Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-05-18
En- Route to Marseilles.
A letter from Mrs. E. j. Thrill.

Dear Ladies of the Thirteen Club
promised myself that on thi.
voyage from Bombay / would writ,
you { omewhat concerning tie places
we s.'ited in India, but must avoit
elaborate descriptions, merely men
tioGing sights that most interest
travellers.
We were too late for the best
sease 4 for travel in India, but moi
dislna yed by the heat or warnings
of dread disease, we decided not te
miss it and, armed with American
courage and a scant supply of rugs
and pillows for use on the trains
we commenced the journey in the
face of cholera and plaques, physi.
cal and mental AT cities, where
we tarried few days, the best no.
tells afforded fair Accommodations
roomy and always something that
we could eat. But their idea OF
neatness is not what we in the west
believe ill. In one hotel where we
were, the managers wife took quite
an interest in making the guests
comfortable but in no other did we SC
any women excepting guests. There
are always numerous servants, and
think of the sweeping to be done
with such ample porches and ground
adjoining and no brooms as in our
country, just bunch of a sort OF
grass or broom corn is what they
use. But they are content.
w see different birds and hear
1icr:' Songs, and they are about the
porches and all through the house
and nest in the dining and sitting
rooms, and did it not seem queer?
Crows are seen and heard every
where and perched upon your win
dow sill they turn their heads side
wise and wink an eye wickedly as
if to laugh at your discomfort.
Many of the hotels are one story
buildings, often in the form, of a
paralellogram, lacking on one side
and plants and flowers have place
in the court. Buildings of brick,
thick walls and plastered outside,
giving them massive look, and
deep porches are never wanting.
sitting rooms and parlors
are provided, the guests seek the
porches and here is where the
vendors Of oriental goods and
notions seek your patronage, and
where the juggler plies his trade.
There are always so many SER
wants at such places and our four
hand packs employed the same
if not otherwise ordered.
About the hotels their uniforms are
not quite so much on the undress
order. We see few more clothes
wound around their lower limbs and
body and a drape or two about
heir shoulders, but those that do
The hard work wear merly a loin
cloth. They are above the medium
height, slim, narrow chested, long
imbed. and their brown forms look
ike polished bronze, they are strictly
'egetarians, eating no meat, fish
u eggs, and kill no animal, insect
Or reptile. They have natural
labit Of posing without knowing it,
md one will drop his work and in
second be like statue and as
notionless. | am lead to believe
hat this popularity dates from
:emote ancestors all listening for
unseen foes.
The hours for meals in this part
If the world are as follows: Tea and
soast at Z a. m or q little later;
breakfast at 8 o'clock; lunch, tif-
fin, at l o'clock; afternoon tea
1t 4; dinner at 1880 p. m. We take
what breakfast we care for at the
Tea and toast hour and nothing
more until lunch. Ii we are at the
hotel atfour, we take cup Of tea
but eat nothing until the 1880 din
ner. We eat very little, and, in
fact, we are not hungry. What we
miss most is cold water, or pure
water at any temperature. 1t is now
one month since we left the Korea
1T Hong Kong, one month since we
have had a good drink Of cold water,
not daring to drink the water I'M
boiled. But we are learning to do
what is best for us. In the morning
take tea, R. w. coffee and between
lines bottled water that is generally
good. On the ship they make their
own ice and we are not afraid of it.
The weather is still hot but we
Ire happy to be out Of the dusty
heated cars where existence was
without comfort, but we shall always
90 glad we took the inland journey.
In no other way could we learn Sc,
much Of the real country or see the
people as we saw them their homes,
Methods Of labor, forms Of irrigation,
md note the broad sandy river beds
IS dry as midas sun could make
hem. In one place we noted patches
If rice grown in the dry river
bed. l dare say often these river
beds become rushing rivers, almost
/. Nile.
The seasons travel is most over.
There are only twenty tourists
the passengers, and this is a
arge ship and full, mostly English
officers and their families, temper
Try residents in India, going home
TO England, and the style they
maintain at 1880 o'clock dinners is
more than necessary and all that
any "400' could possibly desire.
But it is all the same to us. If they
wish to carry SO much baggage,
we'll and good, why not? and what
matter to us?
The night Of March 21st, we left
Colombo, Ceylon, "Where spicy
breezes blow soft, and palms and