Show c l t N New w i Stories of Old India I B By Frederick e eric J H Haskin skin i vy vyt t g gJ J J t tl s j tT l ur p f I 1 2 ka t r re M e 3 i A AF AA Aty F A ty yc t p R v vt t t a ak at k t f C 4 C H 4 l 1 r 4 k Y Ma Mat t a y 4 V V t 1 J y n nS S h f rpt a y r f s i ir r f 1 4 It Y a th y Y I S ft mo y t tv v My f 5 I f t V 11 Calcutta Lives es of old woman women are arc not valued highly hi in India A short time ago General Patterson the Amer American American American ican consul in Calcutta was invited by bya a friend to take ta e a rido ride In an automo automobile automobile l bile Ile As they were coming home they turned a corner abruptly and before beor the brake could be applied struck an aged woman who was crossing the thit th street Not knowing what the conse consequence conseQuence consequence quence of the accident might be ba and andriot rot riot wishing to avoid responsibility the owner of the automobile left loft his card before proceeding In a few days he received a statement which read To killing one cne grandmother 26 2 o ru rupees pees Fees This sum is equal to 82 American merican money Not N t long ago a judge in India was confronted by two men who were in involved involved involved in a dispute over some money matters In making a final settlement In Ir a transaction tra n one contended that 70 rupees were due lue him while the other insisted that the amount was only GOO There ThAt fL no nn AvI e I Tt thA nl of the two parties to the controversy jo fO o the judo jud w was Ls at t a a loss to determine 1 the merits of the case cue He was re relieved relIeved relieved of the responsibility T however when the plaintiff proposed that if the j i defendant would swear by the sacred water of the Granges Ganges Gen river that he owes owed I only rupees that amount would be accepted in full payment At first the Ute I judge demurred and said that was ws no noway noway noway way to settle a law suit but the dis disputants disputants agreed that it would be a per perfectly perfectly perfectly satisfactory arrangement for both of ot them so some Eom of the tho sacred water was brought into the court cOUtt room and end the final settlement was as amicably accomplished a 9 More Wives Than Solomon The recent v visit of the Prince of Wales to India was the cause of the th greatest gathering of Rajahs and na native native tive princes that has hs occurred since sines tb the great Durbar Durban of Delhi For a week prior to the arrival of at the prince Bom Bomay Bombay Say bay ay fairly swarmed with the glittering of upcountry potentates Your Interest can hardly fail faU when whan a 8 person personage personage personage age attired in numerous and gorgeous trappings is pointed out to you as the ruler uler of a country larger than Italy and you are informed that he possesses SOO 00 wives than Solomon had The gossips keep your ears filled with Interesting chatter about bout first one and then another of ot these native dignitaries There is one an who ho Chartered a large I steamer to convey himself lt and party I to the coronation coron of ot the present pr Sent king of England Englan l He Hem m took along his own I food and water w hr and ard gods goOds as well as numerous wives and their attendants He presented pres the king with a jeweled I c ord inlaid with gems valued at rupees He Ho e no of his I extravagance for ft JJ return home he fount his Ush ed cd by famine I Iso so BO he went straightway stra htway on another I journey this tl ti Ja a lonely pilgrimage to the Ganges G t pray my o xain n You con He t on n jah must be rather poor R or W en you hear b tir that t at ht he has only seventeen S wives with him and you yau marvel at the n of another when you are Te old Bi n li ne largest jew dry store Jn Jp i was WM closed during one whole oay my y sixty of his wives examined the stock and selected what whatever whatever whatever ever pleased their fancy It was my m good kia travel on the train of one of ot o the Rajahs and it wa wat about like r i with a cV ru J There Thare were were dogs monkeys monk Ys and poll parrots without number and by actual count goats for sacrificial purposes The retainers retain rs numbered persons and the luggage and equipment occupied occupied occupied pied several cars This man was the ruler of a territory about hall that of Ireland Brother of the Morning Star These Indian dignitaries indulge in ull sorts of fancies and extravagances I IOne One signs himself The Brother of or tnt I Morning Star and another carries around with him a clock with a dia diamond diamond diamond mond pendulum The favorite wife of one notable decided that she wanted a aset aset aset set of false teeth and the American dentist who got the job had h d to put them in without seeing her face This difficult task was accomplished by the th lady wearing a mask with a hole cut for her The Tre American is re reported reported reported ported to have haY received rece rupees for fo his work A physician who was sun sum summoned to the th harem of one of the ra rn jahs told me that he was not permitted permUted to see his patient She thrust her hand handout handout handout out from behind a screen and he felt of her pulse and her tongue was pre presented presented presented for his inspection through a slit sill sUtin in the curtain These precautions were taken taen because in India it is not proper for a married woman to expose her face to the gaze of any other than hei het hellord lord and master It is a well established fact that it is next to impossible to discourage an American tourist when there is 18 any anything anything anything thing unusual to be seen This was waa proved by an incident which occurred during the visit of the Prince of Wales to India At one of the functions re reo requiring requiring j quiring g full fun dress there appeared a tall angular woman attired In a plaid walking walk walking walkIng ing suit The waist of the suit had been made by rolling up the sleeves and turning the collar under This woman who so brazenly defied the strict rules of dress by this silly make makeshift m makeshift kt shift finally attracted the attention of I Lady ady Curzon who wha asked an acquaint ance Who on earth is that impossible imposible sible ible creature over ovel there When told that she was vas a tourist from her own home town of Chicago her ladyship had nothing more to say Stories of the Hospital A hospital assistant told me about some amusing experiences in that institution institution institution Unexpected difficulties are met with in even th the simple task of receiving receIvIng receiving ing patients Of course when Is issued to anyone the record must be entered in the books on such an occasion the husband when asked the name of his wife wite will reply Who knows the name of woman Ask the wife her name and she just giggles and antI hides behind her veil vell This is because it Is considered improper for a wo WOo womans womans mans name to be pronounced In the presence of her husband or other male maie relatives It is almost impossible to fix dates of any occurrence even eV n the birth of a child Ask a father the ago age of his 1113 baby and after some hesitation he will reply tHat it was born about the time of the rice planting or soon after the end of the harvest No amount of insistence can establish th thage thage age of the infant any nearer than this The ideas that people have about what ails them are often extremely amusing One man is very much dis because he has not sneezed for three months and another is disturbed by the beating of his own heart and wants it stopped A man will appear at the hospital complaining of some trivial thing and the doctor will at once see that he is suffering from something else When told of his additional mal malady malady malady ady he is very likely to reply Oh that hat will wUl be all right as soon as the wind blows from the west He will scorn the proffered treatment and go Ms Hs way a ay y content in n the belief that a change in the direction of the wind is C V all that is necessary recess to t restore restore him to t to his usual al state of health Difficulties of Advertising India is almost a hopeless case for forthe for forthe the advertising experts This is true I because 38 33 per cent of the population I cannot read The num hum I bering cannot be reached 1 through pictorial devices because beca se they I believe that the reproduction of or any thing that has life Ute is usurping the i power of ot the tho Creator The Hindus who constitute the bulk of the 1 t ton tan on do not believe In the destruction of any form of animal life and con c will not buy many products that sell readily to other races The publishers in India are so old fashioned and slow that they exhaust the patience of the modern advertising agent The representative of one of the tbt best concerns In the world told me that he sent a letter of ot inquiry to pub publishers publishers lishers Ushers asking them the for tor specimen copies of their papers and nd a quotation of or ad advertising advertising rates Only sixteen of the en entire entire entire tire number replied at all and most of these toll toU him they not give papers away that if it he wanted a copy to send 8 cents in stamps This agent Is la now trying to reach the people by sending men through the streets mounted on gaily caparisoned camels Samples are distributed to the crowds which h congre congregate congregate congregate gate and the merits of the tho goods are explained However this method is re regarded regarded regarded as too slow and expensive and it is likely that the he company will cot coi sider Its investment in India a bad baa ont one and withdraw from the field The Th English Are Slow India is so slow In a business way that It almost breaks the heart of a n western hustler when he tries to do business according to the antiquated standards in vogue there Would it not be exasperating to have to wait days for a reply to a letter from a man doing business across tim street Especially when you knew your customer was at home hame and eventually expected to do da business with wi th you His assistant says that he is somewhat be behind behind behind hind with his work wor but it H is noticed that he Is Ig never late at the club or tardy gat at the tennis court You talk with an Englishman about the slow 51 ow going methods of doing business and he will excuse the fact by saying Look what swine we have to work with meaning his Indian 1 assistants aSsistant but in reality he is fa as much to blame as his help halpIn helpIn h lP In a bank It takes three men to sign signa a So paper One holds the blotter and another arother carries the document away aw 3 when it is signed The Englishman has his dog and nd his pony boy When he lie goes to the tennis court or the swim swimming swimming swimming ming pool his hl boy hoy goes along to carry his racquet or bathing suit It makes a 3 grownup man real tired to see these An n pacing around with their retinues of petty assist assistants ants and carriers car carriers If It the they Y would pay more atten attention attention a t ten tion to business busi ess instead of straining 3 for stylish effect they would doubtless find a partial explanation tion of the reason why the plodding German is getting their trade away from them Beware of cf Indian I Railways A great deal has been said about th the cheapness and excellence of the Indian railway service but to all who ho read isay I Icay Icay cay say beware travel in In India India India dia is not equal to the accommodations offered by the freight trains in Amer America America Am r ica lea You are plied piled into an apartment with other travelers who may have enough luggage to fill a freight car When an goes traveling he takes along his hla bath tub and tent his blankets and boots boo s and saddles and his numerous tin boxes and trunks the latter often being be ng elongated chests the size of coffins You have to carry your own bedding and towels Your journey may ma r be for days through the desert but there is no drinking water in the car Some trains carry dining cars but you must wait for the train to stop before you youcan youcan youcan can get into them Once inside the diner you have to remain there for several hours after aft r you yau have finished your meal mea The rolling stock Is poorly constructed poorly lighted and poorly cared for On the whole the railway system in India Is an argument against government ownership Fully people are killed annually by snakes in India the deadly cobra being responsible for the th most of ot these fatalities The numerous snake charm charmers ers who appear before the 1 e hotels to en entertain entertain visitors are disappointing They attract little attention from anyone ex except except except the tourist and he loses Interest as soon as he is told that there is little danger from handling the reptiles on account of their venom having been re removed removed removed moved This Is accomplished by forc forcing forcIng forcing ing them to bite cloths clotha at frequent in intervals intervals intervals However the wild snakes arc extremely deadly dewIly and the barefooted r native aUve who stumbles upon one lies down downto to die with the belief that there is no help for him that his fate fato is written on his forehead The census of India was taken re ce i during one night This was ac accomplished accomplished by apportioning the entire country Into small districts the 1 of which was w enumerated and ancl classified between suns This count showed that there are thirty ty cities in India with over inhabitants each and that In some quarters the density runs as n high as to the square mile which Is undoubtedly the greatest in inthe Inthe inthe the world Calcutta has people making it the second largest city in the British empire One striking result of this census was the revelation that there are 26 OO widows in India most of ot them little gils gi Is who were betrothed white while children and whose husbands died be before before before fore they reached maturity Although these little HUla wives have never left the parental roof root their marriage being technically no more than an engage engagement engagement engagement ment according to Indian custom they are widows and cannot wed again It Itis Itis ItIs is now legal for them to remarry but the nonobservance of ot the law Is s so general that the occasional marriage marriaga of at atone one of them is regarded by the news newspapers newspapers newspapers papers as an extraordinary event Their pitiful plight is one of ot the sad saddest saddest saddest dest things in sorrowful sorro ful India |