El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-10

Copyright, 1910, by F
ID OMBAY, India, Aug. 25.-If you
n would like to see how small you
are in the eyes of the world.
come to India. These British officials
are almost as provincial as the people
Of London. They think there is only
one nation on earth, and that the Brit
ish are it. l sat one night at the din
ner in the government house at Ran
COON with charming lady beside me.
She was the daughter of one of the
high officials, a Girton girl. and, from
a British standpoint had received the
best of female education. When she
learned that 1 was an American she
said she knew all about our country
from her brother who had just trav-
eled through it.
Where did he gO?" I asked.
The maiden replied: He landed in
Montreal and rode for days across
country to Vancouver. That is big
city, the chief place on the west of
your continent. When he came back
he stopped in another large place,
called Chicago. He visited most of the
settlements of the United States, and
remained a long time in one at the
north. I wonder if you have ever
heard of it. He called it Minnie some
thing?
You must mean Minneapolis"
said L.
IT think so, but am not sure. I
know it had something to do with
fruit"
Il did not say Minneapolis
Minne-ap- oils
yes I think it was Minneapolis. I
know the first word was Minnie. Is it
much of placer"
1 thereupon told her that Minneapo-
lis was one of the great cities of the
world and that it was the flour barrel
of John Bull and had been spoon
feeding the English for a generation
or more. At this she raised her eyes,
and I could see that she did not be-
lieve me.
Ny pride received another blow the
other day when I spoke to a minor
official of the wealth of our great west
and referred to Chicago and its bank
ing institutions. AS I said this the
man interrupted me by surprisingly
asking:
And do they have banks in Chi
cago?"
Ignorant Officials.
Many of these people know about as
little of Canada as they do of the
United States I was talking in Cal
cutta today with a Britisher who has
a sir to his name. He rules one Of
the largest of the Indian provinces
and his subjects are half as many as
those governed by president Taft. This
man was speaking of the enormous
irrigation schemes of British India,
when he asked me if we had irri-
gated lands in the United States, say
ing he could not see why land as
well watered should need them. There
upon 1 described the Rocky mountain
vast
we are using for retaining the des-
ert. 1 referred also TO irrigation in
Canada and especially TO the great I'M
dertaking at Calgary, where the Ca
madam Pacific railroad IS turning the
Bow river upon 1,5O0,000 acres of arid
lands and making them yield like the
fertile Nile valley. Upon that this
British official replied:
Indeed, thought Canada was wet
country Fifteen hundred thousand
acres. I had no idea there were any
such works in the world. Why. out
here in all India we have nothing like
that in one body. and the government
irrigation works are not altogether
more than Is times as big as that one
in Canada l wonder If you are GER
tain as to your igures?" -,
"I' know, for 1 have been there,
said I. And his honor was polite
enough to pretend to believe me-
some Social Features.
As rule the officials in the Indian
enonire are men of fine education. The
most of them are graduates OF oxford
or Cambridge, and many are OFFICERS OF
the English army. The majority come
from the better classes of society. and
many from the nobility AS to Things
Indian and things oriental. they are
well posted: and nowhere will you find
a civil service whose standard OF honor
is higher.
This is great sporting country.
Every city has its clubs, and the larger
ones have race tracks and grounds
for polo and golf There are compef-
tive matches which are attended by
the British and high class natives,
and in which the native teams some
times take part This is especially so
of nolo. which is patronized by the
"a iahs and welltodo natives. Every
large station has its polo grounds and
every army officer his pony. The races
are run with gentleman riders, ana
az rule the rider owns his own
horse. There is plenty of cricket and
football. and as for hunting, that is
one of the chief sports OF the BTU
ish of all classes. The viceroy hin-
ee1f sometimes goes off for a week or
sos shooting, anu Tic 6oAiiO AHO-
everything from tigers to wild 1oWl
and hare Much Of this hunting is IN
the Jungle and mountains and not
little in Kashmir.
The native rajahs, if one has letters
IN them. will often organize hunts
and to the man rightly introduced
every sort Of hospitality is open There
are dinner parties, dances and prl-
I-ote theatricals at all of the stations
during the season; and the proper
dress is quite as important here as IN
Iondon. It seems to me that in most
matters of etiauet society is even more
right than at home, the British ABROAD
heine sticklers for form. Every one
who gives a dinner has to be carerui
how the guests are sent IN, OF tnose
who should be last may come nrst
The members of the civil service ana
+ba army rank at the top. the hlgn
civil service officials preceding AFTER
them comes the mercantile element
an which classification are the mer
chants. manufacturers, lawyers plant
ers and missionaries, but not the
who are of a class by
themselves 81
The military and civil classes are al
WAYS fighting, and every social center
lOI1c A n