The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-21


man has reached an advanced stage
among most of the nations, the tribal
law of India antedateS that which
Moses gave TO the Hebrews, Although
the holy law-giver of the Israelites was
undoubtedly wise in decTeeing that the
caste system was safe method Tor
ruling an ignorant and numerous pop
ulation, it seems marvellous that any
plan or scheme OF those old days should
endure through all the changing CEN
turtles. Yet we find a code here IN India
almost as unaltered as when ii was
established to meet the requirements
of the early branches of the human
race.
The Hindu marries IN his own fam
lily, even as Abraham esDOused his
niece. The young Indian must seek
wife among his tribe, like Isaac who
jOurneyed into a far country to wed
maiden OF his own family. Any young
man OF modern India who should dis
\ obey his caste rules of WedlOck would
diSpleaSe his parents equally as much
as Esau offended Isaac and RebecCa
by marrying among strangers The
caste system as pracLiCed in India at
the present time and as ordained b.
Hoses. means a social and economic
division OF the population according 10
profession
Rules ct life Are Fixed.
Lyo person Is allowed to exercise
more than one calling at time, and
no Individual Is ever permitted to
change his occupation. It Is a case of
once q. fiddler always a fiddler, Hence
the son OF a shoemaker must be cob
bier, and the daughter OF a barber
must marry y man who follows that
trade, In most Instances e man Is not
even allowed TO travel about but muss
work and i've in the place where he
was born.
There are four main castles IN India,
and the explanation Of how they We're
formed Is that the original members
s>HeFe made from the body OF the god.
BTahma- The Brahmins, or priests.
came from the head; the ra1ahs, or
soldiers from the shoulders; the agTl-
culturiSts from the stomach; while
those devoted to servitude came from
the feet. These four main castles have
been divided and subdivided into sew
eTal hundred different factions, and the
distinctions are so numerous that only
2 student can understand all the DIFF
ferences that exist.
The Brahmins consider themselves so
superior to other castles that they OBJ
serve the most ridiculous measures TO
preserve then selves from bodily con-
tamination. One OF them would no
more think Of touching the person Of
member Of a lower caste than he would
Of cutting his OWL throat In the old
en- times II q person without caste en-
tered a Brahmin's house he was muir
dered on the spot, and even now if this
should happen the offender would meet
with rough treatment. In the villages
the outcastes are not allowed to paSs
In front of q Brahmin's house. because
on2 Of their footprints is supposed to
ccntaminate the whole neighborhOod.
Fear of DefiIement.
This fear of personal dehlement is
so great that the most absurd pre-
cautions are employed to prevent it.
The Brahmins use plate made Of
banana leaves, because one made Of
metal which had been used by someone
else would be unfit for their use, no
matter how carefully it might have
been cleaned. To offer a Brahmin any
thing to eat that has been touched by
anyone else would be nothing short of
an insult. If a Hindu eats fruit or dry
4 food between meals he breaks it of in
bits and throws It into his mouth to
keep his fingers from being defled by
saliva For this reason he will not
place cup to his lips. but pOurs the
water into his hand and drinks from
that.
If a Brahmin Is touched by a dog he
must take a bath at once with all his
clothes on. A hlgh-caste doctor viii
not put his fingers upon the pulse Of a
patient of lower rank until q. piece. of
hin silk has been bound around the
sick persons wrist, Any Brahmin
would refuse to handle q letter which
ne knew had been sealed with the tip
Of the tongue. Although they are ex-
tremely fastidiOus in the respects men
toned, their care seems all the more
Inconsistent when their habits are
found to be so filthy in other ways
Bugs VS.. Windows.
The members of one sect in India
will not drink water unless they have
L cloth fastened across their mouths.
These people also have a servant
pound upon a gong While they are at
heir meals in order to prevent the pos
libility of their hearing any profane
remarks from Dassers-by while they
ire eating. As a safeguard against
Filling minute insects, the destruction
4 any form of life being considered
= inful. the women brush the floor gent
Y with a light buster before using a
room. The rule pertaining to the