The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-01-28
JOTTINGS FROM
WORLD JOURNEY
Review Tourists Still So,journing in
India. Prof. Nathaniel Jordan Inter-
esting.. Born in Shajahanpur.
ASKED TO MAKE A SPEECH
Tourists Visit Schools and Deliver
Talks to Students. Speech Trans.
lated into Native Language.

We did not intend to convey the
idea, as we closed our last letter, tina,
so enraptured were we with the seen
cry about us that we forgot to come
down from the mountain peak.
| Our descent was more rapid than
our ascent, and the next evening we
were in Moradabad, dressed in soft
shirts and linen trousers, enjoying an
exciting game of tennis with some
missionary friends. All about us
were fragrant flowers and mild sum.
mer breezes. 1t was a marked change
and very pleasing one after the chill
of the snow country.
Moradabad has an interesting char
acter in the person of Professor Ma
thaniel Jordan. AS boy his home was
in Shajahanpur, and as member of
society, he belonged to that special
qualification known as the Out
caste of the Outcastes," or the Sweep
er CASTE" The sweeper is not one
that sweeps your home, but one who
arises early in the morning and
sweeps the streets of the city.
1t is we'll known that India under
Hinduism it is impossible to break
caste relationships The ambition of
parents for the lettering of their chill
dren is almost as universal as the hui
man race, but in India, no matter
| what the parental love and desire. it is
| wasted if there be dreams of better
things for the children farther on, for
"Once a Sweeper always a Sweeper"
from generation to generation and
death is the only release-excepting.
One day there came to Shahjahan-
pur one of those peculiar individuals
known as the American missionary.
Seeing from time to time in the early
hours of the morning this lad per-
| forming his daily task, the mission
airy became interested. 1t was not diff
fcult to get this eager black eyed fel-
low interested in a bit of brain de-
velopment. Rapidly he learned and
after completing the day school he
passed on to the higher grades until
finally he received a diploma from
Reid Christian college at Lucknow.
Two important things combined to
make life worth living for the young
graduate. One was the fact that he
had been able to secure an education
which so few of his people ever re-
ceive and the other was that he had
stepped out from under the awful
curse of the caste system. The lex
ception" had come to him in the form
of christianity, the only thing that
lifts the bane of social ostracism.
Whatever qualification there may have
come to him through the knowledge
of this social uplift, one thing was GER
tain, the higher castles had never rec
ognized the authority of the christian
church to change this time honored
custom So when Nathaniel Jordan
lappeared in Moradabad as Prof. Ma
thanial Jordan, head of the boys
school at that place, dissatisfaction
arose at once. Many of the high caste
had been patronizing the christian
school, more especially persaps be-
cause of it's superior training. When
they heard CT the new professor they
would not let their boys attend be-
cause they did not care to have them
become contaminated by being under
a teacher who was Sweeper. The
school was greatly reduced in num-
bers, but continued to do its regular
work. A few years went by and much
to the surprise of these high caste
folks as we'll as to their chagrin, they
noticed that the graduates under Pro
fessor Jordan were taking the most
responsible positions in the govern.
ment. while their so-called superior
sons were taking the inferior places
The Indian is not always slow in
catching the drift of things and more
particularly if it be along religious
lines. The higher castles had watched
christianity very closely and this
mark of superiority impressed them
Gradually they began a return OF
these once deeply offended people and
now they constitute as large part Of
the enrolment of the school as evel
before.
AS we landed at the station in this
city of $4,000 people. we were met al
the train by Professor Jordan, 9
gentleman of most pleasing manner
OF course we visited the school anC
of course We were asked to speak. j
one looks as though he could put two
and two together and intelligently
call them four he will be called upo1
to address schools and meetings of al
sorts and descriptions. If you go trav
cling do not be worried as to whether
or not you look the part, neither a!
to what you will say. Get one speech
pretty well in hand and use it on ev
cry occasion and they will applaud 20,
around the world whether they like i
or not. AS we mounted the platform
that morning we looked into the faces
of over three hundred boys of al
creeds and social distinction. There
were Brahmans and Mohammedan!
and Parsees and christians, high caste
and low caste and other castles in be
. tween. We would not say "And al
the other castles in between" TO
there are over twenty-five hundred
, castles in India and they did not have
, enough boys to represent each one
| But many were there and all unde
the supervision of this one time "Out
caste of the Out-castes." We wer,
not troubled let perchance our mess
; age would not reach the boys for W.
, had as our interpreter the finest in al
| north Indian A man who will permi
you to speak for fifteen or twenty min
, utes and then putting it into the native
. iapp,1aya deliver IL to the Waitins