New-York tribune., 1905-07-09
SERVANTS IN INDIA.
In Mrs. Eakins's Household 1t Took Twenty
seven to Do the Housework.

In+ricac,es op caste among the servants prevent
housekeeping from degenerating into a tame ana
monotonous occupation in India, according 10 nTs
O. NJ Eakfns whose husband was acting VICE
consul general at Calcutta under the last adminis-
tration Mrs Eakins. who is now in YORK.
lived IN Calcutta for TWO years recently
1T required twenty-seven servants to perform
the housework for my husband and myself" said
She in discussing the subject. The man VINO
does the marketing will on no account carry the
purchases home There must be a cooie Tor that'
The official cook Of the establishment never COOKS
He sits and directs some other person. VINO per
forms the actual labor. The man who serves the
food at the table will never bring it from the
kitchen which is in a separate building in the
compound. There must be special servant for
that The man who did the chamber work and
took care of the bathroom was specially unclean
to all the rest of the servants. They would neither
touch him nor any article which he touched IL
a table were to be moved not one Of the other
twenty-six would lift one end if he had hold Of
the other end
1T is necessary to have a certain number Of
Mussuman servants TO handle the food. No Hindoo
servant will touch your food or wash your dishes.
This is particularly the case with meat dishes
Some vegetables they do not mind. But the same
trouble arises pork with the Mussulman ser
wants. One day my cook went on strike and
a Mussulman helper offered to get the luncheon.
told him to fry some bacon, but he murmured
alphabetically that he couldn't touch pig. So
went and sliced the bacon for him and after that
he slid it into the frying pan and when 1t was
cooked slid it upon the plate. and so served 1t
without touching 1t.
They are the most imperturbable people IN the
world. You may throw downstairs pat him
the back; he accepts both with exactly the same
expression of countenance. The Indians religion
is the bottom of all his acts. all his feelings.
He eats, sleeps, and has his being according
to religious formula. And his doctrine of reincar-
nation forms his whole philosophy OF life The
fact that the master now IS due to the fact
reincarnation He is the servant now, and the only
chance for him to be reborn in the masters position
He takes everything philosophicaly 1t is all
mo white woman in Calcutta will have a Chris
tian Indian for servant. know the wife OF the
canon has charge of all the Church Of England
missions in India. But she will not have Christian
of their own religion and not taken any Of those
IF 9e peT T 6 ey res Se re ao OF
Calcutta is the most cosmopolitan city in India
in amy Earopean OF city It is situated in the least
attractive part Of India. where the climatic condi-
looked down upon by other native races Of India
oDf D9g tf of edG42 6s1gS B TaaR S
is a term used in Calcutta TO signify an English
t6 ee Daba Walking Is G Sca
ing patent leather shoes no stoSkngs the native b,
costume completed by the shirt Of the white man.
and when it rains will take them off and carry
wives looking over their returned laundry. to ex-
claim We'll, this shirt has been rented out to a
babu" The laundryman turns many an honest
penny renting the shirts of his customers out TO
babuS who wish TO make a smart toilet.
"One curious result of the mission schools In
Irda is the collection of dolls IN glass cases winch
you will see in Indian houses. Sometimes there will
be generations of dolls. from the grandmother down
to the present young daughter OF the house. An
will play with little brass toys. but she plays very
little anyway. An Indian girl is the most serious
little beggar in the world. 1t is curse 10 be born
woman at all and the women 1 simply ACCEPT p @ tnat
philosophy as the whole OF life Is accepted The
sole test OF whether a woman Is a goo0 woman
is her possession of sons. If she has sons
she is good wife. If she has only daughters. she
1T all comes back to economic basis in the
final analysis Daughters take dOwry to marry
them off. Therefore they are expensive and unde-
their wives The Indian woman has only two
things to live for-to have sons and to become
ef the female portion of the household, and the
daughter-in-law may expect release from
slavery until she in her turn becomes mother
in-law. To go back 70 the dolls. Z prospective
bridegroom will often ask how many dolls the girl
has The dolls given for industry. obedience
and good temper. and therefore the number or
them is of interest to the future husband.
81 he English in India have no interest in study
ing native li1e. To them the natives simply
with them nor recognize socially any person who
does If one visits an Indian household he is
not go into the room where food is prepared or
eaten. and if he eats in the house the dish which
he used is afterward destroyed Yet the obliga-
ttons of hospitality are very strong. An Indian
would never do anything against one who had
eaten in his house.
mo white person. no matter how long he NAV
the native life. Wealth and position have nothing
to do with the caste system. A prince may get
down from his elephant to salaam 10 a beggar. It
is 4 topsy turvey land"