Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-07-13
MISERABLE PEOPLE;
Condition Of the People living Near ths
India-Afghsn boundary Line.

Condition Of the Psopls Living Nsap ths
ndta-Afghsn boundary Line.
II is painful to look into the huts Of
the farmers and laborsrs. They are
merely mud-walled pens. and lack
every thing for comfort Here. to-
night, am shivering in the house be-
fore wood-fre, yeti 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.,
and a few put small pot of Goals un-
der their cotton covering and drawing
this, about them husband the scanty
heat. The pay of a 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 and feed
himself We give our -English-speaking
servant a rupee and four anas day
for food. AnEanA Is worth two and a
quarter cents. Thus he gets his food,
even while travelling with US, for nine
cents day. But his wages are quite
| princely. The pay Of the lsborer on
the construction Of railroads is three
sanas days That, too. between this
and Lahore. where there is frost nearly
/ every clear night from December to
February It will console our trades
unions when tell them that eight
hours is a days labor.
One can scarcely realize. when pass
ing through much Of this country. tina,
it is thickly peopled. One sees larg.
areas OF cultivated lands. but appar
emily no houses. But every now an
then, half hidden among trees. on
sees mud wall ten to twelve feet hig.
and covering, say. from =. hundred fe
to four or five hundred fest squar4
This mud wall contains farm hanil'
or village. and has within it littl
novels and cow-yards for dozel
twenty or more families. Women al
children constantly ask for .backshisl
| (presents.) They do it most go,
naturedly, and never get angry VIII,
we drive them off with good-humor
thrust from our canes. About +
large cities the old ruins cover ma
miles more or less cultivated. Alo
the roads in these. children by the dozr
ran by our carriage crying ''backshisb
in all the tones possible to youngest
from three or four years old up to t
or more. Boys half naked. girls wi
rings in their ears and noses, and brac
lets and anklets jingling. All hn
beautiful teeth, and grin and laugh al
pat their stomachs to assure us til.
are quite empty. None are so pc
that they do not put rings and bracele
on the girls. had woman beg
me to-day, and yet she must have h
on dozon or more of these ornament
Much of the wealth of family is tn
carried on the females. When necessi
pinches they sell or pawn them. T
women are thus the bankers of the me
The women in towns and villag
above the cody class rarely show the
faces. and the better classes never
Some travellers speak Of their peepin
AT one from tnelT Wells OF iTOm DentN
their latticed windows. From what
nave seen and can learn from Poop
who have long lived here such coqne
ries are only INDUCED in by Nautc
girls dancing girls) of a low order. @
by still worse class The educatio
of a woman is such that size honestl
thinks herself degraded should sh
permit her face to be seen by ma
rarely is it done, even to father-iu
law or brother-in-law. especially if III
brother-in-law be older than her hu
band A well-to-do Hindoo. with 81
brothers all younger than himself. to
me he had seldom ever seen the face q
u single t,ne of his sisters-in-law, an
when he had done so it was under pc
culiar circumstances religiously per
missable This thing is not simply
social custom, but it is mixed up witt
their religious requirements. Religion
has very powerful hold even on tn
men. who are generally more or les
educated. for now schools are commo
throughout the country. But tn
women are wholly uneducated. excep
in religious rites aud duties. Wit
them their religion is all despotic an
powerful leading them in the past t.
the burning pile of their dead husband
Garter H. Harrison in Chicago Mai!