Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/409

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KINGSTON


359


HINGSTON


insignificant fraction of the people from Hintluism. The Christians of all sects, foreign officials included, number but 2,664,000, nearly one-half being Cath- olics.

It was not till towards the end of the eighteenth century that Europeans — excepting Father de Nobili and a few other early missionaries — acquired any knowledge of Sanskrit and allied tongues in which the sacred literature of India was preserved. The exten- sive commerce which the English developed in Bom- bay and other parts of India gave occasion to English scholars to make extensive studies in this new field of Oriental research. Sir William Jones was one of the fir.st European scholars to master Sanskrit and to give translations of Sanskrit texts. He translated in 1789 one of Kalidasa's cla.ssic dramas, the "Sakuntala", and in 179-1 published a translation of the "Ordi- nances of Manu". He founded, in 17S4, the Royal Asiatic Society, destined to prove a powerful means of diffusing the knowledge of Intlian literature and in- stitutions. .\n able, but less famous, contemporary was the Portuguese missionary, Father Paulinus a Sancto Bartholoraeo, to whom belongs the honour of composing the first European grammar of the San- skrit tongue, published at Rome in 1790. The first important study of Indian literature and rites was made by Henry T. Colebrooke. His "Miscellaneous Essays on the Sacred Writings and Religion of the Hindus", first published in 1805, became a classic in this new field of research. The collection was re- edited in 1873 by Professor E. B. Cowell, and is still a work of great value to the student of Hinduism. Other distinguished scholars of England who contributed to the knowledge of Brahminism anil Hinduism were Horace H. Wilson, author of a Sanskrit dictionary and of a tran.slation of the Vishnu Purana (1840) and other Hindu texts; .John Muir, author of the great work "Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, their Religions and Institutions" (5 vols., London, 18.58-70), and Sir Monier Williams, whose work "Brahmanism and Hinduism, Religious Thought and Life in India" (4th ed., London, 1891), is a masterly exposition of Hinduism. With these may be associated Professor Max Miiller, through whose exertions the most important sacred texts of India as well as of other Oriental lands have been made accessible to English readers in the well-known collection, "The Sacred Books of the East". In America Professor William D. Whitney made valuable contriljutions to the imderstanding of the Atharva Veiia and other Brahmin texts. His labours have been ably supplemented by the studies of Professors C. R. Lanman, M. Bloomfield, and E. W. Hopkins. The contributions of Continental scholars to the knowledge of the literature and religions of India are of the very greatest importance. The distinguished Orientalist Eugene Burnouf, in the midst of his studies on Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, found time to translate in part the " Bhagavata Purana" (Paris, 1840). R. Roth and F. Kuhn made valuable studies on the early Vedic texts, while Chr. Lassen produced his " Indische Alterthumskunde" in four volumes (Bonn, 1844-61), a monument of erudition. A. Weber, among other works in this field, published a "History of Indian Literature" (English translation, London, 1892). Eminent modern Indianists are A. Barth, author of the excellent "Religions of India" (London, 1882), H. Oldenberg, and G. Biihler, whose valuable translations of sacred texts may be found in the "Sacred Books of the East". Among those who have made valuable contributions to the study of Hinduism are a number of Catholic priests. Besides Father Paulinus, already mentioned, are the Abbe Roussel, who was chosen to assist in completing the translation of the voluminous "Bhagavata Purana", begun by Burnouf, and who has besides published interesting studies on Hinduism; the Abb6 Dubois,


who published a masterly exposition of Modern Hinduism under the title "Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies" (Oxford, 1897); and Father J. Dahlmann, S.J. Finally, it is but fair to note that considerable excellent work is being done by native Hindu scholars in translating and interpreting sacred Hindu texts. One of the most diligent is Nath Dutt, author of the following works: "The Mahabharata, Translated Literally from the Sanskrit Text", Parts I-XI (Calcutta, 1895-99); "The Bhagavadgita" (Calcutta, 1893); "The Vishnu Purana Translated into English Prose" (Calcutta, 1896). F. E. Pargiter has translated into English the "Markandeya Pu- rana", Fasc. i-yi (Calcutta, 1888-99), and E. P. C. Roy, besides giving an English translation of the Mahabharata (Calcutta, 1883-96), has published the "Sree Krishna" (Calcutta, 1901). M. Battacharya has published an interesting work entitled "Hindu Castes and Sects" (Calcutta, 1896).

Ann. duM usee Gmmet (Paris, 1SS5); Hopkin.s, TheGrandEpic of India, its Character and Orif/in (New York, 1901); India Old and Xew (New York, 1901); Religions of India (Boston. 1S95); Mitchell, The Great Religions of India (New York, 1906): Williams, Hinduism (New Y'ork, 1897); Dahlm.\nn, Daa Mahabharata als Epos und Rechtsbueh (Berlin, 1895); Idem, Genesis des Mahabharata (Berlin, 1899): Rou.s.SEL, Ltgendes morales de Vlnde empruntces au Bhagavata Purana et an Maha- bharata (2 vols., Paris, 1900-01): Idem, Cosmologie hindoue d'apris le Bhagavata Purana (Paris, 1898); de Tasst. Histoire de la litterature hindoue et hindoustanic (.3 vols., Paris. 1870-71); \VlLKrN.S. Modern Hinduism (2n(le<i., IjOndon, 1887); CoLlNET, Les Doctrines philosophiques et religieuses de la Bhagavadgita (Paris, 1884).

Chaeles F. Aiken.

Hingston,SiR W'illiam IL\les, Canadian physician and surgeon, b. at Hinchinbrook near Huntingdon, Quebec^June 29, 1829; d. at Montreal, 19 February, 1907. His father, a native of Ireland, was lieutenant- colonel in the Royal 100th Regiment (The Dublins) and died when his son was only eighteen months old, leaving the family in del)t on an estate granted to him for military service. Young Kingston was brought up in poverty, but his mother succeeded in solving her difficulties so well as to be alile to send him to the Sul- pician College at Montreal. Although he had carried off a prize in every subject in his first year he had to become a drug clerk in order to earn his living. His pocket-money was spent for lessons in the classics. Then he took up the study of medicine, still continuing his occupation, and gradviated at McClill University in 1851. He had nearly £100 saved, so he at once sailed on a small vessel to Edinburgh, then famous for its teaching of surgery. He became a favourite of both Simpson and Sarnie, and Sir James Y. Simpson wanted to retain him as his assistant. Before his return at the end of two years young Kingston had with the expenditure of a verv small amount of money visited every important medical centre in Europe, attracting attention everywhere by his talent and industry.

He soon acquired a large practice in Montreal, to which his .self-sacrifice during the cholera epidemic greatly contributed. In 1800 he became surgeon to the Hotel-Dieu. He was the fir.st surgeon in .4merica to perform a resection of a diseased elbow and several other important operations. In 1882 he became pro- fessor of clinical surgery at Victoria University, Mont- real. After its union with Victoria, he occupied this chair in Laval LTniversity. In 1875 he became Mayor of Montreal and was re-elected by acclamation, but de- clined athird term. Forthe wise discharge of hisduties he received the thanks of Governor-General Dufferin. He became an acknowledged leader of American sur- gery and delivered the address on surgery in America before the British Medical Association in 1892. In 1895 he was knighted by Queen Victoria; in 1896 he was called to the Senate of Canada. Pius IX made him a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, Leo XIII conferred on him the Cross "Pro Ec- clesia et Pontifice", and he received honorary degrees