The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-01
BABU BHEEM ROY.
His Views Upon the Attitude of the
Indian People Toward the British
Empire.

New York March 30 -IBabu Bheem Roy,
Brahman of the high caste known In
India as the Raj Bhart or Kings poet,
Is now travelling in this country OF
noble Gourka descent, the babu was born
in Tomkukee Bettah, N. W. p, and
having served as an officer in the native
army exchanged the sword for the pen
to such good purpose that his work has
called forth In personal letters the APP
proved OF no less an authority than Mr.
Rudyard Kipng.
Under the medium hight, Mr.. Bheem
Roy possesses well defined Aryan fea-
lures with a complexion no darker than
that of an Anglo4Saxon exposed TO tho
sunburn of a summer outing. His eyes,
which are wonderfully bright and pence
trating, alone denote his Asiatic origin.
He has mastered the classic languages
of the West and speaks English fiuently
With the object of qualifying for the
bar in India, Mr.. Bheem Roy proceeded
to England and entered upon a course OF
study at oxford University. This COM
pleted, the desire to observe the advanced
civilization OF the United States led him
to the shores of this country-a visit about
to be brought TO a conclusion on his re-
turn to Hindustan.
Requested to give his views OF the
attitude of the high caste natives of In
dia with regard to the present crisis in
the British empire Mr.. Bheem Roy said:
Il think many native gentlemen like my
self consider that the present South Az
rican war might have been avoided by
arbitration; but now as far as India is
concerned. the war must 81 on until Brit
! ish supremacy is assured In India there
are 100000 Mohammedans, the heredi-
tary enemies of the Hindus, who, If not
openly are yet secretly pro Russian in
their sympathies For England a second
time 10 yield 90 the Boer power would
engender in the minds of these people the
belief that British arms are not invincble,
and encourage them to open rebellion at
the first sign Of a Russian advance"
Regarding the present plague and fam
inc in India, Mr.. Bheem Roy said These
periodical famines should be provided
against first, by the prosecution with
greater energy of government irrigation
works in the threatened districts, and sec
ondly. by the prohibition Of the export Of
grain, as is at times decreed by the Rus
sian government under similar circum-
stances. The grain, too. should be STORED
in sufficient quantities to insure to the
people a standard price for bread,
IAN indirect cause also, is 10 be found
in the evil of child marriage, by which half
the people live on the verge of starvation
another reform that must sooner or later
be taken in hand. Among those of high
caste the custom does not operate so disas-
trously, for the welded pair are not per-
mitted to really marry until they have
reached mature age; but with he
masses the responsibility Of bringing Up
large families is undertaken, when the par
ents are barely able to provide for them
selves"
or this system OF child marriage Mr..
Bheem Roy tells an interesting story OF
his own life When mere boy. his father,
a devout man. who prayed daily for spir
| itual guidance before an altar decorated
with flowers and perfumed with incense.
| decided that II was time his son should be
| provided with a wife. and entered into
satisfactory negotiations with neighbor
for that purpose. on the day appointed
for the ceremony the astrologers We're
called in 10 prophecy the future Of tn
young pair. Briefly, they foretold thar
young Bheem Roy was destined TO travel