Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-09-17

Hindoostan is rich in its undeveloped re-
sources, but the people are not univer-
sally wealthy. Indeed, India is a country
Of the few rich and many poor, with a
poverty of which we have no conception.
The poverty of India is not the same as
that of America In America man is
POOR who has only his daily wages upon
which to support his family. In India
man with two or three dollars a day
would be living in luxury.
In America, if laboring men do not
have meat at least once day, they are
said to be very destitute. Yet many SUI
dras, who form the lowest of the four
great castles of Hindoos, getting what
they consider good wages, can not afford
meat once year. The daily food of a
Sudra consists of rice steamed and sailed :,
and, as relish bananas. If he has been
very successful in business and becomes
extravagant he will buy "pice"-one-
fourth of cent-worth of IDOL" or
parched peas, for dessert.
His clothing is as poor as his diet. 1t
consists of nothing but pair of sandals,
a piece of white cotton cloth around the
swers for day and night. for he sleeps in
the same clothes in which he works. At
night he unwinds the cloth about his
waist. draws one end over his head, the
other around his feet, and it does duty
for bed covering and mosquito net. Ten
cents, would, no doubt, buy the entire
outfit of the average Sudra.
His house is built of sun dried bricks
laid in mud, mud floor, no windows
and but one small door, closed at night
by bit of mating. For large family
there is never more than one room.
The entire furniture consists of a three
legged stool or two and raised platform
covered with reeds which serves for
bed. The house has no chimney and no
ire is used except the small amount
needed for cooking the rice, which is al.
ways done outside the house.
Although the character of the Sudra's
food has been described, one may be curl
Gus as to its cost. The average cost of
such meal as has been described for ten
persons is not more than one cent of our
money. After five years residence in
india and a study of the Sudras l am
convinced that about one million people
tive on food consumption of not more
,han seventy-fve cents per month This
may seem impossible, but it is believed
to be well within the limits of the fact.
They have but two meals each day and
'lrink palm juice or cocoanut water when
thirsty.
OF course there is direct and close
connection between the cost of food and
the price of labor. The man who sweeps
your room is paid one rupee eight annas
per month-siXty cents; the one who
brings water. two rupees. This meagre
sum must support man, his wife. and
three or four other persons. The writer
has often hired man to go as a bearer
with a heavy load, walking all day in
the hot sun, for five cents.
They are all caste people, and will do
but one kind of work. The water bearer
will not touch your food; the groom
will not in a matter of life and death
give man glass of water.
The Institutes of Manu- do not recog-
nize the Sudras as having any rights
which the higher castles are bound to re-
spect His title, if he has any, should
express contempt; his dwelling should
be on the outskirts of the village or city;
mis- clothes should be second hand; his
dishes should be broken; his ornaments
should be rusty iron; his only property
dogs and donkeys.