Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-24
WHITE CITY CHIPS.
THE HlNDoO FlNGER-NAlL ARTIST
iSA MAN or CASTE.
osity-Tbought America . Land
of Intellsctuality.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.)

Chicago Inter-Ocean.)
My flnger-nall artist, the Hlndoo, or the
Brahman. or the man from Bombay, any,
way-I do get so tangled UP about all
these Midway plaisance foreigners.
I am always making the most unpar-
donable mistakes. i never know when L
am heaping honors on them, nor when l
am pillng up the indignities.
It's all because 1 am a sort of an Amer
lean vagabond and will never learn the
distinctions of caste.
Oh. bless you, / have caste down to a
fine point from one side of the question,
but money and grandfathers don't count
for much In some places along the Mid
| way. And there's a lot or US VINO SKIP
around the Worlds Fair, and particular
| ly the Midway plaisance. who are allow
ing our grandfathers 10 lie peacefully In
their graves. They would not ENJOY
Egyptian music and dancing, and 1t Is SO
delightful TO forget all about the dear old
stately bones and LIES conventionalities
and drift around the Midway. with never
thought but the queer things you see
and the queer things you hear.
ABUNDANCE OF CASTE
| And so you. in your freedom from the
usual social chains, ignore the possibility
| that some of the people who are strange
and queer and foreign are expecting more
Of us than we give.
| But alack and alasi there's a CASTE
and any abundance OF it, up there on ths
! Midway, and right where you least eN-
| pect It,
! What was Il I commenced to tell you?
| Oh, about the man from bombay one
day in passing the East Indian bazaar
! became interested in a Hindoo who en-
bossed plain white cards with MS niger
nails. 1t was a pretty and wonderful art
and he was interesting as a talker. He
appeared highly In telligent, and eN-
pressed himself in way that was Iar
| above the position OF enclosing cards IN
| a public thoroughfare at n nickle apiece.
I told you something about him In these
| Chips and thought at the time that
| hoped he would not see 1t for rear ne
might be offended.
He was not offended, but on the contra
| ~ wrote to me a letter in when ne eN-
| pressed great gratitude. He said that
| on a certain date the Brahmans were 10
| have a ceremony in which the sacred
| threads would be changed and sister
could be made. He would Ike 10 make
! me his sister.
He said that I had mentioned in my
article that he had a half contempt TOT
the people who stopped 10 talk with MN
| whose intellect was not up 10 ms steiiu-
ard He begged to assure me that IL was
not contempt. but surprise ut the hho-
cence" shown by the people or most
civilized country. He had read very much
about America. but not half what ne Is
seeing here now. ~
Everything was beyond his expectation
vet he had discovered that, the same mere
| as everywhere. all rules had exceptions
lie was surprised. for he did not know
| anything about these eXcepllohs' anu
everything seemed exceptions.
had shown him kindness. ana Tor 'his
reason he would like TO make me MS
sister.
was delighted with the idea or being
made the sister OF a Brahman, but I'M
| fortunately the date Of changing the
sacred threads did not agree with the
dates of my own itinerary.
INTELLECTUALLY.
Dut 7 had another opportunity. when,
through nv not understanding the high
rsste and the respect due TO aBrahman,
have lost. To be a Brahman Is 70 be or the
| highest HindOo caste. And II Is not pe'
cause of wealth. To be Brahman. or the
son of Brahman signifies the rank OF IN
| tellectuality. He is held In reverence ana
esteem among the Hindoos because he Is
thought to possess the gift OF inspiration
| in expressing himself POLITICALLY ana
through his intimate knowledge Oh all the
forms OF ritual worship. .,,.
He considers himself sanctified through
hiq learning OF things divine and unseen,
and he is REGARDED by his followers az per-
fectlv pure and stainless. He is sort OF
rriest and directs all the 1acred ceremo-
nies. He casts the horoscope, tells lucky
DAYS. dives into deep mysteries, and STANDS
between all superstitions OF millions or
neople In the Hindoo lands. He has been In
| tho mast the author CT all HirdOo lit
erature. | tell you all this so that you VIII
more readily understand the exceptions
which my friend Purushotam Rao Is
learning. -
IRREVERENCE.
People along the Midway are not the
kind who are looking for spiritual lead
err or If they are. they do not expect TO
find him In the Midway.
A Brahman to them, even one in q
picturesque garb making beautiful cards,
Is no more than would be a DahomeyaD
on the outside Of their high board fence
curiosity.
The majority OF them are not out to
get their intellects brushed up particular
ly by any one individual. They sort Of
gallop along the highway, nipping at this
and that, and are perfectly satisfied to
he amused and let reverence and the
higher side Of life take care Of Itself I'M
| I'll another day
In their carelessneSs they have been
forming enough exceptions" TO make a
I l.. IN fhfc p1a Of the high
castle from India. He wonders where
America. the great and civilized America
Is Where he expected the same and
greater reverence and appreciation of his
intellect as in a country where the
lamps are not all lit" he has received
gtbes and ieers and jokes until his head
sw-ims and his heart aches.
He might as well be Of the lowest Caste
as OF the highest. as far as this Worlds
Fair goes. Caste goes for naught. 1t is
only his dark face his turban, and pic
turesdue costume that interest the pass
ing crowd. His gentle and grand flow Of
language. that was so reyerenced in his
own country, is nothing here.
After he had talked yesterday In his
most eloquent way for twenty minutes
to gathered score of people a man said
do you belong to the Dahomey viii
lage?"
NO: | am a Russian" was the reply.
The man and all the rest believed him.
Why have / lost the opportunity TO be-
come the sister? l was so very remiss
as not TO respond TO the second note that
was sent 10 me about another date for
the sacred ceremony.
I responded in person. but there was
great Indignation expressed in my friends
manner because n note Of his had not
been answered at once.
Ii was not sent under seal OF state.
but on a postal card. / thought verbal
answer would suffice. 1t did not. 1 have
lost caste. and cannot now become the
sister of the highest rank Brahman.
HON. HENRY X. POLLARD.
a Speech of His That Contains a Mine of