Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-23
Letting down the prices.
THE PARIAHs OF INDIA.
Their Misery Described by Native
Officer of the salvation Army.
HAYDEN BROS.

Their Misery Described by Native
officer of the salvation Army.
There is one native East Indian in New
York City who is much stirred by the ac-
count of India's great famine. He is Deva
Sundrum, a major in the Salvation army
While he is more interested in saving the
souls of his fellow countrymen than any
thing else he realizes very well that this
cannot be done unless their bodies are fairly
comtor .dule.
"In South India" he said to a New York
Sun reporter, 81 walked 3,5lS miles pioneer
ing f9ty-siX districts, visiting SSi villages
and O,G39 houses. In Malayalam, North
Travancore, walked 4O95 miles. Here
pioneered twelve districts and visited 1851
villages and 1896 houses. All of the people
with whom | came in contact on these
journeys were parlahs-that is, the very low
est caste people. Poor pariahs! They are
all the slaves of the hieh-caste people. To
give an idea of how densely the country Is
populated with these unfortunate beings,
there are in Madras presidency alone 5162,-
066
"The houses of the parahs are never more
than twelve feet square and the suferings OF
these people during the rainy season ana In
famine are indescribable. They have no
homes. They keep wandering from place TO
place by day trying to secure food, emu
when night comes they drop down where
darkness overtakes them. Their main diet
is scant one of roots. In South India
there are fully 100000 people VINO do not
know what it is to have n single salts
factory meal from one years end to another.
Along with the periodical famine comes
cholera Those weakened by want OF food
quickly fall victims to the disease and thou
sands die off every year. When the plague
does break out the government sometimes
sends along a special medical officer to
carry relief TO the pariahs, but he is always
high caste, who instead OF visiting the
cholera stricken low-caste, confines himself
to visiting those in his own caste The
result is that the pariahs are simply swept
off the face of the earth.
"Pariahs are always expected to keep at
the respectable distance of ninety feet from
the high-caste people Indeed, the puphc
roads are never opened in the village, since
they are only for the use of the high-caste,
In certain parts of the country there are
special footpaths alongside all the main
roads If a pariah should dare leave these
to trespass on the main road he would run
the risk OF losing his life. Olentimes when
the poor creature sees high-caste approach
ing on the main read he leaves the path,
and, hiding far away under bush, Keeps
exclaiming over and over again in mourn |
full yo.ce as the man p sseS: Master, mastei,
master
when In need of money pariah goes to
his master andr gets loan amounting to
So in American money But he does not
get this until bond is signed by the parish, |
in which he signifies his willingness 20 give
himself to the service of the high-caste for
life. India is pershing, dying. The gov
ernment Is not able to cope with the sltua- |
tion. The sanitary condition of the native
quarters tends TO spread the plague but
the pariahs do not believe this; they think |
it Is visitation from their gods. The |
Salvation army is one of the hopes of my |
country. II we can win the millions away |
from their idols and temples they can be
taught the benefits of cleanliness, for then |
and not until then win they learn that their |
gods have no control over famine and dis |
/