THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING.--JUNE- 3, 1C03.
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(Onfirrlrkt. 1008, br Jo. . BleOor7rlM
' la Omt Brit In 1U aunts mmiili
s
lUKZ, April I. is. w uav ai
last reached India and what ex-
tremea arc here! Southerns
dla penetrates the Indian ocean
and la so near the equator that the
' Inhabitants nwelter under the heat of
. perpetual summer, while the rocky sen
tlnels that guard thefrontier are clad
In the lea of an eternal winter. As
might be expected in a land whloh has
: every altitude from sea level to nearly
10.000 feet," one finds all varieties f
Tiion- irora in-- aeitcal Tern or
toe tropica to the, sturdy eoolwels
, that blossoms In the snow from the
ram and orchards of Agra, Ouuh and
lths Punjab to the cotton, rice and
: fmlts of iSombav. "CSlcliTtia-iidMad-
- -ras. - The extreraer , era as notioeable
among the people as Jn nature's realm.
In learning there Is a great gulf be-
. Iween.. the - Hindu - pundit : ar.d 'the 1g
norant ryot; there la a wide .sea' be
tween the wealth of , the native prince
and- the . poverty of tha ' massest and
, and the poverty of tha maases, and
there Is a boundless ocean between
the government and the people. .
Eastern India Is entered through
Calcutta, a city of more than a mil-
' Hon Inhabitant, .which has been built
up under British occupancy. It la the
. capital of the province of Bengal and
- tha.. winter capital of Britten India.
Winter Capital of British India.' "
' I aay winter capital " because the
higher English officials have their head
quarters at Simla. (.000 feet up In the
Himalayas, during eight months of the
year. Calcutta Is on the Hooghly river.
line uf-th mniieaena i waul ha of , the
- Gangew and th Ganges. It may be
added. Is a little disappointing- to one
who has read about It from youth. "In--T
stead ofbeing" a 'large 'Tlvcr.-Tlowtn f
J down from the Himalayas directly .to
the sea, it Is neither of great length
nor .fsTrfa.twiiltlu. ndltjuiui.lDr
hundreds of . mile along the foot of
ttnr-rsngv nd'Tnl hsl h eBrah "inapu t Fa
which comes from -an opposite dlreo-
tlon and annarentlr la mi
"""The mouTb. of the Joint stream form
a delta like that of the Nile, which at
---thmtmtv-tir-fmnrnTBg like sou mlTes
. wide. "' -' '' " "
; Lacking the antiquity of tha cities
.of the Interior. Calcutta, does not os
seas : many things of Interest ths
tourist, no elaborate .tombs, no mas
sive mosques and few templea of lm
portance. although all shades of re
. " 1 iglon - are represented hrer,-TtleT"ts
,a - very pretty Jain temple Irv the auh
. urba, and In the city there la a Hindu
- temple - where goats are offered as a
. sacrifice. . but . the center of Hinduism
. . Is st Benarea. while Agra, Delhi and
Ixieknow . furnish the finest specimens
... of the taste of the - Mohammedan
rulers. There are at Calcutta some
fine, public bu lid I n gss.nd . Jess ,preten
. .xlous private tlecks, .some... beautiful
...-parks snd a-very extensive museum.
r Mecca of the Student. . .
" In this museum- one can learn more
of the various races of India, of their
dress. -Implements and weapons, more
-. of the animal and Insect, life, more of
India' ' mineral wealth, more of her
woods, stones and marbles, more of
- her, agricultural products and manu
factures than ha can In weeks of
travel. - He aees here mounted specl-
mens of bug and butterfly, bird, fish
. - and' beast It-la the very Mecca of the
student and wa saw a number of groups
thus engaged. t
; Among the Insects there are several
- which Illustrate the mimicry of nature
to a marvelous degree. Some are like
dried grass, like moss snd some like
leaves., The most remarkable of these
Is a leaf Insect "which can acarcety be
- detected from a leaf even-after It has
been pointed out. There is a mountain
- grouse which turns ' white in the win-
- ter. and - In some - crnintrlea . a hare
: which undergoes the, same change.. In
Ceylon there are crsbs with legs like
pieces of coral and a color closely re-
- sembllng tha sand upon which they
crawl, but the leaf Insect surpssses
1 . them all. Not only Is Its color Identi
cal with the leaf, ' but ' Its body and
wings are veined and . ribbed like a
, leaf; even rust spot - could - ba - found
.on some of them. . We could hardly
believe our own eyes hsd wa not seen
some of these insects alive and aome
. ot tha young Just batched.
Famous Banyan Tree. v
The botanic 1 garden, while not equal
- .jln variety or beauty to tha gardens at
Bultensorg and Kandy, has one object
of growing Interest, vis., a gigantic
banyan tree. This tree Is nearly a cen
tury and a half old and ahades a spot
J,of - ground almost a thouaand feet In
circumference. Great arms run out
from the parent trunk and these are
supported bv 4(4 aerial roots or minor
trunks, soma of which are several feet
in diameter. Been from a distance tha
tree presents a very symmetrical ap-
VIENNA'S NOOK OF HONOR
Where the Great In Music Mingle Their
Ashes in Central Cemetery -
- trs s lorn-sal Staff Cemeposaest.)
IN Vienna s ."Graves of Honor", 11
'the remains of such a "galaxy of
great musicians and com posers as
- ', perhaps can be found In no-. other
country In the world. Hera in th moat
beautiful part of th Central cemetery,
th largest burying ground In Europe,
II Beethoven, Gluck. Schubert and other
masters of music of scarcely less re-
-IIOSJH. 1 1 -"T-rr-n-,
A magnificent monument to Moxart
stands, in ths midst of them, but It Is
only a monument, and marks no grave.
For th whereabouts of Mosart's remains
is a mystery, except as regards the
skull, which is In ths possession of a
friend of the family.
Other monuments cover th grave of
' painters, sculptors, artists, authors, play
ers, aU of whom occupied high positions
In the world of art and culture.
; These so-called "Graves of Honor" ar
of quit recent date. When the great
Central cemetery was first opened a few
years ag a number of small local bury
ing grounds which had sufficed for th
city's needs were closed, snd In some
ease tt was even proposed to build over
parts of them. Scattered a moils' these
little cemeteries were . ths remains of
e-iany eminent rlt liens snd resident of
Menna. and aa It seemed only fit and
proper that thes should be trriited with
all honor and reverence the rlty council
secMtd have them taken up and rein
I)
ri
;y
pearance, and. as It Is still growing.
It 1s likely to become. If It is not al
ready, the largest tree in the world."
Tha soological garden contains soma
excellent specimens. W were especial
ly Interested in tha Bengal tigers, in a
red-nosed African mandrill (which looks
like a cross between a 'hog and an ape),
and In tha monkeys. Three of the let
ter belong- to the shouting variety at
least, they do shout. When tha attend
ant' gives -t he cue they set up such a
chorus of ear-splitting yells aa one sel
dom hears. -The echoing, and reechoing
makes a din before which the nolee
of a football game seems tame. While
not a football enthusiast, I venture the
suggestion that - an . American .team
would do well to secure the assistance
of thesa rooters for they could work up
the necessary enthusiasm on short no
tice and with a 'great aavlng to tha
throats of the students.
On the streets of Calcutta one sees
Indian life In 'all its forms. The cool
les wear tha-rhrhtestiogBlblclgthlng
and carry enormous burdens on their
heads. " : ".
Grand Piano Among; Eight. - '
I saw eight of thera hurrying down
tha street at a fast walk bearing a
grand piano on their heada. In another
place ona man carted a large Saratoga
trunk on his head down tha hotel stairs.
He hsd to have assistance. la. lifting
and lowering It, but when It waa once
balanced upon his heaa ha marched off
with it with apparent east. The coolie
women also scarry burdens upon their
heads, water Jars being their specialty.
Two and even three of these, one on
top of another, are sometimes carried
thus. The brass water pot is, by the
terred In a prominent position In the
new. csmetery.- -. , ' ' -
A small area was chosen for the recep
tion of-these Illustrious dead, and also
for other great men . who might come
after them. The city bore all the ex
pense attending the removal and re
burylng, and sometimes provided the
monument. In other cases, however, the
friends and admirers -of tha deceased
artlstsunaertook . tha , srectlon of ..the
tie
, In vlw of the approaching centenary
oi me oeatn of Haydn (In 1909) one of
th city aldermen recently proposed that
this great composer's remains should
be brought from the small " village
churchyard where they were laid and
plaoed beside his distinguished associates.
Ths alderman, however, had overlooked
the fact that the great noble family of
Estsrhasy had removed Haydn's corps
14 years after hi death to a magnificent
tomb upon their estate at Eisenstadt
Haydn had been private organist and
music master, to the Princess Eater
haay, and they had. therefore, provided
this final resting place for him.
The spot chosen for ths "Graves of
Honor" hat been tastefully laid out and
planted .with . choice tree and shrubs
and beautiful flowers. It will shortly be
stUI more beautified by the erection of
a .magnificent church and colonnades
which will coat nesrly 11,000.000. Ac
cording to the plans, which hav Just
been approved, the bulldtna; and its sur
rounding will give a somewhat similar
ft
1-
View of the'Himalajrag From Darjee
ling.
wsy, never out of sight in India; It Is
to be aeen everywhere, and the scouring
of these pots seems to give employment
for leisure moments. .
- While much 'carrying is dona on the
head - and on , the- pole, carts of all
kinds are numerous. The water buffalo
Is to bv found 'In India, but he divides
the honors with tha Indian bullock aa
a beast of burden. The Indian bulock
is a mild-eyed beast, usually white or
light In color, and hqa a hump on tha
'houlders which seems -made expressly
for ths yoke. There Is a amall variety
of the bullock which Is used for draw
ing passenger carta, and some of these
are so fssr that they are entered In
trotting races.
The' merchants of India are a shrewd
and persistent class. They press their
wsres upon one at the hotela and In
their shops, and the purchaser never
knows 'whether he Is buying st a bar
gain or paying two or three prices,
A Matter of Conscience. ' ' .
-It is not at Till . uncommon for the
dealer to begin negotiations with- the
assertion that e has' but one price and
that his conscience will not allow him
to ask more than a fair price, and con
clude by selling at a 2t or SO per cent
discount.... It may be that the natlvea
are treated differently, but tha foreigner
Is likely to be charged "what tha traffic
will bear." .
You cannot Judge - the value rot "a
merchant ! stock by the slse or ap
pearance of his store. He may have a
little booth open In front, with no show
windows,, but when he begins to bring
out his trunks and bundles, to msy ex
hibit Jewelry worth a hundred thousand
dollars or rich embroideries worth their
..
i 't
effect to the great. squsrs of St. Pster's
In Home. The church will be of impostkg
proportions. Its gilded cross rising some
ion feet sbovs ths. ground.'. The crpyt
will provide spaes far 40 (raves and la
f t -
) at
m
weight ln gold. 'The merchant' alts
cross-legged, on . tha floor , and spreada
out . tha wares which his attendant
bring, beguiling you tha while with sto
ries of Lord So-and-So's purchase or of
Lady What's-Her-Naene'a order, or of
a check for thousands handed him by an
American millionaire. . ,
Tha native buildings are. as a rule,
neither ' beautiful nor . cleanly. The
little shops that open on the street ex
hibit food and vegetables arranged in
heaps, the vendor apparently Indifferent
to dust and files. The houses are gen
erally of adobe, plastered with mud and
without fioora. - In the warmer sections
of the country they are built of matting
and bamboo. - The rich Indians live, la
substantial homea with . high celling a,
tile floors and spacious, verandas, but
these are very few compared with the
maas of tha poor. :
. . , ......
Women Kept in Seclusion, ...
Th, Indian- women of - the - higher
classes are in ' seclusion all the tlm.
They aeldom leave their homes snd
when they do venture out, they travel
In covered chairs or closed carrlagea.
This custom was brought Into India by
tha Mohammedan conquerors, but It has
been generally adopted by Hindu so
ciety. There is a growing sentiment
among ths educated Hindus agalnat this
practice, so burdensome to woman, but
custom yields slowly to new ideaa. At
Calcutta w met several Indian ladles
of high social rank who. In their home
life have felt the Influence of west
ern ideaa and who havs to aom extent
lessened the rigors of the senana se
clusion). Two of these ladles on a
princess were daughters of tha fa
mous Keshub 'Chunder Sen, ths great
Honor Corner in Vienna Cemetery.
Ihs colonnades Inclosing th ' area In
front will b. mursl , graves after th
custom of th Romans and early Chrle
tlanS. Thes colonnade will be 1,000
ft la length and will afford spaos for
; ' '
Hindu reformer whose writings made
a profound-1 impression on the religious
ThoughT of Ths wdrld.'"Tri'Th"e" group was
also a daughter-ln-lsw of Mr. Sen's, a
briinan f ' m umsfTwho-'ittt Ternho wtddw
of a native prince at the age of IS and
who"5 recently shocked the - orthodox
Hindus by a eeondmarTlags."I men
tion . these ladles because they repre
sent the highest type of Indian woman
hood, and it would be difficult to And
In any country. In a group of the same
slse. more beauty, 'culture- and refine
ment. . : . . . . - .
Picturesque. Press of Natives.
- The principal article of feminine dress
Is tha saral, a long- strip of cotton or
silk, part of which la wrapped about the
body to form a. skirt, while the rest
Is draped over the head and shoulders
In graceful - folds. This garment lends
Itself to ornamentation and la .usually
embroidered along , the edgea, sometimes
with silver- and gold. Ws ; hav not
found In our travels-, mora becoming
and" attractlvs costums."y'y"','"''"- '
- The dress of ths men Is 'so varied
that description Is impossible. On
form of dress resembles - too - Roman
toga.. Many - wear trousers made : by
mysterious windings and foldings of
a long strip of cloth, others wear loos
pantaloons. The coats are - as multi
form, a long, close-fitting, one being the
most popular. . But" the hat is the ar
ticle to which most cars is given. While
the fes is popular, it is not so con
spicuous as ths turban, .t The tatter Is
to be seaa In alL colors, shapes and
styles. Some of the eduoated Indians
havs adopted ths European dress, but
ths Chang In costume has not been
rapid. . - .. r - r
Calcutta, is one of the educational
centers of India, and on finds In ths
city many of the leaders of thought
Educational and political. . Tba Univer
sity of Calcutta grants degrees "and
affiliates to Itself the colleges whoss
students are preparing for the univer
sity examinations. Besides ths univer
sity, there are medical, law and techni
cal schools which draw young men from
the entire country. The position taken
by Lord Curson in the matter of higher
education aroused so much opposition
among tn native population mat an famlly ha, furnhea several men prom
association waa formed two years ago ,.ot m,ellg1ou. literary and official
for h purpose of raUlnsnionsy to da-I ttfaeauctton- has-ftrond a -patron 1n
fray the expenaes of students desiring
to study abroad. Last year 14 students
were selected and sent to different
countries. This year 44 are going, and
I had ths pleasure of meeting these at
a public reception given them at ths
town hall.. .
Editor Offer Prayer.. -' f
This - meeting " interested ; me very
much. It was opened with a prayer by
Editor Sen of the Indian Mirror, a lib
eral Hindu, and it waa such a prayer as
might have been offered in any Ameri
can church. It waa so brief that I
quote it in full:
"We thank thee, O God, that by thy
blessing these young men whom w
sent abroad for study last year are
-"' ' ' 'n "
w
Til
J2L
many Interments. It la-probable that
when thel ares' of th "Graves of Honor'
begin to be I exhausted' Vienna's . IN
luatrluua dead will be accorded a rest
lug place in th colonnades. - -
.v . . ....-.'. ' - -:
:mm,v(;::;.
The Great Banyan Tret at Calcutta.
doing; their work" well and hav by thy
grace been kept In th-rlght path: We
ar "oW"mel UTW" Tare weirtd"" Tmuen
largerxnumbrOf our. youths, who. arehgraQ4..and.JJj;toresllis In tha
shbrnaavlnjp" these shores for study
in distant foreign lands. W ask thy
abundant blessing on ' them, and we
humbly beseech thee" to protect them In
their travels by -sea and land and to
brine them all safely to their respec
tive destinations. May tbey be diligent
In their atudlea, obedient to tbelr teach
ers, grateful to those by whose help
they ar being sent abroad, and blame
less in their conduct. May ths lov and
fear of God rule their hearts, and may
they return to -us and to those nearest
and dearest to them In due course
crowned -with - full success and filled
with an earnest deslr to labor for tha
good of tbelr country and their poorer
brethren. Wa commend them to thy
gracious keeping as ws now bid them a
hearty farewell, snd ' beseech the to
help us all to' live and work for "the
glory of thy name and ths good of our
fellow men now and always. - '
""Most' of "tha students werw-going -to
Japan on of th many Indications of
that country's lncreaalna influeno la
th orient sons were going; to Eng
land and a ,few 7 to America. Those
bound for America called upon me later
at th hotel, and I found them an ear
neat and ambitious' group. They had, as
all tha Indians whom wa met seemed
to have, a .high opinion of ourv country
and spoks with enthusiasm of th bene
fits which they - hop to derive from
their stay In tha United Btatea. These
and 'other students with whom I cam
Into contact impressed m . as exceed
ingly patriotic 'and anxious to turn
their Information and their ability to
ths advantage of tbelr country.
High Positions WonTby Indiana.'
In Calcutta there are a number of In
dians who hav won prominence in
various spheres of activity. Editor Sen,
to whom I have already referred, is on
ef th most influent lal of - th native
editors and writers. Editor Banerje of
tha Bengals is both a writer snd sn
orator, and th editor of th Patrlka
has mad his paper an exponent of ad
vanced political thought. Thai Tagor
th Roy family, and Dr. Boss has won
more than a national reputation in
science. " "": r--
e - e ' e ' e .
. Those whs visit Calcutta cannot af
ford to mlaa tha side trip to Darjeellng,
a summer reeort perched upon th
foothills of th Himalayas The Jour
ney la rather fatiguing three hours to
th Ganges, then an all night rid to th
foot of th rang and then an eight
hour climb on a two-foot a-auge up ths
mountain side, but It amply, repays th
effort. We count this experience among
tha rlcheSt that wa have enjoyed. The
city of Darjeellng is about 7,000 feet
above th sea and th aides of the Him
alayas are so steep at this point that
It Is only to mile , down the slgxag
MADE NICICEL POPULAR
.stawst-
French Minister of
Ruse to Circulate Coin
st tt . ;
(froa
s Joarnal Staff OorreiponSent.)
M;
POINCARRE. th minister Of
finance, has given striking
proof of his resourceful
ness. When - he assumed
office he found that th new 2t-centim
nickel coin which . correspond exactly
to th American "nickel" was exceed
ingly' unpopular; so much so that there
waa serious talk of calling It In again.
the departmental-offlclala for puahlng
lh circulation of Jhcotn. It was
gravely proposed that a pamphlet should'
be published for gratuitous distribu
tion calling- attention to Its. advantages,
citing Its demonstrated utility In the
United States, and appealing to ths pa
triotism of th French public to support
It ,
"J.ust leav th matter In my hands."
said M. Polncarr. after thes sugges
tions had been laid before him. "and I'll
guarantee that within -a few weeks ths
nickel will be th most popular coin In
Paris.'
Had M.' Polncarr laid his scheme be
fore hi colleagues they would probably
have rejected It aa undignified, Unpre
cedented snd contrary to all th red
tap rules so. dear to th official mind.
Ha said nothing to them, however, about
ths plan ha had In view. Nobody knew
who started the rumor, or th means
that were adopted to sprssd tt, bat onS
day all Paris wss whispering thst In the
Issue of thes coins were five on which
th mafia word "Rothschild" hsd been
I-
little railroad to the plain where' ths '
elevation' tsttiT"200 oT 100 feet." T do"
fhot"xn6w:wfcer on "cai -find "more"! "
distance than on this narrow gauge
that threads its way up the rocky aides -
of this most stupendous of mountain
ranges.
Effect of Mountain Life. " v : -
Darjeellng- is so near to Tibet, Nepal.'
Blkklm and Bhutan that on flnda hsr
a - motley variety of types' and sees
something of th native life of th for -bidden
. land that stretches along ths .
northern border of India. . Th mountain
tribes ar sturdier in build, coarser is) r
feature and lighter in -color than ths ;
people of th lowlands and wa aaw soma
types that strongly resembled th Amer .
lean Indian. --a
. But to return to th mountains them
selvesT th viw from Darjeellng is uiw
surpassed. The Ktnchtnjunga peaks Vlss
rise to a height of 18,161 feet sbov ths
ses, or . nearly twice as high aa Plke'S
Peak, and though 4S rnllea distant, sr -clear
and dlstlncU The summits seen
above (ft clouds, seemt. to have-wo-tr--.-.
restrlal base, but hang aa If suspended.
In mid air. Ths best view is obtained
from Tiger Hill, six mile from Darjeellng-
and 1,000 feet higher. W made this - 1
trip one morning, rising- at t o'clock andj
reaching tha observation point's llttls '
before sunrise, . I. wish I were arte to
convey to th reader th impression
made upon us.
While air about us waa yet In dark. .
ness ths snowy robe which clothes th
upper 11.000 feet of th rang caught!
a tint of pearl from, th flrat rays of
th sun, and, as ws watched, ths orb
of day, rising Ilk a ruby glob from
a lake of dark blue mist, gilded peak
after peak until at last w saw Mount ""'
Everest, earth' loftiest point, 1 JO mile
away and nearly 1,000 feet higher than
Klnchlnjunga. W saw shadows fleeing
from the light like hunted culprits snj
hiding; in the deep ravines, and we -marked
th triumph of th dawn as If
swept down th valleys. f I
Inspiration From tha Heights. '
How puny seem th works of mart
when brought into comparison with ma
Jostle nature! His groves, what pig
mles when measured against the virgin
forest! His noblest temples, how lnslg
nlflcant when con treated-with -tha.jna
sonry of 'tH hills! What canvaa cat)
imitate th dawn and sunset! What rn
laid work can match the mosaics ef ths
mniintMlnflf
la it blind chance' that gives this
glimpses of the subliroeT And wsa
blind chance that clustered vaat reser
voire about inaccessible summits and
stored water to refresh 1 tha thirsty
plains through hidden veins and aurfscS
streams?
No wonder men from the beglnnlnn
of history has turned to Ths heights foi
Inspiration, for hero Is the-spirit awed,
by ths Infinite snd her on sees bo tit
th mystery of creation and the man I
festation of th Father's loving kind
ness. Her men finds a witness, un
impeachable though silent, to .. th em
ntpotence and th goodness of God.
Finance Resorts to
engraved in tiny letters. And every
where th story waa told that tha first
person who took ons of these coins to
Rothschild's bank In ths Ru Lafltt
would receive I&.000 for It, that for th
second nickel similarly Inscribed 12,000
would be paid; for the third and fourth
$1,000, and (400 for th last or th five.
It was said that Rothscrrild had a large "
stock of nickel on hand which he wanted
-to get rtcV-of -to th soTernment. and had
devised- -this -sort-f gratuitous lottery
scheme in order to create a demand for
the nickel coins as would force th gov
ernment to buy th hiatal-of him.
' Th credulous French folk, who dearly
lov anything that appeals to their ganv
bllng Instincts, readily swallowed tha
story. Small tradesmen who hsd pre
vlously fought shy of the new coin were
eager to obtain It. .Tha lower clSaaes
Insisted on getting nickels with their -change.-
In a few days th nickel 21
centimes was- the most popular coin 'in
Parla and the demand for It exceeded
th aupply. Needless to say, no on hs
yet got hold of a coin on which, even by
the aid of a microscope, th nam
"Rothschild'-can b discovered. But
there are still thousands of people 'in
Parla who ar convinced that with good '
luck they may obtain 16.000 for t cents.
It must not be Inferred from, this thst
M. Polncarre belongs to ths mountebank
type of politician. He Is ons of th
hardest and moat conscientious worker
at th bar. But In his younger' dara hs -was
a Journalist, . .
i,
7