The Portland daily press., 1892-12-07

hold. He is, without exception, the
greatest vandal, the most ruthless de-
stroyer, have ever encountered. With
In three washings he and his iendish
crew manage to utterly ruin even the
strongest shirt. collar or cuff, SO that
shreds are hanging down on the edges.
But then theig antediluvian methods OF
washing no wonder! With regular
bludgeons they pound each piece, no
matter whether lace OF jeans, on
stone, as hard as if their life depended
on it, until any kind of web goes TO
pieces. They're low-priced enough,
Vishnu knows, charging only at the
uniform rate of five rupees (9LS0) per
hundred, no matter whether handker-
chief or shirt. But the damage they
occaSion!
The wages for the servants are very
low all around-from five to twelve
rupees per month (s1.sO to 81 gay, and
from this they have to clothe asld feed
themselves. There are, it is true, GER
tain districts in India where wages
range higher; in Burmah, for instance,
where they run up to twenty-five rupees
(s9) per month.
Hotel rates are reasonable, ranging
from five to seven rupees per day (Sl.s0
to 81 52), but in the matter of accom-
modations they compare neither with
good American nor European hotels.
Ice boxes are unknown, and the only
way to obtain cool drinl1s-wine, ale,
whisky, etc.-is to throw chunks OF ice
into the glass, method which is GER
tainly not calculated to improve their
quality.
One of the most characteristic fea-
lures of life in India is the excess
sive use of the punkah. 1t sounds
strange, but it is, nevertheless, strictly
true, that the average European in
India is more susceptible to heat than
the average American in this country,
for instance. The bungalow of the
European is, as rule, on every side
so accessible to air that it is reasonably
cool, even during the hot season. 1t is
built one story high, surrounded on every
side by broad verandas, and each room
opening towards the latter There
is constantly passage of fresh air
through every room, but despite all
this the pupkah may be seen suspended
from the ceiling of every room, and
this tremendous fan is constantly kept
in motion, as soon as any room has been
taken possession Of by q European, by
coolie, crouching outside on the veran-
da and pulling, in regular measure, the
rope that runs through hole in the
upper wall and moves the punlzah itself.
It is merely keeping within the actual
facts to speak of regular punkah
craze among the Europeans in India. a
craze as hopeless and unreasonable as
the opium craze elsewhere.
The whole existence of the European
in India, in fact, becomes only possible
at least, in his estimation-with the
aid of the punkah. After having slept
under the punkah, he dresses and
breakfasts under 1t, whereupon his car
rage takes him under the Office pun
kah. Towards two o'clock his horses
take him once more under the tiffin
punkah, and thence again under the Of
fee punkah, until he exchanges, about
eight O'Clock, for the dinner punkah.
On Sundays he hastens under the
church punkah, and even in the open,
while slipping his 'peg"-whisky and
soda-of an evening, the indispensable
punkah provides for him the required
degree of cool temperature Besides
the ordinary punlzah, though, there are
others-perfect wind machines.
Such one I saw in the club house
at Agra, which produced such a tremen-
dous draft as to make the newspapers
fly up at distance of ten yards. And
in this draught sat three old gentlemen,
enjoying the rapid change of air, which
kept their bald heads dry and smooth
as ivory spheres. / was guest in the
house of British official in Seringapa-
tam, where there were employed no
less than eighteen punlSah servants for
the night alone, and the entire punkah
service entailed an annual outlay Of
over 81 900 in our money.
In the early morning-before six-and
in the evening after six, the European
obtains the amount of locomotion he
needs for his well-being by walking,
riding, exercise of every kind, including
lawn tennis, and this he supplements
by cold water douches and rub
bings. AS to the meals, they are most
too elaborate and opulent to agree with
the climate, and the fact that the fash
ionable visiting hours in India are
from twelve to two, |. e., the hottest
part of the day, and that the dress coat
is obligatory here, as it is in England,
even at bachelor dinners, does not
speak well for British common sense.
WOLF Won SWITZERLAND.
Tho Wonders OF Reproduction. AYR