The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-08-03
Charles Kingsley ON the Coolies i'm the
West Indies.

Charles Kingsley writes in his new book on
the West Indies, "At Last" of the Coolies in
the West Indies. He says:
A thing noteworthy in the crowd which
cooked, chatted, lounged, sauntered idly 10
and fro under the Matapalos-the pilIared air
roots OF which must have put them in mind
OF their own Banyans at home-was their
good manners. One saw in moment that
one was among gentlemen and ladies. The
dress OF many of the men was noueht but a
scarf wrapped round the loins; that of most
of the women nought but the longer scaIf
which the Hindoo woman contriyes to AZ
range In most graceful as well as perfectly
modest covering, even for her feet and head.
These garments, and perhaps a brass poi,
were PROBABLY all the worldly goods OF most
OF them just then. But every attitude, ees.
ture, tone, was full of grace of ease, courtesy.
sel-restralnt, disnity-of that Sweetness and
light" at least in eXternals, which Mr.. Mat
thew Arnold desiderates. an wefI aware
that these people are not perfect; that, like
most heather folk and some Christian, their
morals are by no means spotless, their pas
sions by no means trampled out. But they
have acquired-let Hndoo scholars tell how
and Wbere-a civilization which shows in
them all day long; which draws the European
to them and them to the European, whenever
the latter is worthy OF the name of civilized
man, lnstihctively, and by the mere inter
change OF glances; civilization which must
make it easy Tor the Englishman, if he will
but do his duty, not only to make use of these
people, but to purify and ennoble them.
Another thug was noteworthy about the
coolies, at the very first glance, and all we saw
afterward proved that that first glance was
correct; L mean their tondness for children.
Ii you took notice of child, not only the
mother smiled thanks and delight, but the
men around likewise, as if a compliment had
been paid to their whole company. We saw
afterward almost daily proofs of the coolie-
mems tondness for their children; of their
tondness aso-an excellent sign that the
morale is not destroyed at the root-for dumb
animals. A coolie COW or donkey is petted,
led about tenderly, tempted with tid-bits.
Pet animals, where they can be got, are the
coolies delight, as they are the delight of the
wild Indian. L wish could say the same of
the negro His treatment of his children and
of his beasts of burden is, but too often, as
exactly opposed to that of the coolie as are
his manners. No wonder that the two races
do not, and it is to be feared never WILL ANAL.
gamate, that the coolie, shocked by the unloT-
tunate awkwar4ness of gesture and vugarity
of manners OF the average negro, and still
more of the negress, looks on them as savageS;
while the negro, in his turn, hates the coolie
as a hard-working interloper, and despses
him as heather; or that heavy fights be-
tween the two races arise now and then, in
which the coolie, in spite of his slender limbs,
has generally the advantage over the bury
negro, by dint of his greater courage and the
terrible quickness with which he wields his
beloved weapon, the long hardwood quarter
staff