The sun., 1910-07-17

o.. ts.iis- a. is4apss.bia hafrtsf. ssirh
s.pafais thsss dixisisa= fhsrs - nst hiaa
60 essasass smh thssa is 'he e'tsissss - 80
sfths sest strttr-ivs Harsp-aa srtsiosraets-
N@tih-v d~~s th- .urn - al ~ fartal ~
F-ltsl.ss. sissiin-ttsa- sktsh s~t,afafs EaFa
p.sa aaiisas frsm Ssh ssh-s aud divtis
thsna wahin thsui@eivsa equal 10 nmHabsi
sf -iss.ss lnss uhlch th- ninsi'us are dividssl
~ ehat "a snouaas 'cszfs Ths sup 80 90
10 Hiaslrts are made up - diverse fastal
slements sp-ak aboai nih-ts~a dsvsloOasi
language ant ovsf iop dialects Thsy are
ae4in divbl-t in's over iSoo cts's-. In"-'
of thsm sish sab-eaat~- Ons ~ thee
eastss. the Brabnlan.. y spiii up into more
I than ~ sub-cAates of uhieh nons VII IN
tsrmsrry anil fee ~ill sai Ioasthsr
The term caste includes ~ many thinS-
that u i didlrult To dshne u There are.
kossVsr 40 propsrtis- essential 20 q true
| caste 40 There y M entry except by birth
| - Marriage out stds tho caste u absolutely
foFbidsisn To preserve the parity and
, maintain tho sacl1Isiven~as Of the socisey
many minute rals- Of conduct. many rsstrtc-
tiOaz ON food and many ceremonial ob-srN-
Ahces are Imposed On tho members and en-
forced by penaltie, which cannot b- svadsd
| against which there - m appeal aad which
1 In extreme case. follow the offender beyond
the grave. But that Il not all The relations
OF caste. TO each other are q. much q matter
Of religious Observance ~ the rules for their
Internal regulation. The Brahmans are the
highest. admittedly and undoubtedly -u-
I psrioS TO all the rest. After them come those
who are acknowledged to be twice born.
The less honored follow In . graduated de-
| scent until the untouchAbls and unspeak-
able are reached at the lowest depth.
| IL may be urged that the separation be-
tween the Brahman and. let Va say. the
kurmi market gardener h no wider than
that between the peer OF the United King
dom and the coal miner. There is this es-
sentlal difference. that II ts impossible for IN
Indian 10 change his caste. The coal minsr
may bs elected to Parlia nent. may become
Cabinet Minister. and II he can make
| money enough may marry his son to
| dukes daughter. The kurmi must remain
q Kurmi. All the wealth Of Cr,esus will not
enable him TO make an alliance with BTah-
man family or 10 touch brahman's hand
The members OF . caste may and In some
cases do raise themselves In the sight 81
other castles by adopting more elaborate
ceremonies and more scrupulous ob-erv-
Ancos. 4 half civilized Gond. for example.
may hnd himself brought into contact with
llindus, as the plough encroaches On the
forest. lie tries to raise his position and
add to his self- respect by adopting the eN-
clusivenes- Of his Hindu neixhbors lie will
even outdo them n he can. and u the Hindu
" HtTupulpuN ABOUT MS IpOu. the COuNeTN
will wash the very wood With which his
dinner Is cooked. No endeavors Of this
kind. however. will avail to lessen by
hairs brradth the distance bet ween him
and the caste Hindu OF even 10 induce the
Hindu barber 10 look upon him as . client
whose chin he may shave and whose toe
nails he may pare without degradation.
Another point connected with caste which
has q very practical be ring and must be
TAX int Ia h.
which IL gives to the brotherhood. II a
man Is accommodated by his caste feI- /
lows nobody in the caste will marry him
or will accept water from his hands or viii
eat with him. II he 10 married his wife xill
not touch hiIn or speak 10 him. He is dead /
to his family. The priest will not perform
ceremonies for him. The village barber /
will not shave him and the washer oman !
will not wash his clothes. These are the !
methods Of bTin ging pressure on the man 1
The sirictest boycott which lrishmen have |
invented h mild compared 10 the finAl sen !
tence Of q caste punchAyat
syst~m like this h a stern fact which 1
has TO he faced There II not . police case !
or oiNil case or trial a. the Sessions.
there II hardly an appoint ment to an once /
in India of whatever degree IN which the /
matter Of caste has not To be cons sidered.
10 forces itself into every assessment Of land I
revenue. into every sdjudica'ion of rent
II affects the administration Of Just ice, the /
proceedings Of Municipal aud District Coun-
ctls. The influence and power Of the Brah-
man and he idea that he 10 above The law
and " not to be punished ~ other people
are Still alive. although a century Of British
Justice has done something toward eradi-
eating thsm ON the other hand the -ug-
RestIon that . man Of lower caste might
rise TO an equality or nearer TO an equality \
Win members OF u caste above him IL un-
ihtnkable Where The low caste men are
there they must remain II they behave
Themselves II will be made mp to them In A
future existence Another aspect Of the
rass l- that the divisions Of caste have no
territorial basis Hence there ~ no patriot-
sm IN india IN The proper sense oi the word
iiindu- ~ such may have some common
an biiions. especially when they conflict
with Mohammedans or Europeans, but the
0ny bond Of union which has strength l. tho
raris spirit Caste patriotism, II has been
allied, and this i incomparably stronger
N BrAhmAns than In other castles We are
III Brahmans. said the BenEaIi asitator.
q the Mahra'ta politicians we are all
together The Anarchic couspir.
ICY in India @ 80 dificult % meet b.cau..
{ IL essentially " not entirely a Brahman q
onspiracy Totslk Of Introducing seIf- gov. a
'rnment or representative government or .
wen local self government, except under a
liNided against itself y not far from ridIcu- q
ou- The advanced Indians Who are pre..-
ng for measures Of reform admit thi.
ionce We fnd some OF them proclaiminx v
hat the caste system is in It's death thro..
Dtherr. more honest. admit that India ia
ill held by caste and see that a. a rrst +,
tsp toward the attainment OF their political y
e>ire- the system must be abolished and se, o
themselves honestly TO work in that dir.c. e
lon No amount OF abstract reasoning q
o~ever. or explaining away Of the pro. 7
ouncements OF writers like Manu- will. ~ D
! to he feared. loosen The grip OF caste y
= i more likely that a new caste will n.
ormed by Indians wAo have r.reIy.d
Western education and have visited Yurop.
han that The extraordinarily elaborate and =
e-ply carved lines which hay. divided >,
indian society for thousands OF years will !,
= erased. In existing circumstances no T
ystem OF election or representation can h. 6,
evised which will not end IN giving IN. u
over 20 a class OF whom the Brahman. y
Till he tho prominent leaders For the
NJ s-es OF the people the sole hone NO, n
lsreiy Of raislns their status ami improving y
R0ndlfl0n htl - ] '