The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-05-21
LIFE IN FAR INDIA.
ENGLISH RESIDENTS FIND Ex-
ISTENCE NOT GAY.
The Climate Is Enervating--soenery Is
MOnOtOnous, Hunting Poor, Swimming
Impossible and the Limited Society
Becomes Unbearably TIresOmo. .

We appeal to the knowledge of all
Anglo-Indians when we repeat the say
ing of the Emperor Baber, that for all
but few India is the --LATEST of all
countries, the one in which interest is
the most strictly confined to work, says
the London Spectator. To the few who
can 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 it's departments is
attractive, but outside their work they
find few reasons for denying that it is
a weary land, which paralyzes rather
than stimulates the intellect and dead
ems rather than fortifies 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 and on the Nerbudda valley Of I'M
surpassable beauty but for the ma
jority of civil officers and soldiers, who
are tied to their stations, India is
dull land to the eye. Bengal is, speak
ing broadly, jungle of fruit trees, in
which there is little attraction except
few mighty rivers, while the north
is for half year an arid brown and
for the other half a dull green plain.
It 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
one curse of India that no man there
belonging to the dominant race hal
ever trace of the kind of knowledge
we all acquire at home before we are
20, the instructive knowledge of the
countryside, the familiarity with thu
ways of the humble, the perception o
all that marks the life around us
which is like the perception of thu
gamekeeper who was born upon thu
moor. Riding is rather tame, eXcep
in places, for the roads are wearisome
and crossing open country unpleasini
to its inhabitants, not to mention tina
the days are fully occupied, and tina
the nights fall early and with a pain
full rapidity that extinguishes twi
light. Swimming is too dangerous il
the great rivers, the great tanks ar
rarely found in the north, and, thong
the luxury of swimming by moonligh
in an artificial tank to which snake
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 tn
, year is opposed to them all, and owe
: them all hangs a cloud Of samenes
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 val
,, for pleasurable occupation, and, as
|, must not talk shop and has nothin
, else of interest to talk Of, is quit
curiously deficient in the power of COZ
Versing brightly.