Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-22
SITTING In DJIARNA.
A REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF THE
BRAHMANS' CUNNING.

A REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF The
RRAHMANs' CUNNING.
A Perplexing State of Affairs in Be-
narss-One Way of Gaining a Point.
Three Hundred thousand People Leave
Their Homes.
As sitting in dharna" is an extremely curl
GUS practice, the readers of this journal may
like to know something about it. The Brah-
mans have nowhere shown more remark
able example of their cunning than in Great
ing among their countrymen a belief that
their persons were designed by God TO be
under all circumstances inviolable; and that
to deprive them of life or to hurt their per-
sons, directly or indirectly, is a crime that
admits of no expiation. On this persuasion
Is founded the practice OF sitting in dhaIna.
W hen Brahman desires to gain some point
which he has found it impossible 10 accom-
plish in any other way he goes to the door OF
house of the person against whom his suit is
directed and there he sits down in dharna,
with poison, or poniard or some other means
OF suicide in his hand, threatening to use it
pass him by. This menace completely arrests
him. The plaintiff now commences fast, in
which, according to etiquette, be must be ac-
companied by the defendant; and in this stu
| alton they both remain until the former OBJ
tains satisfaction The plaintiff rarely fails
of his object; for were the individual thus ar
| rested to permit the Brahman to perish of
| hunger, or should he drive him to make use
Of any of his instruments of mischief, the sin
would lie upon his head forever.
A BRAHTAN WIDOW
Nor is the practice confined to male Brah-
| mans. Some years ago a Brahman widow at
Ber~!res had lawsuit with her brother-in-
law, which, in the first instance, went to ar
bitration The suit involved a claim of prop
| erty and consideration of caste, the privi-
legeS of which her antagonist declared she
had forfeited. The decision. though favor
able to her, did not altogether satisfy the
| lady, who determined to carry the remaining
points in dispute by dharna. Accordingly
she placed herself in the customary way at
| the door Of Eer brother-inlaw, who, appre-
| hensiye Of her death, went with her to a
| temple, where they both made trial of their
| powers of abstinence for some time longer.
| Thirteen days had elapsed when the defendant
| gave in. He agreed that if the widow could
establish the validity of her claims to caste
| by prevailing on some respectable Brahmans
| to eat dinner with her at her own cost he
| would not oI.ly pay all the expenses of the
| feast but her debts also The conditions wer8
| accepted and fulfilled But the brotherE-.
| law refused to perform the last part of the
engagement. which brought the matter under
official notice
Here is an older and more striking ex-
| ample. Government having imposed a house
| tex at Bcnares. the people. startled by the
| innovation. began TO complain that they
| never heard Of such q tax under the moguls,
| that their houses were their own; that the
| British rulers might next lay tax on their
wives and children. Representations were
made to government at Calcutta, but in
vain Upon this the whole population OF
the city and its neighborhood determined to
sit in dharna until their grievances should be
| rellrcsSed. Some Of the leading Brahmans
| sent written handhills to the wards in Ben.
ares, and to some of the adjoining villages,
briefly setting forth the provocation and the
| necessity of the measures they were about to
adopt They called ON all lovers Of their
country and religion TO join in the move
| meut, and commanded, under bitter curses
every person who received the summons to
| hand it to his next nei-hbor. Three days
| afterward about 0,GG0 persons left their
| houses, shut up their shops, suspended their
| farm work, forebore to light fires or drex
| victualS and MANY of them even to eat, and
| sat down with folded arms and dropping
heads on the plain surrounding Benares.
ENDING a DISTURBANCE.
The local government was much perplexed
| There was the chance that some of thost
strange people might reaxy perish, either from
| their obstinacy or from disease, while distress
might ensue from the interruption of agricul
tural labor at the most critical time of the
| wear On the other hand, it was not expedi
eut to Weld TO such demand so urged. Sc
| they told the ringleaders, after some ineffec
tual reasoning, that If they chose TO sit in
dharna it was their own affair; that the gov
| eminent wonld never yield to remonstrance:
50 enforced, ana that, so long as they only in
jured themselves and were peaceful In then
behavior to others, the government would no.
NEEDLE with them. AT the same time, how
ever, a strong body of troops was placed il
the neighborhood, out of view. Soon the rnul
| t-tu'4t u k7ipN WI huESiN dliA
thunder shower made them wet, cold and I'm
comfortable. Some Of the party proposed {
change OF oVerations-that a deputation q
1000 should be sent to address the governor
general at Calcutta personally. a minority
thoroughly tired Of their situation, rose to e
home, but the remainder determined that al
should go to the governor general, every maj
at his own charge. So about 1900 Brahman
assembled with such provisions as they coulC
collect, and began their march. But dissen
SONS spread fast among them, and hunge
and fatigue told even on the most obstinate
In a few days they melted away to SO small
number that the remainder were ashamed +
proceed. Then the supreme government wise
~ repealed the obnoxious tax; and thus ende,
a disturbance which, If it had been harshly O
injudiciously managed, might have set al
India in a flame.
| Nowadays the practice of sitting in dharni
is mostly confined to the faqueers. These piou
bcggars are remarkably Obstinate, and vii
not move from the door of person unit
their demands are complied with, threatening
suicide or self-torture. ! remember well
number OF faqueers who, a few years age
sat round "a huge fire which they lighted a
the door Of house in which grand funera
! was being celebrated, threatening TO put thci
arms into the flames if the present they de
nanded was denied TO them. Some of then
did actually burn the ends of their fingers
AT last the master of the house gave them th
money and got rid Of theIn.-Hindoo Cor. 81
James Gazette.
a ParaIytlc's Alphabet.