 
 was the motto inscribed on her banners. For more than 
 two centuries she shut herself up in timid seclusion and 
 admitted no foreigner to her soil. The barrier was broken 
 by Commodore Perry, of the United States Navy. In July, 
 1853, his fleet anchored off Uraga, a port at the entrance of 
 
PROGRESSIVE JAPAN. 539 
 
 Yeddo Bay. The Japanese sought to prevent his landing, 
 but setting aside every obstacle he succeeded in placing in 
 the hands of the emperor the letter of President Filmore 
 demanding the opening of the ports of Japan to United 
 States ships and the establishment of commercial relations. 
 Having accomplished his purpose, he proceeded to China, 
 promising to return the next }'ear for an answer. The re- 
 sult was the first foreign treaty ever made b\' Japan. It was 
 signed at Kanagawa, now Yokohama, on the 31st of March, 
 1854. By this treaty two ports were opened to American 
 trade and the barrier was thrown down. England, France 
 and Russia followed in Perry's train and the port of Yoko- 
 hama was thrown open to the world. In 1860-61 the em- 
 peror of Japan sent an embassy to the United States, and 
 the New Japan entered upon its existence. It resulted in a 
 re\-olution " which, after plunging Japan into confusion and 
 bloodshed, has regenerated on Western lines all her institu- 
 tions, ideas, and aims, — this, which it takes so few words to 
 sa\', but which implies so much, is the result of what Perry 
 was instrumental in doing. Many things precious to the 
 lovers of art and antiquit)' perished in the process, for old 
 Japan was like an oyster: — to open it was to kill it." 
 
 Perry's peaceful victory, won without the roar of can- 
 non or clash of arms, marks an epoch in the history of Japan. 
 Her progress since then has been one of the marvels of the 
 century. From an unknown, illiterate heathen nation, she 
 has in forty years taken her place among the progressive 
 nations of the world. In the war with China she showed 
 her mettle, and in a few sharp, decisive blows brought the 
 Chinese empire to her feet. In the diplomatic and commer- 
 cial relations that exist between civilized nations, Japan, 
 from this time forward, must be taken into account as an 
 important factor. Her future, judging from the past, is full 
 
540 GIRDLING THE flLOIsE. 
 
 of promise, and it is not too much to hope that her progress 
 ma}' open up the vast territory of China to the Christianiz- 
 ing and civilizing influence now so active in most parts of 
 the world. 
 
 Japan, called Nippon in the native tongue, means liter- 
 ally, " sun origin," " the place where the sun comes from." 
 The Chinese gave it this name because the islands were east 
 of their own country and the sun appeared to them to rise 
 out of the archipelago. Hence its poetical name, "The 
 Land of the Rising Sun." It comprises four large islands, 
 with about four thousand smaller ones clustering around the 
 larger. Its area, exclusive of the territory recently ac- 
 quired by treaty from China, resulting from the late war, is 
 147,655 square miles. In area it is 20,000 square miles less 
 than the three Western States of Illinois, Iowa and Nebras- 
 ka, but in population it exceeds them about six to one. 
 According to the census of 1890 the states named had a 
 population of 7,077,666. In 1893 the census of Japan 
 showed a population of 41,089,940. With the same density 
 of population the United States would contain more than 
 three hundred million souls, a condition altogether possi- 
 ble to be realized before the close of the twentieth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 K>oto, the western capital, and until 1S69 the residence 
 of the imperial family, has a population of nearly three 
 hundred thousand, and is, as already intimated, the most in- 
 teresting city in Japan. The seaport cities are more or less 
 Europeanized. In them many of the natives have adopted 
 the costumes worn by the English and the Americans, but 
 here the people very sensibly cling to their own convenient 
 and healthful style of dress. During our stay in the capital 
 we rode about the streets in jinrikishas, visited the most im- 
 portant temples, the imperial palace and other places of in- 
 

 
 
 ^ 
 
 »■«- 
 
 k 
 
 
 ji 
 
 pi 
 
 / 
 
 ^81^1% 
 
 F^-^-r 
 
 '0^ ^ ■■ 
 
 Japanese Ladies in Winter Dress. 
 
JAPANESE DRESS. 543 
 
 terest, and during that period we did not see a. Japanese 
 lady or gentleman dressed in American or European cloth- 
 ing. In this they show their good sense and fine taste. 
 
 Speaking in a general way about the dress of the Japan- 
 ese, the kimono, or outer garment, resembles an American 
 dressing gown. It is folded across the breast, leaving the 
 neck exposed, is held in place by a sash or belt, and is worn 
 alike by both sexes, the principal difference being in the 
 sleeves, which are cut square and are made larger in the 
 dress worn by the women. The large sleeves are utilized as 
 pockets and are very convenient for this purpose. 
 
 The sash or belt which keeps the kimono in place is 
 formed into a large bow on the back, known as the obi, and 
 is the principal ornament of the female dress. The clothing 
 is plain, especially among married women, loose-fitting, 
 comfortable, healthful and withal neat and tasty. No at- 
 tempt is made by the Japanese women to compress the 
 waist by binding it in steel frame, health-destroying corsets, 
 so generally worn by Christian women in Europe and 
 America to improve the form and produce a wasp-like 
 waist. The Japanese ladies, as a rule, have too much good 
 common sense to indulge in tight lacing. If the few orna- 
 ments worn in the hair be excepted, it may be said that 
 jewelry is not worn by the women of Japan. Among the 
 converts to Christianit}- are found those who, following the 
 fashion set by the wives of some of the missionaries, wear 
 jewelr}-; but this is the exception and not the rule. 
 
 The wealthy people wear kimonos of the finest quality 
 of silk, and Japan produces the finest silk in the world. 
 An aristocratic Japanese lady's dress may represent a value 
 of two hundred dollars, and between this and the Coolies' 
 poor trappings, which cost two dollars, there is every 
 grade of clothing and range of price. As the fashion of 
 
544 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the garments does not change, they are handed down from 
 father to son and from mother to daughter. Think of a 
 fashionable lady in America wearing her grandmother's 
 gown! She would be the observed of all observers. Since 
 her grandmother was a young lady the fashion has changed 
 a score of times. Not so in Japan. The fashion of the kim- 
 ono has not changed in a score of generations. No time is 
 spent by the Japanese ladies in studying the latest fashion 
 plates, or racking their brains about the latest thing out in 
 spring or winter bonnets. " In all its essentials," sa}'s an 
 author who has made a careful study of the subject, " the fe- 
 male costume of Japan has remained the same, decade after 
 decade; graceful, artistic, comfortable, and wholesome. 
 The women of this country never abbreviated the interval 
 between themselves and savagery by boring holes in their 
 ears to hang baubles there, by loading their fingers with 
 rings, by encasing their chests in frames of steel and bone, 
 by distorting their feet with high-heeled shoes, by tricking 
 their heads with feathers, and by sticking dead birds over 
 their raiment." 
 
 The Japanese ladies take great pains in arranging their 
 hair, which is always jet black and of which they have a 
 great wealth. The assistance of some one is indispensable 
 in arranging the hair. There are folds and braids and tiny 
 ornamental pins and tortoise shell combs used in a way to 
 produce the finest effect. At night, to keep her coiffure in- 
 tact, the lady has a narrow wooden block surmounted with a 
 roll of cotton for a pillow. On this she rests her neck, and 
 thus keeps her hair from being disarranged. In warm 
 weather she appears on the street with her head uncovered, 
 while in the winter she wears a cloth over the head and 
 about the neck. 
 
 The children's dress is much like that of their elders, 
 
< 
 
 X 
 
 
 CO 
 
 W 
 
 < 
 
 ft. 
 < 
 
 s 
 
 t-H 
 
ADOPT EUROPEAN DRESS. 547 
 
 The child's kimono is but a miniature of the one worn by 
 the father and mother. Every child wears a small charm 
 bag at its side, which is supposed to have the virtue of 
 keeping evil away from them. It is made of bright colored 
 cloth and contains the mamori-fiida , or charm. Usually 
 children have a metal tag fastened about the neck with 
 name and address stamped on it. In the event of their be- 
 ing lost it is easy to locate them. Among the poor class 
 children are scantily clad even in the winter, and in summer 
 they run about clad only in nature's garb. 
 
 Within the past few years the progressive ideas of the 
 people have led some of them to adopt European dress; 
 this not because it is better than their own, but as a mark 
 of advancement in civilization. The court at Tokio has 
 adopted the Paris st\les, and it has made some progress in 
 the open ports. But the public appeal, signed by Mrs. 
 Cleveland, Mrs. Garfield and scores of other prominent 
 women of America, to the ladies of Japan, in which the)' 
 hope that they are " too patriotic to endanger the health of 
 a nation, and to abandon what is beautiful and suitable in 
 their national costume, and to waste money on foreign 
 fashions," is having its influence, and it is to be hoped for 
 the sake of the health and prosperit}' of Japan that she will 
 cling to her own style of dress. 
 
 In Kyoto the jinrikisha is the onh' means of public con- 
 veyance. The Japanese vehicle does not differ materially 
 from those used in Ceylon and the Straits Settlements on 
 the peninsula of Malacca, already described at some length, 
 the only noticeable difference being that in Japan many of 
 the jinrikishas are wide enough to seat two people. The 
 Japanese are a small race and two of them are drawn about 
 with apparent ease. Usually, however, when two persons 
 ride two men furnish the motive power, one to push and the 
 
54l5 GIKULING THE GLOBE. 
 
 other to pull. In the courtyard in front of our hotel a 
 score of 'rikisha men with their miniature buggies were sta- 
 tioned waiting for passengers. After one has had time to 
 overcome the feeling that it is not right to be drawn about 
 the streets by men, it comes to be a pleasant and enjoyable 
 method of seeing a large city. Your view is wholly unob- 
 structed, and }'Ou can thread narrow streets where a larger 
 vehicle could not go. Then there is no occasion to hurry. 
 You can have your 'rikisha man walk along slowly when 
 places of interest are in sight, and )ou can make observa- 
 tions and take notes, as it were on the wing. The men are 
 careful and faithful. 
 
 In May, 1891, the present Czar of Russia with his cous- 
 in, Prince George of Greece, was traveling in Japan. 
 While riding through the streets the Czar was attacked by 
 an assassin and had it not been for the timely aid rendered 
 by his cousin and the two jinrikisha men, Mukobata and 
 Kitaga, he would have been murdered. The two men are 
 the heroes of the jinrikisha world. Honors and rewards 
 were showered on them alike by the Czar and the Emperor 
 of Japan. 
 
 Kyoto, having been for many years the royal residence, 
 abounds in temples great and small, with many images of 
 the gods of Japan. To describe them in detail would be to 
 write volumes. I shall attempt only a very brief descrip- 
 tion of several of the most important which we visited. 
 
 A delightful ride through the city brought us to the 
 San-ju-san-gendo, the temple of Kwannon, the goddess of 
 mercy. It is also called the temple of 33,333 images. 
 There are actually 1,001 images of the goddess set up in the 
 place. The goddess is reputed to have a thousand hands, 
 and an image for each hand with one thrown in for good 
 measure was required to satisfy the image-loving Emperor 
 
o 
 
 H 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 
TEMPLE OF SAN-TU. 551 
 
 Kameyama, who rebuilt the temple and set up the images 
 in 1266 A. D. The building is 389 feet in length and 57 
 feet wide. With exception of a narrow walk at one side, 
 the entire building is occupied by the images. They are 
 carved out of wood, each five feet in height and stand on 
 pedestals placed in tiers along the side of the building. 
 Our photogravure shows one-half of the building. A large 
 seated image will be noticed in the foreground. This is 
 placed in the center of the building, so that we have in view 
 only half of the images. The number 33,333 is obtained by 
 including in the computation the smaller images on the 
 foreheads, the halos and the hands of the larger ones. The 
 images are gilded with gold and present an impressive ap- 
 pearance. Passing slowly along the temple aisle we noticed 
 several pedestals without images. This was explained later 
 when we entered the workshop at the rear of the building, 
 where several men were kept constantly at work repairing 
 and restoring the gods. 
 
 An idea of the traditions connected wnth Japanese wor- 
 ship and of the superstitious belief of the ignorant among the 
 people, is given in the following, which is connected with 
 the temple of San-Tu. The Emperor Go-Shivakawa, being 
 troubled with severe headaches which all the usual rem- 
 edies failed to relieve, made a pilgrimage to the temple of 
 the goddess of mercy to pray for relief. He was directed 
 by the gods to apply to a celebrated Indian physician then 
 resident at a temple in the capital. He at once proceeded 
 thither, when a monk appeared and informed him that in a 
 previous state of existence his majesty had been a pious 
 monk who for his merits had been promoted to the rank of 
 mikado in this present life; but that his former skull was ly- 
 ing in the bottom of a river undissolved, and that out of it 
 grew a willow tree which shook every time the wind blew. 
 
552 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 causing his majesty's head to ache. On arrivini:^ the em- 
 peror instituted a search for the skull, and having found it 
 had it enclosed in the head of the large image in this tem- 
 ple, whereupon he was cured of his headache. 
 
 The followers of Buddha in Japan delight in making 
 colossal images of their god. Near the temple of Kwannon 
 is the celebrated wooden image of Buddha, called the Dai- 
 butsu. It consists of only the head and shoulders of the 
 god, without the body. Such are its dimensions, however, 
 that it reaches to the ceiling of the lofty hall in which it is 
 kept. The height of the image is fifty-eight feet, and the 
 breadth of the shoulders forty-three feet, the face being 
 thirty feet in length. The head and face are gilded with 
 gold and the image presents an imposing appearance. At 
 Kamakara we saw another great image of the Buddha, a 
 picture of which is given on page 553. It is said to be one 
 of the finest examples of Japanese sculpture. The image is 
 forty-nine feet in height and ninety-seven feet in circumfer-. 
 ence. Notice the two Japanese standing at the base of the 
 image, showing by comparison its great size. "The eyes of 
 the image are of pure gold and the silver boss, the projec- 
 tion on the forehead, weighs thirty pounds. The image is 
 formed of sheets of bronze cast separately, brazed together, 
 and finished off on the outside with the chisel. The hollow 
 interior of the figure contains a small shrine, and by means 
 of a winding stairway one may ascend into the head." 
 
 It will be noticed that the head of the Daibutsu is cov- 
 ered with small, round protuberances. The}- are made to 
 represent snails. It is said that when Buddha sat so long 
 beneath the bo tree in India, the afternoon tropical sun beat 
 down on his head. The snails, the story says, taking pity 
 on the sufferer, crawled to the top of his head and arranged 
 
Buddha Dairutsu. 
 
Greatest need of japan. 555 
 
 themselves so as to form a complete covering for the god, 
 thus protecting his head from the rays of the sun. 
 
 Another temple, among the number visited in Kyoto, 
 worthy of brief mention, is the new Buddhist building 
 known as Higashi Honwanji. It has just been completed 
 and occupies the site of a similar structure destroyed by fire 
 in 1864, and is the largest temple of its kind in Japan. The 
 building is imposing in appearance and abounds in fine 
 carvings and exquisite woodwork. The interior is beauti- 
 fully finished in highly-polished native wood, and the skill 
 of the joiner is to be seen on ever}' hand, for Japan has 
 some of the most skillful carvers and woodworkers in the 
 world. 
 
 After making the rounds of the temples at Kyoto I was 
 deeply impressed with the thought that the greatest need of 
 Japan to-day is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These kindly 
 disposed, gentle people, with unlimited power of imitation 
 and a strong and earnest desire for progress, ought to be 
 rescued from their idolatry and their hearts turned to the 
 w^orship of the true and living God. The possibilities of the 
 progress of these people, in civilization founded on the relig- 
 ion of Christ, are beyond computation. They are now handi- 
 capped and hindered by their idolatrous worship and ob- 
 servances. Replace the temple of Buddha and Shinto with 
 churches of God, where the principles of primitive Christi- 
 anit)' are taught and practiced, give the people the pure and 
 undefiled religion of Jesus, and in half a centur}' no nation 
 in the world will stand ahead of Japan in civilization. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A Buddhist Temple — A Crowd of Worshipers — Selling Prayers — 
 Plaslering an Idol — The Liberality of the Idol Worshipers — 
 Ringing a Bell to Azua/cen the God — The Food of the Gods — The 
 fapanese Kago — Purchasing a Kimono — fapanese Children — 
 From Kyoto to Yokohatna — The fapanese Pipes — Letters from 
 Home ^Nikko the City of Temples— The Einperor s Bridge — 
 General Grant's Modesty — A fapanese Hotel- Eating Under 
 Difficulties— The Sacred White Horse —Bean Selling— Tokio- 
 "Oh, How I Wish I Could Feel an Earthquake f" — Our Experi- 
 ence With Earthquakes —Destruction Wrought by the Quaking 
 Earth — Earthquake Houses— The Kingdom of Christ Shall Not 
 Be Shaken. 
 
 The temple worship, if the exercises witnessed by us in 
 the principal temples of Kyoto can be dignified by the 
 name of worship, has its interesting side to the stranger 
 who sees it all for the first time. The accompanying 
 reproduction of a Buddhist temple, from a Japanese print, 
 may be examined before entering the enclosure with its 
 many buildings. The numbers correspond with the follow- 
 ing description: 
 
 1. The two-storied gateway, at the entrance to the 
 temple grounds. This building is usuall)- elaborately 
 carved and is approached by a stairway. 
 
 2. A smaller hall called Gaku-do. 
 
 3. The belfry where hangs the temple bell, which is 
 sounded by means of a heavy piece of timber swung back 
 and forth as a battering ram. 
 
 4. 5. The main temple and the founder's hall. 
 
 (556) 
 
TEMPLE GROUNDS. 557 
 
 6, 7. A reliquary containing sacred relics, and the re- 
 volving library where a complete copy of the Buddhist 
 canon is kept. 
 
 8, 9. The priests' apartments and the reception room. 
 
 10. The treasure house where the money is kept. 
 
 11. The kitchen connected by a gallery with the 
 priests' quarters. 
 
 12. The cistern or tank where the hands are washed 
 before entering the temple to worship. 
 
 13. The drum tower. 
 
 14. The Pagoda. 
 
 15. Stone lanterns. 
 
 The day we visited Higashi Hongwanji a festival of 
 some kind was in progress and the new" temple and grounds 
 were crowded with Japanese of every age and rank. It was 
 a good-natured, smiling crowd; everybod}' seemed to be en- 
 joying himself. Entering the gateway, the tank or cistern 
 was first approached, where the necessary washing was 
 made before entering the temple. Several towels hanging 
 by the side of the tank were used for drying the hands. 
 Once they may have been white, but now they were black 
 and grimy from numerous wipings. Ascending the broad 
 stairway leading to the great hall or audience room of 
 the temple, the shoes are removed and placed in rows in 
 front of the entrance, for no Japanese will enter his house 
 or his temple with his street shoes on his feet. As a result 
 the floors are kept scrupulously clean. And what an array 
 of Japanese foot gear decorated the entrance to the temple. 
 There were thousands of shoes of all sizes to be seen. The 
 wonder to me was how each was to know his own when 
 he came out of the temi)le. Following the crowd, we ap- 
 proached the entrance, and were met b\- a polite official 
 who handed each of us a pair of felt socks large enough to 
 
ASSEMBLY WORSHIPING BEFORE AN IDOL. 559 
 
 slip over our boots. Thus shod we were permitted to enter 
 the temple and wander about at our own sweet will. Pass- 
 ing into the enclosure, a strange sight met our eyes. A vast 
 throng of worshipers were squatted on the floor. The room 
 was without a bench or chair. The people were crowded 
 close together, forming a semicircle around the golden 
 image of the god, which occupied a place in the center of 
 one side of the hall. A railing three feet high kept the 
 crowd from approaching too near the image. Onh' the 
 priests were permitted to enter the inner enclosure. 
 
 I at once became an interested spectator of the strange 
 scene around me. It was the first time I had ever witnessed 
 a whole assembly of people worshiping before an idol. In 
 India I had seen the individual worship before the image of 
 his god, but here were thousands sitting on the floor with 
 bowed heads and lips moving in silent pra\er. The crowd 
 was constantly changing. After remaining seated a few 
 minutes the devotees would rise and go out, others coming 
 and taking their places. Before leaving, however, a written 
 prayer was usually purchased from the priests, who have a 
 monopoly of selling prayers. I am told they do a thriving 
 business. They furnish on demand an)- kind of prayer 
 wanted. The kind most generally purchased are for the re- 
 cover)' of sick friends, or for those who have a journey to 
 make by land or by sea. 
 
 At some places, I was told, it is the custom after the 
 prayer has been purchased, to place in the mouth the paper 
 on which it has been written. It is then chewed until re- 
 duced to pulp, when it is formed into a ball. The worship- 
 er then throws it with all his strength against one of the 
 numerous images of the gods, usually the one at the gate- 
 way. If the paper wad sticks fast to the idol, it is believed 
 the prayer will be answered, and the devotee goes away 
 
560 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 satisfied. If this result is not obtained, another pra)er must 
 be purchased and another attempt made to secure the favor 
 of the god by making a wad of pulp stick fast to his image. 
 Seeing these kindly disposed people engaged in the wor- 
 ship of their false gods is a sad sight, and how one wishes 
 that the}- might be rescued from their idolatry and all its 
 consequences and brought to worship the true and living 
 God. 
 
 After spending some time among the worshipers in the 
 main hall of the temple we visited other parts of the build- 
 ing and were compelled to admire the fine workmanship and 
 the skill of the wood carvers which was to be seen in ever\' 
 part of the structure. Finer or more skillful work has nev- 
 er come under m\- notice. Returning again to the hall, we 
 found that the worshipers had all departed. The floor of 
 the temple where they had been sitting was literally cov- 
 ered with small pieces of money, known as cash or ri)is. 
 The priests were engaged in sweeping the bits of metal to- 
 gether and gathering them up with shovels and depositing 
 the money in the temple treasur}-. The value of the brass 
 rin is about one mill of our money. It was a novel method 
 of taking up a collection, and it showed that the Japanese 
 were willing to pay something for their false religion. The 
 amount given by each individual was small, but all gave 
 and I was informed by our guide that some of the wealthy 
 people dropped into the treasury as much as from fifty to 
 one hundred dollars. 
 
 At another temple the giving was conducted on a dif- 
 ferent plan. A box was arranged before the idol, into 
 which the contributions were cast. Those who gave took 
 the precaution to ring a bell first to waken up the god, so 
 that their liberality might not pass unnoticed. After throw- 
 ing in the gift a prayer was offered and the worshiper went 
 
THE KAGO. 561 
 
 his wa}-. The ringing of the bell shows that the people be- 
 lieve that their god sleeps. It will be remembered that 
 Elijah the prophet told the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel to 
 cry louder, perhaps their god was asleep or had gone on a 
 long journey. So the Japanese ring a bell to arous.e their 
 drowsy gods. 
 
 In one of the rooms of the Higashi Hongwanji, visitors 
 are permitted to purchase small quantities of the sacred 
 food, " the food of the gods," the guide said, which is highly 
 prized by the Japanese. Prayers are also sold, mounted on 
 heav}' paper for preservation. I brought away with me, as 
 relics, several of the prayers with a small quantity of pre- 
 pared rice and several pieces of the bread used in the tem- 
 ple. Of course it is well understood by the people that the 
 food furnished for the gods is appropriated and used by the 
 priests who serve the people in the temple. As more is 
 furnished than they can consume it is sold and becomes a 
 source of revenue. Some people are willing to pay a high 
 price for a small piece of the so-called sacred bread. 
 
 The da}' spent among the temples was followed by a 
 quiet, pleasant evening at the hotel. The weather had 
 turned suddenly cooler and a bright fire in the chimney 
 grate added warmth and cheerfulness to our rooms. During 
 the evening several merchants called upon us and invited us 
 to visit their places of business, or if we preferred they 
 would bring goods to the hotel for our inspection. The 
 tradesmen are polite and very attentive to customers, but 
 their prices are subject to violent fluctuations. 
 
 We have seen the sedan chair in use in Malacca and 
 China, but Japan has still another means of transit, known 
 as the kago. It is used by the natives, and Americans who 
 can endure the torture, in traveling long distances in out-of- 
 the-way places. A better idea of the construction of the 
 
562 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 kago and the method of carryini^ it on the shoulders nia\' be 
 obtained from the photogravure on page 563 than from any 
 description that might be \\ritten. As will be seen the kago 
 is very simple in construction. Bamboo poles are used and 
 the close observer will notice a look of content and comfort 
 on the face of the little Japanese lady seated in her kago. 
 On top of the chair, as with the old-fashioned stage coach, 
 is arranged a place for baggage. The cloth traveling bag 
 and the umbrella of the occupant of the kago are fastened 
 on top, while her street shoes or clogs hang at one side. 
 Upon lighting from her seat she slips the clogs on her feet 
 and is ready to proceed on foot. The men who carry the 
 traveler are shod with rice straw sandals fastened about the 
 foot with a thin rope made of the same material. A pair of 
 sandals of this kind, all complete, costs less than one cent, 
 and protects the soles of the feet of the carriers. As a 
 matter of economy the sandals are taken off and carried 
 where the roads are smooth. The posture assumed while 
 sitting in the kago is comfortable enough for the natives, 
 who are used to sitting on their feet, but it is attended with 
 great discomfort to those who, like Americans, are not used 
 to doubling up their lower limbs and sitting upon them. In 
 a very short time the limbs become so benumbed that when 
 an effort is made to stand they refuse to bear the weight of 
 their owner. It will be observed that the lady's head 
 touches the top of the chair. As Americans are taller than 
 the Japanese the head must be thrown back, adding still 
 further to the discomfort of the traveler. As an instrument 
 of torture for foreigners the kago may be voted a success. 
 When it is stated that in some isolated places this is the 
 only means of traveling, unless walking is preferred— and 
 we always preferred to walk— the difficulty of reaching out- 
 of-the-way places will be apparent. 
 
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CHEERFULNESS, KINDLINESS. 565 
 
 As before intimated, the Japanese are kindly disposed 
 and take great interest in the strangers who come among 
 them. In the interior the foreigner with his peculiar dress 
 is a great curiosity to the natives, and wherever he goes is 
 sure to attract more or less attention. At Kyoto we made 
 a few purchases, and we no sooner stopped in front of the 
 door of a shop than we were the center of a good-natured 
 crowd. At one of the shops I made an effort to buy a kim- 
 ono — the outer garment worn by men. I had some diffi- 
 culty in making the merchant understand that I must have 
 the largest sized garment he had in stock. He finalh' pro- 
 duced one that he thought large enough for me. By this 
 time a large crowd had collected, and when I finally suc- 
 ceeded in getting into the cloak and found that it lacked 
 nearly a foot of coming together in front the crowd seemed 
 to enjoy the situation and indulged in a hearty laugh. I 
 afterwards had my measure taken and a kimono cut and 
 made to order to take home with me. 
 
 The truth of the old adage, " The boy is father to the 
 man," is nowhere more clearly shown than in Japan. Good 
 nature, cheerfulness, kindliness of disposition, is the rule 
 among the children of the flowery kingdom. I have seen 
 them at play man}- times, and they enter into it with a hap- 
 py, joN'Ous abandon that is most pleasant to look upon. 
 They are peaceful and happy and are full of enjoyment. I 
 am told that a fight among Japanese children is of very rare 
 occurrence. In this they are in advance of some of the 
 Christian nations. 
 
 As soon as a child is old enough to bear the burden, a 
 younger brother or sister is given into its care, and the two 
 become inseparable companions. The little one is securel}- 
 strapped to the back of its guardian and seems to take 
 kindly to its rather peculiar situation. If the bo}' is sent on 
 
566 GIKDI.INC IIII'. (il.OliE. 
 
 an errand the baby goes with liini. lie becomes a l<incl of 
 traveling Kindergarten. It is not unusual to see a number 
 of children at play, each with a baby brother or sister 
 strapped on the back. The little ones apparently enjoy the 
 sport and the situation. When they grow weary they tal<e 
 a nap with the head thrown back or pressed against the 
 shoulders of their carriers, and sleep as soundly as if rocked 
 in a cradle on pillows of softest down. One of the evils re- 
 sulting from this custom is that the sun beats down on the- 
 upturned face of the child and the eyes are often injured. 
 
 At Kamakara. near Yokohama, I saw a group of chil- 
 dren engaged in kite fl)'ing, a national pastime for both 
 children and grown people. A bo)- of twelve years, with 
 his baby brother of as man}^ months strapped to his back, 
 was enjoN'ing the national sport. His kite was soaring 
 gracefully far up in the air, and both boy and baby were 
 happy. By some means the kite string slipped from his 
 hand and was dragged along the ground. The little fellow 
 ran after the string as fast as his legs would carry him, grab- 
 bing for it as he ran. Finally he stumbled and fell flat to 
 the ground, but with outstretched hand captured the fugi- 
 tive kite string as he fell. I expected to hear the baby 
 brother cry out, but he remained perfectly quiet and ap- 
 peared to take the fall of his keeper as one of the ordinary 
 " downs " in life. 
 
 On the twentieth of March we bade farewell to the an- 
 cient capital of Japan, with its temples and idols and in- 
 tensely interesting people, and went to Yokohama, from 
 where six weeks later we were to sail for the Golden Gate 
 and the home land. The journey b)- rail took eighteen 
 hours, and first-class tickets cost nine yen and forty-three 
 sen each, about five dollars in our money. The only un- 
 pleasant thing about the journey was the smoke. In Japan 
 
Japanese Boys Carrying Babies. 
 
YOKOHAMA. 569 
 
 men and women stand on a perfect equality in one thing, if 
 in nothing else. They all smoke the pipe. And why not? 
 Is a man so much better than a woman that he should enjoy 
 a privilege and deny her equal liberty? The pipe is a tiny 
 bit of thing — a kind of toy pipe — and holds but a pinch of 
 yellow tobacco, just enough for three whiffs of smoke. The 
 pipe is filled and lighted, the three whiffs taken, and then 
 the smoker rests a minute or two, and the pipe is filled 
 again. This is repeated until the smoker's desire is grati- 
 fied. All Japanese ladies and gentlemen carry in their 
 belt a well-filled tobacco pouch with pipe case attached, and 
 are always ready for a smoke. A half dozen smokers in our 
 coach kept the air blue with the smoke of burning tobacco 
 for the greater part of the night, and we rejoiced when the 
 train rolled into the depot at Yokohama, that we could es- 
 cape from the fumes of tobacco and breathe heaven's fresh, 
 pure air again. 
 
 We found a pleasant home in Yokohama at Miss Brit- 
 tain's private boarding house at the rate of five dollars per 
 week. It is on the bluff commanding a fine view of city 
 and harbor, and we enjo}'ed our stay very much, with the 
 exception of an occasional earthquake; but more about 
 earthquakes later. We had received no mail since leaving 
 India, and upon going to the post of^ce found eighty letters 
 and a score or more papers awaiting our arrival. Several 
 days were spent in reading letters and papers, and we re- 
 joiced that onl}' good news came to us; but w ith this in our 
 favor the heart would yearn for the dear old home land. 
 
 To write of all we saw of interest in Japan would be to 
 add another volume to this. This is out of the question, 
 and I must therefore content myself with brief mention of 
 what impressed me most. As at other places so here the 
 great wealth of interesting things to write about leaves one 
 
5/0 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 ill il()vil:)t, not as to what shall be said but as to what shall be 
 left unsaid. 
 
 From Yokohama we made a number of excursions to 
 various places of more than ordinary interest. Among 
 these were Tokio, the present capital of the country, and 
 Nikko, the city of temples, the most sacred place in all 
 Japan. The Mohammedans have their Mecca, the Hindus 
 their Benares, the Buddhists their Kandy, and the Japanese 
 their Nikko. The Japanese holy place is more than any of 
 the others. Lying as it does some two thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea in a mountainous region it is, in addition 
 to its temples and shrines, a delightful summer resort. No 
 other place in Japan can show so many of the beauties of 
 nature. Within a radius of a few miles of Nikko there are 
 no less than twenty-five beautifid waterfalls and cascades. 
 It is said that in autumn the tints of the foliage are the most 
 beautiful in the world. 
 
 To write of the temples of Nikko and the beautiful 
 pagodas would be a repetition of what has been written 
 about the temples of Kyoto. Annually the Emperor of 
 Japan goes to Nikko to worship. In order to reach the 
 temples a stream of water must be crossed. Over the 
 stream two bridges have been built, one for ordinary mor- 
 tals and the other for the emperor and his suite. The lat- 
 ter is called the red bridge, from its bright red color, which 
 forms a striking contrast to the rushing water below and 
 the deep green of the rich shrubbery on the banks of the 
 stream. It is eighty-four feet long and eighteen wide and 
 was built in 1638. .At each end are gates which are kept 
 constantly closed except when the emperor crosses. 
 
 In connection with the red bridge an incident is related 
 which shows the tact and the natural modesty of America's 
 great soldier statesman, General Grant. When he visited 
 
NATIVE JAPANESE HOTEL. 571 
 
 Nikko in his journey around the world, the Emperor of 
 Japan, desiring to show his distinguished and illustrious 
 guest every possible honor, ordered the sacred bridge to be 
 opened and the General to be invited to cross over on the 
 Mikado's sacred way. Upon reaching the river and seeing 
 v.'hat had been done and receiving the invitation General 
 Grant said, "The Emperor's feet alone must tread upon the 
 sacred bridge." Saying this he walked across the lower 
 bridge and won golden opinions from the Japanese for the 
 respect thus shown to their ruler. General Grant had all 
 the elements of true greatness in his character, and not the 
 least of these was his native modesty. The show and dis- 
 play of position so gratifying to weak-minded men was en- 
 tirely distasteful to him. He was a great man, apparently 
 entirely unconscious of his greatness. 
 
 At Nikko I had my first experience in a native Japanese 
 hotel. I was shown a room scrupulously clean with soft 
 matting on the floor, and thick, quilted comforters which 
 served as a bed. There was not a single piece of furniture 
 in the room. The partitions were made of paper on sliding 
 frames and the room could easil\- be enlarged by sliding the 
 partitions together. When the hour for the noonday meal 
 came the sliding door of m\' room was pushed back and a 
 servant appeared with what seemed to be a small box a foot 
 high and eighteen inches square. It proved to be a table. 
 In order to get down to it I was compelled to squat after 
 the fashion of the Japanese. The servant came with a lac- 
 quered tray on which was a small bowl of soup and a small 
 piece of fish. Drinking the soup out of the bowl — spoons 
 with knives and forks are unknown in the native house — I 
 tried the experiment of eating the fish with chop sticks, two 
 sticks about the length and thickness of a common lead 
 pencil. It is not an easy task at first, but one soon acquires 
 
5/2 r.lKDIINC I'lIK (JLOIJR. 
 
 the use of the Oriental knife and fork. After the soup and 
 fish came a number of peculiar dishes. A taste of each 
 fully satisfied my curiosit)'. A wooden box filled with rice 
 well cooked and steamiuf;:;- hot supplied the main part of the 
 meal. I had at last reached safe irround, and ate heartil}- 
 of the rice. It was served in a small china bowl and con- 
 veyed to the mouth with the chop sticks. The servants 
 sat by ready to fill the bowl as fast as it was emptied. 
 After the rice came a cup of tea and then water to wash the 
 hands, and the servant, table and all disappeared, and I was 
 left to lie down on the mattress and enjoy an afternoon nap. 
 
 The dinner was good, but the agony of squatting on the 
 floor an hour made the eating a punishment rather than a 
 pleasure. I tried a number of positions but found none 
 satisfactory, and am ready to say I do not consider the na- 
 tive Japanese hotel a success. 
 
 At one of the temples at Nikko a peculiar custom is 
 kept up. A beautiful white horse is kept for the special use 
 of the god leyasu. The horse is sleek and fat, and as the 
 god never uses him he has an easy time of it. Every visitor 
 is required to purchase from the attendant priest a small 
 measure of beans for the support of the animal. As there 
 are man\^ visitors the priest does a thriving business. The 
 horse eats but a small portion of the beans purchased for 
 him, and they are sold over again and again. During the 
 summer season the priest sells enjugh beans to feed a troop 
 of horses. The element of deception associated w^ith re- 
 ligion is practiced in all parts of the world. In our own 
 country it flourishes in som" of the churches in the half 
 disguised gambling and lottery schemes introduced in the 
 church festival in the shape of grab bags and kindred de- 
 vices. Here it is openly conducted in selling food for the 
 
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TEMPLE OF KWANNON. 575 
 
 sacred white horse which he never eats. Of the two the 
 Japanese method is the less objectionable. 
 
 Tokio was our home a portion of the time we spent in 
 Japan. It is at the present time the seat of government 
 and contains the imperial residence. In round numbers the 
 population may be set down at a million and a half. The 
 city is to some extent Europeanized, and hence is not so in- 
 teresting as the old capital Kyoto. It boasts a street rail- 
 way, but the people do not patronize it to an)' great extent. 
 There are thirt\'-eight thousand jinrikishas in Tokio, and 
 these furnish the principal means of transit. There are 
 temples and temples and idols by the hundred, but we have 
 seen enough of these. I am, however, tempted to quote 
 from a description of the temple of Kwannon, the goddess of 
 Mercy: " On no account could a visit to this popular tem- 
 ple be omitted; for it is the greatest holiday resort of the 
 middle and lower classes, and nothing is more striking than 
 the juxtaposition of piety and pleasure, of gorgeous altars 
 and grotesque ex-votaries, of pretty costumes and dingy 
 idols, the clatter of the clogs, cocks and hens and pigeons 
 strutting about among the worshipers, children playing, sol- 
 diers smoking, believers chaffering with dealers in charms, 
 ancient art, modern advertisements !•^ fine a spectacle than 
 which surely nothing more motley was ever witnessed with- 
 in a religious edifice." 
 
 Chamberlain tells how foreigners, who land in Japan for 
 the first time, express themselves in regard to earthquakes. 
 " Oh, how I wish I could feel an earthquake! " is usually 
 the first exclamation on the subject. " What a paltry sort 
 of a thing it is, considering the fuss people make about it! " 
 is generally his remark on his secotid earthquake, for the 
 first one he invariably sleeps through. But after the fifth 
 and sixth he never wants to feel another; and his terror of 
 
576 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 earthquakes throws with lengtli ol residence in an earth- 
 quake-shaken land, such as Japan has been from time im- 
 memorial. 
 
 1 cannot say that wc had a strong desire to feel an 
 earthquake. We knew the experience would come to us in 
 a land where nearly four hundred seismic disturbances oc- 
 cur every year. It is true that we did not dread them and 
 were rather anxious for the first e.xperience, and it is also 
 true that before we left Japan we had a terror of the fearful 
 quaking of the earth. I slept through the first, was awak- 
 ened by the second, and tried to count the waves of the 
 third. I quote from m\- journal: We came up to Tokio 
 yesterday to spend a short time in the capital. Last night 
 we had a very severe earthquake shock. It occurred at 
 lO: 38 P. M. I noticed this because the clocks in the hotel 
 stopped at the time named. I was awakened by the move- 
 ment of the bed, and the first thought was of the rocking of 
 a ship at sea. I did not seem to be alarmed, but lay quietly 
 in bed, noting the regularity with which the waves increased 
 until the maximum was reached and then decreased with 
 some degree of regularity until with a quivering motion they 
 ceased. Our bed rocked to and fro, the timbers creaked, 
 the dogs set to howling and there was a general uproar 
 about the hotel. A low, rumbling noise was heard as of 
 distant thunder. The waves followed each other in quick 
 succession, and in about two minutes the shock was over 
 and all was quiet. I said I was not alarmed, but when it 
 was all over my heart was beating with more than ordinary 
 rapidity, an indication of some excitement. 
 
 After this experience we had a wholesome dread of the 
 earthquake. During our stay in Japan we felt twelve dif- 
 ferent shocks caused by the quaking of the earth. The last 
 one occurred the day before we left the country, and was 
 
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EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE. 579 
 
 by far the most severe of all. It came at 1 1 : 30 A. M. We 
 were packing up preparatory to leaving, and for about 
 three minutes the waves were continuous. The chandelier 
 hanging in our room swung back and forth like a pendu- 
 lum. The house rocked as if it would come down, and we 
 sought the usual place of safety under the jamb of the door. 
 When it was all over we had occasion to be thankful that it 
 was no worse. 
 
 But not all escape so easily as we did. Thousands of 
 people lose their lives, and towns and cities are completely 
 destroyed. In the great earthquake at Nagoya in 1891 
 more than four thousand people were killed. A missionary 
 who was at the place when the disturbance took place told 
 me that three men were killed in the street by his side, 
 stricken down by falling walls and flying timbers. The 
 photogravure on page 577 shows the government buildings, 
 post and telegraph office immediately after the shock was 
 over. It was a strong brick building, constructed with a 
 view of resisting earthquakes, but the waves of the earth 
 left it as seen in the picture, a complete wreck. 
 
 The houses in Japan are the "offspring of the earth- 
 quake." The natives build low, light houses, not over two 
 stories high, and many of them do not exceed one story. 
 The greatest danger is from the heavy roofs. Tiling is 
 used for roofing, and the timbers must be strong enough to 
 support the weight. When the houses are shaken down 
 man\' of the unfortunate people are caught beneath the 
 roofing, and before they can be extricated fire puts an end 
 to their suffering. The ruins invariably take fire b\- the 
 overturning of braziers and the Japanese stoves, and the 
 horrors of the situation are greatly intensified. The most 
 severe earthquakes, it is said, occur in winter, when fire is 
 necessary to keep the rooms warm. 
 
580 GIRDLING THE GLOBE 
 
 Professor Milne, who has made seismic disturbances 
 the study of his life, has invented a method of building to 
 thwart the effect of the earthquake He would make a 
 mortise in the corner stones of the house large enough to 
 admit the corner posts. In the mortise a number of small 
 steel balls are placed, on which the posts rest. The ball 
 bearing would provide for free oscillation, and the danger 
 of the house being shaken down would be greatly lessened. 
 It would seem that no system of construction would avail 
 when the severe shocks of the earthquake come. In the 
 great earthquake of 1855, which destroyed thousands of 
 lives in Tokio and the district lying west, fourteen thou- 
 sand, two hundred and forty-one dwelling houses and six- 
 teen hundred and forty-nine fireproof storehouses were 
 overturned and destroyed, and it was estimated that thirty 
 thousand lives were lost. 
 
 A good idea of the destruction wrought by the quaking 
 of earth may be obtained by reference to page 581, where 
 a part of one of the villages overthrown may be seen. A 
 moment's study of the photograph will show how complete- 
 ly the houses have been destroyed. The only marvel is 
 how any of the inhabitants escaped with their lives. 
 
 The cause of earthquakes, says an authority on this top- 
 ic, is still obscure. The learned incline at present to the 
 opinion that the causes may be many and various; but the 
 general connection between earthquakes and volcanoes is 
 not contested. The "faulting" which results from eleva- 
 tions and depressions of the earth's surface, the infiltration 
 of water to great depths and the consequent generation of 
 steam, the caving in of subterranean hollows — hollows 
 themselves produced in all probability by chemical degra- 
 dation — these and other causes have been appealed to as 
 the most probable. 
 
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THE GROUND CLAVE ASUNDER. 583 
 
 Whatever the cause may be, earthquakes are a terrible 
 reality and in no other country in the world are they so fre- 
 quent as in Japan. Professer Milne has invented a seismo- 
 graph, a very delicate instrument vshich records the earth- 
 quakes. When it is said that so many occur in Japan ev- 
 ery }'ear, it should be stated that many of the shocks are 
 ver\' light and are revealed only by Milne's recording instru- 
 ment. Others like those experienced by ourselves startle 
 one from the soundest sleep, and then every few years comes 
 one of great violence and destructive force. They are, 
 however, not more dreaded b\' the people of Japan than are 
 the hurricanes and cyclones in our own country. 
 
 In the Bible we read of the dire punishment which fell 
 upon Korah and those who with him rebelled against the 
 Lord. "The ground clave asunder that was under them, 
 and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, 
 and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto 
 Korah and all their goods."* Some Bible students would 
 account for this judgment of God upon the rebellious Ko- 
 rah b}- referring it to an earthquake. Whether this be the 
 correct explanation or not, there can be no doubt that it was 
 the result of divine interposition and was intended to teach 
 the wandering Israelites an im.portant lesson. The means 
 used may have been an earthquake. In Japan the opening 
 of great cracks in the earth, of unknown depth, is of com- 
 mon occurrence. Parts of villages are sometimes swallowed 
 up. Look at the cracks in the earth as shown in the ac- 
 companying picture, from a photograph, hence presenting a 
 real scene. In all this we ma\- see what wonderful forces 
 and power God has stored up in the bowels of the earth. 
 In the globe on which we live are the elements and forces 
 which, if properly combined, would shake its foundations 
 
 ♦Numbers 16: 31, 32. 
 
584 r.TRni.ixo THE fn.or.E. 
 
 ami dissolve it into smoke and leases in a brief period. Let 
 us therefore build not on the imstable earth, but upon the 
 rock Christ Jesus which cannot be shaken, "whose voice 
 then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, 
 Yet once more I shake not the earth onl}-, but also heaven. 
 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of 
 those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that 
 those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Where- 
 fore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us 
 have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with 
 reverence and godl)' fear: for our God is a consuming fire." 
 
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CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Lattd of Flowers ■ — The Flower Seller — The Chrysanthemutn — 
 Cherry Blossoms — Nothing Rut Leaves — The Cherry Blossom Fes- 
 tival — Tlie Homeward Journey — Picking up a Day — Honolulu 
 — The Golden Gate — Home at Last. 
 
 The love of flowers is a national characteristic among 
 the Japanese. In no other country in the world do blos- 
 soms, bestowed with bounteous hand by the Creator to 
 beautify mother earth, enter so largely into the lives and 
 hearts of the people, or receive more love and appreciation 
 than in Japan. Poetical fancy has called it the " Land of 
 Flowers," and well it deserves the name. From January, 
 when the sweet-scented plum blooms in perfect beauty, un- 
 til December, when the late and hardy chrysanthemum gives 
 the last blossom of the dying year, there is a continuous 
 succession of the most beautiful flowers. The plum, the 
 cherry, the peony, the wistaria, the iris, the lotus, and the 
 dahlia, with a marvelous wealth of autumn beauties, keep 
 up a series of perpetual blossoms for the year. Everybody 
 loves flowers, and no home is so poor or humble but that 
 potted plants are to be found within its portals. The flower 
 peddler walks about the streets laden with beautiful blos- 
 soms set in bamboo vases and finds numerous customers 
 among rich and poor alike, for they all love the flowers. 
 
 The chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, 
 and the flower with its many petals, sixteen in number, is 
 used as the imperial crest and heraldic sign by the reigning 
 famil)'. No one else may use the nation's choice in this 
 
 way. An author who visited Japan in November says of 
 
 (5S7) 
 
588 GIRDLING THE r;i.OBH. 
 
 this beautiful flower: " Many gardens are filled with won- 
 derful specimens of the gardener's art, which in this particu- 
 lar branch, has achieved true floral miracles. There are 
 chrysanthemums of every hue, from a deep gold to the 
 faintest shade of pink, and from imperial purple to a vivid 
 crimson. Their petals and corolla are of every conceivable 
 shape; sometimes spatulate, at others like fairy filaments, or 
 again resembling the plumes of the ostrich. Each year 
 sees new and beautiful varieties produced, so that their 
 name is legion." Annually a great national festival is held 
 in honor of the chrysanthemum. At such times the chrys- 
 anthemum gardens are a mass of the richest color and the 
 most beautiful blossoms. Large sums of money are spent in 
 the production of the chrysanthemum, and some of the fin- 
 est flowers sell at a very high price. 
 
 Before the chrysanthemum, in point of time, comes the 
 cherry blossom, and it stands first in the hearts of this flow- 
 er-loving people. Of this I write from actual experience. 
 The great cherry blossom holiday occurs in April, and the 
 trees were in full bloom during our sojourn in Japan. If 
 the chrysanthemum is the national flower, standing as the 
 sign of the imperial family, the cherry is the flower of the 
 people. ''Hito wa buslii, liana zua sakiira. " are the words of 
 an old Japanese proverb, "The man of men is the warrior, 
 the flower of flowers is the cherr\-." Among our own practi- 
 cal people in the United States no one would ever think of 
 cultivating the cherry tree for the blossom alone. We are 
 much too utilitarian for a procedure of that kind. But for 
 centuries the Japanese have spent time, labor, and money in 
 producing, not the best varieties of fruit, but the finest and 
 most beautiful blossoms. The fruit is dwarfed and bitter 
 and is not eaten, but the blossoms are marvels of beauty. 
 They are not pure white and single, as with us at home, but 
 
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NOTHING BUT LEAVES. 591 
 
 vary in color in every conceivable shade from the lightest 
 pink to the deepest rose. Then there are double and treble 
 and fourfold blossoms — perfect in form and color and rich 
 in perfume — as large as our small roses. When the cherry 
 trees are in full bloom the scene is one of indescribable 
 beauty, which to be full)' appreciated must be seen in floral 
 Japan. 
 
 In our Yokohama home I met, and became well ac- 
 quainted with, Capt. Lee, a retired army officer who had 
 seen service in our War of the Rebellion. He was a well in- 
 formed, practical man, and was deeply interested in horti- 
 culture. He was making an effort to introduce fruit trees 
 into Japan, and was hindered because the people cared 
 more for flowers than fruit. We enjoyed many pleasant 
 walks together. When we came to the blossom-laden 
 cherr}' trees, the Captain, in reply to my exclamations of 
 pleasure and delight upon seeing the beauty of the flowers, 
 would sa}': "Yes! very beautiful! most beautiful! but there 
 is no fruit, nothing but leaves, nothing but leaves." Re- 
 flecting upon the Captain's words, I thought. So it is with 
 many lives in this world. When the Master comes expect- 
 ing fruit he will find " nothing but leaves, nothing but 
 leaves." 
 
 At Tokio we spent the cherry blossom holiday. Early 
 in the morning the streets leading to Ueno park, where 
 thousands of trees were in full bloom, were a moving mass 
 of humanity. It seemed as if the city were being emptied 
 of its people. Two hours later we entered the park where 
 the air seemed to be filled with clouds of pink and rose and 
 was heavy laden with perfume. Beneath the trees wan- 
 dered the great crowd of people, talking, laughing, reciting 
 bits of poetry, and having a good time generally. Says a 
 Japanese poet: "If one should enquire of you concerning 
 
592 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the spirit of a true Japanese, point to the wild cherry blos- 
 som shining in the sun." And the spirit of the great throng 
 of Japanese humanity was in full harmony with the beauti- 
 ful blossoms dancing in the morning sun. It was a joyous, 
 happy, good-natured crowd. Men and women, boys and 
 girls, with the babies of the household securely lashed to 
 their backs, were all there, apj^arently without a thought or 
 care for the future. It was the cherry blossom festival, and 
 dull care was banished from every heart. They were out to 
 enjoy the rich feast spread by bounteous Nature, and I was 
 impressed with the thought that this happ}', joyous, smiling 
 mass of people were getting an immense amount of pleasure 
 from their day's outing. There were innocent games for 
 the children, into which both old and young entered with 
 great zest, and many peals of laughter went up from the 
 merry groups of players. I noticed, too, that many of the 
 blossom-laden boughs bore also strips of paper on which 
 had been written a prayer, or some practical sentiment in 
 honor of the da}-. But why attempt to describe? To know 
 and feel the true spirit of the cherry blossom time one must 
 go to the flowery kingdom and see and feel it for himself. 
 
 And here I am constrained to quote briefly from my 
 notes, adding to what has already been said about the 
 kindly and courteous disposition of the Japanese. Friday, 
 April 3, 1896: A bright, clear, beautiful spring day. These 
 are delightful days to go about the city and see the 
 Japanese in their homes, and what a kindh', courteous peo- 
 ple they are. M}' jinrikisha man takes off his hat and bows 
 with as much natural grace as if he were a nobleman. The 
 laundr)'man who comes to our rooms has the manners 
 and courtesy of the highest circles of European or Amer- 
 ican society. His bows are as graceful and at the same 
 time as natural as if he had been born and bred among the 
 
>5 
 
 < 
 
 X 
 H 
 
 C/5 
 
 X 
 
 H 
 
GREAT NEED OF JAPAN. 595 
 
 elite of Paris. .\nd the best thin<^ about Japanese polite- 
 ness is that it is not put on for the occasion. It is innate. 
 To-day I saw two coolies, day laborers, take off their hats 
 and bow to each other in the most graceful manner. My 
 jinrikisha man accidently jostled an aged woman on the 
 street. She fell down. He went to her assistance, brushed 
 the dust from her clothing and then lifting his hat bowed, 
 and the)' parted smiling good naturedly. To-day I saw a 
 boy of ten running at the top of his speed, when he tripped 
 and fell. Picking himself up he laughed heartily at his 
 discomfiture and ran awa\'. Good nature bubbles over in 
 the Japanese. There is 'nothing morose or crabbed about 
 them. Their politeness is proverbial, and in courtesy and 
 kindly feeling they are not one whit behind the cultured 
 nations of Europe. In these respects they present a strik- 
 ing contrast to the rough, coarse bluntness of many other 
 peoples one meets in making a circuit of the globe. 
 
 The Japanese are not only kind in disposition and 
 courteous in manner, but the\- are wide-awake and pro- 
 gressive. The nation is making rapid strides and her 
 progress in the last decade is little less than marvelous. 
 The great need of the country is the religion of Jesus 
 Christ. If the Japanese could be intluced to change their 
 idolatrous worship for that of the true and living God they 
 would soon take rank as one of the leading nations of the 
 world. As it is they are held in thraldom bv their idola- 
 trous religion. This applies to the masses, and to them the 
 Gospel of Christ should be preached The harvest truly is 
 great. Where are the laborers who will carry the Gospel to 
 the already whitened fields of Japan? Japan, won for 
 Christ, would at once become one of the strongest forces 
 toward the conversion of China and the whole of Asia to 
 the Christian religion. May the day speedily come when 
 
596 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 the name of Christ shall take the place of the false gods of 
 the "Flowery Kingdom." 
 
 And now again we turn our thoughts and faces toward 
 the home land. It is a long distance b\- land and sea from 
 Yokohama to our home in the Illinois village where our 
 pilgrimage around the world began almost a year ago. 
 How quickly the time has fled; and now as we prepare for 
 our last sea voyage it all seems as a dream that is told. 
 Have we indeed thus far girdled the globe? True it is, and 
 now farewell to Japan, the land of flowers and of a kindly, 
 courteous people. May she grow in prosperity and in the 
 knowledge of the true God. 
 
 On the 26th of April, 1896, we sailed away from Yoko- 
 hama for San Francisco, on the Pacific Mail steamer, 
 "China," "the best shij) on the Pacific," said the captain, 
 and entered upon the longest sea voyage of our journey 
 around the world. The distance between the two ports, by 
 wav of the Sandwich Islands, is about six thousand five 
 . hundred miles, and seventeen days is the time usualh- re- 
 quired to make the voyage. The Pacific Ocean, true to her 
 peaceful name, was calm and the voyage all that could have 
 been desired. But seventeen days at sea become very 
 monotonous. On the North Atlantic one sees steamers and 
 ships of sail nearly ever}' day, but on the Pacific days and 
 weeks are passed without a sight of ship or sail to break the 
 dead waste of water. 
 
 On the 2nd day of May we crossed the international 
 date line, 180 degrees east of Greenwich, and, in order to 
 correct our time, were compelled to pick up a day. West 
 of the line we had Saturday, Ma}- 2. Plast of the line it was 
 Sunday, May 3. Our notes sa}-, "Singular as it may seem, 
 I have two Saturdays and two second da}s of Ma}' follow- 
 ing each other in my diar}'. It makes one week of ni}' life 
 
VOYAGE HOME. 597 
 
 contain eight clays. I know the fact exists, and )'et it is 
 hard to have the mind accept it. Regularly we have gone 
 on until we came to Saturday, and, according to all previ- 
 ous experience, this ought to be the first day of the week. 
 But all past experience fails, and I am compelled to write 
 Saturday, May 2, when I feel that it is Sunday, May 3." 
 Thinking over this strange occurrence, we wondered how 
 our seventh day friends could adjust themselves to thi: 
 state of things. East of the line they would be keeping 
 one day as their Sabbath, while their brethren west of the 
 line would be observing another. The solution of this 
 problem is left for those who keep the Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 The longest life has its close, and so, too, the long- 
 est sea voyage, and the longest journeys have their end. 
 With a short stop at the Sandwich Islands, with am- 
 ple time to visit Honolulu, the capital, we again sped 
 over the waters of the sea on our homeward way. 
 Day after da)' passed away until, at last, sailing still 
 toward the rising sun, the coast of our own dear native 
 land loomed up in the far distance, and even as we stood 
 watching on the deck of the "China," we entered the 
 Golden Gate. Yonder floated the stars and stripes, — the 
 emblem of civil and religious liberty. How our hearts 
 filled with thankfulness, and our eyes with tears of joy, 
 when we realized that we were safe in the harbor at last! 
 Ah, the best part of the journe}' is the home-coming; and 
 so, too, the best part of life's voyage is the blessed home- 
 coming of the soul; sailing peacefully and quietly into the 
 haven of eternal rest. 
 
 From San Francisco we made a hasty journey to Otta- 
 wa, Kansas, where our Annual Conference for 1896 was 
 held. Here we were met and greeted b\' many of our 
 
59^ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 
 
 co-laborcrs in Christ. Then home aij^ain after an absence of 
 a little more than a year. 
 
 Onh" wanderers, after a lon^ and weary absence, can 
 enter fully into our feelings when we were again permitted 
 to step on the shore of our own dear native land and to 
 reach home again. To God, who had so wonderfully pro- 
 tected and kept us in all our wanderings, we gave thanks 
 and praise. It was to us a happy home-coming, and here 
 we write the closing words of this book. Not far hence, as 
 we measure time, shall there be written over against the 
 lives of reader and writer the words: 
 
 THE END. 
 
iDtTIDEiX:. 
 
 Accident at sea, an, 510 
 
 Agra 371 
 
 Ahmedabad 3^5 
 
 Albanian costume, the 128 
 
 Animals, liomes for 262 
 
 Animals, kindness to 260 
 
 Animals, love for 301 
 
 Animals of the jungle 419 
 
 Animal worship 297 
 
 "Antiquities," 210 
 
 Armenian massacres 139, 5i7 
 
 Athens 116 
 
 Athens, modern 123 
 
 Axenstrasse, the, 94 
 
 Banian tree, the great, 4S5 
 
 Baptism, infant, 99 
 
 Baptist missionaries, 33^ 
 
 Bathing ghats, visit to 397 
 
 Bazaars of Bombay 248 
 
 Benares 395 
 
 Benares, the center of Hinduism, . . .396 
 
 Bengal tiger, the 418 
 
 Bhima, image of the god 404 
 
 Bhooteas, the 45i 
 
 Bible, the Berleburg 77 
 
 Bible, first published in America, ... 77 
 
 "Birds of a feather," 498 
 
 Black Hole, the 438 
 
 Bombay 233 
 
 Bombay, old 247 
 
 Books, our, taken 136 
 
 Books, recovering our 147 
 
 Booth Tucker 228 
 
 Boundary stones 175 
 
 Brahman, the, caste, 269 
 
 Brethren church, founding of 73 
 
 Brethren, persecution of 74 
 
 Breezes, spicy 4(7 
 
 Bridge, a cane 449 
 
 Buddha, images of 552 
 
 Buddhism in Japan 537 
 
 Bulsar, arrival at, 264 
 
 Bulsar, leaving 364 
 
 Burning ghats 323 
 
 Burning ghat 406 
 
 Burning the dead 316 
 
 Cairo revisited 205 
 
 Cairo, a winter resort 213 
 
 Cairo, bazaars of 216 
 
 Cairo, immorality of 213 
 
 Calcutta, 437 
 
 Calcutta, leaving 458 
 
 Camel train, a 206 
 
 Carmel, Mt iS3 
 
 Caste 266 
 
 Caste destructive, 274 
 
 Caste, effects of 270 
 
 Caste hinders the missionary 2?o 
 
 Castes, number of, 270 
 
 Caste, remedy for, 281 
 
 Cawnpore, defense of 392 
 
 Ceylon 469 
 
 Ceylon, leaving 496 
 
 Child marriage 347 
 
 Children, carrying 565 
 
 Children, dress of 337 
 
 Cherry blossoms 5S8 
 
 Cherry blossom holiday 591 
 
 Cholera, the home of, 437 
 
 Chop-sticks 526 
 
 Chrysanthemum, the 587 
 
 Cigarettes, opium in 507 
 
 Cingalese, dress of 478 
 
 Cinnamon 474 
 
 Clothing in India 2^1, 332 
 
 Clouds, above the 449 
 
 Clouds, among the 444 
 
 Cloves 476 
 
 Cocoanut plantation, a 359 
 
 Cocoanut palm, uses Oi 477 
 
 Collections, novel 5to 
 
 Colombo 4^9 
 
 Company, a mixed 497 
 
 Corinth 112 
 
 Cows, bathing of .•261 
 
 Cow, the, sacred, 260 
 
 Cows in temples 3c3 
 
 Cow worship, excess of, , 303 
 
6oo 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Cracks in tlie eartli 51*^3 
 
 Crocodiles, sacred 3(6 
 
 Curiosity of Orientals 342 
 
 Custom house, a Turkish 136 
 
 Dalada, temple of, 483 
 
 Day, picking up a 5'j6 
 
 Dead, ways of disposing of tliC 315 
 
 Death, the black, 516 
 
 'Death wood,'' 406 
 
 Deception in religion, 572 
 
 Devotions, morning 331 
 
 Dhoti, the, 332 
 
 Diogenes the Cynic, 115 
 
 Dishonesty, reason of 339 
 
 Divers at Aden 224 
 
 Divers, Malay boy 509 
 
 Donkey riding 217 
 
 Drink evil, the, in London 27 
 
 Dress in Japan, 543 
 
 Ear-boring 356 
 
 Earthciuakes, causes of 580 
 
 Earthquake, an, desire to feci 575 
 
 Earthquakes, effects of 580 
 
 Eder, valley of the 70 
 
 Egypt, arrival in, 203 
 
 Elephants, state 368 
 
 Emperor's bridge, the 570 
 
 Englishman, first, in Japan, 537 
 
 Ezbekiyeh gardens, 215 
 
 Faith-healing 405 
 
 Fakirs 387 
 
 Farmers, a nation of, 420 
 
 Farming, Egyptian 207 
 
 Farm'iiouses, Scandinavian, 54 
 
 Farmers, Indian and American, . . . 421 
 
 Farrar, Canon, 2i 
 
 Feet, small 529 
 
 Fercken, Bro., ordination of 141 
 
 Fercken's, Bro., work 143 
 
 Figs 146 
 
 Filial love 407 
 
 Fire-worshipers, 238 
 
 Fjords, 39 
 
 Flowers, the land of 587 
 
 Flying fish, 460 
 
 Food of the poor 327 
 
 Fox hunting 28 
 
 Funeral, a Hindu, 317 
 
 Funeral, a Jewish, 196 
 
 Funeral, a Parsi 241 
 
 Funeral procession, a 132 
 
 Furniture, lack of 324 
 
 Ganesa 287 
 
 Gods of all kinds 398 
 
 Gold, wearing of 254 
 
 Golden temple, the 413 
 
 Grant, Gen., modesty of 570 
 
 Grapes 131 
 
 Grapes, treading 197 
 
 Grinding at the mill 188 
 
 Hair, care of 544 
 
 Halle revisited 69 
 
 Hang, John Jacob, 77 
 
 Hanuman. the monkey god 308 
 
 Harem, a Turkish, 163 
 
 Headdress, the 335 
 
 Heathen, liberality of tl'.e 465 
 
 Heights and depths, 446 
 
 Himalayas, the 443 
 
 Himalayan railroad 443 
 
 Hindus, classes of 284 
 
 Holy man of Benares, 416 
 
 Home, leaving 15 
 
 Home-life in India, 337 
 
 Home again 598 
 
 Home, sailing for 596 
 
 Homes, lack of, in Paris 33 
 
 Hooghly river, the, 459 
 
 Horse meat, 56 
 
 Hostility, Turkish, 141 
 
 Houses of the poor 323 
 
 Houses of the wealthy 328 
 
 House-boats 526 
 
 Houses, Japanese, 579 
 
 Idolatry 282 
 
 Idolatry, a charm 283 
 
 Idols are nothing 297 
 
 Idols at Jeypore 367 
 
 Idols at Benares, 396 
 
 Idols, making 409 
 
 Idols, blessing 409 
 
 Idols, made in England 409 
 
 Idolatry, tax on 465 
 
 Idol, worshipers before an 559 
 
 Images, one thousand and one 548 
 
 Indigo dye, making of, . . 422 
 
 Indigo plant, the 422 
 
 Infanticide, female 366 
 
 Infidel teaching, results of 32 
 
 Inland Sea, the 534 
 
 Jaffa, landing at i57 
 
 Japan, advancement of 539 
 
 Japan, extent of 540 
 
 Japan historically, 537 
 
INDEX. 
 
 601 
 
 Japanese, courtesy of 592 
 
 Japanese hotel, a S7i 
 
 Japan, greatest need of 555 
 
 Japanese, progress of 5g5 
 
 Japan, revolution in 539 
 
 Jerusalem, desolation of 183 
 
 Jerusalem, excavations at 187 
 
 Jerusalem, leaving 203 
 
 Jewelry in India 252 
 
 Jewelry, weigfit of 336 
 
 Jewelry, absence of 543 
 
 Jiddah 222 
 
 Jinrikisha, the 547 
 
 Juggernaut, car of 461 
 
 Jugglers 379 
 
 Jungles 444 
 
 Kago, the 561 
 
 Kalighat 455 
 
 Kandy 480 
 
 Kava, how made, 508 
 
 Khali Khan 381 
 
 Kimono, a, buying, 565 
 
 Kite fiying 566 
 
 Krishna 287 
 
 Kwannon, temple of 548 
 
 Labor, effects of cheap 346 
 
 Laborers, food of 421 
 
 Land, desire to see 16 
 
 Land tax in Palestine, 176 
 
 Land tenure in Palestine 172 
 
 Lapps, the 49 
 
 Lebanon 150 
 
 Lepers 164 
 
 Leprosy like sin 169 
 
 Letters from home 569 
 
 Liberality of the heathen . 400 
 
 London, 19. 
 
 London, busy streets of 26 
 
 Lots, casting, 174 
 
 Love feast, a, at Smyrna 139 
 
 Lucerne 85 
 
 Lucerne, Lake, 86 
 
 Luther at Worms 81 
 
 Luther monument 82 
 
 Lying, pride in 522 
 
 Madras 460 
 
 Mango tree trick, the 382 
 
 Marks in the forehead, 288 
 
 Mars' Hill 116 
 
 Measuring grain 180 
 
 Memorial Chapel at Windsor Palace, . 23 
 Memorial Well, 391 
 
 Merchants at Aden 224 
 
 Merchant, the, caste 269 
 
 Midnight sun, the 64 
 
 Milan catliedral 98 
 
 Mills, the hand 332 
 
 Mission work, difificulty of 142 
 
 Missionaries, in company witli 226 
 
 Mission work^ problems of, 265 
 
 Mission work hindered by opium trade, 433 
 
 Money, Indian 344 
 
 Monkeys, worship of 264, 306 
 
 Monkeys, mischievous 391 
 
 Monkey temple, the, 414 
 
 Monkey wedding, a 308 
 
 Morality, low standard of 522 
 
 Nagasaki, Gen. Grant's tree at 533 
 
 Name-giving 355 
 
 Nature, tropical 473 
 
 Nikko, temples at, 570 
 
 Northern lights 41 
 
 Norwegian farmers 42 
 
 Nutmegs 476 
 
 Offerings to the river, 399 
 
 Olivet, an evening on, 195 
 
 Opium dens, 506 
 
 Opium, destroyed 429 
 
 Opium, increased use of, 426 
 
 Opium, objected to, 427 
 
 Opium, results of the use of, 425 
 
 Opium sent to China, 425 
 
 Opium war, the, 430 
 
 Orientals, peculiarities of 341 
 
 Ornaments, kinds of, 336 
 
 Palestine, changes in, 159 
 
 Pan chewing 257 
 
 Paper wads, throwing at idol, 559 
 
 Paradenia Botanical Garden 484 
 
 Pariahs 270 
 
 Paris 30 
 
 Paris, wickedness of 31 
 
 Paris, the steamer 18 
 
 Parker, Dr 20 
 
 Parsis, the, 237 
 
 Passport, a, in Japan 535 
 
 Paul at Athens 116 
 
 Paul at Corinth 115 
 
 Peacock throne, the 389 
 
 Pearl Fisheries, 491 
 
 Penang 499 
 
 Perry, Commodore, at Japan .538 
 
 "Pidgin" English 518 
 
 Pigeons, feeding, 368 
 
602 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Pilfering Cliinamen 525 
 
 Pillows, peculiar 544 
 
 Plain dressing 229 
 
 Plague, the, in Europe 517 
 
 Politeness, Japanese 556 
 
 Polycarp 145 
 
 Pompeii revisited 107 
 
 Pompeii, restored house in iii 
 
 Poppy plant, the 423 
 
 Port Said, wickedness of 204 
 
 Prayer flags, 454 
 
 Prayers, purchasing 5:9 
 
 Prayer wheels, 454 
 
 Precious stones, 486 
 
 Purdah women 403 
 
 Pyramids, climbing the 209 
 
 Rajah's palace, a 366 
 
 Red Sea, the 220 
 
 Reindeer, uses of the 5° 
 
 Religious services 329 
 
 Rhine, the, 80 
 
 Rigi, Mount, ascent of 86 
 
 Rubies, value of, 490 
 
 Sabbath, the Christian, in Paris, ... 32 
 
 Saktism, evils of 292 
 
 San-Tu, temple of, 55i 
 
 Sari, the 336 
 
 Saur, Christopher 77 
 
 Sawmill, an Indian 343 
 
 Scandinavia, trees of, 38 
 
 Schwarzenau 71 
 
 Sedan chair, the 503 
 
 Separating from friends 217 
 
 Sepoy Mutiny, the 391 
 
 Serpent worship 304 
 
 Shells, . . . : 505 
 
 Shepherd and flock 188 
 
 Shoes and stockings 335 
 
 Signboards, 522 
 
 Sinai 222 
 
 Sincerity of the heathen, 407 
 
 Singapore 499 
 
 Sleeping on the stieet 216 
 
 Smelling salts 210 
 
 Smoking cars 29 
 
 Smoking in Japan 566 
 
 Soldier, the, caste 269 
 
 St. Gothard tunnel, the 95 
 
 St. Peter, kissing foot of, 104 
 
 Streets, narrow, 521 
 
 Sudra, the, caste, 269 
 
 Suez, 221 
 
 Sunset at sea, a i3 
 
 Supper, the last 100 
 
 Taj Mahal, the 371 
 
 Tax gatherer, the 177 
 
 Tea plantation, a 484 
 
 Teaching, need of. 408 
 
 Tell, Wm 90 
 
 Tell's Chapel 93 
 
 Temples at Benares 396 
 
 Threshing floors 160 
 
 Tigers, man-eating 365 
 
 Toddy climbers 360 
 
 Toddy drinking 263 
 
 Tokio 575 
 
 Tooth of Buddha 483 
 
 Top of the world, the 445 
 
 Towers of Silence, the 245 
 
 Tradition, influence of 346 
 
 Transmigration 298 
 
 Trappists. the, 104 
 
 Tree worship 311 
 
 Truth, lack of 338 
 
 Tyre 151 
 
 Uttariya, the 335 
 
 Vice a virtue 292 
 
 View, a vionderful 445 
 
 Wages in India 345 
 
 Wages in the North 60 
 
 Waking the god Iti 
 
 War. cruelties of, 394 
 
 Water wheels 219 
 
 Watson, Dr., and his work, 214 
 
 Wedding, a double, 351 
 
 Well of knowledge, the, 413 
 
 Widows, burning of 319 
 
 Widows, sad condition of 348^ 
 
 Windsor Palace, 23, 25 
 
 Wine vats 131 
 
 Wine vats, the king's, 197 
 
 Woman in the North, 59 
 
 Woman in Egypt 214 
 
 Woman, influence of, 22 
 
 Worms, city of 81 
 
 Worship, daily acts of, 291 
 
 Wristlets, putting on, 216 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Travel 
 
 G440 
 
 .M64 
 

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