The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-02-12
SERVANTS IN INDIA.
Almost Innumerable, but Their Duties
 Are Well Defined.

Are Well Defined,
 India is the land of many servants
 The head servant is called the bearer"
 he has the responsible control and gen
 eral management of all the servants eX. cept the cook. The cook, the next 1T
 importance, not only cooks, but buys al
 the provisions. At the big hotels he
 contracts to feed the guests at rupee
 (32 cents) or less per head a day. An
 other resignedly placid individual sits
 on his feet in the kitchen and washes
 the dishes.
 The gardener cares for the lawn and
 decorates the table with flowers at ev-
 cry meal The watchman has duties pc
 culiar to housekeeping in India, and shouts at frequent intervals during the
 night to prove he is awake but he has been known to shout in his sleep The avah, or lady's maid is the only woman servant in European households In h. dia.
 If a man keeps a horse, five more ex- ] tra servants are required. One is for driving the horse, another to see that he does drive it, one to cut grass, the food of the horse; another to harness it, a fifth to look after the carriage, and so on.
 Every European, resident or traveller, rides in India, it being q disgrace for any white person to habtually walk. ! When driving from one to four natives | must accompany you. If you ride on small cart driven by the owner one man l straddles beneath the axle at the rear ' of the cart and hangs on for dear life In a barouche the driver and a native occupy the front seat, while two foot 1 men stand upon smoll steps at the rear. The chief attendant shouts at those blocking the vehicles progress. The footmen run ahead of your team, shout ing and demanding right of way, es- pecially at street corners and curves. The native people all but fly from be- heath the horses hoofs, and accidents are of frequent occurrence,
 The water carrier supplies all the bat-rooms and the kitchen, besides watering the shrubs and flowers. By hand he pulls the water from deep well. Another man, the sweeper, looks after the rooms and keeps them clean" At night thelse menials scatter to all parts of the town.
 A stranger in India need never feel friendess, for at his departure From each hotel he is surrounded by delega- tion of farewell wishers, a delegation of twelve to twenty servants, including those aforementioned. They each know of your intended departure, almost be- fore you do Theree-fourth6 of them you have never seen before, but they all expect 'backsheesh from you and it is useless to try to get along without paying "backsheesh" at every turn. You may engage a gharry and pay the driver twice his fare, yet he and all the attendants will ask for "backsheesh.'
 Ten months of every year. life would be intolerable without the punkahs which are in every room of hotels and residences, in all offices shops and pub- lie buildings The churches have eiab- crate systems of punkahs, and they present an odd appearance with huge fans swinging to and fro.
 Every one sleeps beneath a punkah, and at all hours of the night are heard the cries of both sexes and Europes at the sleeping "punkah wallah' who since dark has been almost ceaselessly pull ing the punkah, while seated, all but naked, in draughty hall upon the tiled floor or upon a mat or cotton cloth on the ground. It is common sight to see the punkah wallahs upon the roofs of houses and back buildings, tugging away at a long rope that passes over pulleys to the punkahs in the rooms through some hole, bored in the brick wall or frame of door or window. Dur ing the day different lwalah pulls the punkah, and each guest at hotels must employ two punkah wallahs, one for day, and one for night service.
 The majority seem to think they have bought the pool coolie, and this idea of property right in human flesh seems to increase the langer the individual re- mains in India. These poor native ser wants receive, besides frequent brutal kicks and cuffs, the equivalent of eight l cents, sometimes legs, for days work of twelve hours, and with these wages they must feed and clothe themselves and those depending upon them. It is ! needless to state that they do not wear much clothing, only yard of so of cheap cotton cloth wrapped about them. |
 Your boy, "Mahamed,' makes your bed, and after your spin on the cycle or a game of tennis, he rubs you down, dresses and grooms you. He polishes or r whitens your boots and sun helmet and | does similar work, but he will give up his situation instantly, though he be ever so needy, rather than empty a basin of water, carry small handbag or parcel downstairs to the carriage, ' pull a punkah, sweep room, or bring f hot water, Sc. It's not his work, he says, and he would lose caste by doing it.
 A coolie who carries heavy cases of goods all day will point blank refuse to post letter for his master in street letter box few yards from the door, or to do the most trivial thing if it is not his work" Each duty calls for different servant.--Letter to Baltimore Sun.
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