The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-08-06
A AMONKEY-INFESTED CITY.
The "City of the Gods" where
Apes are Sacred.
Twenty Thousand of Them Allowed tc
Roam at Will Through the Town.

A railroad company in India has de-
,lined to carry ten thousand monkeys. |
Most railroad companies probably |
would. That such an undertaking, |
however. should ever have been sug-
gested to Board of Directors is a
curious incident in railroad history,
yet 1t is a fact. The Brahmans of
Benares, anxious to get rid of several
thousand superfuous monkeys, asked
.he company to carry them away for
ihem to distant spot, but the rail
road authorities showed no enthusiasm
n closing with the offer of such
multitude of singular passengers. 1t
IS matter of common knowledge
;hat in Benares, the "City of the
Gods" there is very large ard very
Iacred colony of monkeys. Not only
nave they temple, properly furnish
ed with shrines and priests, specially
dedicated to them, but they are free of
al the others besides. In Benares
ihey can 60 where they like, and,
although this liberty is qualified by
certain measure of respectful opposi-
lion when they abuse their privileges
900 outrageously, the monkeys are vir-
mally free of the whole city, private
dwellings, and public buildings. Thus
,ircumstanced, with every favorable
condition for longevity in individuals
and fecundity in the species, it is no
wonder that the four-handed folk
lave become redundant. Even the
Brahmans themselves have at last
confessed that there are too many
monkeys in Benares, and are now try
ng to rid themselves of a portion of
The intolerable burden of the sanctity
which such host of reverend quadru-
oeds imposes upon them. The COM
mon people, in spite of the sacredness
Of the creatures, have long ago begun
20 think that so large population of
dlers has it's unsatisfactory side, and,
when we recollect that monkey will
Every day eat and waste as much
grain or fruit as an average Hindu re-
luires for his weekly sustenance, and
that the mischief in which these crea-
lures pass their time-having nothing
,lse, poor bored divinities, to do--must
entail substantial apprecable loss
lpon their human fellow-citizens, it is
aot difficult to sympathize with the
ape-ridden men and women of the
Holy City. Without contributing in
any way to the material welfare OF
The sacred place, these animals, twen-
ty thousand or so, constitute very
serious tax upon the working pobula-
ton and divert from other charities a
5ast quantity of good food. Each
handful of grain which monkey
wastes would suffice for the meal of 6
nendicant fakir. At last, therefore
It has been decided to take steps tC
reduce the tailed population. The
monkey, however, is at all times an
intelligent person. He knows as wei
as any body else when he is well off
In Benares he is especially cOntented
Plenty of good water, unlimited vege
tables, fruit and grain, delightfully."-
shady hooks, verandas, temple corri-
dors, etc, commend themselves to hin
as accumulation of attractions not to
be easily matched elsewhere, so that
he scouts all suggestions of emigra
ton. Once or twice the piOus ant
benevolent old Rajah has invited tn
four handed hosts to come across tht
river from the city to his Palace o.
Ramnuggur, and the priests have
actually ferried boat-load after boat
load from one bank of the Ganges tt
the other. But the monkeys pretend
ed to misunderstood the arrangement
They affected to think the trip mer
outing-a days picnic. So, thougl
they allowed themselves to be takel
over in the morning with the utmos
complacency, they always insisted OIL
being brought back again in the even
ing Boats ply in large numbers upol
the river, and, without asking for per
mission or offering to pay any thing
they used to ship themselves as pas
sengers and return to sleep in the city
On another occasion certain lands ;
short distance off were specially Sc
apart by the princely Rajah for thei
maintenance, and an immense numbe
of the animals were respectfully con
Quoted to their new quarters an,
invited to settle there. But no; tn
monkeys found there were no sweet
meat stalls in the fields, no cake-shop
in the groves. and they courteously
yet firmly, declined the Rajah's pro-
fered hospitality, and came strollin
back into the city at their leisure
They had tasted the pleasures of
J rural life, and deliberately arrived a
the conclusion that they preferre
those of the town; 50 they gave up tn
: cornfields and the mango trees for tn
cool courts of the many-templed cit,
and the bazaars where lollipops wer
J always to be had for the stealing. Th
present effort, however, this of depor
ing by train to such distance as Sal
] arunpore such large number q
J 10000, is by far the most serious tina
! has been made, and if the four-hande
{ ones submit to be deported this tim