Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1910-10-01
IRONCLAD CASTE.
Its Rule Among the Hindus Abso.
lutte and Interchangeable.
THE POWER OF THE BRAHMAN
All the Wealth Of the World Would
Not Enable a Lower Caste Hindu to
Wed Into His Family or Touch His
Hand-Tyrannieal Social Divisions.

wed into his FANNY or Iouch his
Hand-Tyrannical Social Divisions.
Caste distinction IN India is thing
difficult for foreigner 70 comprehend.
All the racial or religious distinctions
which separate European nations from
each other and divide them within
themselves do not equal the number OF
classes into which the Hindus are d.
vided by what is known as caste"
The 200,O00.OO0 Hindus are made up
OF diverse racial elements and speak
about nineteen developed languages
and over 100 dialects. They are again
divided into over 5000 castles. most OF
them with subcastes. One Of these
castes. the Brahmans, is split up into
more than 500 subcastes. OF which none
will intcrmarry and few Will eat to-
gether.
The term caste" includes so many
things that II is difficult TO define 1t.
sentlai 20 true caste-firs1. there Is no
entry except by birth; second, mar
riagc outside the caste Is absolutely
forbidden. TO preserve the purity and
maintain the exclusiyeness OF the So
clety many minute rules of conduct,
many restrictions Oh food and many
ceremonial observances are imposed on
the members aud enforced by penalties
which cannot be evadcd. against which
there is no appeal and which In ex-
IRENE cases follow the offender beyond
the grave.
But that is not all. The relations OF
castles 10 each other are ms much
matter OF religious observance as the
rules for their internal regulation. The
| Brahmans are the highest admittedly
and undoubtedly superior 20 all the
rest. After them come those who are
| acknowledged TO lac twice born. The
less honored follow in n graduated de-
scent until the untouchable and I'M
speakable are reached nj the lowest
depth.
II may be urged that the separation
between the Brahman and. let us say,
| the Kurmi market gardener Is no wider
| than that between the peer of the
United Kingdom and the coal miner.
| There Is this essential difference-that
1t Is impossible for an Indian TO
change his caste. The coal miner may
be elected to parliament. may become
a cabinet minister and IL he can make
money enough may marry his son TO a
dukes daughter.
The Kurmi must remain Kurmi.
| All the wealth of Croesus will not en-
| able him 10 make an alliance with a
| Brahman family or Ia touch n Brah-
mans hand The members of caste
may and in some cases do raise them
selves In the sight of other castes by
adopting more elaborate ceremonies
and more scrupulous obscryances.
A half civilized Gond. for example.
may find himself brought into contact
with Hindus ms the plow cncroaches
| on the forest. He tries 10 raise his po-
sition and add 10 his self respect by
adopting the exclusivcness of his Him
| du ncighbors. He will even Guido
them II he can, and If the Hindu Is
scrupulous about his food the convert
will wash the very wood with which
his dinner Is cooked
No endeavors of this kind. however.
will avail TO lessen by a hairs breadth
the distance between him and the
caste Hindu or even To induce the
| Hindu barber 10 look upon him rs
client whose chin he may shave and
| In 20
degradation.
Another point connected with caste
which has very practical bearing
| and must be taken into account Is the
power OF coercion which II gives TO the
| brotherhood. II n man is excommuni-
Gated by his caste fellows nobody in
the caste will marry him or will ac-
cept water from his hands or will eat
with him.
| II he Is married his wife will not
touch him or speak to him. He IS
dead to his family. The priest will not
| perform ceremonies for him. The vii
| lage barber will not shave him. and
the washerwoman will not wash his
clothes. These are the methods OF
bringing pressure on the man. The
strictest boycott which lrlshmen have
invented Is mild compared TO the final
sentence of caste punchayat.
A system like this is n stern fact
which has TO be faced There is not a
police case or civil case or Il trial ut
the sessions. there IS hardly nm ap-
pointment 10 an office IN India or
whatever degree. in which the matter
of caste has not to be- considered. II
forces itself into every assessment OF
land revenue. into every adjudication
OF rent. 1t affects the administration
OF Justice, the proceedings of munici-
pal and district councils.
The influence and power of the
Brahman and the idea that he Is
above the law and is not to be pun
ished as other people are still alive,
although a century of British justice
has done something toward eradicat-
ing them ON the other hand, the sug-
gestion that man Of a lower caste