The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-08-06
A City Full of Monkeys.

The head center of all monkeydom is
the holy city of Muttra, or Mathura,
sort of supplementary Benares, on the
river Jumna. Here we find another
species-the same, think, from which
the organ, grinder generally selects his
partner. The principal care in life of
the citizens is to protect themselves
and their property from the depreda-
tons of this privileged class, for, as
they are sacred-and what animal is
not in Hindoo-land?-they can not be
killed or molested in any manner.
Every window in the town is barred
with lattices, as not even the highest is
out of their reach, for they could give
points to the best gymnast that ever
swung on trapeze. Along the under
side of the highest balconies they fol-
low one another in single file, leaping
past intervening brackets, or with one
bound they clear the street, and swing
ing from the pendent branches of a
banyan-tree, in they go at some small
opening left for moment unguarded,
lured by the sight of bowl of milk on
the sill; and when they are chased out
again at the point of broomstick, they
90 and console themselves among the
stalls of the fruit-sellers in the bazar.
But their chief field of action is along
the " that's" where stone steps de-
scend to the fast.howing Jumna. Here
at intervals are octagonal stone towers
separating the different bathing places,
often surmounted by domes resting on
slender columns. A tall sculptured
tower of red sandstone rises straight
from the brink among a group of time
worn temples. This tower seems to be
tenanted only by monkeys. There still
remain few stone gargoyles, but the
animated gargoyles are even more in
teresting. AT small square window
sits mother monkey with her infant,
which at once suggests caricature of
the Madonna della Seggiola; near the
base of the tower squat small urchins
provided with large shallow baskets of
what seem to be dried pease. AT a
sign from the passer, they scatter hand
fuls over the pavement, which is at
once covered and nearly hidden by a
struggling mass of monkeys. In the
early morning hours these steps are
crowded with bathers and women filling
their sparkling copper jars with water;
the varied colors of the costumes, the
fantastic architecture, the dense foliage
and dropping branches of the great
banyans which overhang the water, are
all mirrored in the swiftly moving cur
rent. One OF the CHATS is set apart for
the women who come to battle, and
here is an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of
vivid color. The eye is caught by the
simmer of silk and gold, as they throw
off their shining draperies and reveal
their lovely outlines and the satin luster
of their amber-brown skins. Some
times a sudden shrek goes up from
among the fair bathers, as some enter
prising monkey is seen scaling up to
the wide caves of temple, dragging
after him an embroidered chuddah. "
Then there is a great hubbub and babel
of tongues, and the monkey police APP
pear on the scene. The chief business
of these men is to keep watchful eye
on the little demons; they are armed
with long white wands, which are only
used to intimidate the transgressor
but it would seem without much sue
cess.-Ed,Cin Lord Weeks, IN Harper'S
| Mn0nzine