The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-15
SITTING IN DHARNA.
A REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF THE
8RAHMANS' CUNNING.
A PerpleNinG State of Affairs in BE-
narcs-One Way of Gaining n Point.
Three Hundred Thousand People Leave
Their Homes.

nares-One Way OF Gaining n 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 il. The Brah-
! mans have nowhere shown a 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 to hurt their per-
/ sons, directly or indirectly, is a crime that
/ admits OF no cxpiation. On this persuasion
Is founded the practice of sitting in dharna-
/ When a Brahman desires TO gain some point
/ which he has found it impossible TO accom-
/ plish in any other way he goes to the door or
/ house OF the person against whom his suit Is
/ directed, and there he sits down in dharna,
with poison, or u poniard or some other means
! of suicide i'll his hand threatening to use it
should his adversary attempt to modest or
| pass him by. This menace completely arrests
! him. The plaintiff now commences u fast, in
which, according to etiquette, he 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
| or any OF his instruments of mischief, the sin
would lie upon his head forever.
\ BRAHMAN WIDOW.
Nor Is the practice confined to male Brah-
mans. Some years ago Brahman widow at
Benares had a 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 her brother-in-law, who, apprc-
hensive of her death, went with her to n
temple, where they both Pc trial OF their
powers of abstinence 70. 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 only pay all the expenses of the
feast but her debts also The conditions were
accepted and fulfilled. But the brother-in-
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
tax at Benarcs, the people, startled by the
innovation, began to complain that they
never heard of such n tax under the moguls;
that their houses were their own; that the
British rulers might next lay n tax 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 i'll dharna until their grievances should be
redressed. Some of the leading Brahmans
sent written handbills 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
ment, and commanded, under bitter curses,
every person who received the summons TO
hand it to his next neighbor. Three days
afterward about 100000 persons left their
houses, shut up their shops, suspended their
farm work, forebore to light fires or dress
victualS, and many of them.oven to eat, and
sat down with folded arms and dropping
heads on the plain surrounding Benares.
ENDING y DISTURBANCE.
The local government was much perplcxed.
There the chance that some of those
strange people might really perish, either from
their obstinacy from disease, while distress
might ensue from the interruption of agricul-
tural labor at the most critical time of the
year. On the other hand, it was not cxpedi-
ent to yield to such demand SO urged. So
they told the ringleaders, after some inefec-
tual reasoning, that if they chose to sit in
dharna it was their own affair; that the gov
eminent would never yield to circumstances
SO enforced, and that, so long as they only in
jured themselves and We're peaceful in their
behavior TO others, the government would not
NEEDLE with them. AT the same time, how
ever, strong body of troops was placed in
the neighborhood, out of view. Soon the null
titude began to grow very hungry, and q
thunder shower made them wet, cold and I'M
comfortable. Some of the party proposed
change of operations-that a deputation Of
10000 should be sent to address the governor
general ut Calcutta personally. a minority,
thoroughly tired of their situation, rose to 60
home, but the remainder determined that all
should go TO the governor general, every man
at his own charge. So about Is, 900 Brahmans
assembled with such provisions as they could
collect, and began their march. But disSen-
sions spread fast among them, and hunger
and fatigue told even on the most obstinate.
In q few days they melted away to so small
number that the remainder were ashamed to
proceed. Then the supreme government wise
ly repealed the obnoxious tax; and thus ended
a disturbance which, if it had been harshly or
injudiciously managed, might have set all
India in flame.
Nowadays the practice of sitting in dharna
is mostly confined TO the faqueers. These pious
beggars are remarkably obstinate, and will
not move from the door of a person until
their de:,.a1, 49,, complied with, threatening
suicide or Self-torture l remember well
number OF faqueersswho. few years ago,
sat round a huge fire which they lighted at
the door of Il house in which a grand funeral
was being celebrated, threatening to put their
arms into the flames if the present they de
mandci was denied to them. Some them
did actually burn the ends of their fingers
at last the master of the house gave them the
money and got rid of them-Hmdoo Cor. st.
james Gazette
= ParaIytic's Alphabet.
a citizen OF Norwich. Conn, who recently
died, had b--l - laralyzed for twelve years
that he could noS move n hand or speak. His