The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-07-02

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The Valley of Kashmir and It's Women.
That country has been so often visited and
described that, with one or two exceptions,
shall only touch generally upon its charac-
teristics. 1t doubtless owes some of its
charm to the character of the regions in its
neighborhood. As compared with the burn
ing plains of India, the sterile steppes of
Thibet and the savage mountains of the
Himalays and of Afghanistan, it presents
beautiful and astonishing contrast. After
such scenes even much more commonplace
country might have afforded good deal of
the enthusiasm which Kashmir has excited
in eastern poetry, and even in common ru-
NOR; but beyond that it has characteristics
which give it distinct place among the most
pleasing regions of the earth. l said to the
maharajah or ruling prince of ofKashmir, that
the most beautiful countries had seen were
England, Italy, Japan, and Kashmir; and,
though he did not seem to like the remark
much, probably from a fear that the beauty
Of the land he governed might make it too
much an object of desire, yet there was no
exaggeration in ii.
| Here, at Il height of nearly 5000 feet, in
| temperate climate with abundance of moist
ure, and yet protected by lofty mountains
| from the fierce continuous rains of the Indi-
an southwest monsoon, we have the most
| splendid amphitheatre in the world A fiat
| oval valley about sixty miles long, and some
| forty in breadth, is surrounded by magnif-
cent mountains, which, during the greater
part of the year, are covered more than half
way down with snow, and present vast up
| land beds of pure white snow This valley
has fine lakes, is intersected with water
courses, and its land is covered with brill
liant vegetation, including gigantic trees of
| the richest foliage. And out of this central
base there rise innumerable long picturesque
mountain valleys, such as that of the Sind
| river, while above these there are great pine
| forests, green slopes of grass, glaciers and
snow Nothing could express the general
effect better than Moore's famous lines on
sainted Lebanon
"Whosc head in wintry grandeur towers,
Ana whitens with eternal sleet;
While summer, in a vale OF flowers,
Is sleeping rosy at his feet
The great encircling walls of rock and
| snow contrast grandly with the soft beauty
| ofthe scene beneath. The SHOWS seem to
| have a wonderful effect as we look up to
| them through the leafy branches of the i'm
mense chuRar, elm, and poplar trees. They
flash gloriously in the morning sunlight
| above the pink mist of the valley plain;
| they have rosy glow in the evening sun
light, and when the sunlight has departed,
but ere darkness shrouds them, they CLEAN,
afar off, with a cold and spectral light, as if
| they belonged to Il region where man had
never trod The deep black gorges in the
mountains have a mysterious look. The
sun lights up softer grassy ravines or green
| slope, and then displays splintered rocks ris-
| ing in the widest confusion. Often long
| lines of white clouds lie along the line of the
mountain SUBMITS, while at other times ev-
cry white peak and precipice wall is dis
! tinctly marked against the deep blue sky.
The valley plain is especially striking in
clear mornings and evenings, when it lies
partly in golden sunlight, partly in the
shadow Of its great hills.
| The green mosaic Of the level lands is in
| tersected by many streams, canals and lakes
or beautiful reaches of river which look like
small lakes. The lakes have floating islands
composed of vegetation. Besides the inn
mcnse chanarS and elms, and the long lines
| of stately poplars, great part of the plain is
a garden filled with fruits and flowers and
4 there is almost constant verdure.
The beauty of the Kashmir women has
long been famous in the east, but if you
want beautiful Kashmiris do not go to Kash-
mir to look for them. They have all fine
eyes, and the "eyes Of Kashmir" have been
justly celebrated in eastern poetry; but
! that Is almost the only feminine attraction
to be found in the country, even among the
| daneing-girls and boat girls. As to the or-
dinary momen there is too much sad truth
in Nictof Jacquemont's out burst against
! them: "Knog that have never seen any
where such hidecVs witches as in Kashmir.
| He has not been in Thibetu The female
race is remarkably ugly. speak of the wo-
men of the common ranks-those one sees
in the streets and ields-since those of the
more elevated position pass all their lives
| shut up, and are never seen. 1t is true that
all little girls who promise to turn out pret-
| ty are sold at eight years of age, and carried
into the Panjanb and India" | am afraid
| that good deal of that traffic still goes on,
notwithstanding the law which forbids wo-
men and mares tG be taken out of the country;
and as it has gone on tor generations, it is
easily eXplicaDle how the women of Kash-
mir should be so ugly. = continuous pro-
cess eliminating the pretty girls and leav-
Esng the ugly ones to continue the race must
lower the standard of beauty. But the want
| of good condition strikes one more painfully
| in kashmir than the want of beauty. The
aequiline noses, long chins and long faces OF
the women of Kashmir would allow only of
a peculiar and rather Jewish style of beauty,
but even that is not brought out by the state
Of their physique; and | dom tsuppose the
most beautiIH' woman in the world would
show to advantage if she were imperfectly
washed and dressed ia the ordinary attire of
kashmir-a disty, whiush cotton night
gown.- Biackroods MagG:jue
| - -
CHARACTER MAKES THE MAN.-The man
Of character is always the man of iron nerve !;