Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/279

237 standing or sitting behind them. The oracle of the place was a man born blind. By birth, he was a mechanic, but his lack of sight led him to study, of course through his ears alone; and now he was the learned man and philosopher of Calumboor. He sat upon our right hand, and by his side the head Brahmin of the town, a fat, merry-faced fellow, the very image of good nature.

When all were silent, our errand was made known, and the system and practice of Hinduism tested by reason and the writings of their own philosophers, who saw the folly of polytheism and idolatry, though they could show no true way of salvation. Verse after verse from the Tamil poets was quoted, ridiculing idols as but stone, proclaiming the vanity of washing in sacred streams to cleanse the soul, and maintaining the sinfulness of worshipping more than one God. As each sentiment was advanced and defended, “ True! true!” said the blind philosopher, and from his well-stored memory, he called up and recited other quotations to the same effect. Thus each argument was enforced by their own teacher, whose word none ventured to gainsay. “But," said the philosopher, “thus the world goes: it is full