Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-04
A WORLD IN ITSELF.
India Still the Wonder of the Statistician and
the Mecca of the Historian.

1 India Still the Wonder of the Statistieian and
the Mecca of the Historian.
For eighty years, at least, writers have
| endeavored to bring home TO English
| men the vastness of india, but SO far as
can be perceived, have failed. The
Briton reads what they say, learns I'D
| their figures, tries to understand their
descriptions, but fails for all his labor to
realize what India is-a continent large
| as Europe west OF the Vistula and with
100000 million more people, fuller of
| ancient nations, Of great cities, of vari-
| cites OF civilization, OF armies, Hobilities.
| priesthoods, organizations for every CON
ceivabie purpose, from the spreading OF
great religion down TO systematic
| murder.
| There are twice as many Bengalese as
| there are Frenchmep: the EindOostanese
| properly SO called, outnumber the whites
| in the United States: the Mahrattas would
I'll Spain, the people Of the Puniab with
Sclnde are double the population of
! Turkey, and have named but four of the
most salient divisions, says a writer in
the Fortnightly Review.
Everything is on the same bewildering
scale. The fighting peoples of India,
| whose males are as big as ourselves, as
| brave as ourselves, number at least 120,-
| coo, 600, equal TO Gibbons calculation of
the population of the Roman empire.
| There are 100000 trained brown soldiers
| il native service, of whom. perhaps, we
hear once in ten years, and at least
| 100000 men WHO think their proper
profession in arms, who would live by
arms if they could and of whom we in
Engladd never hear word.
If the Russian CONSUMPTION were ap-
piied in India we should, without count
ing reserves or landwehr, or any force
not summoned in time of peace, have
100000 soldiers actually in barracks,
with 100000 recruits coming up every
year--a force with which not only Asia
| but the world might be subdued. There
are tens of millions Of prosperous peas
ants beside whose poverty, Fellahs, Or
Sicilians or Conneught men are rich
| millions of artisans ranging from the
men who build palaces to the men Who,
nearly naked and almost without tools,
do the hrmblest work of the potter.
Every occupation which exists in
Europe exists also in India. The in
dustry of the vast continent never ceases,
for India with all her teeming muItitudes
| with population in some places packed
beyond European precedent, imports
nothing whatever. She is sufficient to
herself for everything save silver. Amid
these varied masses, these 250,000,O00
whose mere descriptions would fill vol
umes, tho tide OF life flows as vigorously
as in Europe.
There is Is much labor, as much con-
| tentio1, as much ambition, as much
| variety of careers, hopes, fears and
| hatreds. Il is still possible for money
| less Indian to become vizer of dynasty
older than history, or finance minister OF
new prince whose personal fortune in
hard cash is double that Of the late
Emperor William, or abbot of a monas-
| terry richer than Glastonbury ever was,
| owner of an estate that covers county,
head OF a firm whose transactions may
vie with those of the Earrings or Belch-
rcders. One man, Jute Perskad by name
fed and trans ported the army that con
ouered the Pupiab