﻿*4 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  appear 
  in 
  this 
  latter 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Kaliyuga 
  or 
  Iron 
  age. 
  What 
  have 
  already 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  are 
  mere 
  preludes. 
  The 
  real 
  ones 
  are 
  yet 
  in 
  store. 
  

  

  " 
  14. 
  The 
  earthquake 
  is 
  commonly 
  calculated 
  by 
  the 
  Hindus 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  

   formula 
  quoted 
  below 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  If 
  you 
  get 
  famine, 
  drought 
  and 
  plague 
  in 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  

   you 
  get 
  the 
  earthquake 
  that 
  year. 
  

   This 
  calculation 
  has 
  indeed 
  been 
  verified. 
  

  

  " 
  15. 
  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  physical 
  causes 
  which 
  make 
  the 
  geological 
  changes 
  in 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  the 
  Hindus 
  believe 
  in 
  a 
  supernatural 
  agency, 
  which 
  excites 
  the 
  physical 
  

   causes 
  that 
  make 
  the 
  change. 
  That 
  supernatural 
  agency 
  is, 
  again, 
  put 
  to 
  action 
  

   by 
  the 
  vice 
  or 
  virtue 
  of 
  mankind. 
  Changes 
  causing 
  woe 
  and 
  calamity 
  are 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  former, 
  while 
  those 
  causing 
  happiness 
  are 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  

   This 
  is 
  what 
  the 
  venerable 
  Garga 
  says 
  about 
  the 
  causes 
  which 
  produce 
  un- 
  

   natural 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  sky 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Unnatural 
  visitations 
  of 
  nature 
  are 
  caused 
  by 
  too 
  much 
  cove- 
  

   tousness, 
  untruthfulness 
  in 
  conduct 
  and 
  action, 
  atheism, 
  

   impiety 
  and 
  impurity 
  in 
  thought 
  and 
  action. 
  Where 
  there 
  is 
  

   constant 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  above, 
  the 
  gods 
  turn 
  their 
  back 
  to 
  

   mankind 
  and 
  cause 
  unnatural 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  sky, 
  or 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  clouds 
  and 
  lightning, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  sky, 
  or 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  or 
  the 
  solar 
  system, 
  for 
  

   their 
  destruction. 
  

   11 
  We 
  Hindus 
  fully 
  believe 
  in 
  this 
  that 
  the 
  siri 
  of 
  mankind 
  has 
  been 
  causing 
  all 
  

   these 
  woeful 
  changes, 
  and 
  that 
  unless 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  advance 
  made 
  towards 
  beatitude 
  

   there 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  end 
  of 
  these. 
  

  

  " 
  16. 
  As 
  remedial 
  measures 
  for 
  the 
  mischief 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  I 
  beg 
  to 
  

   suggest 
  that 
  the 
  local 
  bodies, 
  viz., 
  the 
  District 
  Boards 
  and 
  the 
  Municipalities, 
  may 
  

   be 
  directedito 
  co-operate 
  with 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  opening 
  up 
  the 
  rivulets 
  or 
  canals 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  silted 
  up, 
  in 
  re-digging 
  the 
  tanks 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  dried 
  up 
  and 
  filled 
  in 
  

   with 
  sands, 
  in 
  removing 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  sands 
  from 
  the 
  corn-fields, 
  in 
  filling 
  up 
  the 
  

   gaps 
  and 
  hollows 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  them, 
  and 
  in 
  repairing 
  the 
  roads 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  rendered 
  impassable. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  consideration 
  for 
  

   the 
  District 
  and 
  Local 
  Boards 
  whether 
  the 
  new 
  canals 
  opened 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake 
  should 
  be 
  closed 
  or 
  continued 
  to 
  any 
  natural 
  stream 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  close 
  

   by. 
  1 
  should 
  prefer 
  the 
  latter 
  course, 
  as 
  they 
  will, 
  if 
  continued, 
  water 
  a 
  large 
  

   tract 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  supply 
  drinking 
  water 
  to 
  men 
  and 
  cattle. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  

   measures 
  to 
  De 
  adopted 
  to 
  guard 
  against 
  the 
  recurrence 
  of 
  such 
  unnatural 
  changes 
  

   in 
  future, 
  I 
  should 
  only 
  repeat 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  in 
  some 
  cf 
  my 
  previous 
  reports 
  

   to 
  Government, 
  viz., 
  firstly, 
  that 
  Government 
  should 
  see 
  that 
  every 
  man 
  in 
  every 
  

   community 
  should 
  follow 
  the 
  dictum 
  of 
  the 
  religion 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  accepted 
  by 
  

   that 
  community 
  and 
  act 
  accordingly. 
  

  

  "17. 
  I 
  am 
  humbly 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  system 
  of 
  religious 
  toleration 
  

   is 
  not 
  suited 
  to 
  India. 
  Any 
  man 
  in 
  any 
  community 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   violate 
  with 
  impunity 
  the 
  ordinances 
  of 
  the 
  religion 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  accepted 
  by 
  

   that 
  community. 
  If 
  any 
  man 
  wishes 
  to 
  renounce 
  his 
  old 
  faith 
  and 
  to 
  embrace 
  a 
  

  

  ( 
  24 
  ) 
  

  

  