ch (if one
may credit Williams' words) "brought the latest development of Indian
Theism into closer harmony with Christian ideas." The chief leader of
this Sam[=a]j besides Sen was his cousin Prot[=a]p Chunder Mozoomdar,
official secretary of the society. Its literary organ is the _Indian
Mirror_.

The reform of this reform of course followed before long. The new
Sam[=a]j was accused of making religion too much a matter of emotion
and excitement. Religious fervor, _bhakti_, had led to "rapturous
singing of hymns in the streets"; and to the establishment of a kind
of love-feasts ('Brahma-feasts' they were called) of prayer and
rejoicing; and, on the other hand, to undue asceticism and
self-mortification.[111] Sen himself was revered too much. One of the
most brilliant, eloquent, and fascinating of men, he was adored by his
followers--as a god! He denied that he had accepted divine honors, but
there is no doubt, as Williams insists, that his Vishnuite tendency
led him to believe himself peculiarly the recipient of divine favors.
It was charged against him that he asserted that all he did was at
God's command, and that he believed himself perennially inspired.[112]
If one add to this that he was not only divinely inspired, but that he
had the complete control of his society, it would appear to be easy to
foresee where the next reformer might strike. For Sen "was not only
bishop, priest, and deacon all in one," says Williams, "he was a Pope,
from whose decision there was no appeal." But it was not this that
caused the rupture. In 1877 this reformer, "who had denounced early
marriages as the curse of India," yielded to natural social ambition
and engaged his own young daughter to a Koch (R[=a]jbanshi) prince,
who in turn was a mere boy. The Sam[=a]j protested with all its might,
but the marriage was performed the next year, withal to the
accompaniment of idolatrous rites.[113] After this Sen became somewhat
theatrical. In 1879 he recognized (in a proclamation) God's
Motherhood--the old dogma of the female divine. In 1880 he announced,
in fervid language, that Christianity was the only true religion: "It
is Christ who rules British India, and not the British Government.
England has sent out a tremendous moral force in the life and
character of that mighty prophet to conquer and hold this vast empire.
None but Jesus, none but Jesus, none but Jesus, ever deserved this
bright, this precious diadem, India, and Jesus shall have i