SIGHTS AND SOUNDS IN INDIA. BY MISS GERTRUDE ANSTEY. I KNOW that you like to hear, from one who is in India, something about the Hindoos and their sad, sad worship; and so to-day I shall tell you a few stories about the poor degraded people who dwell in this land. It is evening; the twilight, which in this country is very short, is rapidly darkening into night; but you must for once fancy yourself in India, and come out for a drive with me. The sound of the beating of tom-toms, and the music made by most unmusical instruments, show that this is no ordinary night; and our quiet drive will probably be saddened by a glimpse of the foolish and wretched heathen worship. It is the evening of a great feast day, and thousands of Hindoos have been gathering in the streets of the Pettah, making most hideous noises; but see, here the procession comes. A wretched noise of tom-toms makes known its approach, and then a blaze of light. The gods have been out for an airing, upon the shoulders of their worshippers, and are now returning to their respective temples. Three or four men support each god. Next to them are the torch-bearers, some before and some behind; then a mass of people. The torches, which are mostly made of a piece of rag soaked in oil and tied on to the end of a pole, cast a strange lurid light on all around—upon the hideous god, who is decked with garlands of beautiful flowers, and upon the mass of human beings who follow in the train. And the people -how do they look? On the brow of each is the mark of the beast- the hideous mark by which they avow themselves more especially the followers of some particular god, and the wild gestures of many make them look more like demons than men. First in the procession is carried the elephantheaded god. His name is Genesha. The story about this god is as follows : : STORY OF GENESHA. When Genesha was a baby, the other gods came to see him, and one of them, having looked at him, burnt off with a glance the head of the child. Then one of the superior gods ordered him to cut off the head of the first animal he met, and to put it upon the child. He did so, and, having cut off the head of an elephant, placed it upon the neck Is of the infant, who then became "the elephant-headed god." O, dear children! is it not strange that men and women believe such foolish lies? it not sad that little children, instead of hearing tales of Jesus and His love, shall hear the foolish stories about these wicked and cruel gods? The elephant-headed god having been carried past, next comes THE MONKEY GOD. the church right away through the suburbs of the town into the country-perhaps three-quarters of a mile out. Mr. Sibree and I headed the procession, such as it was-for we had neither bands nor flags-and there were about seventy children, besides the schoolmaster and mistress and two pupil teachers. After we had passed through the town, we sang a number of our favourite hymns, and amongst others we had translations of "Here we suffer grief and pain," &c., and "When mothers of Salem," &c. The children sing these capitally, and they know, too, 'Joyfully, joyfully," &o. As we were going along the top of a bank which divides two rice fields, one of the boys suddenly fell into a hole, and disappeared almost from sight. Of course there was a hearty laugh from his companions; but we did not sing any more after that. The place we went to is a large yard, belonging to some of the Ambatonakanga people. It has a mud wall all round it, and the wall is quite eleven feet high. There are three or four good houses in the yard, and a number of huts in which the slaves live; but the great thing to be seen is the immense stone tomb that stands conspicuously forward. The Malagasy pay great attention to tombs, but this one is larger than most of them—indeed, it is larger than either of the houses on the premises. There is a flight of broad stone steps leading up to the top of the tomb. As soon as we arrived, we gathered together and sang hymn, and then the children began to play, and Mr. Sibree and I joined them, and romped about until our bones ached. We had running-races, jumping, pulling matches, throwing balls, follow-my-leader, drop-handkerchief, and several a other games. Mr. Sibree's dog was present, and, when he saw his master running about in a way he had never seen him before, he thought that he ought to join in as well; so he began chasing the children right and left, and barking most furiously. One little fellow was so frightened that he dropped his little bit of cloth, which was his only covering, and ran away naked, with the dog after him. Mrs. Cousins came out from the town after us, and brought one little girl, who thoroughly enjoyed all the fun. After play came feasting. The children all squatted down on mats in a double row. Large banana leaves were placed between them to serve as plates, and then the rice was brought in large baskets, and piled up on the leaves, and the pieces of meat were put on the rice. There were a few dishes containing gravy placed here and there. This is what the Malagasy like. They eat the pieces of meat with their fingers, take a spoonful of rice, dip it into the gravy to moisten it, and then cram it into their mouths, which are as large as we will not say what. When the children had eaten enough rice, which they like as much as English children like plum-cake or buns, two bushel baskets of peaches, and one of pine-apples, were divided amongst them, and each one had a little lump of Malagasy sugar given him to eat with the fruit. So they first took a bite of peach, and then a nibble of sugar. The feasting done, we gave away presents. All who had been regular scholars during the year received, as a first instalment, a piece of flannel or print, sufficient to make a shirt or jacket. Then we gave away an immense number of pictures, each child getting five or six; and after that, |