The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-06-14
LESSONS FROM
A WORLD TRIP
General lie FeVre Says Amori-
cans Spend Too Much.
.EyTRAvAGANT IN EVERY WAY.
Former Ohio Congressman, Who Has
Been Globe GirdIins, Contends That
We Ought to Eat More Rice-AIso
That midas Architecture Is the Most
Beautiful of ALA

That lndIa's Architecture Is the Most
Beautiful of AHA
General Benjamin LIE Fevre, for
many years a representative in con-
gress from Ohio, who arrived at New
York recently from a ten months trip
around the world made some interest
ing statements concerning his tour.
Having covered the western part of
Europe, the general went to Vienna
and Budapest and thence went through
Bulgaria, Roumania and Servia.
Il found Hungary beautiful said
General LIE Fevre, "but the Balkan
countries are the most desolate | ever
visited. The soil is poor, and the peo-
pie seem poverty stricken. Ny next
stop was In Turkey. spent two
weeks in Constantinople and was i'm
pressed by the devoutness of the peo-
pie. When ] was there it was the
month Of religious services, and ev-
erybody was praying. Next I went to
Smyrna and into Palestine, where /
spent several weeks visiting most of
the places of interest. In Jerusalem /
stopped three weeks, getting a peep
into the wonderful cave from which
Solomon took out the stone for the
temple. Next went to Port Said.
American Works In Parsee Libraries.
Bombay was my next objective
point, and must say that found In
Ola very interesting indeed. There is
no question to my mind that the archi-
lecture of that country is the finest
in the world. The Tai Mahal hotel at
Bombay is certainly one of the most
beautiful structures of the kind any
where. 1t is owned by a Parsee.
got to know some Parsees, and | was
admitted to some of the libraries in
private houses, where | found the
works of Mark Twain and some other
American authors. The Parsees truly
lead the simple life Of course Wis
tied the Tower of Silence, where the
Parsees dispose of their dead. There
was flock of 400 or 500 vultures
about waiting for bodies to be put on
the tower. There had been funeral
two hours before l reached the place,
and | was told that within from two
TO tie minutes after body is exposed
not shred of flesh is left. The Par
sees, was informed are now investi.
eating cremation. and there is a posi-
bility that they will adopt 1t Instead
of the ancient method of disposing Of
their dead.
"Of course journeyed to Delhi
and at Agra saw the wonderful Tai
Mahal Lucknow and Cawnpur | Wis
tied on my way to Benares, the sacred
city, where stayed several days.
saw them taking corpses and dipping
them into the Ganges and then burn
ing them on piles of wood near the
river bank. 1t costs about $2.1O for
the wood, which is a tremendous sum
for the ordinary Hindoo. and when
the flames have consumed the major
portion Of the corpse its father OF
son or other near relative takes a long
pole and reverently pushes the head
and feet upon the Goals.
Families Living on Five Cents a Day.
In Calcutta, which is a wonderfully
beautiful city, took great deal of
interest In looking into conditions in
the great jute mills. which employ
$1,000 people. These mills are said to
furnish the most permanent work that |
Is to be had in India Of the number
employed the experts receive wages
e7np 2Hn \ i
and 10 cents.
IN spite of these wages | found |
that family of five or six persons |
can live on cents a day. Their |
food. of course, is rice. Their houses
are of mud and bamboo, and those l |
ooked into were clean and comfort |
lble. The workman puts aside half
If his wages, his ambition being to
,wn his own house
Now. what saw in my trip. and /
in India, impressed me with
he extravaganza in living In our coun-
ry over any other We are extrav-
lgant in every respect. In every phase
II our life we have gone to the very
extreme. | think it is not too much
o say that one half of the people of
he world are living upon rice. A man
AN live upon from / to 2 cents
worth of rice day. When on my
rip through Louisiana and Texas
Jaw warehouses all piled full Of rice
Ind no sale for it and asked why it
vas. ! was told there was no demand
or ii. If we would use one-half or
wen one-third as much rice for food
IS do the people of the east the whole
question of the higher cost of living
would be solved The japanese. who
I've upon rice. demonstrated in their
ate war their great powers Of en-
lurance.
Samples of Extravagance.
As for our extravaganza. why. take
he farmer. 4 few years ago one bug
" was considered sufficient for him +,
o keep on his place Then it came to
lass that every son must have bug
y of his own. and the farmhouse got
0 be ike big livery stable. Now the