The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-21
LAND OF THE HINDOO.
Mrs. Tytler's Vivid Description
of Its Conquests.
CRUEL CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE
A sueesssIon of Invasions Marked by
Mass.ere-A Religion Which
InstfIls Cruelty.


I affected By the inciemeney of the weather.
/ Those who braved the elements were more
! than repaid for il by the interesting two
/ hours talk on The Seven Invssions, and
/ Ancient Customs of India" The charm
! of the lecture lay IN the fact that the lee
turer was speaking from experience. and
/ as Hon. Eben Smith. who introduced Mrs.
Tyler to the audience said. il was great
privilege not often accorded 20 be able 20
see and listen 10 one who had survived the
terrible mutiny of 1857. and who had
passed some fifty years in the wilds of far
sway India.
Mrs. Tytier is highiy-cultured English
woman. slight in figure and graceful in
carriage, with strongly marked face.
broad. intellectual forehead, large, clear.
honest eyes that look you straight in the
eye, and q squareness of jaw that indicates
firmness and determination. Her voice is
trlfe weak, but her enunciation is clear
and distinct, with delightful English
accent that adds a charm to her utter
ances. She was atiired last evening in q
full-bodice rich black satin dress, trimmed
with rich black laces, and wearing a
corsage bouquet. A neat widows lace cap
on her silvery hair crowned to advantage
her well-snaped head.
Her lectures are in the narrative style,
breezy and .ketchy, and last evening after
her review of the statistical feature of the
history of India she dweit on customs and
habits of the people. with which she was
personally familiar. The word India, she
said was only used by Europeans. Over
there it was Hindostan. "stan" meaning
country. the country of Hindo: the same
with Aighanistap. the country of Afghan.
Prehistoric races had ruled India. 1t was
at one time supposed TO contain the Gar
den of Eden. She then reviewed pre-
historic ASIA from the time of the Aryans.
who came from Central Asia and peopled
India. These Aryans were conquered by
Turks and the Turks have held that coun-
try from that time till now, when they
have been conquered by Russia.
The first invasion was by Alexander the
Great, who only came 10 the very out
skirts of India proper. He went back
again, doing very little harm, and the
country remained unmolested until 1902.
when Mahamood of Ghuzmee conquered
these poor people and committed most
awful atrocities.
The third invasion was that of
the brother of Junjhee Kahn, the world
renowned conqueror OF Europe in the
thirteenth century. His descendants
ruled over India 200 years.
The fourth invasion was that of Tanner
lane the Great. who came from Samer-
kiand, in the middle of Asia. a highly CIV
ilszed and beautiful city. 1t was from
there that these invaders brought their
beautiful architecture into India. being
totally different from the Hindoo archi-
lecture.
Tamerlane did not content himself by
conquering the people of Northern India
but came down to Delhi. the old Indu-
puthra. the old, ancient Delhi which was
contemporaneous with Nineveh and
Babylon. He sacked that town and
massscred everybody.
The next invasion was that of Sultan
Babor, which means the lion. He was
also q descendant of the house of Iimour
OF. the house OF Tamerlane, but having
been deposed as a child. he wandered
through the mountains of Afghanistan
and made new kingdom for himself, now
known as the present kabul, and there he
came down with his followers. 1900 in
number, to Peshawar. and fought his first
battle, thence he went to Paneeput and
fought with his 200 men an army
1900. whose king was a descendant OF
of Tamerlane the Great. He COM
pietely snnihilated that army, leaving
| not one to tell the tale. From
| there he went on TO Sikree and fought an
army of Rsjpoot with their five kings, all
| OF whom were laid low, and became master
| of India.
| The sixth invasion was the most terrible
/ of all, being led by Nadirshah, q king of
/ Persia. He conquered Delhi, but reinstated
| its monarch and returned to his country
| after despoiling that country of all It's
treasures. including the peacock throne OF
/ Delhi He was eventually assassinated by
his nephews. who came to India, making
the seventh and last invasion from Central
| Asia.
Mrs. Tyler then described a number OF
! the customs of the people of India First
/ of sill their modes of travelling, which in
! those days were both slow and primitive.
one of them being by water. down the
river being right enough, bat up the river
being most difficult. Mrs. Tyler described
how her mother in the year 1sS9 came az
in heavy boat dragged up by men as osr
eanal boats would be by horses and took
six months 10 do what now is done by rail
in less than twenty-focr hours. Another
mode of travelling was by being carried in
conveyance called palkee, a comfort
/ able sort OF litter carried by four men with
/ relays Of four others. The third mode
Was marching from one station TO another
and living in tents for sometimes three
months At a time
/ some OF the customs now abolished sh,
described graphically. among them tina
Of the suffice, or the burning of the living
/ wives with the bodies Of their husband
when eremAtea. She described the last
scene Of this character, which took place
in Lahore when Run Jet Sing died in $50
being the last king Of the Puniawh.
The next vas the throwing Of the fem al,
children into the Ganges, for fear they
would fail into the hands OF the NOLAN
medan invaders, who invariably took POT.
session OF all females
The terrible JugEernaut va. described a
existing as late IS the 40's in the naiiv,
state, the Jaggernaui being a morstroas
heavy cart. resembling the temple OF jug
Ternsut, with heavy. solid small wheels
that crushed the lives OF the seif-sacri
fcing victims wAo threw themselves IN.
der them.
Another mode Of self-saerifice in order Il
propstiaie their Numerous gods was on.
witnessed from her oxn house top in Ca
catta. where the devotees had a hoos
caught IN the ieshy part Of their back
from shieh they were suspended. theu
swins around pols some forty or nfs
times
The Hinaoos we're al controlled By craft
priests, and their re- sIon. which was one
pare, @As today base And corrupt The,
created neS gods AL the time. and have =,