Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-01-16

a steady stream OF gold has been
flowing for centuries into India. One
might say streams of gold flowing
thence, for since India produces com
pa~ratively little gold herself she lays
the whole world under tribute. Hardly
any of this gold returns. 1t is as If the
earth of India had opened and swal-
lowed it up. The American tourist In
India who parts from a sovereign or
a five dollar gold piece may be pretty
certain it will go straightway out of
circulation and neyermore be seen in
the country of its minting. In one year
alone India has been known to import
owe 300,000,0 600 in bur gold and Eng
fish sovereigns,
What has become of this vast ac-
emulation of cleaning treasure? To
what use Is all this gold put, since In
dia has not minted a gold coinage of
her W for many generations? The
puzzle becomes a bit curious when it
is remembered that as a whole the
three hundred odd millions of natives
refuse absolutely to deposit their say.
1ngs. gold or otherwise, In banks and
will take no part financially in such
productive enterprises as railroads, ir.
rigation works or factories.
The sharpest and most astute get
r~ich-quick bucket shop artist that ever
soaked a gullible occidental public
could no more beguile the mild Hindu
to buy a share of stock with the gilt
tering promise of a thousand point rise
in value than the government has been
able to induce him to invest in solid
guaranteed bonds.
1t has been estimated that 1.-THE visible
boarded wealth of India in temples.
the treasure chests of princes and In
the jewelry of the Indian men and
women amounts to 81. 800, 600, 0O0"-a
simple portable treasure that would
look like a pretty respectable pile even
for our day and make the old time
hurry. Part Of this any American
tourist can see for himself in such toys
as the two gold cannon of the gaek-
war of Baroda, each containing $50
pounds of pure gold, and from glimpses
caught of temple images of solid or
thickly plated gold and blazing with
jewels. As a special favor he may be
permitted to glance within the iron
bound treasure chests of some high
ness and plunge his arm to the elbow
in ancient gold mohurs.
But this would hardly account for
the greater part of that golden eur
rent set toward India since the begin
ming of the record. 1t is into the earth
that current sinks, year after year for
hundreds of them. to be forgotten or
lost trace of in the violent social up
heavals, plaques. and famines that have
swept over the country. In India man
has but to relinquish his fight against
the jungle growth for a short space
to result in the tearing down. over
whelming and utter o%bliteration of all
his work. Therefore it is scarcely a
fight of imagination to picture the
black cobra nesting in some hole Of
ruined temple masonry stuffed with
gold and jewels or the tiger seeking
a lair in the dazzling throne room of a
long forgotten dynasty buried In the
jungle.
For the reason of this curious gold
problem of India apparently one has
not far to seek. Until the English
went to India the country was swept
repeatedly by invasions and conquests
Each newcomer was bent chiefly on
plumber, but If he decided to remain
he set up a government in which all
life and property were his sole and
~undisputed possession. The only rights
the conquered Hindus possessed were
those he chose to grant. These con
sisted principally in providing the con
queror with splendid palaces. jewels,
~gorgeously caparisoned elephants. dane
ing girls. a host of swashbuckling re-
tainers and costly tombs. That is why
the American tourist In India gets a
surfeit of palaces. temples and tombs
AS to the people. they seem to have
come to the conclusion pretty far back
that it was advisable for them never
to display signs of overmuch wealth.
The plundering soldier or tax %gatherer
was always at the door. so apparent
poverty was the best shield of defense
Besides, as hasty fight was recurrent
ly necessary before the rayag1ng
armies of Tartar, Afghan and Mogul.
gold and Jewels were the easiest forms
of negotiable security TO transport or
hide in the earth. In this way Delhi
was sacked and sacked again until
John Ireland. the New York traveller.
visiting that city in the middle Of the
eighteenth century. thought Nadir
Shah must have swept 1t clean Of
treasures in his last $200.00O.000 raid
Delhi looked to him n poverty stricken
place. Yet a century or SO afterward.
when the British troops stOrmed it in
the mutiny. the Thomas Atkins of
those days was pretty soon seen bar
tering jewels for drinks and playing
Quoits with gold anklets and bangles.
Since her Delhi has probably &C.
cumulated another hoard Of treasure.
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