The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-04-21
MISERABLE PEOPLE.
eona tion OF the People Living Near the
Ipdis-Afghan boundary Line.

00nd tton OF the People Living Near the
Ipdis-Afehsn boundary Line.
Il is painful TO look into the huts Of |
the farmers and laborers. They are
merely mud-walled pens. and lack |
every thing for comfort. Here, to-
night, am shivering in the house be-
fore wood-fire, yet am well clad.
These people have little more than a
light, cotton cloth, and fire-places and
chimneys are unknown in the native
house. They wrap up their head and
vital parts of the body. leaving the legs
nearly bare, and rarely cover the feet
at all. They squat before their little
huts around a mere skilletful Of fire.
aud a few put small pot of Goals un-
der their cotton covering and drawing
this about them husband the scanty
heat. The pay Of q cab or cart driver
is from four to six rupees u month. A
rupee is worth at present rate OF eX-
change thirty-four cents of our money.
Out Of this he has to clothe aud feed
himself. We give our English-speaking
servant rupee and four anas a day
for food. An ana is worth two and
quarter cents. Thus he gets his food,
even while travelling with us. for nino
cents day. But his wages are quite
princely. The pay of the laborer on
the construction of railroads is three
anas day. That, too, between this
and Lahore, where there is frost nearly
every clear night from December to
February. 1t will console our trades
l xn1 hat inht
hours is days labor.
One can scarcely realize, when pass
ing through much of this country, that
it is thickly peopled. One sees large
areas of cultivated lands, but appar-
emily no houses. But every now and
then, half hidden among trees, ono
sees mud wall ten to twelve feet high
and covering, say, from hundred feet
to four or five hundred feet square.
This mud wall contains farm hamlet
or village, and has within it little
novels and cow-yards for dozen.
twenty or more families Women and
children constantly ask for "backshish"
(presents.) They do it most good
naturedly, and never get angry when
we drive them off with good-humored
thrust from our canes. About the
large cities the old ruins cover many
miles more or less cultivated. Along
the roads in these, children by the dozen
. ran by our carriage crying "backshish''
in all the tones possible to youngsters
from three or four years old up to ten
or more. Boys half naked, girls with
rings in their ears and noses, and brace
lets and anklets jingling. All have
beautiful teeth, and grin and laugh and
pat their stomachs to assure us they
are quite empty. None are so poor
that they do not put rings and bracelets
/ on the girls l had woman beg of
me to-day, and yet she must have had
on a dozen or more of these ornaments.
.. Much of the wealth of family is thus
I carried on the females. When necessity
pinches they sell or pawn them. The
|, women are thus the bankers of the men.
The women in towns and villages
above the cody class rarely show their
, faces, and the better classes never.
Some travellers speak of their peepina
q at one from their wells or from behind
Q their latticed windows. From what
g have seen and can learn from people
y who have long lived here such coquet
ries are only INDUCED in by Nautct
/: girls dancing girls) of low order. o.
n by still worse class. The education
!. of woman is such that she honestly
= thinks herself degraded should she
}. permit her face to be seen by man
g rarely is it done, even to a father-in
Q law or brother-in-law, especially if thu
). brother-in-law be older than her hus
Q band. A well-to-do Hindoo, with 81.
n brothers all younger than himself, tolt
me he had seldom ever seen the face o
J. single one of his sisters-in-law, ant
J. when he had done so it was under pc
l. culiar circumstances religiously per
missable. This thing is not simply
= social custom, but it is mixed up witt
9 their religious requirements. Religion
$ has very powerful hold even on tn
. men, who are generally more or les
q educated, for now schools are common
g throughout the country. But tn
women are wholly uneducated, excep
g in religious rites and duties. Wit
r them their religion is all despotic ant
powerful, leading them in the past t.
the burning pile of their dead husband
) Garter H. Harrison, in Chicago Mai