The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-24
ENTERS PALACE
Editor Howe Runs the Gauntlet
Past Armed Retainers.
Sees the Throne Room and the
Old Family Pictures
IN HOME OF A RAJAH.
Likes the Quaint, Odd City of
Benares Best Of All.
Many Strange Mosques and Tenn
pies Along Water Front.
In HOME OF A RAJAH.
wednesday. Jan. 10.

wednesday, Jan. TO-
In the afternoon we went to see the
palace of a Rajah. The palace IS To-
Gated on the other side of the Ganges
river from Benares. and two or three
miles above the city "A RaJah Is
petty nobIeman who is tolerated by
the English government because OF
his assistance in controlling the PEG
pie There are a good many OF these
Rajahs i'm India. many of them rlch
and a few of them poor, but all are
leeches on the people me HaJa -
whose palace we visited has queer
old palace on the river bank. We
went up to his landing by boat, and
from the river at a distance Benares
does not look unlike Kansas city or
Omaha. Before we landed at the
Rajah's dock. a boatman came out,
and asked for my card. gave II 70
him. and. hurriedly landing, ne raced
away with it to the palace. MahOmet,
our servant, was the leader of the
expedition. and L was little nervous.
"Can we 90 In 2'' I asked him.
I'm going in" he said, and in he
went on arriving at the palace gate,
past lot of retainers dressed in queer
garb. and armed with battle axes In
the court yard to which we were adj
mitted, there We're old cannon, and
motley crowd of hangers on. When
we entered the gate. a lot Of lOafers
who had followed us from the land
ing. went in with us, but when we en-
tered the palace proper. these We're
thrown out by two men who were act
ing as our guides The palace is very
old. very large and very quaint. Sur
rounding it is a dirty village, where
the families of the Rajah's servants
live. We were shown the throne room
and the family pictures, and many Of
the other sights of the palace, i'm adj
diffan hainu neFU7iTfad ak
the turrets on the river front. I was
scared all the time. but MahOmet
walked about as brave as a lion. In
the throne room we saw a lot of wax
flowers in a glass case; I have seen ex-
actly the same things in old fashioned
parlors at home. I imagine I might
travel a thousand years, and not find
more interesting sight than the Ra-
j8hs palace. IT was real enough so
far as the building was concerned but
there was something laughable about
1T all, it was so palpably q man play
ing king who was not a king The
palace employees looked ashamed Of
themselves for keeping UP the foolish
pretense When we came to go. the
two guides wanted us to go out the
gate we had entered. but Aahon1et
laughed them to seOrn, and took a
short cut down through the kitchen.
The two men who had been showing
US about wanted a rupee each but Ma
pay but one. and that one but sixteen
cents. L was accustomed to the ways
of royalty. and was nervous. but Ma
h0met knew his men, and did Just
about as he pleased.
When we went back to the boat. one
beggar was particularly obnoxious
and asked what claim he had on US
HE saw you first" Aahomet said.
and that was ALL so far as I could
ind out Among others who pestered
US was leper. Because we did not
give him as much as he thought we
should, he gave us the leper's curse,
which the Hindus think is very dread
1ul. Beggars are also sacred in India
We left the palace at $50, just as
the moon came up The river on the
opposite side is lined with strange old
buildings - palaces, temples and
mosques with stone steps leading
up from the water. At one place a
Hindu teacher was haranguina
crowd; at another. a lot of people
were sitting around in circle set
ling family quarrel. In the water
people were standing praying. this
IS what the pilgrims come to Benares
Tor ana this IS one of the sights Of
the town. at other places we saw
Mohammedans seated on mats. and
bowing to the disappearing sun. Our
boat was Of a pattern that must have
Deen In use thousands of years ago.
When we landed we walked up q
hundred stone steps. through booths
and bazaars and shall never care
TO visit Damascus or Bagdad; 1 have
seen in Benares all those cities have
70 offer in quaintnes and antiquity.
Indeed. had ] walked about Bagdad
Win the grand vizier q thousand years
ago, i would not have seen sights
more suggestive Of antiquity than I
saw this evening in the trip from the
RaJah's palace to my hotel
When YOU visit India, do not ne
elect Benares; it is the gem of the
collection. I think all the time that
II is exactly like Damascus was
thousand or more years ago. I shall
read Arabian Nights" again. and
with a better understanding. because
have seen people and a city such
as that wonderful book describes.
Tn looking through Bible books as
so