The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-01-21

q in with white summer linens and feel at home, but find to our astonishment that it is winter in Bombay and for the two months of December and January the prevailing custom dark clothes If this is their winter what must their summer be! ! Of the native population of Bombay, the Parsees { are perhaps as interesting unit be seen any where. Originally from Persia their religion is a throwback to the principles of zoroaster They wor- ship the the air fire and water and part of this belief that when people die the remains should neth be ereaed nor buried so they built for burial purposes the Towers of Silence.
 There are five units the largest of them 276 feet in circumference, and 25 to 30 feet high Following the bodies of members of the Parsee faith placed within these open towers, to be devoured by focks of vutures which can be seen sitting atop nearby and along the edge of the tower Later the bones are moved to pit in the center of the towerl dis ntegrate and to be washed to beautiful garden chapel maintained for meditation and prayer
 Nearby the burning ghat, or burial ground of the Hincus is located Bodies cremated in open sight of the pyres made of wood We visited saw several bodies being prepared for cremation and group of mourners still gazing at the embers of a pyre
 The casual visitor to Bombay finds more color and life in the native bazaars than elsewhere in the city with European characteristics. We spent many hours wandering up and down the streets seeing the silk shops, the silver shops and the gold shops In fact, when in Bombay, there somewhat of silver crisis evident; the international silver kets demoralzed and silver being bargained for by the plate and the bar in many small shop passed. Our ship took out of Bombay one of the first shipments of silver direct to the United States that had been sent from this place. ~.&sS Everywhere drives in Bombay beggars and ba aukarc elp cvuar soon you stop whether it is to temple, to shop. Approaching the general postoffice day, turbaned native up with sack and what appeared to be basket of merchandise and inquired Want to cobra?" Then, seeing hesitation, he proceeded to open up his sack and pulled out big king cobra and producing gourd went at the business of charming the snake This part of his promotion, for then he offered to show fight between cobra and mongoose. Remembering the exciting movie Of that type barganed and he agreed for two rupees about eighty cents to stage fight between cobra and mongoose.
 While sat in automobile he pulled the cobra out of the basket again and opened a Out came the weasel-lke mongoose, leash of course and proceeded to make for the snake. Quick and agile though the snake may be- it was no match for the mongoose who soon had it bleeding and groggy In a few minutes crowd of several hundred had gathered
 
 pulled the mongoose loose from the struggling snake and opened the mouth of the sack Come on Charley he said, and the mongoose ran back into the sack The cobra returned to its basket, and the show was
 India spreads out all the map; it's southern extremity would touch the southern tip of Texas and it's northern would jut into northern Alberta while east and west India would stretch from Florida to Puget Sound In this area and with three times the people of the United States, there 220 different vernacular languages divided into four major groups Hindu is spoken by 82 million people Bengali by 4s million Marath by 19 million Tamil by Is million and so it goes.
 British scientist recently said that Inda's prob lem today is her population This devastating tide of population has increased Indias mouths to feed by 34000000 in the last years until today there 363 100000 people in the empire. The production of food it has been pointed out is not increasing in pro- portion and today, by all standards India over- populated.
 The political problems of India are many, and Eng land has not solved them by any manner or means nationalism has many followers particularly among the lower classes. His policy of civil dsobedience following closely the tenets Henry D. Thoreau early American philosopher, has more than once brought English authorities to realization that problem of colonial administration is not all beer and skites even to doughty and experienced old John Bull him. self.
 There are many in India today, experienced ob- servers and students of the trend of national life there who will say that when Gandh dies, and he is failing fast he will become Hindu saint and will in the decades and generations wied greater power towards bringing unity of thought and purpose to the modern Babel of India than he has been able do in his eventfu and picturesque life. And when that day comes, as it seems it must Eng land will have problem of major proportions on her hands, to rise up and plague the serenity of century old empires world dominion
 Pertinent Question