BRAHMAPUTRA 



890 



BRAIN 



when the oldest hymns of the Vedas were 

 being written. Brahma, the Supreme Creator, 

 is the head of the Triad of three gods, the 

 other two being Vishnu, the Preserver, and 

 Siva, the Destroyer and Reproducer. The 

 Triad is a later development in Hindu theol- 

 ogy, and in modern religious practice Brahma 

 has almost no part, for the worship of one 

 Supreme Being is too abstract an idea to appeal 

 to the Hindu intellect. The worship of Brahma 

 has therefore given way to that of Vishnu and 

 Siva. There is, however, a reform spiritual 

 movement going on in India in which God is 

 worshiped under the form of Brahma in the 

 three aspects of Creator, Preserver and De- 

 stroyer. B.M.W. 



Consult Hopkins' Religions of India: Oman's 

 The Brahmans. 



BRAHMAPUTRA, brah ma poo ' t ra, one of 

 the most important rivers of Asia, rising in the 

 snowy slopes of the Himalaya Mountains, and 

 after a course of nearly 1,800 miles swelling the 

 waters of the sacred Ganges. In its northern 

 reaches the river receives various names, being 

 called Tsanpo, or the pure one, by the inhab- 

 itants of certain districts of Tibet, and Nari 

 Chu and Maghang in other parts. For 170 

 miles it follows a southeasterly direction, then 

 turns eastward for 500 miles and then south- 

 ward to the plains of Assam, through which it 

 keeps a straight course. At a height of 13,800 

 feet above sea level the river is navigable and 

 forms an important link in internal commerce. 

 In certain parts navigation is rendered impos- 

 sible on account of narrow gorges and rapids, 

 but large boats may ascend the river a distance 

 of 800 miles from the sea. 



The Brahmaputra retains the distinction of 

 being unbridged throughout its length, com- 

 munication across it being maintained entirely 

 by boats and rafts. The principal tributaries, 

 themselves mighty rivers, are the Lohit, Di- 

 bong, Dihong and Subansiri, each receiving the 

 drainage of a large area. The valley of the 

 Brahmaputra is fertile and extensively culti- 

 vated, tea, rice and jute being produced in im- 

 mense quantities. In times of rain the river 

 floods many hundreds of square miles along its 

 banks, a natural irrigation which is of great 

 advantage to rice growers. 



BRAHMS, JOHANNES (1833-1897), the last of 

 that famous line of German musical composers 

 of first rank, which began with Bach. Brahms 

 was born at Hamburg, where his musical edu- 

 cation was begun by his father. At the age 

 of ten he was sent to the best teacher in Ham- 



Wt a 



JOHANNES BRAHMS 



burg, who was so impressed by the boy's 

 talent that he prophesied he would win a 

 greater name in music than did Mendelssohn. 

 He early came in 

 touch with the 

 greatest musi- 

 cians of his day, 

 including the fa- 

 m o u s violinist, 

 Joseph Joachirn, 

 and Liszt and 

 Schumann. The 

 latter wrote en- 

 thusiastically i n 

 praise of the 

 young musician, 

 after he had 

 heard Brahms 

 play some of his own compositions. Brahms 

 composed and played thereafter in several of 

 the music centers of Germany, and in addition 

 held positions as music director and concert 

 conductor. The later years of his life were 

 spent mostly in Vienna, where his great master- 

 pieces, appearing from year to year, won for 

 him the highest honors the music world could 

 bestow. 



The principal compositions of Brahms in- 

 clude four symphonies; two serenades; the 

 Tragic Overture; the majestic German Re- 

 quiem, a choral work suggested by the death 

 of his mother; variations on one of Hadyn's 

 themes, known as the Chorale Saint Antoine; 

 the Hungarian Dances for the piano; trios, 

 quartets and quintets; several concertos; and 

 nearly 200 songs, the best known of which 

 is the beautiful How Art Thou, My Queen? 

 Brahms was one of the most intellectual of 

 the master composers, and though he is not 

 yet fully understood his fame continues to 

 grow as the world is learning better to appre- 

 ciate him. His work is characterized by dignity 

 and grandeur of idea, at all times expressing 

 the deep earnestness and sincerity that were 

 among his strongest traits. 



BRAIN, brane, the organ of the body which 

 controls all thought, action and feeling, and 

 the center of the nervous system in man and 

 the higher animals. An eminent authority has 

 called it the "great central exchange of our 

 telephone system." Nothing is accomplished 

 in the world that is not first conceived in the 

 brain of man. The steam engine first assumed 

 shape in the mind of Watt; in the wonderful 

 brain of Edison were built the electric light 

 machine, the phonograph and the moving pic- 



