The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-18

Street s~Yrinkling is done in Calcutta,
| Bombay and other cities by coolies with
water eav.ied in skin (much ike a young
sea lion in shape and color). The load Is
| strapped to their back and by tossing the
nozzle the street Is spTiukled.
Chewing the betel leaf is almost uni
versal among the natives.
Flowing is done with their primitive
pows drawn by one or two bullocks, very
seldom by coolies. Two natives attend to
each pillow, one guiding and driving the
bullocks. the other holding the plow
lightly with one hand.
Large wild peacocks. cranes, Parrots,
| monkeys. deer, etc, are very numerous in
country districts. and roam through the
fields. In cultivated districts almost ev-
cry acre has its irrigatlng well. and q bed
of grass ten feet in air on poles, from
which a native guards and protects the
ripening grain etc. Bullocks are used to
hoist water from the wells.
An EmacInted Race.
The Hindus OF both sexes are very thin
and have a starved appearance. Thu r
limbs are merely bone and sinew, as If
wasted by years of illness. These people
present a most pitiful sight 1t is impos-
sible for foreigners to distinguish the sex
of the native youths, voice and appear
ance being so much the same. Their
chests are well developed.
Rich natives are an inhnitesmal percen-
tage of the vast population, and are usual
ly recognized by their being bloated, due
to 'stufiing." The silkhs. however, are of
fine physique, tall and muscular They
make a splendid soldiery, and their reg
iments are much admired.
Natives will sit in trains on store steps
or anywhere, reading in loud sing-song
tone, or suddenly bursting forth in chant
ing song, Obvious of the numbers of lis
teners. Prolonged conversation is often
carried ON between two natives in oppo-
site ends of a car, who shout loudly, above
the babel of the others.
The natives ore peaceful and their
crowds usually very quiet, but any excit-
ing cause win arouse fierce word battles
between score or more, each one in the
crowd feeling free to add his shouts to
the noise. The loudest usually seem to
win the fight.
Passengers alightlng from horse cars in
Bombay or Calcutta yell at the driver ana
never notice the conductor.
In crowded streets one native manages
the rope lines another works the brake q
third continuously blows whistle or
shouts, others whip the starved horses
and half dozen coolies run along 10 push
the car until the bony horses are aroused
back to life.
Madras has Inc only electric cars in In
dia.
few at Simla, mountain resort and
summer residence of the Viceroy.
Off the railway travel is solely done by
exceedingly crude bullock carts. AT chief
cities and villages, along the railway
chiefly, there is established system OF
one-story buildings called 'Dawk Bunga-
lows" one to a town, in which traveller
may spread his bed at rupee (32 cents)
per night, and feel reasonably safe from
snakes etc The tourist soon forms the
habit of examining his boots for snakes
each morning.
Jugglers and snake charmers, with bas-
leets and old bags full of deadly cobras
and huge pythons, besiege your MOTEL door,
as also do dozens of Oriental peddlers,
each with a pack Of goods. They squat
in groups in hotel grounds for hours and
seem 20 camp there. When your door
opens they are all ready for you, each
eager to engage your attention.
Natives are inveterate smokers. Their
pipes are OF various kinds, chiefly of
Turkish pattern, some elaborate, others
merely a small earthen funnel, within
which is fire and tobacco. rag wrapped
around the small end is sucked I'm smok-
ing, half a dozen alternately using the
same pipe.
If European in a Hindus shop touches
one of a tray Of eatables not fried in
grease he is said to have contaminated
the whole, and by the law of India most
pay for the entire lot.
The COW is sacred to Hindus and Is shell
tered in the home as one of the family,
which makes them very gentle and free
from fear of man.
Plague, Famine and Distress.
The gorgeous East OF to-day certainly
is not one of splendor and. pomp, but
chiefly a land of famine, distress and
grooming humanity.
Every one is amazed at the daily prac-
tices of these people, who defy all recoG-
nized laws of health, yet live and IN
crease in population 5000, 0cO per year. One
ceases to wonder at the presence OF dis
case, but marvels at the absence OF eX-
terminating epidemics.
Hindus object TO vaccination, because
they have idols before which those in
fected with smallpox gather and pray
for cure To these shrines among the con-
yalescent your native guide unhesitating-
ly leads and nearly frightens you to
death when he informs you where you
are.
Natives of wealth and influence, who
wear European clothes and speak English
duentlv. insist there is no bubonic plague
in India and that it is only an excuse FOR
a conspiracy intended to kill off certain
natives and for confiscating the estates OF
those whom the native inspectors Will
fully poison, and Tor obtaihnS money
They say the paltry salary that plague
inspectors receive is not sufficient to In
duce any one to undertake such work
among real plague sufferers, and they wax
We rn as they cite cases supporting ther
view Hundreds of cases are known TO
hav" been incorrectly called bubonic
plague until the native or European inspec-
tor was paid his bride. Then the house
was not sacked, the business destroyed,
nor the members of the family sent to
plague hospitals never 10 return.
TIE native populace's acquaintance with
such occurrences accounts for the fight
to the hills of many wealthy families.
They fee I'm terror, not from the plague,
but from the persecution they expect.
they would willingly hide a case of
plague in their home, utterly fearless of II
and regardless of the danger 10 others. A
Mohammedan would rather die in his
house than go to hospital for treatment
TO all measures of isolation, distinction
and inoculation Hinduism also presents a
hostile front.
Europeans in India do not dread the
,bt M