The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-04-28
RAILWAY TRAVEL I'M INDIA


voluminous amount of matter partic-
ularly interesting to the tourist. Caste
does not cause the railways so much
trouble as might be imagined, judging
by all one hears about it in England.
Indeed caste distinctions are found
to resolve into two main principles.
One only concerns us here, the other
the prohibition of intermarriage-
having reference to matters outside
the radius of a railway officials ac-
tivities.
A caste man must not partake of
food cooked or even handled by one
of inferior caste Food is wide term.
A very orthodox person would in
clude medicine compounded by an
apothecary. One of more liberal views
might receive, say, a plantain (bana-
ma from the hands of an individual
beneath him, for the "unclean" hands
Of the latter would have come in con-
tact only with the skin and not with
the part to be eaten.
The first an most obvious require
ment of any long distance traveller in
hot climate is fluid refreshment. The
filter and the glass commonly found
in an English dining car would be no
use in India, inasmuch as the native
would first of all want to know who
put the water in the filter, and then
who last used the glass. If satisfac-
| torily assured on the latter point,
he would nevertheless run no risk Of
contamination, but would pour the
liquid down his throat while holding
the glass a few inches above his
mouth.
But the orthodox man, taking no
risks at all, carries with him a brass
water pot attached to belt, and even
then adopts the further precaution
above mentioned. At every station a
native patrols the platform carrying
skin with a supply of water Exper-
fence has taught the railway compa-
MES to be particular as to who is in
trusted with this duty. Continuing,
the writer says:
l once travelled with a Brahmin who
parched with thirst eagerly called the
water carrier at each successive sta
ton. But before replenishing his brass
pot he cross-examined the man as to
his antecedents, and, not being salts.
fled that he was OF sufficiently high
caste, continued suffering agonies till
wire was sent on ahead, the result
of which was that the hottest man of
all the countryside was routed out
and induced to do duty pro TEN.
Fortunately very holy people seldom
travel, and when they do they con
trive to let it be known before hand
so that meals may be specially pre-
pared for them in advance.
On another occasion a celebrated
fakir was proposing to travel. His
form of Standardization took the
shape of some two hundredweight of
chain with which his body was girded
and with which he tried to enter the
carriage assisted by his friends.
But the station master was there,
and the result of a somewhat heated
argument conducted i'm a language
which for possibilities of vituperation
has no equal in the world was that
the fakir and his chains were hauled
off to the weighing machine and full
passenger parcel rate was charged
on the two hundredweight of old iron
on the reasonable ground that it could
not be regarded as wearing apparel.
The Hindu likes to have all his saw
ings in a portable form They do not
take the shape of scrip and title deeds
but bars, anklets and armlets of gold
and rudely set jewelry. When he
travels all this wealth is frequently
instructed to the keeping of a young
daughter, whose little legs and arms
are wound round with golden bars,
while her nose and ears are heavily
weighted with jewelry. l once saw
on a station platform a little girl
about six who was computed to be
worth about 10000 as she stood.
This practice is not, however, so
common as it used to be, for railways
naturally disclaim liability in such
cases and there have, moreover, been
so many nameless outrages on little
girls for the sake of plumber.
BRAVERY THAT CAME EASY.
Father, have been reading IN this