Cheyenne Wells record., 1922-04-20


tprepared BY the National Geographic So
ciety. wsshinston. d. CO.
-: The -Mepiahs. whose revolt In india
1g one Of the most serious the British
have had to contend with I'm recent
Times, are operating in the portion OF
..IndIa-the Malabar coast-which was
4he first to be sighted by Europeans
and the first with which trading was
.farried on. Yet 1t has been less known
Than any other part Of the great penn-
.suIa. empire. To. the. casual observer
of maps this seems the front door to
india, and the region which should be
best known and most influenced by
Europeans. For 1t Is the coast facing
toward Europe and lies just opposite
the main water gateway to and from
the west-the mouth Of the Red sea.
But although II was natural enough
that vasro 'da 'Gama, after he had
rounded Africa. should have his first
Indian land fail In. Malnbar. II fs equal
1y natural, when geographic conditions
are taken into: account; that most OF
the present.day argosies Of trade shun
this lower western coast of India and
turn instead nOrthward to Bombay or,
doubling the point of the peninsula,
anchor at 1ndia's back doors" Mad.
ras. and Calcutta. For the Malabar
region Is only narrow strip 20 to 60
miles wide with rugged. mountains. the
Western Chats, cutting 1t off from the
5est Of India almost as completely as
:wOuld many miles Of water.
i. Them. too. MAiahar has no good
PORTS. .-Caltcut .and.. Cochin. did well
enough for the light:draft caravels of
ihe early explorers, but cannot well ac-
.rommodats. larger modern ocean-golng
graft In the east India has no such
Continuous. barrier MS the Western
-;Ghats, and go the wide portion of the
peninsula to the east of those rugged
ialountains has become II familiar land
to travellers and has to a; degree be.
come Europeanlzed. while the Malabar
coast has been little known and has
renmined the best mirror OF ancient
India.
:: What the Region Is Like.
: In few, other places will the West
erner have his dreams of the East and
81 India come ~ 80. nearly. true. MS In
Malabar. The climate Is hot and the
animal .rhinmK ainnuntst To- nearly ten
.fsetS The seasts s.nse fti9geI Will. mil.
.pOns of cOcOnut palms. Just inland In
::ihaIy:D parts Of. .ths region: nre quiet Ia
Hoons and backwaters, connected by
;Sanals,:'tm xihci2 'ffctdrtsaue Eastern
t:"gondolasH, ~. Alonk thessA inland !:
;shores are still more cQconut and other
:ialms, and Rale iwutets' are rreeo-!'
.diles. Everywhere brown pqtiyes
sswarm-mostly bare above the waist.
}gttle different iS 3ireer4nSe and Gus
qoms from the-hrsS3n3 lahs which the
Portuguese fdtMd oni those shores liz
m;E sr the 4'ssiabssns bls-Hk bsls IA:
Slce fields and tsa ,WRRpy sest4e.2s. .shese
aess, Ss'aes ;ss countless sn sss
l!ssss Observation-Disclosures
-mrs ss6iftssss dfe gwen Gf 10 gardsns
sshis.. .sxsns ,sAe<f tftee5thcgsntyEx,
,:Eere models of careful cultivation. III
ahem are grown ,spsrac cteristic Eastern
.:eroducts. plantqtss, bal lgpe4 &dPret
cinnamon, gingef, -kohee;s ;stda>4nA many
vegetables. E:AAs1.EH3z
;; Farther from the coast In the higher
:hills, are the--ISxurlant,f foSeste. systab
4leir undsrkrdw3h d6tfe rnS tss
;aodendrons and. rAsds mid tfsir den:
isate and cSiSfYiiii ord MAJ: fa II ,Afnd 81 @6f&
gillette the Westerner's dream-picture Of
:4he East, in the.forests rsaff1rs nhd
4eopards and wild elephants. This re.
d alon is in feet the ephant c16ntik
:1ar EXCELLENCE. of Ah{ida.:1k Ns :sniAn
i4orest reserves In khk Wastah FGhat&
;the British Indian government makes
d raspectsble. amount of tpi.s. tlpsey.'
by selling the elephants which It traps.
large herds; too, roam over-3he pri-
k,re4FnHnu4-f1Iest tiius,fts-uff--ta,c-
and of Travancore. Immediately to the
South. These woodelf thO.lf,tafi1s form
= region of great neutrality-suspicious.
beaks with-slRsat- greer rasiHes- In -.Hhlea,
SiIver streams descend in NUMEROUS
sYaterfafls and cascades. !! .. !.
\ Most Of the People Are Hindus.
Though the Mnlabar coast is blessed
with rich soil and luxuriant vegetation
II is not as dependent on agriculture
hs most other portions Of India. Fish
abound in the sea and are caught In
great quantities and eaten. The tim.
Der industry, too, is important and
many natives are employed in 1t.
Faminss are practically unknown in
thia-iayorad eprnes Of IndIe.
With nature - bountiful n might be