Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-02-03
ENGLAND FEELS PROUD
OF HER INDIAN ARMY

these and in addition M%ahrattas and
men of Madras. Until recently these
latter were look ed upon as second rate
material. but recently new sources of
recruiting have been tapped and some
very excellent material unearthed.
whose only defect is in suspicion of he
ing unable To withstand cold. which
has Yet to be proved. and an un-
familiarity of white men. calling Tor
very careful handling. Still the south
ern army is proving apparently more
than a match for the Turks and it is
probable that under the British officers
there is no much to choose between
then and the northern men. Troops
them and the northern men. Troops
their claim to be first class.
The population OF India is roughly
more than two-thirds and not quite
three quarters Hindoo and the balance
Mohamn1edans. Other religions, such
as Euddist. Jain. Christian and 50
forth may he left out as they are not
normally fighting men. So in the army
the proportion is much the same. IN
the northern army Sikhs pledolninate.
The Silths. whose name by the way is
pronounced Seeks. and not Sykes. are
a military sect of Hindus. living in the
Punjab. who consider themselves q
peculiar people devoted to val M
baptized to arms. Years ago i'm the
heighth of mogul powers the rich wheat
CN's '''o wa WI NV Ilyto v IislI -
ried from north and south from Kabul
ANA Delhi by rading Mohamm"dai.
hordes. MANY We're forcibiy converted
and their decendants are the Punjab
Mussulmans of today.
Others fled to the hills and became
the DosraS. Il numerically small but
most attractive people. shy but manly,
gentle but warlike, men
whom it was difficult to pry away from
their valleys but who become most de-
voted and gallant soldiers when they
can be induced to enlist. From the re-
mainder of the then Hindoo population
of the Punjab arose Il new faith: of
men baptized to water and the W or
pledged to manly virtues and whose
Weaknesses and failings have been
welded into strength between the nam
mer of kabul and the anvil OF Delhi.
These men took the name Singh. mean
ing lion. Today every Sikh name
terminates with singh Raiput names
do too. but the Sikh is easily dis
tinguished by having his hair long and
drawn up on the top of his head uu-
der his pajri and his beard matted UNI
der his chin. This. with the snoit.
which in fun dress he wears around his
the short linen drawers he invariably
wears under his other garments to-
gether with a miniature sword are the
five mari of the Sikh.
Bravery Predominates.
In disposition he is hasty of temper.
tenacious. brave as the lion from which
he takes his name. Very amenable to
kindness. vain. and Gas all Indian SOL
dicrs are) rigid in his adherence to his
into a fight and the last out of it, and
highly inclined to obey blindly; his
faults are mainly avarice. tendency to
quarrel. and, sometimes. to drink.
Tobacco is his pet aversion. being the
teaching of his religion-a thing UNI
clean. incidentally. he is a first rate
farmer to sum him up. he is hardy.
bold. loyal and proud. When young
the Sikh is one of the handsomest speci-
mems OF human races. Generically dixie
all the northern Indian aces) he is an
Aryan: infused wears back with a dash
of Macedonian Greek blood-the legacy
of AleXander's legions has left it's mark
shows it i'm his character
Next come the Puniabi Mohamme-
dams. another most attractive race OF
rare fighting men. AS keen a soldier,
but slightly less tenacious than the
Sikh, he is only Secon to the Pathan
in dash. Being a Mohammedan he does
not drink. nor does he give or take in
terest on loans. which make him a
rather more useful soldier in central
and a Africa than the Sikh. since
it removes one of the main difficulties
tive the regular and the thriftless
native irregular. Loyalty and devo-
ton are his two strong points. and once
his affection is given to his British Of
ficer. death ends it. and nothing else.
He is slightly less careful in his per-
sonal appearance than the Singh.
The Mercenary Fighters.
n Gurkhas. that small race of
fighting demons. are not British sub
jects. but m~ercenaries from Napaul. a
hill country. whose prince is in alliance
with The emperor of Indian, whom he
recognizes as his suZerain. In person
the Gurkha is very short. square and
strongly built. something like an ugly
japanese in appearance. His chief char
acteristtcs are an extremely acute sense
OF humor and a peculiarly sickle shaped
knife called a kukri. In dealing with
his enemy these two combine in q very
believed to be unappreciated by the
victim. ] say. believed to be. since no
n ever lives to detail the sensation
OF being kukried. In peace. to live in
camp near Gurkhas, is to experience the
sensation of dwelling in the Zoo. Next
what m~alevolent monkeys. First. last,
and all the time. the Gurkha is a SOL
dier, but a soldier with a sense of hui
mor-and a kukrf. In religion he Is
somewhat Hindu.
Next we must notice the Pathan. IL
the Gurkha Is a small and ugly noun
taineer. the Pathan is exactly the OPP
posite.
Cattle Raider in War.
Big, burly and handsome. open and
independent in appearance. crafty and
cumming in reality. he Is in his native
hills the most expert rifle thief and
cattle raider living. His morals are
bestial. He is incredibly cruel and in
herently treacherous. The one rule OF
life to which he is anyway consistent is
the motto. Brother. what is thine is
mine. and what is mine is my own"
Driven by the small proportion Of fer