The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-09-19
4 Month Among The Hilnalsyss.
4 HononSalian on the Plains Of Far
Oh India.
A Graphic Description of Summer
Life in That Land.
A Country for Which the Sun
Has a Special Attraction,
How They Flee to the Mountains for 4
Cool Breeze.
The Introductory Letter Of the New Do
minion's Special India Cores.
p0ndent.
A HISTORY WORTH READING.

VVn0Cuts
A HISTORY WORTH READING.
ALLAHABAD, India, Aug. 3.-Per-
haps it may be to the purpose of this
letter to preface it with short de-
script;on Of summer in the plains,
then the readers may see more clear
ly why people in India, when posi-
BILE, spend part at least of the hot
season in the mountains or "hills"
as we speak of them.
The hot season on the plains be-
gins about the middle of April, and
continues to the middle of June
when ordinarily the monsoons or
rainy season begins. The heat grad
ually increases and reaches its eli
max in the period always spoken
of as Just before the rains" The
heat becomes intense toward the
first of June. In order to appreciate
it at its full value one must spend a
hot season in India. But figures
may give an idea of the temperature.
The thermometer registers from 90
to ll5 degrees in the shade, while in
the sun it reaches maximum of
$50. This would be more endurable
were the nights cool and refreshing
But they are not; the nights main
tain almost undiminished the high
standard reached in the day. This
high temperature arises from the
combination Of two causes. First,
the sun is like huge fiery ball, and
its rays come down perpendicularly,
and with burning effect. A Euro
pean would not think of exposing
his unprotected head a single mo-
ment to its pure rays. 1t would be
suicidal. Then the sun is aided in
bringing up the temperature by the
hot winds which sweep over scores
of miles of dusty heated surface I'M
til they are surcharged with heat
just as if they had come direct
through blast furnace. AS the
cold winds on winters day in
America intensity the cold, SO do
the hot winds in India intensity the
heat. 1t is difficult to imagine how
nearly red hot the winds become. In
America you close the doors to shut
out the cold. So in India we close
tightly all doors and windows to
shut out the hot winds.
There are various cooling appli
ances in vogue here by means of
which the temperature in the houses
is considerably reduced and life
made more endurable. First in i'm
portance among these is the punkab
which is large fan suspended from
the ceiling. 1t usually consists of a
polished cylmetrical piece of wood
extending almost the entire breadth
of the room suspended at both ends
by means of ropes from the ceiling.
To this is fastened frill about two
feet wide The punkab is kept in
motion by a rope attached to the
wood and passing through the wall,
to the outside of the house, where
sits the punkab walla, whose business
it is it to pull the rope and so keep
the punkab swinging to and fro.
Many are the stories told about and
the tricks perpeti ated on this poor
unfortunate son of the Asyan race.
There he sits all day long, usually
asleep, but his hand by force of hab-
it keeps moving back and forth au-
tomatically. He pulls just as faith
fully when asleep as when awake
No sooner has he sat down and ia
ken up the rope than he begins to
nod, and so sleeps on peacefully, but
all the while doing his work. His
life is hard monotonous one, but
he seems to take it kindly, and never
mnrmurs nor complains because he
was not born a rajah instead of a
punkab coolie. In fact he does not
seem to think at all, but simply ac-
cepts his fate with apparent uncon-
Germ.
During the hot season it is almost
impossible to sleep in doors. SO al
most everybody moves his bed out
side and sleeps under the open sky.
After one grows accustomed to this
mode of life it grows delightful. But
the temptation is not to sleep, but to
gaze on the clear, star bedecked In
dian sky.
But Notwithstanding the cooling
apparatus and the pleasure of sleep
ing with no other roof above you
than the starry vault of heaven, the
hot season on the plains is very try
ing indeed The continuous and
prolonged heat of two months soon
absorbs ones energy So most peo-
pie where it is at all possible arrange
to spend from one to four months
each year in some one of the hill sta
tions. These 'shill stations are our
Coney Island, Cape May. Long
Branch, Atlantic City and Newport.
We go to them to rest,and to breathe
the cool, fresh inyigorating air
To us who live in these provinces
Main Tai is not only the most con-
yenient Hill resort, but is also one
of the most desirable. Our mission
has sanitarium here to which most
of our workers resort for a month s
vacation, and to pull themselves to-
gether for another year of work on
the plains. will briefly describe
my journey to Main Tai.
In former letter / spoke OF the
monotony of railway travel, so | will
begin at the end of the railway and
at the beginning of the ascent into
the Hills. They rise abruptly, and
without any warning, from the level
plains After leaving the railway
there is a journey OF twelve miles to
be accomplished ere you reach your
destination. You may choose any
one of these methods for travelling
this distance. First, there is the
little mountain pony which will take
you up in two and half hours: then
there is the dandy which is slower
but much more comfortable, and is
the popular mode of travel in the
Hills among ladies and invalids. The
dandy" is box like chair with
handles at each end, aud is carried
by from four to six natives-the
number depending on the size of the
occupant. Once in the Hills the
means Of locomotion is limited to
the dandy and pony. The roads are
too narrow and steep for wheeled