Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/188

 holy water thay had brought from the Gan- ges. <Afier dipping the flowere, which seemed to me like yellow marigolds, into the fountain the priests threw them through the doorway to the people, who ectambled after them most frantically, believing that they possessed some matvelovacharm. A fat, oily-lookiag Brahmin waddled to the door and threw round my neck a strirg of flow ets, at the same time holding cut bis han for bucksheesh. The crowd behind scowled at my good luck, aud my guide dray me away, for no one could tell what the zzal thess deluded fanatics would lesd them t do to an unbelicver. Ten years ago my life world not have heen worth a minute’a pur: chase in such a place. I bestowed my strin of marigol’s upon some one who could ap: prociste their value, aud we elbowed cur way into the comparatively fresh air of the street, haying seen encugh of Hindeo idol atry.

Ou our way back tothe “Victoria,” we patsed hundreds of shopsdeyated to the manufacture of brase and copper idols of Vishau, Shiva and Buddha. In other shops where nO msrufacturing wee going onl saw large quantities of hideous little idols made of iron and eovered with gilt lacquer, which my guide aysured me were (made in Birmingham. Yorily, not India zlone, but Christian England also, is somewhat given up to I-dollar-try. W. P. F.