The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-06-11
LIFE IN FAR INDIA.
ENGLISH RESIDENTS FIND Elk
ISTENCE NOT GAY.
b Climate Is Eneryzting-Scenery Is
Monotonous, Hunting Poor, Swimming
Impossible and the Limited Society
Becomes UnbearabIy TIresome. .

We appeal to the knowledge of all
Anglo-Indians when we repeat the say
Ing of the Emperor Baber, that for all
but a few India is the fattest of all
countries, the one in which interest is
The most strictly confined to work, says
The London Spectator. To the few who
IAN move about it in freedom, who
have special tastes, who are concerned
to understand the thoughts of Asia, or
who are able to take in it's astounding
varieties of scenes, peoples, creeds and
civilizations. India is almost overpow-
eringly attractive; but that is not the
position OF the majority. They grow
by degrees interested in their work,
for governing in all its departments Is
attractive, but outside their work they
find few reasons for denying that it is
a weary land, which paralyzes rather
h stimulates the intellect and dead
ems rather than fortifes 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
can n on the Nerbudda valley Of un-
surpassable beauty, but for the ma
5ority of civil officers and soldiers, who
are tied to their stations, India is a
dull land to the eye. Bengal is, speak
ing broadly, a 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 and
for the other half a dull green plain.
1t is bounded, no doubt, by the Hima-
layas, but the only pleasing adjective
which the mighty range does not de-
serve is that of beautiful. Then the
sport Of which we read so much is 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
Terai Of the eastern Himalayas, and
in part of the Deccan or the central
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
truders know too little how to avail
themselves of what there is. 1t is
n curse of India that no man there
belonging to the dominant race has
ever a trace of the kind Of knowledge
we all acquire at home before we are
20, the instructive knowledge of the
countryside, the familiarity with the
ways Of the humble, the perception OF
oil +ho+ ~ o,1rg fha 1ipo noun ,c
which is like the perception of the
gamekeeper who was born upon the
moor. Riding is rather tame, except
in places, for the roads are wearisome
and crossing open country unpleasine
to it's inhabitants, not to mention thai
the days are fully occupied, and that
the nights fall early and with a pain.
full rapidity that extinguishes twi-
light. Swimming is too dangerous II
the great rivers. the great tanks ar
rarely found in the north, and, though
the luxury of swimming by moonlight
in an artificial tank to which snakes
can not penetrate is hardly to be over
estimated, it is not obtainable every
where. There are games, to be sure
polo and tent pegging and racquets-
but the climate for nine months in til,
year Is opposed to them all, and owe.
them all hangs a cloud of sameness
produced by the fact that society /
limited, deficient in variety and to-
we'll known. There is, In short, n,
white people" in India, but only
caste which outside the presidenc,
cities, wearies of itself, seeks in vail
for p~leasurable occupation, and, as i
must not talk shop and has nothinI
else of interest to talk Of, is quit
~curiously deficient in the power Of con
versing brightly.