Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-08-20

! so much of business There are
castles here who thoroughly UNDER
| stand the breeding value of interest.
and there are altogether In India 400
600 bankers and money lenders, Of
whom more than GO. 600 are women.
Much money liz loaned upon real es-
tate mortgages. and from this the
bankers are getting hold of the land
In some provinces as much as So
per cent Of the country belongs to
them, and in others 40 and so per
cent.
LIVE IN MUD HUTs.
The average home of the Hindu
peasant Is not as good as the average
American stable II Is often a mud hut
doors or windows. The floor Is plas-
tered with COW dung. and the furni-
ture Is rope bed ana a few pots and
pans. Tho house IL usually matched
with straw, and It's interior IS az bare
as a barn. IT seldom has more than
one room, and In this the whole FAM
lily accommodates itself as 1t can The
stove is a fireplace made OF three or
four bricks set on end, and the cook
ing Is done I'm pots and pans There
are no chimneys and the smoke finds
its way out 90 the door and from un-
der the caves
The most Of the farmers live in VIII
lagos of such huts In riding across
India YOU see these everywhere dottinR
the landscape. They are built along
mud roads and have none OF the sur
roundings or copVenienccs Of Ameri-
can towns There are no big school
houses or churches, no street lamps
no cutters and no sidewalks. There is
an absence OF painting and whitewash
the only outside decoration being
Jumps Of brown COW dung Of the size
and shape Of a fat buckwheat cake.
These are the fuel OF the people. ples-
tered upon the walls of the hut to dry.
This stun Is picked up by the women
and girls who follow the cattle. They
carry the dropWngs to their houses
and mix them with dirt. patting them
into shape with their bare hands such
fuel Is used all over India, and the
women invariably collect It,
A STARVATION DIET
The Hindu peasants have made feed
ing science They know just how
much will suffice to keep them alive,
and they cat little more. They save
everything and cook Just enough
Their diet is chiefly beans, millet and
course grains. with chilli peppers and
other condiments They seldom have
meat. and the castles of many Of them
are such that they would die rather
than eat beef or pork. They consider
the COW holy, and would as soon think
OF cHtWlnE Nntll grandparents as
tendcrloin steak. They use rancid
melted butter called ghee.
The Indian farmer rises at daybreak
and takes with him a snack Of cold
food to the field. At noon his wife
brings him hot dinner. He eats first
and she takes what is left. At home
the people eat off the floor, II they
are rich they have several large
dishes: II poor one or two. In addi-
ton there are small dishes for curry
and condiments. All eat with their
fingers, and the men always first.
II IS a well-to-do family that has
two good meals a day. | am told that
not one-third Of the natives can afford
to eat rice. and that the majority live
on -four made Of course grains. which
they cook M into unleavened cakes
called chuppattis.
have never eaten with the Hindus
They would not tolerate my touching
their food. for this would make them
lose caste and lead to damnation.