Page:The Modern Review (July-December 1925).pdf/545

Rh becomes wider and finer and extends to territorial division through international trade. Private property develops with a vengeance. Capitalists command economic destinies of nations and labour is completely dissociated from any control of production. This is the present economic stage. No human institution however is ordained to remain static and signs are already manifest of the possible break-up of the present economic order. The growing demand of labour to participate more fully in the fruits of production, the cry for the destruction of capitalism, the problems of the trusts and the kartels, the combination of numerous small capitalists with labourers in joint-stock or co-partnership production, the growth of credit in all its manifestations, the nationalisation of productive organizations (culminating in Bolshevik destruction of private property in the case of Russia) are all steady indications of the coming of a new era.

In this coming age industry is likely to take up corporate form. Partly on account of the growing difficulties of competition and partly on development in the ideas of co-operation, the individual manufacturer will have hardly any scope for making a stand in the future economic world. Credit will almost ccmpletely replace money and a complexer form of barter with paper measures for values of articles will grow as the principal method of exchange. The object of production will primarily consist in offering “service” to mankind and the ideas of making money or profiteering will almost totally disappear. All benefits of industrial achievements will proceed ultimately to the community at large being filtered through individuals, syndicates and the newly organised state. The conception of private property will be revised totally and the laws of inheritance and transfer re-written, and re-modelled.

THE RIVER-FRONT, BENARES By P. SESHADRI Temples

and

Other Places op Interest

E Calcutta has been called the City of Palaces and Lucknow the City of Gardens, Benares may well be styled the City of Temples. Through centuries of her history she has received attention from the entire Hindu world, one province in India anxious to vie with another in offering its own contribution to beautify the place. Bengal and Maharastra, Punjab and Madras, even distant Nepal and Assam have joined hands in the rearing of temples in the sacred city. Besides the wrell-known ones ■ where public worship is offered on a large scale, there are a large number of private shrines. In fact, it is the ambition of every Hindu gifted with great wealth to build a shrine of some kind or other within the holy limits and endow it, as best as he may, with facilities for per­ petual service and worship. Reference has been made, when describing the river-front, to some of the temples which line the river. A few of the more prominent of the remain­ ing ones in the city will be mentioned here

I

.

66—4

and this chapter will' also include a brief description of some of the other objects of interest. The shrine of Vishweshwar and its neigh­ bourhood represent the' most important of the places of worship for the Hindus. Benares, from time immemorial, has been the city of Yishwanath and the traditions of long centuries have, gone to enhance its sanctity. There is always a dense crowd of worshippers at the temple and on special occasions it is difficult to find even jostling accommodation inside its courtyard. •'We owe the present structure to Maharani Ahalyabai of Indore. There is some fine carving in the temple and the roof is gold-plated by the generosity of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Punjab. Near by is the Gyau Bapi or the well of knowledge, a draught of whose sacred waters is believed by the orthodox Hindu to produce the highest spiritual illumination. The temple of Annapurna or the Indian Ceres ever ready to pour her wealth of plenty to the devout worshipper is also there.