Lancaster High School - Mirage Yearbook (Lancaster, OH)

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DEBRIS. 19 her efforts to better the conditions of India. The Itritish government has established many schools, hospitals, asylums, and other philanthropic in- stitutions and has constructed canals and railroads in addition to the ex- cellent highways. Yet England taxes her Indian col- ony most unmercifully. The most op- pressive of all the taxes is the sait tax. One illustration will suffice tj show you how severe it is. Once when my father was traveling on the railroad the train stopped at a station on the boundary between Portuguese and British territory. Every bo iy was taken out of the train and exam- ined by the custom officials. In reply to the regulation questions my father answered that he had nothing with him that was subject to duty. He did not know that a servant of his had a little bit of salt in his own trunk. This trunk was examined and the salt, which would not have been worth a mill in America, was found and a tax of about one dollar Impos- ed. This, however, included the fine for trying to smuggle the salt from the Portuguese to British territory. The Indians have many custom i. peculiar to themselves. Their festi- vals are great occasions and elabo- rate preparations are made for their celebration. On some festival days they fix up a cart made to look like a row-boat, load as many people in it as possible and have it drawn through the streets of the town while they whoop and yell at the tops of their voices. Some paint themselves to look like tigers and other wild ani- mals. and go through the streets in that way. At night many will get the trunk of a cocoanut tree, and a hun- dred or more people will get under it and dance and yell and get drunk. Perhaps some will go so far as to ram in the sides of a house and take out the inhabitants and flog them. I.i this way they have almost as muen fun as upper classmen in our Ameri- can colleges derive from the beauti- ful and refined practice of hazing freshmen. All night long drums are beaten in the temples, while the most cruel and evil deeds are being done as sacrifices to the idols. It is the custom in India for religi- ous men of all castes to paint vertical white lines on the forehead, arms. and chest at a sign of their holiness. They also wear a string over the left shoulder and right hip. To this is attached a silver casket contain- ing a little metal god. so that they can pray to the little deity at any time. The gods in Ir.dia are said to out- number the people. There are many temples to these graven Images, but strange to say. there is no temple to the God who is their creator. When a plague breaks out such as cholera or bubonic plague, the In- dians have a peculiar custom. , carpenter is engaged to make a wood- en cart and about a dozen little gods. The priest then puts bends ui on tho necks of these images and pronoun- ces the plague ujvon them. They are then taken out to a lonely hill and left there. This is supposed to drive away the plague. There are many such customs in India, but I will not tell you about them now. So far I have tried to show you what India is like today. I hop-- and believe that some day this great coun- try will throw off the yoke of Eng- land and become a world power. This will come when India is awakened by being educated and Christianized. Then she will become one of the greatest nations of the world. BOB HANNUM, ’10. v vy V V V V vy V Vy V V w vy VX V vy V S V V VX V V vy y vy vy y v y v vy vy v v v vy vy y y v vy V V V V vy V V vy vy vy vy HUGHEY CO. Leaders in Low Priced D RY GOODS Ladies’ Suits Cloaks and Millinery. £ “ THE CORNER STORE.” To the Class of 1909: As a class of eager and earnest students you have completed your High School career. Let your ambition be to plod on and %vin future laurels. As your efforts bring successy so do our shoes prove winners in the classy up-to-date lines of foot- wear. Respectfully, IV. E. JOOS CO.

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18 DEBRIS. THE MARATHA PEOPLE. HE Mnratha people in- habit a strip of terri- tory on the western coast of India, extend- ing southward from Bombay for a distance of five hundred miles and inland for about three hundred miles. These people have features similar to those of Americans, but their skin is dark brown. There are exceptions to this, however, and I have known Hindus who are lighter than some Americans. The caste system prevails in India. In general, the divisions are as fol- lows: The priests, together with the scholars, lawyers, physicians, and teachers constitute the highest caste and arc called Brahmans. The sol- diers and office holders rank next, and are known as Rujputs. Then come the shopkeepers or tradesmen, who are veisyas. The mechanics and farmers rank next and are called Sie- dras. The outcasts constitute the lowest of all the castes, and arc known as Pariahs. Some of these have become Pariahs through disobe- dience to the rules of the caste io which they originally belonged, while others have been born into their low estate. It is indeed a great misfor- tune to be a Pariah. Each caste in India must pay re- spect to the higher castes. So strict Is the observance of caste distinction that no Hindu will allow himself to be touched by any member of a lower caste. To touch the property of such a iK-rson or even to come within his shadow would be considered defile- ment so great that the higher caste- man must cleanse himself in a run- ning stream. Perhaps he takes his bath in the river just below a point where some herdsman Is washing his cattle and just above a place where earthen jars are being filled with drinking water. If It were not for this fear of defilement, the Hindu would not be as clean as he is. In India, as in China, there is a wonderful amount of veneration for ancestors, the rule among the natives being.— We must do as our ancestors did in almost every particular.” The people in general are very lasy and arc given to procrastination. In the case of the Hindu, the old maxim may be revised to read: Never Jo today what you can put off until to- morrow.” The occupation and social condition of the Hindu are determined by the caste to which he belongs. The Brah- man is a priest in a temple, a scholar, lawyer, teacher, or government em- ployee. He lives in a decent house and his environment is fairly good. His person is held sacred. If any one strikes a Brahman it is believed that the offender will be punished by be- ing turned into an inferior animal for the next twenty-one generations. The middle and lower castes in- clude farmers, shopkeepers, herds- men. blacksmiths, shoemakers, etc.. and constitute by far the greater pa t of India's millions. They are poor and uneducated. but physically strong. They live in miserable little mud houses with thatched roofs. These huts are without windows, bat may have the luxury of two doors, each four feet high and one and a half feet wide. The single room an- swers all family puritoses and in ad- dition to being windowless, is usually black with smoke. The middle and lower caste people are easily carried away by local sen- timent. and. if under an able leader, constitute a powerful band, greatly 10 be feared by the British government. So long as Great Britain can keep the minds and the mouths of the Brahmans quiet, there is little fear of a revolution. But that is the trouble now. However, if India could raise an army and supplies of food and am- munition. England would have a strong ally in the Mohammedan troops. The Mohammedans in India are descendants of Arabians or of con- verted Hindus. They are strong, sturdy, and very deliberate, but when they act they accomplish something. They live better than the average Hindu and are better people morally and intellectually. They make good soldiers. They are able to read and write and are versed in the Koran or Bible of Mohammedanism. They be- lieve that there is but one God, Allah, and that Mohammed is his prophet. They believe in Jesus Christ, but not as the Savior of mankind. I have endeavored so far to tell you about the most important classes of the Maratha people. There are many other classes of people in India, of whom 1 have not told you, because they live in different regions of the country, or because they are not nu- merous or important. I must not fall however, to mention the Pr.raees or fire-worshipers who came from Per- sia. They are a higher type, intellec- tually. than the Hindus. Over all these millions of people England rules. She has no easy task, and it has been said that few nations could do much better in ruling a col- ony like India. England has constructed magnifi- cent roads all over India. These roads are nicely shaded, well graded and kept In excellent condition. They are among the finest in the world. At convenient distances along thes roads travelers' bungalows are built. These are free for the Indian, but tnc white man. unless he is a British oi- fleer, must pay for their use. England deserves much praise for Gerhard Miller Co. Designers and Makers of Men’s Clothes. Haberdashery and Ready-to-Wear Clothing. 145 WEST MAIN STREET.

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20 DEBRIS. E r ]?k!} ffhpU. Stsll □ □ s always strictly lip to date. always run an even pace with City Studios at half the price. BOTH ’PHONES. A7:ir AMftftfiVS BLOCK. Blrvator Service.