The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 58

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58

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

bloodshed, mounted police accompany each proces-
sion from their quarters to the river and back again,
the different routes being carefully mapped out
beforehand and so arranged that no two processions
will meet.

“The digambaris work themselves into such a
fury of emotion that they are often very dangerous,
and for this reason the British Government has
made strict rules governing their actions and lib-
erties. Some years ago one of them marching in
the procession snatched a baby boy from his mother,

who was standing in the crowd, and, lifting the .

child high in the air, severed his body with one
slash of a large knife he carried. This was done
in the name of religion, and the family, although
overcome with grief, felt that especial favor had
been shown to the child. In their eyes it was the
sacred act of one almost equal to a god.
English Government, thinking otherwise, impris-
oned the man.

“With the exception of the narrow strip of road
reserved for the Saddhus the rest of the ground near
the bathing ghat was covered with a solid mass of
humanity, struggling to press their way into the
water or to force a passage out again. The edge of
the bank was constantly receding, and the sand was
trodden into shiny, oozy mud from the wet feet and
dripping garments.”

Hundreds of Boats Cover the River.

For the convenience of pilgrims who can pay
the small fee demanded small flat barges are at
hand where the bathers may deposit their clothes
while they bathe. Those who cannot afford the fee
must often go quite a distance after leaving the
water before they can find a place to dress.

Upon a large number of barges, fakirs have set
up their headquarters for the purpose of gathering
gifts from the pilgrims who are about to bathe in
the sacred waters. The superstitious are told that
they will gain extra merit by remembering these
holy men with a few coins.

On other barges sacred cows are tethered, sur-
rounded by credulous pilgrims, who gladly pay a
few pice (1 pice==1% cent) for the privilege of
touching the cow’s tail to their foreheads. And
wading in the water among the barges are venders
crying their sacred wares, such as flowers, milk, and
small bottles of Ganges water.

That spot where the waters of the Jumna and
Ganges join is crowded with barges, whose pas-

_ Ssengers plunge over the sides to bathe in the filthy

_ waters. Some of these barges have circular screens

But the -

around them, so that their passengers may bathe
privately.

The unending chanting of the pilgrims, the in-
sistent shouting of the venders, and the loud cries
of the bargemen result in a sound similar to the
roar of the ocean waves during a strong wind. The
lulls in this roaring noise are broken by the com-
plaining cries of children as their little naked bodies
are thrust into the icy waters.

After their sacred ablutions are over, the pil-
grims scatter over the grounds that skirt the river
banks to enjoy themselves; for those who came
moved by a sincere desire for peace and forgiveness
is small compared with those who regard the whole
ceremony as a holiday pastime or a custom which,
once performed, gives the performers the privilege
to enjoy life as best they can. F.J.L.

A Long, Long Day in the Tropics.

I want to give you as near as I can the happen-
ings of a day in “Jungletown.” Of course, days are
not all like this one, for if they were, we should wear
out soon, for we are just ordinary human beings.

Yesterday morning wife and I were up at five-
thirty, but had to stop and talk three “palavers,”
before we could get to breakfast. Then Mrs. Smith
had to buy food and settle a disagreement over
prices, and I had to buy some mats (to cover the
houses) ; and it was not a simple matter, for the
Negroes had brought a lot of short ones, and they
had to be cut in price accordingly. Another man
had a lot of bad ones, and they had to be sorted out ;
a third brought green ones, and they had to be
spread out to the sun.

We had to hurry through breakfast to get the
workmen started on the day’s work. Some were to
cover the house, others to work on the new hospital
building, and the others were detailed to small jobs ;
but each one had to be shown just what to do and
how to do it.

Then we opened the clinic, and there were just
forty-four sufferers to he looked after; each one had
a story to tell, and of course each one thought he
had all day to tell it. A patient here can never
answer a question directly, but will answer it by
telling you something else while the doctor is almost
distracted over the foolishness of the simple person,
for he knows time does not wait for idle words.
There were some bad ulcers; two patients had to be
chloroformed and the worst parts of their ulcers
cut away. All had to have a long talk to impress