Show THE PARIAHS OF INDIA A new era s seems ems to be dawning for 8 these thes oppressed people the pariahs of india have hitherto fared hardly at the hands of the state no less than at those of their fellows but a new era seems about to dawn for them says the westminster gazette two orders recently published by the madras government govern mant at least recognize that they have certain rights and abolish some of the unjust laws which have in the past given the caste classes an undue privilege the first order deals with the land question and provides that all waste lands bought in by or forfeited to tile the go government v are the absolute property of the government and are thus taken out of the power of the caste landholders who have hitherto insisted ou on and been allowed a preferential claim these lands are to be assigned in small lots to such pariahs as are able to cultivate them to adva advantage n ta ge the he pariahs are also to receive sites for pariah villages on the waste lands and if the caste people raise a lawsuit to get possession of any sites so assigned the government is to be represented jn in the suit for the protection of the pariahs paria hs slavery is not merely abolished theoretically as it was in previous enactments it will now be hard to introduce it pr pi ti cally the government declares arcs tait ta it by the existing law all bonds ecca i ted by parents mortgaging their childrens labor for an a advance da nee of money are null and void and invite the cooperation of missionaries to report and expose all cases where the law lav is evaded |