The Red Cloud chief., 1898-05-06
LIFE ~ al INDIA.
ENGLISH RESIDENTS FIND tx
iSTENCE NOT CAV.
fhc climate Is Iucr,ating scenery Is
NonotonouS. Hunting Poor. swimming
Impossible and the Limited Sucirt,
Becomes Jnlrnrahiy Tircsomc. >

""' "
We appeal to the knowledge of I'll
Anglo-lndiaus when we repeat the say
ing OF the Emperor lIabyr. that for all
but a few India il the --LATEST OF all
countries. the one In which interest Is
the most strictly confined to work, says
he London Spectator. To the few who
an move about II In freedom. who
have special tastcs. who are concerned
to understand the thoughts of ASA, or
who are able TO take in It's astounding
varieties Of scenes, peoples, creed" 1ul
civilizations. India Is almost ovcrrow-
cringly attractive; IN, thai, Is not the
position Of the majority. They grow
by degrees interested ia their work,
for governing in all It's departments ~
attractive. hu; outside their work they
find few reasons for denying that II Is
a weary land. which paralyz's rather
than stimulates the intellect and Il al
ems rather than %furtitiCS the energies.
TO begin with. there IS little charm of
scenery. Some parts Of the Madras
presidency. indeed. are full Of lowell
ness and there are places In the Dec
ran and on the Ncrhudda valley OF nm
surpassablc beauty, hut for the ma
iority of civil officers and soldiers, VINO
are tied to their stations. India Is a
dull land TO the eye. Bengal is, speak
ing broadly, n jungle Of fruit trees. IN
which there Is little attraction except
a few mighty rivers. while the north
Is for half a year an arid brown II
for the other half Il dull green plain.
II is bounded. no doubt. by the lima
layas. but the only pleasing adjective
which the mighty range docs no. de-
serve is that Of beautiful. Then the
; sport of which We read 80 much Ia con
fined in practice to districts which the
majority of Europeans never reach.
, There is kingly sport on the slopes OF
' the Blue mountains in Madras, in the
Tcrai Of the eastern lIimallyas, and
In part of the Dcccan or the ccntral
provinces. but In Bengal. or the north.
or Punjab-that is. in the real India
OF the official or the soldier sport Is
both scarce and poor. The people lie
too thick upon the ground. and the in.
lIUI'IS hUbN lOt lllll' HOW 10 HNill
themselves Of what there Is. II Is
II curse of India that no man there
belonging to the dominant race has
ever n trace Of the kind OF knowledge
We all acquire at home before We ar,
20. the instructive knowledge of the
countryside. tho familiarity with tn,
ways of the humble. the perception %
OH thnt manic tl,n ITO nr,,,pl &c
which IL like the perception Of n,
gamckeepcr who was born upon III,
moor. Riding Is rather tame. eXCcp
i'm places. for the roads are wearisoma
and crossing open country unpleasinl
to its inhabitants, no. TO mention tina
the days are fully occupied. and tina
the nights fall early and with a pain
ful rapidity that ~extinguishes twi
light. Swimming IL too dangerous Il
the great rivers. the great tanks ar
rarely found in the north, and, though
the luxury Of swimming by moonliGh
in an artificial tank to which snake
can not penetrate Is hardly to b. ovcr
estimated. 1t Is not ohtainahlr every
where. There are games. 10 BE- sire
polo and ten pegging and %raCquots-
but the climate for nine months In tht
year is opposed To them all, and owe
them all hangs a cloud Of sameness
produced by the fact that society 4
limited. deficient in variety and to
well known. There is. In short, II,
white people" in India. but only
caste which outside the prasideac'
cities, wcariCs OF itself. seeks I'm val,
for pleasurable occupation. and, as /
must not talk shop and has n?thin,
else OF interest to talk Of, is quit
~curiously deficient in the power OF con
yprsing brightly