The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-05-23

HINDOO SERVANTS.
Their Love of Giving High SOUNDING Titles
to Every Body.


to Every Body.
Indian servants are in many respects
like children, in their helplessness,
their maiuete, their timidity, their
readiness to be pleased, their foolish
ness. ttfeirsp roreiless taehos,f,,
their strong personal attachment.
Even in their total lack of any sense
of humor they resemble children. No
Englishman could hear English spoken
in the commically barbarous way In
which the Hindustani is commonly
spoken by the British soldier without
betraying amusement. But the Indian
face remains darkly impassive. Not
the faintest witch betokens any lurk-
ing laughter. Their love, too. Of Civ.
ing highzzspunding titles is childish in
it's prodigality. Humble-minded as
they are, and with deep-rooted respect
for all differences Of rank, 1t arises
from no vulgar wish to appear other
than what hey-are, and in its ex.
aggerated indulgence savors even OF
sarcasm. A tailor and cook both
enjoy the privilege OF being adj
dressed by the exalted title of ska
-lipha, or emperor. The water-earrier
is always 'jemadar, or captain.
and the bearer is .'sirdar," signify
ing chief among men, while, as a
browning irony. the sweeper, who
ranks but little higher than the dogs
he looks after, is invariably called
"mehter," or prince. The necessity
Of keeping great number of servants,
often wondered at by jewellers at home,
il caused chiefly by the waste of time
involved by caste prejudice Instead
of having one dinner for all, and one
man to cook for all, there are few who
are not obliged tocook for themselves.
The table servants can not cat with
the grooms, nor they with the coach
man, nor he with the sweeper. Sc
each man has twice a day to light his
own little fire, draw water from the
awell and cook his own bowl OF rice-a
proceeding which wastes no small
amount of time One servant we
had was OF the caste OF oil
sellers, and he told us there
was not one OF our twenty-four other
servants with whom he could cat
bread, l. c.. il the other cooked the
food, and only one who could eat with
with him il he cooked. We asked
him If this distinction had not its
drawbacks. He merely replied that it
was the custom what could
she dop He, himself, was
the humble recipient of four
thin rupees month, shared doubtless
by wife and many dusky youngsters,
and yet he would have chcerfully sub
=mitted to be whipped to death rather
than eat any thing that had been
placed on our table. 1t lis strange
how uncomplainingly men wear the.
iron letters forged the great sgod-
dcss custom. They may ridicule her
with their lips, but they obey her in
their lives. in curious contrast to the
many zealots who worship with their
lips a god whose precepts they per-.
sistently ignore. The table servants
are men of infinite resources. Moth
ing daunts them. If you do not like
the way vegetable marrow is cooked,
your man will say: "Your majesty
has but to give the order and to-mor-
row it shall be made into French
beans!'' II they tell you there is beef
steak forsdinner, you will ask, quite as
a matter OF courses What is it made
OPP when the answer viii frequently
be: ..Of mutton, as no beef could be
procured. The want Of beef was
misfortune, but it could not be allowed
to affect the menu. -Cornhill Maya
zine.