The National tribune., 1901-05-30
GLIMpSES OF INDIA.
The Disadvantages of Too Many Peopl.

He who enters 1ndla by way OF Cai-
cutta is fortunate, for, as he moves west
ward, he goes, so to speak, from bad to
| good, from the intense heat of that most
disagreeable of cities, Calcutta, to the cool
breezes that sweep from the Arabian Sea
| over the beautiful port of Bombay. In
its situation Calcutta is, indeed, most un-
| fortunate. 1t is ninety miles from the
sea on the Hoogli River, one Of the many
mouths through which the Ganges pours
| its mighty flood and in consequence no
breath of cooling air reaches it. Sur
rounded by alluvial plains on which the
| blazing sun beats with mercileSs intensity,
| with its air filed with dust rising from
every roadway, Calcutta is seething fur
mace.
That any one of choice lives here passes
ones comprehension, but there are peo-
pie who appear to be happy only when
uncomfortable. Fortunately from the heat
of Calcutta there is a refuge-Darjeeling
in the foothills of the Himalayas. To
reach this enchanting spot one trayerseS
the river plains of the Ganges, crossing
that sacred river, and then. entering the
jungle, the route winds upward and up
ward amidst Il panorama of enthralhng
SplendOr until, at nearly SIX thousand feet
above the sea, Darjeeling is reached. Its
situation is sublimely beautiful. Below,
the valleys yawn four or FIVE thousand feet
in depth. while before us loom up the
greatest ldust5 INT "Ollu
the matchless Himalayas. Here, only forty
miles away, at an elevation of twenty
eight thousand feet, rises Kinchinjunga,
with its massive, snow-clad granite peaks.
To see the sun rise on this noble pile is
worth a world journey. Everest may be
seen at break of day, one hundred miles
away, but only the merest tip of the peak
is visible. kinchinjunga, however, with
its attendant mountains, glows in its full
majesty. One would like to tarry here
in this cool atmosphere and watch these
massive snowy ranges, did not sense of
duty beckon us onward, and we find our
selves once more on the burning plains,
pushing westward to the historic spots, to
BeIares. the sacred city of the Hindus, to
Agra, with it's famous Tai Mahal, the
most beautiful of the worlds buildings,
to Lucknow and Cawnpore, with their
tragic mutiny stories, and on to Delhi,
where of yOre the great Mogul sat on his
throne and gave laws to the millions of
India.
Travel in India is intensely disagree
able. Aside from the heat and dust. the
hotels, save in a few places, are at the
best poorly conducted where it is fire.
quently not question of securing luxur-
les but the dircst necessities. The Indian
railways are conducted on a system that
leads to the most hopeless confusion. Let
me give a brief picture of a train start
illS ITOUl 1dltutld. III lHe HiSt DIdtt, De-
cause of defective checking systems, every
body carries with him into the ear, which
is built on the English model, all worldly
goods he possesses. Berths are furnished
free but no bedding, hence everyone brings
his own bedding material. Each passen-
ger, therefore. loaded with trunks, boxes,
bedding, satchels, lunch baskets, parrots
and even lanterns, enters the car and de-
pOsits his goods. / have counted eighteen
different packages for one passenger. In
each compartment there are FIVE berths
and as they are not reserved, the first FIVE
comers secure them. Were the cOmpart-
ment now closed, all would be well. but
presently three more passengers are liable
to appear with bedding, trunk, etc. Five
berths for eight is a nice mathematical
problem. The result of course is that no.
body is exactly happy. There are three
classes of compartments, the third or
poorest being for the natives who are
crowded in like cattle. With the whist
ling of the engine, the screeching of the
natives, one to the other, the moving OF
boxes and packages by the thousand, the
train starts off, the most utterly cOnfus-
ing scene it has been my lot to witness.
Perhaps in the next quarter century, mod
ern railway methods may reach India.
Until then 1t is well to look upon a trip
across India as arduous labor, pure and
simple.
he really interesting sue DI IHuld Is
the people. Gathered from all races and
lands they present wonderfully pictur
esque panorama. One may see the un-
kempt natives of Thibet, the rough
Nepalese. Afehans and Beluchistans, the
fakirs, the vile holy men, smeared with
mud and ashes, excepting the beggars,
perhaps, the most revolving of the
covered from head to foot with tawdry
jewelry, huge rings, two inches in
diameter through the nose, silver rings on
every toe and armlets by the dozen.
Naked children throng the highways. The
manners and customs are jealously guard
ed. At sunset in the parks one sees Mo-
hammedans praying with their faces to-
ward the tomb of the prophet, and along
the highways passes a sedan chair care
fully covered to shield from view some
MOhammedan woman. AT times the pre-
servation of ancient customs seems a
trifle incongruous. On the ferry crossing
the Ganges, We saw native rajah, clad
in European clothes. He spoke English
perfectly, as he had been many times to
Europe. When we reached the further
bank, we saw procession of four litters
carefully covered. 1t was night of the
most intense heat, yet in those suffocating
litters were the four wives of the rajah.
When they reached the train a sheet was
held up and the wives slipped into the
1lRhtly closed compartment. All this time
his royal highness was enjoying what lit
tie breeze there was and calmly smoking
q cigarette.
OF late years, England has carefully
avoided interfering in the religious af-
fairs of the natives, except Of course in
the matter of the burning of widows,
which was made homicide. In fact in
the so-called Independent States of India,
of which there are many, the rule of the
Maharajas is quite free from outside in
reference. OF course they are in fact
only nominally independent, as any order
from England must be instantly obeyed or
the ruler finds himself not only without
throne but fortunate II he is not soon en-
route to some tropical land where he will
be allowed to die in comfortable exile
Throughout India the condition of the
women is appalling. Under the burning
arduous labor. They break stone for the
roadway, carry rocks and gravel for rail- |
way embankments; they take your bag
gage at the station and carry it a mile,
if necessary, for two pennies; carry furni-
ture in the streets-in fact no work Is
too arduous for them. They dress in rags,
and in all present a fearful picture Of
human wretchedness. The natives of
India are, of course, largely of two great
branches, the Hindus and Mohammedans
Among the Hindus the caste idea still
maintains itself, practically as strong as
ever. Almost every native Hindu you
meet has his caste marks clearly painted
upon his forehead. The Mohammedan is |
easily distinguished by his full beard |