The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-31

the institution of caste. There is no
equivalent in the English language for
the word Here in this country there
are the masses and the classes, which
bear some resemblance to this institu-
ton. Caste is a social distinction
founded upon birth and breeding and
sustained by religion. Caste is founded
on the four classes-the priests,
soldiers, merchants and servants,
which are ranked in the order
named. But there are about four
hundred other castles in India, deter
mined by occupation and location.
There is no intermarriage, no social in
tercourse, between these castles. If
dinner be given each caste must be
seated at a separate table.
There have been various theories as
to the origin of caste. Some writers
have said that the institution was due
to the ambition of the priests. But no
one class could be the author Of such a
system. 1t must come from the needs
of the people. It is undoubtedly a nat
ural growth that has sprung from the
different surroundings Of the people OF
different parts of India, on the one
hand, and the different interests OF the
men of various occupations, on the
other. Once it obtained its growth it
/ had such hold upon the people that it
became sovereign and permanent.
| People have asked why it is that a
few foreigners can govern the 250,000,
/ 600 people who inhabit India It is due
to this institution Of caste. In the
western countries, the line between the
| classes and the masses is not so dis
tinctly drawn as in India, and the one
is a support to the other. But in India
there is no sympathy between the diff
ferent castles. Those who are highest
believe themselves to be the lords OF
creation, while those in the lower
grades are ever actuated by malignant
envy. Thus there is division in the
household Of the nation, and house
divided against itself must fall.
Still, with all the faults that can be
attributed to it, the institution of caste
has one redeeming feature. It has
served the purpose in India sought to
be served by the trades unions in this
country. Men Of various occupations
have banded themselves together to re-
sist the entertainments of those Of diff
ferent occupations and one who should
l tranSgresS their laws has been threat
lened with social ostracism. Thus all
the benefits Of trades unionisn has been
derived from caste. However, with the
I entertainments Of western ideas the In
stitution is losing its hold upon the
people, and 1t is notable that in those
cities where the natives come into con-
tact with the foreigners the lines are
becoming less distinct
These are four most important SUBJ
jectS that engrosS the attention Of the
foreigner In India. Now the people can
be taken on an imaginary journey to
J to the country about which they have
: heard so much. They will land from
their steamship at Bombay, which is
too European in character to show
much about the natives. Therefore,
they will journey to a small city about
ninety miles from Bombay, travelling
the distance by rail in about nine hours.
The lecturer then took his hearers to
an imaginary house and through an
imaginary dinner and spoke Of the diff
ferences to be seen. He closed by in
viting his hearers to visit his native
r land,