DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.611#0156
110 CHAPTER VI.
allow and encourage them ?" " What can we do, where
is our food to come from if this be given up?" This
conservatism is not rare, alas! in Benares.
But Benares is by no means wholly conservative.
Liberalism, both of views and practice, are growing.
Progress, distinct progress there is, even though it be
not so fast as many would wish. The material progress
is quite evident, and it ought to be, in common justice,
mentioned that the splendid services rendered to the
city by Government officials has had much to do with
this. The city has been favoured with Collectors and
Commissioners during recent years who, backed up by
the Municipality, have been able to carry on real progres-
sive work in the way of improvements in the City. For
many years, we enjoyed the services of Mr. E. H. Radice,
as Collector, and Mr. D. C. Baillie, as Commissioner,
and probably never did officials enjoy such popularity as
they did, secured by their hearty sympathy with the
people, and their readiness to work for, and with, them.
There can be no doubt but that this had much to do with
the loyal spirit that pervaded Benares during the recent
days, when there was so much " unrest " present in vari-
ous parts of India. But we are not dealing here with
such matters.
What is the religious outlook? In the first place, it
may be truthfully said that the religious life, even when
most closely identified with idolatry, has never sunk
to the depths which have been reached in some other
parts of India. But when the best possible has been
said, the idolatry of Benares is such as to cause deep
pain and sorrow to every high-minded well-wisher of
the city. The idols must number tens, perhaps hun-
dreds, of thousands. Their coarseness needs no descrip-
tion, this is evident to all who have eyes to see, and the
still coarser stories about these gods, contained in the
allow and encourage them ?" " What can we do, where
is our food to come from if this be given up?" This
conservatism is not rare, alas! in Benares.
But Benares is by no means wholly conservative.
Liberalism, both of views and practice, are growing.
Progress, distinct progress there is, even though it be
not so fast as many would wish. The material progress
is quite evident, and it ought to be, in common justice,
mentioned that the splendid services rendered to the
city by Government officials has had much to do with
this. The city has been favoured with Collectors and
Commissioners during recent years who, backed up by
the Municipality, have been able to carry on real progres-
sive work in the way of improvements in the City. For
many years, we enjoyed the services of Mr. E. H. Radice,
as Collector, and Mr. D. C. Baillie, as Commissioner,
and probably never did officials enjoy such popularity as
they did, secured by their hearty sympathy with the
people, and their readiness to work for, and with, them.
There can be no doubt but that this had much to do with
the loyal spirit that pervaded Benares during the recent
days, when there was so much " unrest " present in vari-
ous parts of India. But we are not dealing here with
such matters.
What is the religious outlook? In the first place, it
may be truthfully said that the religious life, even when
most closely identified with idolatry, has never sunk
to the depths which have been reached in some other
parts of India. But when the best possible has been
said, the idolatry of Benares is such as to cause deep
pain and sorrow to every high-minded well-wisher of
the city. The idols must number tens, perhaps hun-
dreds, of thousands. Their coarseness needs no descrip-
tion, this is evident to all who have eyes to see, and the
still coarser stories about these gods, contained in the