Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-19
Ia

tered and he is prisoner at the mercy Of
his captors.
Sometimes the scheme fails and the hunt
ers lose their time and trouble and bait, but
being men of experience in such affairs they
generally know the proper place and the
proper season to look for game. When the
watchers notify them that the trap Is occu-
pied they come down with the oxen and
haul 1t to town, where it is backed up
against permanent cage, the iron door is
lifted and the tiger is punched with iron
bars until he accepts the quarters that have
been provided for him, and becomes pris-
oner for life.
1t is a terrible thing when a hungry and
ugly man-eater comes into a village, for
the inhabitants are generally defenseless.
They have guns, because the govern
ment does not allow it, and their only
weapons are the implements of the farm.
If they would clear out and scatter the
number of victims would not be so large,
but they usually keep together for mutual
defense, and, as a consequence, the animal
has them at his mercy. man-eater that
has once tasted human flesh is never sa-
tiated, and attacks one victim after an
other until he has made way with an entire
village.
Danger From Snakes.
The danger from snakes and other poison
Gus reptiles is much greater than from
tigers and other wild beasts, chiefly because
snakes In India are sacred to the gods and
the government finds it an exceedingly deli
cate matter to handle the situation as the
circumstances require. When Hindu Is
bitten by snake it is considered the act
OF god, and the victim is honored rather
than pitied. While mis- death is deplored.
no doubt, he has been removed from an
humble earthly sphere to a much more
happy and honorable condition in the other
world. Therefore, while it is scarcely true
that the Hindus like to be killed by snake
poison. they will do very little to protect
themselves or cure the bites. Nor do they
like to have the reptiles killed for fear of
provoking the gods that look after them.
The snake gods are numbered by hundreds
OF thousands, and shrineS have been erected
to them in every village and on every high
way. If Hindu pious peasant sees a snake
he will seldom run from it, but will remain
still and offer prayer. and If it bites him
and he dies his heirs and relatives will erect
shrine to his memory. The honor of hay
ing shrine erected to ones memory is
highly appreciated. Hence death from
snake poison is by no means the worst fate
Hindu can suffer. These facts indicate the
difficulties the government officials meet in
their endeavors to exterminate reptiles.
Snake charmers are found in every village.
They are usually priests, monks or sorcerers
and may generally be seen in the neighbor-
hood of Hindu temples and tombs. They
carry from two to twenty hideous reptiles
Of all sizes in the folds of their robes, gen.
orally next to their naked bosoms and
when they see a chance of making a few
coppers from a stranger they draw them
out casually and play with them as If they
were pets. Usually the fangs have been
carefully extracted so that the snakes are
really harmless. At the same time they are
not agreeable companions Sometimes snake
charmers will allow their pets to bite them,
and, when the blood appears upon the sur
face of the skin, they place loZengeS OF some
black absorbent upon the wounds to suck
up the blood and then sell them at high
prices for charms and amulets.
Another Act Of Munifcence.
When Mr.. Henry Phipps of Pittsburg
was in India a year ago he became very
much interested in this subject His SYM
pathies We're particularly excited by the
number of poor people who died from
snake bites and from the bites of wild
animals without medical attention. There
is only one small PaSteur institute in In
dia, and it is geographically situated SO
that it cannot be reached without several
days travel from those parts of the en-
pire where snakes are most numerous
and the mortality is largest. With his
usual modeSty, without saying anything
to anybody, Mr.. Phipps placed 100000 in
the hands of Lord Curzon with a request
that a hospital and Pasteur institute be
established in southern India at the most
accessible location that can be found for
the treatment of such cases, and labora-
tory established for original research to
discover antidotes and remedies for ami
NAL poisons. After thorough investiga-
uon 1t was decided to locate the institute
in the province of Madras The local gov
eminent has provided a site and will take
charge of the organization and it's main
tenaRce. while ~the general government
will grant a subsidy corresponding to the
value of the services rendered to soldiers
who may be sent there for treatment
couple of weeks ago 1 wrote YOU
about an agricultural experiment station
which is being founded in India through
the generosity of Mr.. Phipps, and this,
DIS second muDltlceDt is
portant