The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-04

made from the marna seed sno,,an of above. l went inside their novels and saw how they live. One poor woman. hre face averted and partially covered bya scarf, showed me her bed Ii was the ragged remains of a thick cotton sheet. which at night was put on the ground, without bedding or bedclothes of any other kind. Last year there was a partial failure of the crop. and this year, owing to the drought. the failure will be complete, and so they are face to face with famine. Last year thay sold their jewelry and mortgaged their land to pay their rent and buv food. This year they are quite destitute of qll resources. l had been cross-examining one old man, and finally said Last year you mortgaged your land to pay your rent and buy food; this year you have no land to mortgage, and famine is coming. What will you do this year?" Every rib could be seen through his skin, and his face was gaunt and drawn, but his faith was strong. Look ing me simply in the face, he answered, Trust in God" The man is a heathen. why not trust in the government?" I asked. That, however, had not entered his thoughts.
 I want it to be understood that the people whose case l am now dealing with are the farming class, the raiyats
 men whose foroears for generations have been owners and tillers of the soil. Beneath these is the coolie. or la boring class, who have no land. and who hire themselves out for wages. The men I met and conversed with were shrewd, kindly and sensible. and very intelligent. They are paying for the education of their children at the expense of their stomach. The old dominic and his staff have zeal for education. and when a parent is unable to pay the school fees, as sometimes happens. they will pay them out of their own scantv salaries
 If it be urged that I saw them at their worst, owing to the failure of last years crop, then the reply is that it Is only question of degree, that in normal times they are starved, and that when scarcity comes they have no resources to fall back upon. Their normal condition is one of indebtedness since before they can clear off the debt of one bad season another is upon them; their honesty is proverbial. They borrow and lend on word Of mouth and the repudiation of debt Is almost un- known They are strict teetotalers and vegetarians, and if they still cling to primitive methods of cultivation that Is mainly because they know no better and because they are bereft cf heart or hope. That they have seen better days brooks no denial. Their customs, their raiment. the way in which the women adorn themselves with jewelry, the carved woodwork cn the doors and lintels of their houses, their innate courtesy and gentleness- i all these tell of a condition of things vastly different from what we see to- day. and before l leave this matter l shall prove in a way that will not ad- init of doubt that their position has become considerably worse under Brit 1 ish rule.
 After a brief visit to the police sta- ton l was motored back to Benares. Here, as elsewhere, I learned that the salaried, or, as we should say at home, the lower middle class, are in much the same condition as the raiyats. The cost of living has more than doubled, whilst tho salaries have remained al- most stationary. They, too. are statv- ing. and, like the poor clerk at home, they must keep up appedsances. From what I heard their case IS being nsf.- sidered hy the authorities, and special measures for their relief are being con sidered.