The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-02-26
4 RICE-FED PEOPLE.
The Aspects of the Famine in Bengal.
From the London TmeS.l


We sometimes wonder if our readers unac-
quainted with India ever actually realize what
is meant by rice-eatins pcople-if the ladies
of England, for instance. comprehend that
the poor BenGalee. who earns only ten shilllngs
d month. and on that maintains a family, and
pays his little dues to landlord and priest, lives,
We may say, solely on rice, and that, apart
from all questions of tho power to purchase, no
delicacy of English or French cookery would
tempt him to eat food which had been prepared
by low-caste people, or by strangers. There
are caste scruples which are foolish and veXa-
tous. These may be broken: Lord Dalhousie
broke them on one occasion, in the case of his
Ooriah servants, by firm word and the sensi-
ble part Of the people approved. There are
caste scrlples which no power of any conqueror
every broke, and these, whether we wish it or
not. we are bound to respect, for the man III
whose person We attempt to infringe them
simply puts his hand behind his back, or joins
them together before him in the attitude Of
prayer and raises his eyes to heaven, or drops
them to the earth, with meekness for which
the world has no counterpart on so large
scale, but with decision which the terror Of
death would not shake. 1t is the 'timid Ben
galee" to whom we refer. He tells you volun-
tarily he is not brave: indeed, he has no objec-
tion to admit himself to be q coward If the
question is fairly put to him: but try to break
his caste, and though he will not return you
blow for blow. but Will bow to cruelty at times
without word. he knows how to die. Even in
prison the rice must be cooked by men whose
caste will not pollute the food, and the poor
Br.hnn. on his way by ship to the West, will
submit to hunger but will not lose his caste.
Here is one d.tficulty-you cannot give to
hungry Bengalee crust at your door. He
must have the ever-present rice. The
servant at your lodge or in your house
provides his meal of rice, and in the
most prosperous time is content; the Hin
doc substitute for our London cabman
does the same: the boatman ON the river tho
clerk ut the desk, the post-runner. or the DEL
YER of the soil asks for nothing but to have
that one article of food, to him really the staff
of life From high to low the expression, "he
is eating rice" signifies that Il man is taking
the chief meal of the day. When, therefore,
the actual famine stage to which DR.. Hunter
refers las been reached. the position is horri-
BILE in the extreme. First. tho 'people fall
back on roots and various sorts of inferior
green food. The children and weaker men,
bers Of the family die. and those who survive
exc out a very insufficient quantity Of rice by
roots and wild plants" All this, let lis remem-
Der, is in advance of actual famine. Then fol-
lows tho tercer ordeal. The wages which
would not suffice to feed an average family
of four are sufficient for the two or three
who survive. The rural population
enters famine as Il frigate goes into battle,
cleared of all useless gear and inefficient mem
bers." The power to purchase rice has gone,
and millions of rice-eating people are first
''weeded out of their weakest. and then tried
in their utmost strength. Such is this famine
warning. and such is the actual famine in oper-
alton.