HINDUISM

in hinduism we may discern four main elements: religion, race, country and social organisation. they may not be separated. they are inextricably interwoven. 356 the life of each is bound up and is an integral factor in the life of the others. it is a living whole forged by the organic stresses of history and a long past, from diverse sources from various materials and it is still a living vigorous whole. its diversity is appalling. uniformity could not be expected as a feature of the religious experience of 232,000,000 people of ditferent racial origins, of different history, of different envi- ronment, tradition and social structure. yet there is a true hindu polity: there are features common to north and south, to kast and west. much of it belongs obviously to the universal pattern for the agelong problems, whose presentations, at various times, in differing modes, constitute the stimulus to religious aclivity, are based ultimately on certain definite universal ex- periences and facts. alan is born of woman, grows and withers like the grass. whence and whither and why? the debate of fate, foreknowledge, freewill follows inevitably certain lines, and the solutions to these problems conform to type because they are universal problems, wherever, as is markedly the case in india, thought has turned to the scrutiny and analysis of experience. what of unity is there in all this? where is it to be found? what is the factor or force that transcends this welter of diversity and binds it into a whole? not community of origin, not com- munity of speech. a clue may be found in the view that ‘‘ though tlinduism has no one creed, yet there are at least two doctrines held by nearly all who call themselves hindus. one may be described as polytheistic pantheism . . . the second doctrine is commonly known as metempsychosis, the transmigration of souls or reincarnation, the last-named being the most correct.” here most certainly are elements which hinduism shares with and derives from lowlier cults. from these very elements and beliefs, the social fabric draws its strength. the new-born child is no stranger, dropped from the skies: he is one of the com- munity returning for a brief while to the world to which again and again he will come till liberation shall have been won. these beliefs we now know to be part and parcel of the socio-religious manifestations of many so-called savage tribes. they make for the stability of social structure. they validate morality. they have a survival value. the hindu does not admit that a belief in reincarnation expresses pessimism. by judicious and timely expenditure a sinner may escape hell, but he cannot escape a disadvantageous rebirth—a belief which establishes a closer and more vital and socially valuable connection between morality and religion, which he cannot discover in other types of religion. what gives perennial force to these beliefs is their practical relation with the structure and rules of hindu society and their ethical value. in another aspect this belief lays emphasis upon the conti- nuity of life while recognising to the full that change is ceaseless. the continuity of the universe, which to a materialistic world is enshrined in the scientific dogmas of the indestructibility of matter and the conservation of energy, is a real doctrine of perpetual validity and practical ethical import in hinduism, which recognises a material law in the spiritual world, as well as a spiritual law in the material world. the charge is brought that hinduism exhibits both intel- lectual and moral extravagance, yet the value of truth and of progressive revelation in religion is rated high. the moral extrava- gance, as the west judges morals, which exists in hinduism, is in large part the result of the intellectual extravagance whereby logic is exalted to perilous heights unchecked by reason. is it absurd to afhfrm that deity cannot be fettered, must be free in all respects, may act when and where and as it will? if this be true of the divine, then in like measure as some men are the vessels of divinity, so will they be set free from the trammels and conventions that bind the ordinary lesser man. such at least would seem to be the argument. the consequences drawn from it justify the criticism that what may be true of the divinity is in practical reason inapplicable to humanity. the sense of mystery, the recognition of power, the apprehen- sion of an order dimly seen but always felt, are there. hinduism hinduism provides a mode of life as well as a religion, a guide to and an interpretation of the relations between man and man, between one group and another, between humanity and divinity. to regulate these relations, to secure safety for all, there are minute observances and ordinances which seem to be, but at deeper view are not, incongruous with the philosophic subtlety character- | istic of hinduism at its highest and best. hindu polity is aristocratic, not egalitarian. it recognises ancl utilises and explains the inequalities of individuals and of groups of individuals. it is based on a sense of duty and of reciprocal obligation permeating the whole society from the king to the peasant. dharma is duty. in the caste system, with its hierarchical gradations, its complex relations, its jealous endogamy, its fissiparous nature, it expresses an exclusiveness which at first sight seems to create a rigid barrier, but its process of proselytisation is by the absorption of whole communities, and that process 1s still active. the groups find a place, and some in course of time are known to have risen high by use of political and other circumstances. the highest height is still reserved for the brahmin who, when a long view is taken of indian his- tory, has often proved himself worthy of the trust he has inherited. times are changing. the printing press is active. the schoolmaster is in the land. there is talk, loose talk, much talk of rights. democracy and the ballot box constitute the court of final appeal. ideas spread fast, faster than exact knowledge, and wisdom lingers. yet appeals to the old ideals are heard and heeded by millions. saintliness and character are recognised for what they are, great social forces. an emo- tional need awakened and created by the stirring political events of this period was satisfied by the worship of bande mataram, the symbolic identification of a religious entity with a racial and political ideal. the old spirit lives and exerts its influence in countless ways. the development of industrialism in india has already made vast alterations in the mode of life of millions by changing the distribution of wealth and by augmenting the range of human and social ambitions. those who but yesterday were poor and without honour, today are prosperous and seek for esteem and recognition. hindu polity in the social order is based on the principle of “attaching more importance to the differences between social groups than to that which they have in com- mon.’? wealth is power and power is worshipful always. wis- dom, too, is power and still has its meed of respect, though perhaps not as fully as in the golden days, when great was the ‘influence exercised by indian philosophers in every grade of society, from the highest to the lowest, solely by reason of their superior intellectual qualities and personal virtues.” much has been, much yet remains to be, learnt by the serious student of religious and social problems from the vast array of indian religious experience in which, daily, fresh contacts are established between hinduism, islam, christianity and prim- itive culture. the diversity, polytheism, philosophic mono- theism, practical henotheism, of hinduism affect profoundly and intimately all it touches, and it assumes fresh forms and provokes change and reaction within the religious communities it touches. the census records display losses and gains and analyse them fairly. within it the cement of philosophy which binds together the aboriginal beliefs, its prime material, is still strong as are the reforming movements like the brahmo samaj which, judged by numerical standards, is weak, even declining but is ever gaining fresh hold on the intelligentsia, especially of bengal. the arya samaj in the punjab has gained greatly in recent years. it has developed the practice of shuddhi: (a) the conversion to hinduism of persons belonging to foreign religions; (6) the reconversion of those who have recently or at a remote period adopted one of the foreign religions; and (c) reclamation of the so-called depressed classes. in conservative southern india whence great movements have originated in the past, so much so that “it would be more correct to describe indian religion as dravidian religion stimulated and modified by the ideas of aryan invaders,” many forces are at work which are hines—-hockily destined surely to find expression in religious modes, perhaps as before, in a development of an emotional theism founded on the belief that “‘ every man by his own efiorts can come into immediate contact with the great being whom he worships.” hinduism needs no apology. as sir charles eliot has finely said: “if hinduism were really bad, so many great thoughts, so many good men would not have grown up in its atmosphere. more than any other religion it is a quest of truth and not a creed . .. it is truly dynamic and in the past, whenever it has seemed in danger of withering, it has never failed to bud with new life and put forth new flowers. more than any other religion hinduism appeals to the soul’s immediate knowledge and ex- perience of god. it has sacred books innumerable, but they agree in little but this, that the soul can come into contact and intimacy with its god, whatever name be given him and even if he be superpersonal ... the task of religion is... not to promote the welfare of tribes and states, but to effect the en- hightenment and salvation of souls.” purified from within, hinduism in its highest expression by which it, as any other religion, has a right to be judged, with its great vitality, its power of adaptation, its philosophic tradition, its insistence on the development of the powers that are latent in man and are in jeopardy of being atrophied by modern dependence on machin- ery, may yet serve humanity by correcting the stress laid by other schools of thought upon the material to the neglect of the spiritual. bibliograpilty.—the census reports for 1911 and 1921 contain valuable data and critical examination of the statistical evidence collected. the provincial reports are also full of matter. the publication of zhe tribes and castes of bombay, 3 vol. (1920), com- pletes a series of most important books so far as the main part of continental india is concerned. the religions of the lower culture are dealt with in the birhors, by sarat chandra roy (1925) and the monographs of the assam and burma ethnographical surveys. sir charles eliot’s zinduism and buddhism (1921) is a fine pre- sentment of facts based on personal knowledge and a critical investi- gation of the texts. such works as the crown of hinduism by j. n. farquhar (1913), the chamars by g. w. briggs (1920) and the village gods of southern india (1921) by the rt. rev. henry white- head, d.d., may also be consulted. hines, walker downer (1870- ), american lawyer, was born at russelville, ky., feb. 2 1870. he was educated at ogden college and the university of virginia. from 1893 to 1904 he was with the louisville and nashville railway in the legal department and, after 1901, as first vice-president. he practised law in louisville, ky., r9e4—6 and in new york city 1906-16, becoming specially versed in questions of interstate commerce. in 1906 he became general counsel for the atchison, topeka and santa fe railway, later becoming also chairman of the executive committee, and then chairman of the board of directors. in feb. 1918, after the u.s. govt. had assumed con- trol of the railways as a war measure, he was appomted assistant director-general, and in jan. of the following year director- general. he resigned in may 1920, and was designated by presi- dent wilson as arbitrator in the distribution of german, aus- trian and hungarian inland shipping under the peace treaties. in oct. 1921 he resumed the practice of the law in new york city. in 1925 he made an investigation and report of navigation on the rhine and danube for the league of nations. hippius, zinaida (1869- ), russian poet and prose writer, was born nov. 8 1869 at belev, in the tula province. she married dmitry mereshkovsky in 1889 and went to live in st. petersburg (leningrad). later she went to live in paris. hip- pius was one of the leading poets of the russian symbolist move- ment of the ’nincties and her poetry bears the usual character of the movement: the cult of beauty, mysticism and individual- ism. the influence of nietzsche’s philosophy is also apparent asin the famous line ‘‘ i love myself as i love god ” which became the slogan of the russian “‘ decadents.”’ her later poetry shows the influence of the neo-christian theories of mereshkovsky but at the same time reveals deep individual and emotional power. her prose works were much inferior to her poetry, but under the pseu- donym of ‘ anton krainy ”’ she was known as a trenchant liter- ary critic. oof hitchcock, george (18s0-1913), american painter (sce 13.533), died on the island of marken, netherlands, aug. 2 1913. hitchcock, gilbert monell (18s50- ), american politician, was born at omaha, neb., sept. 18 1859. he was edu- cated at omaha and baden-baden (germany), and the law school of the university of michigan. he was admitted to the bar in 1881 and practised law in omaha for four years. in 1885 he founded the omaha evening world,and four years later bought the omaha aferning herald, combining the two papers into the world-herald. we was representative in congress 1903-5 and 1907-11. he was elected u.s. senator for the terms 1911-7 and 1917-23. after the sinking of the “ lusitania ” in rors, he believed that action on the part of america should be limited to a demand for reparation. in 1917, however, he supported the resolution for a declaration of war against germany, and in 1918 became chairman of the senate committee on forcign relations. when the president submitted to the senate the treaty of versailles, senator hitchcock led the administration forces by virtue of his office, giving strong support to the league of nations. hobart, tasmania (see 13.544), the capital of tasmania, is the political and social, but not the commercial or trade centre, as it is reached from the north coast by a slow railway journey. since electric power has been available from generating works at great lake, which began to give a large output in 1921, zine works, a chocolate and sweet factory, and carbide manufacturing works, have been started near the town. <a large number of summer visitors from the australian mainland provide a liveli- hood for many inhabitants of hobart, which had a population of 53,132 in rg2t (including suburbs), representing a quarter of the population of tasmania. the magniticent sheltered harbour in the river derwent, which is 24 m. wide at hobart, has some 2} m. of wharfage, with depths of 45 to 65 ft. alongside the pier. hobhouse, leonard trelawney (1864- ), british sociologist, was educated at oxford; he became fellow of merton college in 1887, and of corpus christi in 1890. engaging at first in journalism, he served for five years on the staff of the manchester guardian, an active liberal, he was secretary of the free trade union in 1903-5 and published several political works, notably the labour movement (1893; 2nd ed., 1898) and democracy and reaction (1904), showing strong sympathy with collectivism, which he maintained to be not inconsistent with liberalism. but in 1907 he was appointed martin white professor of sociology in the university of london, and next year became editor of the sociological review. thenceforth, except for a few war publications, he devoted his energies to writing and lecturing on ethical, psychological and sociological subjects. his principal works are the theory of knowledge, 3rd ed. (1921); mind in evolution, 2nd ed. (1915); morals in evolution, 2 vol., ard ed. (1915); development and purpose (1913); and prin- ciples of sociology in four separate sections (1918-24); the social application of ethical principles; in collaboration with g. c. wheeler and m. ginsberg, the material culture and social institutions of the simpler peoples (1915); and with j. l. hammond, lord hobhouse; a memoir (19053).