Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-10-21
The Hindoo Castes in India.

. The following brief account OF the Hindot
castes, taken from "Mills History of India,
may not at this time be unacceptable to onl
readers -
Although in Hindostan there are many des
cendants of the Mogul Tartars, by whom India
was conquered many years ago, and who by re-
| ligion are Mohammedans, the population prin
cpally consists of Hindoos, and these by theiI
religion are divided into four separate castles OF
classes: /. The Brahmins, or priests; q The
Cshatriyas, or military classes; 3. The Vaisyas
or tradesmen and farmers; 4. The Sudras, OF
laborers.
1st. The Brahmins have acquired and main.
tanned most extensive and powerful authority
over the other castles. According to their "Ve.
das.n or sacred books, ''as great a distance as
there is between the deity and the Brahm;ns, SO
great is the distance between the Brahmin and
the rest of mankind" The sacred books are ex
clusively his. He is lord of all other classes
The first duty of all magistrates, whether su'
preme or subordinate, is to honor the Brahmins,
and the slightest disrespect to one OF this sacred
class is the most atrocous of crimes For con-
tumelious language to Brahmin, Sudra must
have an iron spike ten fingers long thrust into
his mouth From his high birth alone, Brah-
min is an object of veneration to deities, and II
any man, even of the upper castles, should strike
Brahmin, though even with blade of grass,
or overpower him in any argument, he must
soothe him by falling PROSTATE. A priest who
knows the law need not complain to the King,
for by his own power he may chastise those
who ipjure him. He may use powerful charms,
for speech is the weapon of Brahmin with
which be may destroy his oppressors. Let not
the King provoke Brahmins to anger, for they,
| if enraged, can destroy him. A Brahmin, wheth-
er learned or ignorant, is q powerful divinity
and. though they are occupied in mean occupa-
tions they must be honored, for they are divine.
A king shall not slay Brahmin, though guilty
of all possible crimes. Let him Danish the Of
fender from his realm, but with his property &C.
cure and his body unhurt A king must not
take tax from Brahmin learned in the Ve-
das and it is an essential part Of expation and
sacrifice to present gifts to Brahmins. They are
go much superior to king that the meanest
Brahmin would account himself polluted by eat
ing with him, if not of the same caste or religion
Their proper business is to read the Vedas, and
to teach them to the younger Brahmins, and TO
perform religious exercises and sacrifices.
The cd class or Oshatridas, become soldiers
when they can obtain such employment.
The Sd, Vaisyas, are employed as merchants,
or in tending cattle, or cultivating the soil.
The 4th, Sudras, are employed in servile Ia
Dor. and are as much the objects of contempt as
the Brahrnins are of veneration, to the castles a.
boye them. If this class commit crimes, they
are more severely punished than delinquents in
the upper castles, and Brahmin may at any
time compel them to perform for him any kind
of servile labor since they were created for the
purpose of serving Brahmins. No Sudra may
accumulate wealth, even If he has the means OF
doing so. for servile man who accumulates
wealth gives pain to the Brahmins o Brahmin
may at any time take the goods ofhis Sudra SER
want, for such servant can have no property
Adultery between a Sudra and woman OF
higher caste is expiated by burning to death on
bed of iron; nor is the Sudra in better condi.
ton with respect to future state. "For Brah.
min must not read the Vedas in the presence Of
Sudra.n "Let not Brahmin give advice to
Sudra. nor what remains from his table. Let
him not give spiritual counsel to Sudra, or in
form him of the legal expiation of his sin. Sure
ly he who declares the law to servile man, or
who instructs him in the means of expiating sin,
sinks with that man into the hell called AS
amvrita.'"
Although each class was bound by religion to
adhere 10 the particular employment assigned to
it, the upper classes might in cases OF necessity
adopt the employment of the classes below them.
Thus Brahmin, when he is not employed in
his own proper business, may become soldier
or tradesInan, but must never engage in the
servile occupations of Sudra. Thus Brah-
min has opened to himself the occupations Of the
respectable classes, and can overload them in
seasons of distress. He may enlist into the ar
mics, or engage in traffic and merchandise.
But, although the Hindoos are by their laws
divided into four castles only, and the different
castles are only permitted to marry in their own,
vet irregularities take place, and children are
born who belong to no class such children are
deemed Infamous, on account of the violation OF
the sacred laws which gave occasion to their
birth but, although they are regarded with con-
tempt and adherence, they are divided into no
less than thirty-sx different branches; the high
est is the offspring of Brahmin and woman
of the second class and the lowest is the of.
spring of Sudra and woman OF the sacred
class. These last are called 'chandals." Moth
ing can exceed the degradation to which they
are subjected they are condemned to live in q
sequestered place by themselves, lest they should
pollute the very town in which they reside, and
if they meet man of the higher castles they
must turn out of the way, lest he should be con-
taminated by their presence.
Mr.. Mill, in conclusion of the chapter from
which the above account is taken, observes:-
$50 inconsistent with the laws of human well
fare are the institutions Of the Hindoo ancient
book, that they never could have been observed
with accuracy" and adds, "That the only won
der is that the state of society which the Hin
docs now exhibit should hold so great o resem.
blance to that which is depicted in their books"
THE KING OF SIAM AND WEBsTER's DIoTIoN-
ARY.-An officer of the United States ship Ports
mouth, writing to his friends in New Haven,
mentions that he had been introduced to the
King of Siam, who he found to be an accom-.
plished scholar, and extremely well acquainted
with the English language. The King had num-