Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/243

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INDIA (RELIGIONS, &c.) der native rule was one of the most abject sub- jection, and so debased were they considered, both socially and spiritually, that it was a crime for a Brahman to read the sacred writings in their presence, or to give them any religious counsel or instruction whatever. Beneath the Sudros there was a numerous class of out- casts and their descendants, who, by forfeit- ing their standing in their respective castes and becoming polluted, had sunk to the lowest pitch of social degradation, and were re- garded as utterly vile. A loss of caste in- volved a forfeiture of all civil rights and of all property. The British government, however, has prohibited the enforcement of any forfeit- ure or disinheritance by reason of the renun- ciation or deprivation of caste; the law has been steadily enforced, and has had an im- portant and salutary effect upon the social state of India. The Brahmans are now undergoing a religious crisis. The sect of Kalajnanis, whose sacred book is the Kalajnana, " Knowl- edge of the Age," written about 1780, believe that the god of gods himself will descend to earth and raise the dead. The Nudis in South Mahratta entertain a similar belief, but both sects seem to be dying out. There is one sect, however, the Brahmo-Samaj, which is steadily increasing in number, and which has attracted considerable attention. Its doctrines are not properly a mixture of Brahmanism and Chris- tianity, but rather a rationalistic development of both. The sect is said to have been founded in 1830 by Ram Mohun Roy. The first con- verts were pupils of Christian educational insti- tutions. They were joined by Mohammedans and by other Brahmans, and fonned together a church whose principal doctrines are the ad- oration of one God, the loving father of all, and brotherly love toward all men. Their great purpose is to do away with distinctions of caste and religion. The head of the sect is now Babu Keshab Chander Sen, and under his energetic guidance it has been established in all the larger cities of India. It was hoped that they would eventually adopt the fundamental doc- trines of Christianity, but at a meeting held in 1866 in Calcutta, Jesus was declared to be a di- vine incarnation in no higher degree than every distinguished person might be said to be such. Excepting the wonderful mystical word 6m, only such portions of the Vedas and the Bible as are merely theistic and not miraculous are admitted into their canon. The principal re- cent authorities on the religion and literature of India are : Max Milller, " History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature" (London, 1859); Muir, " Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and His- tory of the People of India " (vols. i.-v., Lon- don, 1863-'70); Lassen, Indische Alterthums- Icunde (2d ed., 2 vols., Leipsic, 1867-'73) ; Whit- ney, " Oriental and Linguistic Studies " (New York, 1872); Duncker, Oeschichte des Alter- thums (vol. i., 4th ed., Leipsic, 1874) ; and Wurm, Geschichte der induchen Religion (Ba- sel, 1874). INDIANA 231 INDIANA, one of the interior states of the American Union, and the sixth admitted under the federal constitution, situated between lat. 37 47' and 41 46' N., and Ion. 84 49' and 88 2' W. ; extreme length N. and S. 276 in., aver- age' breadth 140 m. ; area, 33,809 sq. m., or State Seal of Indiana. 21,637,760 acres. It is bounded N. by Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan, E. by Ohio, S. by Kentucky, from which it is sep- arated by the Ohio river, and W. by Illinois, from -which it is partly separated by the Wa- bash. It is divided into 92 counties, viz. : Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, De Kalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hen- dricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, La Grange, Lake, La Porte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New- ton, Noble, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Ran- dolph, Ripley, Rush, St. Joseph, Scott, Shel- by, Spencer, Starke, Steuben, Sullivan, Switz- erland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vander- burgh, Vermilion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, War- rick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White, Whit- ley. Indianapolis, the capital, is near the cen- tre of the state. In 1874 there were 27 cities in Indiana: Columbia, with 1,663 inhabitants in 1870 ; Connersville, 2,496 ; Evansville, 21,830; Fort Wayne, 17,718; Franklin City, 2,707; Goshen, 3,133; Greencastle, 8,227; Kendall- ville, 2,164; Indianapolis, 48,244; Jefferson- ville, 7,254; Lafayette, 13,506; La Porte, 6,581 ; Lawrenceburg, 3,159; Logansport, 8,950; Madison, 10,709; Mount Vernon, 2,880; New Albany, 15,396 ; Peru, 3,617 ; Richmond, 9,445; Rising Sun, 1,760; Seymour, 2,372; Shelbyville, 2,731 ; South Bend, 7,206 ; Terre Haute, 16,103 ; Valparaiso, 2,765 ; Vincennes, 5,440; and Wabash City, 2,881. Michigan City is the only lake port of the state. The