The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-17
FOREIGN WORKERS
STRONG APPEAL
w. c. wHiTEHAlR, RECENTLY OF
5ANGALoRE. INDIA, TALKED ON
CONDITIONS I'M INDIA At AN
NuAL BANQUET OF q. A. sHU-
MAN CLUB.

Some very startling statistics, to on
who is not familiar with the situation
in India, were given last night by w.
c. Whttehair of Bangalore, India, who
spoke at the annual banquet Of the B.
A. Shuman club at the "Y."
Letter From Shuman.
Preceding the address, A. r. futile
read a letter from B.. A. Shuman, in
Buenos Ayres, in which he set forth
many interesting facts regarding the
work Of tho Y. NJ. c. A. in that great
city Of South America. The letter was
encouraging, and showed the splendid
work which Americans are doing in the
foreign field.
First Impressions.
Mr.. Whitchair told Of his first trip
to India, with his wife and child, and
of his expectation to find a country
entirely uncivilizcd and with none Of
the conVenienceS of modern ciyiliza-
ton.
Transportation Methods.
The steamer which carried him to
the shores of India was d boat owned
by one of the largest steamship lines
in tho world. The train for the in
terror which he took OIL his arrival.
was az comfortable as any train in the
United States, including fine sleeper
and dining car service.
Railway Mileage.
India is the fourth country in the
world in railway mileage. In 1912 the
railroads Of India carried $50, 000, 900
passengers, and most of them rode at
the rate Of 1-5 Of a cent a mile. OF
these millions of passengers, only
seven wero killed in accidents.
Telegraph Lines.
|I.z-- 49,. no n 81.
lines in India, and a telegram may pc
The cities are big and modern, with
motor cars in wide use.
Irrigation Methods.
india is in the forefront in modern
irrigation methods. One acre in seven
is irrigated, and there are 5000 miles
of canals, with other big projects be-
ing brought to completion.
Exports and Imports.
The amount of India's exports and
imports is almost unbelievable. Iron
titles and labor is very cheap, so that
manufactured articles may be sold in
foreign markets in competition with
the goods of other countries. Also, In
dia raises more wheat than Canada
and Argentine put together.
Economic Conditions.
But with all this material prosperi-
ty the conditions in India are frightful.
in the world is there SO great
a contrast between poverty and
The average wealth is $125
per capita. IN the United States 1t is
5 1,0S5, and in, some countries even
higher. The average wage Of an In
dian coolie is $40 per year. Starya-
ton is common, misery and squalor
abound.
Morals FrishtfuIIy Low.
And the moral condition Of the pop
ulace is beyond the comprehension of
civilized peoples who have not actual
ly witnessed it.
India is not so bad for men, but it is
veritable hell for women Much of
the population is Mohammedan. The
marriage laws make it a disgrace for
a girl not to be married very shortly
after she reaches her teens. and in
many cases they are married before
the age Of IL years. 1t is a common
sight to see little girls carrying theirt
oWn children about the streets. II the
husband dies the wife is forbidden 10
marry again, and, worse than that, she
becomes the drudge OF the male mem
bers of the family in a peculiarly re-
voting way.
A Hard Fight.
The missionary forces in India are
fighting a hard battle, owing to insult
ficient numbers to carry on the work.
But the goal seems to be in sight. It
is a rather surprising fact that nan
Of the wealthy men Of India. native
princes. are actively supporting the
work of the Y. M. c. A. in the large
cities.
Recently a M~aharajah in Bangalore
with his private mea six
acres of land in the heart of Banga-
lore, at an enormous price, and gave
it. without restrictions, to the Y. M. C.
A., saying that he wanted to do it be-
cause he believed that the institution
to build character, and kept
young men away from many Of the
bad influences OF a large city.
Encouraging Signs.
The native owner of one of the larg-
est iron works in India asked the Y.
M. q. A. to furnish a secretary to him,
saying that he would build the build
ing, and pay all the expenses, includ-
ing the salary, if only the "Y" would
furnish the man. The Y. M. c. AS
throughout India are self supporting,
except for the salaries Of the thirty