Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-08-06

Relation on the part OF the mother
does not seem to matter
The code Of Manu- declares that a
Sudra woman alone can be the wife
OF Sudra; In other words a dish
washer must marry dishwasher and
same with the Naisyas and the
KshatrNas
SOME CASTE PREJUDICEs.
The laws also provide that only per-
sons OF the same caste may eat to-
gether, and for person OF one caste
TO touch tho food OF another denles
IL. | stopped today before an timer
ant sweetmeats pedler and began to
niger some OF the candies on his
table He grew angry and told me TO
Keep my hands off, as the Hindus
would not buy anything n foreigner
had touched. This Is especially 40 Of
tho natives Of the higher castea. In
the iails OF India the cook IS Plways
a Brahman. for otherwise the prison.
ers OF the lower castles would not cat
the food. I am told that prisoners
have been logged and have starved
to death rather than eat vlctuais cook-
ed by q low-caste man.
During my travels in the far east
have frequently been upon steamers
with Hindus OF one grade or another
TIL ose Of the higher castles carry their
own water on board and never come to
the general tables. when the rajah OF
Jeypore went to England not long
ago he had a full retinue of servants
and his own kitchen. which could be
entered by none but his own people
The other day in visiting a temple
here at Benares | met a Hindu with
a beautiful brass bowl. He had just
come up from the Ganges, and placed
the bowl on q ledge and was sitting
beside It. 1 picked 1t up, thinking to
buy 1t. Thereupon the man grew angry
and my guide said that I had com
mitted an objectionable sin.
He said the man could not use the
bowl until 1t had been heated red hot
in the fire and thus purified.
EFFECT OF WESTERN INNovA-
TION.
The Hindus will not touch water
which has not been drawn by their own
people, and they must not eat food
cooked in water supplied by different
castles. This fact for long time him
dered the use OF the waterworks which
the English have introduced into some
Of the cities, but by special dispen-
sation granted by the Brahmans they
are now raising the ban ss TO water
on tap. This Is one of the things
tending to modify caste. Another Is
the railways and tramways. At frst
the Brahmans and others 81 the higher
castles wanted cars OF their own They
could not get them. and now all must
travel together. The schools of the
government admit pupils Of all castles
and the Brahman boys now sit in the
same rooms with the Sudras.
The Brahmans have also changed GER
tain caste rules as to drink. The stores
are full Of new things from abroad,
and these are desired by all castles In
common. II IL allowable now to use
patent medicines and soda water with
out losing ones soul. A man is not
damned If he buys Ice made by "a for
cigner. and ne can eat soda crackers
without being polluted. II Is the same
with ginger ale and other soft drinks.
1t is different as to meats The flesh
~ the COW Is sacred. and any Hindu
who would eat the LIQUID extract OF
beef would be damned. and a ham
sandwich is a passport TO hell | re-
member asking my Hindu guide tho
uricc Of tenderloin steak He refused
to denle his mouth with the word, and
would have lost caste had he handled
the hcsh.
! have before me the government