The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-21
ODDITIES IN INDIA.
The Servant Question in Burmah-A
Specimen of Typesetting.
From the New York Press.

Specimen OF Typesetting.
From the New York Press.
Rangoon, Burmah, Aug. 1.-Servants in
India always have written characters, or
as they are called, entities" These can,
of course, be forged at will by any native
who writes English. Some of the entities
however produced by the servants who
can neither write nor read the English
language are amusing. Here is one, for
instance. which the bearer in his inno-
cence imagined to be highly iattering:
''Cassim is a thorough blackguard. and
has robbed me of innumerable articles
since he has been in my service. He is also
a confirmed liar ! firmly believe that he
has kept other swindlers and robbers away
but the depredations he has committed
will suffice for all!'
The latter part of the above letter re-
bounds slightly to the credit of the man
in question. Though, as a rule your SER
wants will think nothing of thieving from
YOU themselves, vet they will take partic-
ularly good care nobody outside their own
clique has a hand in any swindle they
may chance to impose on you.
Every one knows that living in India is
expensive, but few know the principal
cause. which really is caste" The man
who grooms your horse will certainly not
fetch the grass Wherewith to feed it. and
il would be absurd to ask the servant who
attends to your BEDROOM to accommodate
you by bringing Jne water for your bath.
| And Why2 Simply because II is against
his caste" to do it. For this there is no
remedy, and so there is little hope that
living in the east will become less expen-
sive than IL mas been. and is now.
In Rangoon, Burmah, country which
most people think is chiefly remarkable
for its production of pine apples. ponies
| and pagOdas, the tye-Setters, who are
| generally natives of Madras, have the
reputation of making the most appalling
| errors of any compositors in the world.
| The following was actually set up, as here
! recorded:
"In defenz they alleged that they were
| searchingly passed ints British territory?
and they produced certain dscmnts pur-
| potine to have been wirthen by Goverwa
| in the SiameSe states who however, on
| being communicated with kuwns nothing
| abt tham."
And so on to the end of the chapter A
| proofreader has no sinecure in Rangoon.
| Your body servant, or bearer" as he Is
| called is an excellent valet. As rule he
/ sleeps outside your bedroom door, SO as to
/ be within call at any minute. He goes
1 with you to dinner parties and balls ct
/ hoe genus Omne, and looks after your in
/ terests generally. In great many cases
! he is also trusted with certain sum of
money for your petty expenses, and for
which he has to account at the end of ev-
The system of taking your own servant
| with you to dinner parties, etc, is an idea
! which should certainly be adopted by our
! own or any Four Hundred. 1t certainly
saves your hostess a good deal of trouble
| and expense, If theaassemblage is large
one, besides giving for yourself an i'm
mense amount of convenience.
! What strikes new conner as rather bru-
tai is the way in which the grooms or
| syces, are treated. They do not-at all
events. outside the large towns-ride on
! your carriage, but run after it. AS a mat
ter of fact, these natives are brought up
| to the work, and don tor, at all events
don't seem to-mind it. Their run is a
shuttle, and will be continued by them
! without effort for miles.
Carrying money in your pocket is not
the fashion This, of course. applies to
| the smaller cities, only. There you merely
| give and sign note for whatever you
! have purchased and the bill is collected
munities there is little or any risk taken,
| for most of the inhabitants are govern
ment officials, whose salary is known to a
| penny, while the resources of the civilians
are matter of everyday gossip.
The natives are very much like children
II a number of them gather together in
secret conclave to discuss some momen-
tOus question, it may be taken as morally
certain that one of the crowd will "blab %
Some twenty-five years ago this was very
well illustrated in Rangoon, where a blood
thirsty plot was arranged to murder all the
English people. This diabOlical scheme
would have been carried out had not one
of the conspirators related in confidence
the whole Of the scheme to a well known
lawyer.
And as children they must, in the gene
rality of cases be treated. They dislike
the British, as they would any other ma
ton, though they are far more comforta-
Bile under the present regime than they
would be If left to themselves or the ten
der mercies of a Russian tyranny. 1t is
impossible to judge of them individually.
or as a nation, without having been in
their midst. To lie and deceive is consid-
cred meritorious, if the victim is a white
man. and, truth to tell, Christian native
is rather to be avoided than cherished
They are, too, arrant towards. A lascar
in a storm is of little or no use though
it must be conceded that the Sikhs have
a ferOcious dash which is recognized the
world through. And yet when brought
face to face with death. they seem to lose
all fear and Burman condemned to be
| hanged would just as soon put the moose
around his own neck as allow the hangman
to do it.
A native servant, when once attached to
you, viii follow you the world over leav-
ing wife, children and everything else for
time at least, though the variable climate
of other countries generally brings a re-
turn Of domestic affection.