Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-20


compar abie book which gives better
LECTURE of Indian life than anything
else in print-may recall how the her'
first begged on behalf C: the Tibetan
yogi. The bazaar woman to whom he
gave the begging-bowl cried:
THAT bowl indeed! That oow-bellied
basket, Thou hast as much grace rs
the holy bull Of Shiv. He has taken the
best of a basket of onions already this
morn; and, forsooth. l must I'LL thy
Fowl. He comes here again
The huge, mouse colored Brahminoe
bull of the ward was shOuldering his
way through the many-coiCred crowd,
stolen plaintain hanging out OF his
mouth. lie headed straight for the
shop, wen knowing his privileges as a
sacred beast, lowered his head, AM
puffcd heavily along the line OF baskets
ere making his choice. Up flew Kim's
hard little heel, and caught him on his
moist blue nose. He snorted indig-
rantly and walked away across the
tram rails. his hump quivering with
indignation.
See! ] have saved more than the
bowl will cost thrice over. Now, moth
or, little rice and some dried fish
atop-yes. ani some vegetable curry
"A grOwl came out of the back of the
shop, where a man lay.
HE drove away the BULL said the
woman in an undertOna. 1T is good TO
give to the poor. :"
kim looked at the load lovingly.
"'That is good. When l am in the
bazaar the bull shall not come to this
house. He is a bold beggarman.'
Indeed, he Is, and he is only one OF
many. The people of India, like those
of other Asiatic countries. are the
slaves of their sacred animals. There
that of the animal desp0ts Of Asia.
An English globe-trotter CT my ac-
quaintance was being shown the sights
of Benares, the most sacred city in all
India, some years ago AS he passed
through one of the narrow. crowded
streets of the bazaar he met a huge
white Brahminee bull stalking along as
il the whole city belonged to him.
brushing people aside right and left,
and pushing his nose unhindered into
the baskets of grain. rice, and country
produce which were displayed outside
the little native shops.
1t was exactly the kind Of scene de-
scribed SO well in kim
The bull and the Englishman met in
the narrow pathway--"sidew it
would be called here, but in India side
walk and road ara usually indistin-
guishable. Neither would give way,
for both belonged to an obstinate, self
assertive race. The bull tried to push
past. The Englishman hit him smart
rap on the nose.
Get up, you brute!" he cried, with
an enforcing oath.
In moment the bazaar was in an
uproar. The natives, who. IL moment
before. had cringed servi.ely to the
Sahib. now crowded around him, with
the passion of murder in their hearts.
They pelted hmm with dirt and stones,
called him all manner Of vile names
more numerous. surely, in India,
than anywhere else on earth), AMI
threatened most plainly to kill him.
Was he not an infidel dog who had
struck the sacred bull Death by tor
ture was surely too good FOR him. He
would bring curse on tie city. The
famine and the plague would come.
Their wives would De childless.
So the talk ran excitediy from man
to man. The tumult grew. The angry
mob increased to thousands. Had it
not been for the opportune arrival of a
police patrol of stalwart Sikhs-regally
scOrnful of Hindu gods. and ever on
the watch for such incidents as this
the globe-trOtter would certainly have
paid with his life for his ignorance of
Hindu ideas as to the sacredness of
sacred animals.
Such riots as this are cO.,inon enough
in India during the winter tourist sea-
son, and it is indeed marvellous that
many Americans and Englishmen.
holding their foolish contempt of the
'niggers." are not slain. The trouble
occurs especially in BenIrcs, the most
fanatioal city in the empire. and pos
sibly in the whole world. The Hindu
Mecca" as it has beah called, is the
headquarters Of Brahninism and the
chief stronghold of tn. animal worship
which distinguishes that cult. There
are sacred animals all over India, but
nowhere else are there SO many of them
as in Benares; and nowhere else are
'hVS iiVid III 81 ItSeichCc anu al
lowed SO much license.
AnglO-1ndians are often oontemptu-
Gus Of natives and native superstitions.
but no Anglo-Indian would care to
strike sacred bull il Rpnares; Kim
did 1t in Lahore. In Benares it would
be exceedingly unwise even TO swear ut
the holy beast in the presence of ma
tives who might understand the oaths.
THE bulls are especially sacred
wrote Prof. James Ricalton in a letter
to the author Of this article, after he
had just returned from tour of India,
in which he secured sOrGe extremely
interesting photographs Of various
sacred animals. "Thay line the side
walks of the city, enter sweetmeat and
grocery stores, and heip themselves to
the choicest articles without Eindrance.
They enjoy the freedom of every city.
If a bullock chooses to lie down in Il
narrow lane where he fills the entire
space. no pious Hindu will pass that
way while the sacred beast is taking
his rest.
THE indulgence extended to these
zebu bovines is wonderful. They enter