Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-12-11
WON DISTINCTION.
Two Hlndus Capture Prominent
English Prizes.

EnRllSn TTlNcS.
The head OF English cricket for
the year and the head of the India
civil service competition for the
year are both Hindus. Mr.. Chat
terjrs achievement is not less re
markable in the arena OF intellectual
athletics than in Prince Ranjit-
sinh in the world Of sport. Prob
ably no career open to Englishmel
exerts more powerful attraction
on the clever youth Of our public
schools and universities than the
India civil service, and the com
petition for its appointments has
been elaborated into the noSs
searching test that the wit OF ex-
aminers can devise. The distin-
guished academic careers of many OF
the 81 gentlemen who follow Mr.
Chatterii in the list show the class
of rivals among whom he has won
the first place. AS Prince Raniit-
sinhii is not only head of English
cricket for 1896, but also head by
performances Of exceptional bril-
hancy, so Mr.. Chatterii is facile
princeps in the great intellectual
struggle with a long interval be-
tween himself and the next man,
There is a certain fitness that
these eight young Hindus should be
representatives Of the two ancient
castles which from time immemorial
ruled India Prince Raniitsinhii
belongs to the Rajput, literally
"royal born" or military caste that
supplied the hereditary soldier fam
lilies of Hindustan. Mr.. Chatterii
springs of what is regarded by his
/ countrymen as a more august line.
age. With an unbroken and verified
/ descent from one of the five Brah-
mans who, according to the tradi
ton which in India passes for his
tory, brought sacred rights into the
lower valleys of the Ganges from
the north 1,200 years ago, his family
forms one of a close confederacy
which has furnished during ter
centuries the intellectual force in
Bengal. Indians OF the high descents
to which Mr.. Chatterji and Prince
Ranjitsinhji belong have hitherto
been infrequent visitors to England.
Their caste rules long stood in the
way Of their crossing "the black
water" and although this infraction
of ancient custom may now be con-
doned by penance on their return
the great majority of Indians il
! Great Britain are still derived from
races or classes holding loweI
| position in the Indian social scale
| The young hero Of the cricket-fielC
represents a stock whose one pur
suit during ages has been the prac
tice of the many virtues and of war
The bead of the India civil service
examination represents a cast
whose functions during an equa
period have been the art of govern
ment and the acquisition of learn
ing. Prince Ranjitsinhji is a Raipu
of western India. Mr.. Chatterji is
Brahman of its most easterly prov
ince, Bengal.
The service Prince Ranjitsinhj
has performed for India is not thai
he has proved one of his race to b.
capable of the highest achievement
in our national sport, but that he
has made the fact known to the
whole British people. The few
Englishmen who know the Indian.
we'll readily admit that the Rajput:
are brave and athletic, and thu
Brahmans clever at learning. Blu
to the masses of our country men whC
pay gate-money, Prince Raniltsin
hits performances amount to a new
discovery of India. 1t brings home
to them the fact that among oul
fellow-subiects in Asia, those fellow
subjects whose very hundreds o
millions turn them into numerical
| distractions, there are men who car
take the lead in national sport which
all Englishmen love and more or less
understand. Prince Ranjitsinhji's
victory has enabled the average
Englishman to realize India, and has
made him respect Indians to de.
gree that no other triumph could
have secured. London Times.
A Rogue Fooled.