The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-03
FEELING BETTER,
Editor Howe Thinks His Trip
Has Improved His Health.
a Fellow Passenger With Him
on the Siberia, Agrees.
BOMBAY A FINE CITY.
Built on an Island With Palatial
Mansions.
Makes Visit to EIephanta Caves
in the Mountains.
A FINE CITY.

in the Mountains.
Wednesday, January II.
Connected with my room at the Ho-
tel Cecil, in Delhi. were two bath
rooms. I suppose it was a double
room, and a bath was provided for
each guest. as for man and wife occu-
plying the same room. The missy ana
I used to laugh over the fact that we
had four bath rooms. and we be-
came so dirty travelling on the dusty
railroads, that we needed them. The
rooms were 50 per day each, tnclud-
ing five meals a day. And the meals
at the Cecil were really excellent.
The only fault I find with India is
that every native who comes in con-
tact with travellers seems to be what
an American calls a. man when he is
willing to fight In the dining room
Of one hotel in India we saw three
cheap chromos that were exactly
alike. That was an experience in art
that was entirely new to me.
Flour mills of the modern kind are
numerous throughout India, as good
deal Of wheat is raised in the small
way have described.
At an Indian railway station the big
man Is the station master. There is
also an assistant station master and a
horde of small officials who act very
important. The business Of one of these
petty officials Is to pound a piece of
railroad iron, hanging near the station
masters Office, when the train IS ready
TO start. Some Of the stations were
large and important towns we had
never heard Of; the railroad yards
looked like the yards at Kansas CITY
except that the switchmen looked Diff
ferent.
The old wolf who acted as our
guide at Delhi told me that the dead
bodies of the rich Hindus are burned
with sandal wood at an expense of
5000 The cheap wood, necessary to
burn the body of poor man costs
about $3.50. The old guide is a Brah-
min. or high caste Hindu, and every
years he buys little sandal wood. and
places 1t in his gO-dOwn. This wood
viii be used to burn his body when he
dies A warehouse here is always
known as a gO-dOwn. though 7 can't
imagine why. The guides young wife
is a very religious woman, but the old
guide himself is liberal, because of his
association with Americans and Euro
peans. He not only eats meat but tells
his people, as Brahmin, or teacher.
that many of their customs are foolish
Occasionally protestant missionary
woman asks permission to call on his
wife, to talk" to her about her future
state. and the old guide says that on
such occasions, the fur flies. Imagine
worker in the Baptist church calling
on a worker IN the Methodist church
and trying to convert herl described
a Methodist backslider to the old guide
and he said that there were MANY such
among the Hindus; that the tendency
Of late years is toward liberality. and
that many of the old customs are being
forgotten.
The natives Of India are much su-
periOr iu industry. Intelligence and
looks to the F'ilipinos; their curse is re-
ug1On- After YOU have seen India and
realize how dry and barren 1t is and
that the natives force living from the
barren soil, you cannot help having a
sort Of respect for them. Think what
these people would do with a country
or real natural advantages. like Kan
sas. Put Colorado, Wyoming Idaho
Montana. New Mexico, Arizona and
Utah together, and imagine the climate
like that of Southern California. and
you have India; nothing naturally fruit
ful in it. like eastern Kansas, Missouri
Iowa. Ohio, Illinois or Indiana India
is land Of great floods, drouths, excess
sive heat earthquakes and typhOons
Yet by an industry and economy we
Americans do not understand, four
million people support themselves, in
addition to building gorgeous temples
for gods as useless as the dead in the
enormous tombs, or the kings in the
palaces Of marble.
The old kings trusted no man in
their households except the eunuch
When you read the history of India,
YOU Will read about the eunuchs, and
decide for yourself whether this policy
of the old kings was wise or unwise
During the day. we have found the
weather very warm and dusty. and
quite cold at night, so cold as to rem
der the nights uncomfOrta Bile without
@ fire This is the rule in the north
Of India during December. January
and February, but as we approached
-f--l-
In spring, summer and fall, however,
all of India, except the mountain dis
tricts is like a furnace, Many Of Rud-
yard Kipling's stories of Indian concern
the sitting heat, and the tragedies it
brings about. From Bombay We shall
have hot weather until after we leave
Egypt. have not worn my hot wealth
er clothes in India, a fail suit" an
swering every purpose. But I found
my hot weather clothes very agreeable
from the Philippines to Ceylon, and
win ind them very agreeable from
Bombay to Egypt and beyond
have spoken of the begging ser
wants and grumbled about them. They
are no worse than the shop keepers.
Drive through a street in India, and
crowd of shop keepers will run beside
your carriage, offering you their
cards Some of the shops they repre-
Sent are very interesting but if you
visit them You must fight to get out.
unless you buy something In these
shops you see remarkable ivory work,
silver work, brass work. and really ar
tistic things OF many kinds I am so
tired Of sight seeing that I shall al
most enjoy the ocean, where there are
no temples, no palaces, no beggars, no
cringing servants, no vendors of post
cards, no mosques no native quarter
no camels, ne monkeys; after three
weeks of sight seeing in India, I shall
enjoy looking at nothing again. I be-
lieve 7 have indicated that India is
wonderful but the beggars almost
render a visit to the country a task
Another thing that greatly annovs
an Englishman is for an American TO
attempt to see India in less than six
months. I have seen all care to see
OF it in three weeks. / have seen q
good many duplicates in three weeks