The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-05
Llghtlng pIant. in be eentrs Of ans

lighting plant: in the centre Of a fine
garden.
Now that am about to leave In
dia, hear that the drinking water is
much better than the aerated water.
For days and days have been warned
not to drink water in India; 70 drink
only whisky and soda. After making
a drunkard of mys IF. almost, aleftg
comes a doctor, and says drink plain
water, and not aerdted water. A doc
tor or a professor can create & sensa-
ton at any time making a fool state-
ment
The Bombay papers of today are
full of an international Complication
A japanese baron. a passenger on a p.
& o. steamer, was given an inferior
seat 1t tah4e and is aaking a great
row. also learn that number Of
passengers on P & O. steamer drew
up a Round Robin, and complained
about everything, to the general Offices
in London. I embark on the P. & o.
steamer Persia" tomorrow for Port
Said.
The papers say that the baron has
no redress unless he complained to the
captain. Also. that the riotOus passen-
gers should have gone to the captain.
That's what I shall do If the Persia"
is not entirely satisfa Glory. for I have
learned the value of the Big Kick. I
made one at railroad junction point
in India the other night, and the Sta
ton Master added an extra coach to the
train. in which 1 was given a private
compartment. Possibly the Big Kick
resulted in my securing good rooms a
the Tai Mahal in Bombay; possibly
tie Station Master telegraphed to the
hotel manager: Look out for thin.
smooth-faced Englishman due at
your place tomorrow morning. ".......
But generally speaking, I have found
the P. & O. steamers and the hotels
excellent. The complaints about them
are usually made by Calico Princes who
are not much at home.
Tuesday. January %.
This is our fourth day out from
Bombay, on the Ara bian sea. The
weather is still fine; the big ship rolls.
a little, but so gently that no one no
tees it.
Yesterday, in these notes. I spoke of
England as a cfvilizer, rather than as
a conQueror. It is to be regretted that
England does not conquer and civilize
Afghanistan, on the northwest frontier
OF India. Afgh anistan is a nation of out
laws and murederers. The natives are
MOhammedans of the most fanatical
sort, and, in addition to the usual Mo-
hammedan conceit, they are cunning
and brave soldiers. I was talking with
an English captain last night who has
been serving IN Afghanistan on spe-
cial duty, and he says no European Is
safe there without a strong guard Of
native soldiers. The inhabitants con-
slider it an act of religious duty to muir
der Christians: to murder a Christian
means a particularly blissful existence
in heaven, and the Afghans are big
mountaineers. thoroughly armed, and
willing at any time to try conclusions
with Europeans. The country is noun
famous, and the English captain says
a half million soldiers would be neces-
sary to permanently conquer it. At
present in many OF the countries sub
ject to its rule, England submits to al
most anything, in the name of religion,
but some day it will realize that before
it can civilize its subjects, il must per-
manently wipe out their religion. All
over India, polygamy IS openly prac-
ticed by the Mohamm edans and Hin
dus. as a religious liberty. This results
in a great number of children, and in
fanticide. Among the Hindus, it is a
religious duty to marry their
daughters to men slightly above
them in caste, and as this
is expensive and Troublesome, the
pious Hindu finds a way of disposing
of the excess of girl babies; he commits
murder to avoid religious duty. There
is now a law against infanticide, but
there is no way Of enforcing 1t. Be
fore the masses in India can be civil
lied, the temples must be torn down
ana every FOOLISH IGllB4OQS pEdCtlCE
punished: it will not do to permit the
natives to continue their immoral and
barbarous practices with the excuse Of
religious liberty. Had England started
right years ago. and prohibited all
forms of immortality and barbarism.
and fought It out on that line, the
country would be much farther ad-
vanced than 1t is. Under present con-
ditions. as soon as the people OutgroW
one superstition. another is invented,
and the government Is compelled to
recognize It. The practice Of the Por-
sees Of exposing their dead to be eaten
by vultures, is not an Indian custom,
but was imported from Persia. Wher-
ever a civilized power is in control. the
teachers and followers OF every religion
opposed to decency and the spirit of
modern ideas. should be punished like
other criminals. and their Objectionable
customs broken up.
have spoken elsewhere of the pc
culiar fact that the women of India
are very religious, although their re-
ligion imposes very unequal burdens
upon them, in the interest of the men.
It may be mentioned. as another queer
fact. that the Indian women not only
accept these unequal and unnatural
burdens cheerfully but add new ones
women OF certain castles are not re-
faces when in public, or hide away in
the exclusion of harems. Yet many
women adopt these customs voluntar-