The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-01-10
FORTY MILES
FROM HEAVEN
Or. L. N. Coon Spends Two Weeks
on West Coast of India in Sight
Of Mount Everett.
100 MILLloNAlREs IN BOMBAY
Ride Up Mountain Side to "Garden OF
Eden" and City of kandry, 40
Miles From Heaven.
S. S. Cleveland,
Calcutta, India,
Dec. 1, 1911.

1t is noon here and midnight in
Iowa. We go to bed when you get up
so we are across the earth from home.
The weather is cool and fine and
showers like our April showers are
frequent.
During the past two weeks we have
been visiting the west coast of West
India, from north where we were in
sight of Mt. Everett, to as far as the
south end of the western peninsula
and then across to the beautiful island
of Ceylon.
In Ceylon we travelled inland by rail
seventy-two miles to the very beau
tiful city of Kanday, which is about
5000 feet above sea level. We landed
first in Bombay, which is city Of
l,O00,0 900 inhabitants, and is probably
the most beautiful city in many ways
to be seen on earth.
About $4,000 people in Bombay are
employed in the various branches Of
the cotton industry, and we saw many
acres of ground covered with cottor
bales. The cotton is of short staple
and will never compete with the cot
ton of our southern states. The wheat
lands of India are comparatively Of
small area and the average yield is
about the same as in Kansas, thirteen
bushels per acre, and the available
wheat lands have nearly all been util-
lied and in fact since 1905 the area
has decreased, so that one fears lest
India should become serious rival
to our own wheat growing industry is
entirely unfounded.
beautiful buildings and streets one
may ever expect to see. l was curl
Gus to know why all the large build
ings we're made up of stones cut to
only six inches in thickness and about
six to twelve inches in length, but
was informed that as labor is so cheap
to cut and assemble the stone, and
large stone so dear, it is cheaper to
cut the small stones and the effect is
beautiful in the completed building.
The stone cutters who do the laying
out and the artistic designs in the
stone work receive thirty cents per
day (our money! and the more ordi-
airy ones get twenty-four cents per
day. Ordinary labor gets from six to
eight cents day, and if one earns
eight cents day he will, in case of
sickness. not apply for free treatment
tn hospital, but will bear his own
expense; not like many people in our
country who ask and receive public
per day.
The people of India are a quiet,
peace-loving people and on account Of
their different religions, customs and
beliefs place themselves beyond our
power to aid them or make their lives
conform to our ideas of comfort. Lit
tie or no clothing is worn by the
natives with the single exception of
the Parses, sect of about only one
hundred thousand people, in all India.
These people belong to caste all it's
own and they represent the most
wealthy class. Bombay alone has over
one hundred millionaires Gin our mon
ey), the majority of whom are Parses.
The Parses are fine looking men Of
medium stature, black hair and black
or dark brown eyes, and very erect in
carriage and very keen and intellec-
tual facial appearance. All these
Parses speak English and are courte-
GUS and pleasant people to meet Eng
oriental people and the plan is like
the successful way in which the south
ern planter in our country handles |
his colored labOrers No Englishman,
or resident American, ever walks in
this country, as this would be, in the
eyes Of the natives, mental thing
and would mark the man or woman
who did il as of low cast and not sub
ject - the respect from any native.
They address all white people as
master" snd resent it as an insult
shoatd we attempt to be familiar and
place ourselves Oh their level. Thou
Sands ri the laboring people have no
residences, or other sort of house, but
lie DOWN by HUNDREDS on the sidewalks
to- sleep at night, fortunate indeed if
they possess blanket, which most of
then. 10 not. Strange as it may seem,
nearly al! these poor people are alb
solutaly honest, and stealing is al
most onknOWn. They are the most
inyete1.te beggars imaginable and ~
ing w,,eu it is to solicit aims is fine
art Little children by hundreds, with
out ony sort of clothing, unless it be
a small string about the body, will
run at the side of your carriage and '
ia ,pins their little black stOmachs S