The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-08-11
ANIMALS AS DESPOTS
TYRANNY OF THE PAMPERED SACRED
BEASTS OF ASIA.
I'm Benares the Person Who III Treats
Monkey Runs the Risk of Being
Torn TO Pieces-HOw the Holy Bull
Nictinlizes the Boar Man.

Pieces-nOW itoly
Victinlizes the Boar Man.
Readers of Kiplings "Kim." which
gives better picture Of Indian life
than anything else in print, may recall
how the Lero first begged on behalf OF
the Tibetan yogi The bazaar woman
to whom he gave the begging bowl
cried
THAT bowl, indeed. That COW bel
lied basket. Thou hast as much grace
as the holy bull Of Shiv. lie has taken
the best of basket of onions already
this morn, and, foosooth. must fill thy
bowl He comes here again.
"The huge, mouse colored Brahmanee
bull Of the ward was shouldering his
way through the many colored crowd,
a stolen plantain hanging out Of his
mouth. He headed straight for the
shop, we'll knowing his privileges as a
sacred beast, lowered his head, and
puffed heavily along the line of bas-
kets ere making his choice. Up flew
Kims hard little heel and caught him
on his moist blue nose. He snorted in
dlgnantly and walked away across the
tram rails. his hump quivering with In
dignation.
See! / have saved more than the
bowl will! cost thrice over. Now, moth
er, little rice and some dried fish
atop-yes, and 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 undertone. 1t Is good to
give to the poor
"Kim looked at the load lovingly.
"'T'hat Is good. When / am in the
bazaar the bull shall not come to this
house. He Is 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
is no tyranny more outrageous than
that Of the animal despots Of Asia.
An English globe trotter Of 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 Brahmanee bull stalking along
as if 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-"sidewalk 1t
would be called here, but in India side.
walk and road are usually indistin-
guishable. Neither would give way.
for both belonged to an obstinate, self
assertive race. The bull tried to push
past. The Engishman 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, n moment
before, had cringed servilely to the
sahib, now crowded around him, with
the passion Of murder In their hearts.
They pelted him with dirt and stones,
called him all manner Of vile names
(more numerous. surely, in India than
anywhere else on earth) and threatened
most plainly to kill him. Was he not
an infdel dog who had struck the
sacred bull? Death by torture was
surely too good for him. He would
bring curse on the city. The famine
and the plague would come. Their
wives would be childless.
SO the talk ran eXcitedly from man
to man. The tumult grew. The angry
mob increased to thousands. Had ii
not been for the opportune arrival of
n police patrol Of stalwart Slkhs--
regally scornful of Hindoo gods, and
ever on the watch for such incidents
as this-the globe trotter would GER
tainly have paid with his life for his
ignorance Of Hindoo ideas as to the
sacredness Of sacred animals.
Such riots as this are common
enough In India during the winter
tourist season, and II is indeed mar
velous that many Americans and Eng
lishmen are not slain. The trouble oc-
ours especially In Benares, the most
fanatical city in the empire, and pos
sibly In the whole world. The Hlndoo
Mecca, as 1t has been called, is the
headquarters of Brahmanism and the
chief stronghold Of the 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 they held in so much reverence and
allowed so much license.
Anglo-Indians are often contemptu-
Gus of natives and native superstltlons,
but no Anglo-Indian would care to
strike q sacred bull In Benares. Kim
did IL In Lahore. In Benares II would
be exceedingly unwise even to swear
at the holy beast In the presence Of
natives who might understand the
-oaths.