Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-15
A Vermonter's Trip Around the Worli.


IHDIA To ARABIA.
ON BoAED STEAMSHIP CATHAY,
ARABIAN SEA,
April lst, 1879.
After disciarging all obligations to the
rroprietors Of the Esplanade Hotel, Bombay,
and the distribution of copper medals among
the servants for the little they had done and
much they had not done for us, and taking
leave of several gentlemen to whom we felt
under great obligations for their courtesy to
us, we came on board the steamer yesterday.
for a voyage to Alden. Arabia .G34 miles
distant from Bombay. We have spent near
ly five weeks in India pleasantly and We
hope proftably. We have visited the most
populous cities. and those in which cluster
the most important monuments, and which
contain records Of the most important incl
dents that have been preserved connected
with the history Of the Orient
for four thousand years The his
tory of India and of its inhabitants is
one OF vast interest. not only from its an
tiquity, but for the wonderful tenacity with
which the people have adhered to the Gus
toms of their fOrcfathcrs India has Il terri
tory OF 1.54, 100 square miles and popula-
tion of 2i1, 100000 inhabitants There are
but about $50, 900 Europeans the others are
liindoos, Mohamcdans, Parsees, Jews
and mixed races. For $50 years and more
the British East India company was in
power here, constantly in warfare with the
native rulers and cheftains The empire
has been for the last twenty years under the
absolute control of the English government.
To what extent the influence of the East
India company, the British government, and
the missionary service has improved and
ChrstAnizcd the people, there arena reliable
statistics from which to form an opinion.
Although there is much wealth among
the English residents, and much
also possessed by some of the natives,
the great masses of the inhabitants are miser-
ably poor. ON the very verge of starvation
Millions upon millions of them have nothing
more to suhsiSt on than little rice Favored
I with some vegetable 1t is an exception to
meet one who is not of dimiuutivc size. lean
ami Shrvcllcd, and who does not in some
way suggest the bestowmrnt of charity. II
has often been written and many times said
that Providence in Kindness to man has in-
Situtcd war, pcstilcncc and famine To MAIN
tain the proper balance between supply and
consumption for the relief of living human
misery Within the last two wears two mil
lions oi people in India have died of Starva-
tlnn, and about sixty thousand from the bites
/ OF venomOus reptiles and wild beasts in addi-
tInn 10 multitudes who have died from
cholera and pcstilcntial fcvcrs Much of this
mortality would he avcrtcd if the govern
, ment could provide means for irrirating the
rich soil of the plains. if science could dis
cover an anidOtc To the poison of vcnomous
reptiles, and sanitary measures should be
\ /
adopted To remove thH germs of pcstilCntial
diseases.
II the productive fields Of India, now load
/ Ell down with the poppy plant. were planta-
tions of wheat and Indian corn and potatoes.
they would contribute largely to the supply
OF the wants OF the people Upwards of
sixty million dollars worth of opium is an
ntlally manufactured from tine poppy and eX-
ported large proportion of il being sent
to China. The opium trade IS exclusively
under government control. The seed is Sown
IN November: the poppy heads are punctured
and slit Tor the escape of the Juice. which is
/ sCraped oil into little pots allowed to dry
for awhile in the sun. then rolled into balls
which are covered with the leaves of the
poppy anu sent to the opium agents for the
government, who have 1t packed in boxes of
200 pounds, which are sold at auction on a
given day of each month. Ii is then stored
I
ing bond ships lying in the harhor. where
it remains subject to the order If the iur-
I chaser, provided ii has been paid for. From
thence it is taken to foreign ports.
Since the mutiny Of 1857, the government
has done much TO alleviate human suffering
by the erection and endowment Of hospitals.
| In every city we have visited we see in some
! shady retreat, near an ornamental garden or
| upon an cmincncc with attractive scenery, Il
| structure, the sight of which calls from the
stranger the question What building is
| that = - The hospital, is the reply, where
] we 20 and have good doctors and nurses to
care for US when we arr sick Some of
these institutions have been established hy
foreigners Interested in missionary service in
/ the East. These hospitals in Asia. are in
every way equal and in many respects SUI
! pcrior 10 similar institutions in Europe and
I America. The hospital, as an aid in mis-
sionary work, has accomplished very much
! in fact the life service of many Jealous mis-
sioraries has been of little pcrcepiibr good
without II. Many good man who has en-
1 tered the field and hopefully laborcd many
! years for the Improvement of these people,
| has laid down his task at last. discouraged
| and diShcartencd To look upon the Orien-
tails and see their graceful figures. oval
( faces, good heads and bright eyes. straight
black hair falthOugh the color of the skin
is OF that Of the African. one would suppose
him to be of superior race 10 the negro
But doubt il
! Nothing has kept the masses in the de
| graded position they occupy to-day more
than the influence of caste Probably there
is not race on earth which is divided into
So many castles, or among which the lines of
demarcation art more strongly and markedly
drawn. From the earliest period in the his
tory Of the llndoo race it has been with
them Il sort of religious requirement that
| these castles should he observed Al an early
period four castles only were considered so
sacred as not 10 bc iufrn@ed upon The
highest in rank wCr' ihns,. who proceeded
from the head II BrahHa: second. those
from his shoulders; third. from his body
and fourth, the offspring "f his lees and feet
From his head, the priests from his should
crs, soldiers: from lis body, farmers. mcr-
chants and mechanics and from his legs and
feet, the servilc hoSis Of humanity The rules
regulating he customs and habits of thcS,, diff
fertntS csistce were So strict that all social in-
tercoursc or minging together in any wav of
thosr bclnn@in" in different castles subjected
lh"sr belonging Ia the inferior c;lStts who
had trInsg rrSSrd 30 punishment or heavy
penalty. Us time has progressed he number
"f clStrS has Increased, 81 that subdivisions
of labor are infinite. The children ni mcr-
chants must b. merchants. shucmakrrS shoe
| makers, and So on Ia 'hc cad of ili,. list
Coolies arr the lowest rank they are draw
/ rrS of water AMI perform all lnrnill services
They are not permitted L. itGrn tu read or
write. The examples ami TEACHINGS Of the
missionaries AMI of the Europeans who have
long dwell in the country have accomplished
hut little in breaking the lauicrs ilai silr-
L ~