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diff --git a/old/69717-0.txt b/old/69717-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 14eda5e..0000000 --- a/old/69717-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14942 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of That Eurasian, by Aleph Bey - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: That Eurasian - -Author: Aleph Bey - -Release Date: January 7, 2023 [eBook #69717] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from - images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THAT EURASIAN *** - - - - - - THAT - EURASIAN - - - BY - ALEPH BEY - - - ❧ - - - F. TENNYSON NEELY - PUBLISHER - CHICAGO NEW YORK - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1895 - BY - F. TENNYSON NEELY - - - - - PREFACE. - - -In a letter accompanying the manuscript of the following book were these -paragraphs: - -“Some years ago, while traveling in Southern France, I met with an -accident that nearly ended my life. I was tenderly nursed to health in a -family for which I formed the highest respect and a lasting friendship. -Some years later I met the widow with her beautiful grown up children. -One of the sons was devoted to science, the other to literature, and -both becoming known in the world, while the daughter was engaged in -landscape painting, ‘until,’ as she said with a most bewitching smile, -‘the right man comes along.’ - -“Talking of her husband, the widow said that he had left some manuscript -which I might like to see. She then brought me a bundle neatly bound up -in tape. Looking it over, I suggested its publication, and she gave it -to me unreservedly to do with it as I thought best. I have not erased a -line or altered a word. It is an autobiography of undeserved shame and -sorrow, as well as an earnest effort of well doing. It is a pity that -such a life should have been, and I trust that its lessons will be -heeded by those who need them most.” - -The word Eurasian is made of Eur, from Europe, and Asian, from Asia, and -applied to the children of a European and an Asiatic and to their -descendants, of whom there is a large class in India. - - - - - THAT EURASIAN - - ALEPH BEY - - Neely’s International Library, - - Fine Cloth Binding, $1.25 - - -A prominent newspaper editor of London, England, in a note to the author -of this work says, “I am impressed with the freedom and freshness of the -literary style, and am in arms against the majestic abuses about which -it inveighs as if incidentally and without any grand motherly didactics. -You arrest attention at once with the desertion of the Pyari by the -Sahib; the treatment is pathetic and intense.” - -A well-known Chicago editor says, “A powerfully written book, though -without any evidence of straining after effect. It should be of especial -interest to a wide circle of readers, as it deals with a new subject in -a masterly manner. The life history of the offspring of an English -father and a Mohammedan mother affords the author opportunity to give a -vast amount of information about the doings of the British in India, and -the results of the contact between the two races, with the peculiarities -of each, and of their offspring, which may well open the eyes of the -world to a view of the enormities that have been perpetrated in the -far-off land under the plea of modern civilization. Simple justice to -the work and its author requires that it should have a large sale.” - -“A work of decidedly unique character, is ‘THAT EURASIAN’ just published -by F. Tennyson Neely. It deals with a class of people which has -heretofore seldom figured in our literature, viz., that large family of -half European and half Hindu parentage so numerous in British India. The -abuses and indignities to which these people are subjected have long -been well known to those who have given any attention to the condition -of affairs in British India during the past half century, but the -general public is strangely ignorant of all this. The many startling -revelations made by the author of this book, who is an European long -resident in India, will be received with something like wonderment and -horror. We can only hint at the extent of these revelations; the -legalized vice, the cruel oppression of a wretched peasantry, the -shocking abuse of native women by Europeans, and other gigantic -enormities are fully and fearlessly exposed in this remarkable -book—remarkable none the less for the author’s keen and caustic -criticism of the Government that fosters such abuses, as for the grace -and elegance of his literary style, and the lucidity of his thought.” - - -For Sale by all Booksellers or Sent Prepaid on Receipt of Price by the -Publisher, - - F. Tennyson Neely, - CHICAGO. NEW YORK. - - - - - THAT EURASIAN. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - -On the southern coast of France, upon ground overlooking one of the -beautiful bays of the Mediterranean, stood a chateau. It was nearly a -mile distant from the coast, the land gradually descending toward the -blue waters of the sea. The main and center part of the building was a -relic of the ancient feudal times when strength and massiveness were -characteristic of the architecture. The additions had been constructed -from time to time, to suit the taste and convenience of the different -owners of the property. The old park impressed one with a feeling of -reverence for its solidity and quaintness, while the more modern parts -added beauty and grace, making the whole consonant with the present age -in comfort, luxury and utility. The grounds were spacious. An immense -enclosure with its velvet green verdure, was broken here and there by -patriarchal trees, of great variety. It was a park of orchards and -gardens for use as well as beauty. A broad avenue, lined on either side -with trees and trellised vines, led down to the sea where pleasure boats -and yachts were moored. This avenue, with the blue waters as a -background, formed a most enchanting view from the upper balcony of the -castle. The quiet stillness of the place was its greatest charm. In the -days of summer there was scarcely a sound to be heard save that of the -bees and insects among the flowers, the songs of the birds in the trees, -the gentle murmur of the fountains or the sound like that from invisible -æolian harps, as the light breezes played among the branches. -Occasionally a storm from the loud resounding sea added grandeur to the -place. The drives, the walks, every tree and flowering shrub showed the -careful attention of the gardeners. Every visitor was in raptures over -the beauty of the place, and could say with truth, “If there is a -paradise on earth it is here.” - -The interior of the chateau corresponded with its surroundings. The -halls were adorned with solid, grand antique furniture, statuary, and -paintings, the accumulation of centuries, acquired by the wealth and -taste of a long line of the ancestry of the present occupants, while the -rest of the building was embellished in more modern style, showing -excellent judgment and culture. The library was one of which a nation -might be proud, composed of almost priceless old books, and the best of -more modern authors. In all the apartments there seemed to be nothing -wanting and not a thing too much. There was no crowding or confusion, -nothing cheap or tawdry, but all in harmony with the massive building, -and its noble park, showing the culture of its possessors. - -The present occupants, a gentleman and his wife, of excellent lineage, -of wealth, education, and most refined tastes, one could scarcely tell -whether they were made for the place or it was made for them, as both -and all were in such delightful harmony. They often had guests, but of -the most select kind. There were several beautiful children, of whom I -was one or would have been, that is, if this fancy picture was a reality -and I had had a choice in the matter of my birth, those would have been -my parents and there the place where I would have been born if such -events could have been decided by myself. Had the subject been referred -to me, I would have been very judicious in the choice of my parents, for -it is better than any amount of wealth to have a good father and mother. -Alas! and more’s the pity that so few of us are consulted about our -birth, the most important event in our lives; we are brought into life -without consideration, and, impelled by fate, are thrown upon our -destinies for good or evil, and yet made responsible for what results -from our inherited tendencies and circumstances. - -Some one, I think a Frenchman, has said that we should select our -parents with the greatest possible judgment. I thoroughly agree with -him. So much depends on this, yet, as I have said, since very few of us -are consulted about this matter, we have to accept the situation, -whether it be in a palace or a hut. There is no use opposing the -inevitable, still I cannot help finding fault in that we are made -responsible for much that we could not in any possible way prevent. Many -a one is environed, burdened and crushed by some hereditary impedimenta, -and is blamed and cursed through life for that about which he was not -consulted and from which he could not escape. - -Before the law and human judgment all people are declared equal. Are -they? Should not allowance be made for pangs of nature and taints of -blood? Yet whatever men may do, I have faith that, if God is our judge, -He will regard us for what we might have been as well as by what we are. - -As might be supposed, the above is only a flight of fancy. Descending, I -will now enter upon the real story of my existence. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - -My first consciousness, my very first idea or remembrance of anything -that I can recall, was on a hot sultry night in the city of Lucknow, in -the year 18––, but no matter as to the exact date, for I do not know how -old I was then, and do not now know the year in which I was born. I was -awakened by the clinking sound of something that caught my ear; then -turning my eyes I saw a number of beautiful round glittering things fall -into my mother’s lap as she sat upon a charpoy. As I recall the scene, I -think there must have been several hundred of these shining pieces. It -is strange what an attraction there is in children for metal money, -though they know nothing of its value. Is there not a latent love for it -in them from a former birth as an inheritance?—but let that rest for the -present. - -My eyes then went to a man, as I now can designate him, for then it did -not seem to me that I was conscious of him any more than that he was a -thing of life, a being or something very indefinite, beyond my -comprehension. I years after, recalled him as an Englishman, rather -tall, of blonde complexion, with a cleanly-shaved face, except a heavy -well-trimmed moustache. What struck me was the whiteness of his face and -hands, so that I took him for a bhut or ghost, and quaking with fear -gazed at him. - -He was standing close to the charpoy looking down upon my mother, into -whose lap he had thrown the shining things that I afterward learned were -rupees and new, just brought from the treasury. After the clinking of -the rupees I heard him say in Hindustani: “I must leave you, pyari. I am -going to Wilayat, home, and may never see you again?” - -“Jaoge! mujh ko chordoge?” said my mother, with trembling lips and a -heart-breaking tone. “You are going and will leave me?” she repeated -again, so plaintively. “Yes,” he said, “I have got leave and I must go. -I have brought you five hundred rupees and hope you will be happy and -take good care of the children. I have come to bid you good-bye.” Upon -this my mother clasped her hands over her head and bent forward with a -wail of anguish that was heart-rending. Amid her tears she exclaimed: -“You always told me that I was your bibi, your own dear wife, that you -would never leave me, and now you are going and will throw me away as -the skin of the mango you have eaten, or as an old coat that you have -worn out. You will leave me and go to Wilayat, where you will marry a -young mem sahib as all the sahibs do, and she will never know that I am -your wife. O Allah! Why did I ever listen to your soft words and become -your pyari? Pyari, I have been and true to you in all things. Will you -go away and leave me to be called a kusbi by all these people? O Allah! -ya Shaitan! why am I thus to be accursed?” - -Then she swayed back and forth, wailing as if her heart was breaking. -She piteously asked, “Why not take me with you, as you often said you -would?” - -“That would be impossible,” he replied. “You would not be happy among my -people in a strange land; you are of another caste or race, and it would -only make you unhappy to go there.” - -“I have been your beloved wife, your pyari bibi here, why could I not be -there also? I have lived here all these years, discarded and despised by -my people because I was a sahib’s aurat, woman, but I loved you, I lived -upon the thought of you. The very sound of your footsteps thrilled me -with delight. I have been good enough for you as your wife through all -these years, for you have called me your pyari bibi, your darling wife, -a thousand times, and now you will cast me off and get an English mem -sahib. Allah! Allah! have mercy upon me! O my children, my children! -They are your children. You were my God. I worshiped you when they were -conceived. My love and adoration of you impressed your features upon -them. They are more yours than mine, for I gave them no thought of -myself but all of you. They are yours, of your own flesh and blood. How -can you forsake them? How can you be so cruel to them and me?” - -She ceased, bitterly weeping. He stood speechless, somewhat moved by her -piteous appeals, yet as I remember him, he regarded her with a look of -hardened contempt. A moment after uttering the last words she quickly -threw the rupees from her lap, scattering them all over the floor and -leaping from the charpoy, flung herself at his feet and putting her arms -around his legs placed her face upon his boots, wailing piteously and -praying him not to desert his children. - -“Throw me aside forever,” she said, “but, oh! the children, your own -children, do not forsake them! For Allah’s sake, take care of them.” - -Her long abundant black hair fell over her shoulders. Her face showed -the intense agony of her soul and her large eyes filled with tears that -dropped from her face as if each one was a drop of hot blood from her -heart. He remained silent, as I remember him, with a cold brutal -indifference, without saying a word until she seemed nearly exhausted in -her anguish. He then lifted her up and placed her upon the charpoy, and -taking her hand saying, “I cannot help it, pyari, it is my kismet, I -must go,” and kissing her, said: “Salaam, good-bye, God bless you,” and -rushed from the room. - -Is it strange that I should remember such a scene? This was my first -consciousness of life. I remember nothing previous to that night, and -what I saw and heard then was burned into my very being to remain a part -of it as long as I continue to be. She was my mother, my own, my darling -mama. I am now an old man and the sands in my hour-glass are nearly run -out. I have had trials enough to have hardened all my feelings into -iron, yet as I think of my dear little mama, in her agony and despair on -that memorable night, great tears run down my furrowed cheeks. I cannot -help their coming, and I would not if I could. Blessed tears! that -relieve us in our sorrows and moisten our hearts with tenderness. It was -a strange scene to me. I was frightened into silence and could not stir, -and dared not cry. I could understand that my mama was in great trouble, -though I knew not why it was, nothing of the cause of it. I sat in a -corner partly concealed by a cloth hung on a rope that was stretched -across the room. I now see every little thing as it was then, my -mother’s eyes, the big tear drops on her cheeks are now in my sight, -after all these years, just as I saw them then. I hear my mama’s voice, -its wailing tones of entreaty, of despair. I see her body quivering in -her agony as she was clinging to the feet of the sahib, just as vividly -as if she was before me now. - -As I learned afterward, he used to come late at night, so that I was -asleep in a little side room when he came. At the front of the court was -a large gate, but I was told the sahib never came in by that way. At the -back end of the court there was a little narrow door, through which the -rubbish and sweepings were carried and thrown, into a gully that wound -its way to the old canal beyond the city. It was by the gully where the -rubbish lay and through the door by which the sweepings went out that -the sahib came in, never by daylight, but always near dead of night. - -Shall I now express my opinion of that very brave _Christian English -gentleman_? coming up through that stinking gully, through that little -back door at the hour of midnight? A man who would do that would not -only destroy the woman he had called his wife, make outcasts of his own -children, but would barter his own soul and betray his God to gratify -his lust. But I must not let my feelings overcome me. Yet I cannot help -saying that often since then, when I have thought of that night scene, I -have felt like tearing a passion to tatters, aye more than that, to be -really truthful, to murder somebody; _even that man_, my own father, for -the infamous wrong done my darling mother. - -As I have said, when this sahib so suddenly appeared I was terribly -frightened. He seemed to me a giant, so tall and big. Then the ghastly -pale face; the reddish hair; the strange clothes, he might be one of the -bhuts or jins that carry away little boys and eat them, one each day, -for his dinner. Was it strange then, that I sat crouching in my corner, -scarcely daring to breathe, lest he might hear me and seize me for his -next day’s meal? - -The clinking of the rupees is written on the first page of my memory. -The sound and sight of them gave me a thrill of pleasure, but a moment -after came the fright at the sight of the strange being. Scared as I -was, I saw everything, heard all that was said and felt a thousand times -more than I now can find words to describe. All was so sudden, strange -and incomprehensible, that I was dumb with fear at the great thing -standing so high up in the room, and when my mother began her piteous -wailings, I was hushed to silence with my intense feelings of sorrow for -her. - -As the sahib rushed from the place, my mama threw herself upon the bare -earthen floor with a shriek, and there lay moaning and crying out in -heart-piercing tones, “My Sahib! my Sahib!” I sprang from my corner, and -sat down by her, and placing her head upon my lap stroked her hair back -from her face and begged of her “mama, pyari mama! why do you cry so?” -There was no answer, but “my Sahib! my Sahib!” O! the agony of that -hour! It has never left me, it became a part of my life and is with me -now, for I feel it. What could I do, a little tot that had never been -out of the court? I do not know how long I sat there; I must have become -exhausted and gone to sleep, for in the morning I found myself lying on -the charpoy where I suppose my mama placed me. - -As I awoke, my first thought was of her. I glanced around the room and -saw her sitting on a low stool facing the court. Her eyes were turned -towards the western sky, but evidently she was not looking at anything. -I awakened as from a horrible dream and could not at once realize what -had happened, but when I saw that haggard, pallid face, those wide open -eyes, that looked and saw nothing, all the night scene flashed upon me -and I cried out, “Mama, mama!” She turned her head, without a word, -toward me and began again to look far away as if for something beyond -mortal ken. I was told years after, that before that night she was the -most happy woman of all in the court, always so pleasant to her -neighbors, always smiling, laughing and romping with her children; but -after that awful night, the light of her life had gone out into utter -darkness, for she never smiled again. - -The rupees were gathered up and put in the rough wooden box, fastened -with a big padlock. They were taken out one by one to pay the rent and -to buy a little flour, rice and bread and a few vegetables for our daily -food. There was a little sister, too young, thank God, to know anything -of the trouble in the house. An old woman went to the bazar to purchase -our food and did the cooking. At first a few of the neighboring women -looked in at the door and tried to be friendly, but the little mother -took no notice of them and they ceased coming. One day I overheard one -of them say to the other as an excuse for her silence, “Her Sahib has -gone.” - -The little sister and I passed our time as best we could with the few -cheap playthings we had, eating our cheap food, occasionally delighted -with some native sweets that the old woman bought for us. The dear mama -would sit on her little stool with her hands clasped over her knees, her -face turned toward the west, her large eyes strained wide open as if to -see something in the far away distance. - -At early morning I would find her sitting thus. Nearly all the day she -would sit looking in utter silence. Sometimes the little sister and I -would fall upon her knees and chatter to her. She would turn her head -toward us for a moment and perhaps say a word or two and then take up -her looking again. There was never a ripple of laughter, such as used to -cheer everybody around her, as they told me years after, not even a -smile for us, her children. She seemed to be alone, and as I remember -her and am now able to think about her condition and actions, it appears -to me her heart was dying, gradually, to be sure, but dying. - -I could not understand anything about it then for I was too young to -realize what had occurred. I had scarcely ever been outside our rooms -and never outside the little court or muhalla. I had no companion but -the little sister. I knew nothing of the great world or little world -outside, and had only seen a few native people in the court as I looked -down from our veranda. As to the names, father or papa, I had not heard -them, and if spoken to me I would not have understood what they meant. I -was not aware that I had a father or ever had one. It was better perhaps -as it was, for had I been told that the sahib I saw was my father; that -it was he who had treated my mama with such infamous cruelty; that for -him she was breaking her heart, dying day by day, as she kept looking -toward him in the west, as he was going home to enjoy life and get a new -wife, forsaking our dear mama and casting off us, his own children, for -whose being he alone was responsible; had I known this, my life would -have undoubtedly been altogether different and not for the better -either. Knowledge is power, but it is often best not to have too much of -it, nor to have it before we are capable of using it. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - -I do not know how long this kind of life continued. It may have been a -year or only a few months. There was nothing to break the monotony, -nothing to be as time marks to show the passing days and months. The -little mama took less and less interest in everything. One day coming -out of the other room I found her lying on the floor. I saw by the look -of her face that something was the matter with her, so I ran quickly and -called the old woman, who placed her carefully upon the charpoy. She did -not utter a word, made no sign of pain or distress, but kept on looking -in the old direction with those large brilliant eyes, so wide open, -peering into the distance. How bright they seem to me now, how they have -haunted me all these years! Many a night have I awakened to see those -eyes before me as if in reality they were there. - -The rupees had been going, one by one, and now that the little mama -remained on the charpoy day and night, the old woman took the key of the -padlock from my mother’s waist-string and opened the box to get a rupee -for some food. I saw there was but little in the box, a few fancy bits -of clothing, some ornaments and a bundle of papers bound up with a -string. The old woman took the best care she could of us all. She -evidently saw that the time was short before all her labors, especially -for the mama, would be ended. - -One morning early, coming out of the other room, I saw those wide open -eyes as usual, but the strange appearance of the face startled me. I had -never seen a dead person, I had never heard of death. I did not know -that people died. Yet, ignorant as I was, I saw that something terrible -was the matter with mama. The old woman came quickly and at the first -sight with a wailing cry exclaimed, “gayi! gayi!” gone! gone! I could -not comprehend it, mama gone and yet she was lying there before me! The -little sister came and we put our hands on mama’s face, we took her -hands in ours. They were so cold and strange, we spoke to her, but her -lips moved not. So unlike our little mama, as we delighted to call her. -The old woman beckoned to some women in the court below. They quickly -came. One of them took us into the other room and tried to make us -understand what had happened but all we could realize was this, that our -mama had gone. When we came out into the room again a white sheet was -placed over the charpoy and tied at the four corners. All was so still -and silent; we went and crouched into a corner clinging to each other in -abject fear. - -I felt as I did when that fearful white giant was in the room on that -dreadful night, that I did not dare to breathe hard for fear some one -might discover us. Toward evening two men came and took away the charpoy -and all on it. I tried to get the old woman to tell me what had -happened, but her only reply was that mama, the dear mama, had gone and -we should never see her again. Our little hearts were breaking. We wept -together until we fell asleep at night. The morning came but no mama for -us to see. - -How many times in my life since those dark sorrowful days have I thought -to myself, Alas! What numbers of women’s hearts have been broken by -these faithless Christian Europeans! These women were only natives to be -sure, but they had hearts as warm for those whose soft words of love -they had heard, and whose promises they believed, as any of their more -favored white sisters. What is the use of talking of God, of justice, of -virtue, of right and wrong, if such deception, cruelties and wrongs are -to remain unnoticed and unpunished? Is there to be no recompense to -those so cruelly injured? Are there no memories to follow the -perpetrators of such infamous deeds? If not, then this world is one of -chance and confusion. Might makes right, vice is as good as virtue and -the sooner we get through the farce of living the better, to die and -perish forever. - -Soon the few remaining rupees were gone, then the trinkets, the few -articles of clothing, and lastly, the box itself, all, everything had -gone to purchase the little food we needed. There was nothing left with -which to supply our wants or to pay our rent. One day the old woman took -the little sister and me down into a little shelter, made by an old -grass roof leaning against the back wall of the court. This was to be -our home. She had gathered some coarse grass on which we were to sleep. -Our only furniture consisted of two old earthen pots in which to cook -our food if we could get any. All of our beautiful brass dishes that we -once looked upon as shining jewels, when, after our meals they were -scoured and placed in the sun to dry, had gone, following the trinkets -and the box. My best suit consisted of a few inches of cloth and a -string around my waist. My little sister had a very short skirt much -fringed by long use around the bottom. For awhile the people in the -court gave us food, some rice, others vegetables, and others a pepper -pod and a few grains of salt. The little sister and I gathered old -grass, and dried manure with which our food was cooked. So we were -happy. It takes so little when we are willing to be happy that I -sometimes question whether civilization is a benefactor, for it -increases our wants and adds to our labor in supplying them. - -The old woman lived with us of course, as this was her only home as well -as ours. She was so kind that we clung to her as our new mama. Bye and -bye the neighbors gave us less and less; not that they were unwilling, -but they were all so poor. I did not understand the political economy of -either poverty or riches. I did not know fully why the people could not -give us anything. - -However, I well remember a scene, an object lesson of tyranny, and the -helplessness of poverty, that occurred one day. A man on a horse rode -into the big gate followed by a number of men with long bamboo sticks in -their hands. I heard one who lived in a hut next to us say as he ran -into his house, that the zemindar who owned the place had come to -collect his rents. It seemed that the rents were long overdue, because -the people were unable to pay them though they did the best they could. -The people were all called out of their huts where the most of them had -concealed themselves and those that would not come were forced out by -the men with sticks. The man on his horse demanded the rents. The people -said they had nothing to pay. The little fields outside the city that -they cultivated had produced nothing, for there had been no rain. They -had tried to get work but there was none to be had. They could not get -the poorest food for their wives and children. They were starving. They -would work for him and do anything he told them, for their lives were in -his hands. He turned upon them with scorn, denounced them with all the -filthy names he could use and they were many. I could understand only a -few of the words, but I knew they were terrible. How angry he was! - -The men, with the women and children, threw themselves on the ground -around his horse and pleaded with him for mercy, but the more they -begged the more angry he grew, and then, when he became tired out with -his stream of fearful words, he gave orders to his men with the long -sticks to search every house, and in they went with a rush. The old -charpoys, the tattered rags of blankets, here and there a brass cup or -an iron dish, everything was brought and laid in the center of the -court, a mass of rubbish the most of which should have gone out by the -back door and been thrown into the gully. A cart was brought in and -everything placed upon it and off it went. Just as the zemindar was -going out of the gate, a man living in one of the huts came in. He had -been out from very early morning going for miles to a pond where he -caught a few small fish, not one over an inch in length. These he was -bringing for his poor old decrepit mother who was really starving. As -soon as the big man saw this handful of fish he ordered one of his men -to take them. The poor man seeing that he was about to lose his little -treasure threw himself upon the ground, and in tones heart-rending, -begged the fish for his old mother who was dying for want of food; but -he might as well have talked to the gate post. The fish were gone and -the big man departed on his high-stepping horse. - -Had the big zemindar put us all in some room, closed the door and -suffocated us, it would have been an act of mercy compared with what he -did. What is the little pain of a sudden death, in comparison with a -life of hardship, starvation, suffering, misery, and after all, death -sure to come? Better half should go and give the other half a chance, -than to prolong the wretchedness of all. Death cannot be escaped by -waiting. Much of philanthropy is to prolong misery. The real -philanthropist should seek to shorten and end it. Men die for their -country, for glory, the latter always a paltry thing. Why not die to -relieve themselves from wretchedness and to benefit others by their -absence? This would be the real sacrifice—a dying to save others. Words -fail me to describe what took place after the robbery of our little -court. In every hut there was wailing for their little losses, but all -they had. There was not a tattered rag or dish left. There was no food -of any kind, no work for anybody. They could gather nothing from the -fields, for the country for miles was barren even of a blade of grass. - -I was repelled by all I had seen, and felt like weeping as I heard the -mournful cries of the women. We were more blessed than they were, -because we had lost nothing, for the best of reasons. My instinct told -me it were better to go away than to remain any longer. Our new mama -seemed to have the same feeling, for without a word she took each of us -by the hand and we went out through the big gate, whither we knew not. -One direction was as good to us as another, so we took the first road we -saw. We wandered on for a number of days, sleeping at night by the -roadside, and during the days stopped where cartmen were feeding their -cattle. They allowed us to pick up some grains of feed, which was the -bread of heaven to us. One day toward evening we came to a large peepul -tree with a small hut beside it. An old man, a faqir, was sitting in -front of the hut. Something told him we were hungry, and going inside he -brought out a few withered bananas and several dried fruits. He told us -to eat them, and when he prepared his food he would give us some. I -expressed my gratitude as best I could. I think I said that I hoped -Allah would show him mercy. The old man gave me such a kindly smile, the -first I had ever seen. We were all very weary, and the little sister was -footsore. I went out to where some carts had stopped and gathered -several armfuls of dried grass and straw, which I placed at the back of -the hut. The old faqir, seeing this, went into his little garden and -brought a square of bamboo, thatched with grass, that he placed over the -straw with its top against the hut. What a house we had; a palace, -furnished, for our wearied bodies. Into this we crept, for our new mama -was always beside us. We slept—and such sleep! I dreamed of great dishes -of food, how fragrant it was and how delicious it tasted, when we were -awakened by the voice of the faqir calling us to come out and eat. We -did not wait for a second call, and such dishes of rice and dhal, -steaming hot and so fragrant. We ate as if we had not tasted food for -many a day, and indeed we had but little for months. The old faqir -smiled all over his wrinkled face as he saw the eagerness with which we -ate his savory dishes. If I know anything about the matter—and probably -I know as much as any one—I feel sure that the good angel above, who -does the recording, gave the old faqir three very long credit marks for -the good he did to each of us that day. He scarcely said a word. No -doubt his motto was, “Doing—not talking,” and the very best habit one -can fall into. After an hour or so of resting from our laborious task of -eating so much, we crept into our little house and were all soon fast -asleep. I dreamt that I saw my mama. She was looking with those large -liquid eyes of hers, not to the westward, but toward us. She smiled so -sweetly, the first smile I had ever seen upon her face, as she saw how -comfortably we were placed. - -At early morning we were awakened by the birds in the peepul tree. My -first words were, “Darling mama,” for I expected to see her, and what an -eternal joy it would have been if I could have had but one sight of her -beautiful smiling face as I saw it in my dream! My heart was sorely -disappointed and harassed. Why could not this world have been arranged -without so many disappointments? Why could not the sorrows be more -equally divided? The roses be without so many thorns? We went to the -well in the garden and the faqir drew water with his lota and string, -and the little sister and I had a nice shower bath as the faqir poured -the water over us. He enjoyed his part as much as we did ours. He -out-Christianed the Christian teaching, for besides food and shelter, he -not only gave us water to drink, but poured it all over us. On returning -to the hut he gave us some dried figs, nuts and sugar, and we were still -more happy. After awhile, with a look of pleasure and pity, he asked -whither we were traveling? I told him we did not know. This rather -surprised him. Then he inquired where our home was, and I replied that -we had no home. He wanted to know who our father and mother were, and I -answered that we never had a father; that we had a dear mama once, but -she had gone; two men had carried her away on a charpoy and we never saw -her again. - -The old man seemed very sad on hearing this, and when our new mama asked -if we should not be going on, he begged of us to wait and rest another -day; so we stayed. We watched the carts and the travelers as they passed -by, listened to the songs of the birds in the peepul tree, and rested; -and what a rest it was, without being hungry. - -A day and another pleasant night passed, when something said, “Go on.” -It is forever thus. It seems an inevitable law that one must be always -going, progressing, growing, or else comes idleness, death and decay. -This may seem a big idea to have any reference to the small subject in -hand, but I do not look at it in that way. I was then of as much -importance to myself as the greatest man on earth is to himself. The -life of a fly is as valuable to the fly as the life of an elephant is to -the elephant, though they differ so much in size of body and sphere of -life. Each smallest thing has its round of destiny to fulfill, and I had -mine. - -We were very sorry to part with our kind old friend, to leave our palace -of rest and feasts of food, but something impelled us onward. We started -not without thanking the good kind old faqir in every possible phrase, -and when we were on the way, as we looked back we saw him watching us. -We waved our hands and he responded. Soon we were out of sight never to -see our friend again, but I have erected a monument in my heart to his -memory. - -We wandered on, not in any haste, as one place was as good as another to -us, only it seemed that we must be moving. Sometimes we went into the -villages to get a drink of water, and the people gave us parched grain, -and to the little sister, sweets, for they seemed to be greatly taken -with her. She had our mama’s large eyes, and she was always playful and -happy. She had not seen that white giant that frightened and killed our -dear mama. Several times I thought of telling her about him, but as I -was about to do so she appeared so happy that I had not the heart to do -it. She never knew it, for some good angel ever kept me from telling. -She was a little beauty, though I say it. Her only dress was a little -skirt reaching just below the knees, and very tattered and torn. Her -hair was gathered up and tied with a bit of grass. Though so poorly -clad, her bright eyes, the dimples on her cheeks, the ripples of her -smiles, the real priceless adornments of nature, as she tripped along -with us, made her a beauty, at least in my eyes. Her sweet voice calling -me bhai, brother, the only name she gave me, or pyari bhai, was like -music to my ears. - -After some days wandering we came to the outskirts of a town or city and -we found shelter under a big tree by a wall. Some large beasts came into -the tree above us and made a great noise that frightened us very much, -so I persuaded the new mama to take us into the city. We came to a -building into which a number of people were going, so we went with them. -We found a place to rest on a veranda where there was a little straw on -which we could sleep. Some one gave us water to drink and others some -fruit to eat. About midnight the new mama began to groan as if in -terrible pain. She grew worse and worse until I became greatly -frightened and ran to some men who brought a lantern. Her moanings and -groanings chilled me to the heart. I tried to comfort her but it was no -use, the pain increased. Between the attacks her cries were, “What will -become of the babas?” - -Soon she was silent and when the men came again to see her they said to -each other, margayi, dead gone, hyja! Other men soon came with a charpoy -and took our kind new mama away and we never saw her again. Our dear -mama and now our new mama both had gone and we were left alone in our -sorrow that must be felt as it cannot be described. We cried ourselves -to sleep in each other’s arms and were awakened in the early morning by -the tramp of some people near us. There stood one of those white giants, -not so tall as the one I had once seen. “Hallo!” said he, “What have we -here?” Then speaking in Hindustani to some attendants of the serai, he -asked who these children were. They said they did not know, that they -had come with an old woman, that she had died of cholera in the night -and had already been buried. The sahib, as I soon learned to call a -white man, then turned toward us and though I was greatly frightened at -first, his kindly face soon drove away every fear. He asked me, in -Hindustani of course, who we were, and I told him I didn’t know. He -asked where we came from and I couldn’t tell. He asked our names and I -said we never had any names, and then he inquired who our father was, -and I replied that we never had a father. Then he turned to his -attendants and spoke in Hindustani so that I understood him well, -saying, “This is a very strange thing under the sun! Two children who -never had a father! What is the world coming to?” And then each of the -others repeated, “Strange! barra taajub ki bat, a very strange thing -under the sun, two children who never had a father! What is the world -coming to?” I did not know what they meant by “under the sun” or “what -is the world,” but that is what they said. - -Up drove a great covered cart drawn by a horse. Such a thing I had never -seen before. There might have been many in the place where we lived, but -as I had never been outside of our court how could I have seen them? - -We were put into this cart and driven away so fast that I was really -scared and held my breath. It seemed like flying as the birds do, and I -thought, “what wonderful beings these white giants are.” Soon we were at -the gate of a large building and another white being came out, very -slender and as thin as I felt I was, before I had eaten of that good old -faqir’s food. What strange comparisons we often make, but the best of us -only reason from what we know, and how little did I know? He was so thin -that I did not feel very much afraid of him, as I thought he had not -eaten many boys, or at most, not very many. Something was said that I -did not understand, as the noise from the mouths of the two sahibs was -so strange. I was lifted out of the cart and it was quickly driven away. -I screamed, “My sister! my sister!” and started to run after it but was -caught by a native and carried into a room where there were several -other boys. They could shut me up in a room but they could not prevent -me crying out for my sister, as I felt that I had been given to this -sahib, and she to the other, and that she might possibly be eaten that -day for dinner. - -The sahib came in and had a long talk with me. He said that this was a -school, an orphanage, where they kept boys who had no father or mother. -They fed them, gave them clothes and taught them to read. This was news -to me, but what about my sister? He replied that she would be sent to -another school for girls in another city and be well cared for. This -pacified me somewhat, as it was better than to be eaten, yet I would -have rather been out on the road alone with the little sister than -anywhere else. She was all I had, all, and I had lost her! My grief was -intense. I dreamed of her at night, I thought of her every hour of the -day. What else could I do but dream and think? - -I was taken with the other boys out through a gate into a large yard -that was surrounded by a number of houses all very neat and clean. We -were then taken into one of the houses where we were given each a bath -and some clothing, then into another house where we received some food -that was most delightful and agreeable to me, as I had scarcely eaten -anything for days, since we left the good old faqir. What a charming, -soothing effect a good meal has upon, well, upon everybody. Like a -fellow-feeling, it makes us wondrous kind. I had thoughts of rebellion, -but the food conquered me. I concluded it might not be such a bad place -after all if they gave us such good things to eat. I strolled out into -the shade of a large tree in the center of the yard. The boys were -rather shy of me. I was but a wee bit of a fellow, the smallest one -among them all. Soon there was a ringing noise on the top of a high -building at one end of the yard, when all the boys went into the -building and I followed. It seemed to me that I should do as the rest -did. I was lifted to a seat so high that I could scarcely get up alone, -and when seated my feet were far above the floor. Soon the sahib came in -and then another sahib like him, only this one had no beard and wore -different kind of clothes. This sahib went to a big box, and then a -great noise came out of the box and then all the boys made a great noise -with their mouths, that fairly frightened me, but I thought if the other -little boys were not killed by it I would not be hurt. Then the first -sahib talked to Allah, as one of the larger boys told me afterward, for -it was all so new and strange to me that I could not understand anything -that was said. After that we went into what they called the school and I -was taught to say alif be. - -The days and the weeks passed and I became well pleased with my place. I -followed the larger boys and they seemed to like me very much, calling -me “The little one.” But one day they laughed at me when I spoke of the -sahib who made a noise with the big box as the “Sahib without a beard.” -This tickled them greatly, and for several days they often repeated -“Sahib without a beard.” They explained that she was the mem sahib, the -sahib’s bibi. I think some one must have told her about it, for the next -time she came into the chapel she patted my cheeks and called me some -pet name. This greatly pleased me and more than made up for the laughter -of the boys. I had learned that the name of the large room was the -girja, or chapel. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - -I was now as hungry to learn as I once was for food, and was soon -changed from one class to another. I could not help learning for it was -a delight to me. On entering the school I was put in a class studying -English, and I gave my whole mind to learning this language, and the -munshi who taught this class, seeing me so interested, allowed me to -study with him out of school hours. Each new word and idea gave me -extreme pleasure. I was very busy with my lessons, caring little for the -simple sports of the boys. Yet busy as I was, often at night and often -when I was sitting under the big tree my thoughts went back to the two -upper rooms in that little court. It all seemed like a dream, and yet so -real. - -I always commenced with those rupees, poured into the dear mama’s lap. I -could not go beyond their clinking sound, for at that moment my -conscious life was born. I saw the white sahib standing there, the -pitiful face of the mama, the tears running down her cheeks. I saw her -clinging to his feet and him rushing from the room, and heard again her -wailing cries. How well I recalled her sitting day after day, from week -to week, peering with those large eyes toward the west; how the two men -carried her away, so far away that she never returned. The grief I then -experienced always came to me whenever I thought of her. Then followed -the thoughts of that desperate poverty, the fearful zemindar, our -wanderings, the scene at the death of the new mama, and always the good -old faqir came in for a grateful thought. - -The little sister—was she ever left out? Never. That little face, -radiant with smiles and the mama’s eyes, my joy, my all, how could I -forget her? Recalling these chapters of my life always gave me pain -instead of pleasure, yet they would be remembered. If we could blot out -all the pain and follies of the past and retain only the good and -pleasant, what happy mortals should we be! But memory is eternal. - -My reveries always ended with thoughts of the sister, and one day my -desire about her became so intense that I felt I must see her. I had -often been told that some day I would be taken to see her, and this kept -me quiet, but now it seemed the time had come. I went to the sahib and -begged him to let me go at once. He said that the next morning early he -would send a munshi with me. I scarcely slept at all that night. I arose -a number of times and went out to see if morning had not come. At the -first glimpse of it I aroused the munshi and we departed, for a number -of miles on a bullock cart and then by what he called the rehl. This was -a wonderful experience to me, but I was thinking only of the little -sister, wondering if she had grown, how she would look, what she would -say and a thousand things about her and what I should say to her. The -munshi on the way had bought some little ornaments, playthings and -sweets for me to give to her, as he said we must not go khali hath, and -it was very good of him to think of it, as no one ever should go with an -empty hand. - -How happy was I when the rehl stopped and I caught sight of the -orphanage. I was trembling with joy and could scarcely walk. We soon -reached the door and were shown into a room where there was a mem sahib. -The munshi told her our errand. “O,” said she in Hindustani, “the little -one has gone. A sahib and mem sahib came and said they would take her to -be their little girl.” “Who are they and where have they gone?” asked -the munshi. I heard nothing but the word, gayi, gone. It was the same -word that I heard when the mama went away. My intense anxiety, kept on -the stretch for so many hours, at the mention of that fatal word, was so -suddenly checked, that it seemed that I was not dying but was dead. I -remembered nothing more, but it must have been hours after that I found -myself lying upon a cot and some one bathing my head. - -A day or two after we left for home. The munshi was very sad and -disappointed, for he had shared my joy in anticipation, as he now shared -my sorrow. I took no pleasure in looking out of the windows of the rehl, -nor cared whether we stopped anywhere or whether we went on. My heart -was dead, my life had stopped and all desire had ceased. The dear mama -and all I knew of her came to mind. She had gone, and now that little -playful sister, how beautiful she appeared to me, she had gone too, and -I would never see her again. My cup of sorrow was full, overflowing, and -the dead aching pain in my heart choked me, and the more I felt the more -I wished that I might be gone too as they were. I cannot tell how much I -thought and felt, for who can measure the heart’s sorrows? Life for me -had changed, for its only joy and hope was dead. I went through the -usual routine of school duties, hardly conscious of what I was doing. I -took no pleasure in anything. The boys tried to sympathize with me, but -as they could do nothing they left me alone. The mem sahib talked to me -and said, “It was the will of God.” I had been by this time taught a -little about God. I could not see why it was the will of God that I -should suffer so when I had not deserved it. I had seen some of the boys -punished because they had done something wrong. I could see the right -and justice of this, but what had I done to deserve punishment? I had -always been kind to the little sister and loved her better than myself. -When I was so hungry that I could barely stand up, and got a few grains -of parched rice or grain, I gave them to her. I took more pleasure in -seeing her eat them than in eating them myself. Her smile to me was my -joy. If God was one of love and tender mercy, as I had been told, why -was it His will that I should lose my sister and suffer so terribly? If -I had done nothing for her, had ill treated her, then it might be the -will of a just God to have deprived me of her as a punishment. - -Such were my thoughts. I was but a child, a very ignorant one, yet I had -my thoughts, such as they were. Children often think more than their -elders give them credit for, and this is stranger still, since all were -children once. Since that time I have often thought of myself, and could -never believe my sufferings to have been according to the will of God. -It is so common for people when they do not understand a thing to -attribute it to this cause and make that an excuse for their ignorance -and mistakes. I remember several of the questions, Was it the will of -God that I should be born without a father unlike all the other boys? -They had something to be proud of, though the fathers of most of them -were dead; but even a dead father was better than none at all. Was it -the will of God that our mama should suffer so much and then go away and -leave us alone in the world? Was it the will of God that we should be -separated and now be lost or as dead to each other? It is so much safer -to lay the blame on God, or make His will an excuse for sins and follies -than to blame ourselves, for to do the latter would be self-reproach, -which is rather disagreeable; and to accuse our fellowmen might be -resented, which would be dangerous. But God is so far away and keeps -quiet. - -I could not be resigned, yet following the routine of school duties, no -matter how heavy my heart was, my grief gradually lost its power over -me. What a blessed thing it is that time has the power of alleviating -our sorrows and not allowing them to fall one upon another until we are -crushed by them! I did not forget, but endured what seemed to me an -inevitable fate or something, no matter what. - -Months passed. I gave myself wholly to my studies with true delight in -them. I rose from one grade to another, and became quite happy except -when I thought of those who had gone. I was still the “Little One,” for -even the sahib and mem sahib had come to call me by that name. I became -used to it, as it suited me as well as any other. - -One morning the sahib who had found me in the serai and brought me to -the school came, with several others, with our sahib into the yard. Most -of the boys were at play, but stopped to look at the sahibs. Standing a -little behind them I heard the magistrate sahib, as I learned he was -called, ask, “Where is the boy I brought you who never had a father?” -“That Eurasian?” said our sahib, “we call him the ‘Little One,’ as he -had no name and he is the smallest one of the lot.” One of the other -sahibs asked, “Why not call him Japhet, and some day he can go in search -of his father?” They all laughed, and our sahib said that “Japhet” might -do as well as any other, so I was Japhet to him ever afterward, and to -others to this day. - -The older boys, however, had a chance. They exclaimed “That Eurasian!” -as applied to me, so I was “That Eurasian” to them, and this name -abideth with me still. Thus it was that I came by my two names that -through all my life have been hurled at my poor head; one the donation -of a Commissioner, the other of our worthy Padri. If I never got -anything else from that school, I got this legacy of names. - -A number of months now passed, when one morning the magistrate sahib -came again. Passing into the yard I overheard him say, “I am greatly -interested in that Eurasian, or, as I think, we named him, Japhet, the -one in search of his father. What kind of a boy is he?” Our sahib -replied, “He is one of, or rather, he is the best and brightest boy we -have in school. He is a little one, as we for a long while called him, -but he leaves the larger boys behind in all his studies.” This was so -unexpected to me that I dodged behind a pillar; still I could hear what -was said. The magistrate continued: “I have often thought of him, in -fact, taken a fancy to him, and if you don’t mind, and will let me have -him, I will take him away and educate him myself.” As the magistrate had -brought me there, and as he was the big man of the district, whose word -was law, and as our sahib had a great respect, almost fear of him, any -boy of us could have told that his proposal would be accepted. - -Our sahib in reply said that he would be sorry to lose Japhet, but it -would be for his good to go, as he would have greater advantages. He -then called out to the crowd of boys, “Japhet! Where is Japhet?” One of -the larger boys pulled me out from behind the pillar, and brought me -into the presence of the sahibs. Little as I was and ignorant, I was -conscious that I ought not to have heard what was said about me, and I -held my head down in shame, though they probably thought my -embarrassment was caused by fear of the sahibs. It is often in life -lucky as well as unlucky for us that we are misunderstood. - -The magistrate smiled upon me. What a world of pleasure there is in -receiving only a smile! They cost so little, why are they not oftener -given? As he turned away he said to our sahib: “I will let you know in a -few days.” Shortly after, going among a crowd of the larger boys among -whom I was so small that I was hid by them, one, who understood English -better than most, called out, “Do you know what the magistrate sahib -said about that Eurasian?” “No,” said they, “what was it?” “Why, he is -going to take him out of the school, and educate him himself!” “Wah! -Wah!” shouted some of them, who were rather envious of me for being -promoted out of their classes. They had also twigged the story of -Japhet, and said: “Then he will go in search of his father!” “But he -never had a father!” said another. “Wah! Wah!” was the only reply. I did -not like the bantering tone, though I did not understand the joke, but -as I had heard what the magistrate sahib said, these little things did -not disturb me much. - -As the months passed, the magistrate sahib often came with our sahib -into the yard as if to see the school, but when I saw his smile towards -me, I felt, though I never dared say so, that he came on purpose to see -me. One day, as he turned to go out, I overheard this remark: “He is -quite small yet, perhaps I had better wait awhile.” This startled me, -and made me fear that I might never grow larger, and always have to -remain. This, then, was the reason why I was not taken away. I at once -made up my mind that I would grow, make myself taller by some means. The -first step was to find out how tall I was, so I stood by a post in the -house, and had one of the boys mark with a pencil my height, and to -conceal my object, I made a similar mark for him on another post, -suggesting that every Sunday morning we would come to the posts and see -how much we had grown during the week. - -I studied the subject very carefully. I concluded I must eat more, that -I must take more exercise, walk, run and leap, and especially to -practice on the bars, and suspend myself from them by my arms and chin. -I had serious thoughts of tying a rope to each of my legs, with stones -at the other ends to hang down over the foot of the charpoy at night, -but fear of the ridicule of the boys prevented me doing this. I found -myself when walking or sitting in school, straightening up so as to be -as tall as possible. I often ran to a little hillock outside where there -was a good breeze. I then expanded my chest; took in long breaths to see -if I could not swell and make myself broader. I swung my arms around, -drew them backwards, upwards and downwards, turned somersaults, as if -bent on becoming an acrobat. - -I often wanted to go and measure, as I felt sure that I was growing, but -waited patiently for Sunday morning. It came. The result was surprising. -I was above the mark, while the other boy had not grown a hair’s -breadth. I was elated, and determined to increase my efforts. The extra -food, the abundant exercise, the stretching, bending, pulling myself -upwards was everything, but I could not get rid of the idea that my mind -had a good deal to do with it, so I thought constantly of growing, -longing to be taller, wishing it with all the power of my mind. Aside -from my studies, my mind was wholly absorbed in growing taller. I -reasoned upon the subject like a philosopher, to get every advantage I -could. Another week passed, again I had grown, and so on for a number of -weeks, a little more each week. Then I became somewhat frightened. What -if I go on at this rate? I would be like a tall bamboo, a great, awkward -pole of a boy and man. I thought of our sahib; a tall, lean, lanky man, -who seemed as if he never got enough to eat. Years afterward, when I -could think more naturally, I concluded that he had stretched himself so -much trying to look into heaven to learn about God’s decrees that he -neglected broadening himself toward his fellowmen, for his religion was -such a straight up and down thing that it lacked all breadth. He had so -much theology, that it made him lean to carry it. The boys could not -suggest a question about anything, but he had a cut and dried answer -ready, as if he had it pressed and laid away in a drawer, like a -botanical specimen. Everything in him was dried and prepared with care -without any of the juice left. He was a good and kind-hearted man, in -his way, but his way was very narrow. Yet, I can say this of him, -without any exaggeration, that I think he did more good than harm, and -is not that saying a great deal to the credit of anybody? - -I was greatly pleased with the result of my endeavors, though somewhat -alarmed at what might happen. If necessary, to prevent myself growing -too tall, I would stop eating, take no exercise, carry a weight in my -turban, and at night have two sticks, one at the head and the other at -the foot of my charpoy, to keep me from stretching out too much; with -these provisions in mind, I concluded to run the risk and go on for a -few weeks longer. The same result followed. - -One morning the magistrate came. As soon as he saw me he exclaimed, -“Why, my boy! How you have grown?” I was satisfied. I felt that I had -accomplished my purpose. He turned towards our sahib, and said he would -take me at once. I was allowed to take a few books. As the magistrate -said I did not need clothes, I took only those I wore. The trinkets I -had intended for my little sister, were carefully tied up in a little -package, so precious to me, they were not left. I was ready at once, and -salaaming to the lean sahib we went out of the gate, the boys giving a -vigorous cheer as a token of their good wishes which I gladly received -with a wave of my hand, we were soon out of sight, and I never saw that -school again. Not long after, the tall sahib died, and I have no doubt -that he got into that heaven toward which he had been stretching himself -so long. My “sahib without a beard” went to Wilayat, and the boys, I -suppose, soon scattered. Could I forget the school? Have I not been -reminded of it every day of my life by the two names I received there, -“That Eurasian” and “Japhet,” perpetual mementoes of that chapter in my -life? - -The carriage, with the fine spirited horses, soon reached the -magistrate’s bungalow, and as we drove up under the portico, a crowd of -servants, durwans, chuprassies, bearers, khansamas, khitmutgars, all -came salaaming as if we were foreign princes. I say we, since they -turned toward me as some special favorite who had come sitting on the -seat beside the sahib. There was a broad veranda fringed with pots of -plants and flowers; this I took in at a glance. On a large carpet two -darzies were working, as if for dear life, though many a time afterward, -I saw them nodding when their master was not by. The first word of the -sahib was, “Darzi, kya, kuch kapra is larke ke waste bana sakte?” It was -clothes for me, clothes, a subject on which the great Scotch mental -tailor has laid so much stress. I had been so absorbed in the novelty of -what was transpiring, that I was unconscious of the poverty of my -appearance. Was not the great Newton once so absorbed in an experiment -that he put his watch in the kettle and boiled it, while he held the egg -in his hand to note the time? I always like to have some great example -to refer to when I find some lapse or mistake in myself. It is so -consoling, you know. - -At the suggestion of clothes I took a look at myself; that is, as much -of me as there was in sight. I knew that my growth had lengthened me a -bit, but I had not realized that it had shortened and narrowed my -clothes at the same time. The thought that like a flash of light, very -warm too, rushed through me, that the boundaries of my coat did not -sympathize with each other by a number of inches, that the bottoms of my -trousers had sworn enmity to my feet, and were climbing in scorn toward -my knees, and what was left of these lower encasements were clinging to -my legs as tightly as bark to a growing tree. I could have hid behind -the bearer, or the dog, or anything. - -All this reflection took place quicker than light can run, and was ended -by the darzi saying, “Huzoor, what kind of clothes?” The hukm was that -he was to get the best in the bazar, with a free hand and a free purse, -and to make everything “Europe” fashion. The whole thing was done in a -jiffy. I think that is the word; it will do as well as any. Then the -sahib said, “We will go into the drawing room.” We, that is, I and the -sahib, or the sahib and I,—we; how strange it sounded! He didn’t hukm me -at all. He asked me to take a chair. Now, I had never sat upon one of -them in my life. My legs! what could I do with them? I felt that I must -tuck them under me out of the way, but the sahib did not do that with -his legs, so I let mine hang. What else? He talked to me so kindly that -I soon felt easier; but it was a long time before I could get rid of the -awe I had for the barra magistrate sahib. - -He asked some questions in his kindly way, to which I answered and used -the word “sahib.” At this he said, “You must not say sahib any more to -me. Call me Mr. Percy, for I am your friend; I will be as a father to -you if you will be a good boy.” I don’t know what I said, but I think I -told him I would try ever so hard. The thought flashed over me how hard -I had tried to grow to please him, and as I had succeeded in that I -would do my best in everything he suggested. Soon we went to breakfast. -Mr. Percy sat at one end of the table and I was placed at the other, a -table large enough for a dozen people. How strange it was! The shining -white cloth, and the great variety of food, dish after dish, when I had -never before had more than one dish, and not always enough of that. Then -my knife and fork and spoon, when I had never touched such things -before! what could I do with them? I watched Mr. Percy closely. He was -my working model. I wondered at the ease with which he handled his fork, -and was surprised that he did not run it into his nose or under his -chin. He told one of the khitmutgars to wait on me, and this man did his -best to help me. - -There was one thing I noticed but did not realize its object till -several months afterward. There were two large vases filled with sprigs -covered with flowers placed between us, so that Mr. Percy could not see -me except by leaning aside. For several weeks these remained in that -position, and I was left to work out my own salvation unseen. Afterward -they were placed so that we could see each other face to face. When they -had been changed I understood it all. I have often thought of that -little expedient of his to save me from embarrassment, and I bless him -for it, and for many other such little kindnesses. - -Little things! and life is made up of them. A smile, a tear, a kindly -word, so easy to give and of such value to receive! It is not only the -one who does a great deed for a particular purpose, but the one who does -the many little deeds of good to the many, who is the real friend of -humanity. - -As this is a truthful narrative of my experience, I must mention a -little incident. I always admire truth, even when it does take down my -own pride a bit. I knew what practice had done in my studies, and in my -experiment in growing, and as I thought over the subject I concluded to -have some practice with that knife and fork, so when Mr. Percy was -starting to go to his court, and gave an order to the khitmutgar to -prepare tiffin for me, I suggested to that worthy that I would have it -in the room allotted to me. He nodded assent, and when the time came the -tiffin was on the table. I told him that I would wait upon myself, and -he could go to his khana. I locked the door after him and then took a -general survey of the whole scene from the end of the room, then walked -to the chair, placed it, sat down, unfolded my napkin, and began to use -my knife and fork. After a few mouthfuls I placed my knife and fork on -the plate, laid down my napkin, lifted back my chair, arose and retired -to the end of the room for a new trial. For an hour I did this, and kept -up my tiffin practice for several weeks, until one evening, when the -vases had been replaced, Mr. Percy remarked, “Why, Japhet, you use your -fork as if you had been born with one in your mouth.” - -At first I felt I must tell him of my practice, but waited a moment and -then did not do it. It is not always best to tell everything, even the -truth, nor to tell all at once, for if you tell everything to-day that -you know, what will you have left for to-morrow? - -After dinner, Mr. Percy went with me to my room and bade me good night. -A bearer was appointed to wait upon me. I thought the big bedstead, with -its beautiful spread, must be an ornament to the room, and supposed that -I was to lie on the floor upon its fine rug, but said nothing, as I -reasoned that it was the business of every one to know his own business, -so I gave the bearer his rope and let him do as it seemed best unto him, -and I soon saw by his preparations that I was to lie on the bed instead -of the floor. - -I was mightily troubled about getting out of my coat and trousers, for, -since I began that experiment in growing, they were to me and I to them, -as if we had been born simultaneously. The bearer had brought the night -clothes that the darzi had purchased. I have read how frogs get out of -their old skins, and I think that bearer must have known all about it. I -took everything as a matter of course, as if all was a daily habit of -mine, and I to the manner born. I was growing very fast. The bearer left -me and I slept. I almost wished for the old bare charpoy, for such -fearful dreams I had on that soft bed after that good dinner! One dream -was about getting into my trousers and coat again, and no end of worry -it gave me. Very early I was awakened by Mr. Percy calling me, saying -that he was going out to inspect a bridge, and would not be back to -breakfast before eleven or twelve o’clock; that I was to make myself -comfortable. So kind and considerate he was. - -The bearer came and said that if I would lounge about in my pajamas for -a while, the darzi would have some clothes for me to try on. That bearer -was a jewel, a black diamond, a stoic, for he never even winked, or -hinted at the narrowness of my former apparel. I think if I had stood on -my head he would gravely have said that was the proper way for me to -stand, yet I suspect he had lots of fun in the servants’ quarters -talking about me. Upright as I am, I am somewhat of a suspicious nature; -that is, I often suspect others of doing just what I would do if our -circumstances were exchanged. I mention this, as I do not wish to be -considered better than I am or was at that time. I hate gilding, for I -always think there is flimsy, cheap material underneath. - -When the clothes came, it took all the nonchalance I possessed to get -into them, and appear to be at ease. They were not exactly a fit, but -passable after a few alterations, so I emerged from my room. Then came -the jutiwala with his boots, the boxwala with his shirts, socks, -collars, neckties, and I was transferred into them, and transformed into -what I never expected to be. I hardly need say that I went to my room to -become acquainted with my new rig, so as to be ready for Mr. Percy. It -seemed my whole desire was in trying to please him. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - -I have been thus minute and particular to show, if possible, how strange -it was to undergo this change of scene and circumstances. I have often -wondered what a pupa must think when it first emerges from its prison of -a cocoon into a butterfly to float in the air in the glorious sunlight! -What shall we feel the moment after we have shuffled off this mortal -coil and fly out somewhere? Whither? - -I continued my practice in my new suit, before the great mirror in my -room, until the time for Mr. Percy to come, when I went out on the -veranda to meet him. He seemed surprised at my changed appearance, for, -though clothes do not make a man, or even a boy, yet either looks more -of a man or boy in good clothes, and before that I could scarcely say -that I had any clothes at all. Mr. Percy laughed again and again, but -his laughter was not in making sport of me so much as showing his -pleasure. “Why, Japhet, how well you look!” and he turned me round and -round, and I took a few paces out and back, as I had done before the -mirror. The darzies, the bearers, the khitmutgars, the durwans on the -veranda, and on the ground below, the malies snipping the flowers, the -saises holding the horses, the bhisties, all were fluent in seconding -the sentiments of the sahib. We then went to breakfast. The vases of -flowers were between us as before, so I began to feel a little more at -ease. - -After breakfast we went into the drawing room and had a long chat, that -is, Mr. Percy did the talking and I the listening. I have found later in -life that a good listener is as necessary as a good talker in order to -have an interesting conversation. - -I do not remember now what was said, but I know that his remarks and -especially his manner, had a charming effect upon me. One thing, -however, I do recall. He said, “It is strange the way you got your name, -Japhet. It is not really pretty and has no meaning but how few names are -pretty and have a meaning? It is better than Hogg or Sheepshanks and may -do as well as any other. It is not the name that makes the man and I -wish you would always remember this. It seems to me you ought to have -another name, as that is the custom nowadays and you do not want to -appear odd, so I think I will call you Charles, Charles Japhet, will do -very nicely.” - -My blood flushed hot through me, as I thought of that other name “That -Eurasian,” but I had rather have bit my tongue than told him of this. I -remember also that he spoke of my books and studies, that my body had -grown so fast lately, he wanted my mind to grow as well and to do this -my mind must be fed with knowledge and exercised in remembering and -thinking. - -All this I comprehended in a moment. Had I not fed myself like a turkey -for a Christmas dinner and exercised my body like a prize fighter and -made it grow? The next day a teacher came and books were obtained and I -commenced a course of study to continue until my departure for some -school. - -I now look back and see with what foresight and kindness Mr. Percy -arranged to keep me in his home until I had become accustomed to my new -mode of life before sending me out to fight my own battles. Scarcely a -day passed but he examined me in my studies and seemed to take great -pleasure in watching my progress. He had a special delight in his large -garden, trimming and training his trees and plants, particularly those -of a new kind, and it appeared to me that I was one of his plants that -he was watching and developing. I needed no urging, as his pleased, -intense interest made me respond with eagerness to his desires. - -Clothes were made for me until I hardly knew where to put them, and it -is not improper to say that I enjoyed practicing in them. He enjoyed -making me pleasant surprises. I recall the great delight I experienced -when one morning, dressing, I found in my waistcoat pocket a beautiful -watch with chain and charm attached. I fairly danced for joy and I am -not even now ashamed to say, I cried. I had to wait awhile for I hardly -knew how to meet him. At length I went out with a joyful fear. I saw him -watching me with his paper up before him pretending to read, with a -merry twinkle in his eyes and a quizzical expression on his face waiting -to see what I would do. - -“O, Mr. Percy!” I exclaimed, “you are too good, too kind to me!” and I -threw myself sobbing upon the sofa, shedding tears of joy. How could I -do otherwise? “All right, Charles,” he said, “all right, my boy! Time is -everything, improve it. Watch your watch! never be late for anything -good, and always keep your appointments as you would your honor.” - -Was I not proud? Where is the boy that is not proud of his first watch? -If he is not, then there is something wrong in the make-up of that boy. -How often during many days that followed, I took that watch from my -pocket, let any boy who has had a watch answer. That watch has been the -companion of my life, and now lies on the table before me. Many a time -as I have looked at it during all these years it has recalled the -expression of the eyes and face of the dearest friend I ever had, as he -looked out at me from behind his paper on that memorable morning. - -Such a man, such a friend, such a benefactor, was he not worthy of all -my love, of my worship even? Is it not well for me now an old man, full -of years and alas! bowed down with too many sorrows, to cherish with -adoration the remembrance of such a friend? The very best of us have so -few real, true friends, that we should make all we can of them. - -The days passed and quickly too. I was absorbed in my studies and in -trying to please my benefactor. He was very busy with his duties. In the -mornings he usually went out to some village or to look at some road, -bridge or building. During this time my teacher was with me. Our -breakfast was at eleven when we had a pleasant time. Mr. Percy always -had something new to tell me, made remarks on all kinds of subjects to -give me ideas, and stimulate my intelligence. Then till evening he was -in his court. After a time, when I had become somewhat acclimatized, so -to speak, he took me with him on his evening drives to the club, the -library and other public places. I kept retired as much as possible, -conscious that I would appear awkward, and Mr. Percy showed his -appreciation of my feelings. He was a man of the world enough to know -that manners cannot be taught as from a recipe book. They must come by -nature, from observation, be rubbed in by the friction of association, -so he never gave me any instructions how to act, or placed any restraint -upon me. Thus I was never uncomfortable in his presence since I had no -fear of criticism. I was free to act, and he in all his ways, without -suggesting his purpose, set me an example, in his manner, the tones of -his voice, his words and method of expressing his thoughts. In after -years I have often thought of this method of instruction and have -wondered that so little attention is paid to the deportment, manners and -personal habits of the instructors of youth. One, by observation, can -invariably tell where persons were educated, from noticing in them the -idiosyncrasies of their teachers. Man like a monkey is an imitative -animal, and in early life he follows and becomes like that which most -strikes his fancy. - -Mr. Percy was of course my model, and though I have seen many men of all -degrees of culture and schools, I have never met a more worthy example. - -Though busy with my studies and taken up with the novelty of my life, I -could not and would not forget the past. So great was the change that it -seemed sometimes that I must be dreaming; but the events were too vivid -in my memory to be anything but real. - -I would frequently find myself sitting staring into the beyond. I always -commenced with the clinking of those rupees. The sound is as real to me -even now as when I first heard it. If a report starting miles away -reaches me after some seconds, is it less a reality? It takes years for -light to reach us from some distant planet. Is it less real because it -has been years on the way? So I often saw that sahib as I see him now, -as real to me as when I sat crouched in a corner of that room only a few -feet from him. And the dear mama! How real she has always seemed! I have -never thought of her but tears would come welling up from my heart. How -I wished she could see me in my happiness! She surely would have smiled -again. The little sister, always so cheerful even when she was hungry -and tired! Our new mama, the good old faqir, all the scenes of the past, -the hot dusty road, the separation from that sister, the losing her—what -a queer strange kind of pain came into my whole body, a pain that never -can be described, caused by the loss of those we dearly love; not a -fleshy pain and not wholly in the mind, but of the soul, the heart, all -the whole being, mental and physical; a choking, stifling, benumbing -grief, that seems to stop the current of life and make us only wish for -death. - -The time approached for my entering some school. Mr. Percy wrote a -number of letters. Catalogues were received, and it was at length -decided that I should go to the St. George’s School at Dhurm Thal, a -hill station. Preparations then began. The darzies were set to work, -more clothes were made, and what they could not make were ordered from -an English shop. The boxwalas came with brushes for the hair, the teeth, -for the fingers, for the clothes, the boots and the bath. I never knew -there were so many kinds before. Then thread, needles, tape, buttons, -for Mr. Percy said in selecting them, “You must have a ‘Bachelor’ just -like what my mother made for me when I started for school,” and away he -went to his room to bring the Bachelor that his mother had made years -ago, and which he had kept as a treasure. Blessed is the boy who has a -mother to make nice things for him, but alas for me, my mother I had -scarcely known! - -He gave the Bachelor to the darzi for a pattern, with a strict -injunction to be careful of it, as it was his mother’s gift. Said he, -“This may come handy sometimes when you need a stitch, or find a button -gone, for you should not be obliged always to depend on others.” - -Then came the boots, the tennis shoes, the balls and bats, some handsome -books, papers, pens, ink, sealing wax, envelopes, etc. - -Nothing was omitted that he could think of. A spare room was devoted to -this schoolboy outfit, and the articles were laid here and there over -the room. Day after day he would say, “Now, Charles, let us go and look -the things over,” and in we would go, and after a survey he would say, -“Well, I don’t know what else you need!” - -This outfitting was quite a recreation for Mr. Percy, and he acted as if -he had once been a boy himself and had experienced the same preparations -for his going away to school. If one knew in his youth how much -happiness he really enjoyed, and could foresee the struggle and -hardships to come, he might not be so anxious to become a man. The -happiness of youth is mostly due to its unconsciousness of evil. Yet, -even older people are like children in this respect, always wishing, -longing for what is beyond them and to come. - -Soon everything was in readiness, the boxes were packed and the morning -of my departure arrived. The last thing was a huge fruitcake and a lot -of sweets, “For,” said Mr. Percy, “this is the thing to make quick -acquaintance with boys at school.” - -A bearer was to go with me to take care of me on the way and return. He -took a gari to the station with my luggage, and I went with Mr. Percy in -his carriage. He had never preached to me or moralized, but on the way -he said, “Now, Charles, I want you to be brave, to study hard, and above -all be truthful, honest, upright, and be clean in thought, in word and -act.” This was all, but there was so much in those few words, in his -manner of saying them, and I knew that he spoke from his heart as he -uttered them. Soon we were on the train, and as it moved off he said, -“God bless you, my boy,” with a tenderness in his tone, and as I saw, -with tears in his eyes. I felt it all, pressed his hand saying, “Thank -you, thank you.” I knew that he felt that I was really grateful, yet it -seemed to me that I had not shown my appreciation of his kindness as I -should have done. - -The journey was interesting, especially up the hills, as I had never -seen any but level land. The school was reached in the evening, and we -were shown into a large hall where there were about forty cots, but only -a few boys were there. The bearer left me, to come again in the morning. -At the ringing of the bell we boys went into the dining hall. I noticed -its barren appearance at once. There was such a contrast between this -and the dining room and tables at Mr. Percy’s that I felt homesick. I -thought that if the other boys could live through it I could; but it -seemed as though I was in an orphanage again, the only difference being -that this was for white boys, not for natives, and in the hills. After -supper we were ushered into another barren hall, the only ornament being -an organ upon which a teacher played while the rest sang something, and -then followed what they called prayers. I was too weary to pay much -attention. Then to the dormitory to sleep. - -I dreamed of Mr. Percy and saw him grasp my hand and heard him say, “God -bless you, my boy!” and then I was carried away through the air up into -some high mountain and left in a barren, desolate place. The fright -awoke me all trembling. I saw that it was morning, the sun shining in -our window. How well I remember that room! and would not four long years -in it make me remember it forever? I recall it as on that first morning. -Four bare walls, a ceiling and floor, with nothing to break the monotony -but forty cots standing in rows as straight as the walls, and the square -windows. I have often wondered, when pictures are so cheap, that they -did not put a few on the walls; when nature outside showed the intention -of God to make the world beautiful, that they did not give us a few -flowers in cheap earthen pots, if nothing better, to relieve the -everlasting squareness and barrenness. Compel a man to live in a hovel -like a stable, he may not turn into a horse, but the chances are that he -will not be near the man he might have been had his surroundings been -such as to develop his sense of beauty. How much more should a boy be -educated by his sight and senses, be taught by his daily surroundings? - -There was no privacy whatever. I well remember months afterward when out -walking with one of the boys, a little timid, refined lad, who told me -that before leaving home his mother had made him promise to kneel by his -bed every night and say his prayers. “But,” said he, “how can I do it -with all the boys looking at me?” I knew nothing about praying myself, -but I could feel for a boy who thought he ought to pray and was afraid -to do so. A man might be brave in battle, but I think it would require -more courage to kneel by his bed and say his prayers before a lot of -scoffing men. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - -Everything about the place was solid and substantial. The walls were -square and bare, the floors of wood, unblessed with any kind of cloth, -on which our feet ached in the winter time; the tables and benches in -the halls were of the hardest wood, our plates, cups and dishes all of -metal, our food in abundance, the few kinds they were, but badly cooked -and served by weekly routine. Even the strongest appetite must be -appalled by knowing three months or a year beforehand, that on certain -days at a particular minute, such and such food would invariably appear. -A person’s appetite likes to be surprised at times and is pleased with -variety. - -As everything we saw was solid and at right angles, so everything we did -was by rules. We undressed by order, got into bed by order, the light -went out by order, we washed, dressed, played, studied, sang, prayed -according to rule. I had an abundance of pocket money, but could not use -it except by rule. We all had to take steps, to march by order. This -monotonous grind by order, day and night for weeks and months and years, -as if we were so many prisoners in a tread-mill, was one of the -grievances of my school life. I had all I needed and more, to add to my -comfort. Many of the boys were scantily supplied. Their fathers had -perhaps never been boys and gone away to school, or perhaps they never -had fathers as I had none, and they never found such a friend as I had. -I pitied them and aided them often, and so gained many a friendship. I -had plenty of good, warm, soft bedding, and many a night my extra -blankets were loaned to those shivering near me. - -The principal was a great solid, ruddy, beefy sort of a man, so plump -and enshrined with flesh, that if he had slept on the rocks they would -not have come near his bones. He wore “parson clothes,” and was always -mousing around, not to do any work himself, but to see that the teachers -did their’s and that the boys obeyed the rules. He read the prayers and -flogged the boys, and from what we could hear some of them required his -services very often, or he thought they did. The result was the same. I -do not remember, during my whole four years, of ever receiving a kind -word from him. If he ever spoke to me it was just what was required, of -course, and by rule. We never came in contact for good or ill except -once. Whether this was arranged by the decrees or by the rules, or what, -I do not know or ever cared, but have since suspected—as I have stated -that I am rather of a suspicious, inquisitive nature, wanting a reason -or giving a reason for everything—that I was not worthy of his profound -attention, but having been sent by the well-known magistrate and -collector of Muggerpur, a man of considerable influence, who paid well, -I was not to be interfered with, though I was unnoticed and unfavored. -Though in birth I was nothing, as I well knew, and he I am sure knew it -as well as I did, for such men can tell by a sniff what rank a boy or -man is of, yet my patron, by his position, had raised or put me in the -rank of the higher class. It was not long before I came to the -conclusion that my position was fixed, not by my own merit, but by some -arbitrary rule or something, I knew not what. - -Though happy for myself in my position, I could not help pitying some -about whom he inquired of a teacher if they were of the middle or lower -classes in society. The result was that the floggings were in this -proportion, commencing with the lower class, as three, two, one. Though -to be just I think the higher class, of which I was accidentally one, -seldom got what we deserved. Thus the scripture is fulfilled, “To him -that hath, shall be given even more than he hath,” so the lower classes, -who have all the poverty, misery and wretchedness, have these abundantly -increased, and besides get nearly all the stripes and curses. - -This class arrangement greatly puzzled me. Somewhere in one of the -scripture lessons we read that “God created of one blood all nations of -men,” but this we read according to rule, and probably meant nothing -when it came to practice, as scripture often does, yet for the life of -me, and I was very attentive whenever our rules compelled us to read our -Bible lessons, I could never find out where it was said that God had -created higher, middle and lower classes, and this is still one of the -many things I have yet to learn. - -Why was I sent to this school? I often thought of that, for I was always -putting in my whys and wherefores. This school was under the -distinguished patronage of the Lord Bishop of Somewhere, the Supreme -Head of the Church and next to God in authority, following the -ecclesiastical rules. Accordingly, every mother’s son below him in rank -followed him darja ba darja, as the natives say, step by step, as sheep -follow a bell-wether. When he says “Thumbs up,” it is thumbs up, and -when he says “Thumbs down,” what else can it be but that? - -I think it was on account of its prominent figure-head that Mr. Percy -finally decided upon this school. - -The teachers, with one exception, were excellent men. They were good -scholars, as I afterward came to know. They performed their work -thoroughly and took delight in the advancement of their pupils. And -better than all, they had a kind, genial manner that showed itself in -various ways and won the affections of the boys. They were above -pettiness, and acted as if they had once been boys themselves. Many men -seem to forget and act as if they had come into the world full grown. - -The one teacher, my exception, seemed to be, I do not know what else to -say, a freak of nature. I formed a dislike to him the first time I saw -him. I could never get over this feeling, though I tried to do so. I was -not alone in this, for during the four years I never heard a boy speak -well of him. And boys can make up their minds about what they like or -dislike as well as men. In fact, their judgment is often more correct, -as it comes by instinct. Did you ever see a dog run around in a crowd -and pick out just the man he wanted? A wide awake boy, as well as a dog, -can tell who would be kind to him at the first glance. - -Acquaintance with this teacher did not improve on the first opinion of -him, but the reverse. He was tall and lean as if he had been brought up -on milk with the cream removed. His complexion was almost milky white, -or rather a pale yellow, sometimes whiter and sometimes yellower. The -color of his hair was not much better than that of his skin. He had the -most juvenile moustache, and a few straggling unneighborly hairs at the -sides of his face, that he seemed to be nursing with great care to bring -to maturity. Many were the sly jokes of the boys on those whiskers. His -clothes were of the strictest cleric cut, a parson’s waistcoat, a great -high collar that was ever threatening to cut his ears off, but refused -to do the deed out of sheer pity. - -I cannot but think, heathen as I am, that a parson, of all men, should -always be a well favored, as well favored in body as well as mind, a -manly man, of whom God or nature need not be ashamed and to whom the -people would listen without disgust or pity. Another thing I could not -understand why most of this class should always have that far away pious -look, a ministerial drawl or holy moaning tone. Whether these are -produced by their longings for heaven, or their food, or their -devotions, or what I cannot tell. Their tone or drone and appearance, -all goes to show that their profession has got the better of their -manhood. - -To return to the school. This teacher had really nothing in him or about -him of a parson, except his manner and his clothes, and the clothes were -the most valuable part of him. He evidently realized this himself, for, -lacking in every respect what pertained to a real priest, he tried to -make up in his dress and posing. By his manner, at first sight, not -later, he would be taken to be one of God’s saints; and by his clothes, -that he was the confidential adviser and chaplain of some great -Archbishop or the Bishop himself. He went around the building or through -our play grounds with his eyes turned towards the earth as if in holy -meditation, appearing as meek as Moses was said to be, but an hour -afterward when some of the boys were called before the beefy principal -for some loud laughter or slight violation of the rules, we knew that -“Yellow Skin” had been telling. How we learned to think of that man! not -with hatred for he was not worthy of that, but with contempt, probably -the same feeling that a noble mastiff has for a mangy pariah cur. He was -lurking everywhere, with his eyes towards the ground as if searching for -some lost jewel but we came to know that he always had his side eye upon -us. Outside his classes he never spoke to the boys, as this might have -compromised his clerical dignity. He never accused any one openly and -the principal never revealed his informant, but any boy of us knew who -had told. I always thanked my guiding star that I was not in any of his -classes. By instinct I kept out of his range as much as possible. - -The principal, portly as he was, knew a thing or two. He was a slow -thinker, or probably thought but little, as I have not treasured up -anything of his, not a saying, a witticism, an anecdote, and a man must -be composed of the very essence of stupidity who in four years could not -give out something worth saving. A learned professor—as I have read -somewhere—claims that “genius is the evidence of a degenerative taint, -that is, an epileptical degenerative psychosis.” To be just, I must -absolve our chief from any such imputation. But he was business itself, -a plodder in his little circle, with as much brilliancy and energy in -his thoughts and movements, as in a buffalo going from grass to its -wallow. He surely understood “Yellow Whiskers” thoroughly, as he never -treated him as an associate, rather as a spy and lackey. - -How different with the other teachers. We soon fell into the habit of -making a note of their bright sayings, their anecdotes and witticisms -and frequently after class, one boy would call out “Hallo Jim,” or -“Dick” or “Japhet, I have got another,” and out would come the note-book -and heads would be bent over it reading something good that he had got -from his teacher in the class room. It became quite a competition as to -who should get the most of these good things. And now after years have -passed I often take out the old note-books and read them with the -greatest pleasure, and again see the happy faces of the boys reading the -bright things they had secured. But we never remembered anything of the -sleek parson spy, except what we were obliged to do by the nature of -memory, and what we would willingly have forgotten. - -A little incident will show the character of one of our teachers. One -morning, as we came into our class room, every eye was fixed upon a -billy-goat tied in the master’s chair on the platform behind the table. -Every boy looked at every other boy with a silent question on his lips, -and waited in wonder what the teacher would say. I greatly admired him, -as he was one of my model men, and I felt sorry for anything that might -annoy him, and I think most of the class felt the same. Soon he came in, -and apparently did not notice anything out of the way until he was about -to step upon the platform, when he turned quickly, saying, “I beg your -pardon, boys, I find I have made a mistake. I am not the kind of teacher -you need, as I see you have selected a billy-goat to take my place. You, -perhaps, think that he is able to teach you all you are capable of -learning, so I had better seek another situation, but before I leave, as -I would not act hastily, I would like to know if you all prefer the goat -to me. Any one who wants the goat, hold up his hand.” Not a hand went -up. “Now, any one who wants me to remain hold up his hand.” And every -hand and arm in the room went up as high as they could be raised. “That -settles it,” he said, “and I have a very good opinion of you. I think -the chaukedar must have been playing on us all, so we will have him -called to take the butt of his joke away.” - -That was all. He never referred to the matter again, and our lessons -went on as usual. We all, or most of us, felt so sorry for the master -that we proposed as we left the room to keep dead silent. But the news -of it got to the principal. We never knew how, but we all believed that -the spy, always lurking about, had seen the goat through the window. -That evening, as our chief pastor read the prayers, I felt by his tone, -manner, and the redness of his face, that something was coming; just as -the heated air and the distant rumbling thunder, tells of the coming -storm. - -Prayers said, little Johnny, he who was so timid that he could not kneel -down before the boys to say his prayers, was called in front of the -desk. Said our portly head in a pompous, angry voice, fierce enough to -make a lion tremble; his face crimson, and his whole mountain of flesh -fairly shaking with wrath: “You were seen in front of the school -building last night, when several large boys ran past you, and I am sure -they were the ones who put the goat in the master’s chair, and I want -you to tell who they were?” There was a dead silence, of a minute, it -seemed to me, but it may have been only a half of one, yet it was an -awful long time. Johnny was as silent as the rest of us. Then the chief, -angrier than ever: “Are you going to tell me who those boys were, or -not?” “No, sir, I shall not tell,” said the brave lad. His voice -trembled, but had a deal of firmness in it. As he gave his answer our -chief drew a rattan from the table drawer, and laid it upon poor Johnny, -right and left, up and down, regardless where he struck. Every blow hit -me, for I had often met the little fellow and loved him. One thing, -especially, brought us together. One day he told me he had never had a -father, so this made us twin brothers in sympathy ever afterward. I -screamed in pain, pain in my heart, the worst kind of pain. At my scream -the big flogger stopped and shaking the rattan at me, shouted out: “If -that boy makes another sound, I will give him something to remember. -This will do for to-day,” said he, as he seemed to be exhausted, and out -we went, the spy following us. - -As I had been threatened for my sympathy with Johnny, my instinct told -me that it might be better for him that I should not be seen in his -company by the spy. I went back up the hill to a bit of level ground -where we often walked, and where I knew Johnny would come, and soon he -appeared. We went into a quiet little nook, and then he pulled up his -trousers and showed the great red marks that were swelling into welts, -and then showed me his arms and back. How those cuts must have hurt! I -had never been whipped, but had received some cuts in play, so I could -imagine how such a thrashing must have felt. But he never whimpered. He -seemed to be more hurt in his thoughts than in his body. I took him in -my arms, and told him he was a brave noble fellow, that there was not -another boy in the school who could have stood such a licking without -screaming and blubbering. This greatly pleased and consoled him, but he -carried the marks, as he was black and blue for months. He then said -that the night before, he had gone out for a few minutes, and just as he -was in front of the hall, four boys ran out of the class room. He knew -every one of them, as the moon was shining brightly. Just as he entered -the door, the spy appeared. Neither of them said anything. When he was -called up by the principal he was surprised, as he could not think of -any reason for it. He was thunderstruck when the question was asked, and -more so, when the blows fell. - -Just as we thought, the spy was in it. Johnny did not tell me who the -boys were, and I did not wish to know the name of any one who would sit -still like a great skulking coward, and see a boy like Johnny, be -thrashed for his fault. Though Johnny never told, they became known and -were not forgotten during our four year’s course. They were not blamed -for the goat affair, as all took that as a joke, but for their cowardice -and meanness in letting Johnny be whipped while they looked on. They -were often left out of our games when sets were made up if we could do -without them. Often we would find placards on the walls and trees -asking: “Who were the cowards that let Johnny be thrashed?” “Little -Johnny is known, but who are the sneaks?” - -But where was our teacher? It appeared that he had gone out for a stroll -with a friend after his classes, but I felt sure that he knew something -was going to happen about the goat affair, and he would get out of the -way so as not to be called on to say anything, or to blame any one. This -was just like him. He was a man, and we all admired and loved him. - -As to our principal. That scene of anger and brutality ended his praying -for me. He read prayers, but I never heard them. His influence over me -for good or evil was ended. How could such a man as that preach to us of -pity to the weak, of kindness, of charity, of mutual forbearance! - -Johnny became a general favorite, a hero among us, and I never saw our -teacher meet him without a smile or pleasant word, and I am sure that -Johnny had many a treat without knowing the giver; for he often found -sweets and cake in his coat pockets in the morning and wondered how they -got there. - -In spite of the rigid rules, the blank walls, the coarse solid food; in -spite of the harsh bully of a man over us and the spy lurking at our -heels, our time passed pleasantly. The rest of our masters were kind and -considerate. I soon fell into the ways of my associates and although our -rules were so precise, I soon became accustomed to them. I studied -because I enjoyed it and for another reason. Not a day passed in which I -did not often think of Mr. Percy. I would find myself asking, “What -would he say if he could see me, if he could know my thoughts, know of -my progress, what would he think of me!” I would imagine him in his -home, or riding, driving, how he looked and talked. He was my other life -and I could but feel from the interest he had shown in me that I was -his. I guided myself in all my ways by what I thought he would like and -this I now see had a wonderful influence over me. His gentleness, his -intelligence, his nobility of character inspired me and had I been -inclined to idleness, or injurious habits the remembrance of him would -have checked me, for the thought of failing in his anticipation of me -gave me pain. - -To go back a little. As I awoke the next morning after my arrival, I -thought of Mr. Percy and soon I was writing my first letter to him. It -was the first real letter that I had ever attempted. My teacher on the -plains, had daily instructed me in writing and composition, and had -caused me to write some imaginary letters which he corrected. I now -wrote as I thought and just as I felt. Mr. Percy had never criticised me -in a way to make me feel any embarrassment. So I had no fear, besides it -was a labor of love and respect. I told him of my journey, my surprise -on seeing the hills, of my arrival and first view of things. The letter -was ready on the appearance of the bearer. He took it and made his -salaam, while I burdened him with many salaams to all the servants. - -The next day there came a letter written on the day of my departure, the -first of a great number that I received from Mr. Percy all of which I -have kept, forming several volumes that are among my treasures. The -letter ran thus: - - “_My Dear Charles_:— - -You cannot know how lonesome I have been since you left. This shows how -much I think of you and what you are to me. I trust you had a pleasant -journey, and arrived safely. I have no doubt you found everything -strange, for it must be a new life to you. There will be some things -disagreeable to you as there is to every one of us in whatever -circumstances we may be placed. The world is far from being perfect, and -as we ourselves lack so much, we should always be ready to make -allowances for others. The best way is to do the best we can, take the -bitter with the sweet, and endure bravely what we cannot cure. I am -anxious for the return of the bearer to hear from him about you, and -also to receive a letter which I am sure you have sent by him. Wishing -you every blessing and success, I am your very desolate and devoted -friend, - - R. PERCY.” - -In a few days another letter came: - -“The bearer has returned and I am so glad to hear such a good report of -you and of your position. He is ready again and again to give his -account of the ‘Chota Sahib,’ and I often see him surrounded by -everybody in the compound and know he is telling of his journey up the -hills and no doubt much about you. I was this morning behind one of the -trees in the garden and overheard him say to the mali, “One day the -‘Chota Sahib’ will become a ‘Barra Sahib,’ so you see there is some hope -for you.”” - -I could see in my mind the twinkle of his eyes as he would have made -this remark had I been near him. - -The letters came and went regularly two a week. One of the rigid rules -was that we were to write home only once a week. I considered this most -unjust, especially if the writing did not interfere with my studies. I -evaded this rule openly a number of times until I was spoken to by the -principal. I then secreted the materials in my pocket and went for a -walk to a place sheltered by a rock where I could be unseen and yet see -any one coming. This was my writing place, that is for off-day illegal -letters during the first year, except in the rains when I sought shelter -in a hut built for the watchmen. My trunk on leaving home was well -supplied with writing materials and with stamps, so I had no trouble in -this respect. But how to get the letters to the post was my first query? -I had plenty of money and had given the bearer of our room several tips -already, so he was my friend and remained very devoted to me during all -the years I was in school. He was a good fellow in himself and would -have done me favors without reward. - -I always like to speak as well as I can of human nature. It is so -defective at the best that we should always keep the better view of it -to the front, if possible. Yet, I think my tips had considerable to do -with his constant allegiance to my interests. Money is like cement in a -wall; it keeps the bricks together. The power of money! What has it not -done and what is it not able to do? Nothing on earth seems able to stand -before it. Nor honor, nor patriotism, integrity or virtue? Even the -doors of heaven seem to be unlocked by it. If not, why the gifts of -wicked men who have spent their lives in sin, if they did not have faith -that they could purchase a mansion in heaven, as they could buy a ticket -for a seat in a theatre? - -It was privately arranged with the bearer that on certain days he would -find under the sheet at the foot of my bed a letter which he was to take -to the post-box on the lower road. So faithfully was this contract kept -that my letters never failed to be posted. - -To be sure this was a violation of the one of the rules, but what of it? -I was not conscious of wrong in evading the rule. They had no right to -make it. It interfered with an inalienable natural right of mine, and -the right of my best friend to have the letters from me. If they had -said, “You must not write during school hours,” I would have seen the -sense and justice of it. My instinct rebelled against the rule and I -violated it with a clear conscience. I hate injustice and have a -contempt for the petty kind, and who has not? Tyranny is one of my -devils, man-made, however, for I have never got my faith high enough or -so low as to believe in the divine origin of the devil or any devils. -They are all so low down, that man must have begotten them. - -As to the rule, I took pleasure in breaking it for it was absurd and -unjust. If they had posted up in our room “No pillow fights.” I would at -once have said, “Right you are,” for a violation of such a rule would -cause destruction of property, confusion, and no doubt the devil of -quarrel would have been born. - -I think that the world, as well as schools, is cursed with too much -legislation. Statutes, laws, regulations, restrictions, prohibitions at -every turn, are enough to make us all sinners. I often think of that old -fable of Eve and the apple, that if the Lord had told her to go out and -gather all the apples in the garden and eat as many as she wanted, she -would have said that she did not like apples, and never did from the -time she was born, they were too acidulated, and she would not have -tasted even one; but when she was told not to touch any of them she was -bound to break the rule, even if she broke her neck and the necks of all -of us, her children. I cannot leave this without noticing a question -that has often bothered me, because I am no theologist and yet cannot -take everything by faith on the mere say so of man or men—and that is, -since the Lord foreknew what Eve would do, why did He place the apples -in the garden and then forbid her to take them? Did He not lead her into -temptation? That is, if the story about her is true. If, knowing the -predilections of my bearer for appropriating my property, and -particularly for his dislike of seeing silver and copper coin lying -around unused, why should I freely place them about in his sight to -excite his desire of reciprocity, in order to tempt him and so bring -punishment upon himself and upon his children? Would not I, an educated -fore-thinking sahib be more to blame for what I did, than what he a poor -ignorant man did? Though I have studied much, and thought a little, yet -I am often puzzled by such simple questions. - -It is the little things of life that bother us the most. Poor Johnny -could take a flogging that raised great welts on his body without a -squeal, but he could not kneel to say his prayers when the other boys -could see him. I have ridden an elephant, a noble tusker, all day in the -forest after tigers and he never flinched, but in the evening when he -was hobbled to a tree, one little mosquito buzzing about his ears would -set him frantic with rage. It is the mean, petty annoyances that make -life a burden, and it is not strange when they become frequent, that -many take tickets of-leave for parts unknown. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - -From the first I found myself in a very good position in the school. The -principal and teachers knew who had sent me and this settled my status -with them. And I knew that the principal had received a letter, for Mr. -Percy told me that he would write, and that I need have no fear of my -reception or treatment. The boys soon learned that the magistrate and -collector of Muggerpur was my patron. They also knew that I received two -letters a week from him, and so probably concluded that I must be of -some account. When I became better acquainted I read some of the letters -or paragraphs to some of my intimates, and this had its effect, for the -letters were such that any boy or man might be proud of receiving. They -might talk of their fathers, and though I never had one I could show -them that I was not friendless. These things gave me a standing with the -boys. Besides I had a superior outfit, comprising everything that a boy -could want in school. My clothes were of the best material and made in -the best style, some of them by a “Europe” tailor. I think there is -nothing that gives a boy such self respect as good fitting clothes. Some -of the boys, and I pitied them, had clothes that could only humiliate -them. “The apparel oft proclaims the man,” and I think often greatly -helps to make the man. Their trousers were either so long as to drag on -the ground or so short as to expose their legs, and their coats hung -like bags from their shoulders. How could a boy rigged in such fashion -stand erect and be polite? - -Then I had two good trunks, not boxes, with spring locks, in which I -could keep everything safely and neatly. These trunks were the -admiration of my fellows. Later in life I have thought of the value of -the impression those trunks made on the minds of my room-mates. The -whole outfit of a man is a delineation of character. It has a subjective -influence on the man himself and reveals to others the style of the -owner. It seems nothing would humiliate me more than to go among -strangers with a box or trunk, the hinges broken, the lock gone and the -thing bound up with rope. I would certainly make an allowance, as I -always have done, for poverty. I have never, since I was taken up by my -best friend, been in want of money; yet I have seen so many to whom an -ana was of more value than rupees to others, that I have not only a -respect, but a profound sympathy for the poor. Still I cannot excuse -negligence or laziness in not repairing a hinge or lock to a box, when -it would require but little labor or expense. - -Boys will be boys the world over, and I never yet saw a boy whose mouth -was not open like a young bird’s, ready for something to eat. We were -allowed only once a week to make purchases, and the mittai and boxwalas -knew the day as well as we did, and never failed to come, and though it -was not down in the rules that we should see them we always met them and -on time. Many were the talks we had about what we should purchase next -time. It soon became known that I was a liberal buyer, and I am proud to -say that I was also a liberal giver. This made me many a friend and -warded off many a bad cut that I might otherwise have received. There -was nothing great in this, no real true feeling or friendship. It proves -nothing but this, that boys as well as men know on which side their -bread is buttered. How frequently we see men, brainless idiots, without -a virtue or grace to recommend them, fawned upon by men of intelligence, -of honor or without honor, for the sole and only reason that they have -money. Let there be a carcass, though tainted, the vultures will -surround it. My instinct was not so dull but that I saw through this -personal attachment of some of the boys, not all of them, I am glad to -state, for quite a number of them whose pockets were rather pinched, -liked me not only for my sweets, but for my own sake. I know this, for -years after, when I met them, they would say with a warm grasp of the -hand and a kindliness of voice. “Japhet you were kind to me at school.” -Such expressions are worth more than Government Stocks and far better -than lying, empty inscriptions on a tombstone after one is dead. - -But there were ripples now and then. Soon after the term opened the new -boys began to make up the different teams, clubs and societies. There -was one team rather high, inclusive of the larger boys of what they -considered the “first class” and exclusive of any that did not quite -come up to the views of their set. In short, they were aristocratic, and -I could never understand on what this was based. In looks they were -inferior to others; their manners were rude and coarse; in their studies -they were below the average, and some of them did not pass their -“exams;” yet they presumed to be _the_ set of the whole school. It is -not only in school that we see this assumption of superiority, for in -life similar scenes are enacted. - -I have often been amused by the strutting and parading of men who are in -society. I knew one, the son of a London tailor in the civil service, -who would have taken oath that he had never seen a goose; another, the -son of an engine driver, who I know would have sworn that he really did -not know what an engine was, but then he was so ignorant that he would -not have known his own father, the engine driver, had he met him in -“society.” And of the aristocracy itself, it might not be safe for many -of them to look up their pedigrees, for fear of running against a -pirate, a ruffian, or a scamp of some kind. - -I saw something of this in the manners of the set, but paid little -attention to it, as they were mostly very civil to me; probably for the -reasons I have given. I was fully occupied, and this is the best -preventive of devils being born in one’s self. - -One day, as I was seated on a bench behind a bush reading a book, I -overheard some one ask, “Why not take Japhet?” “What! that Eurasian?” -said the other. This startled me. I had almost forgotten that other name -of mine, but this remark revived it. I remained quiet, but as they -passed on I saw that he who had repeated the name was one of the four -who had been the cause of Johnny’s punishment. Had he been any other I -would have felt the slur more than I did. I had no idea what the word -meant, as I had concluded it was but a chance nickname that boys often -give each other. But now being uttered by this boy, who could not have -heard it before, I thought there must be something in me or about me -that made the name applicable to me; that there must be a meaning to it, -and resolved to say nothing until I saw Mr. Percy again. Yet I could not -forget it. - -When I went up to the room I surveyed myself in a small mirror I had. My -hair was black, but other boys had hair as black as mine; some had red -hair; others white; some yellow. I preferred the black, so the question -about the hair was settled. Some boys had pale, sickly complexions, -others reddish-yellow, and some had faces as brown as mine, so I could -see nothing in my face to make me an oddity, such as to be called by a -particular name. I stood erect, had well-fitting clothes, and saw -nothing out of shape or style, so gave up trying to solve the mystery -and went back to my book. - -When I have thought of this I have smiled at the simplicity of my -ignorance, and wondered why I did not inquire of some one what -“Eurasian” meant. One reason was that I was too proud to confess my -ignorance; but another and a greater one was a fear that there might be -something in it to my detriment, and I would delay the knowledge of it -as long as possible. It has been one of the weaknesses of my life to put -off the disagreeable as long as possible, though sure it must inevitably -come sooner or later. - -I think it was the fear of hearing something unpleasant that kept me -silent. I concealed my fear, however, and I doubt if any one ever -suspected that I had thoughts of the opprobrium cast upon me by this -name. I resolved to make up any defect or deformity by my standing, not -only in my classes but in our social life, by my proficiency and -courtesy, and I think in a great measure I succeeded, for except by a -very few, who occasionally in a mocking way tried to give me a snub, the -others treated me not only with respect, but considerable deference. One -of those who would have crowded me out, if he could have got others to -join him, was a great lubberly fellow, coarse in feature and dull in -intellect. He was the son of a chaplain on the plains who was compelled -to marry the daughter of his charwoman before he left college. This I -heard years after, and it was well I did not know it then. It is a wise -provision of Providence that we do not know everything about our -fellow-mortals. The mother of this boy, as I saw her years after, was an -adipose creature, a fine specimen of good living and poor thinking. -Once, calling on her husband to make some inquiries, the only remark I -heard her make was, “Henry, I think that rooster will make a fine curry -one of these days,” referring to a pullet in front of the veranda. - -The father was a “so so” sort of man, almost emaciated as if he gave his -wife all the fat and nearly all the lean to eat. He had a recipe for a -rum punch that he was offering to everybody, so that the profane of his -flock called him the “Rum Punch Padri.” He was a good-natured, fidgety -man, no sooner commencing anything than he was off to something else. He -showed his nature in the performance of the Church service, for I never -saw a padri get through with it quicker than he did. He never made a -pause, and seemed never to take breath. From the time he commenced to -the finish, it was a race between himself and the congregation; he to -see how far ahead he could get, and they to keep in sight of him, for -they would hardly begin “Good Lord” than he was far away into the middle -of the next sentence. This reminds me of what a friend, the surgeon of a -man-of-war, told me of their chaplain, one Sunday morning, betting a -bottle of champagne that he could get through the service in fifteen -minutes. He went in for it and came out with his watch in his hand, -throwing off his gown, claimed his champagne, and got it. But the “Rum -Punch Padri” was a truthful man, for he frankly said one day that so -many services were a great bore. He was not to blame so much for his -haste, for he had to make up for his wife’s slowness—and she was so -slow! I often thought that if I had such a wife—but I will not say what, -as it is not always best to say just what one thinks. - -If it is really true that children get their intellect from the mother, -and that there never was a smart man who had not a smart mother, one of -the problems of the future in step with the progress in other things, -will be to give everybody smart mothers; but that cannot happen just -now, as what would be done with all the dull women? If it were said to -each of them _vide_ Hamlet, “Get thee to a nunnery,” the world would be -almost motherless. - -After seeing the mother I could make some allowance for that boy. Had I -known her in my school days he would have had my fullest sympathies, -with such a maternal burden. He could not help being born lazy, tired, -dull and snobby, though the latter trait he probably got from his -father. I did feel enough for him to aid him in his mathematics and -translations. The father was of good family, that is, the society -“good,” not in mentality, nor in sense, certainly not in morals. It was -a false label as applied to him, or rather a good label attached to a -fraudulent article. - -I found myself admitted into the highest set, and had not much to -complain of. The term passed quickly. I often indulged in reveries of -the past, and hoped that in some future time I could gather up the -threads of my life and unravel the mystery of my early days, for there -was certainly something strange and mysterious, for little Johnny and I -were the only boys who never had a father, and it was strange, very -strange. He was a modest, quiet and lovable lad, and we often walked and -talked together, for he confided in me as an elder brother. - -The year closed with our examinations, and I was extremely happy in -being able to carry the report to my best of friends that I had passed -at the head of my classes. This was not from any superior mental -ability, but because I had a special delight in studying. In one of Mr. -Percy’s letters he said, “Anything you have to do, do it with all your -mind and strength. Don’t dawdle. If you find your mind is tired, rest it -by taking up another book, or if you can, take a good run. If at play, -engage in it with all your might. Don’t linger over anything, act -vigorously, and stop.” This letter was a spur to me, and many a time -when I was growing listless, that expression “Don’t dawdle” came up. I -did not know really what it meant, and have never looked it up yet. I -caught the idea he intended to convey, and used it as my mental whip. -Since then I have often used the word upon myself, and would like to -have used it upon others, for there are many dawdlers in the world. - -We had our final games, our last treats, packed our boxes and were ready -to depart. The bearer had come for me. The journey down the hills and on -the train was pleasant; but the anticipation of meeting Mr. Percy made -me oblivious to almost everything by the way. As the train drew up to -the station, I saw him looking eagerly at each passing car. He quickly -saw me, and his first words were, “Why, Charles, my boy, I am so glad to -see you. How you have grown!” - -The carriage was in waiting, and soon we were at home. I cannot tell how -the other boys felt when they met their fathers and mothers or friends, -but I doubt if any of them were happier than I. If the heart is capable -of holding only so much joy, they could not have been happier, for mine -was full. The servants were all ready with their profoundest salaams and -greetings, and even the dogs, from the big hound to the little terrier, -were glad, and he must be hard-hearted indeed, who cannot enjoy the -greeting, sincere and honest as it is, of a dog. - -Need I tell of the pleasant dinner that followed? The big vases of -flowers were not now needed to hide my mistakes. All was as if I were -some distinguished guest, not that quite, but a long absent friend. -After that came our chat with our coffee in front of the fire. One thing -gave me the greatest pleasure, and that was Mr. Percy’s evident -satisfaction in my improvement. He never praised or flattered me, though -he always spoke kindly. It was not in his words so much that I knew of -his pleasure, as in his manner, a feeling that came from his heart, and -through his eyes, in his voice, his smile, his gestures; in fact, his -satisfaction showed itself in the whole man. He was all or nothing. His -whole being was absorbed in what he was, and all his faculties and -energy in what he did. He could not profess to believe anything and then -act contrary to it. There was no sophistry in his words or deception in -his manner. His leading characteristic was sincerity. He often said that -he made many mistakes, and he might have added that he was ever ready to -acknowledge and rectify them. He had his moods as all should have. At -home in his library, investigating some abstruse law case, he was as -frigid as marble, and could bear no interruption from friend, servant or -dog. Even in this mood he was never out of temper, for I never once saw -him surly or cross. He calmly gave the order that he was not to be -disturbed and it was obeyed. Once I broke the rule. The door was closed -and the bearer acted as Cerberus. A young man had come to see me ride a -pony that Mr. Percy had purchased for me. I did not like to wait, for it -might be hours before the door would be opened, as it was early morning, -and I might miss the chance of a ride. I approached the door and the -bearer shook his head, but I gave a timid knock and heard “Come in.” I -opened the door just enough to let my voice in and said, “Please may I -ride the pony?” “Yes, Charles; good morning,” he answered. I heard the -smile in his tone, and said “Thank you.” I think he would have received -the bearer with the same courtesy if it had been necessary to interrupt -him. He treated the servants with kindness, even the sweeper had respect -shown him. He made all allowances for their capacity and position. I -remember one morning a neighbor called, and while sitting on the veranda -complained of one of his servants who was not able to do this or that, -and after he had finished, Mr. Percy quietly asked, “Stoker, how much -ability do you expect to get for eight rupees a month?” - -I saw him in his court room where he put on his judicial mood, when calm -and dignified he listened to all parties alike, showing in his manner -that he had taken no side, but was trying to find out the truth that he -might act justly. One thing I remember particularly, he would not allow -a witness to be bullied or frightened out of his senses by a pleader on -the opposite side, as is too often the case. In some courts one might -think the one accused of crime had got into the witness stand instead of -the dock, from the manner the witness is treated. The way they are often -badgered is enough to keep them away from court, and when there, to -prevent them telling a straight story, either true or untrue. After -calmly hearing a case Mr. Percy would deliberately render his judgment. -When many years had passed, and I had an opportunity of inquiring, I -found that never was one of his decisions reversed by a higher court. - -There was not a more sociable man in the station than he. He was -extremely fond of good company. I mean by that, of intelligent men and -women of good sense, agreeable manners; who had something worth talking -about, who could wield argument even against himself, and I think he was -more pleased with a keen opponent than with one who agreed entirely with -him. He was fond of wit, and had an abundance of it. I knew that he -hated low talk and vulgar anecdotes. No one ever commenced the second -time to tell one of those ill-flavored stories in his presence. Once a -rather fast youth, who presumed a good deal on his family and position -in society, was about to offer one of his unsavory morsels, when Mr. -Percy remarked in the tone of a judge roasting a thief, “Mr. Sharp, you -had better take your smut to another market.” Another time, after a -bachelor’s dinner, a man high up in the service commenced to relate one -of his bald old elementary jokes that appeared to have some impropriety -in it. Mr. Percy arose and left the room without a word, but every one -was conscious of what he thought and felt. The social thermometer fell -suddenly a number of degrees, and the story remained untold. - -His purity of conversation was one of his characteristics. I cannot -recall a word or story of his, that could not have been told in a -drawing room to the most refined ladies and gentlemen. He would no -sooner let dirty talk come from his lips than he would have taken filth -from the gutter and rubbed it upon his own face or thrown it in the -faces of his friends. This had a great effect upon me in after life. - -One may make allowance for ignorant men who have always lived in an -atmosphere of coarseness and vulgarity, for indulging in talk which -seems second nature to them, but I never could comprehend how educated -men, boasting of their blood and family descent, claiming to be -Christians and gentlemen, can indulge in stories and insinuations that -are most repulsive to all but those whose minds gloat and fatten upon -salacious garbage. - -Mr. Percy could become angry, but always with a reason and a purpose, -yet at times, under great provocation, he could be as cool as if nothing -had happened. He was once making an experiment in trying to grow -seedless oranges. There were only half a dozen fruit on the tree, and -while they were ripening he never missed seeing them several times a -day, and every one about the place knew his interest in them. The malies -were ordered to watch them night and day. One morning all were gone. The -malies were instantly summoned. They declared that their eyes had been -upon the oranges every minute; they would sooner have plucked out their -eyes than to have had the fruit disappear. He knew that one or all of -them were guilty, as it was impossible for any one else to have taken -the fruit without their knowing it. They were all ordered to the -veranda, and the bearer was told to bring the galvanic battery, or bijli -ka bockus, as they called it. A large mirror was placed in front of the -box. They were told to look into the mirror and to take hold of the -handles of the battery and the oranges would be seen in the eyes of the -thief. They all exclaimed that the idea was an excellent one. Three of -them stood the test bravely, receiving the shocks and looking with eyes -wide open into the mirror. The fourth, as he took hold, when the current -was increased, cried out that he was dying, and tightly closed his eyes, -declaring that the light was so bright that he could not open them. “All -right,” said Mr. Percy, “if we cannot see the oranges in his eyes we -will look into his house,” and every one went to see the search. Sure -enough, the oranges were found hidden in the man’s hut. Mr. Percy did -not dismiss the man or even utter a word of reproach. His fellow -servants, however, did not let the matter rest, as they often asked him -what he thought of the bijli ka bockus. There was no more fruit stolen -after that. The report got abroad in the bazar, and probably there were -but few in the city who did not hear of the Barra Sahib’s wonderful -instrument for detecting a thief. - -Once he had purchased a number of sheep to add to his flock. A few -mornings after, looking them over, he asked the shepherd where he got -those strange sheep. “Why,” said the man, “they are the very sheep his -honor bought.” Mr. Percy suggested, “They are very much changed,” and -examining them closely, exclaimed, “They have been sheared!” “Sheared!” -said the man, in utter astonishment, “is his honor’s servant such a dog -as that, to let any one shear the sheep while I am the shepherd?” “Very -well,” said Mr. Percy, “put the sheep in the yard and feed them.” He -then turned to me and said that we would take our morning ride, as my -pony and his horse were waiting. - -We rode off to one of the villages near which the sheep had been -pastured. Calling the zemindar or head man he asked him if there was any -wool in the village, as he wanted some immediately. The zemindar replied -that the day previous he had seen one of the villagers carrying some -wool to his house, so bidding him show us the place we followed. The man -was called and told to bring out all the wool he had, which was quite a -load for him. Mr. Percy said it was just the kind of wool he wanted, and -told the man to bring it with him at once. He asked the zemindar to come -also. - -We returned at a walk with the men at our heels. Mr. Percy was so quiet -and deliberate that no one would have suspected the purport of this wool -gathering. On reaching the sheep-fold the shepherd appeared at the gate. -With a glance he took in the whole situation, the zemindar, the -purchaser and the wool itself. He stood trembling from head to foot. Mr. -Percy sat on his horse silently looking at him for some moments, as it -seemed to me, then calling the shepherd by name, he said, “You tell that -lying dog of a servant who takes care of my sheep that if he has any -more wool to sell that I would like to buy it.” - -There was not a coarse or improper word used. There was anger, but it -was of that slow, intense, deliberate kind that made every word cut with -a keen, sarcastic edge, or fall like a blow upon the man until he could -stand no longer, but fell crouching before us and begged that the sahib -would strike him, kill him, but not say anything more. I thought that I -would have rather taken any number of lashings than those reproachful -words. Mr. Percy turned without another word to him, after he had thrown -himself upon the ground. He inquired of the man how much he had paid for -the wool, and calling the bearer told him to pay that amount and a rupee -besides, and suggested that he buy no more wool of the shepherds. He -also told the bearer to give the zemindar some fruit for his children, -and our morning’s adventure was ended. - -I asked him if he was going to dismiss the shepherd. “O, no,” said he, -“I might get a worse thief, and he will never shear the sheep again.” He -never did, and was one of the most faithful servants ever afterward. - -I have known many sahibs since then, and doubt if they would have let -such a man off so easily. Most of them, in their wrath, would have -thrashed him with a horse whip, or others would have sent him to jail. -Though Mr. Percy had his riding whip in his hand, he did not even raise -it, and he would no more have struck the man than he would have struck -me. He abhorred that brutal custom of flogging the natives, or throwing -boots, or anything convenient, at their heads, so frequent among the -high born sahib log. - -He always made allowances for the circumstances of the natives. Once, -referring to the ignorance, poverty and low wages of the people, he -said: “If I was so hard pressed as they are, I am afraid I might do a -little stealing myself.” He was very kind to the poor, and they all knew -him as their friend. - -Early on each Sunday morning, there would be a crowd of the lame, blind, -diseased, old, decrepit women and mothers with sickly, starved children, -in our compound. As soon as we had taken our tea, which was very early, -he would say: “Now, Charles, let us go to our religious service. We will -not say, ‘Let us sing, or let us pray,’ but we will worship God in -giving something to His poor.” So we would go out, he, with his bag of -rupees, anas and pice, which he had ready, and each of the Lord’s poor -would come up to get their share. He never trusted this to the servants. -This was his personal service unto God, and he performed it devoutly as -if he felt God himself was there seeing it all, and I have no doubt He -was. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - -I have in my life attended many religious services, but never one that -impressed me of so much good as those to the poor in our compound. This -service was not restricted to Sunday, as is too often the case in -religious matters, as if God was shut up in the churches and He only did -business one day in the week. - -Scarcely a day passed but some came to him for assistance of some kind, -and very few went away without a token of his kindness. He was cautious -in giving, yet he very often gave when he was not quite satisfied, -saying: “I would rather take the chance of giving to twenty undeserving, -than to fail once in doing right to any one. The deceivers hurt -themselves more than any loss to me. I will do the best I can, and the -settlement at last will be all right.” Then he added, “Charles, my boy, -always remember this, a man who does a mean act always hurts himself -more than anybody else. It may not seem so at the time, but sooner or -later in this life, or the life to come, every wrong act will rebound -upon the doer like a boomerang, and this will make an eternal -punishment. This is one of God’s beneficent and inexorable laws, and I -do not believe that He will or that He can change it. Whatever a man -sows that shall he reap, is true, not because it is in the Bible, but -because it is in harmony with the universal law of cause and effect, in -nature, and also in morals.” - -He often indulged in such reflections. It was his indirect way of -appealing to my reason, in giving me suggestions and advice. - -I have said that he was kind to the poor. He took a great interest in -establishing hospitals and dispensaries in the district, and when the -Government allowance for medicines was not sufficient, he supplied this -from his own funds. He always kept a stock of medicines on hand and -various medical works, which he had well studied, so that he was quite a -doctor. For some of the villages remote from the dispensaries, he would -send medicines for free distribution to some prominent native, usually a -man in Government service, with full directions as to the use of them. - -One day a native from one of these villages came to ask for a certain -kind of medicine. He was asked how he knew of the medicine, and he -answered that he had bought some of the Tahsildar sahib, and that he had -gone to him for another bottle, but the Tahsildar sahib had demanded two -rupees for it, and he had paid only one before, so he had come to the -Barra Sahib. Mr. Percy told him that it was not possible that he was -telling the truth in saying that he had bought the medicine. The man -declared that he had told the truth. Mr. Percy, turning to me, said, -“Well, Charles, we have some business in hand, and you must help me out. -I believe this fellow, but his say so will not be sufficient proof -against the Tahsildar. If we cannot get up a scheme to entrap this fraud -we had better leave the country at once.” Ram Singh stood waiting very -attentively, not understanding anything that we said. For a few minutes -Mr. Percy sat with an elbow on each arm of his chair, with his hands in -front of him, the tips of the fingers of one hand touching the tips of -the other, while he looked away off, as if he could see help coming from -a distance. This was often his attitude when engaged in deep thought. “I -have it, I have it!” he exclaimed, and going into his library, returned -with a ten-rupee note. “Now,” said he, “I will write something in Greek, -and sign it with my initials, and you can put on it some writing with -your name.” When he had finished, he handed the note to me, and as I -turned to go to the other side of the table, there sat “Cockear” before -me. This was a terrier always waiting and watching. We called him -Cockear because his right ear always stood erect, or rather, leaned -forward, while his left ear always hung down at the side of his head, -giving him a most comical appearance. I had tried to make sketches of -this dog, and on the impulse of the moment, with him before me, watching -intently, as if he had some interest in the business in hand, I got a -sketch of his head, particularly that ear of his, and wrote Charles in -front, and Japhet after it, with “his” above and “mark” under the -sketch. - -A few days previous a soldier had come to sign some papers before the -magistrate and I noticed he signed in this way with his mark. I was -greatly surprised that a good looking European was unable to write his -name, so I got the hint from the way he signed the paper. As I handed -the note to Mr. Percy he exclaimed “Excellent! excellent! just the -thing, couldn’t be better.” He sent for the villager and when he -appeared he said, “Ram Singh, you know I am your friend, your bhai, -brother.” “Certainly Sahib, I know it, for didn’t you come out and help -me when I was in great trouble and came very near losing my fields.” -“Now Ram Singh do you think you can do just as I tell you without a -mistake?” “Certainly Sahib, if I have to die for it.” Said Mr. Percy, -“Here is a ten-rupee note, now listen with both your ears for you must -do just as I tell you.” “Without any doubt Sahib.” “You take this note, -go back to your village and to-morrow morning, take two men, your -friends with you, show them the note and then you go to the Tahsildar -and buy a bottle of the medicine, give him the note and get eight rupees -from him, do this so that your two friends can see the whole transaction -and prove by them that you bought the medicine.” - -Ram Singh was asked to repeat the instructions several times to show -that he thoroughly understood them. And now said Mr. Percy “Don’t you -gossip along the road with any one about this matter and don’t say a -word about this to your wife for you know how the women chatter.” “Yes, -yes, I know it too well,” he replied with a knowing look, for his wife’s -free tongue had caused the trouble about the fields, and the Sahib had -made a good point of it. “After you get the medicine, bring the bottle -and the eight rupees and your two friends straight to me as quickly as -you can, for I will be waiting for you.” Saying “very good, Sahib, it -shall be just as your Honor has commanded,” he made his salaam and -departed. - -I was greatly interested in the affair, because I was admitted as a -partner, a junior one to be sure, yet still a partner. I questioned if -Ram Singh would do as he was told. “No doubt of it,” said Mr. Percy. “I -know Ram Singh well, and he will do his part to the very letter just as -I told him. That is the pleasure in dealing with these natives, if they -have entire confidence in you, they have no minds of their own when in -your service and never stop to reason, but do just as they are told. -This is rather inconvenient at times. Once I gave a darzi some cloth and -an old pair of trousers for a pattern and told him to make a pair just -like the old ones, but to my dismay he put in all the patches and -darns.” - -I was considerably excited over our plot and showed it by my -restlessness. “Charles, Charles,” said Mr. Percy, “You are too agitated. -I am afraid you would never do for a judge.” - -As that day was some joogly poogly of a holiday, Mr. Percy had more -leisure than usual and various were our talks and amusements, as if he -was living over one of his boyhood days. Suddenly changing our -conversation he said, “Your letters each week were so different from -each other, so much so that I could not help noticing it, why was it?” -Then I told him, that by a rule we were allowed to write only one letter -a week, on Saturday, and these were delivered to the principal who read -them before they were sent; that when writing these regulation letters I -was not free to write just what I thought but all the time I was writing -I could think only of what the principal might say or criticise. “I see, -I see,” said he. Then I told him of my little trick about the other -letters, of my writing them out by the rock and of my compact with the -bearer to post them. With a pleased smile, as if he remembered he had -once been a boy himself, he replied: “Charles I am afraid you are -somewhat of a rogue after all.” I could not help judging from his manner -that if he thought I was a rogue I was a very good kind of one, for he -often spoke of his delight in those stolen letters. - -The morning came and with it, Ram Singh, his two friends, the bottle of -medicine and the eight rupees. So far so good. He was told to keep the -empty bottle and the filled bottle he had just bought, by him, and that -he should go out and the bearer would give food for himself and his -friends, but to say not a word about the business to any one. A sowar or -mounted messenger was sent in haste to order the Tahsildar to bring all -the money he had collected for some village purposes, all the medicine -in hand, as Mr. Percy wished to examine them, and the full list of all -those to whom he had given medicine. - -A few hours afterward, came dressed for the occasion, the Tahsildar, -with the haughty air of one honored by being sent for to meet the Barra -Sahib. He was shown into the library. After the usual fulsome greetings, -the Tahsildar, radiant with pleasure, the village accounts were examined -and the money handed over. I was standing by and at once saw our old -friend the ten-rupee note. To restrain my expression of surprise, I put -my hand on my mouth as if I had suddenly bit my tongue and went to -another part of the room. I felt certain that I was not fit to be a -judge as I could not keep a straight face. I quickly returned, Mr. Percy -counting the money took up our note, saying to the Tahsildar “This is a -strange looking note, can it be a good one?” “Without doubt,” said the -Tahsildar, “it must be a good one.” “We will have to trace it,” replied -Mr. Percy, while turning it over and holding it up towards the light. -“Where did you get it?” he inquired, and the Tahsildar quickly answered, -“I am sure I got it of one Ram Singh of the village of Futtypur.” “How -did you come to get it?” - -“In this way,” and the Tahsildar hesitated. “The man came to buy some -cloth, and got me to change the note for him, which I did.” “Very good,” -said Mr. Percy; “we will see about this later.” - -The medicines were all examined, and then the list of those to whom -donations had been made. Mr. Percy, looking over the list, quietly said, -“You gave away all these; that is, I mean, were none sold?” “Allah -forbid!” exclaimed the Tahsildar. “How could it be possible when his -honor, out of his distinguished generosity, had provided medicine to be -given to the poor, that his honor’s slave should be such a dog as to -sell any of the medicines?” - -I looked over the list, but Ram Singh’s name was not there. Mr. Percy -went out of the room for a moment, and soon after he returned, in came -Ram Singh with his two friends. As junior partner, I did my part in -looking on, especially watching the face of the Tahsildar. At the -appearance of Ram Singh he surely felt that there was mischief brewing, -for he scowled and fairly looked daggers at the man. - -“Now, Ram Singh,” inquired Mr. Percy, “did you ever get any medicine of -the Tahsildar sahib?” - -“O yes, I got a bottle.” - -“When?” quickly asked Mr. Percy. - -“It was on the last day of the Ram nila mela, when the people were -coming from the pooja.” - -“He gave you some?” - -“No, no. I paid a rupee for it; and here is the empty bottle.” - -“Ram Singh!” said Mr. Percy, very sternly. “Do you expect me to believe -that you went and paid the Tahsildar sahib a rupee for a little bottle -of medicine, when you are so poor that you cannot get food enough to -eat?” - -“He is lying,” broke in the Tahsildar, catching at this straw, “they are -all liars, these spawn of Shaitan!” - -“Ram Singh,” continued Mr. Percy, with a grave voice, “I want to know -where you got that rupee.” - -“I sold some haldi to the poojawalas; a few pice worth to one, and a few -anas worth to another, until I got the rupee.” - -“Yes,” said Mr. Percy, “and then you wasted it on a bottle of medicine.” - -“Wasted! wasted, sahib! wasted, when my only boy, the light of my eyes, -the heart of my heart, was ill, and I was afraid he was dying! Had he -died, where would I have been? My honor, my house, my all! How could I -think of the loss of a rupee, even if it was the last one I should ever -see?” - -“It is well,” said Mr. Percy; “but did you ever get any more medicine?” - -“Yes,” he replied, “this morning I got another bottle, and here it is,” -holding it up. - -“And this was given to you?” asked Mr. Percy. - -“No, no! I gave two rupees for this one.” - -“Ram Singh!” said Mr. Percy, more sternly than before, “I don’t want any -falsehoods about this. You said you once paid one rupee when it was all -you had, and now you dare to tell me that you have gone and paid two -rupees?” - -“Your honor!” exclaimed the Tahsildar, “he is lying, and I would not -listen to him any more; where could he, a beggar get two rupees?” - -“Yes, sahib,” put in Ram Singh, “it is a true thing; for these brothers -of mine went with me and saw me get the medicine, and they know I tell -the truth.” - -“We will hear them,” said Mr. Percy. “What do you know about it?” They -were all standing in a row in front of us, directly facing the -Tahsildar, with the palms of their hands together, as is the custom. -Said the elder of them, “Ram Singh came to us just as light appeared -this morning, and showed us a ten-rupee note, saying that he was going -to the Tahsildar sahib, at Sahib Gunge, to buy some medicine, and wanted -us to go with him, as he said he was afraid of being robbed, or that the -Tahsildar sahib might arrest him for having so much money; so we went -with him and saw him give the note, and get the bottle of medicine and -eight rupees from the Tahsildar sahib. That is all I know about it.” - -“Another lie! they are all of a kind, and have made up this story -together, to destroy my honor,” put in the Tahsildar. - -“Now, Ram Singh,” said Mr. Percy, “I want to know about this; where did -you get that ten-rupee note?” And Ram Singh, greatly surprised, not -seeing the line of investigation, exclaimed, “Barra Sahib! Did I not -come to you yesterday for some medicine, and from your honor’s kind -heart did you not give me a ten-rupee note?” - -“Is this it?” inquired Mr. Percy, showing him the note. - -“The very one,” he exclaimed, “for there is the dog’s head. This morning -when we were on the road, where no one could see us, I took the note out -of my kamarbund and showed it to my two brothers, and I told them that I -saw the Chota Sahib make that dog’s head while I stood at the Barra -Sahib’s table.” - -“Charles,” asked Mr. Percy, “Chota Sahib, are you in this conspiracy -too? Let us hear from you; the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but -the truth!” as sternly as if I was a culprit, yet with a twinkle in his -eye that I well understood. “Did you ever see this note before?” he -asked. “Yes,” I replied, “I saw it in this room yesterday. Ram Singh was -here, and Cockear was sitting in front while I made the sketch. I cannot -tell a lie, sir. That is my mark. I did it with my little—pen.” I was -about to say hatchet, as I had just read the story of George Washington. -I also added, “These Greek words are yours, and there are your -initials.” “Yes,” said Mr. Percy, “you are correct. The only witness yet -remaining is the dog, so we will call him,” and at a whistle, there he -was before us, all alive, trembling with eagerness, with that ear of his -cocked up, as if waiting to hear us say, “Rats!” - -In the whole of this investigation Cockear came as the climax, and his -action showed that he was conscious of his importance in the affair. The -whole scene was so ludicrous that we, Mr. Percy and all, even Cockear in -his way, burst out laughing, except the discomfited Tahsildar, who -responded with more of a savage grin than anything else. - -Assuming his magisterial air again, Mr. Percy said, “Now, Tahsildar -sahib, we will hear what you have to say.” This man, so bold when he -entered the room, cowered in his chair. He seemed whipped; completely -used up. He began, “Your Honor!” and hesitated. “If it had depended on -the testimony of these miserable wretches I would never have believed -myself guilty of such a mean act, but as the Chota Sahib’s picture of -the dog and your signature on the note are against me, I must believe -that I did this thing; it must be my kismet, though I cannot understand -how I came to be caught in this net of Shaitan.” “You plead guilty, -then?” asked Mr. Percy. “Your Honor have mercy upon me, for it was -Shaitan that has beguiled me.” - -After a pause Mr. Percy began, “Tahsildar!” he dropped the sahib, “I had -all confidence in you, and trusted you implicitly. You have robbed the -poor; you have deceived me; you came here boldly and lied to me, and -have wronged these poor men in trying to make them out as false -witnesses. Why, even the dog is more honorable and truthful than you -are. An officer of the government, you are no better than a common liar, -or a low down bazar sneak thief. I shall never trust or believe you -again.” - -As he went on Mr. Percy’s wrath increased, and he gave the Tahsildar -such a scoring that made him tremble. Mr. Percy had taken a large round -black ruler in his hand, and when firing off one of his severest shots -at the Tahsildar, he brought the ruler down upon the table with such -force that it broke into a number of pieces. This so increased the -fright of the Tahsildar that he threw himself upon the floor and grasped -Mr. Percy’s feet. Cockear, taking him for some kind of game, went for -the crouching suppliant in dead earnest. This rather spoiled the -judicial aspect of the scene. The bearer took away the dog, and the man -was ordered to his seat. - -“One word more,” said Mr. Percy, “Don’t you ever in any way interfere -with these men. They have done just what I told them to do.” Then -turning to the men, “Ram Singh, if this Tahsildar ever troubles you in -the least, let me know it and I will have him put in jail as a thief. -Here are the rupees you paid for the medicine and there is another -bottle besides. I am much pleased with what you have done. You can go -now,” and out they went, followed by the Tahsildar who made a most -obeisant salaam. I doubt if in all his life he was as glad to escape -from anything as he was from Mr. Percy’s withering scorn. - -This ended, Mr. Percy said, “Now, Charles, I think we have had circus -enough for one day, we will take a walk in the garden.” Several times he -referred to the scenes in “our court,” as he styled it. The crash of -that ruler, the quaking fright, and the crouching of the Tahsildar and -Cockear going for him was so ludicrous, that he laughed till the tears -came. - -I said he was angry. I never again saw him show his indignation as on -that day, and had he not cause for it then? Yet he did not use one -improper word, nothing but what his mother might have heard, and I think -had she been present she would have said “Robert, you are too good, you -should not talk to such a man, rather take the ruler to him, or beat him -out of the house with your slipper.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - -In the evening I was amused at a little incident. We were taking our -coffee after dinner in front of the fire in the drawing room. Cockear -was crouched on the rug before us watching every motion and with that -ear of his erect as usual. Said Mr. Percy, “Cockear! you honest fellow, -come to me,” and with a spring the dog was on Mr. Percy’s lap. Mr. Percy -looking into his bright beautiful eyes said, “Cockear, I believe you -have a soul and are immortal. I know you would talk to me if only that -mouth of yours was of a different shape, but I will say in that upright -ear of yours that you are one of the best witnesses I ever had. I wish -the witnesses in my court were only half, or even one-quarter as -truthful as you are.” - -Then we had another talk and laugh over the outcome of our scheme and -the ludicrous incidents in it. Then he fell to talking over the -deliberate falsehoods of the natives. - -“I often wonder that there is any justice to any one, for who can -decide, even with the utmost care what is truth when there is so much -falsehood and perjury on both sides? I often think of Pilate and can -sympathize with him when he asked “What is truth?” I have a case of -murder in court. A score or more of Muhamedans swear on the Koran that -the man is guilty, and as many Hindus swear by the water of the Ganges -that the man is innocent. What am I to do? I have sometimes thought in -such a case I might as well count the flies on the punkah over my head, -and if the number be even, let the accused go free, if odd, sentence him -to be hung. And I think the decision by the flies would be as just as by -the evidence of the witnesses. - -“The natives all acknowledge this habit of lying and perjury and seem to -think nothing of it, take it as a matter of course. Why, I am told that -the groups of trees in my cutchery compound are called two ana trees, -four ana trees and so on up to two rupees, according to the size of the -bribes the witnesses are willing to take; so when the parties in court -want witnesses, they go to the different trees in proportion to their -ability to pay and get what they desire. - -“Some of these natives talk of representative government. Who would be -the representatives? What would they represent? As a whole people they -have no country. I never yet saw a patriot among all I have met. They -have not the remotest idea of what that word means, what the love of -country is. If they fight, it is because they are hired to do so for the -sake of plunder, or to kill those who oppose their wishes, but they -would never fight and die as patriots for the love of their country; and -those who talk the most, would be the last to take up arms. If we were -to leave the country, within a month all would be confusion. They would -be robbing each other and cutting one another’s throats worse than -pirates. The more educated know this, and while they want to become the -rulers, they would like us to remain and be their protectors. It is the -jealousy of the different tribes that is the greatest strength of the -English in India. They cannot trust each other for they know too well -what would happen if left to themselves. Just think of it. Here is this -Tahsildar, from one of their old best families, as they would say, a -devout Muhamedan, a man honored by Government with a good position, -receiving a large salary, and yet for a paltry rupee or two he stole my -medicine, robbed the poor of what I had given them, and then -deliberately lied about it. Why, I would sooner trust you, Cockear, with -my dinner than such a man, wouldn’t I?” and Cockear put up his paw and -nodded his head as if to say: “You are right again, my master.” - -Mr. Percy continued, “I was once in a district where there was a famine; -thousands of people were starving. At the best, we had not funds -sufficient to give them half enough to eat of the coarsest food. There -was nothing for them to gather, not even grass, for the earth was as -hard and dry as a brick. The people died in the villages, on the roads, -under the trees, not from any disease but from starvation. Every day we -sent out men to bury the dead—skeletons—on which there was nothing for -even the jackals to eat. It was a horrid time. I could scarcely eat my -own food for thinking of the poor wretches dying in want of such food as -was given to my dogs and horses. The few Europeans could not be -everywhere in the district and watch everything, so we had to use our -subordinates. In a very large village we put the Tahsildar in charge. He -reported to us the number to be fed, and we supplied him with funds and -gave him orders to purchase and distribute so much food each day. He -reported every day that he had done so. I rode out one morning very -early and found some food cooked, the fires all out, and the -distribution ready to begin. I had the food weighed and found it was -only half the allowance ordered, and that he had daily reported. I -ordered the fires to be relighted and the proper amount of food to be -cooked, and saw to the feeding of the people myself, twenty-two hundred -of them, and then what they did get was only half of what they needed, a -couple of chupatties and a little dhal, to last them for twenty-four -hours; but it was all we could give them. This was for that day; but -what if I had not been there, or what of the days when no European was -present? We were as positive as we could be that this Tahsildar was -making money out of the famine fund; but what could we do? He received -the money, he bought the food, saw to the distribution and made out his -own reports. He could have bought up any number of lying witnesses to -prove that he was honest, and we had none to prove him otherwise. -Shortly after the famine he made a grand wedding for one of his children -that cost him over ten thousand rupees, and it was the common talk among -the natives that he got this money from the famine relief fund. - -“Such a man, to rob the food from the mouths of starving children! He -would be mean enough to take the winding-sheet from the corpse of his -grandmother if he could sell it for a few anas! He was probably the best -native in the district. What then were the rest? And they talk of giving -such men power to make laws and govern India! If a man like him, in such -a position, would be guilty of such contemptibly mean crimes, what might -be expected of men receiving only a few rupees a month? Give me an -honest dog every time, rather than such a man,” and Cockear nodded again -very emphatically, as if saying, “There is no mistake in that.” Thus Mr. -Percy talked, for this was one of his moods. He seemed to be thinking -aloud. He was so just and kind himself toward the natives, though they -often abused his confidence, that when he talked of their dishonesty and -meanness to each other he always grew warm. Why shouldn’t he? - -He had great sympathy for the poorer natives, since he knew so much of -the extortions and tyranny of the richer classes. - -To have some little part in the conversation I told the story of that -frightful zemindar who seized the very rags of the poor people in that -never to be forgotten court from which I had escaped; and of the cruel -robbery of the man of his handful of fish that he had caught for his -starving old mother. How vividly that scene came up before me. - -“Yes,” said Mr. Percy, “and very likely that same zemindar would be -called before some wandering parliamentary committee to give his advice -about relieving the poverty of the people of India. He could tell them -more of how to relieve them of their property.” - -As I had no experience and little knowledge of these subjects I could -not say much; so both Cockear and I were good listeners, as we -frequently had such conversations, that is, Mr. Percy talked while we -listened. Some Frenchman has said that there is a large class of people, -including nearly everybody, who have not sense enough to talk, nor sense -enough to keep still. Had he seen the dog and me, I am sure he would -have made a special class for us. - -I need not say that the days passed quickly, and the time was coming for -me to return to school. I scarcely allowed myself to think of leaving -Mr. Percy and his pleasant home. When I did so, a choking lump would -come into my throat and a pain into my heart that brought tears to my -eyes. What boy has not felt this? I hardly dared hint at my feeling, but -one day when Mr. Percy suggested some preparation for going, I said I -was sorry to leave. “Yes, Charles, so am I sorry to have you go. But I -wish you to make a man of yourself, and this can be done only by -discipline of the mind and the acquisition of knowledge, and the best -place for this is in school. Manly strength comes from exercise of the -body, mental strength from using the mind, and both should go together. -If you neglect the culture of both, except to ornament the body with -clothes, you become a fop or swell. If you improve the body only, you -are simply a muscular animal or strong brute. Neglect the body and only -cultivate the mind, and you may become a mental phenomenon, a dyspeptic -growler. A trained mind in a trained body, is the way to put it; -otherwise there is incongruity, as much as to speak of cleanly people -living in a filthy house or filthy people living in a clean house. I -said discipline of mind. This comes by thinking for yourself, reasoning -with intense thought, and retaining what you learn. A man mentally -strong is not the one who simply knows the most, but the one who has -power to think, to reason, grasp facts, compare them and make -conclusions. The most of the educated natives have acquired knowledge by -memory, to the neglect of their reasoning faculties, and are like -trained parrots. One with disciplined reasoning faculties has always the -advantage over the one who is only a memorizer. The former is able to -use the material he may find in his way, while the other has the -materials but is unable to use them. Therefore get discipline, reasoning -power first of all, and the other will naturally follow. You must labor -with your mind as with the body. You may come across the story of the -man who began by lifting the calf, and continued it daily, so that when -the calf became an ox he could lift it as well. Strength of mind is -acquired by constant study, mental lifting. The boy who at first lifts -the light weight of the multiplication table and goes on lifting -something heavier each day, will find at length no difficulty in -grappling with Newton’s Principia. The training of either mind or body -should not be by spurts or sudden starts. You cannot violate the laws of -growth, either mental or physical, and be a really well developed man, -any more than you can violate God’s natural or moral laws six days of -the week and expect to make up for it on the seventh day. I do not want -you to be a seventh-day sort of a man, but to be real and true every day -and every hour you live.” - -With such remarks as these he grew more and more in earnest. “And now,” -said he, “I wish to talk to you from my inner soul, and I want to make -an impression that may never leave you as long as you live.” - -I will not try to give his words. I thought so much of what he meant -that I did not remember the phrases he used. He talked to me of -uncleanness of thought in which is the root of all evil, of -uncleanliness of speech, of uncleanliness in deed. He told me of things -that made cold chills rush through me and gave me such a fright of -impurity that I think this talk was the greatest blessing of my life. He -warned me against improper associates. “If you cannot get good company, -it were better to be alone. If a boy makes any improper suggestion or -indulges in improper talk, check him at once, show him the evil of it, -persuade him, do him good in every way, but if he will not desist, run -from him as if from a leper or from fire, and keep away from him as you -would from a foul or poisonous thing. Better to throw yourself into the -filth of the gutter than to allow yourself or any one to throw filth on -your mind. You can wash your body or your clothes, but never wash your -mind. The stains that are made upon it can never be erased. They are -more indelibly engraved on the memory than any engraving on the hardest -substance known. Memory is God’s judgment-day book, or rather men’s, for -each one keeps his own daily and eternal record, and this he will take -with him when he departs this life, and he will possess it, for it is a -part of his soul, and carry it with him for ever; and this record will -be a constant and perpetual witness for or against himself and make his -heaven or his hell. This record is as indestructible as the soul itself; -nothing of it can be lost, for nothing in the memory can ever be -forgotten. Man is the architect of his own fortune, not only in this -life, but for the life to come. Now Charles, I have told you all this as -a sacred duty, and I beg of you in the fear of God, and for the love and -regard you have for me, remember and obey these things.” - -How well do I remember this. We had come into the garden and taken our -seats on one of the benches. He took one of my hands in each of his and -looking me in the eyes he talked with such warmth and tenderness as if -his soul was in every word. And I am sure it was. Had I been his own -son, and he upon his death-bed looking into eternity and giving me his -last parting words, he could not have expressed himself with more -solicitude and loving tenderness. How often in my life have I thanked -God for such a wise friend and those words that have kept me from -falling into many a snare and from getting many a stain and wound. - -There are many thousands—bishops, priests, parsons _et id omne genus_, -who are wasting their lives in trying to reconstruct the old hardened -sinners. If they were to spend four-fifths of their time in warning the -children and youth against vices and in showing them the horrid nature -of the pitfalls of sin, in a few generations there would be no old -sinners to worry about. They leave the young trees to grow all gnarled -and twisted and then sputter about trying to convert them into straight -trees. I have heard many a sermon, but all of them put together never -had such a good effect upon my life as that half-hour’s earnest talk in -the garden. - -But as I am not well up in church therapeutics, my suggestions may be -scorned by the last downy-cheeked fledgling of a priest who has just -donned his church coat. Yet I cannot help thinking my own honest -thoughts. - -Did we have any such instructions in school? None whatever. The course -of study was prepared by Government. It was so full and rigid that very -few of the boys could spare time to read a book or paper. We were much -like the poor geese of Strasburg. Each goose is nailed up in a box so -that it cannot stand up or move, with its head and neck out at one end -of the box. A number of times during the day and night, men go through -the lines each with a syringe filled with chopped feed which is injected -down the throats of the geese, willy nilly, and thus, enlarged livers -are produced for the celebrated pâté de foie gras. - -We human geese were stuffed and crammed by our teachers. It was “one -demnition grind,” quoting Mr. Mantalini. There was no physiology or -hygienic morals in the course and no time to give attention to such -subjects. - -It is true, we had our religious exercises. We memorized the creeds and -catechism; but as they were compulsory and often given us to learn or -repeat as a punishment, we got to rattling them off as we did the -multiplication table or rules of grammar. We certainly neither -understood them or fell in love with them. We had our daily religious -service, as a matter of course, just as we had our morning wash, by rule -and order, and as the water was often icy cold, so was the other. In -fact all the religious ceremonies were as formal, exact and regular as -if the motive power was a steam engine. - -After the plain talk given me by Mr. Percy, I thought what a blessing it -would be if all the boys could have heard him, or if our burly principal -or some of the teachers could have given us some instruction about -keeping our minds and bodies morally pure and clean, rather than cram us -continually with mathematics, grammar, creeds and psalms. As for the -good these latter did us, they might as well have been written on a roll -of paper and placed in a Tibetan prayer-wheel, and each boy to give it a -turn as he passed. However, I may be an old fool, as these are the -thoughts of my later years. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - -The time of my departure was coming. I scarcely need say that I had a -new outfit. The darzies were set to work and various articles were -purchased until the boxes were full to bursting. The day before my -departure a large basket was filled, the center piece a huge fruit cake, -surrounded by lesser cakes and the spaces filled with sweets. When this -was full to the top, the sight of it was enough to gladden the mouths of -any number of boys. Mr. Percy, no doubt, recalling his boyhood days as -if he knew what was coming, said, “Charles, I think the boys will be -glad to see you again.” And they were. We had many a feast out of that -basket. We appointed a catering committee to see to the distribution and -to prolong our stock. I could not take the credit to myself and omit Mr. -Percy, so I told them that he had sent the basket for them as well as -for me, and I think they were better boys for knowing they had such a -friend. He, I think, would have called this one of his religious -services. And why not? - -As I had plenty of money to buy all I wanted on our market day, I -reserved most of my share of the basket for little Johnny, the only -child of the widow, who, like me, never had a father, and except his -poor mother, scarcely a friend. Though he was not of our higher class -society, I invited him to our treats, and as it was my basket, and I was -somewhat master of the situation, no one, except two or three snobs, -made objection to his coming. - -My leaving home was quite an event, like the departure of some honored -guest. All showed their love and respect not for myself alone, but on -account of the friendship Mr. Percy had for me. He took me to the -station in his carriage, and as the train was starting grasped me by the -hand and with tears in his eyes said, “God bless you Charles. Be -studious; be true; be clean in thought, in word, and deed,” and he stood -watching until the train was out of sight. - -The years passed pleasantly though monotonously. We boys had our little -tiffs as men have their big ones. Toward the close of the year we put up -a big calendar of our own on the wall of our room, and in the evening, -at the close of each day, a boy in turn marked off the date with a long -black pencil, and we all joined in a song composed by our poet for the -occasion. Any one who has never been a boy at school can smile at this -if he pleases. It was our way of keeping track of time. - -I had a good supply of new books, and to get time to read them, finished -my lessons as quickly as possible. My two letters a week came as -regularly as the dates on our calendar. The delight I had in those just -received, and the anticipation of those coming, was to me a great source -of pleasure. And I had mine to write. Shortly after the term opened, the -principal, meeting me, said: “Master Japhet, you need not send your -letters to me any more for me to read. Seal them and put them in the -post-box, and you can write as many as you wish.” He did not say why, -for he never gave a reason for anything, as his word was law, he was law -unto himself, and to all the rest of us, for that matter. But I knew the -wherefore of it, that it was one of Mr. Percy’s surprises, as it was -characteristic of him to give surprises of pleasure without even hinting -about them. I could well say: “Nothing like having a friend at Court.” I -left our dignified governor with almost a bound of delight, thinking I -could write just as I felt, the thoughts of my heart without a spy over -me. - -The year closed, and we were all soon homeward bound again. - -I need not tell who met me or how I was received. We had our morning -rides, our evening drives, our walks, our talks, our cozy dinners and -those blessed after-dinner coffee chats in front of the fire in the -drawing room, for my vacations always occurred in the cold seasons, when -it was pleasant to have a fire. Then we three enjoyed ourselves. I mean -by three, Mr. Percy, Cockear and myself, for Cockear always made one of -our company. He sat in front of us, on the rug, with that ear of his -always erect, listening intently to all that was said, and frequently -bowing assent to any good point that he thought we had made. And -sometime, somewhere in the great beyond, he may be able to tell us how -much he was helped to a higher and nobler life by those talks of ours. -If God is so careful as to number the hairs of our heads, and to notice -every sparrow that falls, will He not also look after the good dogs? - -To tell really just what I think: I have seen many dogs whom I thought -better fitted for heaven and eternal life than lots of men I have known. -This may be only an opinion or a prejudice of mine, yet I will vouch for -this as a fact, that a dog was never known to betray his friends. And -still further. If mankind were as good as dogs in their morals and -actions, then the clergy, priests and parsons might all go to cleaning -pots and kettles or some honest labor, instead of trying to clean the -souls of men. - -Frequently in our evening drives we called at the library or club, where -Mr. Percy introduced me as his Charles. All treated me cordially, as I -thought, chiefly on Mr. Percy’s account, and for his sake I put my best -in front, so as not to be unworthy of him. One evening, as I went out of -the reading room into the hall, I heard Mrs. Swelter, a great, humpy -dumpy woman, with a very red face, the wife of the General of the -station, remark: “Mr. Percy, you seem to make a great pet of that -Eurasian?” “Hit again!” I said to myself. I hurried away as quickly as I -could. I concluded that the time had come when I must know the meaning -of that word. When we gathered that evening in front of the fire I asked -Mr. Percy what it meant. - -“Did you hear what Mrs. Swelter said?” he asked. - -“Yes,” I replied. - -“I hoped you had not heard what she said. She ought not to have made any -such remark as that,” and Cockear said, for I heard him, “A dog would -not have made such a remark, even about a jungly cur.” - -Then Mr. Percy explained it all as kindly as possible. “And,” he went -on, “I assure you it makes not the slightest difference to me. I look to -find in you, truthfulness, chastity, industry and ability. You have been -to me, thus far, all I could wish, so never let the thought of that word -trouble you.” - -These kind words took the sting out of Mrs. Swelter’s remark; yet I did -not forget it and never will. I always forgive those who injure me, but -never forget them. That is, I remember them enough to keep out of their -way so as not to give them a second chance to wound me. This Mrs. -Swelter was a kind of sergeant-major of our station society, and all -paid deference to her, chiefly on account of the position of her -husband, but she never got more than a silent bow from “That Eurasian.” -Why should she? Once she asked Mr. Percy, why Charles never spoke to -her, and he told her that I had overheard her remark, and she could not -blame me for not being friendly. I was glad she knew my reason, and -after that I took delight in avoiding her, for I had feelings as well as -whiter-faced people. - -Several evenings after this, when we three were assembled as usual, Mr. -Percy asked me, “Do you remember when I first saw you?” “Yes,” I -replied, “just as well as if it was this evening.” - -“That was a strange meeting, wasn’t it?” he said. “Have you ever heard -of that little sister of yours?” - -What memories that question revived! I had not forgotten her by any -means, for often at school I had recalled all I remembered of her; our -leaving that wretched court, our tramp on the dusty road, her smiles and -playfulness, the good old faqir, the death of the new mama, and then the -sad separation; and I cried many a time as I thought of these things, -and resolved that as soon as I was a little older I would go in search -of her. - -Then I told Mr. Percy the story of our lives, beginning with the first -conscious knowing that I was in the world, the clinking sound of those -rupees, the sahib, my mother’s tears and cries, her death, our -destitution and wanderings up to that serai where he found us. - -He had got to his feet by this time, and was walking back and forth in -the room, with his head down, listening intently. When I had finished he -asked, “Did you ever see or hear of that sahib again, or learn his -name?” “Never,” I answered. “The brute!” he exclaimed, with such energy -that I think if he had a ruler in his hand he would have broken it into -a number of pieces, and it was well for the sahib not to have been -within hitting reach just then. He was silent some minutes, when he -said: - -“Charles! I would rather a thousand times be you than such a man. You -can become a true man; he never can. He has lost his manhood and God -himself cannot restore it; and he never can make atonement for the -wrongs he inflicted on your mother, on you, and on your sister. He -committed an infamous crime; worse than murder. But we must find the -sister.” - -I then told him of my visit with the munshi to the girls’ orphanage: -that the sister had been taken away, and I mentioned the name of the -lady and gentleman who took her. He wrote letters addressed to the -gentleman, but they were returned, uncalled for. He wrote to friends, -but they knew nothing, and it seemed that the little sister was forever -lost to me. - -On each Sunday morning Mr. Percy held his religious service. The crowd -had greatly increased, but each received the usual share. There was a -great scarcity of food in the district, on account of the slight -rainfall, and Mr. Percy, foreseeing this, had purchased a large quantity -of grain, and this he called the “Widow’s Fund.” On other days he held -what he called his morning service, when the widows came, most of them -with children. He had a careful list made out, so as to be sure that -they were really widows in need. To some of them he sold the grain at -the price he paid for it, and at half the bazar prices. To those who had -no means of purchasing he gave, so that all were supplied. The low price -at which he sold the grain greatly offended the bunyas in the bazar, as -they had a large supply on hand, which they had taken from the poor -cultivators in return for the seed and money advanced at an enormous -profit to themselves. - -One morning Mr. Percy called these bunyas to his bungalow and gave them -such a scoring about their rapacity and robbery of the poor that they -all agreed to lower their prices. It was through fear of him only that -they did this, as one might as well expect pity from a tiger toward an -animal he has caught, as leniency from a bunya to the poor whom he has -in his power. - -One day, toward evening, we were walking in the garden and came to one -of the benches, when we seated ourselves. Some reference was made to the -orphanage where I had been placed. I then told him that I had overheard -him tell the Padri that he would not take me away until I was larger. I -related my experience in bending all my energies to increase my growth; -how I fed myself, exercised, how I hung by the arms and chin from the -pole, measured my height each Sunday, by marks on the wall, and thought -of tying weights to my legs at night, as I was determined to be released -from the place as soon as possible. He listened without a word, with a -questioning smile playing over his face, until I had finished, and then -he unbent with laughter. He laughed till the tears came, and I had to -laugh too, for I couldn’t help it, and Cockear, who had been gravely -listening, broke out with his dog laugh. And why shouldn’t we laugh? If -the man who hath no music in his soul is fit for treason, stratagems and -spoils, what might be said of the man who never laughs? Beware of him. - -I never felt the least embarrassment from Mr. Percy’s laughter, even -when it was caused by some nonsense of my own, for it was always so -good-natured, joyous and spontaneous. It was rather an incentive to me -to tell him something laughable. Had his laugh been coarse or sarcastic, -which was impossible, it would have shut me up at once. He was as open -and free with me as if I was an intimate friend, so that I had no -hesitation in telling him everything, even my mistakes and follies. -There are few people we can trust in talking truly from our hearts, and -how few parents are the confidants of their children, when they should -be first of all in their hearts and lives. But why should I, now an old -man, a unit—and a very insignificant one among the wise millions of the -world—talk of such things? I have to constantly remind myself of the -habits of old people to run into tedious details, and so, often check -myself, or I shall never finish my history. - -This vacation passed, others followed, and the years at school continued -with great improvement, I think to myself and to the satisfaction of my -teachers and above all to the great pleasure of my best friend, Mr. -Percy. His letters seemed to have more breadth and to grow better as I -grew older. He wrote me on all kinds of subjects. Each one of them was -an incentive to study for I had to read up or think on the many things -referred to in them. Frequently when the boys were at their games, and I -dearly loved play, I felt in honor bound and from love to Mr. Percy that -I must think over his letters and see what I could say in reply to them. -Our library was nearly as empty as a church’s poor box and the few books -in it were of little use for the reason that they were donated, and it -often happens that benevolent people give away what is useless to -themselves or anybody else. Whether the recording angel gives a credit -mark for this kind of charity I have my doubts. I was thrown mostly on -my own resources and had to think for myself, which probably was much -better than if I had borrowed from somebody. I think this correspondence -was the best part of my school education. The most of our school duties -was to commit to memory and repeat continually rules and definitions, -and we had so much of that to do that we had no time to think. The main -object seemed to be, not to make us think and reason, but to pass our -exams. What a thing this Government system is! and the men who concocted -it. But I suppose we should have charity for them as they could not act -otherwise than within the circumference of their own capacities. - -I must relate an incident that occurred during one of my later -vacations. There was a holiday. Mr. Percy had been all the morning -writing a judgment on one of his court cases. I had entered the library -to get a book and seeing him at his desk, I begged his pardon for -interrupting and was turning to leave when he said, “Don’t go, Charles, -I have finished my work and am now ready for a holiday.” So we sat and -chatted. I was looking toward two photographs on the mantel that I had -seen there ever since I entered his house. I never asked about them, and -in fact I never questioned him about his life. He had told me many -things and I felt that he would tell me all whatever he wished me to -know and that I ought not to make inquiries. I was conscious that he had -some secrets that were sacred to himself. Everybody should have such -secrets. I have a kind of pity for those who will tell all their family -affairs, to every gossip who comes along, and a contempt for those who -besmirch their own relatives, for in doing so they are throwing dirt on -their own faces. Hearing a man talk of his brother as a liar and thief, -one cannot but suspect that some of the same blood may run in the veins -of the narrator. Some may say before I finish this narrative that I do -not practice what I teach; but who does? Truth is truth at all times and -everywhere, no matter if people do often stretch it beyond its power of -tension. I am laying down a rule in general, “Don’t do as I do, but as I -tell you.” Besides my excuse for my course in this narration that, as I -am stating facts, I am compelled to make my face still blacker by -telling the truth about my own existence, which I regret and lament as -much as any mortal man can regret anything. These, however, are thoughts -of my later life, and not at all referring to Mr. Percy. - -As he saw me looking toward the photographs, he said, “I have never told -you about them.” Then taking one of them down. “This is a picture of my -mother, my own dear mother. She has been my star of destiny. Her -teachings, her example, and the remembrance of her, have fashioned and -guided my life. The best gift under heaven is a good mother.” I could -have cried as he said this. “My mother! my own darling mama! Why had -fate or destiny or the brutality of a man deprived me of such a gift?” -He had continued while I thought. He described his mother, beautiful, -intelligent, refined, accomplished and more particularly, how her soul -was wrapt up in her boy, her only child and she a widow. Above all -things she wanted him to be pure and true. I then knew why he had talked -to me as he did about such things. She had been my mother too, through -him. He told of her waiting supper for him to return from school three -miles away, to which he went and returned each day on foot. As they sat -together she talked with him about his lessons and he told her the -incidents of the day, and she inquired what new ideas he had received. -So they chatted, and I have no doubt there was laughter too, for he must -have been full of roguish fun, and those eyes of hers, one could not -mistake, for they were full of mirth. He said the recollection of those -cozy table chats always brought the image of his mother fresh before -him, for they occurred just before he left home to go into the world -never to see her again. He said they had no secrets from each other. -They lived with one heart, one soul and one ambition and all of her was -centered in him. - -Could I doubt when I heard this, the cause of his being so pure, honest, -candid, frank and free? His mother. - -Then he told me of the farewell, of her standing on the porch, and his -going over the down, turning now and then to wave his handkerchief, to -which she replied with hers, and at last going over a little hillock, -the house was out of sight, when he ran back to the top and saw her -still looking. Then the final waving of farewells. He spoke of the -almost daily letters full of loving counsels, and then of one from a -friend with a black margin, saying that the mother had gone. The tears -came freely as he finished his narrative. “Charles,” said he, “I know -you will forgive my tears, for I cannot prevent them nor would I, when I -think of the loss of such a mother.” I was crying too and could not help -saying “Would to God I had such a mother to remember.” After our emotion -had subsided, he took down the other photograph. “This,” said he, “is a -picture of my affianced, my loved one. She was all my heart and mind -could wish. I loved her first because she was so like my dear mother, -her very counter-form, and I know had they both lived, my mother, with -the love she had for me, would have loved her, we both alike would have -been her children, as we are now. She is mine still and I am hers, not -until death do part, but forever our hearts are one. I have never failed -to look upon these pictures in the morning, and they always say ‘Robert, -we are with you, watching over you and will guide you the best we can.’ -That is the impression the sight of the pictures have upon me, and -whether they do guide directly or not, might be questioned, but -indirectly they have greatly influenced my life. Can I go wrong when I -think each morning of those two pure spirits watching over me? I trust -not willingly.” - -I got from this the key of his life and I could interpret many things I -had heard and seen. This revelation of his inner life, the secrets of -his soul, which he told me he had never mentioned to any one else, had a -great effect upon me. To have known such a man, and to have been trusted -by him, made me love him more than ever, and further inspired me with a -reverence for him. - -With all due charity for mankind one cannot but regret that there are so -few, really pure, noble upright men in the world whom we can respect and -admire. I cannot help asking, if after all the centuries of -civilization, has the growth of mankind in purity and honesty, kept pace -with the progress in other respects? After this conversation he showed -that he felt I was nearer to him than ever before as I knew he was -dearer to me. Next to trusting in God is to have a true friend in whom -one can confide and feel that all is safe and sacred. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - -The years passed with their vacations. One day at school I received an -urgent telegram, telling me to come at once as Mr. Percy was very ill. -The journey homeward was a sad one. Formerly they were full of joyful -anticipation; this was full of grief and fear. He was very ill. He -received me warmly and I attended him as an affectionate son would a -beloved father. “Charles,” he said, “the end is coming. I am going to -them. They are waiting for me. I shall soon be where there is no more -sorrow, or parting, or dying any more forever. Be true to my teaching. I -tried to do my duty. Pardon my mistakes. Come to me when you have done -your work. God bless you my boy. God bless you”—and he was gone. Could -my wish have been granted I would have gone with him to where there was -no more parting forever more. - -The last rites were performed and I was given the place of chief -mourner, for all seemed to know how much esteem and love he had for me. -Then I felt myself alone in the world; the halcyon days of my life were -ended. - -He had made his will very carefully, giving the details of his property, -and except a few personal articles, including those precious photographs -that he reserved for me, all was to be sold and the proceeds, with -various stocks, bonds and several bungalows in which he had invested, -were placed in the hands of trustees for me until I had reached the age -of twenty-four years. Until then I was to receive sufficient funds for -my support and I was to finish my school course. So I had money enough, -but of what account is money when the heart is breaking? - -On the days when I used to receive those blessed letters sadness -overwhelmed me. No more letters to come. No more letters to write. This -deprivation constantly revived my consciousness of the loss I had -sustained, and during all the rest of my school life I could not -overcome this terrible feeling. - -My school days ended and with great regret I bade good-bye to some of my -schoolmates and some of the teachers for they had endeared themselves to -me by their kindness. - -I was again alone in the world. I did not know that I had even one -friend to whom I might turn for advice or comfort. I was conscious that -I ought to engage in some profession or employment as other young men -were doing, but which and what was the question. If I chose the Civil -Service in the Government, it was necessary for me to go to England and -pass an examination. I had no friend there, not even an acquaintance, so -had no influence, and I learned that influence was everything even to -get a chance to offer myself for an examination; so that profession was -closed to me. - -To become an officer in the army the same difficulties arose. I could -not become a soldier as I learned that Eurasians were not accepted. In -fact I had no liking whatever for the army, even had there been an -opening for me. I always had a repugnance to taking life. I could not -see a chicken killed without a sense of pain and to see a gasping fish -just taken from the water gave me a shock. In my life I have gone out -shooting and the more birds I killed, the greater the burden of sorrow I -carried home, thinking of the number of lives I had destroyed when God -had created them as well as me and that they had as much right as I to -live. I never could realize any pleasure in what is called sport when -life is involved. For a number of men, not to mention women, to chase a -fox until he is worried to death and then let him be torn to pieces by -hounds was always a cruel, fiendish business to me. Suppose some bigger -brutes than these ladies and gentlemen, as they style themselves, should -run them down with horses and hounds as in former times slaves were -hunted, and tear them to pieces, what would they think of the sport? - -Anent this subject one of the best English novelists makes one of his -characters say: “The most blood-thirsty nation on the earth, you shed -blood for mere amusement; we only shed it for some deep purpose, such as -revenge, ambition and the like. You English are not happy unless you are -killing something, if it is only a pigeon out of a trap; there is too -much of the Saxon and the Dane about you. Again your chief outdoor -amusement consists of galloping on horseback with a number of dogs, over -hedges and ditches after a poor animal called a fox, and when you see -the wretched, fagged-out creature torn to pieces by your dogs, you ride -home satisfied to your dinner.” - -It is bad enough to kill birds and beasts for our food, but to kill men, -who, we are taught, have immortal souls, was and always has been, -horrible to me. Adam Smith, in his “Wealth of Nations,” says, “The trade -of a butcher is a brutal one and an odious business.” If that can be -said of a business which supplies necessary food for the people, what -can be said of a trade for the destruction of human beings, to gratify -the vanity or rapacity of a tyrant or people? To kill his fellowmen is -the soldier’s business, for that he is trained, for that the church -prays for him. The more men killed the greater the glory and the number -of medals. Beautiful trophies for the judgment day—the souls of murdered -men! The uncivilized, unchristian tribes show their valor by the number -of human scalps hanging to their belts, and a “heap big Injun” is the -one who has the greatest number of these tokens of death. Christian “big -Injuns” use honors and medals instead of scalps. - -Would not this be better? Say for all who are killed by a regiment let -each soldier wear a blood-red stripe for each man slain. If very -successful in their bloody warfare the stripes would be increased until -their whole garments would be of one uniform, ruddy hue, and they would -be “heap big Injuns” for all the world to look at. Their praises would -be read and known instantly by all observers. Then, instead of -worshiping one whom they style a God of Love, and one whom they call the -“Prince of Peace,” why not be consistent and adopt a god of war, such as -is Kali, the goddess of the murderers of India, and offer unto him the -blood of their victims, as these people do to their goddess? Does it -speak well for civilization, after thousands of years, and after -nineteen hundred years of Christianity, that twenty millions of armed -soldiers, belonging to the most enlightened and so-called Christian -nations of the earth, should be waiting and expecting every morning an -order to attack and destroy each other? And all anxious to flesh their -weapons in the bodies of their fellowmen? If, after all these centuries, -Christianity has culminated in such a condition of murderous intention, -how long will it be before their “Prince of Peace” will come to reign? - -Having such feelings about war and soldiering in my later years, I must -have had something of them when I left school, and they prevented me -from thinking seriously of a soldier’s life. I concluded that I would -rather be a hermit in a forest all my life, living on herbs and wild -fruits, and die thus, and go to my Maker without a spot of the blood of -my fellowmen on my soul, than to be the greatest warrior that ever -lived, though he could boast of having slain his thousands. - -What of the responsibility of those who instigate war? The great poet -says, “The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make when all these -legs and arms and heads chopped off in battle shall join together in the -latter day and cry, all, “_We died at such a place_;” some swearing, -some crying for a surgeon, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their -children rawly left. I am afraid that there are few that die well, that -die in battle, for how can they charitably dispose of anything when -blood is their argument? Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a -black matter for the king that led them to it.” - -Well might the king say, in his remorse, “The lights burn blue, it is -now dead midnight, cold, fearful drops stand trembling on my flesh. -Methought the souls of all that I had caused to be murdered came.” - -Another thing influenced me. A surgeon of the army remarked to me that -the best soldier was one with a vigorous, healthy body, and only sense -enough to obey an order and fire a musket. - -I was not willing to suppose myself such a thing as that, an idiot, -strong enough to stand up and be shot at, and with only brains enough to -pull a trigger when told to do so to kill somebody. If I was to be such -a soldier, then God, who created me with a mind capable of thinking and -reasoning; Mr. Percy, in giving me an education; and I, in acquiring it, -we all three had sadly muddled the business and made a damnable mistake -somehow. So my warfare ended. - -I then thought of the police service, but this was so like a twin -brother to soldiering that I dropped it quickly. I was in no great hurry -to choose a profession, as I was not obliged to work for a living, but -considered it my duty, as well as pleasure, to seek to do what was best, -so I went to the station where my property was situated, and found a -home in one of the houses with an excellent family, one of my tenants. - -I had plenty of books, the gifts of Mr. Percy, each of them a true -indication of his style of thought and belief. I ordered others, such as -I considered would interest me. With them I lived. They were my best and -most intimate companions. I have often thought that if I were cast away -on some desert island, and had plenty of books, I could not be alone. - -The middle part of each day I spent in reading; mornings and evenings in -adorning the compounds and gardens of my several houses with fruit and -fine trees, flower plants and shrubbery. I soon made a great change in -the places, to the great satisfaction of my tenants. This gave me a -great liking for botany, as I had scarcely heard of such a science in -school, for there we were so much driven to study men’s rules and -theories that we had no time to study what God had created. - -This employment finished, I became restless with a desire to enter upon -some profession or business for life. I thought of commercial business, -and from what I knew of it I supposed it would give me a chance to use -my brains; but I had no more idea of what it required than if I was the -son of a lord. I knew nothing of book-keeping, for this was another of -the practical things omitted in our school, and it sometimes puzzled me -to see what I really had learned that was to be of practical use to me. -If it be true, as some one has said, that the greatest knowledge is to -realize how little we know, I concluded that I had reached that happy -condition. It is true that I practiced a little book-keeping as required -by Mr. Percy, but it was single entry, or rather two entries, cash -received and cash paid out, and every pice I handled was in that -account. Since then my acquaintance with even commercial men has led me -to believe that single entry book-keeping is not a slight affair, for -some forget to enter what you have paid them, and remember to enter what -they did not pay you. - -I concluded to make a trip on commercial life intent. I took me to the -capital city of India with the highest ambition. At once I sought the -papers with an advertisement, “A young man of good abilities and -excellent education, etc.” Some letters were received to which I -replied, and found that there was work enough, and that the salaries -offered, ranged from the magnificent sum of fifteen rupees to forty -rupees a month, and some of the parties expected me to keep a pony -besides, as their’s was outdoor work. Some of these offers were made by -white men! - -The advertisement evidently useless, I got a city directory and wrote to -a large number of the best mercantile houses, and as I had a very fair -hand and did my best with the Queen’s English, I received a number of -very polite replies in babu English asking me to call at a particular -time, which I did in my best rig, as I came to know that a well-fitting -suit of good clothes had a great deal to do with a first impression. -Each kuli, and there were a number of them at every door, had to look at -my card, and then several babus wished to know my business, until -finally I reached the grand mogul of the place. Looking me over while I -stated that I had received his letter asking me to call, “Yes, yes,” -said he, “but since your letter came my partner has found a man.” The -same thing happened in a number of places. That partner was always the -one who was putting his fingers in my pie. Several asked me what salary -I wanted. I replied that I wished to learn the business, so I would be -satisfied with a hundred rupees a month to begin with, and they -exclaimed something like this: “Great heavings! we can hire a dozen -babus for that money.” - -I kept up this “racket” for a number of days, as I became quite -interested in learning this part of mercantile life. If it had been a -matter of daily bread with me, perhaps I would not have taken the -rebuffs so easily. - -One day I ran across two of my schoolmates on the same errand. They were -terribly down in the mouth or down at the heels, for they were -completely discouraged, and their clothes had long since forgotten the -press of the tailor’s goose, and their boots were in the last stages of -decrepitude. They put me in mind of the fellows we read of in our -Scripture lessons at school, who went down to Jericho and fell among -thieves. “Well, boys,” said I, “come over and dine with me, and we’ll -talk over old times.” They did not look into their note-books to see how -many engagements they had, or say, “We’ll think it over,” or “We’ll -see,” in that kind of society style you know, but accepted at once. -After making a short call on one of the merchant firms, I found the boys -in my room. We had a good feed, the best I could get, and they told me -their experience. They had been at so many houses, run the gauntlet of -so many kulies and babus, and had been snubbed so often by the -mercantile gentlemen that they had scarcely courage enough left to look -in at the door of a house again. Through the friendly influence of the -dinner they confided to me that they had trusted “an uncle” with their -watches and most of their clothes, and their money was nearly all gone, -and if they did not get work soon they would have to sleep in the park, -and then have a chance of being accommodated with apartments at the -workhouse. - -“Yes,” said one of them, “if we were not Eurasians we could get -situations at once, and one fat white face had the cheek to tell us that -he would not employ Eurasians, as they were not trustworthy. How did he -know that of us? It was a downright insult!” - -Again he burst out, and as we had not had any liquor whatever, he was -clear-headed, saying, “Hell and fury! Who made us Eurasians, I’d like to -know?” “That’s it,” said the other, “who made us Eurasians?” and they -brought down their fists so hard onto the table that the bearer rushed -in to see what we wanted. At this I changed the subject to our school -days, and inquired after the boys of our set. Before leaving I told them -if they did not succeed in a day or two, to come to me and I would let -them have money to go home with; for the sake of old times I would not -have them “run in.” - -I was such a simple innocent that it never once entered my head that I -had been refused because I was an Eurasian. This reference of the boys -opened my eyes, and I concluded to make some calls to see if what they -said was really true. I was out again the next day. I did not care so -much now for a situation as I did to know the effect of the color of my -face. I had a roll of government notes in my pocket, and could draw for -more when needed, so could face the kulies and babus without having that -utterly forsaken walk and look of a beggar. As I entered one of the -prominent offices I could not help thinking of what Mr. Percy would say, -“Charles, be a man, in your looks and in every step you take,” and so I -uprightly faced the grand panjandrum. I bowed politely, and said, “I am -seeking a situation. I don’t care so much about the wages, as I wish to -learn the business.” Looking me all over, as if I was some specimen from -the zoo, he remarked, “I don’t think you would suit us.” “Will you be so -kind as to tell me the reason?” I inquired, with as much suavity as I -could command. I think my manner fetched him, for he said, “Take a seat, -will you?” the first time a chair had been offered me in all my rounds. -He replied, “Well, really, you know, I don’t like to say; for myself I -think you would suit us, but, now, ahem! I hope you will take no -offense, but the fact is, I am really sorry to say it, but my partners -are opposed to having any Eurasians.” - -“What reason have they?” I calmly inquired, that is, outwardly calm, but -inwardly very uncalm. Said he, “Really, I don’t know, and can’t say; you -will have to ask them, and I think they are both very busy, as it is -mail day.” - -What a lot of lies mail day is responsible for! He then began to fumble -his papers, as if to say that my time was up, so I bowed and left, -feeling in my soul that he was a liar, and at the entrance door I -inquired of a babu about the partners, and he said that they had not -come to the office that day. - -But why prolong the story? I made out a list of the firms on whom I had -called. There were all sorts of excuses, but the majority objected to -employing Eurasians. One thing astonished me, that so many of them had -wicked partners. Perhaps they were only imaginary dummies or office -devils, to whom they could attribute all their sins. And most of these -men were Christians in their way. - -One morning I found an article in one of the daily papers that fitted so -well with what the boys had said and with what I felt, that I cut out -this paragraph. I was rather glad that they had not seen the paper, as I -had furnished them with tickets-of-leave; or they might have been -tempted to curse their fathers, which is bad business when it can be -avoided. - -“There is a prejudice against the Eurasians, both among the Europeans -and natives. It is not surprising that the heathen natives, with all -their old feelings about caste, should prefer to have their own people -about them, but not at all creditable that Europeans, all probably -calling themselves Christians, should despise and degrade a people who -are a part of themselves and begotten by them. It is said that a person -always hates the one he has injured. As a Saxon, I have often thought of -what I would have felt, if my father had made me an Eurasian. For some -months, every morning, there passed my house, a fine well built man, -clad in native clothes, going to his work at five rupees a month. I -frequently conversed with him and found him quite intelligent. It -appears that his father a Scotchman, years ago, on coming to India took -up a native woman by whom he had several children. When his time for -furlough came he gave the woman a few rupees and said, “Salaam.” He -married a beautiful Scotch lassie, she no doubt believing him to be a -chaste Christian gentleman—and returned to India. Other children were -born, were well educated, and these young Scotch Macdonalds are in the -service receiving one thousand to two thousand rupees a month, while the -other poor devil of a Macdonald has to be content with his five rupees. -I often thought as I saw the man, that if my father had played such a -scurvy trick on me, I would have cursed him by daylight and by candle -light, month by month, and year by year, up hill and down dale to my -latest breath and before high heaven I think I would have been right in -doing so.” - -Thus ended my mercantile life. It was all confined to single entry, as I -never had a chance of making a double entry to any of the houses. I -visited the libraries but it was not worth while; being managed wholly -by natives, what could be expected? the botanical garden and saw the -great tree spreading out, as if it would protect and shelter everybody -like the Indian Government, but very poor protection and shelter I found -it, for during a storm that came on I had been better under a beggar’s -thatch; then the Zoo with its monkeys, about as full of tricks as some -of the mercantile men I had met, and the tigers not more merciful than -many human animals; then to the Museum and to the Art School, where -several hundred natives were being taught, but not an Eurasian! Poor -devils! Why should the Government care for their education? - -As I had failed in my main purpose, I endeavored to get all I could to -pay for my trip. I got considerable mercantile experience, or rather -experience of the mercantile character that has lasted me for life. I -proved it to be true that experience is what a man gets after making a -fool of himself a number of times, and as experience is about all we get -in life, or take out of it, I tried to be satisfied. - -One evening after returning from one of my trips and trying to analyze -this antipathy, prejudice or hatred of the Europeans for the Eurasians I -recalled this saying, “It is said that a person always hates the one he -has injured.” I thought there may be a great deal of truth in this and -further, the Europeans may look upon us as connected with themselves. We -are constant, perpetual reminders of the lustful sins of themselves or -their class. Even Lord Palmerston got to hating Punch for its continued -pictures of himself with a straw in his mouth, and I have read that in a -political campaign, caricatures have more power than argument. It may be -the Eurasian pictures of themselves that the Europeans do not like. Who -knows? What puzzled me then, and what my poor brain has never been able -to comprehend is, that as nearly or quite all the Europeans I met were -what are called Christians, how they could reconcile the hatred and -oppression of a poor unfortunate class with their religious professions. -I leave this to some head, wiser than mine to solve. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - -I returned to my home and to my books. These were true friends on whom I -could rely, and with whom I could find good society, especially as I had -my bread provided for. But what if I had been without books, without -money and could only eat my crust after I had earned it and unable to -get any work to do? This has often been one of my serious questions. - -There is not a country on the globe where a European is so badly off as -in India, if he is without work and destitute of means and influence. I -have known a family of father and mother, with several sons and -daughters well educated. The father and sons tried to get employment but -failed. They offered to work at wages that would barely supply them with -the coarsest food, but this was denied them. They were at last reduced -to living on rice alone, the amount for the whole family of six not -costing four pence a day, and this they often could not purchase. - -Another case was that of a man and his wife, well educated and of fine -appearance. He had invested all his money in a business that did not -pay. They sold their little property for almost nothing and then their -clothes. He could get no kind of employment, and at last they were so -reduced that the wife had to conceal herself in the hut where they -stayed, for want of clothes, and their almost starving heathen neighbors -gave them a few handfuls of rice to eat. An empty pocket and a naked -back are about the worst certificates a man can show to get employment -or position of any kind. Nobody wants such a recommendation, not even a -Christian. Accursed is poverty, for in proportion to his descent in -destitution, a man is less liable to receive anything. The rich, who -need nothing, have money thrown into their laps and positions thrust -upon them, but the greater a person’s necessities, the less he gets. -This is a strange contradictory world, yet this is also nature’s law. -The more you enrich a field the more it gives you in return, the more I -improve my bungalows, the higher rents I can get, but what is the use of -talking; the poor cannot grow fat on illustrations and arguments. - -If the poor whites have such a struggle for life what must be the -condition of the destitute Eurasians who from their emaciated looks have -not even rice to eat? - -Some months passed and again I became restless. I thought that in the -economic arrangement of nature in which everything has its function and -uses I also must have my place and work; that I, not less than an active -mosquito or a creeping snail, could not have been forgotten in the -universal plan. - -I knew I must first fit myself for a position. As I had tried to learn -the mercantile business, so I thought of engineering. This was no sooner -considered than settled. Even if I did not find employment by it I would -have the discipline and knowledge of the science, so would lose nothing -and be a gainer by it. I entered an engineering college and passed -several successful and happy years without anything really worth -mentioning occurring except several incidents that were of great -importance to me. - -The station was a small one, so the society was limited. The students -were rather above the average in ability; in fact there was not a sumf -among us. All had passed in the highest grades in school, so we could -stand erect with our heads upon our shoulders and act like men. We -called on the European families, were invited to their lawn and tennis -parties, took our share in the games, or rather more often got up games -of our own to enliven our hours of recreation and give pleasure to our -friends. During the last year of my course a gentleman, with his wife -and daughter, came to reside in the station. The daughter was about -eighteen years of age, finely formed, healthy and robust, of blonde -complexion, very good looking and to me, handsome. She had passed the -giggling stage of girlhood, if she ever had been in it. She was well -educated, intelligent and had read a number of good books. - -From what I have read in English books, from what I have heard and the -little I have seen, it appears that most young women and many older ones -in society can dress finely, smile, giggle, dance, flirt, look pretty -and be or do anything but be sensible. The chief characteristic of this -young lady was her sensibleness. She seldom indulged in nonsense, but -when she did there was so much wit and real fun in it as to lift it -above inanity. I said she was a blonde, so my opposite, for I was rather -“soso.” I have heard the story of an Eurasian who in England was with -some unsophisticated girls, when one of them innocently remarked, “You -are very much tanned, are you not?” “Yes, I am,” said he. “When I was in -India I was out a great deal in the sun.” I think this is what has ailed -me, or something or other, perhaps the other, had made my complexion the -opposite of a blonde. Yet I think being opposite we were attracted to -each other for that—well, no matter—what’s the use of surmising? We -often met. I tried to talk as intelligently as I could to her, and I -think she reciprocated my efforts, for a number of times she mentioned -that she had found the books I had referred to and gave me their -opinions. I liked her for this. - -One holiday when we were at a tennis party, a white, or rather a reddish -youth, still in the downy stage of adolescence, on a visit in the -station was of the party. I was standing a little aside, but heard the -youth ask the young lady to be his partner. She replied that she was -going to play with Mr. Japhet. “Well,” said he, “if you prefer that -Eurasian.” “You have no right to make such a remark as that,” she -replied with warmth. It was not prudent for me to appear as if I had -heard anything, and her choice of me and her reply helped me to restrain -my anger. But I remembered the youth, and why shouldn’t I? He was not -yet old enough for a man, nor young enough for a boy; “as a squash -before ’tis a peas-cod, or a codling when ’tis almost an apple.” - -At first I liked her for her good sense and goodness, then I admired, -and then—but what’s the use of repeating the old, old story that has -been so often told since Adam looked upon Eve and saw that she was good; -and yet I will, for there is a pleasure in telling it—I loved her. By -that electrical, unseen, unheard power or means of conveying messages -from heart to heart that love has, I knew that she loved me. Nothing was -said between us about it, for what need was there of telling when we -both knew it all? After a while we talked as if the subject had been -understood and settled for some time. I will not relate what we said, -for nearly everybody knows our conversation all by heart; at least they -ought to. - -Then the next question was about mama and papa. My dear little mama had -gone, and I was still Japhet in search of his father, so there could be -no trouble on my side, but hers? Aye, there was the rub. I had my -“doots,” as the Scotch say, and yet I was full of courage. She was a -fair lady and my heart was not faint. I concluded to attack the weaker -half of the family first, but I found my mistake, for she was the -stronger of the two when it came to heart affairs, as probably many men -have learned to their sorrow when dealing with what is called the weaker -sex. She listened most attentively, turning red, then white and so on, -the red coming like flashes of lightning. I saw this danger signal at -once, but love and courage made me go on. I had formed rather a tender -regard for this expected mother-in-law. So in the gentlest, most winning -terms and tones I could command, I plead my case. I saw and felt I had -no chance from my first word. My courage at last took to its heels and I -was trembling and powerless. It was one of the hardest and most trying -bits of work I ever had and I have had not a few. When I had finished -she said in angry tones, repressed like water bursting from a pipe under -a pressure of seventy pounds to the square inch: - -“I am surprised! I am angry! How dare you think of such a thing? No, -never! I tell you, never!” Just then the other half came in, but he was -cold and rather mild and his better half remained on deck. In a word she -told him what I wanted but gave him no chance to talk. “No,” she -continued, “I tell you once for all. She shall never see you again. -Before I would let her marry an Eurasian I would shoot her.” “And I -would bury her,” said the other half. - -As I did not want any shooting or burying, just then, I thought it best -to retreat, and having said, “I am very sorry,” departed. - -It was sometime before I could realize what had happened. I have read of -the experience of people who had been nearly paralyzed by the shock of -an earthquake. They say it is impossible for the mind or words to convey -any idea of the intensely awful abject feeling that took possession of -them. It seemed to me that I had been through, or into or out of, -something of that kind. I do not remember whether I walked, or crept or -ran, but I left that scene of failure, anger and despair as soon as I -could, and who wouldn’t? My wits had all left me, like sunshine friends. -“When a man’s wits are gone, the heavens should open and take him away,” -but no heavens opened for me, and I was left to make the best of the -situation. When I thought of the young lady, of my love for her, I could -have been knocked down by a feather, or anything, for her sake, but when -I thought of that unattainable mother-in-law, and her cruel mean fling -at me, and of that cold-blooded masculine, offering his services as -sexton at the funeral of his daughter, I felt like swearing, and I will -not say that I did not use some good robust Saxon expletives, for -really, the occasion demanded it. - -I think the Episcopal Bishop had a good idea when, in a convocation, he -became indignant over some wrong: “Mr. President, I think it is the duty -of this right reverend house to set forth a form of sound words to be -used by a man under strong provocation.” - -In principle I am opposed to swearing, and then only in good, choice -language. I never take the name of God in vain, as that is a sin against -Him, and a crime against my better nature, and I detest the use of gad, -begad, ’swounds, ’sblood, ’sdeath, so many snobbish “Christian -gentlemen” are guilty of. - -Darwin looks upon swearing as one of the most curious expressions which -occur in man; he considers that it reveals his animal descent, and looks -upon it as the survival of the habit in animals of uncovering the canine -teeth before fighting. I will not dispute this, but confess frankly that -I felt like uncovering my canine teeth, as no simple words could do the -subject justice. Neither anger or whimpering would accomplish anything -for her or me. I hardly knew what I did or did not do, for several days. -I could not attack the citadel, as I had no band of knights to aid me, -and had to subdue and smother my love and grief as well as my anger -allowed me. After several days, I received a letter clandestinely -dispatched by some bribed servant. She told of her love for me, that her -mother and father were furious, that her mother was to leave at once -with her for Bombay and England. She had begged them to let her see me -just once, but they declared it impossible, that they would bind her -with ropes, or lock her in a room, if she dared to think of such a -thing. “And all because you are an Eurasian! How could you help that?” -she added. Certainly? How could I help that? - -She further wrote that she was going by the morning train, and wished me -to come, not to the railway station, where they would be watching, but -to stand on a hillock, near the track, where she could see me once more. -I was there. As the train passed she cried out to me, “You have all my -heart and love,” and she was gone. I was left in an agony of sorrow and -despair. How could I help being an Eurasian? Who made me an Eurasian? -How often have I repeated these questions? I often felt like cursing -him. It is said that Noah, the Patriarch, good enough to be specially -saved, cursed his son for his lack of parental respect, and Ham turned -black. My father, for Mr. Percy told me that I must have had one, did -the same for me and without any provocation on my part. - -There was an interval of several weeks, just here in my life, that has -always been a blank to me. I must have been very ill. - -My course finished, I received one of the best certificates of my -proficiency, and was soon homeward bound again. I was then anxious for -employment where I could use the knowledge I had acquired. I was -ambitious to go to the capital city to begin at the top. I wrote to the -Government of Bengal asking for a position and received the answer—“His -Honor directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and to state -that he does not deem it advisable to bring outsiders into this -province.” - -This seemed to me very unjust, as his Honor himself was an outsider, but -he probably had in mind the saying, “Present company always excepted.” -Besides the babus were everywhere employed from Calcutta to Peshawar. -Have the rest of the people no rights? Are the babus so loyal or -superior to all others that they should be made the special pets of -government? I have often wondered why the rest of the people of India -submit to this injustice. There may come a time when the government will -wish it had friends in the place of these impudent Bengalis, and the -babus themselves will think Hades has burst wide open. - -I wrote letters to various firms and all replied, “No assistants -required,” or, as some of them put in their printed slips, “No Eurasians -need apply.” So there was no help for it; to the books again! It was -everything to me that I had an income, but what of the thousands of poor -wretches who had neither money, income nor employment. - -A year later the bequest of Mr. Percy was placed in my hands, and every -rupee accounted for. I invested in villages, and in various parcels of -ground in the station, on which I erected bungalows, one of which was -for myself, according to my own taste, with one room especially for a -library for the books that I had been accumulating. - -All this gave me employment for several years, and I was quite happy. My -new house was the best in the station, and was better furnished, with -ample grounds, ornamented with every kind of shrubbery and flowers. It -became the envy of the station. The Commissioner of the Division wrote, -asking if he could rent it; then the Barra Sahib wanted it, and the -officers wished it for a Mess Koti. My refusal to all created quite a -feeling against me. Some one told somebody else, who told me, that the -“higher classes” considered the house too good for an Eurasian. I wonder -if they should accidentally get to heaven and find some of the lower -classes—Eurasians—there, whether they would blow up St. Peter for -letting us in? - -I had numerous brushes with the magistrate; for he seemed determined to -annoy me because I had not let him have my house. My hedges were too -high or too broad. I should trim my trees, or should not trim those by -the roadside, which I myself had planted. When I had one of my houses -partly constructed he forbade the work to go any further, as I had not -obtained his permission to build, and besides it would obstruct the view -from his house, though it was five hundred yards away. I felt that all -this was petty, spiteful tyranny, and resisted as well as I could, but -of what avail? I might as well have quarreled with the man in the moon. - -The magistrate had almost absolute power over affairs in the station, -and could be a despot if he chose. He was the Great Sahib, and he let -everybody know it, especially those he styled the lower classes. If he -could not carry out his plans in an open, manly way, he resorted to -petty tyranny that goaded one to madness. I had never met him, and all -his orders to me were made not in person or by letter, but through his -servants, which made it more annoying. - -I was soon to make his personal acquaintance. One night, after dining -with a friend, I was walking homeward when I heard the screams of a -woman, or rather of a girl. I ran, and found two native policemen, one -holding each of her hands and dragging her along the road. They stopped -at once, and she begged me to have her released. They said they had -orders to bring good looking girls into cantonments, and they found her -on the road. I ordered them to let her go at once. They said they could -not do so. I insisted, and they replied that I should have to answer to -the magistrate for obstructing them. I took the girl to a friend’s -house, and told them to keep her concealed at my expense. The next -morning a servant came, ordering me to appear at the magistrate’s -bungalow. I went. As I entered, this worthy was sitting at his writing -table. - -I said, “Good morning,” and bowed, but he made no salutation. His manner -and silence was very embarrassing to me, so I said, “My name is—” “Yes, -yes,” he interrupted, “I know you well enough; you are that damned -Eurasian who is always making trouble.” “But,” said I, and before I -could get in another word he retorted, “I don’t want a word from you. I -will let you off this time, but if you ever interfere with the police -again, I will give you cause to remember it,” and with a wave of his -hand, a servant opened the door for me to retire. - -The seizure of this girl was a part of a damnable plan established by a -Christian government to supply victims to gratify the lusts of its -imported soldiery, and these soldiers probably all baptized, confirmed -Christians. - -I sent that girl to a girl’s school, and paid her bills for years, which -I trust the Recording Angel has put down to the credit of my account. - -All the Eurasians were my friends, all the second class whites, and I -had besides a number of acquaintances among the first grade. I had -several riding horses, the best that money could purchase, a fine -carriage, and several rigs of the best make, with horses to suit them. I -had a fine house and could give good dinners, no small item in making -friends, so some were glad to know me for that, if for no other reason. -Then I was greatly interested in sports, and was liberal in my -subscriptions, so that, having received my money, they could not well -overlook me, especially as they no doubt expected other favors to -follow. - -One evening, near the band stand, I saw a number of ayahs, with the -children of the Mem Sahibs, and among them a very comely young woman, -evidently an Eurasian. My beloved magistrate was talking with the -children, but with his eyes on the governess. One, a young officer near -me, nudged another, and nodding toward the children, said, “The old -fellow is up to his tricks again.” The other smiled. The former asked, -“Do you know what he said when he came to dine at our mess on Sunday -evening?” - -“No, what was it?” “Well, the Barra Sahib had read prayers at church in -the morning, so at the mess, just as we sat down to the table, he asked, -‘I say, Langton, by the way, who was that young woman in front at the -left this morning?’ ‘O, that was the Shaw’s governess,’ replied Langton. -‘By Jove! she is not a bad looking piece; though rather, don’t you -think, as if she had been too much in the sun?’ At which there was a -slight buzz among the younger set, and they looked at each other with -sly winks and nods, and Jeems, at my left, whispered to me, ‘The old man -may have the incapacity of age, but he evidently has not forgotten the -desires of youth!’” - -I was disgusted—angry. Though I did not care a fig about the church and -its worship, yet I have always been a stickler for decency, even in a -church, or among my dogs. The thought of such a depraved thing reading -prayers—the Scriptures, styled sacred—and in what is called the house of -God, and while going through with his farce of worship, looking around -over the congregation to find some one on whom to rest his lustful eyes! -Evidently his eyes were not made for the good of his soul. - -For several weeks I often noticed the Barra Sahib among the children, as -they seemed suddenly to have become special favorites of his; but he was -always near the governess. - -Some months after this we lost our magistrate, for he was promoted to -the Commissionership of a distant province. The governess also -disappeared. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - -I had frequently in going about the station, seen a European whose name -I learned was Jasper. He had a beautiful house and well kept grounds on -a retired road. This much I saw as I passed his place, but had never -spoken to him. One morning he came, as I was sitting in the veranda, and -handing me his card said that his mali had told him that I had some very -fine crotons, and with my permission, he would like to see them. We went -into the yard, and through the garden, and I found he was greatly -interested in botany. This suited me exactly, as I began to have a -special delight in adding to my knowledge of that science, as well as -increasing my stock of plants. He praised my collection of crotons -saying that they could not be excelled in India. After a pleasant round -of seeing and chatting, he invited me to call on him, as he had some -things to show me and bade me “Good morning.” - -Thus commenced one of the most pleasant friendships I could have formed, -which continued until his death. He was about middle age, of good parts, -well read, and I had not been with him an hour before I knew that he did -his own thinking. He always showed great respect for the opinions of -others, the same that he claimed they should have for his. - -A few mornings after, I returned Mr. Jasper’s call, and was delighted -with his rare plants and flowers. We then took our seats on the veranda, -and he called for tea. In the course of our conversation, I referred to -my releasing the girl from the police. I could not forget that screaming -cry for help in the night, and the oftener I thought of it, the more -indignant I grew. At once he exclaimed “What an outrage! It seems -incredible that such things could be possible. It is not only this one -case, but all over India such seizures are taking place. Sometimes when -I hear of such things, I wish I was God, or given His power for a short -time, I would cause lightning to strike the men who organized such a -devilish system, and those who carry it on. I would make such a -retribution upon them all that they would feel they were in hell. If a -daughter of the Queen, or of the Prime Minister, or of a member of -Parliament, of the Viceroy or Commander in Chief, should be seized, to -be kept as a prisoner to pass a short life in infamy and die of vice -disease, what would happen? Why every paper in the United Kingdom would -have gory articles on the subject; the whole nation would be aroused, -and there would be a question in Parliament. If done in a foreign -country it would be a cause for war. It is the old story of whose ox is -gored. Admitting that she is an orphan, without friends, an Eurasian, -pardon me Mr. Japhet for this word.” - -“Go on,” I quickly replied, “I have been too often under the lash, or -rather through the fire on account of that word to take any offence, for -I know just what you mean.” - -He commenced again. “Suppose this girl and other girls are friendless -and weak, are they not the very ones to be protected? What are laws and -governments for, if they are not to shield those who need protection the -most? Are the laws for the rich, the strong and mighty, who do not need -their aid? To whom should we be charitable if not to the poor? To whom -shall we show mercy, if not to the weak and erring? These girls have -immortal souls, or else Christianity and all human teaching is a lie. -Have we not had it drummed into our ears, from our infancy that all -souls are precious in the sight of God, and that He is not a respecter -of persons; that the poor and helpless are his care? You know the -teachings of Christianity and of the Church, but what is the practice? I -am old enough to care very little about creeds and theories. I care more -to know of a man’s life, what are his daily acts and thoughts. I don’t -care to hear a man’s prayers, so much as to see what he does. He may -pray for the poor with his lips, but I would rather see him pay for them -from his pocket. But what is the practice here? - -“We took this country because we had the power to do it. We hold it by -might and force, and rule it with a sort of tyranny, a military -despotism. We are not here because the people want us. If we did not -keep the country by force, not by moral or religious power, but by real -brutal force, it would slip out of our hands in a single day. Blink at -it as we may, this is the fact and no one can question it. Here then is -a force, of one hundred and fifty thousand English soldiers, more or -less, sent out at an enormous expense to live by the sweat and blood of -these poverty-stricken, overtaxed natives. Only ten per cent. of these -soldiers are allowed to marry. A direct violation of the laws of God and -nature. It is not enough that the people are taxed to support this great -army, they must also provide victims to gratify the,—I will not say -brutal, for that would be a libel on even the lowest of the brute -creation,—but the foul, inhuman lust of these officers and soldiers. And -what is enough to make infidels of all mankind, is that all this is done -under a Christian Queen, a woman and a mother, by authority of a -Christian Parliament, and executed by the Christian Government of India! -By a nation ever ready to parade its civilization, chivalry and -Christianity! No wonder that these heathen have so little faith in the -Christian religion. I heard an old missionary say that the worst place -for missionary work was in the vicinity of a cantonment; that the very -lowest heathen were degraded by contact with the soldiers. It is so -everywhere. - -“A writer on Africa says, ‘The farther the traveler advances into the -interior, the better is the condition of the natives found to be, less -drunkenness and immorality!’ Yet it is pretended that we are holding -this country for the glory of God, and the welfare of the people, and -that the subjugation of the people of the world by Christian nations is -for the promotion of civilization and Christianity! Out on such cant and -hypocrisy! The biggest robbers get the loot, and we are the robbers. Why -not say so, that we are after the loot and nothing else? Why not be -truthful even if we are thieves and not try to cover up our iniquities -with a film of religious varnish?” - -I had no chance to put in a word and did not care to, as I thought he -was hitting the bull’s-eye at every shot, but I interjected: “They say -that it is necessary to make some provision.” - -“All rot,” he exclaimed, “it is a slander on humanity. Don’t you know -that men can frame excuses and apologies for everything they wish to do? - -“Why not make provision for men to commit theft, or highway robbery or -murder? It is false that men cannot restrain or subdue their sexual -passion the same as they subdue their other passions. Are they worse -than the brutes? If men are such gross animals that they cannot control -themselves, they ought to do as Origen, the saint, did to himself, or as -they cripple their fighting stallions. - -“The fact is that the teachings of our people are wrong. They always -uphold what they do themselves, and make excuses for those who do like -them. One cannot take up a high society English novel but he reads of -the seduction and ruin of some poor ignorant girl by some titled roue. -High society seems to demand and gloat over such rotten mental food, as -it enjoys its rank over ripe game. If not, why are such books written, -and some of them by women, too? If the literature of every nation is the -mirror of its mind, what can be the minds of those who write and read -such books? The level of public morality must be very low when the -higher classes can delight in such things. If these stories were written -to condemn vice and licentiousness, to show the curse and crime of -wrong-doing, I would say nothing, for I am not a prude, but the most of -these stories make the amours and seductions by their heroes as -something to be admired, rather than horrible and repulsive. - -“If there is any truth in Christianity, or any force in morality, it -should be used against the great vices of the nation, as well as of the -individual. But, as the Rev. Mr. Morley, in the “Times,” says: ‘The -church has nothing to say to public justice and mercy, to the spirit of -our legislation, to the union of hearts and minds embracing all classes -and conditions. All this it leaves to the world.’ - -“What are all the sweet mouthings in church about baptismal regeneration -and holy communion, when the majority of those listening are constantly -violating the laws of God and their own natures, and not a word about -this? I suppose all the soldiers in these regiments have been baptized. -Were they regenerated? If so, they must have got over it very quickly. -If there is any virtue in baptism, they should be baptized every day, -and by immersion, even to drowning, and then they would not be fit to -live on earth, much less to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. - -“The trouble is, that in the churches, faith and morals, creed and -practice have been divorced, and do not live together. Many of these -soldiers would probably be astonished if it was suggested to them that -their religion had anything to do with their passions or their lusts. -They would probably answer as the old negro woman did, who had stolen a -goose. She went to church and gave testimony for Jesus. When reproached -by her mistress for doing such a thing, after her theft, she exclaimed: -‘Do you think I would deny my Lord and Master for the sake of a goose?’” - -At this I interrupted him, by asking if these girls and women were -restrained and prevented from leaving? - -“Certainly,” he said, “as much so as if they were in prison for life, -and there were armed sentries paraded before the gate. If, by any -chance, they escape, they are seized and brought back as any escaped -prisoner would be. The doors of these hells never open outward for these -poor wretches, and it might be written on the portals ‘Death to all who -enter here,’ and their lives are very brief when fresh victims must be -got. Talk about slavery! Why, the very worst African slavery is Paradise -to this, and our goody goody canting hypocrites make much ado over the -enslavement of the negroes. - -“What can we expect when the church is silent, and the priests and -bishops make excuses, and apologies for this foul and ghastly pestilence -of lust? What a comment on the morals of a people when the church is -seriously considering the necessity of separate cups for administering -the wine at communion to prevent the contagion of venereal disease! Such -a proposition would be amusing and a sarcasm, if it were not so serious, -and yet an outsider cannot forbear asking why the church does not attack -the root of the matter instead of lopping the branches, or why such -noxious persons should be allowed to partake of the communion at all?” - -Again I interrupted, I inquired if there were not medical examinations, -and did not the doctors give certificates? - -“Certainly,” he said, “but what of them? They might as well give -consecrated charms to carry in the pocket, as a protection against -cyclones and earthquakes. Do you suppose any man can give a certificate -to protect any one against the evil results of a violation of the laws -of God and nature? Can we thwart God when He evidently intended to make -the consequences of sin terrible? Heal the sick, cure and save all we -can, but their medical examinations and so-called cures are for another -purpose. When Jesus lived, and as it is said, healed the diseased, what -did he always say? “Go and sin no more.” But these false cures are not -to cure, but on purpose to let the victims go and sin again, and be -damned. I am not giving my own opinions, for I have talked with doctors -themselves, and they have told me what they thought of the business. - -“One of them, a Scotchman, a true man in every fibre of his being, a -surgeon who had been through the Mutiny, and at the siege of Delhi. I -met him one morning, coming from the hospital. He referred to what he -had been doing. Said he, ‘I hate the stinking business.’ ‘Why then, -don’t you refuse to do it?’ ‘Man, alive! I would then lose my position, -if I did. I am nearly ready to retire on a pension, and I cannot afford -to stop now, and lose that.’ - -“‘But you cure and give certificates,’ I suggested? ‘Certificates be -damned,’ he said with disgust; ‘I might as well snap my fingers, and say -that the wind shouldn’t blow again. Every time I have this hateful -business to do I wish the Viceroy or the Commander in Chief had to do my -dirty work, they would soon stop it if they had to make every soldier a -eunuch, unseminare them. It is only a trick or deception to delude the -soldiers to think they are safe, and let them go on from bad to worse.’ - -“I expressed surprise that those who made the law did not understand. -‘Understand,’ he replied, ‘they did not want to understand. They wished -to please the soldiers, even if it was by deception, and so made their -regulations, forgetting that the Almighty had made His laws some time -ago. We cannot frustrate the plans of God.’ Much more the doctor told -me. I hope Mr. Japhet,” said he, “that I have not detained you too -long.” I replied that I was in no hurry, as I had no special business on -hand. - -He asked, “Were you ever in Naples?” “No,” I replied. “I want to tell -you a little incident. One morning, while visiting a friend who had long -been a resident of that city, we were seated at an open window, looking -out at the belching fires of Vesuvius. I remarked, ‘Why not bore a hole -or tunnel from the sea, and let in the waters to drown those infernal -fires? Wouldn’t there be a muttering and a spluttering, and a—’ - -“‘Stop, stop!’ he exclaimed. ‘You do not know what you are saying! -Should you dare suggest such a thing here in public, the Neapolitans -would mob you at once!’ After a little hesitation he continued: ‘Why, it -would be a crime! What a catastrophe would happen, and where would -Naples be, or even the globe itself, if such a thing should be done?’ - -“As my friend was of a religious turn, he went on: ‘It would be the most -stupendous attack on God’s order in nature that man ever attempted. The -building of the Tower of Babel would be children’s play compared to it. -It would be an eternal sin, involving not only the doer of it, but the -entire human race. Why, your suggestion will give me the nightmare as -long as I live in Naples, fearing that some God-defying man might do -it.’ - -“I have often thought of his remarks, and the lesson of them to me was, -that we cannot, or ought not to think of defying the physical laws of -nature, any more than we should outrage the moral laws of the God of -nature.” Thus ended my first call on Mr. Jasper. - -On returning I had these thoughts: It is pitiable to think of the -thousands of loving Christian mothers praying daily for their soldier -boys in India, unaware of the cheap temptations furnished by the -Government within a few steps of their barracks, and to be with them in -camp, to march with them for their convenience. - -It is pitiable to think of the thousands of pure, innocent women at -home, accepting as husbands the returned gentlemen from India, where -these have left a number of their own black-and-tan pickaninnies, or -have been shorn of their strength, in the laps of many Delilahs among -the native women. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - -I had a good home, and everything pleasant, but I was alone. Some one -has asked the question: “What is home without a mother?” Mine was: “What -is home without a wife?” I had sadly failed in my first and only effort -to get a partner of my joys, a queen for my home, to my sorrow and -extreme chagrin and mortification. I had no ambition to encounter -another angry mother, though she had her rights, as I believed I had -mine. Burnt fingers make us chary of handling fire. - -I had been in a number of happy homes, though excluded as I was, and had -seen a number of noble wives and mothers, who shed a divine light and -influence not only in their family circles, but on all around them. - -Mr. Percy’s description of his mother and of his betrothed, gave me a -high ideal of the real and true woman. He never spoke of woman but with -respect, and I might say with reverence. The influence of his mother had -so formed him, that he could no more have injured a woman than he could -have hurt his own soul. - -I think the opinion a man has of woman is a true index of his character. -I have never heard any one speak disparagingly of woman, but I have -asked myself, “What must he think of his own mother or sister?” - -I had frequently met a young Eurasian woman. I always like the word -woman, for God made women; ladies are a society product, and are -somewhat like artificial flowers, painted and produced to order. There -are to be sure real ladies, but first of all they must be true women, -and as I have always preferred flowers of nature’s own making, so I have -a preference for a real woman, yet I will have to admit that even the -best of us may be deceived by appearances. I once saw some roses painted -so true to nature that butterflies came and lit upon them, and I could -imagine them saying to each other, “Fooled again!” So we imperfect -sighted mortals may be fooled with what we think are roses. - -But to my story. The young woman was really handsome, and quite well -educated, though to be truthful, her education was somewhat artificial, -as the most of her life had been spent in a convent school. On her -father’s side of French descent; she was born of lawful wedlock, and in -a happy, well-to-do, prosperous family. Cupid shot me with one of his -best arrows soon after we became acquainted, and I think she was also -hit with the same kind of weapon from the quiver of the famous little -sportsman. There seemed to be a mutual sympathy for each other in our -wounded hearts. The result was, as it generally happens in such cases, -we concluded to cure each other’s wounds, by joining hands and hearts. -The wedding took place at the home of the bride, with great ceremony, -and a large gathering of friends, and then this Adam and his Eve -returned to their garden of Eden, and all went merry as a marriage bell. - -It seemed as if I had now reached the acme of my desires, wealth enough, -a beautiful home, a fine library, flowers in our garden, and above all—a -wife. I had forgotten the story, as probably most of us have, that there -was a serpent even in the garden of Eden, and I never thought that one -could enter mine. - -I had fine horses and carriages, so we could enjoy our drives. As I have -said, I subscribed liberally to all games and entertainments, so we had -frequent invitations, and were well received. We also gave our little -parties, which were well enjoyed. My wife was an excellent pianist, and -entertained our guests with music, in which some of them took part. One -of the most frequent callers was an Hon. a young officer of one of the -regiments, very gentlemanly in appearance, of a high society family, -well read, and one who had traveled and seen the world. He had a good -ear for music, and played well, so he and my wife had something in -common to interest them, with which I was well pleased. He not only -often dined with us alone and with others, but before our evening drives -he frequently took tea with us on our veranda, and we talked on various -subjects, for he was an excellent conversationalist, full of anecdotes -and incidents, which he related in a very fascinating manner. He had -style, a quick appreciation of things, and what interested me was his -remarks on moral and religious subjects, not connected with churches or -creeds, but in their widest meaning, and frequently with me alone he -spoke of the beauty of virtue and honor. He seemed to be a devoted -church-goer, belonged to the High Church party, was a stickler for -ecclesiastical forms, and often talked of the beauty of the services, -and the value of the sacraments. - -Both my wife and myself were greatly pleased to have such an -acquaintance to relieve the monotony that rules even in our best India -stations. We had other friends whom we often saw, each excellent in his -way. We were happy and time passed rapidly. One of the largest -gatherings in the station was at the Birthday Ball, when guests came -from outside places. We attended the ball, though I could not dance, yet -I was very fond of music, and the social part. My wife excelled in -dancing and took great delight in it, so she had plenty of partners, one -of whom was our Hon. friend, and he was about the best dancer of them -all. - -I had frequently to be absent for several days, to visit my villages, -and to look after my investments. I regretted these absences for my -wife’s sake, as she was timid at night, and besides she appeared fond of -my company, as I know I was of hers. One day, as I was about to leave, -our Hon. friend called, and during our conversation asked me if he could -take my wife out driving during my absence. I replied that I would be -most pleased to have him do so, and suggested that they should use the -phaeton, as it would be more comfortable than a cart, and the horses -needed exercise. During my absence I congratulated myself on our -happiness and prosperity, and thought with pride of the pleasant -reception of my wife in the station. - -So the months passed with nothing to cloud my happiness. One day when I -was in the garden, looking over my trees and flowers, pruning a limb -here and there, my head man or durwan, an elderly Hindu, whom I had kept -in my service for years, followed me around. I saw by his manner that he -had something to say to me, so I asked “What is it, Ram Kishn?” He -replied, “I have been with the Sahib for years and have eaten his salt, -and I would shed my blood for him.” - -“I know that, Ram Kishn, but what do you wish to say?” - -“Sahib!” he said with hesitation, “I have often thought of telling you -something, but I was afraid. I have seen something that even we poor -ignorant idol worshipers—Kam ackl, bhut parast log, as the Sahibs call -us, think is not right.” - -I quickly asked, “Has somebody been stealing my fruit or flowers, or the -bearer been cheating with the grain?” - -“No, Sahib! nothing of that kind, something worse than that.” - -I began to be impatient and said, “Out with it then, what is it?” - -“Sahib, you know I love you, and think much of your izzat, honor. I -would let you beat me, or you might put your feet upon me,” and he threw -himself upon the ground toward me. I began to be alarmed, thinking there -must be something serious, or he would not act in that way, for he was a -very reliable, sensible man. I told him to get up, and urged him to tell -me what he meant. He said, “I would rather die than say it, but I tell -you for the sake of your honor, I must tell you.” ‘Well, then tell it,’ -I urged. - -Said he, “If the sahib will not kill me with the knife in his hand.” - -I hurled the knife away, and said, “There goes the knife,” and then I -folded my arms and stood waiting. He went on: - -“Now, if the Sahib will not call me a liar, or the son of a dog, or -curse me.” - -I held up my right hand and said: “Ram Kishn! I will eat an oath before -God, that I will not touch you with my hands or feet, neither will I -harm you with my words, if you tell me what you mean.” - -After a few moments, he said, “Sahib, you know the young Sahib who comes -here often, and sings with the Mem Sahib, who goes out with her in the -phaeton when you are absent?” I nodded my head in reply. “Well, when you -are gone to your villages—how can I tell it, Sahib? he comes late at -night when the lights are all out, and the Mem Sahib lets him in, and he -does not go away till early next morning.” - -I staggered and fell. He rushed to me moaning, “Sahib, forgive me, what -have I done? I have killed you!” Then he helped me to a seat in the -arbor. - -It seemed my heart had stopped, and I was choking. He stood with the -palms of his hands together, bending towards me, and the tears running -down his cheeks. - -For some time we were silent. I could not think, it seemed that I had -fallen from some house or tree and was insensible. After awhile I said. -“Ram Kishn, I don’t doubt that you believe what you say, but there must -be some mistake. It is impossible, impossible.” - -Then he said, “Sahib, do not say a word, not even to the Mem Sahib. I am -the only one of the servants who knows this, for don’t I watch on the -front veranda when the Sahib is absent?” - -“But, what shall I do?” I asked, for I was in such a dazed stupor that I -could not think. - -He replied, “The Sahib is going away to-night. Go, but do not go far -from the station, and return here to this arbor at twelve o’clock. Do -not come before that time, or the servants will be about, and we do not -want them to know anything of this, and then we’ll see that which is to -happen, will happen.” I told him I would do as he said, and that he -should order the sais to have the cart ready at five o’clock, and to -have the bearer put in my luggage. He replied that it should be just as -I ordered. - -I sat for awhile, and then started for a walk, somewhere, anywhere, I -did not know, or care. I did not wish to see my wife, as I could not -trust myself to meet her just then. As I expected, when I returned, she -had gone out with her Hon. friend for a drive in the phaeton, so I -started in the direction of my villages. I halted at a village several -miles from the station, telling the sais that I was ill, and very ill I -was, too. How long the hours were! How slowly the minutes crept! I held -my watch in my hand, counted the tick, ticks, as if every one was -taunting me with my wretchedness. So I waited and ate grief for my -dinner. Eleven o’clock came, and I turned towards home. Home! How -suddenly it had changed to Hell! I formed no plans. I doubted, I feared, -I hoped. Nearing the station I went by a back lane to the stables, and -taking the luggage myself, went through the garden to the arbor. There I -found Ram Kishn. To show his sympathy in the dark, he took both my hands -in his and pressed them without uttering a word. After some moments of -silence I whispered, “Ram Kishn, is it,” and interrupting me, he said, -“We’ll see, sahib, come with me.” I followed him to a side door which we -entered, for it seems that he had quietly unfastened this door. He lit -the night lantern, and drew the slide to hide the light, and we silently -groped our way to our bedroom, yes, our bedroom. As we entered it, he -drew the slide, and there upon my bed, our bed, they were both asleep in -each other’s arms! - -If I had been dazed before, I was paralyzed now. It was well that I had -formed no plan and taken no weapon, but it would have been useless, as I -could not raise my arms. I could not think; my power of speech was gone. - -In an instant, at the glow of the light, they both awoke with a scream -of fright. I turned and left the room. - -Often since that terrible moment I have thought of what I might, could, -would or should have done. That is always the way. Most people can think -afterward, when it is too late for thinking. But it was well that my -guardian angel or something kept me from taking a pistol or even a stick -in my hand. It has all passed, except the sad remembrance, and I console -myself with the thought that when one has done his best, that whatever -is, is best. - -I went out into the darkness, wishing that it could engulf and hide me -forever. On and on for miles down the metaled road, thinking, but all my -thoughts ran into a delirium. - -When the morning sun shone into my face, I found myself seated on the -sand by the roadside looking toward home. Home! I had none. It had -vanished in the darkness. Strange, is it not, that after a lapse of -years old scenes will suddenly flash upon one? It is true that a -thousand times I had thought of my mother, but at that moment I saw the -dear little mama, with those beautiful eyes wide open, looking, looking -while her heart was breaking, dying! I could realize her bitter sorrow, -for was not my heart breaking too? - -These thoughts of her brought me to life again, to the maddening reality -of my own condition. I arose and went back to my infamy and disgrace. I -felt but little anger, as the consciousness of my degradation -overwhelmed me, and despair paralyzed all my feelings. - -As I entered the house, I saw my wife—how I hated that word then—seated -in the drawing room. She did not look at me, and I passed on into my -private room. When I came out again, she sprang toward me, but I -retreated, saying, “Don’t come to me, never touch me again.” She threw -herself upon the floor, wailing and begging me to forgive her. My heart -was stone, my whole body dead to her. After a while she took a seat and -I listened in silence, while she told me all. How the Hon. had flattered -her, deceived and so seduced her, that at the Birthday Ball, after a -waltz together, he had taken her into the kala jagah—well is it named -the black place—and then had taken liberties with her, and then on and -on—why repeat the hateful story? - -By the time she had finished I had formed my plan, and said this to her, -“Your Hon. seducer will probably not tell of this. The only one else who -knows it is Ram Kishn, and he will not tell, and we need not say -anything. We can live in hell here, and that is enough, without telling -others to have them add fuel to the flames. You can have that side of -the house entirely to yourself. One of the rooms you can use as a dining -room, and you can have the carriage for your evening drives. I will keep -this side of the house for myself, and we’ll live as never seeing each -other.” - -The thought of the pleasant life we had passed, and of this horrible -life coming, made me exclaim, “What infamous crimes were my ancestors -guilty of, that I should be cursed like this? Why should I be damned for -the sins of that villainous father of mine?” - -At this she asked, “Am I not to be your wife again?” - -“My wife!” I exclaimed; “No, never, never again. Your purity is gone. -You are polluted for me. You have violated all your rights, not by a -sudden passion, but deliberately, time and again. You took advantage of -my absence. You have done your best to degrade me, to ruin me, and to -pollute yourself. You have not the slightest claim on me for any rights -or privileges. As for love, such as I had for you yesterday, my heart is -now dead to you. I forgive you, pity you, and will provide every comfort -for you, but you are not my wife except in name, and never can be.” - -She fell back in a swoon, and I called her ayah, waiting woman, and left -the room. - -What else could I do? Since then I have often thought of what I did, and -my conscience has never condemned me. I acted toward her as I would have -had her act toward me if the circumstances were changed. Had I broken my -loyalty to her in but one instance, she would have been right in dealing -with me as I dealt with her. I do not believe in two codes, one for -erring men, and another for erring women. If men demand virtue in their -wives, and cast them off when they fall, then let the men apply the same -law to themselves. The man who has commerce with more than one woman, is -as guilty as the woman who has had commerce with more than one man. If -immorality is wrong in a woman, why not in a man? Why should the man -have the right to transmit the curse of sensualism or debased appetite -to his children more than the woman? Why should a woman in marriage take -up a damaged article of a man, any more than a man a disreputable woman -for a wife? - -Asks a Danish novelist, “Is a woman who has had no relationships with a -man before marriage entitled to expect the same in her husband? Is a man -who has had relationships with other women before marriage entitled to -complain of his wife who has had such relationships?” Another gives this -paragraph—a conversation of a father with his daughter. “There,” he -says, “is woman’s noblest calling.” “As what?” asks the daughter. “As -what! Have you not listened? As—as the ennobling influence in marriage, -as that which makes men pure, as—” “As soap?” she suggests. “Soap?” asks -he, “what makes you think of soap?” “You make out that marriage is a -great laundry for men. We girls are to stand ready, each at her wash-tub -with her piece of soap. Is that how you mean it?” - -Once conversing with a young man, a full-blooded European in high -position, from a remark of mine he was led to ask, “Do you think that -children will inherit the disease of their father?” “Inevitably,” I -replied, “and I do not believe that God himself can or will avert this -natural law.” He replied, with a tremor in his voice, “I am very sorry -to hear you say that, as I am going to be married in a few days.” I -changed the subject, and made another remark, when he asked, “Don’t you -believe in the blood of Jesus to atone for our sins?” “No,” said I, “not -at all.” “Well!” he exclaimed, “if I did not believe in that, I do not -know what I should do.” - -His was a strange mixture of practice and belief, like vice and virtue -sleeping in each other’s arms in the same bed. Living in the midst of -sin, diseased, and about to commit the meanest of frauds by marrying a -pure, noble girl, and yet professing to believe in Jesus, the purest of -men, who denounced lust in the severest terms, and taught that even -lustful desire was as criminal as adultery. Why should there not be -pure-minded, physically clean men, for fathers, as well as pure-minded -and beautiful women for mothers? - -Why not, in the name of all that is just and holy, demand of men the -same chastity that they demand of women? - -I know this is not the rule in “society”; that there are many men who -claim to be men of honor, gentlemen, and many of them professing -Christians, who glibly talk about the beauty of chastity and virtue, and -yet who feed in every pasture as if they had a right there, but if their -wives step aside, then the devil is to pay, and all that. - -I acted according to my sense of justice—one law for both sexes, so how -could I have done otherwise than I did? - -What of the Hon. gentleman, an officer in her majesty’s service? I might -have shot him, and been hung for it, as that is justice according to -English law. I might have exposed him and created a scandal, to be -myself despised as a cuckold, and he be patted on the back by his -gentlemen comrades, or laughed at for being caught. Such an escapade, by -what I have read and heard, is winked at by mothers in English -“society,” and constituents would not hesitate in making such a man a -member of Parliament. “Young men will sow their wild oats,” is their -excuse. “It is only an exuberance of gaiety—a youthful indiscretion,” -say they. - -An English writer, a member of Parliament, so the statement is not to be -doubted, said in a newspaper article that “An Englishman is never so -happy as when stealing his neighbor’s wife,” so the Hon. may still be -happy stealing other men’s wives, as he stole mine. But then she was -only an “Eurasian,” the wife of that “damned Eurasian,” and so fit game -for an Hon. or any other gentleman. - -I went to Ram Kishn, and he followed me into the arbor where we could be -alone. I told him what I had done. He replied, “Sahib, I am a poor, -ignorant, bhut parast, and have no more sense than if I was brother to a -donkey, yet I think you are doing right.” “Now, Ram Kishn,” I inquired, -“you will never tell a word of this?” He thrust out his tongue, with his -teeth upon it, as if to say, if it ever utters a word may it be bitten -off. And his tongue ever remained true and unbitten. - -We two lived in this way in a divided house, not a home. Talk about hell -fire! It could not be worse than what I endured and suffered during the -long and dreary months while we lived and died a living death in every -day. I provided everything I could for her comfort, the best of -servants, the choicest kinds of food, books, magazines and illustrated -papers. She had her drives, but alone, the carriage was for her and no -one else. We seldom met, and then only for a word or two, when I asked -if she needed anything. I think, as she became conscious of her sin -against me, she respected me for the course I took. - -She fell ill. I got the best medical attendance and nurses. The end was -approaching, and then she sent for me, and confessed again that she had -wronged me, and almost cursed that Hon. gentleman who, by his pious talk -and seductive flatteries, had led her astray, and held her in his power, -spellbound and powerless as the serpent holds the poor, weak bird, and -destroyed our love and home. Why should she not curse him? “For cursed -be the heart that had the heart to do it.” She did not blame me for what -I had done. My kindness and consideration had made her love me more than -ever. She had repented with bitter tears, until her heart was broken, -and now, at the close of her life, ending so sadly, she wanted my -forgiveness, which I gave most freely. She begged a parting farewell -kiss, which I had no desire to refuse, and she departed, once the life -of my life, but now no more. - -Did I not suffer, and for her? Did I not live down in the valley of -despair, and under the shadow of death, all those months and for her -sake? I would have given all I possessed, even life itself, to have -restored her to me as she once was—my wife. - -I buried her body in a beautiful spot in the cemetery, in silence, as -not a prayer or funeral note was uttered, for I had been so damnably -wronged by my Christian father, and this Hon. Christian gentleman who -had murdered my love, whom I had often seen, hail fellow, well met, with -the chaplain, and had noticed in church piously reciting the prayers, -that I hated everything associated with him, and wished to have neither -priest nor prayers. - -My wish is, that if there be a devil, he may get this seducer and give -him his just dues, as I would wish to see a murderer caught and hung. I -believe in justice to sinners as well as to saints. - -Some might say, “Why not have charity?” and my reply would be, - - “Urge neither charity nor shame to me, - Uncharitably with me have you dealt, - And shamefully by you my hopes are butchered, - My charity is outrage, life my shame - And in that shame still lives my sorrow’s rage.” - -The last mark of respect I could show her was to erect a beautiful -monument on her grave, inscribed with “Mary, the wife of Charles -Japhet,” which the world may read, though it has never known the secret -of our lives until now. Though she had ceased to be in my heart my wife, -still she was and ever will be my wife in name. - -Years have passed since that awful, memorable event. I have often tried -to analyze and comprehend my feelings and condition at that time. I had -such implicit, absolute confidence in the virtue of my wife that I would -have risked my soul in proof of it. I had such respect for that man that -nothing but overwhelming proof could have convinced me of his lack of -integrity. I was rather proud of his acquaintance, pleased with what I -considered his polite attentions to my wife. I would have felt it -degrading, not only to them, but to myself, to have entertained the -slightest suspicion of the least impropriety. - -This was my condition before the fearful awakening came. Then it came so -suddenly, like a flash of lightning before my eyes, that I was -bewildered, stupefied. For the moment I could not realize anything, -either that I existed or could think or feel—paralyzed is the best word -I can use,—in thought and feeling. - -Then there flashed through me a contempt, a thorough disgust for those -two things as if they were but slimy toads in the mire that were beneath -my notice, and too nasty for me to touch or look at. With this latter -feeling overpowering me, I escaped from what, had I remained a moment -more, would have become a revenge, and I would have committed a terrible -deed, not a crime, in killing them both, if I could. I think I would -have been justified in doing this, and yet, and yet, there would have -been a fearful remembrance of it ever afterward. I wonder why I acted as -I did, and still am heartily glad that I did not act otherwise. - -Mr. Jasper was my kindest friend when the shadow of death was over my -house. He walked beside me to the cemetery, and stood beside me in the -silence at the grave, and returned with me in the carriage. He scarcely -spoke a word in all that time, but I felt the sympathy of his heart. The -shadow of death brooded within my house, the stillness was awful, almost -beyond endurance, and I was terribly alone. I could well apply the lines -of Shelley to myself: - - “As the earth when leaves are dead, - As the night when sleep is sped, - As the heart when joy is fled, - I am left lone, alone.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - -The next morning my friend called, and we had a long conversation on the -veranda. He said, “I was not a little surprised that you did not have -the chaplain and no kind of service at the grave. Not that I personally -was dissatisfied, but rather that you dared to go against the usual -custom.” - -I could not tell him the exact reason, which mainly was my dislike of -the chaplain on account of his intimate companionship with the Hon. who -had wrecked my life, so I said that I had no acquaintance with the -chaplain; that according to social custom, as he had come last to the -station, it was his place to call on us. If he had any interest in our -religious welfare it was his duty to see us. If he was the shepherd and -we the sheep, it was his place to look us up, and not ours to run after -him. As he had never cared for us, either in health or in sickness, and -we could live and die without his services, it seemed to me that we -could be buried without his aid. - -“Believe me,” he answered, “I am not finding fault or criticising, but -only referred to your not following the usual custom, and am rather -pleased that you had courage to do what you thought best. For myself, I -would prefer a solemn chant, or such a hymn as ‘Abide with me,’ or any -hymn that would lead us to think of eternal life. I object to the -service for the dead, as given in the prayer-book, being used for -everybody, saint and sinner alike; not that I would be a judge of the -dead, yet we cannot always restrain our thoughts and judgments. - -“When I stood at the grave of a man whom everybody knew as a drunkard, -and we both knew such a man, who, going home at night drunk from a -party, fell from his horse and broke his collar bone, and died from his -injury mainly because he was dissipated. He was worse than a drunkard, a -seducer of innocence, a debauchee, most profane and vulgar in all his -conversation. He was vice personified; destitute of all pure noble -feelings, spending his nights in vice and his days in intrigue, whose -acquaintance was fatal to a woman, and who reveled in the putridity of -immorality. Every decent person loathed him while he was living, and -only recognized him because he was in a prominent government position. -When we stood at his grave, and the chaplain said the words: - -“‘Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take -unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore -commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to -dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life -through our Lord Jesus Christ,—’ - -“I could not help thinking, you are either a fool or a liar and I -recalled the saying of Garibaldi: ‘A priest knows himself to be an -imposter unless he be a fool, or have been taught to lie from boyhood.’ - -“Such a performance as that, and I don’t know what else to call it, is -degrading a religious service, and turning it into a falsehood, making a -sham or mockery of what at such a solemn moment should be—most truthful -and sacred. Everybody present at the time knew the service was a lying -flattery, a religious farce. Is it any wonder that so many people lack -sincerity, and lose faith not only in the church, its ministers, but in -all things religious? The clergy go through their forms whether they are -suitable for the occasion or not.” - -I suggested that perhaps his hymns might not always be appropriate. - -“Why not?” he asked. “They would not lie about God or the dead, but -would be only for the living. Another thing. As this man to whom I -referred was near death, they sent for the chaplain. He may have found a -suitable prayer, or have said some good words, but what could he do for -such a man in the awful hour of death? They say, ‘The man may repent,’ -and then? Would he go to heaven? What kind of a heaven would be suitable -for him? What society is he fitted to enjoy? What delight would he take -in anything that is pure and holy? That is another of the false, baneful -teachings of the Church, that the vilest of men may in a dying hour, by -a few words of the priest, by partaking of the communion, by the -anointing of oil, or the sprinkling of a few drops of so-called holy -water, in an instant, be fitted to go into the presence of God and -associate with angels and the pure and good. You might as well take a -savage cannibal, or a wild Hottentot, suddenly into a London drawing -room, among the refined and educated, and expect him to enjoy himself -and be at ease, as to think of a vile, polluted man gaining admittance -into Heaven, and to be happy should he get into it. Of what interest -would God be to a soul in a future life, who had nothing to do with Him -here? - -“With me it is not a question if I shall go to Heaven, but how shall I -like it when I get there? Strip many people of all that is in them that -pertains wholly to this life, and there would be little left that would -be worth taking over into that other life. The whole church scheme is -founded on the idea that Heaven is a kind of a pen, or a big sheep-fold, -and that the keeper of the gate can be cajoled or bribed to let in -anybody who is vouched for by some priest; that even those so vile as to -pollute the earth by their presence, who can get past the keeper through -the gate, or by any hook or crook get in, will at once bloom out into -saints and angels. - -“Is it strange that so many live in vice and sin, when their salvation -is made so easy, by getting in a priest at the last moment? How can -honest men, as clergymen, bolster up such a flattering delusion? If it -is criminal to deceive men about things in this life, how much more so -when it is about that which affects their eternal life? If the parsons -cannot keep a man from sinning, or make him lead a good life here, how -can they, in the hour of death, save him from Hell or fit him for -Heaven, when his body is racked with pain and his senses are benumbed? -Is it not a gross deception to teach that, when a man becomes so feeble -from his vices, that he can enjoy nothing more on earth, neither of its -good or evil, and has nothing left but its dregs, that he can take -communion, and reach Heaven? - -“Colley Cibber wrote of Nell Gwynn, the notorious profligate mistress of -Charles the Second: ‘She received the last consolations of religion. Her -repentance in her last hours appeared in all the contrite symptoms of -Christian sincerity.’ - -“This is only one instance of thousands of similar statements. How can a -person’s death-bed be illumined by the holy consolations of religion, -after a whole life spent in the meanest kind of wickedness? What -sacrilegious rubbish! - -“My idea of Heaven is this—that it is a condition of the soul, and is -made by ourselves, with God’s help always—by conquest, the conquest of -self, the subjugation of all thoughts, feelings and acts, everything -that is unheavenly, and by building up the soul with pure thoughts and -deeds of rightness. We make a heaven for ourselves by subduing and -improving. The farmer clears the ground and destroys the weeds to give -place to the seed, and then by cultivation, produces a harvest. He does -not expect a crop without labor; by some chance, or prayer, or miracle. -Why should we expect a spiritual crop of good without working for it? -Our diseases, are in no sense, accidents or mysteries, but the necessary -and legitimate results of the violations of laws. A man who violates the -laws of his physical being to his own injury is a criminal in regard to -himself, just as he would be a criminal in breaking the laws of the -state. - -“Government does not accept the plea of ignorance of the laws, for to be -ignorant is a part of the crime, so no one should be excused for not -knowing or obeying the laws of his own being. - -“The material view of Heaven as a place, instead of a condition of the -soul, that men can be thrown into it, by some force or power, outside of -themselves, that some one else has the keys and can open the place for -them, is a delusion that has done great hurt to humanity. With these -ideas men deceive and excuse themselves. Instead of making and building -up a heaven of their souls, they depend on others. They shift the -responsibility. If they sin, some one will bear their sins for them. No -matter how often they sin, or how long they continue in it, if they, at -the dying hour, can say they are sorry, get a priest to vouch for them, -and give them the pass-word, they will be made heirs of Heaven, and be -straightway carried to Abraham’s bosom. All this is contrary to common -sense and reason. - -“Is it fair and just, supposing heaven to be a place, to those who all -their lives have striven to be good, to have these wretches who are -steeped in sin and made up of vice and crime to become at a breath, -inhabitants of heaven when they are not able to sin any more? This would -not be human justice, nor can I believe that it is God’s plan to people -heaven in that way, supposing it to be a place. O, yes, the thief on the -cross! I think if Jesus could have foreseen what use would have been -made of that expression he would never have uttered it. He had the -Jewish notion of heaven being a city, a new Jerusalem, with many -mansions, surrounded by a wall with gates. With all due respect to him -as a great teacher and a pure man, I cannot but think that these words -of his have kept many in sin, delayed their repentance and leading of a -better life. Do I say this rashly? Have I not heard men say, ‘O, I will -repent before I die;’ and when warned of their mistaken idea of -repentance and the danger of delay, have answered, ‘The thief repented -on the cross when he was dying and was promised paradise.’ And there is -the parable of the laborers. This is a Jewish story and might be told of -one of their rulers who could do as he pleased. It is utterly contrary -to human justice for a man who works only an hour to receive as much as -the man who labors ten hours. It is a libel on God to think he would pay -his laborers in that way. - -“I have sometimes thought that some people are dead long before they are -buried. All the spiritual life, that which makes manhood or saints, is -dead, killed by their vices and transgressions against their spiritual -nature, and the animal life alone remains that keeps their bodies in -existence. What effect then would a prayer or a wafer or anything have -upon such a thing that is only like the carcass of a dying brute? In -proportion as a man sins he becomes dead to righteousness. I think no -one can question this. Then we cannot help admitting that there may come -a time when he, his soul, will be actually dead to all good influences. -Then he will be a hell to himself, or in hell, just as you choose to -have it. - -“It is a horrible thought, I know, yet there are many horrible things in -life that we cannot escape. The hell or the punishment is of man’s own -making, not of God’s. - -“If a farmer who has good soil, rain and sunshine, wastes his time in -idleness, how can he blame God for not giving him a harvest? When a man -wastes his life in vice and crime and becomes a hell to himself, how can -he accuse God of being unjust or unmerciful? The moral laws are as exact -and reasonable as those of nature. - -“The mistake is, I think, in leading people to believe that the church -by some supernatural power given to it, or by a sudden belief, hope or -regret of the man himself, can change this inexorable, inevitable law of -God so as to make the vilest sinner become a saint. The soul that -sinneth shall die, and my belief is that God will not frustrate the -execution of His own laws. There are no miracles in nature or anywhere -else. It is inconsistent to suppose that the Creator of the universe -would permit or give power to a few poor mortals anywhere to interfere -with or change the working of His laws. In the revolution of the spheres -there has not been for ages the slightest variation or shadow of a -change. It is impossible to suppose that there could be such a variation -in the orbit of a planet so slight as to be beyond the power of man to -detect it with his most delicate instruments, without believing that -chaos would be the result sooner or later. There is as much harmony and -equilibrium in a globule of water as in the largest planet. The dazzling -glory in a dew-drop is but the exact reflection of some greater and -higher glory. Everything in nature is according to the strictest kind of -inerrant, unchangeable law. Why then should we expect or believe that in -the spiritual or moral life its laws are errant or changeable? Why -should cause and effect be different in the one than in the other? When -water can be produced by any power of God or man without the exact -proportions of oxygen and hydrogen, then I will attempt to believe that -a vile man, dead in trespasses and sins can suddenly be changed into an -angel and be fit to enjoy the society of the pure and the good. - -“The mercy of God! It is blasphemy to make such a plea to ward off and -escape the consequences that are the result of the deliberate violations -of God’s moral laws. Earthquakes and cyclones are in harmony with -nature’s laws that God has made. Why not demand that the mercy of God -shall suddenly interfere and prevent these from engulfing cities and -destroying thousands of innocent women and children, as to believe that -the mercy of God will interfere with His spiritual laws and save a soul -that is dead in sin or has never wished for salvation.” - -“But,” I inquired, “do you not believe in the forgiveness of God?” - -“Most emphatically I do,” he exclaimed. “When a man longs for it in his -soul with heartfelt repentance. You know what I mean; not a sham -repentance or asking for forgiveness when he is at the end of his tether -and is too weak and impotent to sin again. But suppose that full pardon -is given, what then? Does it restore the sinner and reinstate him in his -former innocent state or place him where he might have been had he not -sinned? Not at all, for I say it with loyalty and reverence to God that -there are things He cannot do. He cannot do away with the results of the -cyclone of last year. He cannot blot out the occurrences of the past and -make the history of the world a blank. He cannot violate His own laws -which His own omniscience and wisdom have established. This is -inconceivable. - -“There are so many who misinterpret the forgiveness and mercy of God -that they transform Him from a being of infinite perfectness into a -thing of whims and caprices. - -“To illustrate my meaning. Suppose a young man, well educated and -trained, a model young man in every respect, leaves home like the -prodigal son and goes to some city and yields to temptation and vice, as -so many do where they think they are unknown and have a chance to see -life. His money all spent, his strength all gone so that he can -dissipate no more, he goes home. The father and mother receive him with -tears of gladness; not a word of reproach is uttered. He sits at the -family table, kneels again at the family altar and apparently all is as -if nothing had happened. He is fully forgiven but does that forgiveness -restore to him the innocence he lost? Never! That is lost forever. He -may never sin again, but he cannot obliterate the wounds and scars he -made upon his own soul by his sinning. Neither the forgiveness of his -father nor the prayers of his loving mother can ever make him what he -would have been had he not sinned. Nor can God do away with the -violation of His laws. A man’s deeds become a part or all of himself. -Destroy the remembrance of those deeds and so far you annihilate the man -himself. The only thing for a sinner to do is to sin no more and make -the most of the rest of his life. - -“Suppose I take an illustration from nature. We go into your garden, and -as we pass along, you with your pruning knife in your hand make a cut in -one of the trees. Ten years from now we meet again, and as we pass the -tree you remark: ‘Why, Mr. Jasper, here is the very tree I cut ten years -ago, and there is not a sign or scar of the knife. It is as if it never -had been hurt!’ ‘Hold! I cry. Let us cut the tree down and open it.’ -There is the inevitable wound made by your knife. It could not be -otherwise. Nature always retains its scars and why not men? So the -immortal soul never forgets or loses anything of good or evil. It is -fearful, awful, I know, and makes one dread to live. Everybody has to -carry through life the scars they received in their youth. It is -nonsense to say that a life tainted with sin may come out all right in -the end. - -“The acts of men when once performed are indestructible and eternal, -whether they are good or evil. Could they be annihilated, then the good -might go as well as the evil, and nothing would be settled, all would be -chaos. - -“‘According to law,’ is an expression of the justice of an action among -men, so we can say that God does everything according to law. Neither -will He, or can He, by miracles or any special providence, change or -interfere with the execution of His established laws. Why should He? In -answer to prayer? What a mess this world would be in, if God answered -everybody’s prayers! Two Christian people are at war. Both claim to be -right, and each prays to God for help to conquer the other. The one is -conquered, but does it acknowledge that its defeat was because God was -not with it? - -“A farmer went to his minister and asked him to pray for rain, as his -corn was drying up. Another farmer objected as he had just cut his grass -and rain would ruin it. What would be for the benefit of one might be -loss or death to many. Who can interfere with the government of the -Almighty? - -“Who knows the laws so well as He that made them? Nine-tenths of the -suggestions and directions to God, as to how He should manage the -affairs of the world, would be insults and sins, were it not for the -incapacity and ignorance of those who make them. It is no crime or sin -for a donkey to bray at the moon. - -“Suppose that one who has spent years in study and experiment produces a -large and intricate machine. He knows the purposes for which it was -built and all the details and manner of using it. Is such a man to -receive directions how to manage his machine from any passer-by, from -persons who know nothing of mechanical laws, and of but little else, and -never gave an hour’s thought to the simplest mechanical appliance? If -any one knows more about the machine than its maker, it might be well -for him to give suggestions. So if any one knows more about the world -and knows how to take care of it better than its Creator, let him step -up, and give his advice and orders.” - -I interjected, “If a man makes his own destiny, what is the use of the -church or parsons?” - -“Use! Why to help make it better, for good, not by any delusions, -deceptions, false hopes, jugglery of ordinances or soft sayings. -‘Believe, have faith in this or that and you will be saved.’ Let the -priests and all religious teachers warn the people of sin, show them the -fearful and inevitable consequences of the violation of the spiritual -and moral laws; that as a man lives so he dies, and as he dies so will -be his eternal condition. Give him no chance for an excuse, of dodging, -of trying to escape through somebody’s influence. Educate him, threaten -him, frighten him by the awful present and eternal consequences of sin, -into a better life. Make no apologies for sinning. Give him to -understand that he is making his own heaven or hell. As the Persian poet -puts it: - - ‘I sent my soul through the invisible, - Some letter of that after life to spell, - And bye and bye my soul returned to me, - And answered, I, myself, am heaven or hell!’ - -“There is nothing truer than the saying of Kant. ‘Every action carries -with it its own punishment, and its own reward.’ - - ‘It matters not how straight the gate, - How charged with punishment the scroll, - I am the master of my fate, - I am the Captain of my soul.’ - - ‘Our acts our angels are, for good or ill, - Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.’ - -“The great mistake is, that salvation from sin is made so easy; is -considered so cheap a thing, that few pay any attention to it. Make men -understand that their eternal destiny is of their own making—with the -help of God always—that no mediation, intercession of others can -possibly change their evil nature, or do away with the fearful -consequences of the violation of God’s law. I would not smooth over -anything. I would show them that the most difficult thing in life is to -be good, and yet that every difficulty can be overcome and the way -become delightfully pleasant if the mind and strength of the heart and -soul are inclined to it. When a man has wasted his life, sucked the -sweets from every flower to gratify his pampered appetite, and the fires -of his passions have gone out, he becomes devout, builds a church, -endows a hospital, says his prayers, and is cock sure of heaven, as if -the eyes of justice were blind and the record of his misspent life could -be erased by a few donations of money or the mumbling of a few prayers! - -“Away with all such cant and hypocrisy! Money can do a great deal on -earth, for all on it, even immortal men are purchasable, but it would be -blasphemy to think that the justice of Heaven could be thwarted by -bribes, or the records of wrong-doing be washed away by a few tardy -tears. - - ‘Yet here’s a spot, - Out damned spot! Out I say, - What! will these hands never be clean! - Here’s the smell of blood still; - All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ - -“It is not by any creed or prayer, or ordinance, or mediation that a man -is to be saved, but by noble thinking, and brave doing every moment of -his life. He may get all the information and assistance he can, but he -alone can and must do the work. - -“It is awful to reflect that not a thought, or word, or deed is ever -forgotten, and that each one makes his own doomsday book, in which all -is written with such exactness that there are no erasures or -corrections, and to be forever carried as a part of the soul, a -perpetual, eternal witness for or against himself. The soul, disrobed, -naked, and seeing itself in that fearful light where there can be no -deception or the least concealment—what need of any judge or any record -but the memory of the soul? The memory keeps an everlasting account of -all that ever comes to it,—‘Where I do see the very book indeed where -all my sins are writ, and that’s myself.’ - -“The great mistake is, I think, in making religion wholly a supernatural -thing, something to be accepted by faith only, in somebody’s statement, -and clothing it with mystery, and placing it before our reason. True -religion is as much a science as mental philosophy, or chemistry, and -should be investigated by the same methods. - -“Says Webster: ‘Science is the understanding of truth or facts; it is an -investigation of truth for its own sake, and a pursuit of pure -knowledge.’ - -“Sir William Thompson says: ‘Science is bound by the everlasting law of -honor to face fearlessly every problem which can fairly be presented to -it.’ - -“‘Conviction,’ says Bacon, ‘comes not through arguments, but through -experiments.’ - -“Says a French philosopher: ‘I have consumed forty years of my -pilgrimage seeking the philosopher’s stone called truth. I have -consulted all the adepts of antiquity, and still remain in ignorance. -All that I have been able to obtain is this: chance, is a word void of -sense. The world is arranged according to mathematical laws.’ - -“The relation of cause with effect, heat with cold, light with darkness, -sweet with sour, positive with negative, is not more or less definite in -the natural sciences than that of good with evil, vice with virtue, pure -with foul, or rewards with punishments in moral or religious science. -Why invent a devil to be the author of evil any more than to imagine -some demon to be the creator of darkness, or another as the devil of -cold in the arctic regions, or another as the devil of heat here in -India? - -“Once, conversing with a Roman Catholic priest, he said, ‘Your theory -may do very well for you, but for the masses of ignorant people, sunken -in vice and sin, a literal hell of fire and a devil are an actual -necessity.’ - -“Bobby Burns says: - - ‘The fear of hell’s a hangman’s whip, - To haud the wretch in order,’ - -but I prefer his other sentiment, - - ‘Just where ye feel your honor grip, - Let that aye be your border. - Its slightest touches instant pause, - Debar a’ side pretenses, - And resolutely keep its laws, - Uncaring consequences.’” - -Said he, as he arose to go, “I hope I have not tired you. I have talked -enough, so I will practice a little by seeing my poor families, for -wishing the poor to be fed without giving them bread, would not be -satisfactory to them now, nor to me hereafter.” - -Such was Mr. Jasper. I liked him for his honesty and sincerity. I doubt -if he ever uttered a word but what he believed, and what he said he -felt, as if it was a part of himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - -My home was lonely. The light that once shone so brightly in it had gone -out, as I might say, in darkness. I took to my books, but I had no -purpose or pleasure in reading. I improved my own grounds, and my -property in the station. I often went to my villages and spent weeks -among them, having good wells dug, a large tank, covering an acre of -ground constructed to contain water for irrigation, built roads, made -drains, planted good fruit and timber trees. I took much pleasure in all -this, and had great satisfaction in doing my duty to the poor people. I -was not satisfied to squeeze every pice of my rent out of them and give -them nothing in return. The results were better than I anticipated. -There was scarcely any sickness or disease among the people, owing to -the good water and drainage. They became healthy and more able to labor, -and, having abundant water in the tank for irrigation, they raised extra -and improved crops. The people had plenty to eat, and the cattle were -well fed. They had gardens, for which I supplied imported seeds, so they -had vegetables the year round, of which formerly there was a scarcity -except during the rains. In a few years there was plenty of fruit, and -the branches of the trees supplied the villagers with fuel, so they -could save the refuse, that was formerly burned, for their land. I -considered all the expenditure I had made, enhanced the worth of my -property. The ryots did not fail to realize the value of the -improvements to them, and gave me not only my legal rents most -willingly, but in their generosity gave me something of their products -and would have provided for me as their guest while I was with them. - -They always received me with pleasure, not as their landlord, to make -demands upon them, but as their best friend. They ever had some present -for me. The largest melon, the ripest fruits, the finest flowers, were -kept for the sahib. I encouraged them to cultivate flowers, giving them -seeds, and sending them various kinds of plants and shrubs. I offered -prizes for the best flower beds kept by the women, and appointed a -committee of five to decide upon the awards. This was such a success, -and gave so much pleasure, that I offered other prizes for the planting -of trees, for the best productions of their gardens, and the best crops, -the finest looking cattle, and the cleanest, neatest houses and yards. -Twice a year we had our little fairs, gala days, on which the prizes -were distributed. The amounts I offered were not large, but the -emulation they excited was very great. They stimulated industry and -induced the people to work with pleasure, and gave them a taste for -beautiful and useful things. - -My villages soon became the envy of all around them; my people, my -friends, took pride in speaking of me as “their sahib” and telling what -he had done for them. Need I say that I was pleased, for what is there -to produce greater happiness than in doing good and making others happy? -I might have skinned these people, and drained every pice I could out of -their poverty, but thousands of rupees accumulated would have been only -blood money and a curse compared to the pleasure I received from the -contented happiness of these once impoverished serfs. - -I ventured on another experiment. I built a cheap school-house in each -village, and surrounded them with trees and flowers, planted by the -villagers themselves. I always got the people to be my partners in -everything. A teacher was engaged for each school-house, and every girl -and boy was asked to attend, and they were all there. I had no thought -of encouraging that Oxford and Cambridge fad of giving the higher -education to people to whom it is more of a curse than a blessing. I -have often thought of writing a book denouncing the government scheme of -giving the sons of the rich natives a classical education at the expense -of taxing the groans, sweat and life blood of the poor to pay for it. -These upstarts are impudent and mean enough in their natural condition, -but with the nonsensical crammed education they get, they are still -worse. But I have never found a pen sharp enough, so my book is still in -embryo. - -In these schools, reading, writing, and the simplest figures were -taught; nothing more from books, but a great deal as to morals, manners, -health, about their houses, their fields, their cattle, about the birds, -the flowers and trees. - -I put the girls first, as I always do. If we educate any let it be first -the girl, for as the girl is, so will be the mother and the coming man. -“A clever mother makes a clever man.” One might as well suppose a stream -to rise above its source, as to expect a nation to rise above its -mothers. An English writer says, “No great general ever arose out of a -nation of cowards; no great statesman or philosopher out of a nation of -fools; no great artists out of a nation of materialists; no great -dramatist, except when the drama was the passion of the people.” And I -will add, no great, good men without good mothers. Therefore, I say, -educate the girls! Sometimes the whisper of a mother, in the ear of a -child to-day, becomes the boom of a cannon a century hence. The people -of India are utterly blind in this respect. No matter what else they do, -they will never become a people among the great nations of the earth -until they educate the women. - -I visited these schools often, gave the children treats, and offered -prizes. I gave little lectures to little people, and being only “That -Eurasian,” I had their language probably better than they could speak it -themselves, so had no difficulty in reaching them. - -On the lecture prize days, the work in the fields was stopped, the -gardens neglected, and the holiday clothes taken from the earthen jars. -The people were all there, and not even a zanana woman or baba left -behind. The walls of the little school-house were too near each other, -so we had our School Jama’at under the big tree, with mats all around on -the ground for the people to sit upon. The result in a few years—for I -am looking back now—was that there was not a girl or boy in the villages -but could read and write fairly well. They were eager to read, and -begged for books and papers, so that I never made a visit that I did not -carry out a supply to them. It was interesting, to me at least, to see -frequently a little tot of a girl standing up and reading to a number of -grown men. - -All the teaching was in their own language, of course, as I was not an -enlightened fool enough to introduce English among them. - -I have always considered, and I do not speak from guess or supposition, -but from what I know, that the zemindars, or village owners, are the -greatest curse of India, unless they do something for their people, and -not one out of a hundred, or even one in a thousand, does that. - -Next unto these zemindars is the army of brazen robbers, the jamadars, -who collect the rents. They live on the villagers, while with them, and -take all the dastoori and plunder they can lay their hands on. The poor -people might better welcome a swarm of locusts than these plunderers. I -never employed a jamadar to do my collecting, but went myself, and each -ryot placed his money in my hands as I sat by a table under the big -tree. All paid willingly, as they knew the exact amount, and that there -would be no extortion. - -Another thing. I allowed no bunyas or money-lenders about. These are -another set of leeches, who suck the life blood of the poor in the shape -of interest on money advanced on the crops, at from one hundred to two -hundred per cent. profit. I have often wondered that a government, half -civilized or even a quarter enlightened, should not pass a law against -this accursed system of usury, and so protect the poor from wholesale -robbery. These harpies are worse than thieves, for they plunder under -protection of government, and can collect their extortionate demands by -means of law, and in the government courts. I found that several of -these fat sleek fellows paid regular visits to my villages, and I well -knew from the nature of these animals that they did not go without a -purpose. One day I called the ryots together and discovered that a -number of them were paying from fifty to one hundred per cent. for -loans—a profit to these extortioners that not a mercantile man of -Calcutta, or his wicked partner, hardened though they be, would expect. -I made a list of the names, with the amounts. I told them that I wanted -all this borrowing stopped at once. I drew up a paper, and said that I -would advance the sums they had borrowed, without any interest, on -condition that they would make their marks on the paper promising never -to borrow from the bunyas again. And they all agreed and signed. I got -no interest, but received what was better, the good will of these poor -men. I advised them to wear their rags, and live on weeds, rather than -go in debt. I loaned them money, but at the same time I tried to give -them a lesson in political economy. I gave not only one talk, but -repeated it. The result was excellent. In a couple of years there was -not a man in the villages who owed a rupee. They had a pride about this, -for knowing my feelings, it became a disgrace for a man to borrow, and -any one was marked when he went into debt. I got a good deal of pleasure -out of this in the hatred of the bunya tribe. - -Another thing I noticed. Before my improvements and the new regime, the -people went to different melas to see the tamashas, for however low and -poor a people are, they will have their pleasures. I have read this -somewhere. “One way of getting an idea of our fellow men’s miseries is -to go and look at their pleasures.” I have often thought of this when -seeing the simple trifling amusements of the millions of India people at -a mela. How narrow and empty the minds that could take any pleasure in -what they enjoy! My whole feeling toward them was pity, even to sadness, -as to bring tears to my eyes. Immortal souls, with no desires worthy of -immortality! - -After a few years, what with the improved culture of the fields, the -gardens, the trees, flowers, our fairs and school exhibitions, the -people had so much to look forward to and prepare for, that they had no -time or inclination to run about the country, or go away from home for -amusement. - -I made very few rules, but gave many suggestions which they were very -quick to take up. Once in our assembly under the big tree, one of the -younger men wore a rather earthy looking coat. I suggested that he ask -his wife to loan him her clean sari. He left at once and soon appeared -with a nice clean coat to the amusement of the company. This little hint -was enough, and they showed respect by appearing as cleanly as possible. - -I gave them a lecture on the impurities of water and showed them by -means of a magnifying glass, first to the women and then to the men, -what hideous creatures there were in foul water, to their great disgust, -for I saw it in every face, and explained that when they drank such -water, and all these clawing, wriggling creatures got into their -insides, they would see bhuts, ghosts, even in the day time, and get -fever, cholera and all other diseases. - -I may have magnified even the truth in this, but as it is what all -medical men do when they wish to frighten their simple-minded patients, -my little exaggeration was excusable. I talked very plainly to them of -the nasty, filthy habit of the Hindus, washing their bodies and rinsing -their mouths in the foul pools, and then using the water for drinking -and cooking purposes. Of all the customs of the India people this is the -vilest, and often have I seen these self styled holy Brahmins, so -fastidious as not to drink water out of my clean glass, yet bathing in -water so foul that I would not allow my dog to be washed in it, and then -drinking the same water. - -The Government sends to Europe for learned Medicos to come out here at -great expense and publishes octavos on the prevention of disease, and -yet allows these talaos or cess-pools to exist near every village, the -very hot walloes and breeding places of nearly every kind of disease. It -is a very soft thing for these gentlemen to get such a pleasure trip, -and that is about all there is in it, except the taxes on the people to -pay the bills. - -I think my talks on this subject were a great success, as I saw -afterward that the people were particular to get water for drinking and -domestic purposes from the wells, and the water for bathing they carried -away from the tank to use outside. - -All these things may be considered trifles by learned scientific minds; -but no matter. Many a time in my life I have had to do with trifles. -When that English gentleman, my father left us, and poor mama broke her -heart, a trifle perhaps to him,—and little sister and I lived on a few -handfuls of rice a day, given by the poor out of their scanty store, it -was a mere trifle, and when the good old faqir gave us a few handfuls of -parched grain, it was only a trifle, but life to us, and when Mr. Percy -found us in the serai, only a trifle, but what would I have been if that -trifling incident had never occurred? I do not think I am out of my -sense in saying that the man who looks carefully after all the trifles -may let the big things take care of themselves. - -It is said that one of the great characteristics of Charles Darwin was -his interest in the littles of every day life, and besides he was one of -the most courteous of men. One statement of his, has given me great -satisfaction. In a letter he says: “As for myself I believe that I have -acted rightly in steadily following and devoting my life to science. I -feel no remorse from having committed any great sin, but have often -regretted that I have not done more direct good to my fellow-creatures.” - -The tank, well filled with clean water, I stocked with the best of fish -of which the villagers soon had a plentiful supply. I am surprised that -the distinguished officers of government who write so learnedly about -relieving the poor of India, do not look after such a cheap and -excellent means of supplying food for the people. Yet as this might -become another article for taxation my prudence suggests silence. - -I gave and also received, illustrating the Spanish proverb, “He who -would bring home the wealth of the Indies must carry the wealth of the -Indies with him.” - -I became very fond of these people, and I know they had great regard for -me, and the children, especially the little girls, chattering, laughing, -playful things always around me, and they were rewarded. As I looked at -them I thought of that little sister of mine, would I ever find her? - -One thing I recalled years afterward, and that was, I never once talked -to the people about their religion or referred to mine, for heathen as I -am, I have a religion. I never once spoke to them of the Bible or the -Shasters, nor gave them any creed or catechism. I often spoke to them -about God, pointing upwards, as to the One above, and explained what I -thought He would be pleased to have us do, and with what He would be -displeased. I am sure they came to reverence Him with a desire to obey -Him, for they paid less and less attention to their old idolatries. - -One day one of the men came to me with a question. He first stated his -case, and then asked “Sahib, do you think Permeshwar, God, would be -pleased to have me do that?” “No” I replied, “I don’t think He would.” -“Then,” said he, “I will not do it.” I felt that good seed had been -planted in their hearts as in their fields, and I would let it grow and -ripen, cared for by God himself. - -For some time I enjoyed this pleasant labor, as it diverted my thoughts -from my desolate home. I have long since come to the conclusion that -when a man becomes tired of himself, or is down in the mouth or heart, -the best remedy is to try and benefit his fellow men. - -Said Rowland Hill: “I would give nothing for that man’s religion whose -very dog and cat are not the better for it.” - -I left the villages to themselves for awhile and engaged in other -matters. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - -One day, starting on a journey, I entered an apartment on the train in -which there was a lady and gentleman. They were very reserved as all -English people are. - -I remember the remark of the great Dr. Johnson to his friend Boswell, -“Sir, two men of any other nation who are thrown into a room together at -a house where they are both visitors will immediately find some -conversation. But two Englishmen will probably go each to a different -window and remain in absolute silence. - -“Sir, we do not understand the common rights of humanity.” - -Apropos of this, I recall an account of a shipwreck when only two men, -Englishmen of course, were saved, one clinging to the foremast and the -other to the mainmast. One, as he was rescued was asked, “Who is that -other man?” He replied, “I don’t know.” “But didn’t you speak to him?” -“Speak to him!” he exclaimed. “How could I when we had not been -introduced?” - -I read my paper for awhile in silence. I am never alone when I have a -good book or paper, and yet I felt like talking, as I sometimes do. -Probably we all feel that way. Strange isn’t it? - -I tried to think of something to break the silence between myself and my -two silent fellow travelers, but failed entirely. Some miles were -passed, and I thought of a good iced drink that my bearer had brought -for me in my traveler’s ice box, and without a reflection, but from the -impulse of my good nature, I suggested that perhaps they might take -something. Had I been acquainted, I might have said in good Johnsonese, -“Let us reciprocate,” but I was prudent and cautious. They accepted at -once with thanks. This broke the ice between us, and I found them very -pleasant company. It is said, no matter by whom, that if an Englishman -is once introduced, or the ice is broken, he can be very affable. -Probably this may be true. - -It was so in this case so what matter elsewhere. We enjoyed our -conversation so much that our journey passed quickly and we were -scarcely aware that we were at the end of it. They gave me their cards, -and said they were from Wazirabad. Wazirabad! How that name struck me! I -quickly asked, “Did you know a Mr. and Mrs. Strangway, who lived there?” -Both replied at once, “They were our most intimate friends!” I told them -that the Strangways, years ago, had adopted a little sister of mine, and -though I and another had written, we could never get a word from them or -about her. They replied, that soon after the Strangways returned with -the little girl they left for Europe taking her with them, and remained -abroad for years, where she was educated. While absent, the Strangways -from some cause or other were obliged to return to India, and soon after -their arrival they both died suddenly from the cholera. “But what became -of the daughter?” I impatiently asked. Replied the lady: “She was left -without any means, and went as a governess to Bhagulpur.” At the mention -of this name I sprang to my feet with a start. “Do you know to whom she -went?” I asked. - -The lady looked at her husband, and after a moment’s hesitation said, -“Wasn’t it to the Shaws?” “Great Heavens! then I have seen her without -knowing her,” I exclaimed. My heart thumped in its beating, and cold -chills raced over me. They probably attributed this to my excitement, at -suddenly hearing of my long-lost sister. And I, what did I think, or -what didn’t I think? That villain of a magistrate leaving the station, -and the sudden disappearance of the governess, my sister! - -We shook hands, but I hardly knew when my newly made friends left me. -Horror of horrors! To have been so near and yet not known her, and that -cursed old Englishman talking about her as he did, and how could I think -it, leading her astray! My sister! As long as she was somebody else’s -sister, how little I cared, but now when she was my sister? How could I -think of it? How endure it? I went to some hotel, I cared not where. I -had no desire for dinner. I could not sleep or rest, but walked the -floor. What a never ending night it was! The moments grew into hours, -and the hours into days, before the morning broke. It seemed as if I was -under the curse of Heaven. Born under a curse, with trouble enough -already to have broken my heart, when would it end? Would this be my lot -until death released me? What maddening thoughts I had during that long -never ending night! It seemed as if my heart would burst and my brain go -mad in anger and despair. I forgot my business and took the first train -for home, and the journey seemed eternal. - -At last I reached home, so thoroughly exhausted that I felt and knew -that I must rest and sleep or die. I ate some food without tasting it, -and then yielding, I slept, for nature could endure no more. Ah! what -would become of us if we could not sleep! What a hell of anguish and -despair would we be in without it? - -Yet I awoke as if from some terrible dream, of demons, fiends, with -horrible forms and faces and some accursed men wrangling and fighting -over a beautiful innocent childlike girl, with none to help her, neither -God above, nor angels, nor women, or men. I awoke so terrified that I -could not realize my own self. I felt that I was absent, gone away and -had to come back to myself. It was some minutes of time before I -recovered from that fearful state, and then I became calm, for I began -to reason about the folly of wasting my strength when I might need it so -much. I compelled myself by my will to be quiet, and partook of -breakfast. - -The next thing was to find out the station of the commissioner. I -thought first of Mr. Jasper. No, that would not do. I did not want him, -now my best friend, to know my secret, my fears or my sorrows. We often -prefer to hide such things from our best friends. I went to the -magistrate, a stranger to me. I asked him as calmly as I could, the -address of Mr. Smith, now commissioner somewhere, formerly magistrate -and collector in our station, that I had some important business with -him, and hadn’t I? He at once gave me the name of the place. I thanked -him and left. - -I took the first train for Jalalpur, the headquarters of the -commissioner, where I arrived the next morning. Another fearful night. I -cannot describe it, as the very remembrance of it now makes my old heart -ache. I thought of those of whom I had read, going to the guillotine, -the awful journey, and the dread of its end. What would be at the end of -my journey? I shuddered at the thought of it, and felt as if I was going -to my doom, to a hell of some kind, and something which I could not -resist, compelled me to go on, go on. - -The station was at length reached, and reason took possession of me, and -I thought I heard a voice saying, “Be a man, Charles, be a man.” Ah! Mr. -Percy, would to God you were here now to help me! The thought of his -words braced me up. I had a bath at the station rooms, the colder the -better, I thought, and then a breakfast by force of my will, and then -out on my search. - -If ever a criminal went limp to the scaffold I could sympathize with him -that morning. Going along the road I met a government chuprassi, as -shown by his clothes and badge, and I made inquiries of him, one of -which was, if he knew of a young woman, an Eurasian, under the -protection of the Commissioner Sahib? Protection! God forgive me for -that lie! But how else could I ask? He looked me over, again and again, -and hesitated. I waited. He then said, “Sahib, I am one of the -Commissioner Sahib’s servants. If he knew I told you anything about this -woman he would send me to Jehannam before the sun went down.” I replied -that I had some news for her, that he should have no fear, and need only -tell me the direction to her place. Before telling, he exacted a promise -that I would never mention him in any way, or his head would have to say -salaam to his shoulders. - -I went on and came to the place. How much it reminded me of that small -wretched court where my little mama once was. I hurried in through the -narrow door or gate, as I did not wish to be seen by any one. There she -sat on the veranda of a small house with a little boy at her knees. She -was very much disturbed at my appearance. I saw at the first glance our -mother’s large lustrous eyes. Why do we always speak of the eyes of a -person? Is it because they are the windows of the soul through which we -look as through windows into a house? I now saw the well remembered -features of the face. I could not be mistaken. It was she, the long lost -sister. - -Though I recognized her, would she know me, as she was so young when we -parted? That thought troubled me. - -I did a great deal of thinking in that moment of silence. How fast we -think at times! - -I bowed and said, “Good morning. My name is Japhet, Charles Japhet. Are -you Miss Strangway?” “Yes,” she replied. “Then you remember Mr. and Mrs. -Strangway, of Wazirabad?” I asked. “Oh! yes, surely I do,” she quickly -answered, with animation. “They adopted me, I was as their daughter, -their only child, and how they loved me! O, if they had only lived, I -would not have become what I am now.” - -She bowed forward, her face in her hands, and sobbed bitterly. I could -have cried, too, and why not? Quickly the thought came to me, “Don’t let -your feelings run away with your sense, for you need all the sense you -have got.” After she had recovered a little, I asked, “Do you remember -where Mr. and Mrs. Strangway got you?” She thought a moment, and -replied, “Not very clearly, all I remember, that there was a great big -house, and a great number of girls, with nice white frocks; that a lady -came one day, took me by the hand and led me away; that is all I -recollect, and I suppose that this lady must have been Mrs. Strangway, -for I was with her always afterward.” “So you remember the frocks; just -like girls!” I couldn’t help saying. She smiled. It was that playful -smile that I so well remembered, and which I was glad to see, even in -her sad condition, and though my heart was breaking with sorrow and -dread. - -“But do you remember nothing about a little brother of yours?” I asked. - -“Nothing but this,” she answered. “I remember a long, dusty road. One -day the little boy, my brother, I think, went to climb a tree to get me -a flower or some fruit, and a great big monkey up in the tree made faces -and chattered at him, and when the little boy ran away from the tree the -monkey chased him, and I was in a great fright for his sake. That is all -I remember.” - -How vividly I recalled that scene! How frightened I was as I saw that -monster grinning at me, and how I ran with him after me, and another -thing, that the little sister picked up a stick, and came to defend me, -bravely shaking the stick at the vicious brute. - -There was no more doubt, so I said, “I am your brother.” She sprang to -her feet, exclaiming, “You my brother? You that little brother? Come in -quickly!” For I had been standing outside. She threw her arms around my -neck and kissed me. Why shouldn’t she? “You my brother? You my brother?” -she repeated, as if it was impossible. “Yes, and you are my sister, my -long lost sister!” I replied. - -We sat for an hour or more. There was no fear of interruption, as no one -came in the day time but an old woman servant, and she had gone to her -home in the city, not to return until toward evening. There was no fear -of that distinguished Christian gentleman, the Honorable Commissioner, -coming, for his deeds were deeds of shame and darkness, for which he -always chose the night. I thought this, but certainly did not say so. - -She gave me an outline of her life, told how kind and loving her adopted -parents were to her, how they left India and placed her in a school in -France while they spent several years on the continent. They then took -her to England, where they placed her in an excellent school, while they -spent some years visiting relatives in America. Returning, they took a -home in Scotland, often traveling, sight-seeing, mainly for her -improvement, while she enjoyed all the luxuries she wished. Then the -loss of property, the return to India, and the sudden death of those she -loved, and who loved her as their own child, how she was then thrown -upon the tender mercies of the world to earn her own living, of her -going to the Shaws as a governess, and then she cried as if her heart -would break. The pitiful story—ah, the pity of it—I knew that was yet to -come. I sat in dread, cold with fear. “O, God, if this cup would only -pass from me.” - -She began again, with bated breath, how the commissioner came to her at -the club grounds where she was with the children, how he met her as if -by accident in the early morning when she was out with them, of his -smiles and flatteries. That he told her of the death of his wife, and -how lonely he was, to get her sympathy. Then of his asking her to marry -him, and of her repeated refusals, of his persistency until she at -length consented. Then he received promotion in a distant province. He -promised that they would be married on the journey, and in his new home -she would be his wife, so she went with him, but it was not convenient -for him to stop on the way, for he had to be at his appointment on a -certain date. - -“So here I am,” she bitterly exclaimed. “He has promised a hundred times -to marry me, and lied every time. What am I now? Not his wife, only his -aurat, his woman.” She moaned. - -It was the same old story, of lying, deceiving rakes to allure victims -into their nets. I have often thought if there is no hell, one should be -invented for such infernal villains. What shall I compare them to? I -know of nothing but that they are incarnate devils, fiends in human -shape. The tiger, the most ferocious of brutes, kills his prey, destroys -them and puts an end to their suffering, but these human devils prolong -the lives of their victims, by deception and lies, to gratify their -damnable and insatiate lust. What were my feelings? I felt like cursing, -and committing murder. I do not hesitate to say this, and before God -too, who I think would not rebuke me. - -She shed bitter tears while I stood by, thinking. At length I said: “I -have come on purpose to take you away from this hell, and we will go at -once.” “I am ready! Thank God, I am ready now!” she exclaimed. - -I went out and called a gari and on returning, found she had put all she -wanted in her bag, and taking her baby boy, we were soon on the way to -the railway station. Before the train came in, she took a piece of paper -and wrote, “Gone, to return no more, for you have lied to me,—Clara -Strangway.” This was enclosed in an envelope and addressed to “H. J. -Smith, Commissioner,” and dropped in the postal box. - -We reached our home, and a new life for her commenced. We were happy in -a brother and sister’s love and care, as much so as we could be, except -for the thoughts of that cursed part in her last few years. No one asked -questions, and we told none our secret. She passed in sight as my -widowed sister. Was she not a widow, in a cursed widowhood? - -Not long after, a young Eurasian gentleman of good family and business, -became acquainted with her and proposed marriage. She told him the whole -story, concealing nothing. They were married, and lead a happy life. - -It seemed that I had lived a dozen lives in that short time. Life is a -comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel. Mine surely -was a tragedy, terribly real. - -Thus ended another episode in my life, ended only in part, for it was -burned into my memory to remain forever. What a blessing if there were -some erasive to remove the foul stains from memory! But no, it cannot -be; not God himself can do it. A blessing? No, a curse, for the good too -might then be erased as well, and so we are to keep all, the good and -also the evil, and forever. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - -I was alone again. I sought company in my books. They were friends whom -I could trust, and would not leave or betray me. I also busied myself in -my garden, and in looking after my property. I often went to my -villages. There was nothing that gave me so much satisfaction as to see -the happiness and prosperity of those people. They were not all good, or -without faults by any means, but what people are? I had found more -sinners than saints among the upper class of society, so why should I -expect anything more from these ignorant villagers? I say upper class. I -don’t know why, except it is the fashion, good form, or something of -that style. They may be upper, that is, ahead in shameless dishonesty, -in gilded fashion, deceptive force, in skillful lying, willful seduction -and foul unchastity. If that is the meaning of the term, I accept it, -but the real genuine upper class of the world is what are called the -common people. - -I doubt if anywhere on the globe the same number of people could have -been found making up a community, as in my villages, who were more -industrious, honest, truthful, grateful and virtuous than were these -people. They were not allured by ambition to be something above their -lot. They had not learned anything of the follies, fashions, intrigues, -deceptions, seductions and vices of the civilized Christian world. Their -natures had never been distorted and deformed by coming in contact with -civilized society. - -I often doubt if so much education and knowledge is not more of a curse -than a blessing. Eve got to knowing too much, and Adam followed her, and -their knowledge has made liars and seducers for us ever since. - -I doubt, no I know it, that it would have been utterly impossible for -any leading man in either of the villages to have conceived, planned, -and accomplished such a villainous crime as that of the distinguished -Christian Commissioner Sahib. They could not, and would not have done -it, for their high moral, or high animal sense, if you like it better, -would have revolted at it. The highest sense of chastity is in brutes, -and the very lowest in the upper classes of human society. I am a liar -if this is not true. But what is the use of talking? - -I sometimes went to the club, as I did not like to exclude myself from -all mankind. There were many newcomers, who looked askance at me. To -some of them I was introduced, and they proved to be very pleasant and -agreeable companions, for though I have had my grievances, and may be a -little cynical at times, yet I would not have it understood, that I -think all people are bad, or that there may not be some people, even of -the “upper classes,” and in every grade of society who are good and -trying to do good. Yet, I was not comfortable. The general company was -not to my taste. The conversation was usually horsey or vicious among -the men, or made up of gossip and slander among the women. Frequently on -going home, I tried to recall some idea, some information that I had -acquired, but there was absolutely nothing worth carrying home. - -One evening, as I approached a company, I was introduced to several, but -one quickly and deliberately turned his back upon me. A friend told me -later on, that he was one of the new magistrates, who had just come to -the station, and that he gave as his reason for snubbing me, that he had -a preference in his acquaintance, and did not care to know that -“Eurasian.” I recalled him as the downy youth, who had made a similar -remark when I was at the engineering college, and further that he was a -son of the Commissioner of Jalalpur. Worthy scion of a noble sire! - -I concluded that the game was not worth the candle, so I paid up all my -dues and withdrew from the club, for my own good, and probably to the -satisfaction of Mr. Smith and others. - -Mr. Jasper frequently called. His conversation always set me to -thinking. This is a good sign of conversation, as well as of a book. In -my experience the best books are those which lie open in my hand, while -my thoughts are pursuing some ideas suggested by something just read. -The only real use of books is to make a man think for himself. Reading -that does not set the mind to work, not only wastes the time but weakens -the faculty for thought. - -If a book will not set one thinking for himself, it is not worth -shelf-room. The same with men. One might be with some a week or month, -and all they have to give is talk, mere words, while they are enamored -by their own verbosity. I also dislike a man who always agrees with me, -and never goes beyond my depth. Mr. Jasper was always climbing, reaching -out for something higher than himself, and exciting one to go with him. - -One morning I abruptly asked him, “Do you believe in God?” I cannot tell -why I asked the question, as we cannot always give a reason for our -doings. - -He exclaimed, “Why do you ask such a question? Believe in God! How can I -help it? How can any thinking being do otherwise? I see, you have got -the impression from something I have said, that because I do not believe -everything in the Bible, the church, the creeds, as some do, I must be -an atheist. It is so easy for some to use that epithet against any one -who is not willing to swallow everything that people wish to force down -his throat. Some one has said, I forget who, that ‘if some mortal steps -on the world’s platform and announces a few salient truths which do not -conform to the stereotyped systems of the religious community, he is -overwhelmed with hisses and objurgations, denounced as a heretic or -ostracized as an agnostic or an infidel.’ - -“I am profoundly a theist. I can say, with Voltaire, that if there is -not a God it would be necessary to invent one. He was also very orthodox -in his belief in hell, for, when a friend wrote to him, ‘I have -succeeded in getting rid of the idea of hell,’ Voltaire replied, ‘I -congratulate you; I am very far from that.’ - -“But to the question. I doubt if there is really an atheist in the -world. There are infidels, as every one is an infidel in regard to -something. There are different views about God, as many as there are -people. You never saw two faces exactly alike. I have often thought of -this, that of the fifteen hundred millions of people in the world, we -can recognize every one from another. It seems incredible. If then, all -these faces are different, so are the minds, and each one has his -conception of God. Who will presume to say that any one kind of face is -more acceptable to God than another? Or who is to tell us that all the -rest must make theirs conform to a certain type, or to lay down a law -that such is the will of God? - -“He that did it would be laughed at as a fool for his presumption. The -white man, in his arrogance, sneers at all the rest, and thinks that his -complexion is the one above all others. How does he know but what God -prefers the ebony black to his white leprous skin? - -“The different races uphold their own color, as they should. If then, we -cannot determine the type of face or color, how, then, can we fix the -type of mind to be preferred? Who shall lay down a law that all men -shall think alike, in a certain groove, and in a particular manner, and -believe the same things in the same way, as one man or a set of men, in -their assumed superiority, think the best! Why should you, or any class -of men, dictate to me how I shall think about God, or in fact about -anything, any more than you or they should tell me how to have my hair -cut, or to select a certain pattern for my clothes? - -“I go into your garden, and may make suggestions about your walks, or -your flowers, and you may act upon them or not, but what right have I to -insist and command you to do according to my views with your own -property? What right, then, have I to step into your mind, and tell you -to think as I do, and believe what I tell you, or be damned? When men -cannot make two faces alike, how can they expect to fashion the minds of -men to one pattern? This has been attempted in all ages, and mainly by -the Church, and what was the result? Persecution, imprisonment, -crucifixion, burning at the stake, pouring molten lead into the ears, -bursting people with water poured into their mouths, tearing them limb -from limb, in short, no tortures that devilish ingenuity could invent -but were inflicted, and the wars, desolating countries, the destruction -of cities, the outrage and murder of helpless women and children, fire -and the sword, the fiendish passions of men unrestrained, a greater -destruction of property and human life by the Christian religious wars, -than in all the wars of the world put together, and for what purpose? To -make men think alike. Did they succeed? Not at all. Mankind will think -as it pleases, fire or no fire, and in spite of the direst persecution. -The attempt was so absurd and outrageous that any one, half mad or an -idiot, ought to have seen the folly of it. The scientists might, with as -much reason, call a convocation and pass a resolution that after a -certain date all mankind should be of a certain height, and of a -particular color. Yet, notwithstanding the horrible failure, the same -old spirit exists, and the dungeon, the rack, fire and sword would come -into use again for the same old hellish purpose if it were possible. - -“This is the era of another method, until in the revolution of time, the -old system may again appear, as the affairs of men have their cycles and -their seasons, as the spheres and all things in nature. In ancient times -the religious believed in knocking unbelief on the head with battle -axes. Now it is the use of offensive epithets, caricature, sarcasm, -virulent attacks, denunciation, differing from the former methods, but -with the same old spirit and the same purpose in view. - -“Yet, to be candid and reasonable, I am glad to admit that there has -been great improvement. There is now a wide liberty and more generosity, -simply because the world has grown wiser by experience, and the number -of free thinkers, those people who think as they choose, have increased, -and can show that they also have rights which the others are compelled -to respect. - -“One thing I cannot abide. It is that any man, or set of men, should -organize a church, patch up a creed, formulate some ordinances and make -claims that they are right and all others are wrong. They have divine -authority, they say, and so say they all, each batch of them. - -“But who are they? Men, all, every one of them, and all of them very -fallible men, too. Can any one set of them have any superiority or right -over all other men? - -“If Peter, who denied his master, and cursed, and a very fallible man he -was, could found a church, why not each of the other apostles, or why -not anybody, for that matter? If a Roman Church, why not an English -Church, an American, an African, a Chinese, a Hottentot Church? No one -could assert that the African Church might not be as acceptable to God -as the African face, and there might be as much difference between these -churches as in the color of the different peoples. So many get up -schemes to assist Providence, as if He was incapable of conducting His -own affairs. - -“Suppose a being from another world, or not to go so far, say a heathen, -should begin the study of the different beliefs of the different -churches and at the same time study the actions of those who profess -belief in them. What would be his inevitable conclusion? - -“That Jesus was the Prince of Peace? And that all the people of these -different creeds are his true followers? - -“No more, than that the sheep and tiger, the hare and the cat are of the -same family. He might believe that the tiger and the lamb might be -together, but the lamb would be inside the tiger, and that there would -be peace among the churches only when all the others would be in the -bowels of one. - -“There is a great deal made of that scripture phrase of the lion and the -lamb lying down together, but each sect wishes to be the lion. - -“This may be a crude way of stating the case, but is it not a fact that -the Roman church will never rest until it has devoured all the others? -The Anglican church and its infant in America are always crying out for -unity, but is not this ever the cry, ‘Come into me?’ It ill becomes the -adherents of the Church of England, that dissented from the Church of -Rome, to throw stones at those who dissent from them. Each of the sects, -and they all are sects, claims to be the body of Christ. What a -wonderful number of bodies he must have! If they are all in one body, -what a disturbed condition it must be in! If Jesus was divine, it is -sacrilegious to think of all the discordant elements shut up in him, or -if he was only human, still it is mortifying to think that his teaching -and example should produce such a variety of beliefs and actions. - -“The Roman church, to begin with, regards all others as schismatic, -heretic, their clergy as lacking lawful orders, their sacraments and -ordinances as null and void. The Roman church declares that its -restoration to civil power is necessary, ‘that when the temporal -government of the apostolic see is at stake the security and well being -of the entire human family is also in jeopardy.’ This church insists -that the state has no rights over anything which it declares to be -within its domain, and that Protestantism being a mere rebellion, has no -rights at all; that even in Protestant communities the Catholic bishop -is the only lawful spiritual pastor. She claims everything. - -“The Anglican church would like to affiliate with the mother church, be -considered as a branch or offshoot, but the mother church will none of -it. She will have no bastard children in her family. She must be all -over all. The Anglican after such a snub comes with his apostolic -succession and assumed divine rights, treats others as the Roman serves -him. Both have their different creeds and rituals, ceremonies, -millinery, exclusive consecrated churches and graveyards, in which none -of the outside world may be laid to rest. - -“None even can enjoy the last inheritance of mankind unless he happens -to belong to their folds, they making death a sort of human judgment -day, in trying to forestall the Almighty by keeping their sheep from the -goats. - -“And as we go on, the separations continue in almost endless variety, -each sect attacking the other. Their papers or organs are full of sneers -and slurs, bitter acrimonious attacks on each other, while they all -assume to be of Christ. Yet they wonder that the churches do not reach -the masses. What would the masses get by going into them? - -“Another view. A church established by law or by some means may be -considered a very respectable, proper and orthodox thing and all that, -but what can it do to relieve me of my individual responsibility to God? -I am not answerable to the church for the eternal welfare of my soul. I -myself must look to that. Go to church, believe in the church, accept -its creeds. Some of this may be a help to me, to quicken my thoughts, -enlarge my understanding, but I deny any divine power or authority in it -over me. Will the church take my place and be judged for me, relieving -me of any final judgment? If not, how can I rely on it when there is a -final settlement between God and myself? At last I am to stand naked and -alone. This is the truth. ‘Thou wast alone at the time of thy birth; -thou wilt be alone in the moment of death; alone thou must answer at the -bar of the inexorable Judge.’ - -“Nothing can come between me and God. I am what I am, and so shall I -remain forever. - -“If I could get some one to do my thinking, to believe for me and to -relieve me of all mental and moral responsibility in the end; if any one -of these ecclesiastical leaders, from the self styled infallible pope -down to the street Salvation Army shouter, could give me a quittance -from sin and a sure deed to an inheritance in heaven, it would be well -to trust them. Not one of them is sure of heaven himself. Yet they -uphold their different creeds as if the Almighty had written and signed -them with His own hand. Their assurance is only equaled by their -impudence, when they demand of every one, ‘Believe as I tell you,’ as if -the eternal destiny of human souls was in their say so. - -“The church can be a kind of a human mutual aid society, and has its -place in the world, but nothing more. I must live my own life, die my -own death and remain what I make myself; and I cannot see how God, or -angels, or men can change this inevitable condition for me. - -“If I could sell out, deliver myself over to the church or some body, -get rid of life, of myself, but I do not know how it can be done, nor do -I know of anyone who could make the purchase and give me a release from -all further responsibility. - -“The fact is, everything in the world is so desperately human. All -humanity is on the same level plane. None can rise higher than the rest. -Yes, it is true that some claim to know, to have entered into the secret -councils of the Almighty and to understand all His plans, and so are -able to dictate to the rest, but when investigated they really know no -more than others. They have evolved a lot of theories from their inner -consciousness, nothing more; most frequently the less they really know, -the more bold and dogmatical they are. - -“A young man—and generally they are below the average in natural -ability—goes to a school where he is taught some particular belief, how -to preach it, defend it; then he is set apart, ordained by the laying on -of hands of men little wiser and better than himself, and he goes forth -to uphold or disseminate his creed with the voice of an infallible -trumpet. By what right does he assume to have the ability or the -authority to know all about the purposes of God or dominate over his -fellow men? - -“I grant his right to bray like an ass if he chooses, but I deny his -power to anathematize me for not believing his bray to be the roar of a -lion. Many a time have I sat in church and heard a beardless stripling -of a youth, just from school, make his statements about Providence with -an air of authority as if he had just been appointed prime minister to -the Almighty. What did he know more than his audience? Much less than -most of them. Take an old priest or clergyman. Who is he? Only a man as -I am. What is he? Only a student as I am. Where has he been that I have -not gone? What advantages has he had more than I? None. Is God nearer to -him than to me? I trust not. We are the same in every way, men. Yet when -he takes his place in the pulpit he assumes that he knows everything, -and presumes that I know nothing; preaches to me, dictates to me and -denounces me for not agreeing with him and accepting all his talk, his -sublimated drivel as God’s truth. Charles Kingsley, a most sensible -priest, says, ‘Youths who hide their crass ignorance and dullness under -the cloak of church infallibility, and having neither tact, manners, -learning, humanity or any other dignity whereon to stand, talk loudly -_pour pis aller_ about the dignity of the priesthood.’ - -“The churches assume to be invested by God with power to regulate our -belief without taking upon themselves any responsibility for our -miscarriage; they teach that the spiritual direction and salvation of a -man’s soul is wholly in the power of somebody else than himself. - -“The priest declares that the bible says so, and therefore it must be -true. Who made the bible? Men, such as we are, and therefore of no final -authority. He says the church teaches so and so. But who made the -church? Men. So on all through the gamut. We start with man and man made -things. We never get away from men and never rise any higher than men -can go. - -“I put nothing in the place of Almighty God or between Him and myself. I -defy the authority of any to impose upon me what they are not willing -that I should impose upon them. Why should a man attempt to bind my -conscience when he is not willing to allow me to bind his? I refuse to -accept pope or priest as having any authority to direct me in religious -matters. God is as near to me as to them. If they can get power from Him -so can I. If they can presume to use upon me what they assume to have -received, why can I not act in the same way toward them? The pope -assumes to direct me; why not I in turn direct him? He has his -authority, so he says, from heaven; so might I say of mine. What then is -the difference? Only this. He is a big pope, inheriting his power by -tradition; I am but a little pope, just starting. In himself he is no -greater or better a man than I am. He has only power and wealth acquired -by other men. A man, as Buddha, Jesus, Muhamed, starts alone as the -founder of a new religion. The movement continues until the followers of -each are numbered by millions. A priest commences a schismatic, and as -the years pass on, one thing after another is assumed, culminating in -papal infallibility, and the pope is considered as a god upon earth. - -“Religious tyranny is worse than political tyranny. In the one the -highest aspirations of the soul are fettered and enslaved, while by the -other the body only is in subjugation. - -“Charlemagne converted an ecclesiastical fiction into a political fact. -The sword compelled the people to acknowledge the pope as the vicegerent -of God. The popes were the confederates of cruelty and crime. There was -not an enormity so great in the political world but would be consecrated -by the popes and priests, if it was for their interest to do so. History -tells what this church has done for its own aggrandizement. The Roman -has been more bold and defiant, as it had the political power, but the -other sects, each in its own way, has sought to dominate the opinions of -mankind. - -“But enough of this. The time must come when the world will worship only -one God and do away with the idolatry of the bible, of Jesus, of Mary, -of the innumerable saints, the adulation of rites, rituals, ceremonies, -and make righteousness and holiness consist in obeying the laws of God, -as written in the hearts of men, and in maintaining clean, upright -lives. - -“We need a natural, not an artificial religion, one in harmony with the -nature of God, not something manufactured by councils or religious -tinkerers. I am well aware that most if not all the people in the -churches would deny my right to have any opinion at all on these -subjects except what they hold. I have known Christian ministers shocked -at the suggestion of a doubt about any of the tenets of their faith, and -yet I have heard these same men, well versed in Hinduism, attack it with -such virulence and ridicule that the very heathen in front of them -begged them for shame to desist. - -“If Christian ministers in the bazars can preach against Muhamedanism -and Hinduism; if they can write books to destroy these religions, why -should they object to an investigation of their own creeds? They talk of -the intolerance and bigotry of the Muhamedans, but who so intolerant as -the Christians? Let one of their number leave their ranks with all -honesty and good intention. He is then shunned as a leper, avoided as if -he were a dangerous animal and treated with contempt, and reflections -are made on his motives, until he is at length obliged in self defense, -and for his own self respect, to give his reasons and make attacks in -return, when but for the uncharitable treatment he received would have -remained silent.” - -I had asked frequent questions during the conversation, but do not -consider them worth repeating. This accounts for the apparent breaks in -Mr. Jasper’s remarks. It was no fault of his that he did not answer my -first question, as I diverted him from it by a question. I again -referred to it, and he said: - -“Believe in God? Most emphatically I do. I came to conclude in the -existence of God in this way. I see about me a world of matter. It is -inert, dead, incapable of motion in itself or of moving other things. It -could not therefore come into existence by itself. I observe that -vegetable and animal life is above matter and has a certain power over -it, yet I am conscious that this life did not create itself. Then comes -man, supreme over all, with his varied powers and faculties. I know from -my own experience, that though he can do much he is only a transformer. -He cannot create anything, so he could not be his own creator. So on, -from the lowest to the highest life I see no power of creating. I see -what man can do, the transcendant harmony and adaptation of the things -his mind can arrange but not create. I see the wonderful things in -nature, their beauty and the universal harmony of all things, not only -of the earth but of the heavenly bodies. Everything I see is according -to law, nothing by chance. I see nothing on earth that can create the -smallest thing, and that nothing is moved or transferred but by life, -mind; and hence I infer that there must be a mind above all this to -start it and continue it, and this mind I call God. I do not know what -you think of my theory, but it is satisfactory to myself, and this is -sufficient for me. It may not satisfy you or any other being on earth. I -am not thinking for others; only for myself. I must believe and act for -myself. - -“This mind, spirit, Being above, I revere, I worship, I love. He is my -light, my life, my peace and joy. I cannot but think Him infinitely -wise, for I see proofs of His wisdom everywhere. I see His goodness in -all He gives me to enjoy. I judge Him to be Almighty, for I see his -power displayed everywhere. I know of His mercy, for if it were not for -that I would not be permitted to live, violating what I cannot but see -are His righteous laws. I see it is the evident purpose of life to be -and enjoy. Should I wantonly wound a bird, I ask, what if some one -should torture me in the same way? Should a man wrong my sister or my -daughter, how would I feel? How then could I injure his sister? Why -should I do anything which I would not have done to me? I believe in -Providence, one who upholds and directs this universal all, from the -largest planets, down to the drop of dew on a rose leaf. I see and feel -all this, that as matter cannot act of itself, it must be acted upon, -and with what wisdom, power and love! - -“When I obey the laws of nature, and of my being, there is a -satisfaction. When I violate the laws there is a sense of wrong, a -knowledge that I have sinned, and remorse follows, warning me not to do -the like again. If I fail to listen to the requests of the poor, the -question always comes: ‘If you were in their place, how would you like -to be treated in that way?’ - -“What more? I pray for light, for forgiveness, for strength, for wisdom. -I thank God for all things, and when I come to Him in humility, when I -make confession of my sins, throw myself upon Him, into His merciful -arms, and feel that this mind, this Infinite being is my God, my Father, -what a peace and joy comes into my life! I often like to sit in silence, -not to think, but to feel with my whole being, after God. This is Heaven -to me, to be in harmony with the Divine One above, around and within me, -and I am supremely happy. I have no fears, no doubts, for I have done -the best I know. - -“Now you have read the thoughts of my soul. Good night, Mr. Japhet.” - -He said all this with so much sincerity that I could not but believe -that he had let me read “the thoughts of his soul.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - -I had not forgotten scarcely an incident in my past life. I often went -back, in memory, to that little court where I first found myself. -Everything appeared before me as if placed upon a canvas by some -realistic painter. The old, dilapidated gate-way, with some of its -bricks ready to tumble out on some passer’s head, the very color of the -bricks, that wall at the back, with its little narrow door, the mud huts -at either side, the women sitting in front of their doors preparing -their scanty food, then the narrow stair against the back wall, the two -little rooms above, and the narrow veranda in front, as clear to my mind -as if I were standing there, and seeing it all. And that little mother, -with the sad face! O, how sad! Her lustrous eyes looking, staring, until -they became like glass. This was more than painted, rather engraved in -my memory, on my very soul, every line and point so indelible as never -to be erased. - -I frequently thought of going to this place, but was repelled from doing -so. It gave me a chill, or kind of shock to think of it. I had often -read of the anxious desires of people to revisit the lands of their -birth, the places of their youth; of the Swiss, when absent, pining for -a sight of their mountain homes. - -In my maturer years I reasoned about this apparent prejudice of mine -against the place of my childhood, and called myself foolish for -allowing it to influence me. Such thoughts gradually removed my -objections, and I resolved that I would visit the court. The opportunity -soon occurred. I had some business in Lucknow, and this being finished, -I took a stroll, and soon reached the old place, guided by directions I -received on the way. There was the old gate-way, the mud huts, and the -two little upper rooms in the back corner, all the same as they were -years ago, but in a worse condition, if that were possible. The poor -were there, for they are always with us, and will be, until men learn -the great lesson of humanity to their fellow-creatures, and while might -makes right, and avarice makes men stony-hearted and cruel. - -I obtained permission, and went up into the little rooms, and seating -myself on a charpoy, gave way to a host of reflections. I went back to -my beginning, to the clinking sound of those rupees. I saw again that -monster sahib. I heard the cries and laments of the dear mother, and -then on—but why tell of it? I thought till I cried, yes cried, I am not -ashamed to say it. Tears, blessed tears, they are the shower to cool the -burning heat of the heart! - -How long I sat I know not. I did not measure the time by tears, as they -did in the olden times by drops of water. Recovering myself, I had a -desire to learn if any one remembered me, or could tell me anything of -that dear mama, but the older people had gone where my questions could -not reach them. The others had not known, or had forgotten. They had -miseries enough of their own without burdening themselves with those of -other people. I went from one to another to get, if possible, one -remembrance. Had any one given me the slightest recollection, I could -have embraced him with tears of joy. It is so sad to be entirely -forgotten, to have passed away into nothing, not to be able to find one -who remembered seeing or hearing anything about you. This made me -inexpressibly sorrowful. At last one said that there was living near by, -a Le Maistre Sahib, an old man who might tell me something. This gave me -a gleam of hope, and in gratitude for this hint, apparently of so little -value, and out of kindness for these poor, where I had once been so -kindly treated by their kindred, I gave the crowd around me some rupees, -to their great joy. - -I at once made my way to the bungalow of the sahib. He received me with -great courtesy. That he was of French descent, on his father’s side, at -least, I knew from his name. And more, he had that suavity of manner and -genial “bonhomie” that distinguishes French people wherever you may meet -them. I told him my name was Japhet, and I could not help adding -playfully that I was in search of my father. He replied, “Yes, he is a -wise son that knows his own father.” We chatted about various things, -and then I said I supposed I was born in the muhalla over there, that I -had been taken away when a child, and never again saw the place till -that day, when I had come to Lucknow on business. I told him that I was -an Eurasian, that I must have had a father. - -“Yes,” he interrupted, “The most of us have had fathers.” - -I continued, that very likely my father was a European, but I never knew -him, and did not even know his name—that as he had resided in Lucknow -for a long time, he probably could give me some information. - -He replied, “My father was a Frenchman of good family, and was in the -service of the old King of Oude. He married a native woman, and we were -a happy family, yet I cannot but regret that my father had not married -one of his own race, but I was not in a position to give him any advice -on the subject. At my father’s death he left considerable property, so I -have stuck here ever since.” This and more of his biography he gave me. - -As I was more interested in looking up my own pedigree than in listening -to an account of his, I suggested a year somewhere about which I wished -to inquire and asked if he knew of any incidents to aid me in tracing my -mother or my father. - -“Yes,” said he, “I remember the time very well, and it is strange how -trivial things at times will help to fasten greater things in the -memory.” - -And the old man chuckled over something as he recalled the time. He -continued: “I was then very much annoyed by a number of cattle coming -into my compound at night, eating the grass and the vegetables in my -garden, and destroying more than they ate. My servants repeatedly tried -to catch them, but at the first noise every one bolted out through the -hedge as fast as their legs could carry them. It seemed as if the devil -was in the cattle, and the cattle were in the plot to worry me and -escape. This continued for a number of nights. I went to the cowherds, -but they declared and swore that they tied up their cattle every night, -and they would not think of such a thing as letting their cattle go -loose to be lost or else get into the pound. I returned home determined -to have those cattle, outwit the devil and those cowherds or else I was -not the son of a Frenchman. I laid my plan. I sent to the bazar for a -lot of strong rope, and had my servants make a lot of loops or snares, -and I explained to them that after the cattle had entered the compound, -we would slip around through the gully and fasten the ends of the ropes -to the trees standing in the hedge, and let the snares hang between -where the cattle would have to go out. The servants rather enjoyed the -prospect of fun as much as I did, and besides they were becoming tired -of night watching and being aroused to chase the cattle.” - -The old man went on with the garrulous prolixity of old age, entering -into all the details, and in fact the story was interesting from the way -he told it, with so much earnestness, with his French gestures,—how well -they illustrate,—and the twitching and smiles of his face. “Well,” said -he, “the night came and the cattle also. I took a number of men with me, -they with the rope snares, and we went a long way around, down through -the gully and fixed the loops. When all was ready, a man went into the -compound, and at once such a scurrying of the cattle, and then what a -bellowing, roaring and plunging as each was caught in a noose! It was a -good deal more sport than to see a poor devil of a man hung!” - -The old man laughed again and again, as he recalled those bellowing, -plunging cattle, and I had to laugh too, almost forgetting what I came -after, but asked, “And then?” - -He replied, “We watched by the cattle till morning, as we were in to the -finish, and sent for the owners, as we well knew who they were. They -held up their hands in surprise, saying they had been everywhere looking -for the cattle as they had broken loose during the night. I made them do -something more than hold up their hands, for they paid me well before -the cattle were released. It was a trick of theirs to let their cattle -out at night to steal a good feed, and the brutes seemed to be trained -therein.” - -I could not see what all this had to do with me so I asked, “And then?” - -“Really!” he replied, “I had almost forgotten what I was going to tell -you. It must have been about three or four o’clock in the morning or -just before day break, as we were watching the cattle as I went along -the gully, I came near running into a man. I saw at a glance that he was -a European and recognized him as Mr. Smith the young magistrate.” - -“Smith!” I thought, “that name Smith, have I come across it again?” - -“And then?” I asked. - -He continued. “I said, ‘Good morning Mr. Smith,’ but he made no reply -and slipped away as quickly as he could. I was much surprised, as it was -very strange for a European to be there in that stinking gully at that -time of night. It was bad enough for me, but then I had a little -business there. I asked one of the servants close by who that was? ‘That -is Smith Sahib,’ said he. ‘Smith Sahib!’ I exclaimed, ‘What can he be -doing here at this time of night?’ The servant coolly answered, ‘The -sahib has an aurat over in that muhalla there and comes to see her at -night.’ You cannot hide anything from these natives.” - -As my friend was evidently in a gossiping mood, I checked him by asking: -“Do you know anything more?” - -“Yes,” said he. “One night, I was aroused by a native saying that some -one in the muhalla was taken with the cholera, and they wanted me to -come at once. They always come to me when they are in trouble, and I am -such an old fool that I always help them, so I quickly dressed and -taking some cholera mixture, went to the sick man and he was soon -greatly relieved. While standing by him, as he was lying on a charpoy in -front of his house, I saw Mr. Smith”—“Smith again!” I groaned -inwardly—“come in by the little door in the back wall and go up the -narrow stairs to the upper rooms at the corner. I knew him well, yet I -asked ‘Who is that Sahib?’ And they replied, ‘Smith Sahib, his woman is -up there.’” - -My friend halted a little and I started him by asking, “And then? Did -you learn nothing more?” - -“Yes,” said he. “Some time after, it may have been a couple of years, -when the famine came, the muhalla people being in great distress sent -for me and I went. A number of the poor wretches had died, really -starved to death, and there were others who could barely stand alone, -living skeletons, an awful sight! Strange isn’t it that with all our -boasted civilization, philanthropy and religion, yet human beings die -for want of work and the coarsest food to eat?” - -I became fidgety, thinking he was about to give me an address on -political economy or religion, which at any other time I would gladly -have heard, so I pulled my check rein again, “And then?” He took to the -track immediately. - -“Well, I sent for some food at once and waited to see it distributed, -and while waiting looked about the place. I noticed the upper rooms and -thought of the woman, so I inquired about her. They told me that her -sahib had left her to go to Wilayat; that she mourned for him day after -day and at last died of a broken heart, uska dil tut gaya, her heart -broken went. Then the old mamagee who had been the servant of this choti -mem sahib took care of the two children, a boy and a girl, as they had -nothing to live on. The muhalla people gave them something till the -famine came and they had nothing for themselves. One day the mamagee -took the children one by each hand and went out of the big gate, and -that was the last they ever saw or heard of them.” - -How my heart beat, and my whole body, hot then cold, trembled, as he -told this. - -He remarked, “This is all I know, and I am afraid it will not be of much -use to you, and now I want you to stay and take dinner with me.” - -So considerate he was, and kindly, just like a Frenchman, as I had read -of them. I thanked him, but said that I must take the next train for -home. He urged me to come again and see him, just as the French do. - -I took my departure. Dine! Take dinner! I felt as if I never wanted to -eat again. I had rather gone to death. I wandered towards the railway -station. I almost cursed my insatiable curiosity for leading me to that -wretched place, of which I always had such a dread of seeing. We can see -evil enough, and misery to the full, as we pass along, without rummaging -around to find it. I had taken the bit in my teeth in spite of my -reason, of my good sense, and I was wilfully making my own evil destiny. -We are all mostly fools at times, and most of us all the time. I was -bewildered, weary, sick in my very soul. I tried to think of other -things, but the black nightmare that had come, would not away. “What -next? What next?” some coco demon kept torturing me in asking. I had so -much of the past, not of the remote, but of the recent past, to think -of, rather to feel, that I could take no thought of the future. - -I was in a condition of a traveler, who, after a toilsome journey of -months comes to an immense stream, where there is neither bridge, nor -boats, nor ferryman. He can neither retrace his steps, or go forward, -and sits down in abject despair. I reached home, and hardly knew how I -passed the next few days. - -I took to my books, but my old friends were either very dull, or -sleeping, or dreaming, and failed to take any interest in me. I rode out -to my villages, on my fresh horses, and they gave me a good shaking up. -The villagers failed to please me, as they formerly did. Evidently the -times were out of joint, or I was, or something. We’ll leave it at the -latter. Would you believe it, that in a few days, when I was just -recovering from that fearful wide awake dream, and had called myself a -fool a score of times for ever venturing to that place in Lucknow, that -had been the dread of my life; that one morning the question came right -to me, “Why not go again, and find out all about that Mr. Smith?” - -I was in the garden at the time, and I must have called out something -terrible at myself, for all the malies came running to know what I -wanted. I concluded I must be going daft, and to save appearances, told -them that they must keep the walks cleaner, or I would cut their wages. -I saw the nonsense of this, for there was not a weed or a blade of grass -to be seen, and the paths were as smooth as a bald man’s head. But I was -ready to break or cut something, I could not tell what or where. - -The question came again and again, and would not down, and the result -was that I was on my way again to Lucknow. I knew what I was going for. -I was Japhet in search of his father. But why? Yes, why? I have often -wondered why people do certain things, even to their own hurt. I have -put the question to them, and the answer was: “They couldn’t help it.” -There seems to be a tide in the affairs of men, and often a big flood -tide that carries them whether they will or not. Good, old Æneas was -impelled by fate, and so it seems are all other men. I was going, I knew -that, impelled to go, and all the time calling myself a fool. I might be -going to my degradation, my death, my damnation, yet I must go. Men will -worry their lives away in trying to invent some powder to blow other men -to bits, yet knowing all the time, ten chances to one, they may blow -their own heads off first, yet they keep on trying. But what is the use -of any further explanation when everybody knows what I mean, that when -the devil of curiosity takes possession of us, as it did of our mother -Eve, as the story goes, we do not think of consequences. - -I went directly to the bungalow of M. Le Maistre, and he received me -most cordially. I told him that I came to look up the record of that Mr. -Smith, as every one ought to have some interest in his paternal parent. -He looked at me with a peculiar expression on his face, showing that he -thought me a queer lot, but it was not in his French blood to say -anything to hurt my feelings. - -He suggested we go to the cutchery, court house, which we did at once. -He knew the head clerks, and they would tell us everything. And they -did. I often think these natives know especially what they ought not to -know. I went on purpose to learn something, but in my secret soul I -wished they were as ignorant as mules, and could tell me nothing. - -Smith Sahib, they said, had gone home, to Wilayat, from Lucknow, on -furlough, had married, and returning had been assistant at some place, -and then magistrate at, alas! my station, and then commissioner at -Jalalpur. - -The whole story came out in a sentence. I then knew too much. I -restrained my feelings as I was becoming hardened as a criminal who -commits crime upon crime. - -I did not care to think, and if I was ever thankful for a man who could -talk, I was then. My friend was a whole mill stream of talk. The gate -once opened, on he went. It was not idle or dull chatter either, but a -flood of good things, interesting and amusing. I yielded entirely to his -good humor, and the blue devils had no chance of attacking me. I dined -with him, as my reason told me that this was the best thing I could do, -and so it was. - -At home again, but I was not happy, for I was not satisfied. I had, as -it were, started out on a hunt, got track of the game, but had not -bagged it. I know this is not at all respectful to compare a father to -game, and to talk of bagging him, but then what had my father taught me -of respect to himself or anybody else? What had he done for me but to -curse me in begetting me? - -When I have heard that prayer, “We bless thee for our creation,” may God -forgive me I never could say it, and God knows why, and I think I love -Him too well to believe that He will make any record against me for what -I am now saying. What next? was the question. The same something, I do -not know what, either led me, or pushed me on, or told me to go on, go -on. I could sympathize with the wandering Jew. - -I went to Jalalpur. On the way I tried to analyze my feelings. I had no -love or respect for this man, though he should prove to be my father. -That was settled. I had nothing to give him, that he would like to -receive; I wished nothing from him, no public recognition of me as his -son, if it was found that he was my father; I wanted no money or favor -of any kind whatever. The only thing I wished really to know, who was my -father. This man, or some equally honorable gentleman? I wanted to know, -if I had a father, and who he was. I made up my mind to go most -respectfully to Mr. Smith, state the case calmly, find out the fact, and -go home to let the matter rest for ever and aye. - -With this conclusion, I tried to assume a moral philosophic kind of -feeling, and by the time I had taken a good bath at the hotel, donned my -best morning suit, and fortified myself with a good substantial -breakfast, I felt myself ready to meet anybody, even my father, if I -should find him. - -I went to the big bungalow of the Commissioner, guarded in front by a -number of impudent lackeys, the hangers-on often make the man in India. -I sent in my card, and was admitted to the presence. I bowed and said -“Good morning,” but he did nothing. That was his style. He did not ask -me to be seated, and I did what I could not help doing, remained -standing. Glancing me over he quickly said, “I have nothing for you, -there is no vacancy.” I replied that I did not wish for a situation. -“O!” said he, “I thought you were the man that wanted a place.” I -answered, “I come to ask you a few questions: were you in Lucknow in the -year —.” He stopped me at once, saying, “I deny your right to question -me. Say what you have got to say and as briefly as possible, for I have -no time to waste.” Then I said, “I will state the matter as briefly as -possible. You were in Lucknow in — and were acquainted with a -Mussalmani, and I believe you to be my father.” - -I got this out quickly so as to give him no chance to choke me off. He -sprang to his feet, his face livid with rage, and shaking his fist at me -exclaimed. “You damned Eurasian! Do you come here to insult me? I dare -you to prove what you have said. Out from here at once. Chuprassi! Open -the door, and get this man out.” This last was said in Hindustani in the -most insulting tone and words. - -What more or less could I do than go, and at once? I think even the -cringing slave at the door, pitied me as the gentleman fairly shouted -his insulting command. Did you ever see a dog go into a room wagging his -tail and expecting a pleasant reception, then turned out with the -forcible aid of a boot? I was that dog. If I had any respect, or desire -to be just and fair before I went in, when I came out all had given way -to anger and hate. That is about the size of it. I had been humiliated, -cursed, spurned. My feelings flashed within me and over me, chills and -fever, cold and hot they were. But this was uppermost. He dared me! - -I have read that the quickest way to get up a shindy at an Irish fair, -is to have a man go with his coat tails dragging on the ground and dare -any one to step on them, or to put a potato on his shoulder and dare any -one to knock it off. Men, that is, real men won’t be dared. I have known -a little fellow at school to be dared by a big bully, and he went in for -all he was worth, no matter if he came out all bleeding and pummeled, -for he wouldn’t be dared. - -“All right, Mr. Smith, you dared me to prove it. But how shall I do it?” -was the question in my mind for days. It was a queer thing to do, prove -that a man is your own father, but there are many queer things in the -world, as probably all of us have discovered. I concluded to go again to -Lucknow, though I had not the remotest idea of what I should do. - -On arriving there, I at once went to M. Le Maistre. I had formed an -opinion that he was very shrewd and quick-witted, and that if any one -could help me he could. - -He received me very kindly and after a little talk, I said, “M. Le -Maistre, I rather like you and think I can trust you.” - -“I don’t see why you shouldn’t,” he replied. - -I went on. “You know what I am in search of?” - -“Your father,” he said with a smile. - -I answered, “Something of that kind, perhaps. I went to see Mr. Smith. -He was very angry, and dared me to prove that he was my father. I don’t -care a fig about him as a man, or as a father, but I won’t be dared. I -am to prove this thing, if it is possible, if it takes me the rest of my -life. Can you help me?” - -“We’ll see,” he answered. “Let us go over to the muhalla.” He was full -of talk about everything. I think he would have gone to Jericho with me, -if I had only agreed to listen to him. - -A little incident occurred which I must relate, as I remember it so -well. As we were going through his compound, I bounded up with a scream -at the sight of a cobra rising in front of me. I think if Eve had hated -snakes as I do, she would never have listened to that serpent. M. Le -Maistre went to the cobra, took it in his hand and let it crawl up his -sleeve. I stood aghast in astonishment. When I recovered my breath, I -asked, “Are you not afraid?” - -“Afraid!” said he. “Why should I be afraid? I never harmed a snake in my -life and they never harm me.” Then he pulled the hideous thing out, -placed it on the ground, and patted its neck with his hand, and we went -on. The chills were still racing up and down my back, but with his -lively stories I soon recovered. - -Reaching the muhalla he began talking with the people, especially an old -man, with whom he was well acquainted. M. Le Maistre told him, that he -wanted to find out something about Smith Sahib’s woman who had lived in -the two upper rooms, years ago. The old man after thinking, said that -there was the son of a money-lender, not far away, whose father had done -business for the woman, cashed notes for her or something, he did not -know just what, and he might tell us something. So on we went and found -the son. He at once said that he had lately been looking over some old -papers of his father’s and had found some, hidden in an earthen jar, and -among them a package. This might be what we wanted. He quickly brought -it. There were some letters in English, turning yellow, yet very -legible, but not one of them signed. Better than all these was a -photograph of an English Sahib! The very thing! I recognized it at once. -The fright I had received on that fearful night, when I had got the -first and only sight of that monster man was so impressed on my mind -that I remembered him as if I had seen him that very day. I fairly -leaped for joy and M. Le Maistre chuckled at our success. That wonderful -little package, so carefully done up, the treasure of my darling mama, -and what was it not to me? - -M. Le Maistre, with all his wits in hand, said: “Yet he may deny all -these letters, for there is not a name anywhere! He was a shrewd one. -But as it is a long lane that has no turn, we’ll see.” Away we went, I -with the packet fast in my pocket, as happy as if I had got a deed of -possession to a new world. - -“Now,” said he, “we will go to the cutchery and get some papers to prove -this handwriting.” On mentioning to the head clerk that we wanted to -look at some papers of the year—he immediately said that he had just -received orders to collect all the papers beyond a certain date to be -burned in a few days, and we could look them over. We found what we -wanted, and were allowed to take a dozen or more all written and signed -“H. J. Smith.” The very handwriting of our letters to the crossing of a -t and the dot of an i. I was satisfied and suggested that we return to -his house, but M. Le Maistre said “O, no, we are not through yet. There -is the photograph?” “Yes, but what of that?” I asked. “We’ll go to the -photographer, and see what we can see,” he replied. He asked the man of -art if he had the negative of such a photograph, showing him ours, or if -he had any copies of it. He went to his closet and soon returned with a -photograph, on the back of which was written: “You may make me one dozen -like this—H. J. Smith.” The very same writing as in our letters, and in -the cutchery papers. We quickly bought the picture, worth its weight in -gold to me, not only for the likeness, but for the writing on the back -of it. If I was surprised before, I was astonished now. I was in a -delirium of excitement, but my old friend was as cool as when he handled -the cobra. Any one can imagine only slightly my feelings, but they -cannot realize my intense enjoyment at the out-turn of our search. With -a quiet smile, my good friend then said, “I think you can eat a good -breakfast now and we’ll have it.” And it was a good one. He drew on his -boundless store of stories until I departed, giving him all the thanks -my language could express, and carrying with me the proofs that I, -Japhet, had found my father! Would he dare me again? It was some days -before I felt that I could venture to beard the dragon (I ought to say -my beloved father), in his den again. I was anxious to get through with -the business, for it seemed that until it was finished I could do -nothing else. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - -Again I was on my way to Jalalpur, with the precious parcel, the other -papers, and that fatal photograph. What is the use of telling of my -feelings? Any one can imagine what they were. I reached the big bungalow -again, but instead of sending in my card, I told the Janus at the door -that Stark Sahib wished to see the Commissioner Sahib. I well knew that -if he learned my name I would not be admitted. It was a little lie, but -who does not lie sometimes? - -I was ushered in. I had scarcely got inside the door before he shouted, -“You here again! What the devil do you want now?” I replied that I had -come on very important business. Rising to his feet, in a great state of -anger, he blurted out, “I don’t want to hear anything from you—not a -word,” and he came toward me. I stood my ground, facing him so boldly -that he halted. I said, “I have something to tell you this time, and you -have got to hear it whether you like it or not. I am not going till I -tell you, and the sooner you let me commence, the sooner I will finish.” - -“Well, damn it!” he fairly screamed, “what have you got to say?” I -calmed down a little and said, “I come to you with all the respect I can -command; I want nothing from you whatever; no recognition, no place or -position; and as to money, thanks to the best friend of my life, I -probably have ten rupees to every one of yours; so I want nothing but to -tell my story, and then there will be an end, so far as I am concerned.” - -I think he saw that I was not to be bluffed or bullied, and as I asked -for nothing, it would be best to let me talk. “Go on then,” he said very -sternly, but quite subdued, “and the sooner you get through the better!” -I continued, “You were a sub-magistrate in Lucknow in the year —, and -you kept a mussalmani in a muhalla.” “It’s a lie, every word of it!” he -retorted. I went on regardless of his interruption. “You remember a M. -Le Maistre there, for you rented one of his houses. One night, or rather -toward morning, he met you in the gully coming from the muhalla. Another -time he saw you coming in through the little back door—you remember -it—and he saw you go up the narrow stairs in the corner to the upper -rooms, where the woman lived.” - -“It’s all a lie, a damned lie!” he cried. - -I resumed, “You had two children by this woman, a boy and a girl, and -then you left her.” - -“You cannot prove a word you have said,” he interjected. - -“You left a number of letters with her.” - -“I deny them,” he replied. - -“You thought,” I went on, “that you were very shrewd in not signing the -letters, but I got a lot of papers from the cutchery written by you, and -signed with your name, and here they are, a dozen of them and a package -of letters, all written by you, with every stroke and mark and dot -alike.” - -“What damnable plot are you hatching?” he exclaimed. - -I continued, “In the packet of letters there was a photograph of -yourself. This is it.” - -“Let me see it,” he said, reaching out for it. - -“You can look at it, but it shall not go out of my hands,” I said. - -“That is no likeness of mine,” he replied. - -I started again, “I went to the photographer and obtained this, another -of you, and on the back is written by the same hand that wrote the -letters and papers: ‘You may make me one dozen like this. H. J. Smith.’ -Is that your handwriting and signature?” I inquired, holding up the back -of the picture for him to see. - -He rose and began pacing the room back and forth. He evidently found -himself caught and bagged. He at length asked: - -“What is your object in raking up these youthful follies of mine? I wish -you would stop at once.” - -“No,” I replied, “I am not ready yet.” - -“Go on then, go on; damn your persistency,” he retorted. - -I did go on. “You left my mother. She never smiled again, and soon after -died of a broken heart. You left your two children to die of starvation -had not some kind-hearted people taken care of them. What were they to -you? You married in England and returned to India. After some years you -became magistrate of Bhagulpur, and one Sunday, when you were reading -prayers in the church, you saw a young girl in the congregation, and -when you went to dine at the mess that evening, you asked who that plump -young woman was. Even when you were in the house of God, and conducting -religious service, your lustful eyes were searching for a victim.” - -“Damn your insolence!” he angrily exclaimed. - -I waited not. “You became acquainted with that governess, and by your -flatteries and promises to marry her, you seduced her, and brought her -here with you, as your mistress, to her shame and sorrow.” - -“Where is she? Tell me where she is and I will marry her at once,” he -excitedly exclaimed. - -I replied, “I came here and took her and her child away and you will -never see her again. That girl was your daughter and my sister.” - -“Good God! You don’t say so!” he exclaimed, and flung himself into a -chair. He sat with his face pale as death, and with staring eyes, as if -he really saw the horrible enormity of his crimes. - -I let him have some moments for reflection, and then asked, “Do you -remember seeing me in Bhagulpur? I had rescued a young girl from the -hands of your police, as they were dragging her to a brothel. For this -you ordered me, by the mouth of one of your servants to come to your -bungalow, and then not only insulted me, but called me ‘That damned -Eurasian.’ When I called to see you here, you insulted me and spurned me -out of this door, and again called me ‘That damned Eurasian’—me, your -son! Who made me an Eurasian, but you?” - -“Have you finished?” he asked, very mildly though, for the great man, as -he was considered to be, seemed to be completely cowed, beaten. - -“Yes,” I replied, “nearly so, for I have little more to say. Had you -treated me any way decently, I might have concealed some of these things -from you, but you defied me, dared me, so I have done my best, as you -know to your sorrow. And to close, I must tell you that I have not the -least respect for you as a man, nor the least regard for you as a -father. I leave you to your own bitter thoughts, which will be hell -enough for you, and may God have mercy on your soul, if He can.” - -I left at once, glad enough to have finished the hateful business. Did I -do right in what might be called running this man to earth? What less -could I have done than what I did? It seems most natural that there -should be some filial regard of a child for a parent, but I could never, -from the time I first saw him, so hardened and devilish, looking down on -my weeping mother, feel the least respect, much less love for him as a -father, and could only think of him as a wicked, contemptible, living -thing. - -Other thoughts I have had. The chaplains must have known the character -of this man, and yet they appointed or allowed him to conduct the -religious services in church; his associates must have known of his -amours, intrigues and seductions, for such things cannot be concealed, -but they probably were as deep in the mire as he was in the mud, so very -likely no one ever checked him in his career of lust and crime. Society -must have known all about him, yet he was the swell cad of them all, the -admired and intimate friend of the ladies. What delicate tastes some -ladies have! He was called a Christian too, and he would no doubt have -taken it as an insult if any one had hinted otherwise. A Christian! - -I have read the story of a wicked man, who, being angry with his wife, -took their child to a wood and murdered it. Then taking some of its -flesh he returned home, and sending his wife on an errand put the flesh -into a curry that she was preparing. Unheeding the child’s absence, the -woman presently ate of the curry, when the inhuman father told her what -he had done. Crazed with horror the wretched mother fled to the jungle -and destroyed herself. This wicked man belonged to a wild jungle tribe -of heathen, but there is not a heathen so low and degraded but would -hold up his hands in horror at such an unnatural crime. - -But here is a Christian, an intelligent man, of good standing in the -upper class of English society, who murdered his wife, my mother, as -much as if he had put a noose around her neck and strangled her. He -discarded his own children; left them to poverty and starvation. He -seduces his own daughter, my sister, and becomes grandfather to his own -child! Tell me, O God! and all thinking beings on the earth, who was the -worse, that heathen wicked man, or this so-called Christian gentleman? - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - -For some days after returning home, I could not get rid of the horrid -gloom that brooded over me like a cloud of sulphurous vapor. During the -day I kept myself very busy, looking after various things, making calls -on those who needed a little assistance, looking after my garden and -property, visiting Mr. Jasper, so my mind was diverted. But at night! I -had to read the driest metaphysical books I possessed, not for pleasure -or profit, but to fatigue my mind, so that it could get any rest at all. -Woe to me, if it caught even the slightest thread of the black story of -my life, for then away it would run like a fast flying reel, until all -from the beginning was unwound. How I tossed and turned, trying to -sleep! I repeated poem after poem, put wet cold towels around my head, -arose and ran as fast as I could through the garden, and to concentrate -my thoughts, repeated poems and paragraphs backward word by word. - -I thought of the fate of the damned, who through the long eternal night -are trying to forget the foul offenses and crimes of their lives on -earth! No, no hell to be compared to such a torment! To be their own -accusers, to be their own judge, to keep forever their own infamous -record! To be haunted by a ghost that will never be laid. Utter -annihilation would be a paradise of bliss compared to such an eternal -state of misery. - -I still had a duty to perform before I could drop the subject so far as -it was possible to do so. M. Le Maistre had made me promise to let him -know the result of my investigation, and of my visit to the -Commissioner. It was no use to delay, as sooner or later I would have to -tell him, and the black wounds would have to be re-opened again. I could -not write to him, for I have made it a habit of my life never to write -anything that I was not willing the whole world should know. I have gone -a hundred miles to tell what I might have written in a few lines. There -are so many chances for a paper to be lost and be found by the wrong -person, to be mislaid or kept for years, to be read and gossiped about -by the world after the writer is dead. These letters and writing of the -Commissioner, some of them unsigned, had been his death warrant. - -So I had to go again to Lucknow. My old friend received me kindly, as -usual. I went over the whole affair again, except that about my sister. -That I never told except to the one himself most concerned. He heard it, -and will remember it. My sister never even suspected what that man was -to her. She had enough sorrow and shame as it was, without knowing of -that black, foul crime. It was too much for me to know, and what would I -have given to have erased the hideous remembrance of it from my memory? - -I was rather ashamed to tell of my ruse, the white lie (though I never -knew how any lie could be white), I told in order to gain admittance, -but my old friend said that in catching rascals, as in trapping rats, -one has to use a little chaff and deception, so I concluded that he did -not think any the worse of me for my little trick. - -Yet I have always hated to lie, it strains me so, and after it I feel a -weakness, as if my moral system had been wrenched, so I refrain, that -is, as much as possible. - -M. Le Maistre was as good a listener as I knew him to be a good talker, -though these two traits seldom go together. After I had finished by -telling him of the apparent remorse of the man—I do not like to write -man, as applied to him, as it seems a degradation of that word, neither -do I like to use epithets all the time, so will have to let it go—he -exclaimed, “Served him right; served him right. Such a scoundrel as that -should be put into the public stocks to be jeered at by every beggar who -passes, as long as he lives, and after death, we need not say anything -of that, for he will have all he deserves. God is not just if he will -abate one particle of punishment due to such sinners. I know that some, -the church people would censure me for such an expression. - -“There is a lot of nonsense talked about eternal salvation. Why, they -would people heaven with scoundrels, reprobates of earth, suddenly made -into saints. There cannot be two laws of God to directly contradict each -other. This is what I mean. There is a man of fair education, exemplary -in every way, an excellent Christian. I am not making a case, for I knew -just such a man. He is seated one evening with his wife and children on -a veranda in front of his house. A man for some slight grudge comes, and -without a word, shoots, and the father and husband falls dead in the -arms of his wife. The criminal is tried, found guilty, and sentenced to -be hung. The priest has been with him. On the scaffold he tells the -crowd that he has repented, believes in Jesus, and is going to be happy -among the redeemed. - -“The church affects to believe him, that all his past has been forgiven, -that the blood of Jesus has washed him white as snow, and that he is -going straight to become a saint in heaven. - -“But what about the family? Deprived of their support, guide and best of -earthly friends, they are reduced to want and beggary. The mother is -crushed to death by her hard toil and care. The boys without education -and the training of a father, fall into vice and sin. Their children -inherit their defects and so on for generations; aye to the very end. -With the family the evil consequences of that man’s crime are eternal. -How can we by any torture of justice suppose him to be saved from all -the consequences of his sin and to be happy in heaven, while they suffer -all the miseries inflicted by his crime while they are upon earth, and -an eternal loss and degradation?” - -I think I said that my friend, when he got started was like the rushing -waters in a mill-race when the gates were open. As I enjoyed his talk, I -had no inclination to shut down the gates. Of his own accord he made a -halt. I took occasion to refer to my story and said that the only thing -I questioned, was that perhaps I had been a little severe on my unworthy -parent. He quickly said, “Not a bit of it, not a bit of it. With such a -man, hardened, encased in sin, you have got to be severe in order to -touch him at all. Had you gone to him otherwise than you did, he would -have smiled in your face, rubbed his hands with glee over the tricks of -his youth, and the follies of his old age. Had my father served me as -yours did you, killed my mother, and made his children outcasts, I would -by the God who made me, I would have done more than you did, very much -more.” - -He used some other very forcible expressions that I forbear to give. I -saw the old man’s blood was up, so waited without a word. He began -again. “I am a father, I have daughters, but all happily married, thank -God, but for years it was the torture of my life as to what might happen -to them. They went into “society,” as it is called, and what these upper -class men, as they are styled, polished and skilled in all the sly arts -of flattery and seduction, might do, I did not know. They are educated, -trained in vice as they are in grammar and mathematics. I was just -reading an account of a candidate for Parliament, being accused by his -opponents of impudicity when he was at the Charterhouse school. There -was issued a writ for slander and when the case came on, a paper states, -“there was a shocking light on the morals of the great public schools, -at any rate twenty-eight years ago.” I was astonished not long ago when -an Englishman, lately from home, said that he did not believe there was -a boy in England over fourteen years of age, but was guilty of -immorality. One prominent school was called ‘Sodom on the Hill,’ because -of its wicked practices. A gentleman told me that when he was in the -university, one of the greatest in England, there was no set that could -keep up with the divinity students in immorality and flagrant -blackguardism. Great God! what a condition of society! Where are the -fathers and mothers and sisters of these boys? What can be the condition -of the homes of England? What can we expect of men who were such boys? - -“I know this is not a pleasant or agreeable subject for conversation, -but like some other things in life it ought not to be avoided on that -account. If I were to write about this, not a paper would publish my -article. They are too much absorbed with politics, in detailing the -dresses worn at some party or ball, with wars, intrigues, or the events -in society, to give any attention to a subject on which the very -preservation of society depends, and not only that, but the destiny of -souls. Some say we ought never to refer to such things to corrupt the -minds of the young. Such people are so simple-minded, as to have -forgotten all about the inquisitiveness or the passions of their own -youth. The young! They know too much, taught by the example of their -elders and the vicious stories in novels, of the intrigues and -seductions in society life. They are attracted, allured, rather than -repulsed and warned of danger. Another class, and a numerous one, the -guilty, the culprits themselves, would frown and declare it was too -nasty for anything. They certainly would not like anything that would -reflect on their own wicked conduct, or show up their own impurities. - -“Impurity is the greatest evil of this age. It is worse than cholera, or -any pestilence, for these only destroy the bodies, but this undermines -the moral nature, and destroys the souls of mankind. We give little -attention to this sin of all sins. Fathers and mothers let their -children grow up without a word of advice or warning. ‘It is such a -delicate subject, you know,’ is the excuse. The clergy discourse on -everything, but are as dumb as mummies about this devil of lust. Only a -few days ago the chaplain was over here, and I asked his advice and made -some statements about some young men, whom I wished to save from ruin, -when he interrupted me by saying, ‘M. Le Maistre, these things are too -horrible, I wish you had not told me a word about them,’ and away he -went, this man who ought to be a sin doctor, a soul curer and saver of -souls, went away to gossip with a lot of women at a croquet party. - -“I am inclined to think that we ought to go back to the Christ that was, -begin a new church with a new set of preachers, who would talk less -about rites and ceremonies, less about the souls of men, and care -something about their bodies, and dare to denounce the sins and lusts of -the flesh, and have manhood and courage enough to take for a text, -‘Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her!’ Wouldn’t there be a -squirming among the sinners such as your distinguished father, if they -dared to preach as Jesus would? Let us have some dinner.” - -We had a good dinner, and a very pleasant chat among the family present, -until the time for my train. On bidding good-bye, I said, “I can trust -you.” He answered, “You need have no fear of me.” And I never had. - -I wanted a change, to go into a retreat after all the excitement and -anxiety of the past few months, to get rid of the ennui and disgust of -life that was unsettling me, and the best remedy I have found in such -cases, is to go and benefit somebody, and give real enjoyment to others. - -I at once thought of my villagers. Have not great men sought rest by -retiring to their country homes, why not I? For several years I had only -ridden out a day at a time to attend some school festival or fair, but -now I concluded to make a real visit. I had my tent, servants, bag and -baggage sent out to make a real stay in my Reviera or Tusculum. I sought -the shade of a big peepul, a ficus and a religiosa to me, and I was soon -pleasantly situated. The condition of the villages was excellent. The -drains I had formerly made carried away all the refuse to the opposite -side of the village from the tank. The people were extremely healthy. -Few deaths had occurred, and these were from natural causes. I had given -them a number of talks about the value of manure and refuse, that this -was food for the soil, that the land was hungry, starving, and needed to -be fed. This they could understand, for they had been hungry themselves. -I said nothing about nitrates or phosphates, or the chemical ingredients -of different kinds of soil, or that the ash of wheat contains -phosphates, potashes and magnesia. Too much learning hath turned many a -wise man’s brain, and I wanted no insanity or confusion among my people. -I told them that every seer of refuse was land food, and every seer -would bring in a number of extra grains of seed, larger and better -vegetables, a larger rate of interest than they had paid to the bunyas. -I had frequently pointed out the stuff lying about and making the -villages untidy and going to waste, while the soil was begging for it. I -found that they had acted on my suggestion, and swept the streets and -yards, and every straw and leaf were stored in the pits. The result was -a clean village, healthy people, and thriving fields. In planting the -trees years ago, I was careful to have them of good timber, or of -excellent fruit. They beautified the villages, gave plenty of shade, -while the lopped branches supplied fuel, the fruit was a harvest in -itself of food, and gave the people a pleasure in life all conducing to -health and happiness. I am a utilitarian, but include that which gives -beauty and pleasure with the useful. - -Some years previous I had supplied a few imported cattle. These now -formed quite a stock, of which the people were very proud and I rejoiced -in their pride. I had given some talks on cattle and their treatment; -that they could not expect a poor starved bullock to do good work, any -more than a weak starved man. I drew a picture on the school blackboard -of a fat-bellied man, thrashing and punching a pair of skeleton cattle, -and gave my opinion of such a man, fattening himself while starving the -poor brutes depending on him. - -I had offered prizes to be distributed by a committee at our semi-annual -fairs to those having the best cattle, and also a big leather medal to -be given to the one having the poorest cattle, this to be nailed to the -door of his house until the next fair. I wanted a little fun, and they -all appreciated this leathery idea. I hardly need say that after a few -years the committee decided that there were not any cattle in the -villages to entitle the owner to the leather medal. It was a standing -remark for them to make when any one’s cattle were becoming a little -lean, “O he is going in for the leather medal.” I am egotist enough to -believe that my talks about cattle were far superior to any given by the -wordy lecturers of the anti-cow-killing society. It is the grimmest kind -of a farce for the Hindus to talk of the sacredness of cattle and then -to cruelly starve and treat the poor brutes as they do. - -I had stocked the tank with the fry of the best fish and some had grown -to a large size, and plenty of them. There had been a fish committee -appointed and a law passed, that no one should fish except with a hook -and line, and that no fish under six inches in length should be kept -out, but be thrown back into the water. I had plenty of sport, if it can -be called sport to take life of any kind, and a fish for my breakfasts, -giving the rest to the widows. I always showed great respect to the -women, putting them ever first. - -One morning I received the finest compliment of my life. I was coming -from the tank and my boy,—I never was in want of boys when fishing, who -is?—had a fine string of large fish, when the widows approached to get -their share. As the fish were distributed, one old wrinkled body getting -her share exclaimed: “The Sahib is a friend to the poor widows.” I trust -the recording angel made a note of that, for I like to get all the good -marks I deserve, as I am afraid I shall have so many bad ones to be -erased, for I have read somewhere, that every time the scribe above puts -down a good mark for any one he rubs out a bad one. The fish committee -made their report that there had been no violation of the law except -once, when a man was caught going away from the tank with a number of -small fish. The committee at once surrounded him, and decided that he -must eat the fish raw, then and there, and they waited until he had -devoured heads, tails, bones and all. I doubt if the justices of any -high or low court ever gave a decision with more justice, or -administered a punishment with more alacrity than did my fish committee. - -Once going to the tank with my rod, I met this man and said, probably -with a slight hint in my voice that I had heard from the committee: -“Well Gulab, are you fond of fish?” He hesitated, with a slight grin on -his face, for he was somewhat of a wag, “Yes, Sahib, when they are -cooked.” I replied, “That is the way I like mine, not raw, but well -cooked,” and we parted, each with a meaning smile. - -I was so well pleased with my fish investment, bringing in a constant -crop of food without labor, worth the product of a number of acres, that -I sent for some fishermen with nets to go to the river to bring me a lot -of small fish at so much a seer, and they brought me not seers, but -maunds, and I waited to see what a harvest my planting would produce, as -I told the villagers that the tank was my field. Some of them, I -afterwards learned, called the tank, “The Sahib’s Khet.” - -I found that it was the custom of the people after their evening meal to -assemble in front of the school-house at the chibutra, the areopagus of -India villages, when the teacher and older scholars would read aloud the -papers and books that I had sent them. Questions were put, and various -were the discussions, with more courtesy and order than in the British -Parliament, when the Irish bill is to the front. These assemblies became -so popular that every man, woman and child in the village would be -present, not one left to guard a house, for why should there be a guard, -when all were at the chibutra? - -The women had their right to half the space, and well they claimed and -kept it. Woe to the wight who dared intrude upon their side. I greatly -enjoyed this assertion of rights by the women. I have always been -foolish enough to believe that a woman is as good as a man, everywhere -and at any time, and most of the time a great deal better. She has her -rights and should demand them, even if she has not as much coarse brute -muscle as the self styled lords of creation. From my little reading and -observation I have come to the conclusion that the moral and social -status of a nation, a tribe or individual, is seen by the way they treat -their women. If a man, or rather a male of the human species, acts like -a hog towards a woman, he is a hog in other respects. I mistrust that -this word is not a polite one to use, and that it would be as bad to say -hog before some fastidious people, as it would be to say hell in church. -But when I mean hog why not say it, and surely I have seen hog bipeds, -as well as hog quadrupeds. - -I cannot help throwing in a suggestion. If I, now an old man, should -give any advice to a young woman, about to accept a man for a husband, -it would be to see him often with his mother and his sisters, and -observe his treatment of them. His murder will out to them, when he -would be all smiles and graciousness to women outside his home. In his -home he is off his guard, and there is the place to judge these slippery -men. - -As long as the people of India keep their women in ignorance and -seclusion, England need have no fear of holding the country in -subjection. Liberty, patriotism and the higher moral traits of the human -race were never born of men, but of women. Was it not the mother of the -Gracchi who bade her sons go forth and conquer in battle or be brought -home dead on their spears? That was also the spirit and patriotism of -the Spartan mothers that made a place in history for their nation. Was -there ever a great people, but had its grand women, its noble wives and -mothers? The people of India think they know a great deal, but they are -far from having learned this first great principle, the great secret of -a nation’s freedom and civilization, the education and elevation of -women. I may be mistaken in this as I am in so many things, yet I see no -reason why I should not say the best I think on the subject. - -I do not know when I acquired this regard and reverence for women. I -think they must have been implanted by Mr. Percy to grow with my years. -I know of so many traits in my thoughts and life, that in after years I -saw I got from him unconsciously, not that he taught me directly, but -rather that he impressed upon me by his conversation and example. It was -an education to walk and move beside or in the company of such a man, to -absorb something of his character and goodness. Ah! that grand man, so -pure and good! What would he have been without that noble mother of his! -He fairly worshiped women as God’s best gift to men, and he could no -more have harmed a woman than he could have blasphemed his Maker. I have -often thought that a man who respects and reverences women can scarcely -go wrong in a moral sense. - -I was greatly pleased with the position the village women had taken, and -with their spirit of inquiry. They were my best hope in the permanent -prosperity of these people. - -I was allotted the place of honor at the chibutra. There was no one to -move that I take the chair, or to ask for a vote of thanks at the close -of the meetings. They had not come to imitate the babus in aping the -customs of the English. There were more questions put than ever dreamed -of in Parliament, but with this difference, none were asked to gain -time, or to waste time, or to perplex the Ministry or the chair. They -applied their inquisitive pumps to me, as if I was a never-failing well -of knowledge. The women, too, had their questions, mostly about the -women in Wilayat, how they lived and did, a very good sign. During all -these evenings I gave talks on all sorts of subjects, making them -practical, as well as interesting. Once I talked on gossip and slander. -I suspected that there were several women whose tongues hung as loosely -as a clapper in a bell. - -The next day several matronly women met me, and said they were very glad -I had talked about women quarreling, as there were some guilty of it. -All this may be called trifling matter, not worth mentioning. Yet, what -to great people would seem trifles, were to these simple people great -affairs. They were not in society, could attend no operas, clubs, or -fashionable parties, had few books, knew nothing of the great life of -the world, and were better for it, so the little things would make their -lives happier, and would lift them up from the earth, above the brutes, -and raise them toward God, and fit them for a better eternal life. - -I am convinced that if the simple, ignorant people of India were shown -how to better their condition, no people on earth would be so ready to -act. Theories will not reach them. They, like all people in their grade -of life, are materialists; they want to see with their own eyes—results. -They can reason upon what they see and feel, or better, upon what they -eat. I have been told by an educated, English gentleman, that most of -the common people or voters in England, were guided more by their stupid -bellies than by their brains, how much more so these people? I might -have talked and persuaded all my life, and they would have remained just -what they were, and would have continued doing as their forefathers did -centuries ago, but when they saw me spending money in support of my -theories, they became interested, and when they saw results, they were -convinced. All the people in India are the slowest in the world to make -experiments or engage in anything that they do not comprehend or see a -profitable solution. - -It appears that when the tram-car was first proposed for Bombay, not a -native would invest in it, though begged and urged to do so. As soon as -they saw it was a paying concern they clamored for shares, and felt -wronged that none were sold to them. A Parsee complained to me that he -had been hurt by the refusal. - -There is a great drawback. The people are desperately poor. There is not -a people the sun shines on, who are so sunken in the degradation of -poverty as those of India. Ninety per cent. of them are connected with -agriculture, and it is stated on good authority, that sixty per cent. of -them do not get enough to eat, even of the coarsest food. - -What can a people do for themselves when the average wage is not more -than three rupees or three shillings a month? What can all the learned -investigations and scientific reports of Government do for a people in -such an utterly helpless condition? I am not speaking at random. I have -seen and heard for myself, and know what I am talking about. To -illustrate: Passing through a field where a man—almost naked—was rooting -up the earth with a pair of small skeleton cattle, I had a chat with him -about his life and crops. I asked him how much he got a year from all -his labor. He replied, that if by working every day he could get a -little food for himself and family, and at the close of the year could -have enough to buy a cloth for himself, he would be happy. A whole -year’s work for a little food, a little rice with weeds and stuff from -his fields, not wheat or grain, as all the latter would have to be sold -to pay the rent, and at the end have enough left to buy a cloth, worth -less than a shilling! - -The great curse of Indian agriculture, is the middlemen, the -“zemindars,” or village owners. They do nothing except to pass their -time in idleness and dissipation, spending more in one night on a nautch -dance of prostitutes, than would dig a dozen wells, or build a good -tank, while they live on the sweat and blood of their ryots. It is to -the infamy of Government that it tolerates such a system of tyranny, -injustice and robbery. Not one in ten thousand of these zemindars does -anything for the benefit of his villagers. - -I once talked with a great Maharajah with a long string of titles, who -was ever head first when his name could be mentioned in public, and who -privately was known as a screw, the owner of hundreds of villages, and I -suggested some improvements for his people. “No,” he replied, “I have -nothing to do with them, except to get my rents, all I want is my -rupees,” and he was getting them by lacs a year. They are worse than -vultures, for these are scavengers, destroyers of carrion, good birds, -and never take life, but such men as this Maharajah, live and grow fat -on the lives of their serfs. It is evident that I grow warm, yes hot, on -this subject, and why not? - -Another thing I cannot abide, and that is the learned nonsense about -improving the condition of the agricultural population by some high -flown scientific processes. You might as well form a society to -cultivate the valleys of the moon, or “go about to turn the sun to ice -by fanning in his face with a peacock’s feather.” - -Lighten the burdens of poverty, and the crushing of the ryots, by less -taxation, by the destruction of the leeches, the zemindars, and then the -people would have something on which to live and help themselves. The -permanent prosperity of a country depends on agriculture, and India will -never come up, it is now at its lowest depth, until the condition of the -ryots is radically changed. - -The editor of a prominent India paper says: “The direct effect of unduly -low rents is careless husbandry. Instead of benefiting the cultivator, -such rents are a mere incentive to idleness.” What a sapient conclusion! -His publishers should have immediately cut down his wages so that they -might not be an incentive to his idleness. - -This reminds me of a bunya who sold cloth, traveling from one bazar to -another. He purchased a fine, stout pony to carry his goods. The beast -was so fat that he diminished its food, and as it traveled so well, he -increased its load. He continued to do both, until the poor brute, of -its own accord, discontinued eating and going, and the man wondered what -gave it such an incentive to idleness. But he had not the wisdom of the -editor. - -An expert sent out by Government says in his report, “Until a more -adequate collection of statistics is made nothing can be done for -agriculture!” I might use some very harsh words, if I should relieve my -mind by using epithets regarding such twaddle, so I refrain. Yet I -cannot forbear saying that one of the things for which I have an -unsurmountable contempt is an educated fool. - -Referring to these Government learned scientific investigators recalls -to me an incident. One of my neighbors went on furlough. He had several -valuable horses, which he left in the care of his sais. They were large, -strong-limbed, well-proportioned animals. But something seemed to be the -matter with them. They became thinner and thinner and drooped, standing -for hours with their heads down and their legs scarcely supporting their -bodies. Some of the neighbors happened around in the mornings and formed -a kind of committee of investigation, as they did not like to see such -fine animals go to the dogs and vultures, and beside, they had some -regard for the interests of their friend. At length they decided to send -for a distinguished veterinary surgeon, several hundred miles away. One -suggested that this would be expensive. Others blanked the expense; they -couldn’t let the horses die. The vet came, took a general look at the -beasts and stood silently as if meditating where to begin. At last he -spoke, “Gentlemen, this is a very serious matter, very strange; never -saw anything like it in an experience of forty years. Yes, gentlemen, in -forty years. Here are young, fine, well built animals slowly dying by -inches, and yet apparently without disease. I will have to investigate, -and it will be some days before I can make a report.” The days went on, -and the vet stayed on, at a salary of fifty rupees a day to somebody. -The weeks passed, and notwithstanding the vet’s investigation and long -report, the horses grew thinner, and then the poor brutes went to death -for want of breath, or, to be explicit, they died because they hadn’t -strength enough to breathe, and not because they were sick or diseased. -The vultures sang requiems over their bones, and said, “It was a strange -case, very strange, the like they had never seen in all their experience -of years, all skin and bones, not a particle of meat; very strange.” So -said we all of us, “a very strange case.” - -After his weeks of diagnosing and cognising the vet departed with his -pockets full of rupees. Besides, he made quite a reputation, for he sent -a long account of this very strange case to a horsey journal. A deluge -of letters came, everybody had his theory or opinion, until the editor, -buried under the accumulation of papers, said that the discussion must -stop. At last the Government got to hear of it. Why is it that -Government takes such a long time to hear? Is it on account of the -length of its ears, the distance anything has to travel to get into its -head? It had a long investigation by a committee of fifteen, all titled, -distinguished—nobody knows anything but this class—and as each had to -have his talk printed, the result was a voluminous book, of which a -thousand copies were published, costing many times more than the horses -were worth, not to mention the expense of the committee, for such men -are always good livers. Of these thousand copies only twenty-five were -used. Each member of the committee took a copy to show his wife and -friends, and ten were sent to editors. A Government subsidized paper -declared that the book reflected great credit on the distinguished -committee, that it was just what the public might have expected from the -well known reputation of the members selected with such great care and -excellent judgment by His Excellency, the Viceroy. - -An opposition paper, reviewing the book, said that the committee was a -ponderous one, in number, in titles, in its expenses; the report was -ponderous in its size and weight, in the number of its pages and -sections, and in its cost. The subject of the investigation, to begin -with, was of no consequence, the quiet death of three probably worn-out -old hacks in a little up-country, out of the way station. There was not -a thought in the book worth preserving, the style was verbose, flatulent -to a degree, as if the committee had been appointed wholly and solely to -make a book. “Without wasting any more of our valuable space on nothing, -we give it as from our profound conviction that a mosquito might take in -every idea in the whole book and then not be conscious of any -enlargement of its brain.” A babu tried his copy, but declared it was -too much for him, as “it made him sick in his mind to read it.” The only -real benefit from the book was what the paper-maker, the printer and the -waste paper dealer received. The whole committee decided unanimously -that the horses had died, and as everybody agreed with them, the subject -was dropped and forgotten by the public. - -One day, not long after the mysterious affair, I met the sais who had -charge of the horses. He knew me very well. I questioned him. I told him -he knew what ailed the horses, and wished him to tell me. He hesitated. -I urged. At length he said, “Sahib, if you will promise me upon your -honor never to report me I will tell you.” I promised. He replied, “When -my sahib was taking leave he told me it would cost him a great deal to -go to Wilayat and back, that there was now a very big income tax, and -that the rupee was very bimar, that there were taxes on everything, and -more to follow, he didn’t know on what next; it might be on his wife and -children, so that he couldn’t afford to allow more than one seer of -grain a day for each horse, and that he would give me so many rupees, -and that would be so many anas a day, while he was away, and that I must -not spend more than that, or he would cut it from my talab, and I knew -he would do just what he said. When he is here he strikes me with his -whip, when I am within reach, or, if not, he hurls a brick, or anything -he can get, at my head.” “But about the horses?” I asked. He replied, -“The grass, as you know, all dried up, the price of grain doubled in the -bazar, and as I had only so many anas a day for each horse until the -sahib returned, I had to cut down the feed until it was scarcely more -than a child could eat, and that is what was the matter, the horses died -for want of feed.” - -“But why didn’t you tell me, and I would have given the feed?” I asked, -quite indignant. “Yes,” he continued, “and when my sahib returned he -would get to know of it, and I would be thrashed, my pay cut or be -dismissed. I know my sahib too well to think that he would be willing to -have any one know that he had left his horses to starve. I was sorry for -them, and often cried, but what could I do? It was either I or the -horses, and I preferred to save myself, for he is brother to a donkey -who will not try to keep his own skin on his back.” - -As the sais has gone to a place from which he will never be dismissed, -and though he may not be flogged by a sahib, he will have to meet the -ghosts of those starved horses, so let him be happy if he can. As I had -promised on my honor, though an Eurasian is not credited with much of -that, I never told the story until now, and the learned vet, and the -distinguished Government committee, can have the free and full benefit -of my information. It was a strange case, very. - -I will not point a moral to this incident, for if any one has been so -slighted by nature as not to have the ability to see it, all pointing -would be superfluous. It would be like having to explain one of my own -jokes, and that always gives me a mental twist. This reminds me of the -reply of a Scotchman, when asked to explain, “A body canna be expectit -baith to mak the joke an’ to see’t; na, that would be doin’ twa fowk’s -wark.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - -I believe in feeding and grooming, whether of a horse or a man. I have -no scientific knowledge, though I spent years in school, and hardly know -what the term means, so I have had to rely on my instinct or common -sense, and I cannot rid myself of the idea that the first thing we need, -whether men or horses, is enough to eat. I have often thought, in my -blind way, that most of the crime of the world is due to poverty, -poverty of work, and poverty of food and clothing. I cannot forget the -remark of Mr. Percy, that if he was poor and in want, as these people -are, he would likely lie and steal as they do. I have often thought that -I would have done the same. When the poor, the abject poor, willing to -labor, but can get nothing to do, see the rich, living in luxury, and -most of them by extortion and tyranny, how can they help being -socialists or nihilists, or anything under heaven that promises them a -chance of relief? - -The longer I live, the more charitable I become towards the shortcomings -and sins of the poor. - -The rich have no excuse for sinning, while those in want have the best -reasons. I can even think kindly of Judas. He was the treasurer or -financial secretary, and had to provide for the other twelve and -himself. As none of them earned a penny, he must have had a sorry time -of it, to get anything to put in the bag, if the people were not more -generous than they are nowadays. Most of the twelve, I doubt not, were -experts at finding fault, and especially that changeful, fiery-tempered -Peter! Judas often felt the lash of his tongue, when the meals were not -forthcoming, or insufficient. I doubt if Judas had any intention of -betraying his master to death. He probably thought those who made the -request to see him, wished only to talk to him, or may be worry him a -little, and if he could get thirty pieces of silver for such a slight -favor, it would help him in his commissariat department for many days to -come. - -His intentions were probably of the best, but the result surprised him, -grieved him to death, and he did what any real man would do, killed -himself. At any rate, the betrayers of virtue, the seducers of ignorant, -innocent girls, the rich tyrants and extortioners, those who oppress and -rob the poor, and lots of people who do abominable things, and all -sinners, for every one is a traitor to goodness, should never take up -even the smallest pebble to hurl at the badgered and bewildered Judas. - -Another, and it may be a queer notion I have, and it is this; that about -all the sins we commit are by the body. I doubt if the soul ever sins. -It is the house we live in that is forever decaying and tumbling down -about our ears that brings us into trouble, or as a vehicle in which we -go about, always running us into some scrape or other, yet the soul is -made responsible for it all. - -Many become so absorbed in thinking of what they call the sins of the -soul, that they have no time to look after the vices of the body. If our -bodies could be kept in subjection, kept strong, healthy and clean, we -need not worry much about the salvation of ourselves, our souls. - -Touching the subject of food again. I was much interested in a book on -Honey Bee Culture loaned me by Mr. Jasper, a subject on which I had -never read. - -One particular item of importance was the production of queens. There -are three kinds of bees in a family. The drones are the males, large, -clumsy fellows, whose only use is to furnish a husband to the queen. -They are idle, never do any kind of work, but always great eaters, and -like their types in human society the least useful, they make the most -noise, by the loud hum of their heavy vibrating wings. - -The workers, styled “the bees” by Aristotle, are neuters or undeveloped -females, of which there are from fifteen thousand to forty thousand in a -colony or family. They gather the honey, secrete the wax, collect the -pollen, protect the hive from intrusion, and manage the general affairs -of the family, the younger members, before they are strong enough to go -abroad, build the comb, ventilate the hive by flapping their wings, and -thus grow stronger, feed the larvæ and cap the cells until they are able -to make journeys outside. - -The queen is a fully developed female, the only one in the family. She -is the mother of all, and only meets her husband once, at the beginning -of her life. Her only work or duty is to lay eggs, which she does at the -rate of two to three thousand a day, and during the extreme limit of her -life of five years, may lay one million three hundred thousand eggs to -keep up the family circle. This is small business compared to that of a -queen of the white ants that lays eighty thousand eggs a day! No wonder -that we have such an infinite multitude of these pests! - -The making of a queen is peculiar and interesting. Suppose she dies, or -is unfit for duty. There is then great consternation and excitement, for -without a queen or mother, the bees know that their family would be -extinct in a short time, as the workers only live from one to three -months. If a cell can be found containing a neuter egg they enlarge it -to three or four times its former dimensions to form a regal palace. -After the egg has been hatched, which takes place three days after it -has been laid, the bees fill this large cell with what is called “royal -jelly.” This is a delicate, highly concentrated food of a rich, creamy -color, made by the bees eating honey and ejecting it from their stomachs -after it has been partially digested. Floating in this nectar the larva -lives and thrives until after sixteen days from the laying of the egg, -she appears as a full grown, graceful queen, and in a few days takes her -marriage flight, meets her husband and then begins her work of life. - -The point of my story is that it is the “royal jelly” that makes her a -queen, elevating her and making her a mother. Had it not been for this -royal food she received, she would have remained a neuter, a most -honorable and necessary member of the family, but not a mother. This has -given me great proof in favor of my theory of the value of good food in -the making of grander men and women. If regal jelly can change a neuter -worker bee into a queen, why should not good food raise ordinary human -beings into kings and queens of humanity? A starved human animal must -necessarily lack courage, energy, ambition, and most of the traits that -go to make up manhood. Any one who has studied the rearing of domestic -animals knows how almost useless it is to try and make anything of one -that has been starved in its infancy by lack of food. It is often better -to kill it at once than to waste time and money on it. I do not suggest -this treatment in the case of stunted human infants, though the Spartans -pursued this method in making themselves a brave strong race, by -destroying all their puny, crippled children. However, I cannot help -thinking that it were far better if some people had never been born, or -had taken their quietus in infancy, than to live years of suffering, -degradation and misery. When I have looked upon maimed, disgusting -creatures, I have agreed with John Stuart Mill that suicide is -justifiable, and that it would be Godlike to help these unfortunate -spirits to escape from their pest houses. This, however, pertains to -another subject, and I may have shown the perverseness or obliquity of -my nature by alluding to it. What I would urge in all sincerity is, that -humanity should take at least as much care in producing and rearing its -progeny, as it does in rearing its domestic animals. - -Another item in regard to the bees struck me. That when the queen has -once received her husband, and there was no further need of the drones, -the bees destroyed all or most of them as useless, idle eaters. It might -be severe, and yet I cannot help thinking that humanity might imitate -the wisdom of the busy bees, and destroy all the drones, the idle eaters -of the world. Let not any one hold up his hands in horror at such a -suggestion, for who but our God made the bees, and gave them this -instinct of righteousness, and showed them how to deal with the -vagabonds in their community? Instead of saying with the wise man, “Go -to the ant thou sluggard,” why not say, “Let us go to the toiling bees, -and learn of them how to deal with the human drones, if not to adopt the -drastic method of the bees, at least make the idlers go to work.” - -The zemindars are the drones of India, the dissipated idlers. They -should be exterminated by the workers or by the government, and the -industry and progress of India be rid of its greatest curse. - -We might learn many a lesson from the industry of the bees, when we poor -mortals get tired or lazy. To make one pound of clover honey, bees must -deprive sixty thousand clover blossoms of their nectar, and to do this -they have to make three million seven hundred and fifty thousand visits -to the blossoms. That is, if one bee alone collected the pound of honey -it would have to make that many journeys back and forth from the hive to -the flowers. When we consider that the distance traveled is often from -one to three miles in a journey, how can we compute the miles this -little toilsome creature has to make to collect the pound of honey that -we consider of so little worth? Surely there is many an open bible in -nature, from which we could gather many a lesson if we were not so -bigoted, proud and stupid. I am reminded of a remark of Charles -Kingsley’s, “Ere I grow too old, I trust to be able to throw away all -pursuits save natural history, and die with my mind full of God’s facts -instead of men’s lies.” - -Another item of interest. There is no king or emperor among the bees, as -Shakespere states in his play of King Henry the Fifth, nor a queen. -Theirs is a democratic government without even a leader, the worker bees -each attending to their own business, all acting together on some -general principle for the common welfare. The queen, so-called by men, -is only such in name, as she does nothing but her duty, as the only -mother, to provide for the increase and continuance of the family. There -is no ruler with a royal squad of idle relatives to live in dissipation -and luxury on the industry of the laborers, no blathering parliament, no -judges, no high or low courts, no big salaries, no legal members to -fleece the innocent, no policemen, for there are no evil-doers, no -annual budgets to provide for from the increased taxation of the poor, -no expense of any kind whatever, as there are no idlers except a few -drones kept in case of a paternal necessity, the most being killed,—no -criminals, no poor, no rich, no castes! What a lesson a nation of bees -can teach the most exalted human nation on earth! And yet humanity in -this nineteenth century boasts itself as being civilized, enlightened -and Christian, and having been created in the image of God! - -The old station life again. The blessed books, the gardens and the -duties of each day occupied my attention. - -One day I received a note, asking me to meet a committee. A new road was -to be opened, and as it affected my property, I was to be consulted. I -went at the appointed time. A friend introduced me to several I had not -met before, and then “Mr. Smith, this is Mr. Japhet.” “O, yes!” said he, -“I have seen Mr. Japhet, and gad! I never hear that name, but I am -reminded of the story, ‘Japhet in search of his father!’” and he -chuckled at his bright saying. I replied, “Mr. Smith, I have heard you -make that reference several times. Once you asked me if I was in search -of my father, and I told you I was, and wished you to help me find him. -Now I can tell you that I have found him, and perhaps you would like to -see his photograph, here it is.” And I pulled the picture out of my coat -pocket, and held it up for him to see. “I have lately been down to -Jalalpur to see him. He is Mr. H. J. Smith, the commissioner, and may be -some relation of yours?” The fellow turned white, then red. There was a -tableaux, a quiet scene for some moments, when one of the party -blustered out, “Come fellows, let’s get to work, as I have got to go to -Mrs. Tinkle’s to see about some confounded party.” - -Our business was soon finished, and as I was going out through the yard -my friend remarked, “I say, Japhet, what was that deuce of a joke you -got off on Smith?” “Joke?” said I, “There was no joke at all.” “Great -Scot!” he exclaimed, “you don’t mean to say that you and Smith are half -brothers?” “I have said nothing of the kind,” I replied, “only I know -this, that H. J. Smith, commissioner at Jalalpur, is my father, and if -he is also this Smith’s father, you can draw your own conclusions, I am -not bound to make any statement.” He fairly shouted, “Great heavens! you -don’t tell me! Well, ta, ta, I must hurry, or the devil will be to pay -with Mrs. Tinkle.” - -We had no newspaper in our station. A paper is an expensive luxury to -the publisher, and besides we didn’t need any. Mrs. Tinkle, the wife of -the colonel, was our newspaper and news-carrier all in one, a host in -that direction. If we had anything good, bad or indifferent, that we -wanted to circulate, and there were many things that no living man would -dare to print unless he was prepared for death, we got them all to Mrs. -Tinkle, and they went with the wind, or as fast as her ponies could take -her. When my friend said he was going to Mrs. Tinkle’s, I knew and could -have sworn to it, that before they had closed their eyes in sleep that -night every one in the station would learn that Smith and Japhet were -half brothers! Confound the impudence of the fellow! If he had only -treated me with the least respect I would have never given a hint, but -his continued bullying I could not endure. I felt as badly about the -relationship as he possibly could. It would not be a credit to either of -us. I will say, however, that he never troubled himself about “Japhet in -search of his father” again. Some one told me that Smith had denounced -the story as a red-hot lie, and asked if they would take him to be a -fool. Yet everybody believed the story, for they knew the character of -old Smith too well to doubt it, and probably believed young Smith to be -a fool. About that photograph, how did I happen to have it in my pocket -just at the right time? - -I knew that Smith as a magistrate was on that committee, that he -couldn’t well turn his back on me, as he had before done, that if he -noticed me at all he would give me a shot or a thrust of some kind, so -with deliberate forethought, or malice prepense, if that is a better -term, I put the photograph in my pocket, ready for I knew not what, -anything that might come. In time of peace, prepare for war. So did I. - -It may be thought that I had some streaks of wickedness in me. I have -often thought that myself. I have gone through enough ill-usage in my -life to make a saint profane and revengeful. As I do not believe in any -erasing or washing away of sins or forgetting them, I try to be as good -as I can be under adverse circumstances, and never sin unless I am -absolutely compelled to. I have ever desired to live a life of peace and -righteousness, if only others would let me do so. If a dog snarls or -bites at me, when I am quietly passing, I feel like striking him, or -when a fellow mortal deliberately hurts me, I am inclined to give him -one in return, treating him as I do the dog. The many kicks and insults -that have come to me along the way have reminded me that Cain and I were -alike in this respect, that we both had a mark put upon us, but with -this difference, that his mark was that any one seeing him should not -kill him, and my mark was to let any one who saw me wipe his feet on me -if he could, or give me some mean thrust. But who is there that has not -a mark of some kind? - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - -I often called on my friend Mr. Jasper. One morning he had just laid -down his daily paper as I entered. “Did you see this?” he asked, “that -the Pope and the Romish Church propose to dedicate England to the -blessed Mother of God, and to St. Peter, to consecrate the whole country -to the Holy Mother of God, and to the blessed Prince of the Apostles.” -These are the exact words. Where does God come in? He, the Creator and -Preserver of the universe, and, as we believe, of England, is left out, -ignored altogether. How can one read such blasphemy as this without -being shocked and angry? Such a proposal is not only an insult to all -the Protestants and non-Christians of the British Empire, but is an -outrageous imposition on the common sense of mankind! It is a sin -against God. What must be the cheek and impudence of any men to dare -propose such a thing as giving England over to the protection of a woman -and a man who died nearly two thousand years ago, and taking it out of -the hands of Almighty God? - -The world is shocked at the idolatry of the heathen, but what is there -in their systems worse than this deifying a woman and a man, and placing -them above God? It is awful, profane, wicked and insulting! “Most holy!” -No stronger words could be used of God himself, and these applied to a -woman! As if the eternal, infinite God without a beginning, should have -a mother, and she a woman, an ordinary finite being! I had rather be a -heathen, an infidel, or even an atheist, than to be guilty of such -sacrilege and driveling nonsense. - -But who is this they set up as the most holy mother of God? A woman, a -Jewess, the wife of Joseph. She was not known except as the mother of -Jesus, no claim that she was more than an ordinary woman, but blessed in -being the mother of an excellent son. Taking the New Testament, which -gives the only account we have of her, it scarcely mentions her, and -then without giving her any prominence. No allusion is made either to -the time or place of her birth, or of her death. Even her son Jesus -scarcely treats her with common respect. When he wandered away from his -parents, and gave them great trouble and anxiety in finding him, he did -not show her any special regard when they found him. At the marriage in -Cana, when she spoke to him, he addressed her in the style of orientals, -not even calling her mother, but “Woman! what have I to do with thee?” -He apparently neglected her, and never mentions her, his own mother, and -at his death he had little to say to her. The apostles seldom refer to -her, and then only as the wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus. I defy -any one to show a word or line in the Bible to indicate she had any -special regard shown to her by either her own son Jesus, or by his -apostles. It was not until several centuries later that she began to be -reverenced, then prayed to, and finally to be deified and worshiped in -the place of God. Her virginity was of no importance to the evangelists, -as they never refer to it, and the theory was not taught during the -first three centuries. In the fourth century she was first styled the -mother of God. Augustine repeatedly asserts that she was born in -original sin. Anselm declares that the virgin herself when He (Jesus) -was assumed was conceived in iniquity, and in sin did her mother -conceive her, and with original sin was she born, because she, too, -sinned in Adam, in whom all sinned. Others expressed the same views. - -The explicit doctrine of the immaculate conception was first taught -about 1140, at which time a festival was established in favor of it. -Bernard of Clairvaux opposed this. “On the same principle,” said he, -“you would be obliged to hold that the conception of her ancestors in -ascending line was also a holy one, since otherwise she could not have -descended from them worthily, and there would be festivals without -number.” The Franciscans favored the feast of the conception without the -immaculation, which the Dominicans under Aquinas opposed, and a severe -and bitter controversy ensued between these rival sects. In 1854 Pope -Pius IX promulgated the bull _ineffabilii deus_, by which the doctrine -of the immaculate conception became an article of the Romish faith, to -disbelieve which is heresy. All history shows that this doctrine is but -a modern invention. There is not a particle of proof that God had -anything to do with it. It is assumed that God could be born of a woman, -then that he must be without a human father, his mother a virgin, and to -improve the situation that she must be immaculate, born without sin. The -frame-work once set up, the fabric has been completed by additions from -century to century, until this obscure Jewish mother of the man Jesus -has become in the Roman church the most holy mother of God. The very -idea is sensuous, born of the flesh and not of the spirit, repulsive to -a refined mind, and degrading to the character of God. - -The whole structure reminds one of an English medieval house that has -been added to and patched upon, and so changed that the first occupant, -should he come to the earth, would not recognize his own birthplace. -Without a doubt, if Mary and Jesus should rise from the dead, they would -be astonished at their modern portraits; and Jesus, honest man that he -was, would lash these libellers out of the house of God for making it a -place of lies, deceit and merchandise. Among the heathen or pagan -nations such an apotheosis was not uncommon or strange, but that an -intelligent people, claiming to have exalted views of almighty God, -should invent such wicked, degrading nonsense, is astonishing. It was -customary among the earlier Romans to deify their rulers, and place -their prominent men among the gods, but it was reserved for the modern -Romans to bring God down and make him a man among men. - -As to Jesus, he was the son of Joseph, as much as any man is the son of -his father. Leo, the patriarch, published in A. D. 726, an edict -prohibiting the worship of images, declaring that Jesus was but a mere -man, born of his mother in the common way. It is evident that Jesus was -an observant, studious youth, given to devout meditation, and on this -account greatly esteemed by the ignorant people around him, and -stimulated by this admiration, he became somewhat of a fanatic, but a -good one, absorbed in grand and noble thoughts, and fell in with the -Jewish notion of the redemption of their race from the enemy, but he -took a still higher view, the deliverance of his people from their -slavery to rites and ceremonies, from their hypocrisy and wickedness, to -a life of purity and uprightness. A noble effort of a noble man, worthy -of the world’s profoundest respect and admiration. Not a word was said -while he was alive, or until centuries after his death, of his being -God, or equal with God, or anything but a great teacher, a noble man, -worthy to be styled the son of God, as all good men were and are the -sons of God. - -John Stuart Mill says of him—and his opinion is worth as much as the -Pope’s—“A man charged with a special, express and unique commission from -God to lead mankind to truth and virtue.” - -If Jesus was God he must have been conscious of it, and would have shown -or disclosed the fact in his life, but nowhere did he do this. He was -aware that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, thus -likening himself to a prophet. When in the course of time he was -deified, and as they could not do away with God, they made Jesus a part -of God, or one of three Gods in one, a medley the most absurd ever -attempted by the human mind, and tried to explain it in the Athanasian -creed, the most nonsensical puzzle of the world. If the greatest of -modern lawyers or scholars should now go into any court on the globe and -try to make a statement of a fact in such a jugglery of words and -nonsense, he would at once be sent out of court or be committed to a -lunatic asylum. - -I cannot understand how religious people, believing in one God and -accepting the Ten Commandments, can accept this doctrine. I cannot -comprehend how, obeying the first and second commandments, any one can -take the likeness of a man born of woman and put him before God, and -worship him as God. How can they, believing in one God, the Eternal one, -the Creator of all things, take this, as they say, part man and part -God, created only a few centuries ago, deify him and worship him as the -Creator, and place the eternal destiny of all the souls in the world in -his hands! It is awful, the extent of human credulity! It is a monstrous -assumption and a fearful sin, contrary to common sense and abhorrent to -the moral and enlightened sense of mankind. How is it possible for -Christian people to tolerate such a degradation of God! Yet Christian -people wonder that men of intelligence and judgment do not accept -without a murmur this heathenish jargon as truth, or bow down along with -them in their idolatry. - -The Romish Church very likely will soon drop God altogether, and put in -His place the Jewish woman. One of its most prominent priests, in a -sermon not long ago, said, “He prepared her virginal and celestial -purity, for a mother defiled could not become the mother of the Most -High. The Holy Virgin, even in her childhood, was more pleasing than all -the cherubim and seraphim, and from infancy to the maturing maidenhood -and womanhood, she grew more and more pure. By her sanctity she reigned -over the heart of God. When the hour came the whole court of heaven was -hushed, and the trinity listened for the answer of Mary, for without her -consent the world could not have been redeemed.” What could possibly be -more impudent and blasphemous than the statement that the Almighty maker -of the Universe could not save mankind, whom he created, unless he got -the consent of a woman! - -I put it as a question of good taste, leaving out religion altogether, -would not the feelings of a refined man be shocked at the suggestion -that the Infinite God had a human mother? - -It is assumed that Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost. Such stories are -common in the world. Buddha is said to have been born of a virgin. It -was a common occurrence when people wanted to set up a new god or hero -to assert that they were born of a virgin by the help of a god. It was -claimed for all of them that there were wondrous signs, portents and -occurrences about them, and that these beings to be exalted were not, -like ordinary men, born of a human father. - -The virgin mother of Egypt, Isis, was represented holding her infant son -Horus in her arms. She is also shown as the Queen of Heaven, holding in -her hand a cross. On one of the tombs of the Pharaohs, Champolion found -a picture, the most ancient of a woman ever found, bedecked with stars, -with the form of a child issuing from her bosom. The Hindu virgin is -shown as nursing Krishna, a golden aureole around the head of each. - -In the caves of Ellora is a figure of Indruna seated on a lounge, with -her infant son god pointing toward heaven, with the same gestures as of -the Italian Madonna and her child. - -Horus, Ishter, Venus, Juno, and a host of Pagan goddesses, have been -called Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Universe, Mother of God, Spouse of -God, the Celestial Virgin. - -The Buddhists believe that Maha Maya, the mother of Gotama, was an -immaculate virgin, and conceived him through a divine influence. - -Perictione, a virgin, immaculately conceived Plato through the influence -of the god Apollo. - -The ancient Mexicans, though they believed in one Almighty Invisible -God, had minor deities, the chief among them being the god, born of a -virgin, conceived by a ball of light colored feathers floating in the -air. - -Says a writer, “Hundreds of Christs and virgins are being continually -born into the world in Russia, and find thousands of worshipers and -disciples.” - -So great is the resemblance of these virgins and goddesses to the -alleged character and adoration of Mary, that the Romish Church should -be indicted for its false claims to a patent to which it has no right or -title. Bishop Newton, of the English Church, asks, “Is not the worship -of saints and angels now in all respects the same that the worship of -demons was in former times? The name only different, the thing is -identically the same ... the very same temples, the very same images, -which were once consecrated to Jupiter, and the other demons, are now -consecrated to the Virgin Mary and other saints ... the whole of -Paganism is consecrated and applied to Popery.” - -The testimony of Abbe Huc, a Romish priest, of what he saw in Tibet, is -not to be doubted. “One cannot fail being struck with their great -resemblance with the Catholicism. The Bishop’s crosier, the mitre, the -dalmatic, the round hat that the great lamas wear in travel ... the -mass, the double chair, the psalmody, the exorcisms, the censer with -five chains to it, opening and shutting at will, the blessings of the -lamas, who extend their right hands over the heads of the faithful ones, -the rosary, the celibacy of the clergy, the penances and retreats, the -cultus of the saints, the fasting, the processions, the litanies, and -holy water, similarities of the Buddhists with ourselves. Besides, they -have the tonsure, relics, and the confessional.” The Catholics, to -account for these things, attribute them to the devil. - - “Bad as he is, the devil may be abused, - Be falsely charged and causelessly accused, - When men, unwilling to be blamed alone, - Shift off their crimes on him, which are their own.” - -Instead of the thousands of imaginary gods and semi-gods of the -ancients, the Christian Church has its calendars of saints. In place of -the oracles of mythology, the church has its priests, who presume to -know all the purposes of the Almighty and to speak for Him. The old -system in new clothes. - -The Romish notion of purgatory and the use of the rosary is evidently -derived from Tibet. Every Tibetan prays with his string of beads. The -fear of a Buddhist is the six-fold existence after death. The long -purgatory is his dread. Believing that he can pray off much of it in -this life he keeps his whirligig praying machine going continually. In -that country they have little grinding mills that are turned by the -mountain streams and common to all the community. When a man goes with -his grist to mill, he takes along a roll of paper prayers, yards in -length. Having put his grain into the hopper, he winds the prayer around -the mill shaft and turns on the water. He then smokes his pipe while his -grain is being ground and his prayers repeated by water-power. Is not -this much easier and as beneficial, as much of the church religious -praying? - -In Ladak there are long lines of walls on which prayers are inscribed. -Walking back and forth along the walls each works off so much of the -dreaded hereafter. - -Do I believe that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost? Not at all, any -more than any other child. He was the son of Joseph and Mary, just as I -am the son of my father and mother. My reason, my common sense, my sense -of honor, and my deep reverence for Almighty God will not allow me to -think otherwise. I cannot think of the Infinite God being born of a -woman. Such a thought is most degrading, it degrades the character and -being of God, and it degrades men to have such a thought about Him. If -Jesus could be conceived in that way, why not others? This has actually -been claimed again and again. - -I read not long ago of a man and a number of women in a harem, not far -from Chicago, in America. The women had children whom they claimed were -all conceived by the Holy Ghost, and why not, if Mary could have a child -in that way? The account says that some Christian people assembled in a -church, made angry speeches, passed resolutions to bring the man and -women into court, and some proposed to mob them and burn down the -premises. The only charge against them was the claim of the supernatural -conception of the women, as in every other respect they were -irreproachable. These Christian people, whose very fundamental dogma of -their faith is the unnatural conception of Jesus, attacking this first -principle of their belief, is like thieves berating a thief for -stealing. - -Who was this Peter, under whose protection it is assumed to place -England? An ordinary man, unstable in character, impulsive, blowing hot -and cold at a breath, declaring he would never leave Jesus, and then -swearing that he never knew him, as much a betrayer at heart as Judas, -but not as manly, for Judas showed his consciousness of the wrong he had -done by killing himself, while Peter, shrewd as a modern Jesuit, -shuffled out of his brazen falsehood around to the winning side. In -mental ability he was inferior to any of his fellows, a bigot in his -belief and in his character, far less to be admired than any of the -others. Supposing him to have been transcendent in virtue, wisdom and -goodness above all other men who have ever lived, and to have been -absolutely perfect, yet he was only a man. Then why should he be made a -saint, or be invested with divine power and made protector of anything, -in the place of God? In respect to mankind, the veneration of Peter and -attributing to him power or authority above all other men is absurd, but -when considered in respect to God, it is outrageous blasphemy and -idolatry. It is placing a creature, and a very insignificant one in the -place of the Creator. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - -One day, reading in my library so intently that I did not hear the sound -of wheels, my bearer brought me a card on which was the name “Mrs. -Clement.” I told him to show her into the drawing room. Soon I went in -and saw an elderly lady, slender in form, with snow-white hair drawn up -in curls at the side of her forehead and with a very bright, intelligent -face. She was old in years, but evidently young in heart and mind. All -this I saw at a glance. With her was a young man whom I judged at once -to be her son, slender and delicate with a bright face partially covered -with a beard and a heavy moustache. On my entering the room they rose -and greeted me, the mother introducing the young man as her son. We then -seated ourselves, and had some introductory talk, probably about the -weather, or some such interesting, novel subject. In fact I had become -so absorbed in reading Plato’s “New Republic,” that I was still in a -dreamy state and supposed they had called on some matter of business. - -The mother then spoke. “Are you the Mr. Japhet who was in the St. -George’s School in 18—.” “Yes,” I replied. “I must be the one as I know -of no other. The Japhets by that name are very scarce, as I never met -one in my life.” “Well!” she replied. “Johnny has always been talking of -you and of coming to see Mr. Japhet, and I thought I would come with -him.” This was what she said, but she had scarcely uttered the name, -“Johnny,” before I aroused from my stupor, sprang from my chair and -taking both his hands in mine, exclaimed, “Johnny, is it you?” I put my -arms around him and gave him a real brotherly hug, and would have kissed -him after the good German fashion, but let my tears of joy flow instead. -Taking his hands again I studied his features, asking: “Is it really -true that you are Johnny?” Then turning to the widow, “Mrs. Clement, I -wish to shake your hand again for Johnny’s sake.” I saw the tears -glistening in her eyes as she observed us, for was not he the only son -of the widow, the treasure of the mother’s heart and life! Had she not a -right to be proud of him and of the love I showed him? Why should we not -give full play to our sympathies and feelings, the noblest traits of our -human nature? Have we not enough in life to make us hard and unfeeling -that we should not soften our natures by yielding to our affections when -we can do this sincerely? - -I have seen husbands and wives, parents and children meet and separate -as coldly as if they were only strangers or ashamed to show any feeling. -How very strange, and is it not unnatural? Surely I did not take time -just then to philosophize for I was too excited even to think. -Recovering myself, I ordered the bearer to tell the Khansaman to bring -some tea and toast, to open the two guest rooms, to bring in the luggage -and dismiss the gari, and all this in one sentence and a breath. I was -in a state of delightful excitement and I yielded myself entirely to it, -and why not? No more of Plato’s New or Old Republic, but the pleasure of -the old and new friendship. I have often recalled Mr. Percy’s saying, -“Charles don’t dawdle! When you have anything to do, either work or -play, give to it all your might, mind and being.” - -I need not say we were busy, not a moment wasted either before or at -breakfast. I insisted on the midday rest, that my friends might not -become exhausted, but Johnny found me in the library. I call him Johnny -for he was always that to me, and ever will be and why not? Later in the -afternoon we had our walk in the garden, and then our long drive about -the station, but I doubt if either of us saw anything. The pleasant time -was after dinner, when we had our coffee in front of the fire in the big -room. It reminded me of the old times when we three, Mr. Percy, Cockear -and I, sat before our fire and were like boys together. Ah! those happy, -joyous days! How much has passed since then? - -In this more quiet time Mrs. Clement gave me a little of their history. -When Johnny’s school days closed, several years after my time, he tried -in various places for a situation, but failed completely. The world -seemed harsh and dreary to the widow and her son, the future without any -prospect on which to rest a hope. Without friends or influence, what -could they expect? Just then a letter came that like the wand of a fairy -swept away all the clouds and darkness. It appeared that years before -Johnny was born, his father had befriended a lad by helping him to a -situation in Bombay, where he commenced at the bottom, and by diligence -and honesty rose step by step, until he became one of the partners of -the firm. He had lost track of his friend, but on the evening of the day -on which he was admitted to the firm, he was recalling the past, and -thought of the time when he was a homeless orphan, and almost -friendless, and of the one to whom he owed his position and the success -of his life. From that moment he could not rest until he had found his -benefactor. He wrote letters to him, not knowing that he was dead. One -of these letters reached the widow. The writer gave an outline of his -life, told of his gratitude, and that if in any way he could do a favor -to the one to whom he owed everything, he was not only ready, but -anxious to do it. It was like a debt, and almost a burden to him, and he -could not be happy until he had discharged it, or shown his willingness -to do so. - -This letter came as a message from Heaven to the widow and her son. She -wrote and explained everything, with the result that Johnny got a -situation, and in the course of time became a partner of the man whom, -as a lad, his father had befriended. This was most natural, and such -incidents would oftener happen if people would pay their debts of -gratitude, and put their religion into deeds, and not so much into -words. - -“So, Mr. Japhet,” said the mother, sitting with her cup of coffee in her -hand, forgetting to take a sip of it, “you have our history. I say _our_ -history, for in it all, Johnny and I have been one. He was all I had, -and I think I was everything to him, though many bright eyes have tried -to win him away from me, I have him still.” - -“Don’t be too sure, good mother,” said Johnny, “Don’t you know that -Cupid’s arrow, if the right one be used, may pierce the hardest heart. -Didn’t it your’s once?” - -“John, John!” she said very gravely. - -I noticed she always called him Johnny, except when she gave him a -reproof, and this was always so kind that it must have given him more -pleasure than otherwise. He then took her hand, as he sat by her side, -just as if he had been her lover. And he was. Blessed is that boy, whose -first love is his mother, and happy is the mother of such a boy. I have -often thought, yet it may be one of my crude notions, that a boy or man -who truly loves a good mother can never go wrong. - -As I sat looking at this loving couple, I could not help asking myself, -with a deep, sad sigh: “Why did I not have such a mother?” Thus do the -sorrows of our lives break in upon our joys. - -The mother continued: “All his life, since he first met you, he has been -talking about you. It was Mr. Japhet this, and Mr. Japhet that, and he -has always been longing to see you. I often told him to go and visit -you, but he would say: ‘No, not without you, mother,’ and thus the going -was delayed until he became a partner, and was entitled to a long -vacation, when I said to him: ‘Now, we will see Mr. Japhet, if he can be -found anywhere,’ so we started, and here we are. So you see Mr. Japhet, -he is still his mother’s boy.” - -“Yes,” said Johnny, soberly, “I am not ashamed to say, it was first God, -then mother and Japhet, all through my life. These three have been my -trinity for good—” and as if talking to himself—“for to these I owe all -my best impulses, and the happiness of my life.” - -After a few moments silence we fell to talking of our school days. - -“Yes,” said the mother, “Johnny has told me about them again and again. -What a time you must have had! And do you know, Mr. Japhet, that he -never told me about that flogging until after he left school.” - -“No, good mother,” he said, “I did not, for I well knew that if I told, -you would have tied me to your apron-string, and never let me go back to -it.” She answered with warmth: “Indeed, I would not, to such a school as -that! A great brute of a man flogging a little boy for not betraying his -comrades! Often when I have thought of it, years since, I have felt like -going to that man, and upbraiding him for his meanness and cruelty.” - -“Mother, dear,” spoke Johnny, very gravely, for it was his turn to -reprove, “I am surprised!” And then with a smile: “How funny you would -look shaking your little fists at such a monster man, and all for such a -little thing that occurred years ago.” - -“John, John,” she replied very sternly. “It was not a little thing, -John, and you know it.” - -“That’s so, I surrender,” he answered. “Haven’t I felt the smart of that -rattan years after, when I have thought of that scene? Not in my body, -but in my sense of right and justice? Didn’t you scream though, Mr. -Japhet? You never knew that I was ready to faint, and thought of dying, -as those cutting strokes fell on me, but when I heard you scream, I made -up my mind in an instant to be brave to the last, if I died. I would not -have you think me a coward. It was your voice that gave me courage and -nerve.” - -Thus our talk ran on. I know these things are but trifles, but the sum -total of life is made up of little things, a flogging is but a small -affair, but have we not all of us received cuts that we have remembered -until they have become a part of our very selves, and so have changed -many a destiny for good or evil? - -“But,” said the mother, “you might have let me share your sorrow.” “O, -no, good mother,” replied he, “that could not be. Sorrow cannot be -divided, shared, sold or given away. I might have told you and a hundred -others, and you would have felt grieved and sympathized with me, but my -sorrow would not have been diminished in the least so it was better for -me to carry my own burdens than to have troubled you.” Brave as a man, -as he was a brave boy. - -The days passed only too quickly, full of delightful enjoyment to me, -and I think, as well to them, and my friends took their departure. Then -I was lonely and sad, yet happy in this renewal of our old friendship, -and the addition of a new acquaintance, the charming mother of Johnny. I -have given this account of their visit for several reasons, first -because of the old friendship; then for the delight I had in their -company, but most of all because of the admiration I had for this loving -couple, mother and son. As the mother said, they were one. She had lived -for her son, he for his mother, and thus their lives were blended -together. - -First of all, she was so pure. This was my first impression, and -increased the more I saw of her, not from any special thing she said or -did, but purity seemed to be in her every feature, in her dress, her -walk, her conversation, the tone of her voice. She seemed to be made of -sweetness and light, not simply of the soft and mellow kind, for she had -her opinions, which she dared to defend with energy, yet a sense of -goodness seemed to rule her. Such a life is a perpetual prayer. She had -a great mind in her little body, and was not willing to let it sleep and -rest. It was evident that she had kept up with her son in his reading, -with his thoughts and his business, so she could be his close companion. -There was scarcely a topic in our conversation, on which she could not -converse with excellent sense, and with flashes of wit and fun. On some -subjects her womanly instinct seemed to outrun our slow, plodding -masculine thoughts. - -I have read somewhere a criticism on woman, and probably a just one; -that many of them, on becoming married, seem to think that they have -reached the summit of their lives, and lose all their former pride of -appearance, stop reading and thinking, and so cease to be companions of -their husbands and older children, and remain as common useful articles -of house furniture. It was not so with this mother. To her elasticity of -youth in body and mind, she had added the culture and refinement of -years, while her body seemed strengthened and matured through her mental -activity. - -I have but little patience with the theory of some scientific men that -there is necessarily an inequality of the sexes because of the greater -avoirdupois quantity of the male brain. Mind cannot be weighed with a -butcher’s scales, no more than strength can be computed according to the -amount of muscle. What does it prove if a difference exists between the -brains of the two sexes of no less than 220 cubic centimeters per -individual, more than to say that because two men live in different -sized houses, the one living in the larger house should be consequently -the greater man, when everybody knows that a large minded man may live -in a hut, and a fool be in a palace. Therefore it seems that size and -weight is no indication of quality. - -Should not fineness of texture and quality give value to brains and to -everything else? But, say the scientists, no difference can be seen in -the composition of the male and female brain. Nor can any difference of -texture be seen in the brains of an educated man and a fool. Take two -rays of light of the same degree of brightness, no difference in -appearance is observed, yet the one ray is full of heat, and the other -of cold. Analysis by the spectrum shows a difference. My skeptical -common sense suggests that our scientists have not found the right kind -of a spectrum for brain analysis. Suppose we leave out the material -brain altogether and consider the mind alone as we would lose sight of -the house and think of the man separate from it. Is not the great mental -difference between the sexes, as between individuals of the same sex, -due to the training and development of that immaterial, subtle -something, that no eye can see, or scale can weigh, or mortal -comprehend, the mind itself? Why make the soul a clod of matter? Why try -to estimate mind only by the weight or shape or texture of the brain -matter it lives in and uses, any more than we should judge of the weight -or worth of a man by the size or value of the house he occupies? - -It is said that a fool can ask questions that a philosopher cannot -answer, so I have ventured. Yet with all due respect to the philosophers -I cannot always accept their dogmatic assertions without protest or -questions. For instance, a great brain anatomist asserts, “Woman is a -constantly growing child and in the brain, as in so many other parts of -her body, she conforms to her childish type.” Suppose I assert “Man is a -constantly growing child, and in the brain as in so many parts of his -body, he conforms to his childish type.” What value has one assertion -over the other? - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - -In all my previous acquaintance with Mr. Jasper he had told me nothing -of his history. I had never made inquiries as I considered it -impertinent to pry into the secrets of people and preferred to remain in -ignorance unless they chose of their own accord to tell me. I knew him -to be a very reserved man, one who had traveled and seen a great deal, -read and studied much and was an independent thinker. His theory, was -that as he was responsible for his thoughts and deeds of this life and -for the life to come, he could not avoid the necessity of being free in -all things. He was most courteous in hearing all sides and diligent in -reading everything on every subject as an impartial judge, but at the -end he formed his own conclusions to which he adhered tenaciously for -himself. - -One day he incidentally referred to his religious life. His parents were -devoted Christians and he was brought up in their faith. His mother was -the stronger willed of the two. She was of Dutch descent, of a hardy and -resolute race. She had an excellent mind, though not well educated. Her -good common sense answered in place of education. She exacted implicit -respect and obedience from her children. She laid down no rules, but -every one knew what she desired and not one dared act contrary to what -mother wished. There was no harshness, but a mother’s love shown in all -her acts towards her children. She did not lecture them or parley with -them, but “it is right my son and must be done,” and it was. She -demanded obedience first and afterwards, sometimes, would give her -reasons. She seldom made mistakes. Her good judgment so calmly acted -upon, impressed all that it was best to do as she directed. - -One thing indicated her character. She was very particular about the -observance of Sunday. On Saturday the boy’s clothes were seen in order, -their boots were blacked and they had their baths and the Sunday dinner -was prepared as far as possible. On Sunday morning every one in the -household, even to the dogs, knew and felt it was a sacred day. All went -to church no matter what the weather might be and no Sunday sickness was -allowed. After the service came the dinner, not a cold water, dry -biscuit affair, but the best dinner of the week, smoking hot roasts, -tarts, pies and cream pudding in abundance, just what would please -hungry, growing boys and make them love the mother and give them a warm -regard for Sunday. After that, books and papers, no novels on that day, -with singing and pleasant conversations, the mother the center of the -household group; walking in the garden, orchard or fields, but no -visiting or making calls, nor did she encourage visitors on Sunday. It -was a day of quiet rest at home. - -Outside the house the father ruled, but in the house the mother was -ruler and priestess. The parents never interfered in each other’s -domain. If anything was said about something outside the house, it was, -“Go to your father.” If about anything within the house, it was, “Ask -your mother.” The mother often counselled with her husband about the -children but never before them. Their matured decision was acted upon as -if they had never spoken on the subject. Such was the love and respect -and implicit obedience to the parents, that the boys never went away -from home without asking permission of the mother, for it seemed to be -within her province to know where her boys were. This habit clung to -them until they reached manhood or as long as they were at home, for -during school vacations and afterwards, before going out, it was always, -“I will ask mother first.” This may seem very rigid, but what could have -been better for a family of energetic boys than such a system of which -they were trained to venerate and love mother and home? - -While Mr. Jasper was telling this I recalled what I had read in the -autobiography of George Ebers, where he writes of his mother’s -influence: “I had no thought, performed no act, without wondering what -would be her opinion of it, and this intimate relation, though in an -altered form, continued until her death. In looking back, I may regard -it as a tone of my whole development that my conduct was regulated -according to the more or less close mental and outward connection in -which I stood to her.” - -And the sisters, for there were several, dear, good, noble girls, models -of the mother in every respect, a family group clinging together, the -interest of each belonging to all and never sundered except by death. -There was no separate purse among the children. If one needed a little -money he was free to help himself, and this continued even after they -had grown to manhood, each assisting the others and no account kept. - -It was a sad, sad day when death suddenly removed the mother from her -privileged place in the home. - -Mr. Jasper stopped suddenly with tears in his eyes and a choking sob in -his voice, while he sat in silence for some minutes, looking back over -the years as if he saw that home and the mother again. - -I had known so little, almost nothing of my mother; yet such as she was -she was still my mother. It has always caused me deep, heartfelt grief -when others have told me of their mothers. Why could not I have had a -mother’s love and care? Why? - -The loss of such a treasure is next to losing God, the greatest loss, it -seems to me, that can befall a human being. I had no father, not a real -one, and have no feeling about him except—I have often heard people -speak with great respect of their father, but the heart’s affection -always goes to the mother. - -I was thinking to myself and did not realize the silence of Mr. Jasper. -He then continued: “Such was my home and early training. I was kept from -bad company, ‘tied to my mother’s apron string,’ as the boys said, but -it was a good string, one of the best that God ever made. One incident -occurred when I was in my sixteenth year that left a profound impression -on my mind and on my life. A neighbor’s wife and her son—he was just my -age to a day—had lately returned from a visit to a distant place where -he had met some young people with whom I was slightly acquainted. - -“We were in their drawing room and the mother was sewing or reading. -Mention was made of a young man several years older than we were. At his -name the mother remarked, ‘How sad it was! He was a young man of good -family, fine ability and excellent prospects, but he had gone with bad -women, became diseased and so offensive that his family could not endure -his presence but had to provide him rooms outside the house.’ I do not -remember her exact words. She was a refined, educated, Christian lady, -and I know must have spoken on such a subject with as much delicacy as -possible. I was absolutely ignorant of such things. Some might say I was -a very innocent youth. I proudly bear the taunt. Such was the effect of -her remarks upon me, that I went home sick with disgust and could eat no -dinner. - -“That feeling has never left me. Whenever in my travels I have seen a -prostitute, I have had the same feelings of disgust, and when meeting -men whom I knew to be licentious I would have as quickly taken a slimy -toad in my hand as to have shaken hands with them. Laying aside all the -morality of the subject, I never could appreciate the exquisite, refined -taste of a gentleman or any man who had any self respect, who could -associate with women common to everybody. And what puzzles me now is how -any man belonging to a Christian church and professing to be a follower -of Jesus, who was purity itself, can be guilty of sexual immorality. -They are foul hypocrites, and besides, traitors to Jesus as much as -Judas was. - -“That lady’s talk gave me a shock that has lasted as a blessing all my -life. I have often wondered why parents, ministers and teachers, should -have such false modesty about these most important things to the young. -They say nothing until the youth falls into the mire and slime of the -ditches of sin, and then hold up their hands in holy horror and wonder -how it could have happened.” - -These remarks recalled Mr. Percy’s earnest talk to me when he, with both -of my hands clasped in his, and tears in his eyes, gazing into mine, -begged me, for the love of God and for the sake of my own soul, to keep -myself pure and clean. And I remember, too, that never, in all the years -of my school days, did our burly principal or the teachers utter a word -on a subject that was of infinitely more importance, than all our -mathematics or history or our whole school course of study. When I have -thought of the ruin of some of my schoolmates, through their ignorance -of danger, I have bitterly blamed the whole false or deficient system of -education. Only the pure in heart shall see God, but purity is entirely -left out of our school education and mostly from the services in the -churches. - -Mr. Jasper continued, “I joined the church of my parents during my -college life, and for years afterwards, I accepted the Bible as the -inspired word of God, and all that the church taught as direct from Him. -I never had a doubt about these things. I often wondered when others -spoke of their doubts. The fact was, that I never read or thought of -anything contrary to what I had blindly accepted as the truth. I was -happy in this state of mind or ignorance. This continued for years. To -be as brief as possible: I engaged in business and met with reverses -through the betrayal of some men professing to be Christians. What to do -I did not know. I was like a man shipwrecked on a desert island, or -rather cast away among savages, for those whom I supposed my friends -turned against me. Men whom I had assisted begged to be excused, ‘it was -not convenient,’ or ‘some other time,’ when I asked for a little -assistance. Men whom I had put upon their feet at a sacrifice to myself -hardly knew me when we met. Once it was ‘Harry,’ but then, ‘Mister’ of -the coolest kind. I was criticised and censured for becoming poor. When -a man is down everybody, even his former friends, are ready to give him -a kick. Mankind is very much like the vultures we see in India. Not one -of them in sight anywhere until a poor brute is wounded, when they are -seen coming in every direction to pull their victim to pieces and devour -him. The world can forgive anything but poverty. - -“I expected to find some sympathy and kindness in the church where I had -taken a prominent part, but instead, I was told in effect that I had -better take a back seat. This seemed to me intensely cruel and unjust. - -“To be excluded from the church of my parents, to be slighted by those -professing to be Christians, and by whom I was once respected and -treated as a brother, without any reason given, was unendurable. I was -grieved beyond measure, astonished and broken-hearted. My poor wife -nearly died from grief, and my children, though I tried to conceal it -from them, saw my agony. I tried to think what might be the reason of -such harsh treatment, until my head seemed ready to burst, and such was -the intense agony of my feelings that I was in fear that my heart might -fail me, for it sadly ached. At last the question came. How is it -possible for Christian men to act in this way? Are they followers of -Jesus, who can hurt me so much without giving any reason whatever? As I -have said, I never had a doubt about religion before, not one, but now -the question came, Can a religion be true, and of God, that can allow -men to treat me so unjustly and without mercy? I walked in my garden for -hours, many a time till late at night, to retire to a weary, restless -sleep. - -“Then one night the crisis came. I had a fearful dream. I do not believe -in dreams, but this one, whether the fancy of a disordered brain or -whatever it was, had a terrible result. I thought I saw a great treeless -plain, in the center a low spot of ground from which arose a dense white -mist and I heard a voice saying of the mist: ‘This is your God and -beside it there is nothing else.’ I awoke in horror, bathed in a cold -perspiration. I tried to recover my senses, but for all I could do, I -felt myself a changed man. Completely worn out I fell asleep again. In -the morning I began to tell my wife my dream but she checked me saying, -‘It is too awful, don’t speak of it!’ But I could not get rid of it. The -mist was as real to me as myself. It overpowered me. I was a changed man -as much so as if I had been metamorphosed into another being. A thousand -times I have tried to analyze that dream and to account for it. I never -had a doubt in my life about the existence of God, for I had always -believed and trusted in Him implicitly, to my great comfort and peace. -The only doubting question I ever had was whether a religion could be -from God that could allow its believers to treat me as I had been -treated. Whatever caused the dream I was another being from what I was -the day before; I had no belief in a God whatever. My faith in the -divinity of Jesus and in the divine inspiration of the Bible had ceased -entirely. I had no feeling about the matter. I could not pray, for I had -nothing to pray to. I had no fear, none in the least. I had done nothing -to bring me into this condition and felt no responsibility for it. I had -not the least desire to go back into the church and would not have -accepted the highest place in it, if they had come on their knees -begging me to take it. Strangely enough, though the day previous and for -weeks and months I had been in an agony of distress, I was now serenely -quiet and at peace; all the old conflict had gone. - - “I lost breath in my soul sometimes - And cried, God save me if there’s any God - But even so, God saved me; and being dashed - From error on to error, every turn - Still brought me nearer to the central truth.” - -“I am not trying to explain anything, but simply stating the truth as to -my condition. Some good Christians might say that I had become a -hardened sinner and God had withdrawn the light of His countenance from -me. This would be false, for I had committed no sin of which I was -conscious, that would cause such a terrible transition. All through my -life I had considered atheism an impossibility and looked upon any one -who professed to be an atheist with horror, and if any one had suggested -the day before that I would fall into this state I would have been -shocked. I yield to no living being in honesty of purpose. It was my -interest to be right and do right and to know why I was so changed in a -few moments and by a dream. I had no thought or desire to be without -God. Why should I, when all my life I had loved and tried to serve Him? -It was a wonderful strange feeling, as if I had just been born into a -new life, for not only my mind but my body seemed to have been -transformed. - -“Weeks and months passed while I engaged in business with the greatest -peace and tranquility. Yet the thought was always present: ‘There must -be inevitably an Infinite Creator, God.’ My reason told me this and that -I ought to pray to Him. This belief gradually increased until one day, -like a sudden light, my faith in God returned, filling my whole being -with joy and peace that has never left me. He is now my life, my all. -Nothing gives me so much peace and happiness as prayer when I can talk -with God, to my Father who knows me infinitely better than I know -myself. But I never got back my old faith in the Bible nor in the -divinity of Jesus. - -“I have a great respect for the Bible as a wonderful book, and a love -and regard for Jesus as a great man and teacher. Yet I cannot but -believe that the deification of Jesus was the most appalling blunder of -all time. I do not wish to offend you, but truly, when I go to church -and hear Jesus addressed as God I feel shocked more so than when I see a -heathen worshiping a stone image as a god. My reason, my heart, and all -my feelings rebel against putting anything in the place of the Infinite -God. I am as honest in this as it is possible for a human being to be in -anything, and if it is possible for any one to have a witness within -himself that he is right, I have that. I go direct to God. He can hear -me as easily as He can hear any one else, and I believe and know that He -is always ready to listen unto me when I come. I want no mediator, -nothing of any kind to stand between me and God. I know that if my -father were living and I should send any one to intercede for me he -would feel hurt and ask, ‘Am I such a father that my own son cannot come -to me instead of sending some one else?’ Why should we make out God to -be such an unnatural Father that He will not admit His own children to -His presence without being paid for it or through some one else as an -intercessor? ‘All’s love yet all’s law, in the star, in the stone, in -the flesh, in the soul and in the clod.’ - -“As to original sin and an atonement to satisfy a broken law, these to -me are mythological stories begotten from men’s fertile imagination. The -best atonement is a repentant heart, a contrite spirit and a pure life. -‘As a father pitieth his children so does the Lord love them that fear -Him. Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in -His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart. For thy -name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity for it is great. What man is he -that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall show, -his soul shall dwell at ease. The secret of the Lord is with them that -fear Him and He will show them His covenant. The eyes of the Lord are -upon the righteous and His ears are open unto their cry. The Lord is -nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as are of a -contrite spirit.’ - -“There is scarcely a Psalm that has not a passage showing that God is -willing to forgive and receive all those who come to Him direct and in -the right spirit. Why mystify and muddle a thing that is so plain that -any one can easily understand? I cannot conceive how a holy God, and -more, a God of infinite mercy, could be willing to accept, much less -take delight in, any worship or sacrifice that would cause suffering to -even the most insignificant animal. No one can think of vivisection, -though for philanthropic purposes, without a sense of pain. I cannot see -the slaughter of an animal or bird, even when they are for food, without -a feeling of pity. How then can I, though a weak mortal, yet having such -feelings, bow down and worship a God who is declared to take pleasure in -the destruction of life and offerings of blood! May God forgive me if I -am wrong, but I cannot help thinking and feeling as I do. I would rather -believe that all mankind are in error than to hold such an idea of the -God I love and worship. - -“Vicarious atonement is contrary to all the principles of justice. The -sufferings of innocent victims to appease the wrath of an angry God is -repugnant to the noblest instincts of the human race and a degrading -superstition of which only the lowest heathen should be guilty. Moral -justice can never be satisfied by the death or punishment of the -innocent for the guilty. Nowhere on earth is one allowed to suffer in -place of another. To buy off justice is bribery and to accept a bribe is -a crime. How then can people attribute to a just God what is considered -by universal mankind an act of infamy? - -“Jesus is to the world an example of what a human being should be, and -not as a sacrifice to an offended God or to satisfy a broken law. - -“Having escaped from the old theological dogmas, how was it possible for -me to go back to them? How could I accept such a horrible statement as -this, made by a very prominent divine, who wrote text books on theology -still used in the divinity schools? ‘The saints in glory will be far -more sensible how dreadful the wrath of God is, and will better -understand how dreadful the sufferings of the damned are, yet this will -be no occasion of grief to them, but rejoicing. They will not be sorry -for the damned, it will cause no uneasiness or dissatisfaction to them, -but, on the contrary, when they see this sight it will occasion -rejoicing and excite them to joyful praise.’ - -“Another equally prominent divine writes: ‘The happiness of the elect in -heaven will in part consist in witnessing the torments of the damned in -hell, and among them it may be their own children, parents, husbands, -wives, and friends on earth. One part of the business of the blessed is -to celebrate the doctrine of reprobation. While the decree of -reprobation is eternally executing on the vessels of wrath, the smoke of -their torment will be eternally ascending in view of the vessels of -mercy, who, instead of taking the part of these miserable objects, will -say amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord. When the saints shall see how -great the misery is from which our God hath saved them, and how great a -difference He hath made between their state and the state of others who, -by nature and perhaps by practice, no more sinful and ill-deserving than -they, it will give them more a sense of the wonderfulness of God’s grace -to them. Every time they look upon the damned, it will excite in them a -lively and admiring sense of the grace of God in making them so to -differ. The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of the -saints forever.’ - -“I have candidly and truthfully given you, Mr. Japhet, my experience for -what it may be worth to you, but my conclusions are all of life to me.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - -Some business, as well as a desire for a change in the monotony of -station life, took me to Calcutta. I was the guest of a well-to-do -Eurasian family whom I had met. This gentleman, by inheriting some -property and by profitable investments, was able to live quite -independent and very comfortably. The family, on account of its wealth, -was on the verge of society, sometimes inside, but oftener on the -outside. “Society” has always been a puzzle to me. I can understand the -Hindu caste system, for that is something well defined and natural. All -the castes accept the position in which they are born. One caste is as -proud of its place as another, and there is no trying to pass from one -caste to another. There are strict rules for each, settled by immutable -laws and recognized by government, even among the criminals in the -jails. Everything is definite and satisfactory to everybody. As an -instance, among Hindu fishermen there are these castes: those who fish -from the rocks, those who fish from boats, those who catch turtle, those -who cast nets, and those who fish with a rod. There is no chance here -for mistakes, as each one knows where he is; but among Europeans -everything is higgledy-piggledy, no one knows who’s who or what’s what. -It is a sarcasm on western civilization to allow the heathen to be so -far ahead in such an important matter. - -From the high caste English Brahmins down to the lowest caste of English -Shudras there seems to be no boundary lines or rules. No one knows where -he is, and is forever in danger of being snubbed and humiliated, except, -perhaps, the very high mucky-mucks, who assume a kind of divine air of -superiority and immaculateness. - -It appears that a man who acts as wholesale agent for a firm in England, -occupying a little office only large enough to hold a table and chair, -is in “society” because he is a wholesaler. Another whose business takes -up a number of buildings, selling anything from a steam engine to a -hairpin, giving employment to a thousand or more people, is not in -society because he is a retailer. He is obliged to be a man of superior -ability, while the wholesale agent may be but a popinjay. The one can -draw cheques for lacs of rupees at a time, while the boarding-house -keeper and dhoby of the other have to wait months for their pay. - -I was told of a case where a clerk in a large firm fell in love with a -daughter of his landlady, a bright, intelligent girl, the mother owning -considerable property. They were married. The next day his fellow -clerks, receiving each a couple hundred dibs a month, and often -overdrawing their wages to get tennis suits and neckties, drew up a -petition requesting the benedict to resign his clerkship, as they only -associated with gentlemen. - -This miserable, degrading notion about caste or labor often inflicts the -greatest hardships. A Scotch lady, a neighbor of my hostess, called. She -was of excellent family, formerly in good financial circumstances, but -now greatly reduced by some misfortune. She had two grown up daughters, -well educated and in society. She was lamenting over the impoverished -condition of the family, and said, “I know how to take care of sick -people, and would gladly go out as a nurse and so earn some money to -help keep the pot boiling, but what would society say, and what would -become of my daughters? Their prospects would be ruined, and they would -always be spoken of as ‘the daughters of that old Scotch nurse.’ So I am -obliged to sit idle at home, when we need a little money so badly.” - -As to shop-keepers, tradesmen, they are another breed or caste -altogether, and never taken into consideration by “society.” This is a -strange thing under the sun to me. When the English are a nation of -shop-keepers—and Napoleon knew what he was saying—when the very -substructure of England’s life and prosperity is commercial business, -buying and selling truck, I cannot see why they should so despise their -own trade. - -In the “service,” why one man who receives a thousand a month is in -“society,” and a five hundred or a two hundred rupee walla is excluded, -though the latter may be superior mentally, morally and physically to -the other, is a conundrum to me. They are all naukars, servants, work -for wages, and are at the beck and call of others, and even the best of -them at times have to do a little shinning for the sake of a few paltry -rupees. - -Evidently God has not formed me with intelligence enough to comprehend -these intricate society matters, so that whatever error there may be in -my questions, can be imputed to my imbecility and ignorance. I candidly -admit that I am sometimes a fool. I do this the more readily to escape -the major conclusion in the saying, “He that is not a fool sometime, is -likely to be a fool all the time.” Still I cannot forbear giving my -opinion that this blind running in respect to the unfixedness of -“society,” has gone on long enough, and in this advanced stage of -civilization such an important matter should at once be so well defined -that an outsider, though a fool, need not err thereat. - -If St. Peter should make it a question of admission through the pearly -gates whether we had been in “society,” or to what caste or grade we -belong, too many might be puzzled for an answer, and so miss the -privilege of treading the golden pavements. - -Another question is the status of gentleman. This has never been -settled. Some one has said that “a gentleman is one who does not have to -work for a living.” This might not suit India, as it would almost -exclude everybody, for all here have to work, or pretend to do so, and -most of them, from what they say, deuced hard to get their grub. I might -come in under this definition, for through the kind providence of Mr. -Percy I have never been obliged to do a hard stroke of work. Yet I would -very likely, judging from my experience, be objected to on account of -the color of my integument. So I am left in the dark as to my position, -under the shade of my skin—an undefined, crude, protoplasmic nonentity; -a very undesirable position. There are always so many little things to -upset one’s calculations. The slightest extraneous matter, as I have -read, will destroy the distinctive flavor of a vintage, or, as we well -know, the sight of a tiny fly in the soup will destroy our relish for -the dish, so the slight tinge that God or the Devil put into my face has -often offended the delicate sensibilities of colorless people. - -As I have a personal interest at stake in this question, I would like to -know who I am and where I come in, anything to settle the matter, and -not for myself only, but for thousands of other unfortunates. - -I am always curious to know the breed of my horses and dogs, and the -strain of my chickens, why not about my own status and that of the -different humanities I meet? - -The world is so careful about the breeding and grading of every kind of -domestic animals, and the improvement of machinery, but the breeding of -humanity is left to luck, haphazard chance, and the devil to take the -hindmost. This ought not so to be. - -I cannot refrain from giving another definition of gentleman: “A man -distinguished for his fine sense of honor and consideration for the -rights and feelings of others.” This suits me, as there is nothing in it -about color, lineage or wages, or whether one sits at table with -shop-keepers. - -Lord Lytton makes one of his characters say, “I belong to no trade, I -follow no calling. I rove when I list, and rest when I please, in short -I know of no occupation but my indolence, and no law but my will; now, -sir, may I not call myself a gentleman?” - -Some one says, “No one is a gentleman who has not a dress suit.” There -must be something in this, as every one knows the power of the tail of a -coat in social life; yet the statement is not more definite than the -definition of the word “network” in Johnson’s dictionary, “Anything -reticulated or decussated at equal distances, with interstices between -the intersections.” - -A clearer definition of a society gentleman is, “One who can break all -the commandments genteelly and keep his linen scrupulously clean.” - -Another word is often used, excellent when rightly applied, that of -“Christian,” “as to a person acting in the manner, or having a spiritual -character proper to a follower of Christ.” But is this the world’s use -of it? - -I do not know just what started me on this gait, but I frequently find -myself going off on a tangent. I am no heavenly body, so have no fixed -orbit, and often take the privilege of a wanderer. - -During my visit to the city I was greatly interested in looking at -“society” and upon the moving world. It was as good as a circus to see -the maidan of an evening. The very High Highs of natives in their -phaetons, followed by horsed spearmen, as if these swells were afraid of -bandits capturing their sweet selves, then a load of bareheaded, -barefaced babus, with a number of ragamuffins clinging on behind and -shouting at the top of their voices, while the driver was trying to run -down every one in front of him. In one of the grand phaetons was a swell -rajah, with a servant sitting near him, carrying a spittoon to receive -the royal spittle. He probably is one who is clamoring for -representative government. What would he represent? I never see such a -nest of natives but I think the government erred in not passing a law a -century ago restricting every native to his ancestral bullock hackery. A -native is by nature a squatter, and is as much out of his place in a -phaeton as he is among European ladies in a drawing room. A babu said to -me, “If you go to the houses of these fellows who appear in public in -great style, you would find the most of them living in mud huts -surrounded by filth and stinks, while everything they have is mortgaged -to keep up their appearance when they go on parade.” He knew no doubt -what he was saying. - -Then the traps of the Europeans, the extremes could be seen at a glance. -A slender, six foot youth, wearing an enormously high collar and the -highest kind of a narrow-rimmed hat, seated on a six foot cart, while -alongside of him was a pompous porpoise of a man in a trap nearly -touching the ground, drawn by a limping, half-starved pony. Then the -people, scarcely one good looking, but ugly and so so, all kinds and -conditions as various as the crowd that once assembled in Jerusalem, not -omitting the painted bedizened females in grand style, flaunting their -characters before everybody—evidently in “society”—the whole scene a -vanity fair, fit for the pen of a Bunyan or a Thackeray. - -The Bengalee is a study by himself. He has the reputation of being the -monumental liar of the world, and those who know him best, his own race, -say that truth is an absolute impossibility to him. This may be slightly -exaggerated, as I met some fine honest fellows among them, very few and -far between, as I wish to be truthful. One of his features attracted my -attention, and that was his stare, impudent enough to make a brass mule -hang its head. In this I think he takes the lead of all the world. -Always going bareheaded, he has become so accustomed to looking the sun -out of countenance that nothing on earth fazes him. It is said that as -each new statue was put upon the maidan the Bengalees stared so at it -that the image blushed all over with a blueish tinge. I have not the -least doubt of this, as I myself saw the cerulean color on all the -images. It is this arrogant stare that is so offensive to European -ladies, and characteristic of the educated babus, for it is said that -they are taught everything in the schools except manners and morality. A -writer in an English paper says of them, “They are a soft, supple, -quick-witted youth; utterly destitute of manly qualities, largely -without the Englishman’s truthfulness, equity and resource, good -subordinates but abominably bad superiors, and everywhere hated and -despised by their countrymen.” - -Another says of him, “Though he may be dressed in the finest European -clothes, speak English fluently in the well finished style of Addison -and Macaulay, and have the superficial manners of a gentleman, yet -scratch him, as you would a Russian to find a Tatar, and in this native -of India you will always find the heathen.” - -As to their religion, Macaulay says of it: “All is hideous and grotesque -and ignoble.” De Tocqueville: “Hinduism is perhaps the only system of -belief that is worse than having no religion at all.” - -Another subject was brought to my attention. I did not desire to know -about it as in my life and the circumstances of my birth, I had been -compelled to know so much of the degradation of mankind in -licentiousness that any reference to it fills me with disgust and makes -me wonder how a just God or decent people could tolerate such iniquity. -I was informed that sexual vice was so prevalent that scarcely any one, -from the highest down to the lowest classes, was not blackened by it. It -was so foul a story that I soon stopped it with a request that I be told -no more. Zola could come to Calcutta and write a score of books, not -from his imagination, but of real facts, with names of living men and -women involved in seductions, intrigues and foul crime that would -astonish the world. Some one should do it, unmask these hypocrites as he -would report a den of thieves, reveal the sources of some fearful -epidemic or anything inimical to the well being of mankind. What -surprised me most was that the prominent actors in all this, are in -“Society,” and many or all of them professed Christians, pretended -followers of the pure and holy Jesus! They have, perhaps, such unbounded -faith in him that they dare revel in vice to their lust’s content, and -think that at the end of life his blood will wash all their guilty -stains away. What a delusive, deceptive, accursed belief! - -One reflection of mine was, what a story the Monument on the Maidan -could tell if it only had a voice? It must have heard and seen so much -of wrong-doing that if it had any feelings it must have had many a heart -ache. - -Professor Hitchcock, writing upon light in the formation of pictures, -says: “It seems then, that this photographic influence pervades all -nature, nor can we say where it stops. We do not know, but it may -imprint upon the world around us our features as they are modified by -various passions, and thus fill nature with daguerrotype impressions of -all our actions; it may be too, that there are tests by which nature, -more skillful than any photographist, can bring out and fix these -portraits so that acuter senses than ours shall see them as on a great -canvas spread over the material universe? Perhaps, too, they may never -fade from that canvas, but become specimens in the great picture gallery -of eternity.” - -What if the monument has photographs and phonographs of all it has seen -and heard and some day, some acuter scientist than now living comes -along and reproduces all these scenes and voices in a historical -panorama! What a consternation it would produce! What worse hell could -there be to some people than the eternal possession of such a picture in -which they would appear in their real characters stripped of all -disguises and hypocrisies? - -Omitting other things I was greatly interested in the Eurasian question. -It appeared that there were about twenty-two thousand in Calcutta. A -very few were in Government service, few others in shops, factories and -minor employments, the great majority living, no not that, but existing -when and how, God and the Devil only knew. I follow the religious -orthodox fashion in giving the Devil a place along with God in managing -the world. - -I did some slumming, for it was to the slums I went, to the disgust of -my sense of smell, and the detriment of my boots and clothes. I had -never been to such places, and if any one had told me that Christian -human beings existed in such conditions, I would have thought he was -stuffing me. The little court in which I was compelled to see my first -daylight, with its mud-walled huts, yet clean, was a palace compared to -the filthy, odorous, dingy holes where many of the Eurasians stay. And -the poverty! That was hardly the name for it. Absolute want of rags for -covering their nakedness, and the total absence of the coarsest, -cheapest stuff that the lowest animals could eat. I was told that when -one went out to look for employment, or do a little work, he would -either go barefooted or borrow a pair of boots from one, different -articles of cheap apparel from others, and the lenders would have to -wait in their nakedness, or with a rag around them until he returned. -There were children, grown up young men and women, skinny old people, -all wan and cadaverous, as if they had never enjoyed a good meal in -their lives. Some of the poor children were packed off to some charity -school to spend the whole day, where an attempt was made to cram their -heads with knowledge, when there was not a particle of food in their -stomachs. What a farce is this kind of civilization and Christian -charity! - -I could not help thinking of the comfort and happiness of my heathen -villagers compared to the condition of these so-styled Christians. The -longer I live the more I conclude that more food and less knowledge, -less religion and more justice, is what the world needs. Stop building -expensive cathedrals and churches, throw down the palaces of the -archbishops and bishops, and give them and their brethren a chance to -imitate Jesus, who had not a place where to lay his head, and let them -go about doing good as he did. Melt down the gold and silver of the -churches, the tiaras, crosses, amulets and jewelry of the altars and -idols, and lay up treasures in Heaven by taking care of the bodies of -the poor as well as trying to save their souls. - -And the rooms of these wretches, holes, places in which grown up young -men and women were huddled together! What chance for modesty or virtue -to be retained under such conditions? Is it any wonder that many -Eurasians are not better than they are, brought up in such adverse -degrading circumstances? Of what use is prayer to them in Church, one -hour of one day in seven, when every day and hour of the whole week the -devils of poverty, misery and uncleanness reside and exist in their -homes? - -What are the chances, the outlook for these people? The Government -refuses to enlist them as soldiers. The railway companies put up -notices, “No Eurasians need apply.” Few of them are in Government -offices. There are almost none in the banks. The mercantile firms will -have none of them. A very few are in the shops. The factories prefer -cheap labor. The Government provides schools for the natives, but leaves -the Eurasians to take care of themselves. The natives will not favor -them. They provide for their own, leaving the Christians to appear that -they are worse than the heathen in not providing for those of their own -households. These people are outcasts, accursed by the Europeans and -natives, placed between the Devil and the deep sea, and probably the -best thing for them to do would be to take to the sea, either to cross -it, and get into some country where they might get, at least enough to -eat, or else to go down into it, and end their misery and disgrace with -their lives. - -The bone that sticks in my throat in all this is, that many of these -unfortunates are the descendants of lust and crime, as I was one, and -still am. They were begotten or their ancestors, of Christian gentlemen. -This is one of my reasons for wanting to know what the word Christian -means, and also that of gentleman, in connection with the wretched -condition of these people. They, who by no fault of their own, are in -this miserable existence, the children of Christian gentlemen, should be -the special proteges of the Government, of the Church and of the -European people, are cast out and despised as social dregs. - -It may be said that these gentlemen were not Christians when they -sinned. This reminds me of the story of an English fox hunting priest. -When he was asked how he could reconcile such sport with his profession, -he replied that he did not hunt as a priest, but as a man. “But,” asked -his questioner, “when the Devil gets the man, where will the priest be?” -So one might ask, “When the Devil gets these sinners, where will they be -as Christians or gentlemen?” - -One evening a young woman came in on her way from a shop where she was -employed. She was meanly clad, but evidently making the best use of what -she had. Her wages were sixteen rupees a month, out of which she had to -pay rent, purchase food and clothing. She was obliged to be in the shop -from eight in the morning till seven in the evening, with a little rest -for a scanty tiffin at noon. All the girls were obliged to stand on -their feet the whole time in the shop. If they sat down or leaned -against the tables they were fined. She seemed to be in great distress, -and had come to my hostess for sympathy. She said that it had been a -terrible hard day. She became tired, and her feet ached so that she had -to remove her shoes, and stand on the marble floor to cool her feet. The -European clerks had annoyed her by calling her “Eurasian,” and they -often called the girls “half castes,” “niggers,” “sooars” and such like -names. The assistant manager had found fault with her clothes; that she -looked too slovenly to be seen. Summoning up courage she went to the -manager, and asked him if he couldn’t increase her wages a little. He -asked what she was receiving, and then said it was considerable, and -with a bland smile he asked, insinuatingly: “Haven’t you some young -gentleman friend who could help you out a little?” As she told this she -fell to sobbing. - -After a little my hostess said: “Mary, what did you tell him?” - -She answered with much hesitation: “At first I could not comprehend what -he meant, and then I was so shocked that I seemed stunned, and turned -and left him without a word. Had I resented what he said, he would have -dismissed me at once, and then what would I do? How I wish I could end -this cursed life, I am tired of it!” She fell to weeping again, and no -wonder. - -And this bland, smiling, Christian Mephistopheles, manager and part -owner of the big shop, was a member of the church and an official, and -probably often resting his hands on his fat paunch, talked about the -fearful unchastity and lack of honesty among the rising generation. I -don’t believe in a place of hell, but I think there ought to be a fiery -pen where such sleek hypocrites could have a good roasting. But he will -get all he deserves, else there is no use in having a just God or any -faith in justice. - -I could fill a book with such stories of want, temptation and -wretchedness, but of what use? There must be a screw, or many of them, -loose in this inhuman social arrangement of life, or else I am a fool. - -The first mistake, or rather crime, was in begetting this hybrid race to -be scorned and accursed as long as they live. The next crime is that the -Government and Europeans do not assist them, and the next is that the -better class of Eurasians do not look after these despised unfortunates -of their own race or caste. They in their pride try to appear what they -are not, and try to conceal the pit from whence they were digged. They -may powder as much as they please, but there is not chalk enough in the -world to conceal or remove the pigment in their skins. They may put on -style, live in wealth and luxury, and in their egotistical imbecility -ape the Europeans in everything; yet they will remain Eurasians still, -as I am one. - -If these more favored ones would stand up for their rights and let -Government and everybody know that they had some pride and manhood left; -would organize, defend and help their unfortunate people, there would -soon be a change. The voluble babus have their representatives in the -legislative councils, and nearly every other tribe, no matter how -obscure, except the Eurasian. These get nothing, because they have not -the courage to demand anything. - -In self-vindication I must say that I assisted the poor girl of whom I -have spoken by leaving some money with my hostess for her. I only -mention this to show that my practice corresponds with my theory. I have -always contributed with an open hand to assist Eurasians, as I -considered that they had a claim on me, or rather that it was my -privilege to assist them as far as I could; yet I prefer rather to leave -the recording of such things with the angel who keeps these kind of -accounts. - -I had heard enough of evil, want and wretchedness to make me long again -for my quiet home, so I quickly hied myself thither. - -An afterthought. It might be said that I am somewhat of a “kicker.” I -admit it. I always kick at the disagreeable, against imposition, -wrong-doing, hypocrisy, and if my mouth was filled with bitterness and -curses, they would not be sufficient to show my utter abhorrence of lust -and licentiousness, especially among what is termed “society,” by people -who style themselves Christians, ladies and gentlemen, for the reason -that I was accursed in my birth and have been accursed all my life by -the sin and crime of a Christian gentleman. Aside from this, I think I -am acknowledged to be one of the mildest and most kind-hearted of men. - -It is said that if you wish to know the character of a man, ask his -neighbors. Well, one of mine told another that Japhet always built a -fire on cold mornings on purpose to warm the flies. Another said, -“Japhet never sees a lame cur on the road but he takes him in and puts -splinters and ointment on his legs.” If I know myself I think my chief -characteristic is to sympathize with the under dog in a fight, -particularly if he is a weak, helpless creature and the other a great -bull dog of a thing. Alas! there are so many big dogs in the world. I am -wicked enough, but do not like to be considered worse than I really am. - -Another thought. I am not opposed to marriage between people of -different races, if it be a true marriage. If a European wishes to marry -an Asiatic or an African woman, by all means let him do so, and then let -him treat her as his wife in every respect. If he have children, let him -be man enough to acknowledge them as his, educate and take care of them, -so that they may love him as their father instead of despising and -cursing him. - -Here beginneth another chapter of my life. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - -One day at some sports enjoyed by the public I was introduced to a Mr. -and Mrs. Wentworth, visiting at our station and just from “home.” The -lady, for I am sure she was a lady, from the grateful news she brought -me, said, “I have some pleasant words for you. At Brighton we met Mrs. -Beresford, a charming woman, and just as we were leaving she remarked, -‘When you return to India, if you ever meet a Mr. Japhet, give him my -kindest regards,’ and with a smile she added, ‘and my love.’ You know -what it means, I suppose; I don’t, and Mrs. Beresford hadn’t time to say -anything more.” - -This was so sudden from a stranger, and so incomprehensible, as I could -not think who could send me such a greeting and in words so full of -meaning, that I felt a blush running all over me. I tried to be as cool -as possible, and calmly remarked that I was not acquainted with any Mrs. -Beresford, and could not surmise who she could be. Mrs. Wentworth -replied that she was formerly Miss McIntyre, that her husband had died -and she was now a widow. - -At the mention of that name my heart commenced a thumping as if this was -its own affair entirely, as it certainly was. If ever I was grateful -that my color did not permit me to blush in the Caucasian fashion, it -was then. I replied in an off-hand manner that I remembered having met -Miss McIntyre somewhere. However, I was very careful to ask where she -was residing and to get her post address, and also requested Mrs. -Wentworth when she wrote to her to give her my kindest regards, and in a -joking way I added, “also my love.” It was no joke to me though. The -very mention of that name sent a thrill—but why should I pin my heart on -my sleeve for every daw to peck at? - -A new chapter in my life was commencing. I felt it and knew it. I lost -no time in sending off a letter stating the great pleasure it gave me to -hear even her name again, and thanking her for the pleasant greeting she -had sent me; I hoped she was well and happy; this was about the gist of -it. The letter was according to my best ability, sufficiently expressive -to show my feeling, yet cautious enough so as not to appear intrusive. I -knew well enough what the response would be. How, I cannot explain, -except on the theory of mental telegraphy or spiritual affinity or -something. I also stated that I did not recognize her by her new name; -that I also had been married, but was now alone, my wife having died -several years previous. By a slip of the pen I was about to write that I -regretted she had become a widow, but my heart would not let the pen -tell such a lie as that. - -The months seemed to be years before the answer came. She wrote that she -had often thought of me, if I was living, if I was happy, and wondered -if she would ever see me again; that she had been most unhappy in her -marriage, assumed to please her parents; that she was now a happy widow, -if to use such an expression was not improper, but as she was Irish she -had the privilege of her race in using such a phrase. The letter was -modest and courteous, yet expressive enough to be most satisfactory to -me. It is hardly necessary for me to state that I was in a great state -of mind, or heart, to be exact, after the receipt of this most welcome -epistle. - -My plans were at once made. I wrote that I had often thought of seeing -Europe, which was the truth, and as I had nothing to keep me in India, -and I might have added, very much, just then, to take me out of it, I -proposed to leave at once, that I might possibly come to England on my -tour. Why I made such an indefinite, round-about statement I do not -know. It is a species of fencing that pertains to our human nature, I -suppose. The real truth is, I was going principally to England. I did -not care more about Europe than about last year’s crop of figs, or of -the trees in the valleys of the moon. I wrote that if I went to England -at all, my address would be at my banker’s, at such a number in -Leadenhall street, and that if she would allow me to call on her I hoped -she would kindly drop me a line to that address. That was another little -deception to which I plead guilty. I was going to Leadenhall street as -quickly and as straight from Bombay as steam could carry me, and I knew, -as well as I knew why I was going, that a note from her, the only object -of my voyage, would be awaiting me there. - -I boarded an old P. and O. boat, far too slow to suit me. One day I -suggested to the captain that a little more speed would not hurt any -passenger’s feelings. He then coolly and deliberately began a -calculation, or rather a rehearsal of what he had probably told a -thousand times, of the amount of coal it took for a ten mile speed, and -the ratio of increase of coal for every mile of increased speed. What -did I care about his coal bill? It was heartless in him to talk in that -cold way about his coal. What did he know about Leadenhall street, or -why I was going there? Nor would I have told him for all his old boat -was worth. It is said that physicians, by their constant acquaintance -with suffering and grief, become as insensible to them as wooden men; -so, probably, these captains, so familiar with the heart longings of -their anxious human freight, become as indifferent to them as the dummy -at the bow of the boat is to the rush of the waters. - -There was no help for it. So many days had to be consumed to save -consuming extra coal, while my heart was consumed by insatiate longings. -I had my doubts and my fears, for who has not in such enterprises? -though before I started I was so positive about the matter. I wished I -had not resorted to any tricks, as we always do in such cases; may be I -was making a fool’s journey, may be some luckier fellow would carry off -the prize while I was lagging along at a snail’s pace. But what gave me -a little comfort was, that there were others in a worse predicament than -I was, going at a venture, not knowing when and where, afraid that not a -girl in the United Kingdom would have them, so I consoled myself -somewhat. This is a strange thing in human life, that no one ever finds -himself in such a plight but he knows some other worse off than himself. -I have never yet found the last man in the line who could not look down -upon some one lower than himself. - -It is not pleasant to relate what is derogatory to myself, but a strict -regard for truth compels me to state that my situation on board the -steamer was far from agreeable. There were a number of English, military -and civilians, as passengers, returning home. Nearly all of them shunned -me with a cold disdain, as if I was some outcast unworthy of their -notice or regard. I overheard several inquiries as, “That Eurasian; who -is he?” I had become so accustomed to this kind of treatment, hardened -to it, that I cared very little about it; as long as they dropped me and -let me alone, I did not care either for their smiles or their sneers. -This statement is only partly true, for I could not help thinking and -feeling on the subject. I could not, however, bear so easily their -treatment of another passenger. He was a very quiet, unassuming -gentleman, of fine appearance and well dressed. He was not an -Englishman; that was evident at first sight, nor did he belong to any of -the nationalities subject to Great Britain, but it soon appeared, by the -remarks of some of the English, that he was an American. He did not -intrude upon them, but several of the military officers seemed to take -special pleasure, even during the first day out, in making offensive -remarks about Americans. They continued this throughout the voyage. - -This gentleman could not appear on deck anywhere near these swells but -they would address him with a sneer, and in a mimicking nasal tone, -about something connected with his country and its people. As I had -never met an American, I could not understand these allusions, and they -seemed to me most discourteous and unbecoming from a set of men who -pride themselves upon being gentlemen. He certainly gave them no cause -for such remarks, for in his language, voice, courtesy and intelligence -he was the superior of all on board. He bore all their banter and sneers -very quietly, and isolated himself as much as possible, as if he was a -pariah to these high-bred people, as I was. We naturally came together, -which was most fortunate for me, and we spent many an hour in some quiet -corner. That he was a man of fine natural ability and education was -self-evident. He had traveled much and seen most of the countries of the -world, and made good use of his observation. He could talk of history, -science, art, manufactures, agriculture and literature. He was an -all-round man and full of information in regard to the countries and -people he had seen, and abounded in anecdotes which whiled away my time -very pleasantly. What the rest lost I gained by his acquaintance. I am -not quite a misanthrope, for I have as much admiration for some men as I -have dislike for others. I am a good admirer as well as a good hater. - -One day as we were seated in the shade of one of the boats several of -the cads came along, and one of them remarked, talking through his nose, -“Wall, stranger, I guess you don’t have such kind of weather in -America!” My friend made no reply whatever, and the trio left us. I -referred to his quiet way of treating these fellows. He said “I have -found that the much better way is not to notice the disagreeables.” This -hit me, but no matter. “If one was to notice every puppy that snips at -his heels, he would have little time for anything else. It is the -English nature to make themselves disagreeable to foreigners. -Everywhere, all over the world, the same story is told of them, that -they are always sneering at what does not belong to their country, their -people and their set. They are born grumblers. They have a special -dislike to Americans. Why, I do not understand. It is true that many -Americans have peculiarities, but so have the English, and even more -noticeable than those they ridicule in us. In fact there is not a man or -woman living but could be ridiculed and caricatured, so as to appear not -only amusing but offensive. Ridicule is a most dangerous weapon, and I -have known the best of friendships severed by it. I regret the English -use it as they do when they have so many weak places in their own -character. - -“The English come to America and we receive them with the greatest -cordiality, and try to make everything pleasant and comfortable for them -as our guests. They take all that we do as a matter of course, a tribute -of an inferior people to them as a superior nation. They will not admit -that we have any manners, society, literature, art or science, or if -they make any concession it is that the little we have got is borrowed, -or as most of them plainly put it, stolen from them. They regard our -kindness as presumption and officiousness, and resent it, some by -ridicule and others by contempt. - -“To give you an instance: when the great Dickens came to our country we -received him as no Englishman had ever been received. Every one was -ready to do him a favor, so as to make his visit as pleasant to him as -possible. At an inland city, where he was to give a reading, the -proprietor of the hotel where he stopped went to his room and said, ‘Mr. -Dickens, I am the proprietor of the hotel, and I come myself to say that -if there is anything needed to make you comfortable, if you will only -let me know what it is I will take great pleasure in providing it.’ The -proprietor did not send a servant, but went himself. This was his idea -of hospitality and kindness. The great man, without rising from his -chair, with a wave of his hand and a gruff, insolent voice, retorted, ‘I -wish you would not bother me; when I need anything I will ring the -bell.’ The landlord was a retired officer of the army, a gentleman. We -have no castes as in England. We have gentlemen in every kind of -business. A man is taken at his real worth, no matter what his -employment. Some of our best men are merchants—shop-keepers, as they are -styled and despised in England. - -“They say we have no manners. A Duke came to see America. He did not -think it worth while to get any letters of introduction to such a -boorish people. The English accuse us of thinking a great deal of -titles. This is so, for we have an idea that titles mean something, and -that those who have them are somebody. In this we have been deceived, -but who were the deceivers? The Duke happened to make a few -acquaintances, and was invited to a dinner party by one of the best -families. He delayed his coming so long that the dinner was kept -waiting, and when he appeared it was in a tweed bob suit, such as he -would wear at home in a morning stroll with his dogs. All the guests -were in full dress, and at once noticed his neglige attire. The hostess, -after recovering from her surprise, sent him word by a servant that she -would excuse his absence, as it was evident that he did not wish to meet -a dinner party. He took his leave, probably cursing the impudence of -those upstart Americans. - -“Another instance. When Lady Brassey came to the United States in her -yacht, the ‘Sunbeam,’ she went to call on General Grant, the President, -and asked to be shown into his private office. Mr. Fish, the Secretary -of State, who happened to be present in the ‘White House,’ suggested -that he would confer with the President and appoint a time for calling. -When the time came she appeared dressed in a riding-habit and bringing a -small dog, which she proposed to take in with her. Mr. Fish ordered a -man in waiting to remove the dog. At this the Lady protested. - -“‘It is against the rules for dogs to be allowed to enter the parlor.’ -And still she insisted. Said the Secretary, ‘Madame, you must choose -between the removal of your dog and your being admitted to the President -of the United States.’ She then very reluctantly consented to its -removal. - -“I doubt if such an instance of ‘cheek’ has ever been equaled by any -‘green’ American in England. The English are never backward in showing -up the forwardness of Americans, but they can go us two to one to their -discredit. - -“One time, going from Liverpool to New York, there was an Englishman and -his wife on board, both great burly, ruddy beef-eaters. They acted as if -they thought the steamer was for their special accommodation. On -reaching port, each passenger was presented with a printed form on which -to declare all dutiable articles, according to law. He refused to do -anything, declaring that he would not submit to such a bloody custom. In -consequence, their luggage was sent to the Custom House, and while all -the other passengers were off and away, this haughty Briton had to open -every package and display every article for inspection, and besides had -to strip himself of most of his clothes for a personal examination, and -the female Britisher had to go through the same operation, in another -apartment, before the Customs woman. Probably neither of them were much -pleased with their American reception. - -“It is strange that there is such a difference between people, living -under the same government, and so near to each other, but the Scotch, -the Irish and the Welsh are another kind of people altogether. They are -unselfish, courteous and agreeable. Have you noticed that Scotchman who -is so ready to offer his chair to any one? Catch an Englishman doing -that! You saw just now that seasick lady on deck for the first time, and -was seated in a chair, when one of these English gentlemen came up to -her with, ‘Madame, if you please, this is my chair,’ and waited till he -got it, while an Irishman close by gave her his. - -“Here is a paragraph I cut from an English paper: ‘It is curious to -watch on board a steamer how the men of different nationalities behave -to a lady, no longer young, who is traveling alone. The Frenchman is -absolutely rude, if he gets the chance; the German simply takes no -notice; the Australian is frigidly polite; the Englishman takes the -trouble to be kind if his aid is solicited; the American is kind from -habit and without effort; the British colonist is attentive because -women of any kind are scarce in his country.’ - -“As an old traveler, I am greatly interested in noticing these -peculiarities in different races. The English are a queer lot, not -really bad at heart, I think, but it is in their domineering, arrogant -natures to act as they do, and which has made them such a powerful -nation. They are dull and slow, and almost lacking in the courtesies of -civilized life. I seldom meet an Englishman, but he gets in some remarks -against Americans, and I scarcely take up an English paper, but I find -some slur, or carping criticism on the ‘Yankees,’ as they call us. Yet, -they have the cheek to say to me, ‘If, in the event of a great European -war, you Americans would certainly side with us, as we are of the same -race, speak the same language, and our interests are the same.’ They do -not seem to be trying very much to make us their friends. It may be only -their way, however. A hundred thousand or more Americans go abroad every -year, and all spend some time, as well as money, in Great Britain. -Except a few favored ones, all tell the same story about the arrogance -and sneers of the English. These travelers return and tell their -acquaintances their experience, and it is not surprising if our people -have a dislike to our ‘English cousins,’ a phrase they use when they -wish to give us taffy. - -“But we Americans should not complain, for it is to this same -aristocratic bull-dog spirit that we owe our independence. Otherwise, -America would still be an English colony. The Puritans were persecuted, -and were glad to go anywhere, not for freedom only, but to save their -necks. Under George the First, large numbers received ‘royal mercy,’ by -being transported to America. Many, driven from their homes in England, -found a refuge in Holland, and then in America. King George the Third -hated the colonists, and was their bitterest enemy, mainly because they -escaped from his tyranny. He proposed to tax them for the benefit of -England. The first predominant idea of an Englishman is taxation. This -seems to be as necessary to him as the air he breathes. With a swarm of -non-producing royal drones, the emoluments of the aristocracy and the -interminable lot of highly paid office-holders, and the hangers-on of -the government, and their sitting commissions, this taxation may be -necessary. If they enjoy it, then it is just what they ought to have. - -“Our forefathers hated taxation as a kind of tyranny, and were bitterly -opposed to the stamp act. We keep down our taxes, except on luxuries, -and have not a stamp, but for postage, and this stamp is more for -convenience than otherwise. - -“Everybody knows the sarcastic description of English taxation by Sydney -Smith, but I lately met with something on stamps, by an English writer, -that I copied in my note-book, and here it is: ‘The Englishman was a -stamped animal; he was tattooed all over. There was not a single spot of -his body corporate, that was not stamped several times. He could not -move without knocking his head against a stamp, and before he could -arrive at any station of responsibility, he must have paid more money -for stamps than would have set him up for life. The stamp penetrates -everywhere, it seizes upon all things, and fixes its claws wherever -there is a tangible substance. Sometimes, indeed, it flies to the -intangible, and quarters itself upon the air, the imagination of man, -his avocations, his insanity, his hopes and prospects, his pleasures and -his pains, and does not scruple to fasten upon his affections. Even love -is stamped. A man cannot fall in love and marry a lady without an -acknowledgement of the omnipotence of the stamp. An Englishman is born -to be stamped, he lives in a state of stamp, and is stamped while he is -dying, and after he is dead.’ - -“No wonder the English are cross-grained with all this embarrassment of -stamps, and ever in fear of being caught delinquent by some excise -officer. - -“To show you the difference of taxation in the two countries, I will -read you a note I have on that subject. In the United States the -government receives five per cent on the products of the country; -capital, in the shape of interest, rent and dividends, twenty-five per -cent; and labor the balance, or seventy per cent. In Great Britain the -government receives twenty-three per cent; capital thirty-six; and labor -forty-one per cent. Another item I have noted from an India paper, -‘England spends twenty-three pence, America one hundred pence, and India -seven-tenths of a penny per head of population for primary education.’ -The paper says that India spends seven pice a head. A pice is such a -curiosity to me that I have one in my pocket, and a pound weight of them -in my trunk, taking them home as presents to my friends. Yet, I am told, -there is still a smaller currency, a cowrie, a glaring proof of the -poverty of the people. No wonder that Dr. Marshman wrote that ‘The -Bengalis reckoned in cowries.’ - -“You see from this that the two systems of government, the English and -the American, are the reverse of each other. The one exacts all it can -from labor, and deprives the poor of education, while we favor the -laborer in every possible way, and provide that every youth in the -United States can have a good school education, whether the parents pay -a penny of taxes or not, and in many states, school books are also -provided free of charge. - -“We begin to build our social structure at the bottom with education and -the elevation of the poor; the English system begins at the top and -builds downwards. - -“Our prevailing idea is that wealth obtained by extortion to feed the -pampered tastes of the few, while the poor may groan in their undeserved -poverty and ignorance, is contrary to the dictates of morality, religion -and sound political economy.” - -Then we were interrupted by the excitement caused by a shoal of -porpoises racing alongside the steamer. This over, we resumed our seats -under the life-boat, and he continued, “The aristocracy favored this -taxation, as it would lessen their own contributions to Government. The -time serving church, to ingratiate itself with the king, encouraged it. -The court was notoriously composed of incapable men and pliable -flatterers most suitable to the nature of his majesty. The king, thus -encouraged, too arrogant and pig-headed to listen to the few sensible -patriots in his realm, took the best possible means—brute force—to -alienate the colonists, to compel them to rebel and fight to the death -or for independence, ‘a war,’ says an English historian, not American, -‘most disgraceful to a civilized nation. An army with its foreign -mercenaries desolating the country, giving no quarter and employing the -savages to outrage and massacre helpless women and children.’ - -“We still have an inheritance left us by that Hessian army, the Hessian -fly, that every year attacks our fields of grain and is said to have -been brought over by them, a perpetual reminder of those foreign -mercenaries. Among the war expenses laid before Parliament was a bill -for scalping knives that had been given to the savage fiends and paid -for by Christian England for the benefit of her exiled people. - -“I am not talking at random for some of my ancestral relatives were the -victims of those barbarities, and horrible are the recitals handed down -to us, one of the survivors being fortunate in living years afterwards, -but with a scalp made of other material than that which nature had -endowed him. It was a war most unjust, atrocious in its ferocity and -horrible cruelties, inflicted upon a people, the kinsmen of the English -as they now call us, whose only offense was that they objected to being -robbed of their properties and their just rights; to taxation without -representation. - -“They say, why bring this up now? If the English can gloat over their -victory at Waterloo and their various conquests, why should we not be -proud of our victory? If any American should forget the sufferings and -heroism by which the freedom he now enjoys was obtained, he should be -outlawed and kicked through the country and out of it. I said that the -church encouraged the war against the colonies. It did more. This is -what a clergyman of that church said in a sermon against the ‘rebels,’ -as they were styled. ‘How will the supporters of this anti-Christian -warfare endure their sentence, endure their own reflections, endure the -fire that forever burns, the worm that never dies, the hosannas of -heaven while the smoke of their torments will ascend forever and ever?’ -He now, poor fellow is where he can probably see what a donkey he made -of himself. - -“Says an English historian: ‘In all ages of the world, priests have been -enemies to liberty, and it is certain that this steady conduct of theirs -must have been founded in fixed reasons of interest and ambition. -Liberty of thinking and of expressing our thoughts is always fatal to -priestly power, and to those pious frauds on which it is commonly -founded. Hence it must happen in such a government as that of Britain -that the established clergy, while things are in their natural situation -will always be of the court party.’” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - -Another day I got my fellow passenger started on American history. He -said: “The greatest crime of England against the United States was the -introduction of African slavery into the colonies. There were fortunes -to be made in kidnapping the people of Africa and transporting them to -the colonies. - -“Queen Elizabeth lent her own ship, the ‘Jesus,’ to Sir John Hawkins, -for the African slave-trade, and also owned shares in the African -Company. By these investments she made more than the Dutchman’s one per -cent to supply herself with pin-money and to provide those innumerable -court dresses we read of. - -“When the ship ‘Jesus’ was near the equator the water gave out and the -four hundred slaves came very near perishing from thirst. The pious -Hawkins wrote in his log, ‘The Almighty God would not suffer his elect -to perish.’ - -“What a combination! The ship ‘Jesus’ named after the Redeemer of -mankind, not the enslaver, carrying kidnapped men and women to slavery; -this pious captain calling himself the ‘elect’ of God and the owner of -the ship ‘Good Queen Bess,’ as she is styled! - -“If there was a meaner or more damnable business than capturing people -to sell them as slaves I have not heard of it. The horrors of the whole -business from beginning to end was awful. The details were sickening and -makes one ashamed of humanity. Such things are enough to make men -skeptical, whether God watches over the events of the world. The most -astounding part of it is that Christian people claimed it was for the -Glory of God! ‘O, religion! What crimes have been committed in thy -name!’ - -“Did you ever think of the power of profits in controlling the tastes, -judgments and consciences of mankind? - -“Slavery was confined mainly to the southern states and created a -different kind of people and a different condition of society from that -of the northern states. These owners of their fellow men, traffickers in -human flesh and blood, claimed to be gentlemen, as they did not have to -labor for a livelihood. They assumed to be the aristocracy of the whole -country and so affiliated with the aristocracy of England. They -certainly had much in common. Both despised labor for themselves, but -enjoyed it in others for their sole benefit. These aristocrats of the -South, with plenty of money they never earned, could be educated, travel -abroad and acquired a kind of culture with pride and arrogance, while -they treated the poor whites among them as ‘trash,’ not much better than -their ‘niggers,’ just as the aristocracy in England treat the lower -classes. All was game to them within their reach. Nearly every boy over -fifteen had his wench and the owners of slaves, like a lustful -aristocracy, gave free reign to their fancies and desires, and did not -scruple even to sell their own flesh and blood in the auction slave -marts as they sold their cattle and cotton. - -“It is not surprising then, that the aristocracy of the South and of -England should have similar tastes and a liking for each other. The -result was that in our civil war, waged solely on account of slavery, -our worst enemies were the aristocracy of England. They would have -swallowed African slavery, head and tail, with all its abominations for -the sake of aiding their fellow aristocrats. It is to the middle class, -the working people of England, that we are indebted for the -non-recognition of the southern confederacy as an independent -government. As it was, armed vessels were built and fitted out in the -ports of England to destroy our commerce and with the connivance of her -government. This was her way of being neutral. - -“Many Englishmen made fortunes by sending blockade runners from England -to furnish supplies for the South. They have told me this, rubbing their -hands with great satisfaction at their skill in outwitting the -‘Yankees.’ Can they expect the ‘Yankees’ to forget these things when -sometime a nation or colony may give their lion’s tail a twist? The bill -for their little fun in being neutral was however settled, and the -bitterest pill probably that John ever swallowed was when he had to pay -fifteen millions of dollars for the destruction caused by his Alabama. - -“All this is history and we would not refer to it but for the -over-bearing arrogance and assumption of these islanders. When they ever -treat us civilly it is with a patronizing air. If there is anything -which I think a true man dislikes it is to be patronized, for this -insinuates an inferiority in the one receiving the patronage. With this -spirit the English often refer to their colonizing America. We admit, to -the shame of England, that some of our earliest settlers were obliged to -leave that country to escape persecution and death but their settlement -in America was compulsory. Large numbers, ‘Puritans,’ as they were -styled, were deported, not for any crimes, but for their belief that -they had a right to worship God according to their own consciences. Just -one instance. A cargo of 841 human beings were sent to the West Indies -to be sold as slaves. These, mind you, were not negroes, but white -English people. They were not suffered to go on deck and in the holds -below all was darkness, stench, lamentation, disease and death. The -Queen of England had an interest in this shipment. The profits which she -shared in the cargo after making a large allowance for those who died of -hunger and fever during the passage cannot be estimated at less than a -thousand guineas. This is the statement of an English historian, not an -American. - -“But the fact is that some of our best people were from Holland. -Manhattan Island, now New York, was settled by them, and for many years -there was not an English speaking person in that settlement, and many of -the old wealthy families now in New York are descendants of the -Hollanders. At the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, when fifty -thousand of the best people of France were exiled, many of them went to -the United States. Another large class are the descendants of the -Scotch-Irish who had to flee from the tyranny of England, while the -Irish now in America outnumber those in Ireland itself. The minority of -the people are the descendants of the English. - -“At times, in a patronizing way to curry favor with us, the English -claim relationship, but none scarcely admit that we have anything except -what we borrow, that is stolen from her, and even that we do not speak -the English language. I have really been asked by educated Englishmen if -we speak English in America. - -“Whatever we have from England we owe nothing to her aristocracy or her -government that should fill her with pride. - -“I have lately read a book on the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The writer -claims that they are found in the English, his own people. He goes to -prophesy, which is convincing. There is such a similarity between Israel -and the English that there should not be a doubt hereafter on the -subject. The Jews believed in a God who belonged solely to them, looked -after their interests and fought for them. Their wars were always -righteous while those of their enemies were always wicked. The English -also have their God and believe He is always on their side. The Jews -consider all other people as Gentiles created for their benefit. Do not -the English the same? - -“As long as the United States were colonies there was not a factory -allowed in them or the people permitted to make their own hats or shoes -or clothing. The raw products had to be shipped to England for the -profit of her manufacturers and the goods returned at a great cost to -the poor colonists. Here is an interesting note that I made a few days -ago; ‘To help their manufacturers of woolen goods a law was passed in -1678 that all dead bodies should be wrapped in woolen shrouds.’ One of -their writers says of England, ‘It formed colonies that the mother -country might enjoy the monopoly of their trade by compelling them to -resort only to her markets.’ It is only a few years since Ireland was -allowed to spin and weave her own flax or to manufacture anything. It is -not long since India was permitted to establish its first factory, and -is it not true to-day that although India has an abundance of iron, -coal, cotton, timber, everything needful, yet all the government -supplies must be indented for from England for the benefit of her -manufacturers and commission men? Is not England jewing India at every -turn for her own benefit? Did not the Jews believe in subduing the -nations for the glory of God and their own pockets? Do not the English -have the same belief? Moses and his band believed they were to spoil the -Egyptians by ‘borrowing’ from them and then claimed that their God had -taught them this trick of amassing wealth. Do not the English believe -also in spoiling the Egyptians? But they reverse the order and instead -of borrowing, they loan to the dwellers by the Nile at exorbitant rates -of interest like an uncle with brass balls, and then like a Shylock, -demand the pound of flesh and blood nearest the heart of their victims; -but unlike him they take the interest and on the plea of securing their -bonds, seize upon the government of that country with an army of -occupation, and further increase the burdens of poor Egypt by fostering -upon it a horde of English place-hunters to do nothing, at high -salaries, and besides make the wretched natives, groaning under an -intolerable burden of taxation support a theatre for the special -pleasure of the usurpers. Nero fiddled while Rome was burning; the -English make merry while the miserable Egyptians are toiling and -starving. - -“The Jews believed in their divine right to live off the Gentiles, and -the English follow their example. In short, there is so much of the Jew -in the English nation I wonder that the Ten Lost Tribes were not found -long ago.” - -After a pause and some conversation on minor matters, I asked a question -about the Republican form of Government. He said: “We believe in the -rights of man, that as an individual he should be free to act for -himself, for his own good, the only restriction that he should not -interfere with the rights of his neighbor. We believe that all men are -equal, with the same political and social privileges, that each should -govern himself, and all acting together, the majority to rule for the -good of all, or, as President Lincoln tersely put it, ‘a government of -the people, by the people, and for the people.’ - -“For ages it was supposed that mankind were not capable of -self-government. Thence came into life, chiefs, tyrants, kings, emperors -and monarchs. This was followed by the creed of the divine right of -kings to place their feet on the necks of humanity. Men were enslaved, -in accordance with divine laws, as it was claimed. They were made serfs, -bought and sold with the land, and kept like cattle. A strong-willed man -by intrigue, force and bribery, acquired an ascendency over his fellows, -became the chief of a tribe, or the head of a nation, and his -descendants claimed a right, by the grace of God, to what he had -obtained by the number of scalps he could hang at his belt, or the -number of human skulls over his gate-way; by the amount of cruelties he -had inflicted, by the cities he had burned, or the lands he had -devastated. The farce of it is that civilized, Christian people, appeal -to Heaven, and claim that all this is by divine right and the grace of -God. Is it not contrary to reason and common sense to say that any one -man or family has any right to rule over another against his will? Take -Napoleon? Who was he? How did he obtain his power? By what right did he -acquire a privilege to rule over his fellow men, and lead four millions -of them to destruction? Why should he make other nations food for his -powder? - -“It is passing strange that vast numbers of people, many of them very -intelligent, will submit to be used by tyrants for their aggrandizement, -and to gratify their personal and vain ambition! It is also strange that -intelligent men, will like sycophants, toady to these self-made gods, -worship and bow down before them, and consider it one of the greatest -favors to be admitted to their presence and receive but a word or a look -from them. They say that ‘Britons never, never never will be slaves,’ -but they are the worst of toadies to those above them. This toadyism to -royalty or aristocracy is one of the conundrums of modern life. Another -is the cheek or impudence with which these royal aristocrats receive the -homage of men, not only of the illiterate, but of those who are far -superior to them in every respect. For almost without exception these -ruler gods have been noted for their immorality and vices, that would -make the lowest peasant blush. But few of them have been men of -intellectual power, or known by their virtues, and history tells us that -few of them came to their thrones like gentlemen, without violence, -plundering of the public treasury, and other such refined acts. -Inheriting their positions, they have been kept in their places by men -of ability, whose interest or vanity it was to surround these state -figureheads with an aureole of kingly glory to dazzle the masses. There -is not a monarch to-day, but is in his place by might, rather than by -right or by the will of the people. With all of them it is always the -sword of the Lord and of Gideon, but the Gideon part of it is always to -the front.” - -With this interesting voyager, whatever the others thought of him, he -was so breezy and full of good things, the days were very short to me. -He became so well acquainted with me that he related a little incident -touching that old subject which could not be dropped, though far away -and out of India. He said that when walking alone the morning previous, -one of the English officers accosted him with the remark, “You have -become quite intimate with that Eurasian.” “With whom?” my friend -inquired, not quite understanding the word. “O, that half caste,” said -the gentleman. “Why, what about him?” asked the other. “He seems to be -very much of a gentleman in his manner, thoughts and education, so I -have taken quite a fancy to him and find him very interesting. What have -you against him?” Replied the gentleman, “Nothing against him -personally, but he is an Eurasian, a half caste, you know, and in India -that class of people are not in society, and we never meet them in a -social way, you know.” - -This much my friend told me, but he said that they had quite a talk on -the subject, in which he did not butter his words in denouncing such an -unjust social custom and the crime that produced it. He said it was own -brother to the deeds of the slave owners of the southern states of -America, begetting children by their slave women, and then selling their -own offspring as slaves. He remarked that one evening in a hotel at -Calcutta, a planter told him that many of the planters led the freest -kind of a life; that few of them were married, as they did not care to -be bothered with families of their own. He mentioned a number of -prominent planters by name, all of them connected with well known -families in England. The planter said there were a number of titled men -among them, living the most riotous, lustful lives; that nearly all -these men had children by coolie women employed on their plantations; -that it was customary for these planters as they went about during the -day to make their selections and then order their peons to bring the -women selected to their bungalows at night. He said this was so common -that nothing more was thought of it, than if a man had ordered some -grain for his horse. One of them, of a very aristocratic family in -England, who would blush with shame if they knew his manner of life, -when asked if he was married, replied, “Married! No. What the devil do I -want with a wife?” Yet he had a number of children by his coolie women. -When asked what would become of his children, he carelessly answered, “I -have nothing to do with them. When I leave I shall give the mothers a -few rupees and let them scratch for themselves.” - -Continued my friend: “A man is a hardened wretch who will treat his own -flesh and blood in that way. And probably all these planters call -themselves gentlemen and Christians. The Turkish or oriental harems are -places of virtue and honor compared with such a system of lust and -injustice carried on, not by heathens, but by educated Englishmen.” - -It appeared from this and other remarks, that my American friend had not -traveled through India with blinkers on his eyes or cotton in his ears; -yet who has not heard of such things? - -I could have told him the story of my own life, that, alas! I knew too -well; but self respect or prudence or something restrained me. - -One day as I was standing beside the captain, looking down upon the -lower deck, he asked me if I noticed a man walking there. Said he, “I -doubt if you can imagine what his business is.” I replied that I had no -idea of it. He said, “It is marrying and selling his wives.” I expressed -surprise at that kind of a trade new to me. He continued, “He and a -number of men like him go to Europe, get acquainted with some innocent, -pretty peasant girl, makes love to her, marries her, and then takes her -to Bombay as his wife, where he goes with her to what he calls a hotel, -and after getting a big fee from the landlord, deserts her and goes back -to marry again and bring out another wife to sell. This is their sole -business.” “But,” I inquired, “why don’t you or your company do -something to prevent this fraud and crime?” “What can I do?” he replied. -“This man buys tickets for himself and wife as passengers, and he -returns alone as a passenger. They conduct themselves very properly, so -how can I interfere?” “But,” said I, “why don’t the English government -in India prevent such outrages on innocent women and punish these -degraded wretches of men?” He turned quickly towards me with an -inquisitive look, as if he thought me a simpleton, and asked, “Were you -born yesterday? Hadn’t you better go home to your mother?” These -questions were so abrupt that they nearly knocked me off my pins, and I -could only wait in silence for his explanation. He asked, “For whom are -these brought out? Not for natives, but for Europeans. Who are the -Europeans? Mostly officers of government. Do you suppose they are going -to interfere and break up a business that is for their sole pleasure?” - -The captain was an old, grey-headed man, and knew the ways of the world -and of wicked men, and well acquainted with the seamy sides of life, -while I was fresh, very fresh, on my first voyage away from home. I -could say nothing, and beside was afraid that he might again suggest -that I go back to my mother. I kept silent, except to utter a few -denunciative adjectives. I several times noticed the betrayer of -innocence and wife-seller along with his companions, from my place on -the upper deck. Did I not recall the infamous betrayer of the governess, -and did not I remember how I felt when I found that she was mine and not -somebody else’s sister, and alas, seduced by my father and by her -father? Yet these betrayed innocent women are some mother’s daughters, -and may be some one’s sisters. Ye gods! How I hated those men and wished -that in some way they could be thrown into the sea, and thus their -despicable, villainous traffic be ended with their corrupt lives. - -Then my reflections came. What a sin-cursed world this is, I thought. -When there is so much sublime beauty in the heavens above us, and in the -pure sea around us, and on land, so much in nature to charm the eye and -delight the ear, yet one cannot go anywhere, even far away at sea, from -the wretched abodes of mankind, without being afflicted with the -knowledge of the filthy deeds of men. The earth may be cursed with -briars and thorns, and man may have to toil and live by the sweat of his -brow, but what is all this compared with the degrading sins of men? What -a virtue is the chastity of brutes in comparison to the lusts of those -who are said to have been created in the image of God? Blessed is the -innocent, ignorant man who knoweth none of these things. Surely, it is -folly to be wise when ignorance is bliss. Far better and happier for my -heathen villagers to live, and toil, and die in their ignorant -simplicity, than to have their souls scarred by the vices and knowledge -of a corrupt world and of society. - -“And bitter shame hath spoiled the sweet world’s taste, That it yields -nought but shame and bitterness.” - -As everything comes to an end some time, so did my voyage. The only -regret of it was in parting from my American friend, for without him I -would have been alone and my trip most monotonous. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - -I soon found Leadenhall street, and sure enough, the warmest kind of a -letter, just as I had expected and was so sure of, bidding me come at -once to her home in the country. Delays are dangerous, so I delayed not, -and soon the object of my voyage was accomplished. If I were writing a -novel, and wished to make it a two or three volumed one, I would enter -into the details, but the story I can tell is so simple and well known -that it is better to save time, as the captain saved his coal, by not -using it. - -To be sure, after the first greetings were over, and the serious part of -our business was settled, we told to each other the story of our lives -since we parted. Mine I have related. She had objected to marriage, -though she had had a number of offers, for her heart had been given away -and had not returned. During our conversation she quoted these lines -from some author, “A woman may marry this man or that man; her -affections may shift and alter, but she never forgets the man she loved -with all the wonder and idealism and devotion of a girl’s early love.” - -One of her suitors was a Mr. Beresford, of a family of rank and wealth. -This was about all he could boast of. Disagreeable in appearance, though -he was polished in all the ways and style of society, with much of the -affectation of a man of the world. He was persistent in his attentions, -and used all his arts of fascination, and was so obtrusive that she -hated the sight of him. She knew that he was heartless, and by instinct -that he was very far from being above reproach. Her parents became angry -with her for throwing away such a chance of marriage into a family of -name and rank. Did I not remember their anger? She defied them at first, -but the incessant worry day and night continued, until from sheer -exhaustion, she yielded by giving her hand but not her heart. There was -a marriage of ceremony, but not of hearts or lives. He had won and there -was no further need of disguise or dissimulation. He taunted her with -never having cared for him; that because she was so proud and haughty he -had only married her to break her in, just as he would have subdued a -spirited horse. He had inherited the profligacy of his ancestors and -maintained the reputation of his family by his vices. He returned at -once to his dissolute life and made her, as she said, wish for her own -death or his. Her parents saw, when it was too late, that they had -driven their daughter to a life worse than death, for the sake of name -and rank. Her only relief was when he was away with his sporting -friends. One day, riding to the hounds, he was thrown from his horse and -killed. He had been drinking heavily and could not sit the horse. - -Said she, “I could not shed a tear. That is an awful thing for a wife to -say when she loses her husband, but it was impossible for me to be so -false as to express even a regret, so I refused to see any one. I had -never loved him nor had the least respect for him. It was a marriage -only in form. I put on mourning, but that was a black lie to keep -society tongues from wagging. And now as we are united again I can say -frankly to you that I have often thought of the different life I would -have had but for the interference of my parents.” - -Concluding her narrative, she said, with one of her most loving smiles, -“So, Charles, I shall not keep you awake nights talking about the -virtues of my first husband.” This remark was of infinite comfort to me, -for I had often wondered how a man must feel after marrying a widow -whose husband had been noted for his excellent traits. If she was -careful not to mention them, yet he could but think at times that she -was making comparisons between himself and the departed. Another thing -gave me great satisfaction, that I was getting no second hand article of -a heart, as hers had been always and only mine. Yet I could but feel a -tinge of remorse that I had once given part of mine to another, though -under necessity, as I supposed the object of my first and only real love -in life had gone forever from me. - -There was love but no love making or giddy flirtation between us, so I -have no foundation for a thrilling story, even if I wished to make one. -Marriage has always seemed to me such a sacred thing as to be a solemn -matter rather than something to be treated in a joking manner. It is -next to birth and death, the most important event in a person’s life, -and I never could understand how a young woman or a man could talk about -their marriage as triflingly as they would about their chances in a -lottery or a game of cards. - -No wonder there is so much marital disagreement and unhappiness, when -the married life is entered upon with so much thoughtlessness and -frivolity. I had received an impression from Mr. Percy, when he talked -so sacredly of his affianced, and this never left me. How much I have to -thank him for the good influence he made upon my whole life. I try to -keep my heart grateful and ever mindful of the favors I receive from -others. It seems to me that one of the great sins of humanity is -ingratitude. It may possibly appear greater than it really is, because -people take so little pains to show their gratitude. I have, at -considerable sacrifice at times, granted favors, and those to whom they -were given, took them as a matter of course, very indifferently, thus -injuring themselves, and depriving me of considerable pleasure. But I am -running wild again. This is a habit of mine, as those acquainted with me -well know, and my wife, later in life, often laughed at me, for always -wanting to point a moral, or adorn a tale with some of my practical -remarks. But as there are many worse habits than this, I am content. - -I returned to London as light-hearted and happy as if I had won a -kingdom, and I was to be crowned its king. My business was finished, but -I had much to see in that great kaleidoscope of the world. The top of an -omnibus was my point of observation at first. What a collection of -moving things, hurrying, scurrying, joggling and jostling each other, -apparently without any purpose, except to keep going! I thought if I -were able to write a book I would make one on, “What I saw from the top -of an omnibus in London.” All sorts and conditions of men, the staid men -of business, the “crows” in long black gowns, the obsequious shopmen, -the swells, the cabbies, the bewildered countrymen, the beggars ready to -carry your cane to get “a penny for a bite to eat for a poor man,” the -sweepers, the cat’s meat men, and the fellows on the corners crying, “a -penny a shine, sur,” castes, castes, no end of them. One day an -Englishman remarked to me, “You have a great many castes in India?” -“Yes, I replied, about as many as you have in England.” He looked at me -with a stare, as if he thought I was guying him, and then said, “I think -you are about right.” - -There is something so peculiar in that stare, a concentration of the -negation of intellect and intelligence in appearance of an Englishman’s -face, when listening; a dull, cold look, as expressionless as the -countenance of a heathen stone idol, that freezes one, and makes him -feel that he is saying something foolish or impudent. Whether it is from -lack of quick comprehension, or considered good form, I do not know. The -English, I should judge, are not a smiling nation. They are as solid and -substantial, even in the expression of their faces, as their heavy meat -and drink can make them. They are slow-witted, and their jokes, except -what they import, are so ponderous that they reminded me of our -perfunctory religious exercises on a cold morning at school, and of our -tasks in reciting the Litany, only that the jokes lacked the response, -“Good Lord deliver us.” - -I had purchased some books for light reading in my off hours, and among -them was “Pelham” by Lord Lytton. I was greatly surprised to find this -passage, a severer criticism on his countrymen than I am capable of -making. This was probably written on the view that a man may call -himself a dog, but let another beware of saying it of him. “The English -of the fashionable world make business an enjoyment, and enjoyment a -business; they are born without a smile; they rove about public places -like so many easterly winds—cold, sharp and cutting; or like a group of -fogs on a frosty day, sent out of his hell by Boreas, for the express -purpose of looking black at one another. When they ask you ‘how you do,’ -you would think they were measuring the length of your coffin. They are -ever, it is true, laboring to be agreeable, but they are like Sisyphus, -the stone they rolled up the hill with so much toil, runs down again, -and hits you a thump on the legs. They are sometimes polite, but -invariably uncivil; their warmth is always artificial—their cold never. -They are stiff without dignity, and cringing without manners. They offer -you an affront, and call it ‘plain truth,’ they wound your feelings, and -tell you it is merely to ‘speak their minds,’ at the same time, while -they have neglected all the graces and charities of artifice, they have -adopted all its falsehood and deceit. While they profess to abhor -servility, they adulate the peerage; while they tell you they care not a -rush for the minister, they move heaven and earth for an invitation from -the minister’s wife. Then their amusements! The heat, the dust—the -sameness—the slowness of that odious park in the morning, and the same -exquisite scene repeated in the evening on the condensed stage of a rout -room, where one has more heat with less air, and a narrower dungeon, -with diminished possibility of escape! We wander about like the damned -in the story of Vathek, and we pass our lives like the royal philosopher -of Prussia in conjugating the verb, ‘je m’ennuie.’” - -I wanted a Sunday in London to hurry about alone without any “sweet -encumbrance.” That I obtained on the promise to her who had already -assumed the right to have a good share of my attention and time, that it -should be the only one I should have alone. - -Some one has said that the best form of government is a monarchy, if the -monarch be a perfect one. I had chosen my monarchess, and was not all -disinclined to obey her sweet will. - -On this privileged day I took a cab, and went from early morning into -and out of a number of churches. In one of them I lingered longest, for -there was to me a grand tamasha on the boards, so to speak. There were a -number of priests dressed as gorgeously as clowns in a circus. They were -processioning, genuflecting, beating their breasts, and rolling their -eyes, as if in great distress from an inward pain. There were -innumerable candles, though it was broad daylight, an indication of -their religious darkness, or a reflection on the Almighty that He had -not made light enough for them, or else that He was not able to see what -they were doing without the aid of their flickering dips. There was -incense burning, floating everywhere, in the stifling air, that brought -tears, not of contrition, but simply of water, to my eyes. It was a show -worth seeing, yet it made me think of the story of the boy, who, when -making his first flies for fishing, impatiently asked his mother, if God -made everything? “Yes, everything.” “And flies as well?” “Certainly,” -she said. “Then God has horrid fiddling work to do,” replied the boy. I -thought if the Infinite God could be pleased with such a performance, -styled a religious service, then He is interested in horrid fiddling, -trifling matters. But, as I am only a heathen, my opinion may not be -worth the breath spent in giving it. - -The contrast to this was in a place really named a “circus,” where there -were a lot of paradings, shoutings and groans accompanied by a band of -base drums, base horns, base viols, base voices and a base crowd. The -people shouted and tooted as if their god was deaf or asleep, or had -gone on a journey. I could not help asking myself, “Is it possible that -God can be pleased with all this noise and confusion?” - -The other performance had something æsthetic about it, that while I -could admire it as quite a decent Sunday show, there was nothing to -grate upon my physical senses though much to disturb my religious sense, -but the other was so bombastic and horribly discordant that I delayed -not in leaving it. - -Then to other churches. To be really truthful, and that is what I aim at -in all things, even if I tell the truth to mine own hurt, I did not care -so much about my own religious welfare as to see how other people took -theirs. I think it is a feature of human nature that we all are anxious -that everybody else should obey the laws, whether we do or not. Many -people though unjust themselves, dislike injustice in others. Probably -most people go to church more to see that their neighbors are there, -than to repent of their own shortcomings and sins. I think this -statement, however, would not be quite true about that Sunday as only a -few people were present in any of the churches. - -Here I wish to observe that it has always appeared very strange to me, -that since Christian people insist so much on the vital importance of -religious duties, they should be so indifferent in the performance of -them. One would naturally suppose then in a Christian city like London, -every mother’s son and daughter would go to church. They perhaps believe -that the priests or the church in some vicarious way can get them -tickets for heaven, so they need not bother themselves to work out their -own salvation. Yet, I cannot help liking to see a man honest, though he -be a Christian, and practice what he professes. This may be a stupid -idea of mine, still I cannot get rid of it. - -I was told that one of the Sunday sights was Vanity Fair in Hyde Park, -so after a hasty tiffin I directed my cabby thitherward. He was a jolly -good fellow, rotund as a beer barrel, and red in the face as if he had -lived on boiled lobsters all his life and their complexion had gone into -his. I had liberally tipped him on starting in the morning and remarked -to him that there was nothing like food and drink for either horse or -man, and he agreed heartily with me. - -There is nothing so omnipotent in London as shillings, except it be -sovereigns. With them in sight, I think my cab would have driven me to -the devil, if not back again. One day I wished to see the houses of -Parliament. The six foot guards were shooing the people away as if they -were chickens bound to depredate in a garden. I walked up towards one of -these stalwarts, putting on all the dignity I could command, with my -hand in my pocket making a very significant movement of drawing out my -purse, asking, “Do you ever show any one about this place?” He replied, -“Come this way, sur,” and we went behind a big pillar where I dropped -some shillings into his hand. He then took me anywhere and everywhere, -and showed me Lord’s this and that Lord’s gown and wig and told me all I -wished to know. He got the money, and I the money’s worth, so we were -both agreeable. Nothing like shillings, unless it be sovereigns. A man -might as well be without them in London, as to be without rupees when he -has a case in court in India. - -I cannot refrain from quoting what the greatest poet of the world says: - - “Money—This yellow slave - Will knit and break religions; bless the accursed - Make the hoar leprosy adored; place thieves - And give them title, knee and approbation - With senators on the bench.” - -“Money is more eloquent than all the poets, preachers or philosophers, -and has the only tongue that, strange to no one, needs no dictionary to -explain it to the simplest unlearned soul.” - -Columbus in a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella says, “Gold is an -excellent thing. With gold one forms treasures. With gold one does -whatever one wishes in this world. Even souls can be got to Paradise by -it.” - - “’Tis gold that buys admittance, oft it doth, - and ’tis gold - Which makes the true man kill’d, and saves the thief - Nay, sometimes hangs both thief and true man, - What can it not do and undo?” - -The cabbies are a strange caste—a kind of wandering mendicants always on -the go, and high caste enough to look down on all their fares. I rather -liked them, so good-natured when well tipped, but probably like other -humans, the other thing when squeezed and why not? Some one told me this -story. An old timer just returned from India going from a station, -thought his cab was taking him round about to increase the mileage. Not -thinking where he was, he shouted up in his India patois, “Turn sooar ka -batchcha kidhar ko jaoge?” You son of a pig, whither are you going? - -Cabby with as much force hurled down, “Tum gaddha ka bhai, ham khub -jante hain.” You brother to a donkey we know very well; showing that he -had also been in India. - -We were soon at Vanity Fair and such it really was, a fair of vanity. I -doubt if the sun anywhere else shines on such a scene. It was an after -service aristocratic parade. “Miss Vavasor went to church, as it was the -right thing to do. God was one of the heads of society, and his drawing -rooms had to be attended,” so it seems to be good form as an adjunct to -divine service to have this assembly. It was a big show to me, but I -could not see the reason of it. It was a dumb performance, as very few -appeared to talk,—a kind of pantomime. There may have been lots of fun -in it—as it is said the English take even their pleasures very -sadly—which my lack of education prevented me from seeing. It was -probably a divine dress parade, as all seemed to wear clothes of the -newest kind of cloth and the latest cut, especially the guanty jaunty -young men who paraded back and forth. They may have been hired by some -fashionable tailor to show his latest styles. There were castes, the -high Brahmins on a certain set of chairs and so on, each set by itself. -A profane low-class man outside the ring pointed out to me a dowager -with the wise remark, “She’s taken many a nip by the looks of her mug.” -Another of a duchess, “She’s a rum un.” This was as bad as the cabbie’s -reply when I asked him on the way, “What is that building?” “Buckingham -Palace, sur.” “Who lives there?” I queried. “The old cat,” he answered. -I don’t like such talk. It’s “deucedly vulgar, you know,” and as bad as -swearing. The fact is, I often needed an interpreter. The language and -pronunciation were so peculiar, and yet they would have taken it in high -dudgeon if I had requested them to speak to me in English. - -At length the show dissolved or rather moved away as silently as it -came, and without any one saying “To your tents, O Israel.” - -The next scene was in another part of the Park, a meeting of strikers or -the victims of “Sweaters” in some trade. The crowds! They came from -every direction. There were also castes in numbers, each with a style of -its own, but all evidently of the lowest grade, most of them in the -cheapest clothes, rags and tatters, a wonderful contrast to the Vanity -Fair party. - -There were carts in different places from which speakers bawled out -their grievances and made their demands. The hucksters, with their -baskets and little stands, offered shrimps, winkles, pop, roasted -chestnuts and other cheap stuff, with little success, as the crowd -appeared as anxious to keep their pennies, if they had any, as these -fellows were to get them. There were many strong, robust men, probably -willing to labor, but compelled to idleness, their garments stitched and -patched, yet not sufficient to conceal their nakedness. Such able-bodied -men begging people to buy a pen’worth of something! - -I cannot stomach the nakedness of a white person. There is something in -it so leprous-like. I have heard travelers remark that a half-naked -black or dark skinned person, is not at all repugnant compared to one of -a white skin. Naturally I am inclined to a dark skin, and cannot but -think that God knew what He was doing when He gave colored skins to -people living in the tropics where clothes are a burden, that their dark -complexions might take the place of clothes, and they be protectively -colored. - -On the same principle nature clothes animals and insects with the colors -of their surroundings. Still, I think, human animals ought to get their -color as well as their being in a legitimate way. I know this reflection -is to mine own detriment. - -All this poverty showed this one thing, at least, that the present -organization of society is at fault, or that God had made a failure in -creating these people. It may be, as Alexander Knox says, “The mass of -these people in our towns are spawned upon the world rather than born -into life.” Or as another has said: “Born into the world only to be a -blight to it.” - -Their very existence as they are, plainly declares that there is a fault -somewhere by somebody. - -This poverty plead for itself. It reminded me of the story of a beggar -sitting silently by the wayside. A passer-by asked, “Why don’t you beg, -man? Why don’t you speak?” “Speak!” said the beggar, “when every rent in -my clothes is a mouth that proclaims my wants with more eloquence than I -could with my tongue!” - -Going from Vanity Fair to this crowd, was like going from heaven to -hell, only a short distance apart; the one a picture of the arrogance of -the rich, the other the debasement of the poor. I do not like to compare -the church parade to heaven, as it was only a show, a mock heaven at -best, but there was no hunger there, nor rags, though, no doubt, plenty -of lust, vice and crime under those rich clothes. Yet the outward -contrast was very great. - -Should it not be a subject of serious reflection that after six thousand -years of the world’s progress, and nearly two thousand of the teachings -of Christianity, a few people in the world should live in exuberant -luxury, and the great majority in squalid poverty, the world a hell for -millions of poor, in order to create a paradise for the very few rich? - - “Famine gnawing at their entrails, and despair feeding at their hearts, - Gropes for its right with horny, callous hands, - And stares around for God with bloodshot eyes.” - -“Let us be patient, lads,” said a pious weaver, “surely God Almighty -will help us soon.” - -“Don’t talk about your goddlemighty,” said one, “there isn’t any, or he -wouldn’t let us suffer as we do.” - -Why all this poverty and misery? There must be an adequate cause for it, -some powerful disorganizing element to produce such a condition of -things. - -A tract-man handed me several leaflets, from which I culled the -following: - -“The drink bill of Great Britain annually amounts to one hundred and -forty million pounds sterling. This is about five pound sterling per -head of the inhabitants. It is estimated that sixty per cent. of this, -or eighty-four millions, comes out of the wages of the working classes. -There are one million six hundred thousand acres in England cultivated -for barley and fifty thousand for hops. Seventy million bushels of grain -are worse than wasted in manufacturing drink. Allowing forty pounds of -flour to a bushel, and sixty pounds of bread, the total would be one -billion and fifty million, four pound loaves, or one hundred and seventy -loaves for each family of five persons throughout the United Kingdom. In -twenty-five years there have been four million two hundred and -sixty-eight thousand and twenty-two arrests of drunk and disorderlies, -and probably not one in twenty of the drunkards arrested. There are one -million forty thousand, one hundred and three paupers in England and -Wales, or one in nineteen of the whole population, nine-tenths caused by -drink. There are one hundred and forty thousand criminals, mostly owing -to drink, and twenty-five thousand policemen required to keep public -houses in order and protect life and property; forty-three thousand -lunatics in the asylums. In England, one in every one hundred and -seventy of the total population is convicted of drunkenness.” - -Lord Chief Justice Coleridge states that nine out of every ten gaols -would be closed but for drink. Justice Fitzgerald says that drunkenness -leads to nineteen-twentieths of the crimes; Mr. Mulhall, that -forty-eight per cent. of the idiocy in England arises from the -drunkenness of the parents, and one-third of the insanity in the United -Kingdom is the effect of drink; Sir James Horner, that seventy-five out -of every hundred of the divorce cases are brought about by drink; Mr. -Gladstone, that drink has caused greater calamities than the three great -historical scourges, war, famine and pestilence. - -A distinguished English writer says that, “the poverty of the poor is -the chief cause of the weakness and inefficiency which are the causes of -their poverty, dire poverty and the frequency of public houses act and -react upon one another, poverty increasing public houses, and public -houses increasing poverty.” - -A Government report shows that it costs five and three quarter millions -sterling a year for the repression of crime in England, and while they -spend one hundred and forty millions sterling a year for drink, the -British spend only two millions a year on books. - -With such facts, showing the waste of food, the unnatural bill of costs -and the inevitable losses caused by the demoralization of the people, -can any one doubt the cause of the squalid poverty of the masses of -Great Britain? - -And it is a civilized Christian nation that tolerates and encourages -such things! - -Further, it found heathen India sober, and it is doing its best to make -it a nation of drunkards like itself, by means of liquor and opium. An -Archdeacon who has spent thirty years in India makes the statement that -for every convert to Christianity made by the missionaries, the -Government makes one thousand drunkards. - -Another item. The United Kingdom has 330 packs of fox hounds, at a -yearly cost of £414,850. The 33,000 riders and 99,000 horses cost -£3,500,000, or the whole hunt maintenance at £4,000,000 a year, to keep -up a cruel, inhuman, degrading sport. Most likely all who uphold this -waste of money and cruelty were confirmed in the church as Christians, -and partake regularly of “holy communion” as followers of Jesus, while -several millions of their fellow beings go naked and hungry. What a grim -satire on profession and practice! - -While I hate the opium business in India, I cannot but think that with -such an appalling record as the above, that the people “at home” would -better cleanse their own filthy door-yards before criticising those of -India. Would it not be more consistent, more honest, more commendable, -if the English people would do away with their greatest curse, their -liquor traffic, and look after their paupers, criminals, and the -brutally oppressed innocent victims, the wives and children of -drunkards, and all this damnable encouragement of vice, before they send -out junketing commissions at an enormous expense on the poor, overtaxed -serfs of India, to investigate the opium traffic? - -It is so easy and gratifying for some people to meddle with the affairs -of others while they neglect their own, and to condemn those far away, -but quite overlooking their own immediate vices and sins. - -While I was in Glasgow a request was made upon the Provost to call a -public meeting to protest against the Tsar of Russia for expelling the -“scurvy Jews” who rob and demoralize his people by their usury and -promotion of drunkenness, and at the time I was astounded at the poverty -and squalor, the numbers of deformed, debauched people, and shocked with -the fights and brawls of drunken barelegged women and brutal men on a -Saturday afternoon on one of the main streets of that city. - -Consistency may be a jewel, but it is a very rare one. The people of -Great Britain should get it as quickly as possible. It would be of more -honor and credit to them than that stolen Kohinur. - -I spoke to a man near me about the great crowd of poor. He replied, -“This is only a handful, only a few drops. Let the degraded poor of all -London come out and they would more than fill the whole park.” I asked -him about their morality. “Morality,” said he; “they do not know what it -means.” And he told me such tales of misery, vice and crime that would -make, not only angels, but the very devils, weep to know that humanity -had fallen so low. - -Are civilization and religion failures, that they cannot provide a -remedy for such ulcers on the social body that must affect the very life -of the nation? - -For very shame’s sake the Christians of England should heal their own -sores before they damn the heathen, for I doubt from what I saw and -heard if there is any city in all heathendom so sunken in degradation -and vice as this famous metropolis of a so-called Christian country. - -This question is not only for the Christian, the philanthropist, but for -the statesman or politician, if it be true what Mr. John Bright says: - -“I believe there is no permanent greatness to a nation except it be -based on morality. I do not care for military pomp or military renown. I -care for the condition of the people among whom I live. There is no man -in England less likely to speak irreverently of the crown and monarchy -of England than I am, but crown, coronets, mitres, military displays, -pomp of war, wide colonies, and a huge empire are in my view, all -trifles light as air, and not worth considering unless with them you can -have a fair share of comfort, contentment and happiness among the great -body of the people. Palaces, baronial halls, castles, great halls, and -stately mansions do not make a nation. The nation in every country -dwells in a cottage.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - -I was not surprised to find castes in England, high castes, middle -castes, low castes and also outcasts, as I had personal experience of -these among the English in India, but what seemed strange was that among -these civilized Christian people, there was such a deep-rooted prejudice -against tradesmen. A story was told me that illustrates this. A tailor, -who had plenty of money as well as brains and education, often assisted -a young lord, and quite an intimacy sprang up between them. The lord -took his friend to Scotland for the shooting season, where they were the -guests of a laird, and met a number of distinguished people. In his cups -the lord was quite abusive, and his friend, the tailor, had to suffer. -His best whip was merely to say, “Well, my lord! to-morrow morning I -shall introduce myself to your friends here as your tailor.” - -“For heaven’s sake,” begged the lord, “don’t do that or I shall be -disgraced forever.” - -What also surprised me was that there were two kinds of justice; one for -the rich people of rank and another for the poor. - -It appeared that there was a Mary Joyce in the city. Her husband was a -mechanic, a good workman, temperate and industrious. She was a careful, -prudent woman. They lived well upon his earnings. One day he was killed -by an accident. It took all the wife’s savings to bury the body of her -husband. Then, to sustain herself and child, the articles in her rooms -were sold, one after another, until nothing was left but the clothes on -her body, a tattered quilt, some straw on the floor, an iron spoon and a -dish or two. She had tried to get work time and again, but failed. She -had asked for help, but was refused. One night, hungry herself, but -thinking only of her starving child, she wrapped it in the quilt and -placed it upon the straw and went out into the darkness. She came to a -baker’s shop. Without a thought but of her dying babe, she seized one of -the loaves and rushed away. A cry was raised, a policeman caught her and -took her to prison, and the next morning at the Mansion House Court she -was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. She was placed in a foul -smelling cell, given the smallest allowance of the coarsest food for -herself and babe. By day she had to be in the company of the vilest -humanity, and submit to the insults and cruelties of the gaolers, and -all this for taking a loaf of bread to keep her child from starving. - -The other case was of a duchess, a woman of intelligence, position and -wealth. She knew better than to do wrong. There was no need for her to -violate the laws. She committed a crime, and the judge stated his regret -that he was obliged by law to convict her. If he could possibly have -found an excuse he would have released her on account of her rank and -wealth, as he expressed himself, so he gave her a sentence of six weeks, -and all “society” stood aghast to think they should be attacked in that -way. She was allowed two large, airy rooms in a prison. The floors were -carpeted. Fine furniture was placed in them. She was permitted two -attendants of her own. Excellent food was prepared outside and brought -to her. She had books and papers, and was allowed to receive visitors, -and to have her daily walks without seeing the other prisoners. She was -an aristocrat, a lady in “society,” and it would not do for a judge to -place her on a level with a poor woman of lower class blood! What would -“society” say? - -But is there an aristocracy in crime? Is not a thief a thief? Did not -the higher rank and intelligence of the duchess entitle her to a greater -punishment? Poor Mary Joyce, obeying a God-given instinct to save her -starving babe, took a loaf of bread. The duchess, to gratify a whim of -her haughty nature, committed a greater crime than the other and was not -punished at all but slightly disgraced, which society readily condones -and regards her as a martyr. Such is impartial English justice! - -We have, however, something like it in India. A rajah has amassed wealth -by oppressing his ryots and taking usury from the poor. On account of -some paltry gift to the Dufferin Fund or subscription to some begging -paper to raise a monument to some man whom the people would not care to -remember, he is granted the privilege by Government of not obeying a -summons to appear as a witness in court. He could be driven there every -day and it would be only a pleasure nor would there be any loss to him -in any way. - -Another, a ryot of this man, is obliged to go from twenty to fifty miles -on foot. He is compelled to hang around from a week to twenty days or -has to go several times. While away from home his fields are neglected -and the crop on which he and his family depended for the year’s food is -lost. What recourse has he? None whatever. What is the difference in the -two cases? It is this. The one is a wealthy rajah and the other a poor -devil of a ryot. Such is justice in India so like that in England. - -My best argument for immortality is this, that there must be, in all -justice, some other place or some future when the accounts of this life -shall be balanced, for there is no equity here. - -These were my reflections in my room at my lodgings at the close of my -privileged leave. - -However, in vindication of myself, that to make some atonement,—as I am -not without good impulses at times—for the misdemeanors of the morning, -if such they may be called, in going to see the ranks of the city, high -rank and low rank, the latter of the rankest kind,—I went to a church in -the evening where there was a very quiet unpretentious service in which -there was a real sincere worship of God. I felt better for it, thanking -God that while there was so much of vanity, vice and want in the city, -there were also some righteous people, truly noble, belonging to the -nobility of heaven. - -Our wedding day was fixed at an early date and we were to try “the -terrible test of wedlock” as Carlyle hath it. We were married already in -heart and mind, but to conform to the usages of society there was an -outward ceremony required. The father and mother were invited from their -home in Ireland. I had not yet met them in this new phase of affairs and -had some considerable curiosity about our first meeting. I had no fear -of them as I had outgrown that. To be really truthful I had but little -regard for them such as a man should have for his prospective -parents-in-law. They had cruelly treated me as well as their daughter. -Worse still, they had insulted me and deliberately. However it may tell -against me, I must confess that I can never forget an insult. I can -forgive it, and treat the offender with civility and all that, but I can -never regard him as if he had not injured me. This lapse of propriety -shows the nature and make-up of the man and I am always on my guard lest -he should wound me again. My former respect and friendship has gone and -I doubt if anything he might ever do would restore him again to me as he -was. I know that some say they can forget as well as forgive and act as -if nothing unpleasant had ever occurred, yet I doubt if they have really -analyzed and understood their feelings. I have not been made of that -elastic kind of material and each one must act for himself. - -The parents received me most cordially and made no reference to the -past. Very prudent in them, as I was in a position to first throw down -the gauntlet or to take up their’s at the slightest hint from them. It -was not long before the wedding was referred to and I do not know just -why, but I could not help suggesting that I hoped there would be no -shooting or burying this time. I would have rather lost a year’s income -from my villages than to have missed the blushes and confusion of the -pair at this remark. “O no,” said the mother. “I have left my pistols at -home, Mr. Japhet.” “And I,” said the father, “have no intention of -becoming a sexton.” - -The daughter enjoyed this intensely, and when the laughter had subsided, -remarked, “I married once wholly to please you, now I am going to marry -to please myself.” No reference was ever made to this subject again. - -We were married and the bonds duly ratified by some sovereigns to the -high priest of the occasion. For further particulars read the society -papers in which it was stated that an Indian Prince had made a captive -of one of Albion’s fairest daughters. I could not help forgiving and -blessing the ignorance of the penny-a-liners, for if they had told the -truth that I was not an Indian Prince but only the son of a —, and my -wife was not of Albion, but of the Emerald Isle, the paragraph would -have appeared with a different kind of aurora about it. - -If the real truth were known and told about people and things, what a -different appearance they would make! The gloss of the world is like the -apocryphal mantle of charity, covering a multitude of defects and sins. - -We were extremely happy, as might be supposed, and everything wore a -roseate hue as is usual in such cases, so there is no need of going into -any ecstasies of description. I recall what a great English writer has -said, “Of all actions of a man’s life his marriage does least concern -other people, yet of all our life ’tis most meddled with by other -people.” So I will act upon his suggestion, be wise for once, and not -give people a chance to meddle with what does not concern them. We had -passed the giddy stage of life and had not reached that, when it could -be said of either of us, “There is no such fool as an old fool.” - -Of course we had to visit the parents and they treated me so kindly that -I was tempted to forget, as I had forgiven them, their former outburst -of anger towards me. What rather modified my feelings was the remark of -the mother to her daughter in the privacy of her bed chamber, that if -she had known Mr. Japhet was such a fine man, a real gentleman, indeed, -she would never have objected to him. This my wife related to me with -much satisfaction, as it was a compliment to her former good judgment, -as well as to myself. They accepted the inevitable with such good grace -and kindness that I almost fell in love with my mother-in-law, and that -is saying all that is necessary. - -We visited various places of interest, in “Ould” Ireland and I was -delighted with the quaint manners, and charmed with the open hospitality -of its people. One incident I will relate. One day at Larne I took a -stroll alone and then fell in with a couple of foreign gentlemen from a -steamer for New York that was laying to for the day. We sauntered out -towards the country and passing by a field where there were some -beautiful cows grazing in clover, I suggested that we go to the house -and ask for a cup of milk. The gentlemen expressed surprise that I -should think of such a thing. I saw no harm in it as I proposed to pay -for what we received, so we would not be beggars, and as I persisted, -they said they would follow me. I accosted a man raking the yard and -made my request. He replied that he would see the maister, and soon the -latter appeared and invited us by the front door into his drawing room, -beautifully furnished. He then called a maid and she soon brought a -large glass pitcher of creamy yellow milk, that was a sight to me from -India where we have to be happy with dudh pani, but with more pani than -dudh. She also brought a large plate of biscuit and glasses. Our host -handled the pitcher and served us with generous hospitality. We meantime -had a delightful chat. He had just returned from the continent and was -full of fresh incidents of his trip and asked many questions about -India. He then took us into his garden where he showed, and also gave us -some of his ripe gooseberries large as pigeon eggs, that he was -reserving for the Annual Fair, stating that the year previous he had -taken thirty-two prizes for various exhibits. All this greatly -interested me. He then took us to his raspberry bushes laden with ripe -fruit and bade us help ourselves while he picked liberal handfuls for -us, we all the while keeping up a running talk. On leaving we thanked -him again and again, and especially I, who had been the leader in this -foray. I handed him my card and received his, when he informed us that -the place was the Manse and he was the Presbyterian minister. He pressed -us to call again when we came that way and stated that he would always -remember us with pleasure. I could not help making a comparison between -him and our Indian padris. It is true they have no gooseberry or -raspberry bushes or such cream, and yet—but as comparisons are odious to -those on whom they reflect, I will cease my mental meanderings. My two -foreign comrades, the one from Vienna, the other from Berlin thanked me -most courteously for the treat I had given them. I doubt if they knew -that I was an Eurasian and do not believe it would have made any -difference to them as they were real gentlemen. - -My wife and I went to the huts of the poor, as I was anxious to see this -phase of life. The status of a country is shown by the condition of its -poor people and not by that of its few grasping rich. The glamour of -India in its great cities and scenery in the cold season, seen by the -racing globe-trotters, no more conveys an idea of the real condition of -its vast millions, than a peasant’s holiday attire does of his everyday -clothing and impoverished life. We heard the stories of poverty and -oppression, and they were not Irish exaggeration for the one fact alone -of the exorbitant rents they had to pay, was proof sufficient of the -truth of their stories. Yet with all their poverty, ignorance and -superstition, the Irish are said to be the most virtuous race on the -earth. This to me will atone for all their other sins. - -We never entered a hut, however poor the inmates, but they offered us -some token of their kindness, even if it were only a roast potato raked -from the ashes. If there is anything that makes tears come into my -heart, it is the generosity of the poorest poor, sharing their needed -mouthfuls with others. How often have I thought with moistened eyes, of -those famine stricken people in that old court of my childhood, sharing -their scanty grains of rice with me and my little sister, and of that -old faqir. - -What delighted me most was the courtesy and grace, the sparkling -witticisms of these people when receiving us, so natural and free from -any of the snobbery and formalities of society. We were entertained by -the rich and they were polished and educated and I can speak in the -highest praise of them, and yet I think I felt more grateful when eating -a potato from the bare board-table in an Irish hut with the good dame -pressing me to take just another one, than I did with my feet under the -mahogany of some wealthy host, the table loaded with silver and served -with the richest viands. This may be strange in me, yet I cannot help -it, for God has made me up in that way. - -We visited Scotland, the “land o’ cakes,” as well as “the land of the -leal,” and I was delighted with the brusque, frank manners of its -people. - -They are an honest, manly race, careful to keep all they have and to get -as much as they can, but honestly. One of them said: “We are sair strict -in making a bargain, but when it is closed we abide it, aye to our ain -loss.” They are all aristocrats by nature, of the manly kind, and the -mechanic with grimy hands and greasy clothes at work, will look one in -the eye, and talk as nobly as if he was the chief of some Highland clan, -to doff his cap to no man. - -They were a study to me in many ways. A little incident I recall. One -morning, going out of the hotel, my boots rather tarnished with the -everlasting mud—for as they told me that it always rains there except -when it snaws, there is always mud—I hailed a boy boot-black with cheeks -as red as ripe cherries. While he was doing his job, I asked a policeman -near by how much I should give him. “A penny,” he said. On handing this -to my little friend, he, raising his cap with all the politeness of a -polished courtier said, “Wad ye no gie me the other wing o’ that?” My -hair was so thick that his meaning did not penetrate my understanding -until he had bowed and gone, and I then realized his idea of the -necessity of two wings for anything to fly properly. One great mental -fault of mine is nearly always being a little behind time. My best -thoughts often come just after their opportunity. I was pleased with the -rosy cheeked lasses, so full of health and purity, and I think I rather -offended my wife by saying that if I was not already wifed I would try -to win one of Scotia’s fair daughters. - -Then back to England, in a round of sight-seeing and visits among the -Britons, where, led by my wife, I was well received, though inwardly I -felt with some questioning as to my rank and station. This is the great -characteristic of the English. Their first question is, not what you are -as a man, in ability, attainments or morals, but what is your standing -or caste in “society.” And probably the newest made, the fledglings in -society, with the thinnest kind of blue blood in their veins, would be -the most exacting, whose pedigree would be greatly damaged by the -slightest investigation. - -This society fad notion of the English, is worse than their oppressive -fogs, and, like the sight of a black pall at a funeral, making one tread -softly and speak in whispers. Some one, remarking of this, said that -when out calling the lady of the house came up close to her without -bowing, with a prying, inquisitive look, saying, “I really don’t know -who you are,” but after learning the rank of her caller she became -amiability itself. To give them their due, when once you are inside -their ring, and are acquainted, you know, they are very kind and -agreeable. - -I had often read of the Arctic regions, and traveling to my humor -inclined, I suggested to my traveling companion that we go to the -extreme, or as far as we could, and see the contrast, if not of -Greenland’s icy mountains, then those of Norway, with India’s burning -sands. And a contrast it was, so much so that my oriental bones ached -with the cold, and I was glad when our steamer turned its prow southward -to come under the sun again. - -Yet I shiver even now as I think of that indescribable, penetrating -cold, for the blood under my tropical skin seemed to stagnate and -congeal. I thought of Dr. Johnson’s remark about his visit to the -Hebrides, “worth seeing, but not worth going to see.” But he was such an -old egotistic exaggerator that I do not accept everything he says as -gospel true. - -Yet one saying of his I could heartily endorse, remembering the tips I -had to make in England, worse than the baksheesh among the natives in -India. “Let me pay Scotland one just praise—there was no officer gaping -for a fee; this could have been said of no city on the English side of -the Tweed.” - -The constant tips to every one at every turn is a real nuisance. England -may boast of her freedom, yet all her people are in the bonds of slavery -to the tipping custom. I fell in with a couple of young English -gentlemen just starting for China to spend their holidays. They said -they could better afford a foreign tour than to accept invitations from -their friends, as it would be less expensive, for at each house they -might visit, they would have to tip everybody, not with shillings, but -with sovereigns. My American friend spoke of this as one of the fads -that the Anglo-maniacs were trying to introduce into his country, -because it was good form, “like the English, you know.” - -Anent this, I must mention a couple of incidents, though not about -“tips,” rather of sharp tricks, which reflect on myself. - -On our steamer reaching port I was approached by a well-dressed man, who -handed me his card, saying that he was connected with Grinder & Co., my -bankers, and that he would be pleased to assist me in every way. I told -him that I had only a small amount of luggage, that I myself could -easily look after, but as his offer was so friendly I could not abruptly -decline his services, so he gave an order to a porter to carry my -baggage to a cab. A few days afterwards, when I went to look over my -account at the Grinders & Co., I found that I was charged twenty-five -shillings for the distinguished services of this very plausible clerk. I -do not recall the items exactly, but I think there was a shilling for -the bit of card he offered me. - -Another. Just after arriving at my first lodgings in Craven street, -Strand, and had dressed to go out to some restaurant for dinner, the man -of the house, with the most saccharine smile and tone of voice, said -that they were just about to sit down to a family dinner, and he would -be pleased to have me join them. An uncle or aunt, if I had either, -could not have invited me with more grace and suavity. It was a very -good dinner, and I tried to do the agreeable in conversation, telling -them about India, as it seemed I ought to give some return for their -kindness, but I had a different feeling when I came to settle my bill, -and found myself charged with four shillings for the dinner. - -I was cutcha in the ways of the civilized world, that is, green, unripe, -and am so still, even in my old age, and doubt if I ever shall be ripe, -for I am often taken in by the plausibility of men and also women. After -some such experience a kind of mental gloom comes over me, and I feel -like repeating Hamlet, after his grandest eulogy of man, “And yet to me -what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me, no, nor woman -neither.” - -Talking about tips, one day my American fellow voyager told me this: “A -Yankee, standing on the stern of a steamer leaving Liverpool, held up a -shilling and cried out, ‘If there’s a man, woman or child in this island -I’ve not tipped, come forward now, as this is your last and only -chance.’” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - -Returning, we soon thought of setting our faces toward the east, though -first to the Continent, to see which, I had said I was leaving India, -but had forgotten it for something else, and yet would have obtained -forgiveness of that something for this slip of my pen had I asked it. I -had seen Great Britain, England, the home of my Government, yet not my -home, as some Eurasians style it, or as I have heard some Europe-clad -natives speak of England, as if they had been born there. The fact is, I -was so badly mixed up in my make-up that I hardly knew where my home -really should be. I am in somewhat of the quandary of a man who was born -of an English father, a Scotch mother, on an American ship, in African -waters. - -I had made good use of my time in seeing England. I had studied the -solid, smileless, arrogant Englishman, who acts, particularly in India, -as if he felt that when God had finished making him and his set, He had -but little earth from which to make the rest of mankind. He is born a -grumbler and a grasper. He is ever finding faults in other people. He is -always reaching out to get something, and ever kicking when others try -to get a little wealth or a small share of the earth’s surface. In one -of my rural tours I saw some swine—and a noble breed of hogs they were, -such as we never see in India. When they were fed, one fat old fellow -stood sideways to the trough to keep the others away, and when he had -got his fill, what did the brute do but lie down lengthwise in the -trough to prevent the others from getting anything. Why the very hogs -seemed to be characteristic of England. She has more than half of North -America, the richest part of Asia, all the Antarctic continent, many -islands of the ocean, and while she keeps all she has got she grasps for -more. Without conscience as to her own methods of acquisition, she kicks -when poor old Russia wants a few barren frozen steppes of central Asia, -useless to anybody else, and unmindful that she has just absorbed -Burmah, she kicks when France wants a little slice of Siam; she holds -Egypt for the benefit of a lot of usurers, and took Burmah on the plea -of protecting a sharp trading company. It is curious to note that all -the annexations and usurpations of England have been preceded by some -trading company, and yet her society folks and aristocracy have such a -dislike to trade and tradespeople. - -Whether it is the climate, the rain, the fog, the sticky mud, the solid, -half-cooked food, and the heavy beer that has made England what she is, -yet she is a great nation in her way, the power of the world, with very -grand, noble impulses. - - “Is not their climate foggy, raw and dull, - On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale, - Killing their fruit with frowns?” - -I am a great believer in climate and food in the making of men. A man is -what he eats, and, according to the climate he lives in, robust or -feeble. Go from the Arctic or colder regions, toward the equator, and -every few hundred miles there can be seen a physical degeneracy of -mankind, and the mental qualities must also be affected. Italy is an -approach to India, and Egypt more so. The ready memorizing people of -tropical Bengal are as exuberant as the vegetation around them, and like -the vegetation, they are watery, without strength or firmness. How -different from the sturdy hardwood forests of the north and its hardy, -brave people! Take a Hindu, a Bengali, with his slender worm-like -fingers, and transplant him to Norway. What would he do with an axe -trying to fell a sturdy pine? It would be a sight worth going to see. -What would those rice-eaters do in stemming the stormy blasts of a -northern winter? I once saw a fight in the streets of London, of men -with brawny arms, and fists that came with sledgehammer force upon each -other! Some day, when I can get leisure, I am going to write an article -on fists, and the people who can make them. There is so much of human -character in a fist. - -I never saw a native of India make up a fist for a fight. When they do -not attack each other with their tongues, at which they are experts, the -bamboo lathi, native to the climate, is their natural weapon, and then -it is not a face to face, but a behind the back attack, a sure sign of -weakness and cowardice. I am an admirer of the Anglo-Saxon in the -English in this, that they have such a steady, stolid pugnacity, never -knowing when they are whipped, and fight for what they think is right -till there are none left to fight; always keep their backs behind them -and their faces toward their foes, and it never need be asked of them -when they return from battle, “Have they their wounds in front?” - -Take another country. Where would the grim theology, philosophy and -metaphysics of the German people be without their cold, sluggish -climate, the black rye bread, the beer, the rank cheese, the sauerkraut, -the sausages, and everlasting pipe? It is a wonder they can think at -all, so clogged and befuddled their minds must be, and the results of -their thinking is just what might be expected, heavy and cloggy. We went -to Germany, and it was among her people that I got this impression. - -We spent most of our time, nearly a year, in France, that paradise of -the world, neither too hot nor too cold, and would ever have remained -there if possible; the land of bright skies, of fruit and flowers, with -its happy, contented, courteous people. Better a dinner of herbs in -France, with its sunshine, than roast beef in England and fog therewith. -No wonder that the French think so little about heaven when they have -such a beautiful country to live in on earth. - -What shall I say of the lively, entertaining, vivacious, polite people? -They were another kind of human animal, altogether different from any -that I had met. They are native to their own climate, light and airy. We -were constantly reminded that we were in a land of epicures, among a -people of good taste, for whom exquisite cooking was a necessity as well -as a pleasure. I could well understand the remark of a Frenchman about -England, as a country of a hundred religions and not one good soup. - -It may be heathenish in me, but I have always had a liking for good -food, probably because there was such a fearful lack of it to me as a -child. In the first part of our lives we are mostly growing animals, and -think more of provender than we do of piety, or many other good things. -I might have swallowed the Athanasian creed, and all like it at school, -if only our grub had been a little more palatable. I recall Mr. Jasper’s -remark that the boys in his father’s family were more obedient, and so -more religious, because of the good Sunday dinners the mother gave them. -I also remember that my villagers were very indifferent about the -improvements I suggested, or to anything I told them, until they got -enough to eat, and then I could have led them with a hair. But I am -wandering again. - -I do not wonder that the sea-girt isle envies France the richness of her -possessions and the prosperity and happiness of her people, yet I cannot -understand why she should antagonize her and carp at everything she -does, except it is in the nature of an Englishman to do so. He tries to -speak French but fails egregiously. The attempt of a grumpy Englishman -who speaks his own language as if he was afflicted with chronic catarrh -trying to use that sprightly spirited tongue, is as grotesque as it -would be to see an elephant trying a sword dance. Some one has said that -if he spoke to God it would be in Spanish, to his mistress in Italian, -to angels in French, to butchers in English and to hogs in German. I am -not scholar enough to discuss this statement, yet I think he is correct -in regard to French and English. - -Not only in their cookery, but in their homes, the French have fine -taste. They are great admirers of the beautiful in art, and cultivate it -in nature, even among the poor. As to their dress, especially of the -women, even the servant girls, however cheap the material, had their -clothing fitted with such grace that they might have stood as fashion -models for the rest of the world. But as I am only an outside barbarian -I may be mistaken. I can only tell of the way it appeared to me. - -I was struck with the extreme courtesy and kindness of the French. Once -in London I wished to ask the direction to some place and stepped into a -counting-house and with all the politeness I possessed, made my request. -The pompous little god of the establishment, with no more expression in -his face than in that of a marble statue, looked at me as it seemed for -some minutes and then blurted out, “Do you take this for an intelligence -office?” I was so completely whipped that I had not a word to reply and -got out of the door as quickly as possible. In France, whether from the -blue blouses or the exquisites, I never received anything but the most -delightful courtesy. They not only directed me, but more frequently -offered to go and show me the way. Manners make the man, and as the men, -so will the nation be. - -While in Europe we went everywhere with our guides and guide books until -we were weary and surfeited with sight-seeing. I am no artist, still I -do not like to be considered quite a muff in regard to art works. Some -artists are so conceited as to think that manufacturers of art alone are -capable judges of it. A man can have an excellent idea of a well-fitting -suit though he never touched a pair of scissors or a needle, why not of -painting, though he never smelled paint or handled a brush? - -I know this, however, that we saw enough of the old masters to last us -for this world and the next, flaming daubs of color, plump madonnas, fat -babies and gorgeous fleshy angels with wings. I never could understand -why angels should be provided with wings, unless their excursions are -confined to our atmosphere, and they never get beyond our earthly -region. Christians attack materialists for their lack of the spiritual, -but if there is anything more materialistic than is found in the -Christian religious descriptions of heaven and heavenly beings, then I -have been too much of a heathen to discover it. There is, however, this -difference in the two kinds. The one is solid and real, based on facts, -the other is fluorescent, fantastic, built of dreams. - -Another thing we had enough of and that was church museums, and my wife -begged of me not to mention church this, or church that, to her again. -We were constantly asked, “Have you been to such a church, seen such a -painting or piece of sculpture? Did you hear the music in such a -church?” Not a word about the worship. Some ancient writer has said that -the churches were first adorned so as to attract the heathen. That may -be the case still, as probably many Christian heathen now go to them, -but as I am only a Barbarian heathen I certainly was not attracted or -pleased. Why the house of God, the place of prayer and spiritual -worship, should be turned into a curiosity shop, art gallery, a museum -for relics, or as a charnel house be profaned with dead men’s bones, is -something I am too ignorant to explain. There seems to be a blasphemous -incongruity in all this to my untrained mind. Religious worship seemed -to be but a showy performance and the churches, places of amusement, all -to please the senses. Frequently as we entered a church a priest would -be having some service before an altar, paid to mumble by the hour, with -a few old women or crippled men in front or rather at his back. These -seemed to be the only people in church except on gala days. Our guide, -also a priest, would take us from chapel to alcove and point out all the -curious things, and passing within a few feet of the performer chatted -as gaily as if he was chief showman expecting a pour boire, as he was. -It all went on as a matter of business and reminded me of a Hindu temple -where the priest is muttering prayers before an idol, while the people -are chattering, buying and selling around him. The only difference, the -one was in Europe and the other in India; the one more grand and -beautiful than the other. The spirit and show of idolatry was the same. -Is it any wonder that men become irreligious, infidels, when they see -all this insincerity, hypocrisy, the heartless form and ceremonies in -pretense of worshiping the Almighty? It is impossible for thinking men -to be such fools as to suppose that God is pleased with all this parade -and show. - -A Frenchman summed up the matter thus: “The people, that is the masses, -need some serious amusement and there is nothing so innocent and -harmless as religion, so let them enjoy it.” An Italian said: “If you -want to find real religious life in the Catholic church, Rome is the -last place in which to seek for it. Religious faith has died out of the -Italian mind.” The French as a people have thrown away their religious -performance, not faith, as they probably never had any faith in it, and -could not have done otherwise as thinking beings with the spurious -article offered them, but the Italians are head over ears in their -religious galas and carnivals as a pleasant pastime. There is not a more -idolatrous, religiously frivolous nation on earth than the Italian. - -They prove the truth of the statement that where religious ceremonials -predominate there is an absence of morality and the highest spiritual -life. - -Newman in 1832 wrote: “Rome, the mightiest monster, has as yet escaped -on easier terms than Babylon. Surely, it has not yet drunk out the -Lord’s cup of fury nor expiated the curse. And then again this fearful -Apocalypse occurs to my mind. Amid the obscurities of that Holy Book one -doctrine is clear enough, the ungodliness of Rome, and further its -destined destruction. That destruction has not yet overtaken it; -therefore it is in store. I am approaching a doomed city.” Did he tell -the truth, or did he afterward fall into error when he became a cardinal -of that same Rome? - -The Roman church is but a huge excrescence, an abnormal fungus, -supported perhaps by an unseen slender stem of truth. Its greatness -compels our wonder and astonishment. Strip this church of its grand -architecture, its fine art, its beautiful music, its gorgeous -ceremonies, and there would be little left of it, and that little, its -creed and outrageous assumption, would command scant respect from a -rational intelligence. - -I could not help asking myself frequently: What would Jesus say if he -were to visit these churches? If he drove the changers of money and the -sellers of doves from the ancient temple, what would he not do in these -modern places of luxury, show and tips? - -He never built a church or gave a hint about one. He had nothing to do -with reliquaries, feretories, calices, crosiers, crosses, pyxes, -monstrances, chasubles, capes, embroidered stoles, altar antependiums or -silk banners. As a philanthropist, a lover of men, he went about doing -good among the poor and needy. What would he say to the vast expenditure -of money on immense structures, receptacles for statues, idols, -paintings, ornaments, relics, when the poor all around them are -starving, not only for the bread of life but for crusts for the body? -What about the high salaried church officials, from the Pope and -archbishops down, when Jesus had not where to lay his head? Are all -these followers of Jesus? They may be, but a long way behind. - -The best of the sermons Jesus ever preached was from a fisherman’s boat -at the water’s edge to a multitude seated on the ground of the shore. He -had no vestry into which to retire, no clerical garments, no ornamented -pulpit, no pompous processions, no trained choir, no incense or -perfumery, but an abundance of good things for the souls of men. He -evidently was not a caterer to the sight or senses of the people, but -aimed to reach their hearts with the truth. - -Let any one read the advertisements of what is to occur in some of the -big churches. No mention is made of the religious part, but of the -selections from some famous operas, the performance of a brilliant mass, -the presence of some noted opera singers, who, from the play houses on -week days, take their parts in the churches on Sundays—are the main -objects of attraction. The worship of God seems to be a secondary -affair, as entirely unworthy of notice. The church busies itself with -architecture, painted windows, vestments, surpliced choirs, splendid and -impressive services, which appeal to the senses of the flesh, while it -becomes dulled to the great pressing sins of the individual and the -great wrongs of society. - -Let there be museums, art galleries, opera houses and music halls, but -there should be no mixing up of the services of God with the pleasures -of the world, so that when a heathen like myself happens to go to -church, he need not become confused and have to ask the guide if he has -not come to the wrong place. - -The inconsistency is not all, but the outrageous, sinful incongruity to -an honest man, of all these forms and shows, is that the people taking -part in them appear as if they were playing a sharp trick on the -Almighty in trying to make Him believe they are worshiping Him, when all -they are doing is to please themselves. This reminds me of the Romish -priests in southern India substituting an image of the virgin for that -of Krishna. When remonstrated with, the priests replied that the people -did not know the difference, and the virgin would get all the worship. I -cannot help thinking that there is no necessity for a man to be a -trickster or a hypocrite, even if he be a Christian. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - -At last we were homeward bound, having “done” Europe, Turkey, Egypt, and -seen various objects of interest in Bombay. - -It gave me the greatest satisfaction that my wife was delighted with my -home, our home. We had made many purchases, and for several months, as -we were in no hurry to end this great pleasure, we were busy in -unpacking and arranging our treasures. One of our chief delights was in -the large stock of excellent books added to my already quite extensive -library. I had always delighted in books, and those of the best authors -on every variety of subjects. It is a gratification to find so many -different views, even on the same subject, and one can appreciate the -wise saying, “It is one of the special dispensations of an all-wise -Providence that every plank has two sides, and that no man is able to -see both sides at once.” - -When in trouble enough to crush life out of me, I resorted to my -library, and when despised and shunned by those around me I found -never-failing friends and companions in my books, and pleasure in my -flowers, so that I could well appreciate the beautiful lines of Lander: - - “The flowers my guests, the birds my pensioners, - Books my companions and but few besides.” - -I have been an omnivorous devourer of books, and cannot enumerate them. -Sydney Smith, when asked of the books he had read, replied, “I cannot -tell you a thing about them, neither can I catalogue the legs of mutton -I have eaten, and which have made me the man I am.” What now greatly -pleased me was that my wife also was a great reader, not of the -flippant, superficial stuff, but of the more substantial sort, so that -with our mutual tastes and an abundant supply of books, we were a world -to ourselves, and society was not a necessity to us. She knew enough of -India to be aware that those not in the ring or clique of the civil or -military services were tabooed as not in society. This prejudice or -class pride is something I never could comprehend. - -This is a queer, mad, man-made world though Providence has provided the -materials. - -It is amusing to watch the antics of society. Once, on a train, two -young officers traveling third-class to save money, at a station just -before they reached their journey’s end, slipped into a first-class -compartment to save appearance, and make their friends think they -traveled first-class. This was but an innocent deception compared to -that of an officer in high position who always went second class, yet -signed a declaration on honor, that he traveled first-class, and so got -his first-class allowance. - -Society has a horror of anything not first-class in India. It will pinch -and pare in private, that it may spread its tail feathers like a peacock -in public. The Stoics had a belief that the peacock was created solely -for its tail, and these society folk may have the same notion about -themselves. I have known a woman, a lady, cut down the wages of her -half-starved servants, and squabble over the price of some cheap -vegetables, who would put down a large subscription for a testimonial to -some swell whom she had never seen or cared a pin about. - -We, that is, my wife and I, had never spoken of my Eurasian descent, yet -I could but feel that she was conscious of its disadvantages. Who could -be in India, among its Christian people, only for a few months, without -seeing the upturned noses of refined, Christian ladies and gentlemen, -when a reference was made to any one who had been touched with the -racial tar brush? - -“But why the——do you always bring this up?” some one may ask. I don’t -bring it up, for it is always up with me. - - “For that dye is on me, - Which makes my whitest part black.” - -I might as well be asked why I carry my nasal organ about with me, or if -people should ever be hitting this facial protuberance of mine, why -should I take offense? Even a worm will turn if trod upon. When we were -on our train in the railway station in Bombay, a lady looked into our -apartment, and remarked to her friend: “There’s an Eurasian in there, we -will find another place.” - -At one of the stations where we stopped for breakfast, as soon as I took -my seat at table, a man, I only knew he was a padri by his clothes, -arose and went to the other side. He probably, the next Sunday in his -service, read, “Since God hath made of one blood,” etc., but this was in -his prayer-book, and what he did at table was of a weekday color. In -company, at times when others were introduced with a smile and a shake -of the hand, some were so afflicted with frigid faces and stiffness in -their necks that I scarcely got a smile or a nod. - -I would not lisp a word about this if it were not for their passing as -people of culture and refinement, and more, or worse, as Christians. - -While away from India, I almost forgot that I was born under a curse, -but I was so forcibly reminded of it on the steamer, returning, and on -reaching Bombay, that my old feelings came back with renewed vigor, more -so on account of my wife. I endeavor to act like a man. I will not say -gentleman,—as that seems to be a special society made article of which I -think God is ashamed and disowns—and with courtesy and kindness, but I -am instantly and always in India, made to feel that I am an intruder, as -I really am. But who was the author of my intrusion and the cause of my -confusion? Therein is the sting and bitterness. - -Instead of asking why I, or we, cannot let this subject drop, should not -you, high-toned merchants, ladies, gentlemen, teachers, preachers, -Christians, followers of Jesus, all of you, show that your practice has -some relation to your creeds and professions? My experience had taught -me what to expect, and I was prepared for anything that might happen, -even the worst, and this nearly always did occur. A man may rough it and -bear any amount of brunt for himself, but if he has a particle of soul -of manhood in him, as a husband, he cannot bear the thought of a slight -or a snub to his wife without taking offense, especially when he is the -innocent cause of it. - -We were a kingdom by ourselves, and supremely happy, yet I knew we must -see people and I was in constant dread. The time soon came. - -There were to be some sports, and all the station were expected to be -present. Even society likes a crowd to look on, though the unregenerate -residuum are kept outside the ropes. I thought this a good opportunity -to make our first public appearance, so in our phaeton, drawn by a pair -of the best steppers in the station, we were driven to the parade -ground. I saw that our coming excited considerable curiosity, and to -tell the truth, I was not the least displeased at this. A number of my -acquaintances came up to greet me, for I had some friends, and don’t -wish it to be understood that because there are lots of cads and snobs, -that I think all the better class of people belong to these grades. I -was proud of this recognition. I have always had pride as every one -should have, and mine, myself being the best judge of it, was an honest -kind, based on my good intentions and self respect as a man. I never -forgot the saying of Mr. Percy, “Charles, be a man.” He was a man who -hated any false way, a manly, noble man, pure and clean, true as steel, -and one in whom Jesus, or any other good person, would have been -delighted as a companion, a friend without guile. To be a man, to have -subdued all the baseness that pertains to the flesh, and to have the -honesty, purity, courage and nobility that belongs to real manhood, is -what it seems to me to be Godlike. When one has reached that condition -he has obtained what the religious call “salvation,” and is prepared for -the life to come. There are so many pigmies—no that is not the word—as -they are only pigmies in goodness, but giants in evil—coarse-minded, -foul-worded, sordid and base in everything, deceivers and seducers, -living in the slime and filth of vice. They are the eels and slugs of -humanity, living in the mud, while the pure and good are like the -delicate trout that can live only in the springs at the source of the -streams, but here I am going astray again. - -I said that I had pride. I was proud of my wife and the way she received -my friends. There was not a woman present who was her superior in -appearance, manners or dress, and I knew, with her spirit, she could -hold her own with the best of them, and I was not mistaken. As others -came up to our company a white-haired, white-faced, flashily dressed -swell, with an air of self-importance, putting his one-eyed glass to his -eye, bowed to my wife with the remark, “Pardon me, but doncher know, I -think I must have met you before.” This was said with a bold, -patronizing air, with a London cockney tone and accent. My wife not at -all disconcerted, with a laugh in her voice, replied, “Oh, yes, Mr. -Smith, I remember you well. It was years ago, in Roorki, at a croquet -party, when you told me that if I preferred that Eurasian I could do so. -And to show you that I made use of the liberty you gave me, allow me to -introduce you—Mr. Smith, Mr. Japhet, my husband.” - -I would rather have lost the value of my best horse than to have missed -that scene. It was so sudden—a flash of Irish wit. Mr. Smith scarcely -nodded, though I made as graceful a bow as I could. His white face -turned scarlet, and he seemed to be stricken dumb with all eyes upon -him. I think he would have blessed his stars if the stand had broken -down at the risk of killing a score of people, if a woman had fainted or -a horse had rushed among us, but nothing happened. - -I think it was not her words alone, but the sight of me, “That -Eurasian,” one who had claimed to be the son of Mr. Smith, the -Commissioner. This seemed to give a paralysis to his mentality. For a -few moments, an age it seemed, he stood gazing as if trying to get the -remnants of himself together, he, slightly bowing, turned away with his -blushes thick upon him. I saw at a glance of the company that my wife -had made her first innings with great eclat. There is nothing like -winning at the start. It gives courage to the winner and commands -respect from others. I need not say that I felt intensely pleased with -my wife, not only for the independent, capable spirit she showed, but -for her brave recognition of me, her husband. How else could I feel? I -must also say that I was greatly pleased with the utter discomfiture of -my white-faced brother, Mr. Smith. Some very goody-good people might say -that such a feeling was wicked, but I cannot help that. I confess to -being a little wicked at times, but my wickedness is not of the low, -debased kind. I despise stealing, and yet I would delight in tripping up -a thief who was trying to escape. In the same spirit, I am delighted -when impudence and arrogance takes a tumble. The theory is, that when -you are smitten on one cheek you should turn the other also for a smite, -but when is it ever put in practice? I doubt if it is practicable. I -know that if I had acted in that way, I would not only have had both my -cheeks knocked away, but would have lost my head as well. I have a -theory of my own, which is this, especially in dealing with Christians. -They always teach the turning the other cheek doctrine, though they -never act upon it. Yet, as a man of honor, I am bound to take them at -their word, that they always do as they wish to be done by. So, when any -one of them hits me on the one cheek, I must logically believe that, as -a gentleman and a Christian, he wishes me to do unto him as he did to -me, and I give him as good in return, and, to show my generosity, go him -a little better as interest on his investment. How am I to do -differently? - -If, when he states his doctrine, I should doubt his word, he might say I -was no gentleman, so when I take him to mean just what he says, he -certainly should not find fault with what he gets. - -I know there is much of preaching that becomes extorted, tired out, -completely exhausted before it reaches practice. It is strange what -different notions there are. Once a prominent Christian defrauded me out -of quite a sum of money that I had loaned to assist him. He was not -poor, or I could have overlooked the debt. After waiting, running and -dunning him until my patience was exhausted, my temper raised to welding -heat, and I was on the verge of using, not the Queen’s English, but -rather that of King George the Fourth, this very religious debtor of -mine said, “Mr. Japhet, I am afraid you are not showing a Christian -spirit.” The cheek of this pious cheat and thief, talking “Christian -spirit” to me! I scarcely need say that I gave him a little of his -personal biography that he probably did not relate to his family or -friends. There is a great deal of what the English call “rot” in all -this pious twaddle among some religious people that is repugnant to my -taste, heathen though I be. - -I accept what the noble Lord Tennyson has said, “I am Calvinist enough -to have a willingness to be damned for the glory of God, but I am not -willing to be damned to satisfy the hatred, pride and hypocrisy of men -no better than I am.” - -One morning one of the headmen of my villages came to my house in a -great state of excitement. It appeared that an ofiun walla sahib had -come into the district and had sent his police to take away a number of -the cultivators. To understand the matter myself, I went without any -delay, and found that some of the best men had been taken, for what -purpose the people did not know. I went several miles further, where I -found a large tent under a tree. In front, at a table, sat a European -surrounded by a number of policemen. Before him were several hundred -natives seated in rows upon the ground. I sent my card and asked for an -interview, which was granted. I explained who I was, that I was the -owner of some villages, that as some of my ryots had been taken I had -come to make inquiries. He replied that he was the agent of the Opium -Department, and had been ordered by Government to come into the district -and arrange for the cultivation of opium. He said it would be a good -thing for the people, as he would make contracts and give advances on -the crop. I made no objection to his statements, knowing well the -absolute and despotic power of a Government officer, and that any -argument in opposition from me would defeat my purpose; that it was the -best policy for me to be as docile as possible. I wished to get my -people released, and I well knew that if I showed any fight he would -exercise his power and I would inevitably be defeated. The Hindu proverb -is a good one. “Soft words are better than harsh; the sea is attracted -by the cool moon, and not by the hot sun.” - -After hearing all his statements, I replied that I was trying some -experiments with new kinds of seeds, in the rotation of crops, deep -ploughing, and in the introduction of imported cattle, and that it would -greatly interfere with my plans if the people were diverted from them. -He at first demurred, because his men had told him that there was very -rich land in the villages best suited for opium; that he would like also -to experiment in his line. This he said with a smile, as if taking me on -my own ground, that a few patches of poppy would not interfere with my -purposes. I then went on my knees, metaphorically speaking, and begged -him as a special favor that he would grant my request. My earnest -pleading as a suppliant must have touched him, for he at once said, “Mr. -Japhet, as a special favor, under the circumstances you have stated, I -will release your men, though it may make discontent among the people of -other villages.” He then gave an order for my ryots to be called, and -they went away greatly relieved, and as they afterwards told me, were -very grateful for what I had done. After thanking the officer for his -kindness, I took my departure. - -I have often thought of this incident, and to tell the truth, have been -ashamed of my cringing attitude in order to carry out my purpose. But -what else could I have done? When one, unarmed, meets a brigand who -points a pistol at his breast, even the bravest of men will deem it best -to surrender and deliver the contents of his pockets, expressing thanks -to his assailant for his courtesy in not discharging his weapon. It is -very easy to talk about courage when there is no danger in front of you. - -The natives of India are accused of being cringing and truculent, of -being invariable liars and deceivers. How could they be anything else? -They have been subjects of tyranny and deception for a thousand years or -more, when not only their little property, but their lives, were at the -absolute disposal of their rulers and the robber minions of Government, -so they have become inevitably what they are. - -As I left the presence of the Sahib and had reached the road, a rather -elderly Hindu of fine appearance threw himself on his knees in front of -me, and putting his arms around my legs, he touched his forehead upon my -boots several times. This was done so quickly that I had not time to -check him. Then lifting up his head and still on his knees, he held up a -paper in one hand and five rupees in the other. He said that the ofiun -walla sahib had made him sign a contract by which he was to cultivate a -certain amount of land for opium, and had given him five rupees as an -advance on the crop. He said that it was contrary to his religion, -against his caste and his dastur or custom to raise opium; that he -wanted to raise food for his bal batchas, children, and begged of me to -intercede with the sahib and get his contract annulled. He pleaded most -piteously. I lifted him up and talked with him. I told him that the -sahib was a Government officer, while I was only a zemindar, and that if -I went to him he might become angry and double the contract. I certainly -was disposed to help him, but I knew that if I interceded for him I -would have hundreds of others at my feet, and there would be no end of a -hullabaloo, and the sahib would have his own way in the end and make it -even worse for the people. “Why awaken sleeping leopards?” “It is no use -to sharpen thorns,” are common Hindu proverbs. - -I learned afterwards that numbers went to the Collector of the District, -who was as much of an autocrat and a despot in his way as was the other. -He always resented any one foraging in his pasture. He wrote an -indignant letter to the opium agent, and the latter replied that if the -collector would attend to his own business he might find enough to do. - -Such was the commencement of opium growing in that district. There were -about a million people in the district, and I doubt if any one of them -had ever seen a poppy head until it was raised under the forced -contracts of the opium agent. I was well acquainted with the district, -had traveled everywhere in it, and had never seen a sign of opium either -among the people or in the fields; and I question if there ever had been -an ounce of opium used unless in medicine given by the doctors. The -people did not want it in any shape, either for use or cultivation. - -Why then was its cultivation forced upon these heathen, as Christians -delight to call them? Simply and solely for revenue, for the money there -was in it. The contracts were of the strictest kind, and the slightest -violation of them would make a man a criminal. The plots of land were -measured and recorded, the methods of preparing the soil, the time of -sowing the seed, the collection of the juice and the saving of the -refuse, were all minutely detailed. Every particle of the plant worth -anything had to be delivered to Government under pain of fine and -imprisonment, and for all his labor and anxiety the ryot got only a -pittance, while the Government received a profit of nine hundred per -cent. No one ever raised opium under these contracts but at a loss -compared with what he could have received from his usual crops. - -There was no local market for the opium when produced. Probably not a -pound a year would have been purchased by the inhabitants if left to -themselves. In order to facilitate the use of a drug of which the people -were happily ignorant and did not want, the Government licensed men in -different places to sell it, and even then there were no sales. To begin -the trade these licensees were then ordered to give away samples, and so -by degrees the people were educated in the opium habit. In a few years -quite a number became confirmed opium users, and the evil, like the -virus of a disease inoculated in the blood, spread over the district -with its usual demoralizing effect. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - -It was the same with liquor. For years I never saw a drunken man in the -district. There were no spirits made, none to be obtained and none used. -It is contrary to the religion of the better classes of Hindus to have -anything to do with liquor in any manner, and the Muhamedan religion -prohibits its use entirely. The people were in blissful ignorance of the -use and effects of liquor. Along came the abkari agent of the Revenue -Department of Government who saw a great field for his operations and he -at once arranged for the erection of four distilleries. Natives in the -Government service, both Hindu and Muhamedan were placed in charge. At -first the distilleries were idle, but by sending out agents to offer big -prices for sugar cane refuse, the natives were induced to bring the -stuff for sale. Then the liquor was not used and the same methods were -employed as for the introduction of opium. Places were licensed and -liquor at first given away for the encouragement of trade and the -benefit of the Government revenue. The result was that in a few years -there were drunkards, and the nights were made hideous by their revelry. -Idleness, poverty and crime increased. Broils destroyed the good order -of the communities. The Muhamedan officer in charge told me that every -year there was a large increase in the amount of spirits produced and -the annual reports of Government were exultant over the increased -revenue from this department. One of the members of the Board of -Revenue, an Englishman, in one of his tours of examination boasted of -the increasing success of the liquor traffic among the natives and the -consequent advantage to Government. A man might as well boast of his -seduction of innocence, of his robbery of widows or of defrauding the -simple-minded. But what of the officers of Government, intelligent men, -calling themselves Christians, representing a civilized Christian -people, deliberately planning a scheme with the all-powerful, despotic, -brute force of Government to debauch and degrade the ignorant, -simple-minded people of India? The devil himself, if there be one, as -the Christians devoutly believe, must have made hell ring with laughter -when he saw what these Christian officers of a Christian nation were -doing to help him damn the world. - -It may be asked why did the people submit to such tyranny and raise -opium? Only an innocent, unacquainted with the power and methods of the -Indian Government would ask such a question. - -What else could these helpless people do but to go when seized by the -policemen of the opium agent, and to take the contracts forced upon -them? The Collector of the District was snubbed by the agent for his -interference and when he referred the matter to the Government of the -Province, he was told in polite, but very emphatic terms, that he was -not to meddle with things outside his own department. As this is a true -story I could name the place, the year, and give the names of all the -officers concerned, but as such methods of raising revenue were no -secret, why be personal? A European, writing of the Eskimos, says: “Our -civilization, our missions and our commercial products have reduced its -material condition, its morality and its social order to a state of such -melancholy decline that the whole race seems doomed to destruction.” -Would not this be applicable to India, especially as regards the -introduction of European vices? - -Why did the natives continue to cultivate opium after the Government -pressure had been removed? Because there was a little ready money in it. -They are so desperately impoverished that the offer of money is a -temptation not to be resisted. Nothing is so attractive to a native as -an advance of money, peshgi. He will often make a ruinous bargain or -take a losing contract if he can get a prepayment, trusting to fate to -help him out in the end. Though heathen, they are not more able to -resist temptation, when money is in question, than their Christian -fellow men. I learned when in England that the business of a publican -was considered degrading and disgraceful, yet there were many church -members, both Catholic and Protestant, engaged in it. - -Such is the power and worship of wealth that even Her Majesty, the -Queen, and her eminent advisers make peers of brewers and distillers, -and it is not wholly a concealed secret that some prominent -ecclesiastics hold shares in breweries and distilleries. If such things -occur in the civilized Christian light of England, is it to be wondered -at, that the wretched natives of India are tempted by money? - -I frequently took pleasure in tantalizing the natives connected with the -distilleries for having to do with a business contrary to their religion -and customs. They replied that it was utterly hateful to them in every -way, but as servants of Government they had to obey orders or lose their -situations, and this would be poverty and starvation to them and their -families. A Tahsildar was in charge of one of the distilleries. I said -to him, “You are a strict Mussalman, you say your daily prayers, you -rigidly fast during all the Ramazan, and yet you superintend the -manufacture of spirits forbidden by your Koran.” He replied, “I have -been in the Government service over thirty years, and have to obey its -orders. Should I refuse, I would receive my dismissal and this would -greatly reduce my pension on which I retire soon. I am helpless in the -matter and compelled to have charge of a business, of which I am ashamed -and more than that, every day when I go to the distillery I am afraid -that the curse of the Prophet may come upon me for doing what is -contrary to my religion.” - -If the natives of India were asked about the liquor and opium business, -nine-tenths of them, heathen as they are, would say “abolish it at -once.” Why then is it continued? For the sake of the revenue. Were there -no gain from it, the Government would not tolerate it for a day. The -most detestable feature of the whole matter is the philanthropic, -for-the-glory-of-God air, that the Government supporters assume, when -they try to uphold this crime against a conquered and helpless, ignorant -people. One can have some respect for an outspoken, frank man, though he -be wicked, but I have yet to learn that a truckling hypocrite has ever -been regarded with anything but contempt. If the Government of India -would frankly say that it didn’t care a blanked ha’penny about the -morals, happiness or eternal welfare of the people of India or China, -but what it wanted was revenue from opium and spirits, it would be -telling the truth and one might respect its frankness, though detesting -its principles. When it claims that it is cultivating opium and -fostering the liquor traffic out of pure philanthropy, it is presuming -too much on the capacity of human credulity. The statement that if India -does not raise opium, China will do it for herself, or that India should -supply the pure drug, otherwise the Chinese would get it badly -adulterated, is simply twaddle of the thinnest kind, such as any villain -might use as an excuse for his wrong-doing and none but a knave or an -idiot would accept. - -Being such as I am, I have great sympathy for these poor, oppressed -people. I have seen the constantly increasing degradation of India, -through opium and liquor. Year by year it is becoming worse and worse -through the fostering help of this so-called Christian Government. Years -ago, one might travel through the length and breadth of the country, and -not see a man drunk with opium or liquor, now he can see and hear them -everywhere, and the end is not yet. The seed has been sown, and the -harvests are coming. - -Every native, and all Europeans, who are not in the service, and have -not their own selfish interests at stake, will lay the blame where it -properly belongs, on the Government. All the blessings that England has -conferred upon India, will never outweigh this curse of drunkenness, -directly caused by Government authority. - -As I had an experience in regard to the cultivation of opium, so I had -to thwart a plan for the introduction of liquor. Anyone could see, at a -glance, that these villagers of mine were prosperous, and had money to -spend; so the greedy eyes of the agents of the Abkari Department did not -overlook them. One of these men, in one of the villages, by his oily -tongue, and the offer of a big rent, had nearly obtained the lease of a -house, for the sale of liquor and opium. This was at once reported to -me, and I was soon upon the ground. The opportunity afforded me a chance -for a temperance lecture. The people were all collected one evening -under the big tree in front of the school-house. I explained to them -that their ancestors had never used opium or liquor; that their religion -was opposed to the use of these things; that it would be a violation of -their caste and custom, to degrade them all, and make them mlecchas or -outcasts; that the use of them would be a waste of money. I portrayed -all this with explanations, and begged of them that they would not -degrade themselves, and destroy the good name they had got among the -surrounding people. I wanted to touch their pride, as well as to -encourage their feeling of moral responsibility. I saw that I had gained -my point, and might have rested, but I reminded them of what I had done -for their improvement and happiness, and as they well knew that I had -never done anything to their hurt, they should trust me still, but if -they should allow the sale or use of these injurious things, contrary to -my wishes, I would have less interest in helping them in the future. -Instead of this method, I might have given an order, forbidding the -sale, and it would have been obeyed, but it was not my way of treating -these people. I wanted them to take the responsibility, and to make them -feel they had done the work, not I, by an order. - -After the assembly broke up, the man who had lost his chance of getting -a big rent for his house, stopped to ask some questions. “If the use of -opium and liquor were so bad, why did the Sircar, who was the mabap to -all the people, urge and compel them to raise opium, build distilleries -and license places for the sale of sharab? Was the Sircar so bad as to -be willing to injure the people? He had heard in the bazar of the -station, that all the sahibs drank liquor, and that the khitmutgar of -one of the Collectors had said that his sahib would often be drunk after -dinner. All the sahib log were Esai log, Jesus people. If the Christian -religion was the true one, then how could these Christians make opium -and liquor for sale, and use them if it was wrong to do so?” A great -question, as difficult to answer, as it is to excuse Jesus for making -wine; and make an apology for Paul, recommending Timothy to take wine -for his stomach’s sake. It is an unpleasant task to have to apologize -for the wrong-doing of Christians. I explained that the sahibs were only -men, and many of them often did wrong, which was no excuse for others. -If other people should steal, it was no reason why he should become a -thief, no matter who they were. - -Why should he not ask such questions? They are asked daily throughout -India. The occurrences in the European households, the tiffs between -husbands and wives are freely discussed in the bazars, and are as well -known as if they had been performed in the street in open daylight. The -people may be heathen, and uneducated, yet they know a great deal more -than they are credited with. - -There was no more trouble after that about the culture of opium, or the -sale of liquor in the villages. The people saw enough of the evil -effects in the communities around them, where the government had -established liquor and opium dens, to convince them that they had -happily escaped a great calamity and nuisance. - -Not long after this, one of the villages had an object lesson, when I -happened to be present. A sweeper had been away to a village, attending -some festival among his brethren, and returned in a great state of -hilarity. At first he was only amusing, then began to take liberties, -which the people resented. In return he gave them gali, pouring upon -them the foulest abuse. I suggested, they tie him to a tree, and drench -him with water, which they did till he was sober, a great crowd in -attendance, to whom I gave a temperance lecture, with the subject before -me. The next day the village committee came to me to inquire what -punishment should be given to the man for his foul, abusive words. I -suggested they put him on a donkey, with his face tail-wards, and as a -dead vulture had been brought to me, from under one of the trees, that -the skin of this stinking bird should be put on the sweeper as a -headdress. He was soon in position, with his regalia upon him, and the -donkey was led up and down the streets for an hour, while the crowd, -including many from the other villages, for the report of the coming fun -soon spread, made all possible sport with their victim, while the boys -pelted the sinner with bits of earth and rotten vegetables. This I -considered sufficient for the time, but the committee decided, that if -he, or any one else, should commit a like offense, they should be tied -up, drenched with water until sober, and then be flogged. I never heard -of a case of drunkenness in any of the villages afterwards. The people -became a law unto themselves in opposition to the philanthropic -government that tried to make them drunkards. - -Life with us went on with the monotony usual in an India station. From -month to month scarcely anything, not even the unexpected, happened. The -military officers were longing for a break out somewhere, no matter with -whom, the French on the south-east, the Russians on the north-west, or -with the border tribes, so long as it would give them something to do in -their line. Their trade was war, and war they wanted, something to take -the place of the everlasting drill, and to break up the tiresome routine -of cantonment work. The members of the civil service had their daily -grists to grind, and like toilers on a tread-mill, were glad when the -days were ended. Though excluded somewhat, I could hear the murmurs of -discontent. Few seemed to have any real interest in their work. They -considered themselves as exiles driven away from home by necessity, to -become naukars, and their great hope was in furloughs and the prospect -of retirement. As I was at home I made the best of it, and my wife -joined me heartily in promoting our mutual happiness. We had our books, -magazines and papers, which gave us an abundance of enjoyment. Our large -garden gave us recreation and pleasure, while our villages gave us work. - -We often spent days with our friends, the villagers. My wife became the -mama to all the women and girls and they were very quick to profit by -her teachings. She visited them in their houses, criticised their ways -of keeping house, and advised in regard to making their homes pleasant -and comfortable. She showed them how to make various cheap articles. -Soon all hands were busy in trying to excel each other in having the -cleanest and best furnished house. There were no zananas, and the women -had become so accustomed to seeing me at our assemblies that they freely -welcomed me in company with my wife. It may appear very insignificant, -but it has been one of the delights of my life to recall the great -improvements made in the habits of these simple-minded villagers. The -cost was so little and the results very great, showing what a little -teaching and encouragement can do. Cleanliness became a pride, as well -as a habit. If some kept their houses clean, others did not dare to do -otherwise, if not from choice, for fear of remarks. - -The houses were, however, not satisfactory, and my wife suggested that -we build a model house. I selected a spot in a central place, and built -one upon it as cheaply as possible, with a view to substantial use and -comfort. It had two rooms, a small veranda in front, and an enclosed -yard at the back, where the cooking could be done and various articles -be stored. The walls were plastered with clay by the women with their -skill at such work. Then came the furnishing. This model house, matted, -charpoyed, stooled and cupboarded, with pictures cut from illustrated -papers upon the walls, was good enough for a king, and probably much -neater than what some of the lords in England not many years ago -enjoyed. When completed, at one of our evening assemblies I called -attention to it, and promised to give ten rupees to every one who would -build a house like it. I explained to them that by joining together they -could mould the brick, thatch the roofs, and do all the work themselves, -without any outside help—all to work together like busy bees. - -I suggested to the committee that the ground plot of the village should -be enlarged, so as to allow of back yards, with alleys between the -yards. This done, the work went on apace, and soon a number of houses -were built. There was an abundance of grass on the borders of the -fields. I engaged a mat-maker from the city, and set him to instruct the -women as well as men to make mats. At first some hesitated, as it was -not according to their caste to do such work, but they soon fell in, and -it was not long before every house had mats for its floors. Many of the -people had slept on the ground from sheer laziness or custom. I had a -carpenter make same cheap charpoys and then thick mats were made for -them. It was a mat-making community for a while, as no one wished to be -outdone by his neighbor. Then came the making of rude shelves, on which -they could place their trinkets, and soon every house had such a -cupboard. Then little low stools, with twine grass bottoms, on which -they could sit cross-legged if they chose, instead of on the floor as -formerly. The desire for these new things became contagious, and their -eagerness gave us great amusement. - -My wife had offered to give the twine for the mats, the wood for the -shelves, and the pictures for the walls, and still better than all that, -she would give a looking-glass like the one she used, for each house -when it was complete. This last offer took the cake, as every Eve’s -daughter of them was bound to have a looking-glass, and gave her men -folk no rest until they had built a house. I might have planned for days -and nights together, before I could have caught on such a trick as -effective as that. It was a woman’s instinct that did it. My advice and -offer of ten rupees were nowhere compared to the looking-glass for the -erection of new houses. - -The result of our model house suggestion was that within a year there -was not an old house in all the village. Each one was in line, matted, -shelved and pictured, and last but not least, judging by the expressive -faces and appearance of the women, each house had its looking-glass. - -My other villages, seeing what was going on, became extremely jealous, -and their committees called on me and asked what they had done to turn -the hearts of the sahib and mem sahib away from them—to favor one -village and not the others. I was greatly pleased with this sign of -life, and after letting them talk a while, as each member of the -committee had to tell his story of their regard for me, how anxious they -were to please me, and how heartbroken they were to think that I had -forgotten them. - -I asked what they wanted. Were they willing to build new houses? And -they all responded yes, as with one voice. I then promised to do the -same for their villages as I had done for the other, when they fairly -embraced me, and departed with protestations of love for me and the mem -sahib. They had not left her out, for they had probably been well -instructed before they left home, as they very politely asked, “And the -looking-glasses too, mem sahib?” She responded, with a laugh, “Yes, to -every house a looking-glass.” Soon we had a model house in each village, -and for days I was occupied in staking out the ground for houses, alleys -and yards. - -Before another year all the old houses had disappeared, the rubbish -removed and everything was spick and span new and clean, a wonderful -change compared to the filthy places formerly occupied. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - -One evening my wife came into our rest house, from the other villages -where the houses were nearly finished, and I saw that she was greatly -pleased at something that had occurred. She said that the women had all -come to her and almost their only question was about the -looking-glasses. She asked, “Suppose there are no looking-glasses in -Calcutta, then what am I to do?” Almost a wail of despair went up from -the crowd. “O mem sahib, mem sahib! you must not say that, you promised -and we know you won’t break your promise.” “All right,” she replied, “I -will get you the glasses if I have to go to Wilayat for them,” and they -were all as happy as some little girls would be at the promise of dolls -from Paris. Bundles of twine, loads of pictures and boxes of -looking-glasses were duly given and all were happy for many a day. - -The greatest aid to me in making improvements was the village -committees, each composed of five men, the majority ruling. For the -selection of these committees I had appointed annual election days when -all the men over twenty years of age, were each allowed to cast a ballot -for the man they wanted. On the morning of the election days the school -teachers took their places apart and the men one by one went to them and -got a ticket written, of the names they chose. These tickets were folded -and the men slipped them into a closed box, a teacher checking the names -of the voters in a list that had previously been made. The only -collusion possible was with the teachers and they were strictly enjoined -not to utter a word of suggestion but only to write the five names given -to them. There was probably considerable electioneering beforehand and -many an hour’s talk as they smoked their hookas, about the make-up of -the new committee. There was considerable excitement over these -elections and it increased year by year and made everybody feel that he -was somebody, though he was only the village sweeper. There was great -interest among the crowd at the close of the polls when the names of the -candidates were read off and counted. - -The committees thus chosen were clothed with authority and felt their -responsibility. They acted with such discretion that I never heard a -word of dissent against any action of theirs. This may be accounted for -that there were no ranting babu pleaders among them and they had not -learned the tricks and bribery of civilized people. They were very -deliberate and assumed such a magisterial air and dignity, that could -not be excelled by the judges of any High Court, and I do not doubt that -their rulings were just as equitable. There was no Court of Appeals -though the committees often came to me for advice and suggestions, but I -never interfered after they had given their decisions, so that it became -a saying amongst the people “The Committee has spoken,” as if nothing -further was to be said or done. I had formed a set of rules which the -committee executed. They settled all disputes, had charge of the tanks -and fishing, looked after the drains and saw that the houses and streets -were kept clean and in order. The system was one of self-government, and -made the people think and act for themselves. - -I had built only one tank near one of the villages. One day not long -after the new houses in the other villages had been completed their -committees came to me in a body. Their spokesman said that I had been -very kind to them, that they did not wish to make any complaint and -hoped I would not be angry with them for making another request, but as -I had built a tank for one village from which its people had water for -their fields and plenty of fish for food, they hoped that I, as their -mabap, would also supply them with tanks. I asked if they would give the -land. Certainly they would do this as they would make allotments of -other fields to those occupying ground where the tanks would be placed. -I gave them a favorable answer and received their hearty thanks. The -tanks were soon dug, the people of the different villages, coming with -their cattle and carts making gala days in helping each other. After the -rains the tanks were stocked with fish which in a few years became very -plentiful. - -The villages were now in a most prosperous condition. I had insisted on -their saving all the refuse and the soil became rich. My theory was that -the man who impoverishes his land steals from his own pocket. There was -an abundance of fuel from the trees that had been planted, so that the -manure was not burned as formerly. There was a rotation of crops with -different kinds of grain and vegetables. Every third year new seed was -imported or got from other parts of India. Grass was grown which with -the green stuff was preserved in silos so that there never was any -scarcity of fodder. The silos were for the preservation of feed, what -the manure pits were for the preservation of manure. The cattle were -from imported stock and excellent, quite a contrast with the poor -half-starved beasts of the surrounding villages. - -I had quite a tussle with my friends on the milk and cow question. It -was formerly the custom for them to let the calves run with the cows and -no milk was procured. I insisted that the calves should not be allowed -to go to their mothers even for a day after their births. The people -said this was not the custom with their forefathers, that it was not -possible, the cows would not give milk or allow themselves to be milked -unless the calves were present. There was very near a rebellion. After -reflection the committees quieted the rest, by saying that the sahib -knew everything and should have his own way, which he had, with the -result that the cows became as good milkers as on any dairy farm in -Europe. - -It was the custom when a calf died to stuff its skin with grass and -every time the cow was milked this imitation calf was placed beside her. - -I learned indirectly that I was extolled as a wonderful sahib, that I -not only knew how to make lightning with a machine, but all about cows -and how to make butter. I had thoroughly studied this latter subject -during my foreign trip as well as about silos. - -There was plenty of fruit from the trees that had been planted. The -committee passed a rule that those appointed to gather the fruit should -bring it to the Chibutra where at evening it was counted or weighed by -the committee and each family given its portion. - -The new houses were abodes of neatness, health and comfort, and each -family took pride in keeping everything in good order. My wife -instructed the women in various industries, among them making articles -to adorn their houses and themselves, so that they were most willing to -accede to her wishes. She gave them flower seeds and every house had its -pots of flowers. The women instead of idling, were very busy in their -household duties or carrying water for their flowers. The people from -the surrounding country for miles came to see my villages as to a fair. -It was something strange for them to see common natives enjoying so much -health, comfort and pleasure and their admiration was a stimulant to the -people. - -I could but pity those around them living in poverty, squalor and filth, -with constant sickness, whilst their landlords lived in cities, grasping -everything they could from their miserable half-starved ryots. - -There were several things from the absence of which we were blessed. -There was not an accursed opium den, liquor shop or money-lender within -our boundary, and I might add no oppressive, grasping zemindar. I had -prevented these evils from the first and the committees insisted that no -one should use opium or liquor; that no one should borrow money outside -of their own circles, and passed a usury law that no one should charge -more interest than six per cent per annum on pain of forfeiture of the -amount loaned, so that these village committees, unlettered heathen, -were considerably in advance of the great Government of India, that next -to the twin curses of opium and liquor, fosters the other curse, the -robbing of the poor by tolerating the incredible percentage of the -money-lenders. - -The Collector of the district in his cold weather tour, once encamped -not far from one of the villages. The committee concluded to make up a -present for the Barra Sahib. They collected vegetables, fruit, flowers, -fish, milk and butter, quite a cart load. When well dressed they -appeared before him, to his surprise and astonishment, as he afterwards -told me, for he could not have got as good supplies from his own house -and garden. This reception greatly pleased them, and he promised to pay -them a visit on the following morning. Bright and early every one was at -work. The clean streets were sprinkled, and all put on their gayest -apparel. Nearly all went to the boundary to meet him, and followed him -in procession with the village band in the lead. This band was quite a -feature at our evening assemblies, melas and fairs. The instruments were -all native, and the music was not such as is heard in the Grand Opera -House in Paris, but it suited the people, so what more could be asked? -The Collector was completely taken aback at the sight, and still more -astonished when he saw the well built houses, every veranda adorned with -flowers and the clean sprinkled streets. They escorted him to the -Chibutra under the big tree, when he told them how pleased he was, and -thanked them for the presents they had sent. The women were particularly -happy when he complimented them on their appearance, the neatness of -their houses, the beauty and variety of the flowers on their verandas. I -was not aware of his going near the village, or I would have been -present, but I was glad that the people had acted of their own accord -and pleasure. - -I have great faith in nature, that if man was not distorted by beliefs, -traditions, customs, education and society, he would be as virtuous, -honest and good as other animals; but that is another subject. - -The committee sent me word of the Collector Sahib’s presence, so I went -out to show him due respect as a loyal zemindar. The committee had a -reason for my coming. The collector’s servants and camp followers had -raided the gardens, fields and fruit trees, taking what they chose and -refusing payment, as usual with them. Besides, some of them had nets and -were catching loads of fish of all sizes. To excuse themselves they said -they were the Barra Sahib’s servants, and wherever they went they took -what they wanted and paid nothing. This was the truth, but did not make -their robbery and insolence any more palatable to my people. On hearing -this I told the committee to come with me to call on the sahib. I had -not met him, as he was a new arrival in the station, and had not called -on me for the probable reason that the cantonment magistrate—somewhat of -a cad, always in debt to his servants and shop-keepers, having a lot of -gambling IOU’s against him in the club at the end of every month—had -dropped my name from the calling list which was in his charge, giving as -a reason to some one that newcomers might not care to become acquainted -with Eurasians. But then he was the second generation from a London -tailor, and as some society expert has observed that it takes seven -generations to make a gentleman, he was only two-sevenths of one, so no -matter. - -The Collector received me with great kindness. He told me of his public -reception, how surprised and pleased he was, that the village was a -paradise compared with others, that it was the model village of all he -had ever seen. When about to take leave, I told him that the committee -were outside the tent. We went out. They hesitated, expecting that I -would talk for them, but I preferred to let them tell their own story. -Their leader began by saying how glad their hearts had been made by his -honor coming to them, that they were all his servants, that everything -in the village was his, and they hoped his highness would not be -offended if they said that some worthless fellows in his honor’s camp -had gone into the fields and taken vegetables and fruit and had caught -fish from the tank with nets which was against the rule, and given -nothing in payment except gali, and threatened if they were reported to -take much more. He told this with great effect in his own eloquent -village language which would lose all its force by translation. - -The Collector at once became very angry and calling his servants -denounced them for committing robbery and disgracing him, and threatened -that if any of them dared to go near the village again he would have -them brought up and flogged. He offered to pay for the stuff stolen but -the committee refused payment as they did not care for the value, but -did not like the insolence and abuse. The Collector then thanked the -committee for reporting the matter. He remarked to me that this probably -happened wherever he went, and no one dared to report to him for fear of -ill treatment. I replied that I had heard of men boasting that they -liked to travel with Government officials, as it never cost them -anything to live. He asked me about the villages and I gave him their -history, of the fish supply in the tank and the rules about taking fish, -not omitting the committee compelling Gulab, as a punishment, to eat the -fish raw that he had caught, at which he was greatly amused. He -afterwards made several visits to the village, calling upon me. We had -some excellent fishing in the mornings at the tank, for he was one of -Izaak Walton’s followers. On his return to the station he and his wife -called on us, and we became the warmest friends, dining with each other -frequently, in spite of the fellow who had charge of the calling list. - -I had another experience soon after, that was not quite so pleasant. The -time for the settlement or re-assessment of the village lands arrived, -and I went out to look after my interests while the Settlement Officer -was present. I had never met this man, but I knew all about him from a -to zed. I called at his tent and sent in my card, when it came back -written upon, “Please state your business.” Had I not known it before, -this would have shown me at once that he was English, for this is one of -their ways of showing their self-importance and of snubbing, as I never -met it in any other class. I wrote that I was the zemindar of the -village, and left him to infer what he chose. Had I stated that I wished -to become acquainted with him, he would likely have replied that he did -not wish my acquaintance, or some similar remark to show that he was a -gentleman; or if I had stated my business he might have sent word that -he would send for me when he wanted me; and this would also have been -English, you know. - -I was admitted to the august presence, with scarcely a nod from him, nor -was I offered a seat. “Well,” said he with a brazen stare, “what can I -do for you?” treating me as if I were some itinerant beggar. I was -flustered and angry, for he had brass enough in his face and insolence -in his manner to upset the temper of a saint. I mildly replied that as -zemindar of the village I had come out of courtesy to him. “Well,” said -he, “as I am about to take my bath, I will bid you good morning,” and -out he went into another apartment. - -I concluded to remain at the village, come what would, without expecting -the pleasure I enjoyed with my Scotch friend, the Collector. The village -committee took the Settlement Officer a fine present, but he treated -them with such contempt that they never went near him again. His -servants robbed the gardens and fruit trees, but I suggested to the -people to say nothing. He every morning fished at the tank and made -large hauls, while his servants came with nets and took away loads of -small fish as well as large. This was done daily, until it became -irritating beyond endurance. The committee came to me with complaints, -and I saw that I must do something or lose my position in their -estimation; so I concluded to beard the lion or jackass, whatever might -happen. I saw him seated in front of his tent. He did not rise or even -nod, or say anything. I did not know why he should have treated me with -such insolence, unless it was in the nature of the beast to do so. - -“Well, what is it?” he finally asked. I replied, “I hope you will excuse -me for troubling you, but your men have gone into the gardens of the -villages and taken vegetables and fruit and abused the people when they -objected.” He stopped me with, “I don’t believe a word of it; -Chuprassi!” and up came a sleek villain whom I had seen in the gardens. -“Did any of the servants go into the village gardens and take -vegetables?” “Khudawand!” said the fellow with his hands together. -“Lord, why should we become bastard thieves when we have all we want in -his highness’ camp?” “There!” said the Khudawand, “I told you that it -was not so.” “But,” I remarked, “I saw this very man in the garden with -his arms full of vegetables.” He made no reply. I continued, “The people -do not mind the loss of the stuff, but they don’t like the abuse they -receive.” He only listened. Have you ever remonstrated with a man when -he only stared? Is there anything more irritating? I went on, “I built a -tank and stocked it with fish at considerable expense, and the rules are -that no outside natives shall fish in it, and the villagers themselves -shall not take fish under a certain size, and that no nets shall be -used; but your servants are daily using nets and carrying away loads of -small fish.” At this he sprang to his feet, blustering out, “I have had -enough of this. That is a public tank, and my servants shall fish there -if they want to.” - -“No,” I said, “that is my tank,” when he cut me short, saying, “I have -had enough; I want to hear no more. It seems to me that you are putting -on a good deal of side for a damned Eurasian, if I must tell you so.” -“Eurasian or not,” I replied, “my father was and is H. J. Smith of -Jalalpur, and as you are his nephew we are cousins; and it comes with -bad grace for you to twit me of being an Eurasian when it was from no -sin of mine, but at the pleasure of your own virtuous, Christian uncle.” -This all came out in a volley before he had time to interrupt me. He -sprang to his feet, for he had taken his seat, his face all aglow with -anger, and shaking his fist at me while he stamped upon the ground, he -fairly shouted, “It’s a lie; all a damned lie! Do you wish to insult me? -You must leave at once. Chuprassi!” But I was off and away before his -minion could come around the tent. - -It was some minutes before I recovered from my terrible anger, and then -I cursed myself by the hour for being such an ass, such an extra -long-eared one, for making a stupid blunder as to quarrel with a -Settlement Officer who had the valuation and taxation of all my lands in -his power. Though I had the satisfaction of telling the truth and -getting rid of some of my bilious indignation, it would have been better -not to have gone to him after the repulse of the first call; rather to -have lost all the fruit and vegetables, all the fish, both small and -great, before angering a settlement officer. - -It is said that there are two parts in a man, right and left, to -dominate the brain in turn. When one part had spoken as above, the other -said, “Who cares what such a man can do? Is it not better to be a man -and stand up for your rights than to cringe like a coward and quietly -submit to the oppression of a tyrant? Was not the heavy blow that you -gave that insolent bully’s head worth more than all the increased -assessments he can make?” Thus the two parts of me alternately held the -floor, the one lamenting the probably increased taxation, the other -pleading for the rights of my manhood. - -The officer did not depart for some days, and though I could do nothing, -I also remained. The whole of the camp followers, taking their cue from -their master, ravaged the gardens and fruit trees. Their delight was in -fishing with nets, a score of them, taking loads of small fish, out of -sheer sport. I remonstrated with them, but they replied with the -insolence of their master that their sahib had told them to catch all -the fish they wanted. The result was that there was not a minnow left in -the tank. The villagers were terribly wrought up. They proposed to -attack the thieves, but this would only have increased the trouble, as -my party would have got the worst of it, not in a fight, but in the -courts, where they would have been brought up for riotous conduct. Many -or all of them would have been taken away from their work or their -homes, kept in jail awaiting trial, and then likely be imprisoned for -years as criminals, for the sahib and his whole camp would have sworn -that my people were the aggressors. “He should hae a lang-shafted spune -that sups kale wi’ the deil,” and I knew that our “spune” had a very -short shaft compared with that of the English gentleman and his crew. - -To vindicate myself, I explained to the villagers what I had done, and -was obliged to let them know what I thought of the sahib. The whole -village was intensely agitated, and nothing was talked of but the -tyranny of the settlement officer, comparing him with the collector -sahib, who was so kind and pleased. - -It happened just as I anticipated, the assessments were increased twenty -per cent. Great stress was laid on the rich productive land, compared -with adjoining villages, on the valuable fruit trees, the comfortable -houses, on the tank yielding a large amount of fish. - -On hearing of the officer’s report I wrote to the Government in the -Revenue Department, making a long statement, showing in what condition I -had found the villages, a lot of dilapidated huts; that I had -contributed several thousand rupees for the construction of houses; that -the soil had been very poor, which I had enriched with fertilizers and -judicious cultivation; that many acres were absolutely barren, usar -land, which I under-drained and fertilized with lime and manure, and -after years of labor and much expense, had changed it to productive -soil; that I had built drains for the streets, and made the villages -healthy; and lastly, I had built the tank and stocked it with fish, -employing men to go a great distance, and bring the best kinds. I might -have told how the tank had been robbed by the camp of the Settlement -Officer, but caution controlled me to say nothing that would irritate, -as I was now a supplicant for mercy, since I knew I could not get -justice. I prayed that under the circumstances, the assessment might -remain as formerly, or at the same rate as of the villages in the -vicinity. - -My application was denied, on the plea that the Revenue Department could -not upset a report of the Settlement Officer who had been upon the -ground and thoroughly understood the whole matter. - -I went to the Collector and laid the whole subject before him, asking -for justice, omitting all mention of anything unpleasant that had -occurred. He wrote to the Department stating that he had spent some days -at these villages; that they were models, not only of the district but -of all India; that he had never seen any to compare with them; that they -were like villages at home; that he was surprised and delighted to find -that such improvements could be made in India; but it was all due to the -energy and personal attention of Mr. Japhet, who had spent large amounts -of money in the improvements. He hoped, therefore, that the Board would -reconsider its decision, as it would only be just to Mr. Japhet to make -some concession. The reply was that in view of the representations of -the Collector the assessment would be reduced to ten per cent. above the -former rate, but “further than that it would not be advisable, etc.” - -This was a gain, and somewhat satisfactory. If a robber waylays you, and -empties your pockets, it is better to accept a sovereign that he -generously offers you out of your own purse, than go without supper and -bed. - -I had then the pleasure of re-stocking my tank with fish and in the -evening after it was finished, at our assembly, we had a kind of a -jubilee meeting, thanking our stars that another settlement officer -would not come again for thirty-three years. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - - -This arbitrary assessment of lands without regard to the expense of the -improvements, is one of the greatest drawbacks to the prosperity of -India where there is not a permanent settlement. I have been told by -many zemindars that any improvement of their villages would only be to -their detriment, that the digging of wells and tanks, the planting of -trees and the enrichment of the soil, would only increase their -assessment. I have known of villages where lands were allowed to remain -idle, and become barren several years before the settlement, so that -they might be assessed as waste land. As soon as the settlement was made -these lands were again cultivated. The Government forces the people to -become deceivers. My experience showed me that the zemindars were -correct in their statements. That if one did not wish to be punished for -making improvements he should do nothing. It is a pitiable condition in -which to place the people by a civilized government that is continually -appointing commissions to formulate voluminous reports and getting the -opinion of scientific book farmers on the improvement of the -agricultural condition of India. What is the inducement for any one to -plant a tree, dig a well or tank, or improve the soil, when he knows as -sure as the sun rises, that the Government will fine him for all he -does? - -If I had not an income aside of that of my villages, I could not have -done what I did. As it was I was rewarded by an increased assessment. I -could afford to pay the fine owing to the kindness of the friend of my -boyhood, but what about the millions of poor wretches who have no income -but from their daily toil? - -It is now all passed with me except the taste of the bitter pill that I -was compelled to swallow, and still this is not satisfactory considering -that the pill never did me any good. Let it go, as there are so many -bitter pills in life, it is best to forget them if we can, yet I trust -and hope that at last there will be a permanent settlement of all of -life, whether for good or ill, so that we may know that everything is -settled, finished for ever. - -One incident occurred that I do not like to mention, yet it comes along -with my story. One night the gentleman in camp sent his head servant as -a panderer to the village to get a woman. No sooner was his errand known -than the women rose in a body, flogging him with sticks and pelting him -with dirt. The fellow got away with his life, but not with a whole skin, -nor with scarcely a rag on his body. This greatly pleased me, as I was -aroused from sleep to hear what had occurred. This attitude of the women -was a recompense for all the robberies that had been committed. Here -were these heathen women, who had never heard the name of Jesus, and -knew no more about the creed and the theology of the Christian Church -than they did about the differential calculus, fighting for their virtue -and their sacred rights of womanhood, while there was that English -Christian gentleman who probably had been taught to pray at his mother’s -knee, and often rattled off the services in church, as I had seen him -do, waiting in his tent, with his thoughts bent on lust. - -I was once in a dak bungalow when in the room adjoining mine was this -same gentleman with an officer of a regiment, a gentleman also, as all -officers in her majesty’s army are so ranked. As I was about to retire I -heard the chaukedar of the bungalow inquire, “Who goes there?” A woman’s -voice replied. “What do you come here for?” he asked. She answered that -the sahib’s bearer had come to the bazar for her. The watchman -indignantly told her to leave at once, as she had no business there for -any one. Is it a wonder that the heathen do not rush to embrace -Christianity when they see such worthy examples of Jesus people? I well -know that this same gentleman once intrigued with the wife of a -magistrate, and while the two were out riding and driving, billing and -cooing, the broken-hearted husband, left alone, sought the company of -the brandy bottle and killed himself with drink within a month, leaving -his wife a happy widow. Was not my cousin a worthy nephew of his -virtuous uncle, my distinguished paternal parent? - -To show another phase of the character of this man. On one of his -morning rides he had gone through the main street of a large village. He -then sent back his sais to summon all the men he had passed. When they -were assembled before him, sitting on his very high English horse, he -said, “When I came through your street not one of you made his salaam.” -Brandishing his long riding whip at them and standing up in his -stirrups, he shouted, “If, when I come again, you do not salaam, I will -flog every one of you.” They all salaamed profoundly to the ground, and -very likely they did not forget his threat. Why should not these people -respect and love their conquerors? - -Home again, with its quiet and rest, was a paradise after the unpleasant -scenes in the village. There was a stillness that at times was -oppressive, such as happens in an up country station when there is -little business; the bungalows situated in large compounds away from the -roads, and where for days in the cold season scarcely enough breeze to -rustle a leaf. We were seldom interrupted with callers. We did not seek -them, and by most of the society circle we were on the taboo list. Yet -we had a few special friends with whom we spent delightful hours. - -We sometimes went to church as a diversion or as something required by -good society. The Chaplain had never called. He was no doubt an -excellent man in his way, and performed all the duties required of him. -He was an official paid by government to minister to the members of the -service, and the government, knowing how badly these people needed a -religious guide and teacher, did wisely in making this provision for -their wicked souls. Jesus looked after the poor, the outcasts. -Discarding society, he went into the by-ways and hedges, among the -lowly, but his modern followers, keeping step with the age, have -reversed his practice. Perhaps the modern rich society people are the -biggest sinners, so it is well, and why complain? Yet I could not help -thinking at times, that as one of the outsiders I had to pay taxes to -provide these reverend gentry with gowns, bread, butter, carriages and -wines, we might have received a little attention out of courtesy, if -nothing more. An outspoken native once suggested that if the Europeans -wanted a guru or priest and fine churches, why should they not pay for -the support of their religions, and not from public taxation? But he was -only a heathen, and what better could be expected from him? The -simplicity and ignorance of these people at times is astonishing. - -One day we had a call from a missionary, a very little, pawky sort of -man, yet in the gelatine stage. He wore a black stuffy coat reaching to -his feet as to make up by it, what nature had stinted him in stature, -and it was buttoned close to his throat, reminding me of the scabs in -London who follow a similar fashion to conceal their lack of shirt. His -face and head were not as good a recommendation as his clothes. He -certainly was not the survival of the fittest, only an exception to it. -My wife, after seeing and hearing him for a few minutes, remarked -afterward, with the instinct of a woman, that he would never die of -brain fever. - -After seating himself he said that he had often heard of me. I felt that -this was something in my favor at least, for what can happen to any -mortal man worse than not to have been heard of? He said that he had -never called because he had heard that I seldom attended church, and -that I was, well, to state it plainly, not quite orthodox. Such a -statement from such a popinjay was amusing. I gravely suggested that if -he considered me the lost sheep he should have left the ninety-and-nine -safe in the fold and sought after me. “Well,” said he, “I hope it is not -too late, and I trust you are not as bad as they make you out to be.” - -This was encouraging, and I was hopeful. I inquired in what respect I -was said to be bad. I was becoming interested, as if in the presence of -a fortune-teller. He did not seem to know what to say, so I asked, “Do -they say I lie, steal, commit murder, gamble, slander, defraud, get -drunk or run after women?” “No,” he quickly replied, “nothing of the -kind. You have the reputation of being about the most upright man in the -station, and very kind to the poor; that no one comes to you but finds a -friend.” - -He would have seen my blushes at these compliments to my virtues if -nature had not enabled me to hide them. I made up my mind at once to -give him a subscription to the paper I felt sure he had in his pocket. - -Here let me observe that I am not at all opposed to subscriptions, for I -believe a thousand times more in paying than in praying, and if I were -to make a church catechism I would place as the first question, “How -much do you pay?” and the very last one, “Do you pray?” In most people -the nerves of the pocket are more sensitive than those of the heart, and -should be touched first. I said, “I am greatly obliged to you for so -good a character, though I do not see where the badness comes in.” - -He replied, “That is not it. It is not what you are, or what you do, but -what you believe. They say that you do not believe in Jesus.” - -“That is a great mistake,” I answered. “I do most profoundly believe in -him, that he was the best man that ever lived, the wisest teacher that -the world has ever seen, and in that respect the light of the world, the -Savior of mankind if they follow his example.” - -“That is it, you do not believe that Jesus was the son of God.” - -I replied, “That is another error, for I believe that he was the beloved -son of God, for the reason that so far as we know, he was the best man -ever born, and lived the nearest to God, and so was His well beloved -son; that as we are all the offspring of God by creation, and by pure -and upright lives all become the sons of God, but as Jesus was the best -of all, he was the son of God, our elder brother in the great human -family.” - -He asked, “Do you not believe that Jesus is God?” - -“Most certainly not. I would feel that I was an idolator, and committing -sin in accepting such a belief. There can be only one infinite God, -without body or parts, one and indivisible.” - -“Do you not then believe that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost?” - -“Positively not. It is absolutely impossible for me to believe that the -Infinite God could be born of a woman, or have a son by a woman. Such an -idea was born of paganism, and is a degradation of the Almighty to the -notion that the pagans had of their gods.” - -“Mr. Japhet!” he exclaimed, “I am really shocked that you should say -such things. It is too serious and sacred a subject for such remarks.” - -I answered: “There is nothing too sacred for examination by honest -reason, and a devout common sense. I was afraid, when this conversation -commenced, that something might be said to displease, if not to offend -you, but you asked me straightforward questions, and I have told you in -reply what I believe and do not believe. I know that such expressions, -as I have used, might shock many, and they might wonder that I was not -killed instantly by fire from heaven, or be stricken with paralysis, for -uttering them. Yet, I have no fear of either. I have weighed these -subjects, and thought of them for years with the utmost reverence and -fear of God, and with devout prayer to Him for light and help, so I do -not speak lightly or in haste. I am just as jealous of my faith in the -God I worship, and try to obey, as you can be of yours. As to one of the -expressions I used, do you not make as strong and plain statements -against the heathen notion of gods, when you are preaching in the -bazars?” - -“Yes,” he answered, “we do use strong expressions when we are speaking -against idolatry, for ours is the only and true God.” - -I replied, “Your own conception of God, you believe to be the true one, -but what about those of other men? Can they not also have their ideas -about God, and be as honest as you are? The trouble is that Christians -‘reduce their God to a diagram, and their emotions to a system,’ and -then demand that everybody else shall believe and feel as they do, or be -considered not orthodox, heretics and infidels.” - -He did not reply to this, but said, “I am sorry that you do not know -Jesus as your Saviour, and feel that his blood washes away your sins.” - -I answered, “I do know Jesus, but I prefer to trust the Infinite God, my -Heavenly Father, as my Redeemer and Saviour. I want no one, not even an -angel from heaven to come between me and God. If my father, God over -all, cannot, or will not save me, who else can? As to the blood. Blood -of any kind is offensive to me. I shudder at the sight of it. And the -idea of washing or cleansing anything with it is so contrary to my -reason, and repugnant to my feelings, that I cannot think of it without -repulsion.” - -“But, it was shed as an atonement for us,” he suggested. - -“Take it in that light,” I replied, “It is assumed that God, the Creator -and Preserver of men, is a pitiless tyrant; that his wrath must be -appeased, or bought off by sacrifice. At first the fruits of the field -were given to Him, then the blood of animals. Then the notion grew until -the blood of something higher than that of a common animal was deemed -necessary, the blood of men, and then the blood of a god. How was it to -be got? It must come from heaven, of course, and finally resulted in the -notion of an incarnation of God in a woman, a horrible thought to me. -The whole idea is heathenish, brutal and debasing. Everything of this -kind, whether in the Bible, or elsewhere, is of man’s own invention, -degrading the Infinite God to a creature like to their own depraved -natures. Take the better thoughts of the Bible, and God is a spiritual -being, delighting in spiritual worship, and caring only for the intents -and purity of the heart, but this was not satisfactory to mankind. It -was too pure and simple to suit their coarse, corrupt natures, but they -must put in a lot of mysterious rubbish of their own, to suit a god of -their own devising, and with tastes like theirs. It was more pleasant -for the ancient Hebrews to atone with hecatombs of burnt offerings for -their transgressions, than to practice purity and justice. It is far -easier for people, at the present time, to accept the creeds, perform -the sensuous, pleasant ceremonies of the church, and believe their -salvation, however sinful they continue to be, will be obtained in some -vicarious way, than to save themselves by living pure and upright lives. - -“Men are never satisfied, unless they reach the extreme, always -delighting in the mysterious. - -“What do these notions of men teach? That God created men, with power to -violate His laws, and then became vengeful and full of wrath, that they -did just what He gave them power to do, and was ready to damn them all, -for doing just what they could not help doing? Man’s explanation of the -matter does not correspond with the character of God, as given by these -same men. They describe Him as omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, a -God of infinite wisdom, love and tender mercy. It is stated that God -made man, and pronounced him good, but the creeds teach that God -afterward found out that He had made a mistake, that His work was evil. -He discovered, when too late, that man, whom He had made good and -upright, would violate His laws, which was a surprise to Him, and He -must find out some excuse, so as to avoid the execution of His own laws. - -“The whole story is a muddle, evolved from superstition and ignorance, -in fact, the whole scheme is of man’s invention, not from the highest -ideals of mankind, but from the lowest instincts of the human race. It -degrades the character of the Almighty, and places Him on a level with -the most ignorant human brute of a tyrant. They make their god, not -mine, in the likeness of sinful men, fashion him, giving him their hates -and revenges, and in their arrogance, assuming that they know all about -him, demand that all the world should bow down and worship this image of -their own manufacture. - -“I had rather be an infidel, and take my chances, than accept the -blasphemous nonsense that many people believe about God. I cannot -believe that an infinitely all-wise God could be guilty of the mistakes -attributed to Him, or that a God of love and tender compassion could be -propitiated, and delighted with blood from the slaughter of innocent -animals, or the blood of men, or as they call it, ‘the blood of the Son -of God.’” The little man was greatly excited, and would have interrupted -me, but I kept on. - -After a pause, he said, “Our belief is founded on the Bible as the -inspired word of God; don’t you believe that?” - -“Yes,” I replied, “as the production of men, some of it the grandest -truth ever given to mankind, and other not fit to be put in the same -book. - -“First, as to the authenticity of the Bible. The authors were men, not -differing from other men, with limited faculties, fallible as all men -are, and liable to mistakes. They may have been honest, with the best of -intentions, yet this is no warrant that they could not be mistaken. It -is evident that they were affected by the times in which they lived, -were influenced by their surroundings, and directed by their education, -though very meager. It is well authenticated that the writers never -wrote all that is attributed to them; that many things were interpolated -by others, several centuries later, to make up a creed for the church to -suit themselves. It is not known just when the Bible was written, nor -the authors of the different parts, or whether any one part was written -wholly by the one to whom it is ascribed, or afterward compiled from -various sources. It is well known that there were many writings, and -that those now composing the Bible are selections from them all. If any -were inspired, why not all? If all were from God, why should some be -chosen and others rejected? It was a daring, sacrilegious thing to do, -men becoming the judges of the revelations of God, that is, if they -believed they were from God. There must have been doubts about the -authenticity of them. If there were doubts about some, why not about -others, about all? If men in ancient times, no better or worse than we -are, could have their doubts and make their choice of what they supposed -to be the word of God, why should we not have the same right to use our -judgments? In fact, the knowledge of every kind that the world has -acquired, the distance from the events recorded, uninfluenced by the -prejudices and associations affecting the writers of the books of the -Bible and those making the selections, make men of modern times more -capable of considering what is truth and what might be considered the -word of God. Scientists of all kinds do not accept all the ancient -theories, not because they are indisposed to do so, but for the -indisputable reason that these theories or dogmas do not harmonize with -the truth or demonstrated facts. - -“If any beings higher than men had composed the writings and made the -selections then all questions of mankind would be idle. Or if the -writers and selectors were proved to have been of a superior class, -above the weakness and limitation of ordinary men, then there might be -great hesitation about expressing any doubt, and no desire to -investigate or criticise. But as they all were only men, sinful, weak -men, all of them, why should any one hesitate to think or act for -himself as to what they wrote? They have given no authority or proof of -any superiority, or power delegated to them to dominate the beliefs and -actions of mankind. God is our God, just as much as he was the God of -the Jews, and He is just as near to us as He was to them, and we cannot -admit that He is not as willing to reveal Himself unto us as He would do -to them, nor can we allow that He selected a certain number of men, -several thousand years ago, from an obscure and inferior race, and made -them the depositories of all His truth and laws to suffice for all the -rest of the world, for all ages, and that He then retired from the -spiritual vision of mankind. This is so inconsistent with His constant -watchful care over every other interest of the world that such a thought -cannot be entertained for a moment. - -“If one supernatural revelation, why not another, and many? Or why -restrict it to one people, or to one period of the world’s history? - -“The conclusion is, mine at least, that the writers of the Bible, and -those who selected it and interpolated the different parts, were men, -and did the best they could, according to their ability and the light -they had, and being only men, they and their works are to be estimated -and judged by men, as all other things are judged. We read the works of -ancient or modern authors, we criticise the style, admire the knowledge -and truth, expose the errors, and value the books for what they are -worth according to our best honest judgments. Why then should we not -pursue the same course with the books of the Bible, written also by men? - -“I know that it is claimed that the writers of the Bible were inspired. -How do we know this? There is not a particle of proof of this except -their own say so; that God favored them any more than other men, or that -they had any more knowledge of the secret councils or purposes of God -than other seekers after truth and lovers of righteousness. All truth is -hidden for our search, as are the precious things of earth, of science, -art, philosophy, and those who seek most diligently attain their rewards -in finding the best things that God has provided for those who strive -and search. - -“You asked me questions and I have given you my best answers. They are -my sincere convictions and honest beliefs.” - -“Well, I must go,” he said very sadly. “I think you are an honest man, -but badly deceived, and hope you will pray for light on these great -subjects.” - -In return, I suggested that I would gladly help in his work if he needed -money, so his subscription paper came out, and he left, probably happier -in his pocket than in his mind. - -After he left I had some such thoughts as these with my books: All -religions start with remarkable personages, gradually elevated into gods -and semi-gods. A distinguished English writer says of Buddha, “It has -almost invariably happened that the later followers of such a teacher -have undone his work of moral reform. They have fallen back upon -evidence of miraculous birth, upon signs and miracles and a superhuman -translation from the world, so that gradually the founders in history -become prodigies and extra natural, until the real doctrines shrink into -mystical secrets, known only to the initiated disciples, while the -vulgar turn the iconoclast into a mere idol.” Would not this apply to -Christians as well? - -Another says, “All popular theology, especially the scholastic, has a -kind of appetite for absurdity and contradiction. If that theology went -not beyond reason and common sense, her doctrines would appear too easy -and familiar. Amazement must of necessity be raised, mystery affected; -darkness and obscurity sought after and a foundation of merit afforded -to the devout votaries, who desire an opportunity of subduing their -rebellious reason by the belief in the most unintelligible sophisms.” - -Ignorance begets superstition. Then easily comes a belief in the -miraculous, and from this, creeds are formulated and faith placed in -them. People have but little sense where their hearts are concerned, in -religion as in love. There has never been a proposition so absurd or -outrageous but has had believers in it. The more impossible and -mysterious a thing can be made, the more readily it will be accepted. -Mystery not only fascinates many people but makes them its devotees. - -One of the strange things is, that people who demand a reason for -everything about them, become dupes of that which is afar off, which -they cannot know and which no mortal can explain. Objecting to that -which is reasonable, they rush to accept that which is absurd and -incredible. Human nature is fascinated by the mysterious. The clergy -have to perform and preach something, and that something would lose all -its awe and force if there were no mysticism in it. What would jugglery -be if every one understood the tricks of the juggler? - -If human testimony could establish anything, there has never been an -error but could be made an apparent fact by any number of witnesses. -Probably hundreds of thousands could be found to testify to miracles at -Lourdes, and to any number of so-called miracles elsewhere, and here in -India millions of people could be got to affirm the reality of events as -improbable. Before science was known every mystery was a miracle. -Miracles are not required to prove a truth. Facts need no authority. Yet -a belief in a personal devil and a literal hell seems to be a necessity -to restrain and influence those who could be reached in no other way. As -ghost stories are used to frighten children to be quiet, so a belief in -hell seems to be required for a certain class of people of infantile -mental capacity, or of vicious propensities and habits, that no refined, -moral instruction could reach. They are below philosophy, art or -science, and must be cudgeled or frightened into decent behavior. - -To the poor, who have never had a shilling ahead in their lives, a -heaven paved with gold is the greatest thing to be desired. To those who -have spent their lives in a one-roomed hut, a heavenly mansion of many -rooms is their notion of comfort. To those whose lives have been filled -with weeping and sorrow, a hereafter, where there shall be no more -trouble or tears, is a hope of greatest bliss. To a Greenlander, a hell -of fire would be heaven. One who has no intellect or capacity of -thought, and hence no conscience, could not appreciate a spiritual -condition of the soul as heaven or hell, and must be reached through his -body, his material nature, which makes up ninety-nine hundredths of his -being. He can realize no other than a hell of fire, a gehenna of -physical torture. For such people a real, live demon of a devil, and a -real hell fire, is an ecclesiastical necessity. Uneducated people, like -children, must be kept in order by bugbears. - -Said Dr. Johnson, “Sir, I would be a Catholic if I could, but an -obstinate rationality prevents me.” - -Strip Christianity of its mythology and its doctrines are simplicity -itself. The moral law is as plain and simple as the multiplication -table. Tell a child that two and two make four, and it needs no argument -to make him believe it. The laws of God, either in the religious, moral -or scientific world, are self-evident. Thou shalt not commit sin. -Everybody, even the most illiterate savage, knows what it is to sin. The -soul that sinneth, it shall die. This every one can readily comprehend. -These two facts are enough, without any of the mumble of mysticism or -any ecclesiastical trickery. - -Says Savonarola, the martyr for freedom and truth, “God is essentially -free, and the just man is the free man after the likeness of God. * * * -The only true liberty consists in the desire for righteousness. * * * -Dost thou desire liberty, O Florence? Citizens! would you be free? Love -God, love one another, seek the general welfare. We despise no good -works, nor rational laws, albeit they proceed from the most distant -places, from philosophers or pagan empires, but we glean everywhere that -which is good and true from all creeds, knowing that all goodness -proceeds from God.” - -To be good and to do good is the highest aim of man. It is to know the -physical, moral and social laws and to obey them. A good man, from the -necessity of his nature, will do good. To be good and do good, is good -or Godlike, and to be Godlike is to be saved. This is the sum total of -life. O God! help me to be good and do good, that I may be saved. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - - -The years were passing and very little occurred to break the humdrum of -our life. We never were idle, for if not occupied in the duties that -succeeded each other, as the night the day, we were engaged in our -mutual studies. I had never told my wife of my father, or of Mr. Smith -being my half brother. Somehow, I never could muster up courage enough -to do this. Not only that, but I felt that if I should once begin, I -should have to go through the hateful story from a to izzard, and I -shrank from the task. The longer I delayed the less inclined I was to do -it. There was so much in it that was awful and disgusting, that I would -have given much to have blotted it from my own memory, and did not wish -to soil her pure mind with its recital. Somewhere, I have read of a -painter who said that he never looked upon a bad picture but he carried -away a dirty tint. My wife was to me as a priceless painting by the -greatest of masters, and I wished to preserve her in all her loveliness -and purity. I tried constantly to cultivate this feeling, and with this -thought uppermost, I very often restrained myself from saying or doing -what might soil her mind. I may be peculiar in this, as I am in so many -things, yet I am what I am, and what else should I be? - -I am reminded of something Mr. Jasper told me in one of his interesting -conversations. It was about one of his visits in Paris. One evening, -looking at a shop window on one of the boulevards, he was approached by -a young man who presented his card and offered to be his guide. “What -have you to show me?” asked Mr. Jasper. - -The proposed guide enumerated a list of the most disreputable sights and -places, and then Mr. Jasper interrupted him with “Who goes to see these -things?” And the reply was in a list of prominent men, distinguished -divines from London, a prominent minister from Brooklyn, some from New -York and Chicago, and other noted men. He had a long list of those he -had shown around to these stys of vice and pollution, and as Mr. Jasper -questioned him about the characteristics of the different men, they were -so correct it was evident that the guide had not made up his story. - -Said Mr. Jasper to me while relating the story: “I wonder if these men -ever thought that their names would be quoted as recommendations to -future visitors. They probably thought, as they were away from home, -their salacious doings would never be known, but if so they were greatly -mistaken. The world now is very small, only a large neighborhood in this -age of fast travel, and there is no concealment of anything from your -fellow men, much less from yourself and the all-seeing eye of God, yet -people fool themselves that it is otherwise. When the guide had -completed his descriptions of the sight-seers, I asked: ‘For what -purpose did these men go with you?’ He was somewhat taken aback by the -question, and then with hesitation replied: ‘Some of them for scientific -purposes, but the most of them to see, and they seemed to enjoy the -sights.’ Then I said, ‘Young man, you see my clean clothes, should you -throw any filth on them I would knock you down, yet I could easily have -them washed, and it would be only an offense, but here you deliberately -propose to take me around and show me foul sights that would make filthy -stains upon my mind to remain for life and throughout eternity, that -neither I nor God himself could ever remove. You are an infamous dirty -dog, and the sooner you leave me the better, or I will give you -something to remember,’ and the guide shrank away like a dog that had -been kicked.” - -I have often thought of this lesson taught me by my friend and further -added my own reflections. Suppose I had some valued painting by one of -the great masters that I was protecting with the greatest care and some -one should soil it, if only just for a joke, what would I think of him -or do to him? Yet I have heard of men, and I regret to say, some -Christian men and clergymen too, and of women in society, who take -special pleasure in gathering up all the obscene bawdy stories they can -find and pride themselves on being racy raconteurs of these unsavory -bits to their fellows. They are the devil’s best agents in corrupting -humanity, that is if they are not each a devil himself. What puzzles me -is that some people passing good at home, should take special pleasure -in hunting up the nasty things when they go abroad. - -What affects me more than all, is what relates to myself, for it has -always been a habit of mine to bring everything to a personal test, to -weigh it upon my own scales. These questions I have often asked, “Why -was I created as I was, in a condition where I had to come in contact -with vice in my earliest years? Why was I thrown on to the dirt heap of -the world? If the all-wise, loving God, intended me to be pure in heart, -why did He not with His almighty power create me where I could have had -the best opportunities for a noble life?” My questions have never been -answered. - -Another question might be asked that would be personal and from which I -do not shrink. Why do I tell the story of my life that has so much of -evil in it? If I told anything, what else could I tell but the truth? A -man can only paint what he himself has felt. I have not told it with -pride, but with the deepest humiliation. I have not rolled my story as a -sweet morsel over my tongue. I have had a motive of good in the telling, -to show up the wrongs I have suffered and to reveal the infamies of -others who have made me suffer, as a warning, or as the theologians say -when they excuse the scripture descriptions of the frailties and sins of -the Bible worthies, that these are given as warning lessons to mankind. -So I am on safe ground. But I have wandered again. - -I think I was speaking of my wife as my choicest treasure, the priceless -painting of my life and home, which I wished to keep from every evil -touch or injurious thought. This is why I never told her of the worst, -the meanest parts of my life. With her I always followed the Hindu -proverb, “Tell your troubles to your own mind, tell your happiness to -the world.” An incident occurred to remind me again of the old subject. -I tried to forget it and to do this more effectually, became absorbed in -various things, yet doing our best we cannot always avoid the -disagreeable. Even the best of roads will have holes in them. There is -an irony in fate, something in our destiny that ever upsets our wisest -endeavors, plan them as we will. I have frequently noticed that when I -have congratulated myself on the smoothness of my life, the success of -my plans, something suddenly came to upset them all. “The best laid -plans of mice and men gang aft aglee.” - -That sister of mine, no longer little, but the mother of several -bouncing boys had, with her husband, paid us several visits. They were -leading a busy, happy, prosperous life. She had been well educated, so -my wife found in her a genial companion, and their coming to us made a -kind of festival in our home. On one of these visits an uncle and aunt -of my wife’s had come to see us on their tour through India. Our -Collector and this gentleman were old acquaintances, so we were all -invited to a large dinner party at the Barra Sahib’s. On entering the -drawing room we found quite an assembly of the society people of the -station. As we went up to greet the hostess, to my consternation there -stood my venerable father and my distinguished half brother. They were -so placed that they could not escape if they had desired to, and we had -acquired such momentum that we could not retire. There was no -alternative but to face each other. My heart beat at a thumping pace, -and every one of the seven hundred thousand pores in my body became an -aqueduct, and in a moment I was in a glow of heat and perspiration. This -was not from fear, far from it. Had I not been dared by this parent of -mine, and had I not met him and thrown his insults back into his own -face? I had no fear of him whatever, nor did I fear that white-haired, -white-faced half brother of mine; he, too, had fallen before my well -barbed shafts. It was not of myself that I thought. Had I been alone I -would have risked my soul, but I would have given them each something to -keep as a memento of our meeting. I truly confess that I would have -hugely enjoyed this, let others say what they might about such a -feeling. - -There was my wife. She knew nothing of my relation to this couple, nor -would I for the life of me have revealed a word and I knew she could -hold her own in any tilt with them, but my sister, the daughter of the -one, the half sister of the other, to meet her own father who had -betrayed and seduced her! Since that fearful time when I had rescued her -from his baneful power, we had never mentioned his name. We would have -erased and annihilated from our thoughts and lives every remembrance of -him if we could. I know this was my feeling and I am sure it was hers. -She was beautiful, as my little sister, as I think I have said before, -but now developed into a very handsome matron. As she had been educated -in the best schools in France and England and been polished by travel in -different countries, she could appear in any society with dignity and -grace. - -But to my story. We were in a tight place, at least I was. I doubt if -ever I thought so quickly in my life as then. The thoughts came like -flashes. I had the most anxious solicitude to shield this beloved -sister. Our hostess received us most graciously, and then began to -introduce us. At first to those nearest her, who were Mr. Smith and his -son. I bowed. Then my wife acquitted herself nobly, as if the two, sire -and son, had been members of the royal family, and if this had been her -first meeting with Mr. Smith, Jr. I was proud of her, for she was a -queen to me, then as always. Then Mrs. Edwards, my sister, the daughter -to her father who had been mistress to him. - -There was a scene. Not a word was said, only a bow, but I saw from the -flushes of paleness to red on the old man’s face that he was conscious -of all the past. He no doubt had his turn of nervous thinking as I had -mine. I certainly would have prevented this meeting had I had any -suspicion of it, but as it was I had—call it a wicked pleasure if you -will—a delight in thus facing my enemy and giving him something to -remind him of his sins. All this took place in a moment, for others -coming up, we passed on and into another room. Then I saw my sister -greatly agitated. She did not utter a word, as if she was conscious that -I understood as well as if she had told me all with her lips. I led her -to a seat, and my wife remarked about the crowd and the heat in the big -room. Such a relief to always have that to which we can attribute our -troubles as well as our sins. Every heart knows its own sorrows, and -what a blessing it is that every one else does not know them. So far so -good, but I still had my anxiety. I was fearful that our hostess in her -ignorance might arrange that another face to face encounter would take -place at the dinner table. I was in a quandary and probably in a greater -state of excitement than was Napoleon at Waterloo. Our hostess soon came -up, saying, “Mr. Japhet, you are to take Mrs. Shanks to dinner.” “And my -wife and sister?” said I, interrupting her. “O,” she replied, “Mr. -Smith, Sr., will take your sister, and Smith, Jr., your wife.” - -This gave me a shock as from a battery, and I broke in, “Why not let my -wife go with Mr. Smith, Sr. She would like to meet him.” This was a lie, -unintentioned, as I was at my wit’s end, and on the impulse of a moment -did what most, even the best of people might do in such a case, told the -smallest, whitest lie I could. “It is well,” she said; “I will arrange -it at once.” And she did. So my father took out his daughter-in-law, my -wife; and my half brother his half sister. The two couples were seated -some distance apart, so I was somewhat at ease. Nothing further occurred -to disturb me, and I made some excuse to take away my company soon after -dinner. I never wanted such another encounter. Life is too short to have -many such excitements that set the heart going like a runaway engine -under an extra pressure of steam. - -On our return home my wife and sister seemed to have enjoyed their -company. The one certainly never suspected that her consort was my -father, her father-in-law. Though now aged, he was an accomplished man -of society. I say it, though he was my villain of a father, he could -pose anywhere with the outward grace of a gentleman. Outwardly in -“society” he observed the decencies of life, but his hypocrisy was a -sufficient cloak to conceal his immoralities. The other did not realize -that her escort was her half brother and mine as well. Why tell them? -This question often came to me during years afterward. Why did I allow -them to go out with these men? I cannot tell. We are not always able to -give a reason why we do thus and so. Another question. What would these -ladies have said and done had they known who their gentlemen were? I can -surmise about my wife. Had she learned at table who he was, my venerable -parent would have thought himself in a hurricane storm off the Irish -coast, as she would have given him such cutting strokes of her native -wit that he would have preferred a dish of bitter herbs to the elaborate -spread before him, so her ignorance was bliss to him. - -It appeared that my sister in her agitation at seeing Smith Sr. did not -catch the name of the other man when she was introduced, so after our -return home she asked his name. I quickly replied Smythe, Smithers, or -some other name commencing with S. She asked no further and I was -content. Now comes a question in morals, whether it is ever right to -deceive. One of the maxims of the Roman church is that “it is an act of -virtue to deceive and lie when the church might be promoted.” If the -church can do this by a pious fraud, why not an individual mislead -another for his good? But I will not discuss the subject. Had she -suddenly become aware that she was seated by her half brother, the son -of her father, she would have fainted or rushed away in fright and -disgust. - -It is well we do not know everything about others, nor in fact all about -ourselves. Any one will loathe his own skin when seen through a -microscope. A traveler once dined well and heartily, praising the roast, -but on being informed that it was monkey, was suddenly afflicted with a -mal de mer, and was ill for a week afterward. To make him turn pale it -was only to say “monkey.” - -But how did the gentlemen feel? I don’t know. The one I think was so -blasé in sin that he would have bluffed either an angel of light or the -devil himself, and without a blush. I have often imagined a little -scene, a catastrophe that I might have made by some introductions, as -“Mr. Smith, my father, your daughter-in-law, my wife,” or “Mr. Smith, -your daughter, my sister,” or “Mr. Smith, my brother, this is your -sister.” I am glad now that I was not fool or rogue enough to have done -it. Yet there would have been lots of fun to me in the doing of it, and -lots of misery to two of them at least. We get pain and trouble enough -without trying to make it. - -I ought to state that the Smiths were unexpected visitors in the -station. It seems that the senior, then an old man, had retired from the -service and was living in a hill station and had gone on a holiday visit -to his son. The latter concluded to take a run up to our station, and -brought my father with him. The old man had probably a desire to look -over his old stamping ground, but did not expect to run against his son, -that is me, or to see his daughter, the once governess whom he had met -years ago on the parade ground, and whom he had betrayed under promise -of marriage. I might have invited him to visit Lucknow with me, to go -out through that old gully to the little court where my mother, his -wife, had lived, but why surmise any further? - -The above was my last meeting with those two relatives of mine. I never -cared to know where they were or to trace them, and would most willingly -have ascribed to their memory the Romish letters R. I. P. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - - -There is always plenty of work if one is inclined for it. I was always -busy. My wife once remarked to a neighbor that if Mr. Japhet had no work -he would invent some. I could never understand why any one having common -sense, any strength or energy should be idle. I took great pleasure in -setting people to work. I was not always successful, who is? Charity is -often more hurtful than otherwise, unless the recipients be in ill -health or incapable of labor. It degrades the one who receives it, -lowers his manhood, deprives him of that self respect so necessary in -every vocation of life. - -My duty and pleasure was especially to help Eurasians, those of my own -unfortunate caste or race. I knew them so well, for was I not one of -them, yet so highly favored? From the time I had met my unfortunate -schoolmates repulsed from many a door of the mercantile Christian -gentleman in Calcutta, I felt a special yearning towards this class. My -experience at that time was a life lesson to me. From that time never a -poor wanderer came to me searching for work or food but I thought of -what I might have been but for that dear friend of my childhood. -Further, it seemed to me that I was in a measure his steward, having in -trust his wealth to use for him. I never forgot his often saying, “Now -Charles, let us go to our religious service in feeding God’s poor.” He -never talked about religion and I never knew from his lips what his -creed was. His life was a creed in itself, and it might be put in these -words: “Be good yourself and do good to others.” What more can man do or -God require? This little simple creed seemed to permeate his whole -being, his thoughts, his soul, all his actions. I recall now his intense -earnestness, his tearful eyes, and the prayerful expression of his face -when he gave out the money or the food. He did this with such devotion -as if it was a sacred religious act in the presence of God, and was it -not? I have said something of this before but it will bear repeating -again and again. Was not this truly following Jesus? Canon Farrar says: -“Religion does not mean elaborate theologies, it does not mean -membership in this or that organization, it does not depend on orthodoxy -in matters of opinion respecting which Christians differ, but it means a -good heart and a good life.” - -Jesus never made a creed or said anything but what the simplest mind -could understand. He went about doing good, giving his life for our -imitation, following which we may become pure in heart and see God, his -Father and our Father. Mr. Percy was a follower of Jesus. Often when I -was about to turn some one away without relief, the question would come, -“What would Mr. Percy do if he were here?” The answer at once came, a -gift was bestowed and I enjoyed many a blessing in this sacrament of -giving. - -I think we may often be too careful in our charity as if we knew -everything and bore the whole responsibility. Some never give because -they were once “taken in” by some unworthy one. This is simply an excuse -for their own selfishness and stinginess. Better be deceived half the -time, than fail to help the real deserving, the other half. It is our -duty to give with the best discretion and then leave the responsibility -with God. Surely He will regard us as having done our duty to the best -of our ability. The world has no use for a man who never helps another. -He is only a useless part of humanity and the sooner he dies and is put -out of sight the better. Let him go, who cares? The man who has no poor -or distressed to mourn over his death has failed in life, a sad failure. - -I remember of reading an incident that, somewhat hardened as I am, -brought tears to my eyes. A little girl, the daughter of a poor woman, -going up to the coffin of her mother took hold of one of the cold hands -saying: “This hand never struck me.” It was a simple childish saying and -I don’t know why it should have affected me so. - -What better epitaph could one have than that made by a crowd of poor -around a coffin pointing to the lifeless hands saying, “Those hands were -always ready to help us.” - -“Not he that repeateth the name, but he that doeth the will,” is worth -remembering. “As long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak -well of thee” is a worldly maxim, but a heavenly one might be added: -“When thou doest well unto others then God will regard thee with favor.” - -But I am moralizing again. - -As I said, all during my life I had been giving assistance especially to -the Eurasians, but these favors were desultory, scattered like the floss -from the ripe pods of the semul tree, blown no one knows whither. The -angel above, no doubt has a record of them, and I in the consciousness -in having tried to do good, and so far it was well, but I wanted to see -some tangible results. - -There was a large number of these people in the station. Only a few of -them had employment. The rest were like sheep without a shepherd, or -rather, to use a truer expression, they were like mongrel pariah dogs, -owned by no one and kicked by every one, and like such dogs getting a -living by picking up any stray bones they could find. They were not -inside anywhere. At the sports, races or any festivity they hung around -the outskirts. If they went to church they were seated in the tail end -of it and got only the drippings of the sanctuary. Only a few ever went -to church. They felt they were not wanted even in the so-called House of -God. Is it any wonder that they lost all ambition, all energy, lacking -faith in everything good and noble, despised and cursed their own abject -condition and helplessness? Tell a boy constantly that he is going to -the dogs or devil and the chances are that he will make your words -become true. The devil comes when he hears his name often called. The -seeds of ill once planted will grow and come to maturity no one knows -when, where or how. These people slunk away to their dens, where they -lived in idleness and squalor and became acclimatized to evil. Not all -of them I am glad to say, but too many of them I am sorry to admit. Some -of them indulged in vice of the most degrading kind. Their worst enemy -was the cheap liquor, provided for them by a benevolent Government, and -every one who has visited this class of people in their huts, not -houses, knows what the curse of drunkenness is to them. - -To remedy this condition of idleness I got together a number of this -class, and after talking over the situation, suggested that we start a -factory of some sort in which only Eurasians would be employed. The idea -was accepted at once. It was made a joint stock company with the shares -so small that any one could get an interest in it. One proviso was that -when any one wished to buy a share, the one having the largest number -would be obliged to sell his extra shares at their first cost, and so -on, until no one would own more than one share if there were buyers. The -object of this was to get as many as possible to have a personal -interest in the factory. All the stockholders were to vote according to -the number of shares they held, for the officers and direction of the -business. There were no paid directors to meet whenever they chose for -the sole purpose of getting their fees, nor any agents to get a -commission on the product without doing anything. We had a long -discussion on this latter topic, and it was repeatedly iterated that the -great curse of every business in India, is the agents or middlemen, who, -with the directors, take the largest share of the profits. We would have -none of them. We would sell our goods at low prices direct to the -purchaser and consumer. - -The project was soon successful. Every workman soon had a share or -shares, as it was considered an honor to be a shareholder. There was to -be a meeting once a month, or oftener, if the manager or any ten -shareholders deemed it necessary, when each shareholder had a right to -give his opinion and a vote was taken, the majority to rule. At these -monthly meetings it was customary to have a lecture or discussion on -something connected with the business. One was given on the proper use -of tools, another on machinery, one on the saving of material. The -speaker on this latter topic referred to Samuel Blodgett, called the -“Successful Merchant.” This gentleman, who knew every part of his -business, from cellar to garret, was one day watching a boy do up a -package. When it was finished he said: “My boy, do you know that if -every one in the house doing up a parcel should use as much paper and -twine as you do, it would almost ruin us?” Then he untied the package, -and made a much neater one with half the paper and half the twine. -Turning to a clerk he asked how many packages they sent out a year. He -then computed the waste of paper and twine, amounting to quite a sum. -“There, my boy, you see what a waste there would be, so don’t let such a -mistake occur again.” Then the lecturer urged the workmen to be very -careful in saving every bit of wood, iron or any material, and then -appealed to them that if each only wasted a quarter of an ana a day -during the year, it would be a great loss to all, giving the amount. The -speaker on tools and their use, went into all the details, showing the -value of a good implement over a poor one, and the benefit of keeping it -in the best condition. Another talked on the value of time, of being -punctual, and showed the loss there would be if any were late or -indolent or had to run around the shop looking for tools. - -These lectures had a very beneficial effect. Besides, there were others -on subjects not immediately connected with the business, such as health, -temperance, morals. In brief, the project ceased to be an experiment, as -the business became a means of livelihood to many, and better still, -made them men. - -This business was exactly in line with my theory. That in order to -reform men, to lift them up from a level with the brutes, you must first -give them a means of earning a living, give them enough food to eat, -clothes to wear, and a decent place to live in. Until this is done, what -is the use to talk to them about their souls, or preach to them about -sin, or unfold to them the glories of Heaven, when they are sunken in -the mire of earth up to their necks, and cannot get out of it? Why teach -them how to fit themselves for Heaven, and not how to live on earth -unmindful that the latter comes first? “Why fence the field when the -oxen are within devouring the corn?” Man is first an animal, and what he -needs first is food. Feed him, and then preach to him, if you choose. -Poverty destroys honor and self respect, and so long as a man is -tortured by cold and hunger, he cannot be reached by moral forces. The -best way to prepare mankind for a home in Heaven, is to make it decently -comfortable for them on earth. Says a distinguished writer, “Give to a -man the right over my subsistence and he has power over my whole being.” - -Our success in this matter was all we could expect. Still there was -something wanting. Outside of the business the men were left to -themselves each to wander in his own way. - -At times I had invited them all to my house with their families, and my -wife joined me heartily in entertaining them, but this was not quite -satisfactory. There was naturally restraint. There was no place of -public resort for them. I could sympathize with them, for I had been -excluded from the club, yet had my pleasant home, my garden, my books, -and far above all, my wife. We could have our daily drives, and often -pleasant company, but where could these people go? I had resources -enough and it has always been in my nature to be independent, for I had -rather sit down on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than to be -crowded on a velvet cushion. - -One night, as I lay awake or half dreaming, my guiding angel gave me a -suggestion. Years agone, the magistrate of the station, my paternal -relative, though I was not aware of the connection at the time, had -forbidden me to proceed with a building I had commenced. From that time -this ground had been unused except as a pasture for my cows. The -suggestion was, why not use this ground on which to erect a hall or -building of some kind where the Eurasians could resort? I was willing to -devote the ground, but the building, who was to erect it? - -At our chota hazri the next morning I had no sooner mentioned the -suggestion than my wife exclaimed: “The very thing! Let’s do it at -once!” If it might be allowed me to use the words of a great man, I -would quote the remark of Edmund Burke about his wife, and apply it to -mine: “She discovers the right and wrong of things, not by reasoning but -by sagacity.” She never opposed any good proposal of mine, and when she -differed from me, it was with such a sweet reasonableness and loving -persuasion that I took real pleasure in yielding to her suggestions. -Never once did I have to ask like the Scotchman, “Wha’s to wear thae -breeks, the day, you or me?” Carlyle says: “The English are torpid, the -Scotch harsh, and the Irish affectionate.” - -My wife was the latter, and if she ever guided me, it was through her -affections, but this is beside the story. - -My next thought was to see Mr. Jasper, not only to get his opinion, for -I had determined on my plan, but more to hear myself talk on the -subject, and to judge from his manner on hearing me, if the thing was -feasible and best. There is something in hearing one’s self talk over -his own plans, but I must check myself, or I shall be dreaming again. - -He heard me all through very calmly, and replied: - -“Yes, it is a good scheme, but can you carry it out?” - -“Will you help?” I asked quickly in my enthusiasm. He did not reply at -once, but sat silently, looking towards me or away beyond me, for some -moments, and then said, “You have asked me a very important question. -You know how I feel towards you, Mr. Japhet.” - -“Yes,” I replied, “I know and wish to say that there is not a man living -whom I respect more for his good judgment and kindliness of heart -towards me than I do you.” - -I said this because it was the truth, and I wished him to know it, not -that I intended to bait him with any sugared words. Had he declined to -help me even with a rupee, I would have said what I did. - -He continued, “You know me too well to take offense at what I am going -to say. You know the Eurasians, what they are?” - -“Don’t I know?” I exclaimed. “Am I not one of them to my sorrow and -shame?” - -Without regarding my remark he said, “The natives are bad enough in -every way, just what their ancestors and circumstances have made them. -They are born deceivers and liars. They are capable liars, and can tell -a lie with a semblance of truth in it, and then to protect the first -will thatch it with another, and so on indefinitely as they build their -roofs, one thatch upon another. The Europeans are not noted for lying. -They will stave off everything they don’t like to admit, with a bluff, -or a ‘mind your own business.’ They are licentious. I think this is -their greatest and worst vice in India, if not at home.” - -“Do I not know this?” I asked. “Do I not carry the proof of this in my -face every hour I live?” - -Said he, “To come to the point. The Eurasians, not all of them, but -many, have all the vices and scarcely any of the virtues of both races. -They will tell lies of the weakest, flimsiest kind, with not the shadow -of a leg to support them. They make promises and break them without any -hesitation whatever. They are indolent and indifferent, without any of -the stamina of manhood. They are weak-minded, soft-hearted and careless. -They are lacking in courage and manly character, destitute of ambition, -easily offended, and will throw up a position because some little thing -does not please them, when they know it to be almost impossible for them -to get another situation. When one leaves his place, if unmarried, he is -most likely to take some little silly young fool for a wife to starve -with him. And then they breed like rabbits, as is the case all over the -world; the poorer a people, the more children they have. I have seen so -many of them, and you know I have assisted them; yet they have so often -abused my favors and kindness, that I sometimes question if they are -worth saving.” - -I interrupted, “This is a very severe indictment, yet I cannot help -admitting that there is much truth in it, for have I not also had -experience with them? But who made them such as they are? Are they not -the effect of a sufficient cause? Am I to blame for what my father, a -Christian gentleman, made me, an Eurasian? Are not these poor people -made what they are by no fault of their own, and to be pitied rather -than cursed and shunned? Do they not of all people in India need -sympathy and help? Would it not be the will of God that we should give -them assistance and lift them out of the pit into which they have been -cast?” - -“Yes, yes, Japhet, you are right, and I am pleased to hear you talk as -you do. Your reference to God reminds me of a story. A street urchin who -had just lost his mother was sitting on the kerb-stone, sobbing as if -his heart would break. He began to pray to God for help, when one of his -chums sneered at his praying. He retorted out of his sobs, “What is God -for if not to help a feller when he needs Him most?” So I suppose if we -are to do the will of God we should assist those who need our help the -most, and I don’t know of any people who need our help more than the -Eurasians. Mind you, I don’t promise anything, but will think it over, -and will let you know to-morrow if I can do anything.” - -I took my departure, believing in my soul as surely as I expected the -sun to rise the next morning, that he would help me. He was that kind of -a man, though he had given a very poor opinion of some of the Eurasians, -yet I knew that not one of them ever went to him in distress without -receiving help of some kind. - -The rest of the day and night my head was full of plans and schemes. I -could think of nothing else. And my wife was as excited as I was. Why -should I not give way to my enthusiasm? Why should one made of flesh and -blood, with feelings, appear like a man carved out of wood or stone? - -Early the next morning a chuprassi brought a note from Mr. Jasper. It -said: “My dear Japhet: I like your scheme, and will do this—double every -rupee you expend from other sources, until it is fully carried out. I -am, &c.” - -As I read this I sprang to my feet with a bound, and my wife, who had -been looking over my shoulder, fairly danced. I know that tears of -gladness came into my eyes, not only for the princely munificence of his -offer, but for the magnanimous character of the man I then esteemed as -my best and truest friend. I like to give way to my joys, as I have too -often had to yield to my sorrows. - -I replied to the note in unbounded thanks, expressing a hope that he -might never have occasion to regret his magnificent proposal. - -The ground was already provided, and now half of the expense was -secured, so the project was assured of success. I at once drew up a -sketch for a building, the foundation to be four feet above the ground, -so as to be no down-in-the-mud affair; a large carriage way in front, an -entrance hall, a library and lecture hall to be separated by purdahs, -curtains, to be used as one room in case of necessity, a billiard and -smoking room, and a refectory. - -My wife, looking on, remarked, “That is all very well for you men, but -where do we women come in? Have you forgotten us? I have some money to -invest in this enterprise, as well as an interest in looking after the -rights of the women.” - -I might say here that she had considerable money, over which she had -entire control, and with which I never interfered except to advise her -about it when she asked me, which she often did. I believe in the equal -rights of a woman with a man; that she should have an absolute control -over her own property, and an equal share with her husband in all wealth -acquired after marriage. They both should be equal partners in the -marital firm. - -“Certainly, my dear,” said I, “the women must have their rights and -privileges, and to show our appreciation of them we will place them over -us, give them the story above, where they can look down on us, for this -is only the ground plan.” And she was satisfied. - -My next move was to draw up a prospectus, or a statement of what was -proposed, and the necessity for it. I made no mention of Mr. Jasper’s -offer, or what my wife and I would do. I wished to get every Eurasian in -the station to have an interest and share in the affair. I had no idea -of leaving any one out, no matter how poor they were, even if they could -only subscribe a rupee. I do not believe in one or two, or a few, -bearing all the burdens for the many. Besides, it was not so much for -the money as a personal interest, to develop the manhood of even the -poorest, and make them feel that when they came among us that they had a -right there. - -I started out with the paper to get subscriptions. The first I went to -was the personal assistant to the Commissioner of the Division. I knew -he resented being classed as an Eurasian, and kept aloof from them, -claiming that he was of French descent, but if he was not a dusky son of -the sun then his color lied. Everybody knew that his grandmother was as -puckhi a native woman as ever sat cross-legged and ate dhal bhat with -her fingers. He never associated with Europeans, and had only two -intimates of a like grade as himself. He declined very abruptly, as he -had no interest in the matter. He held himself very lofty and reserved, -as if he had been made chief toe-nail cutter by appointment to the -Viceroy. I did not waste any time on him or upon his two friends, who -made the same excuse. I was rather glad of their refusal, and only went -to them to prevent their saying afterward that I had not applied to -them. They were very important personages in their own estimation. Their -money was not needed, and their manhood had no basis on which to -develop. - -Among all the others I had great success. - -The plan was settled and the building commenced and pushed on as fast as -possible. I wanted everybody to see that we meant business. All seemed -to acquiesce in feeling that I should manage the affair. In fact I never -had a thought about this but went ahead. Then my engineering education -came into use. I assumed the whole responsibility, and whether the -subscriptions were few or many, I concluded that my wife and I, if -required, would balance every rupee of Mr. Jasper’s with one of ours. -What I wanted most from the subscribers was their personal interest. - -As the building progressed it became quite an object of attraction. -Every morning and evening, numbers would come to see how their building -was going on. Not the least interested was Mr. Jasper, for he seemed to -be always there, watching and anxious with pleasure. He greatly admired -the plans, and gave many valuable suggestions. He had great taste and -pleasure in gardening, and one day proposed to lay out and prepare the -grounds. I suggested that he keep an account of the expense, to be -deducted from his subscription. “No,” said he, “you go on with your -work; do not mind me. This is my affair entirely.” I did not object, as -I was not willing to deprive him of the pleasure this would afford him. - -It was not long before the building was finished. It was a work of art, -and would have been the pride of any station or city. It was as -substantial as lime, brick, stone and iron could make it, with the -finest of wood work and marble floors. The grounds were very ample, and -by the time the building was completed they had been, through Mr. -Jasper’s efficient supervision, converted into a park, with flower -gardens. - -In the meantime we had a number of meetings of all the subscribers at my -house, and various suggestions received as to the furnishing. The upper -apartments were left entirely to the women, with my wife in lead. There -sprang up a great rivalry between the sexes as to which should have the -best furnished rooms, and various were the questions asked of us men -about our plans. My wife put on her sweetest smiles when interrogating -me, but I was dumb except to say that we would not interfere with their -arrangements, and she would reply, “If you think you will get ahead of -us you are very much mistaken.” And I knew we would be. - -I had frequently observed our non-subscribing Eurasian fellows driving -by on the road and looking at our work with a good deal of interest. One -morning the one of French descent came to me where I was superintending -some work, and greeting with a good morning, said, “After all, Mr. -Japhet, I don’t know but what I ought to help you in this.” I cut him -short by replying, “Thank you very much, but we have now got all the -money we need, and so do not care for any more subscriptions.” He seemed -quite taken back by the reply, and began praising the building, but as I -was very busy he soon left. I took a perhaps wicked pleasure in giving -him this rebuff, more so, that he had received me with such haughtiness -on my going to him. - -Several had expressed their pleasure that this man and his two friends -had declined to subscribe, as from their position as head clerks they -imitated their English examples, and had presumed to be of a higher -class than the other Eurasians in the station; that had they come in -they would have had a great deal to say. They never ceased to regret the -attitude they had taken after seeing our success, and were probably very -much chagrined that we could get along without their advice or money. -They never came to us, except by special invitation to some of our -entertainments, and then were only invited to see what a pleasant place, -and the enjoyable times we had. This may not have been the best of -motives, but let those who are without fault in such matters, hurl -stones at us. - -In an up country station, where everybody’s business is known, and -inquired into by everybody else, such a building as ours, two-storied, -when there was not another of this height in the station, a very large -puckha one too, with large, ornamental grounds around it, could not fail -to excite attention. - -The station club-house, frequented by all the civil and military swells -and their families, was a low down, mud-walled, tawdry affair, with a -dingy, thatched grass roof, the building having been erected during -years by additions, so was without form or comeliness, becoming more -disreputable in appearance in proportion as our building grew in size -and beauty. Through some of my acquaintances in the club, I learned that -our enterprise was a subject of daily talk at their evening gatherings. -They had discovered that it was to be for an Eurasian club, as they put -it, though we had not yet named our infant. One, who lived in a -two-roomed, cheap bungalow asked, “What do the half castes want with -such a building as that? It is a blanked sight too good for them!” -Another remarked, “Why did the Collector allow them to put up such a -building just opposite to ours?” Then one replied, “It is no matter, -they will not be able to keep it, and then we’ll get it for ourselves, -as it would just suit us.” One made a remark that hit me home. “That -Japhet is the leader in it, and it seems to me that he is putting on a -good deal of side.” “Why the devil shouldn’t he, when he has got the -money to do it with?” asked an impecunious sub, whom I had favored with -several accommodations. - -This, and much more, was the line of their daily conversation, but -little to our credit, taking their words at their full meaning, but -greatly to their discredit, judging from the motives of the speakers. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - -One morning, as I went to look at the work, I saw a well dressed -European walking about, and examining the building, with the air of a -Lord Moses at the head of the public works department. I paid no -attention to him. He came up to me, and without a nod, or salutation, -asked in an authoritative tone, “What is this building for?” as if I was -some native mistree. I replied that it was for a library and reading -room, with a lecture hall to be a resort for the Eurasian community. He -asked, “Is it not too large for them? Could they not have done with a -cheaper building? It is a very fine building, too good for them, it -seems to me. In fact, I have not a very good opinion of the Eurasians.” - -I interrupted, “You are talking to one now, and I do not think your -remark very becoming, at least, it is not pleasing to me, for you, a -European, to speak so of a class of people, who are here, or the most of -them, through the lusts and licentiousness of your Europeans.” - -I was angry, and he saw it. He reddened up and said, “Excuse me, but I -did not know you were an Eurasian, and you know that present company is -always excepted.” - -Either he was guilty of dullness, in not perceiving my complexion, or -else of lying, and either was the same to me. I turned, and went to look -at some work, and thus began and ended my only interview with the -Commissioner of the Division. This little matter quite upset me for the -day, for this reason. This man of pink eyes, white eyebrows, and yellow -complexion, in appearance, manner and insolent words, was so like that -paternal ancestor of mine that the sight of him, with his insolence, -brought all those black, hateful scenes of my earlier life to my mind -again, not that I cared so much for the name Eurasian, as applied to -myself and others, for I had given him the word, but on account of his -insolence and insulting remarks. - -On another morning came the Collector of the District, quite a different -type of man altogether from the Commissioner. He was very courteous, -praised the building and grounds, hoped our undertaking would be most -successful, as it was just what was needed. “By the way,” said he, “why -didn’t you send your subscription paper to me, for I would gladly have -subscribed.” I thanked him, saying that except two, all the subscribers -were Eurasians, as we preferred to have them own the building, and feel -that it was theirs. “A very good idea,” he answered. “As you will not -let me help you with money, I will give you my best wishes for your -success, and bid you good morning,” and shaking my hand, he left. There -was such a wide contrast between this man and the Commissioner, that I -enjoyed as much pleasure from his call, as I felt angry and disgusted -with that of the other. - -Still another caller, and he the Chaplain. Though he had been more than -a year in the station, he had never called on us. We had never met until -he appeared that morning, at our house. He introduced himself as the -Chaplain. He need not have done this, as he had the padri marks all over -him. He excused himself for not calling, on account of his many duties. -Considerable of a lie for a padri to tell so early in the morning, I -thought, for I had often seen him going to the club to idle away his -time. - -After some thoughtless conversation he hemmed and hawed, as some men do -when they are in a quandary, or destitute of ideas, but finally said, -“Mr. Japhet, I have noticed for some time past that very few Eurasians -come to church, and as you have great influence over them, I trust you -will use it for their good, and get them to attend divine service.” I -replied that I had no influence over them in that respect, that if the -church could not draw them, I certainly could not, and would not drive -them to it, even if I had the power to do so; that I always reserved my -right to decide for myself in all religious matters, and conceded to -everybody else the same privilege. He left this tack, and began praising -the building, inquired its object, and then suggested, “You will soon -have the opening, I suppose, and as the Lord Bishop will soon be here on -a visitation, would it not be well to invite him to preside.” I saw -through his scheme at once. It was to get his fingers into our pie, or -in other words to make a grand affair of us for his own eclat, with pomp -and procession by the help of the Lord Bishop. Certainly, I did not give -him a hint of my thoughts, but replied that we did not know just when -the building would be finished; that we had formed no plans about the -opening. - -Others seemed to be suddenly afflicted with an intense desire to have -the opening in good form. Among them my courteous caller, the Collector -wrote, suggesting that the Commissioner be invited to preside on the -occasion. I silently passed the note to my wife who viewed it for a few -moments and then exclaimed, “The idea! Should he dare to preside after -making such insulting remarks to you about the Eurasians, I would hiss, -and every woman present would follow me. If you men have not spirit -enough to stand up for your honor, and are too cowardly to resent -insults, we will show you what we women can do,” and she would have done -just as she said, for like a good and true wife she was very quick to -resent anything that disparaged me. Then she laughed, one of those -joyous inspiriting laughs, “Wouldn’t it be fun, though! Do it, Charles, -do it; get him to preside, and I’ll give you a thousand rupees for a -piano. It would be the best scene at the opening when all we women stand -up and hiss until His Highness should retire.” - -I wanted no such fun as that, though I would like to have pleased my -wife and wanted the thousand rupees, so I calmly wrote to the Collector -describing the call of the Commissioner and his remarks against the -Eurasians; that some or all had heard of what he had said, and that it -would be impossible for them to treat him with respect. I think the -Collector was not at all displeased with the result, as there was not -much love between the two men, and I mistrusted that the Commissioner -had given a hint of the subject of the note to me. - -Then there was a lull for awhile in regard to the opening. At length the -building was finished, not a touch more needed anywhere and all as neat -as a pin. I think that is the phrase to use, as good as any other. Our -furniture was of the best kind, a goodly number of new books were on our -library shelves, and the tables in our reading room were covered with -magazines and papers, and best of all, everybody was delighted and -happy. - -I feel like moralizing on the new life that had come into our people. -They seemed to be endowed with a new energy and inspiration, as if -they felt they were somewhere and somebody. They carried themselves -with an air of independence, and had thrown off that limp and -God-and-man-forsaken appearance that they formerly wore. They had -become proud, and that is one of the necessary elements in the making -of manhood. - -“Independence is the rarest gift and the first condition of happiness.” - -We had a general meeting, or several of them, in the lecture hall, of -the women and men, for the women had an equal share in everything, and -woe to the man who should have dared to propose anything else. I think, -and am proud to say, that my wife was probably the instigator in this -equal rights matter. - -At our meeting it was voted that our building and association should be -called “Our Club.” A constitution and by-laws were adopted, a committee -of management elected for one year, consisting of an equal number of -women and men who were to elect their own president. - -At another meeting came the question of the opening or dedication of the -building. Then there was an excitement. Some one not quite in the inside -who had not heard of the insulting remarks of the Commissioner, proposed -that that gentleman be invited to preside on the occasion. He had no -sooner uttered the words than he was silenced by a storm of noes, those -of the women the most emphatic of all. - -There was a little fellow so retired and diffident that I had never -heard him make a remark in any of our meetings, though he was always -present. He sprang to his feet, lost sight of himself and rose to the -occasion. Said he, “I am utterly opposed to inviting any outside -Europeans. If we get one of the swells to preside he will look down on -us and talk to us as if we were children, fools or outcasts. We have -been patronized long enough. We are always put in the background, -crowded into the outskirts, treated as scum or menials, except when the -Europeans can use us for their own advantage. Then they fawn on us as if -we were dogs, to do their bidding. They do not want us anywhere, and -always treat us with contempt. Even a blatant Babu is treated with more -respect than we are. They will not allow us to enlist as soldiers. They -insult us when we ask for employment in the Government offices. The -Government Railway Companies and the merchants stick up notices ‘No -Eurasians need apply.’ When they advertise for clerks they add, ‘No -Eurasians wanted.’ - -“In the mutiny they made all the use they could of the Eurasians. They -were then considered good enough to help them fight and to protect their -families. But if another mutiny occurs, the Babus or the Russians may -take the country for all the help these haughty aristocrats will get -from me. - -“Don’t I know what I am talking about. My father was a shopkeeper in -Lucknow at the time of the mutiny. All of his stores he took into the -residency and gave them out to be distributed among the officers and -their families. While the stores lasted he was patted on the back. It -was Mr. Evans here and Mr. Evans there; let us see Evans! He was put in -the most dangerous places of defense. What a favor! When the mutiny was -over and others received medals and honors, his name was not even -mentioned. He was only a shopkeeper and worse, an Eurasian. When he -suggested payment for his stores he was told that he must submit to the -usages of war, so he was left without a rupee for the support of his -family, and died almost a beggar, though he had taken many thousands of -rupees worth of goods into the entrenchment. Officers who had drunk many -cases of his wines, and whose families had been kept from dying through -his supplies of canned goods, afterwards did not know him when they met -him face to face on the road. I could tell of the rebuffs and insults he -received from them when he applied for honest work, but what is the use? -Everybody knows the story and everywhere it was the same. It is time we -stand up for ourselves and demand our right to live. If we are so -lacking in energy that we cannot do this, and are so degraded as to be -willing to be insulted and patronized as inferiors then the sooner we -die the better.” - -These are only a few of his sentences. He was greatly excited and each -sentence came out like the puff report from a Gatling gun. His remarks -had a great effect and it was some minutes before the audience became -quiet, for he was cheered again and again. - -Then some one arose and very deliberately said: “I heartily agree with -every word Mr. Evans has said. It is time we cease to be patronized. We -have been made slaves, menials, and been done to death by patronage, as -if we existed only through the mercy and favor of these haughty -over-bearing Europeans who are the sources of our being and the causes -of our degradation. Without any further remarks I would suggest that we -have no occasion to go outside to solicit any one to honor us with his -presence. We have one among us, of our own class, who is our best friend -as we all know, and but for whom we would not be assembled here -to-night. Need I mention his name—Mr. Japhet—” - -At this I sprang to my feet, for I had been silently enjoying, listening -to the various speakers, thinking that from the independence in their -remarks they had already mounted several rounds of the ladder towards -liberty and manhood. - -“My friends,” said I, “kindly allow me a few words. We have one among -us, though not of us, and as he is not present I can speak freely of -him. He is our truest and best friend, and has done more for us than all -the rest put together. Therefore I move that this our sincere friend, -Mr. Jasper, be invited to preside at our opening and give us an -address.” As I spoke his name, there was such a cheering that the rest -of my sentence, was completely drowned. It showed such a unanimity that -it was not necessary to put the motion to a vote. - -I had never told any one except my wife, of our friend’s most generous -aid, as he had requested me not to do so, but all knew him well and -esteemed him as their friend and one of the noblest of men. - -Thus this long mooted question was settled and the other part of the -programme was soon arranged. We were to have music by some in our own -circle and by some other musicians, the best we could get, besides we -had our grand piano, and paid for by my wife, though she did not do it -at the expense of the Commissioner Sahib’s discomfiture. - -Some one asked if it would not be proper to have the Chaplain make a -prayer? For a few moments no reply was given, then one with the fervor -of little Evans burst out, “Who is the chaplain? Where is he? What is -he? What have we got to do with him? What has he done for us? We do not -even know him. We were born without him, have lived without him and -shall have to die and be buried without him, unless he can find it -convenient to leave his croquet or billiards and rattle a prayer over -our graves.” - -Nothing more was said about this, not even a motion offered, and the -little chap did not so much as receive an invitation to our opening. Why -should he? He had never called on any one of them, never noticed them -and so was nothing to them. What else could he be? His time was so -occupied in “Society,” at the grand dinners, at the lawn parties, -gossiping with the women about the latest fads in church decoration and -millinery, preparing sermons on the wearing of surplices, the position -at the eucharist, or the sign of the cross at baptism, the training of -his surpliced choir, his postures and intonations, his daily visits to -the club; so engrossed with the silly sheep and the follies of his flock -that he had no time or inclination to look after the poor outcasts, the -goats outside, so why should these run after him? - -I think this was the milk in the cocoanut in regard to the opinion and -feeling about the Chaplain. - -There was a disposition not to have any Europeans present except Mr. -Jasper and my wife, but I proposed that the Collector and a few others -be invited and no objection was made. I had a sinister motive in this -which was to have enough of this set present to see what we did and to -circulate the report in “Society.” There was a Mrs. Grundy, a terror, -not to evil-doers, but to everybody else, on account of the wagging -facility of her tongue. She resembled a busy bee in this, that she was -always busy and carried a sting in her tale. Her husband was an -homunculus of a man, so counted for nothing. As I knew she would be -excessively flattered by an invitation when all the others were left -out, and as she would make an excellent substitute for a night reporter -on a morning paper, she got one of our engraved cards highly perfumed. - -The women took charge of the refreshment part of the ceremony, and -assisted with their good taste in the decorations, and it is not -necessary to say that everything they did was worthy of them. - -Mr. Jasper at once consented to preside and to deliver the address, as -it was a pleasure as well as a duty he felt he ought to perform. The -time came. There were a number of Eurasian friends from other stations, -besides those who had aided us with their subscriptions. “Our Club” was -crowded to its fullest capacity. It was a rare entertainment. The music -with several recitations, the refreshments and the after social visit -were very enjoyable, but the creme de la creme of the occasion was the -address of Mr. Jasper, so characteristic of the man, eloquent in its -rhetoric and delivery, but still better because he spoke the thoughts of -his soul, with such kindly, yet severe criticisms of the Eurasian -character as to make us all wince under them, and with such tender -urgent appeals as to bring tears into the eyes of everyone. - -The main idea was the development of true manhood and womanhood, first -in purity of thought. “For you are what your thoughts make you, and -remember that every thought you have and every word you utter are -immortal and will effect your souls forever.” While he was describing -his highest ideals of character the audience seemed lifted up above -themselves with holy aspirations, and when he showed the failure of many -and the causes of them, every one could see himself as in a polished -mirror and feel that he himself was being described. As several said -afterwards, Mr. Jasper could not have given a better description of -themselves had he known every secret of their whole lives. There was not -an objection to any of his criticisms as all knew they were true to the -strictest line. He took an hour in the delivery of the address though it -seemed not more than half that time as all were entranced by his earnest -thoughts. The address was printed to be kept as a creed or a Bible among -us. Why not as a Bible or Sacred Scripture as good as any other man or -set of men could make for us? All truth is true, no matter who utters -it. “Precepts and promises from the lips of Jesus are not made true -because he uttered them, because they were eternally true in the -beginning with God.” - -A little incident occurred during the social part of our opening that -greatly affected me. Among our guests were a woman and her husband from -a distant station. She was of fine appearance and address. She came to -me and taking my hand, asked, “Mr. Japhet, do you remember me?” I could -not for the moment recall her, and she remarked, “Do you remember once -at night rescuing a young girl from two policemen? I was that girl, and -many a thousand times have I thought with tears of joy of what you did -for me! And I have prayed for you almost daily that the richest of -heaven’s blessings might descend on you. Where would I have been taken -and what would have become of me, if you had not saved me from what -would have been my fate infinitely worse than death! I owe my life here -and my eternal life, all I owe to you. You were indeed my savior, and I -want to thank you with all my heart and all my soul.” - -She wept for joy, as the contrast, of what she might have been and her -present position, overcame her. I would belie myself and not be true to -my manhood, if I did not admit that I also wept. What could give me a -greater joy than to have been the means of saving a soul, and she an -innocent helpless girl, from the jaws of a monster vice, and from a life -of the foulest degradation, misery and eternal death? Better this than -to be a hero in the greatest battle of the world. Such a deed, I can but -think it, has an eternal record of good, while even the destruction of -one fellow mortal in war, bears with it an everlasting stain and -remorse, though it may win a medal or an empty plaudit to perish with -this life. Some one has said: “He that saveth a soul from death shall -hide a multitude of sins.” I trust this may be true for me. - -She introduced me to her husband, a fine looking man. I heard afterwards -that they were well-to-do and highly esteemed. She had heard of “Our -Club,” and they came of their own accord, as she wished to see me and to -express her gratitude for her salvation, as she called it. They were -introduced to my wife and invited to our home where the whole story was -retold and again she expressed her thanks with tears. There was joy not -over a sinner that repented, but over an innocent one saved from sin and -death. Is it not far better to keep people from sinning than to redeem -them from sin? - -“To prevent the commission of crime, prevent the manufacture of -criminals.” - -The Collector was one of our delighted guests and could not be lavish -enough of his praise, and ever afterwards was one of the best friends of -the Eurasians, giving employment to a number of them. Self help leads to -other help, and the gods help those who help themselves. He was often a -welcome visitor to Our Club and did not hesitate to make his tiffin of -our soup, excellent bread and butter, and to praise our coffee, better, -he said, than he could get at home and asked the privilege of getting -his supply of bread and butter from our kitchen. - -I need scarcely say that with our opening began a new era among the -Eurasians. They took upon themselves a self reliance, an independence -and an ambition to make themselves, what Mr. Jasper called in his -address, true men and women. Even the very poorest of them walked more -erect, when they could think of being members of the club, having a -place they could call their own, and not live in a perpetual fear of -being snubbed and scorned where they were not wanted. Not the least of -the incitements to their energy and ambition was the interest “Our -Club,” excited among the outsiders. Many sneered at what they called the -“airs,” the Eurasians were putting on. Many were the insulting remarks -that came to our ears. The lash of envy is often a greater stimulant -than words of praise. A very few spoke well of our enterprise, though -all seemed to feel a chagrin that we had such a grand building and much -finer grounds than theirs. - -Our work was not finished with the building. The management was yet to -come, though as there was such an unanimity, there was little trouble. -We had made our laws and rules. One of the most prominent matters was -temperance. No intoxicating drinks were to be allowed on the premises. -This was one of the laws fundamental and ever to remain unalterable. Mr. -Jasper urged this with all his force of words. Another was that there -was to be no gambling or betting of any kind, though there were fine -billiard tables and other games for recreation and amusement, but no -money to be involved in any game; no profanity, indecent stories and -remarks, or improper behavior. Any one violating these laws was to be -excluded from the privileges of the club at the discretion of the -managing committee. No one was to be admitted without the payment of a -fee, so small as to be within the means of the poorest. Nothing was to -be donated by the club, as it was not to be a pauper asylum or a free -soup kitchen, but it was assumed that the members might and should pay -the fees of any they chose and purchase tickets for food. This would -maintain the integrity of the club, stimulate benevolence among the -members and tend to create independence in all. It was accepted as a -part of our Gospel that all were to help each other, and especially -those the most in need. Mr. Jasper made a point that the degradation of -only one individual would affect the whole community as surely as that -the smallest pebble thrown into the biggest ocean would make a ripple. - -Our Club was for the development of manners, morals and mental growth, -not for one day in seven, but every day in the year. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - - -I had a chance to indulge in one of my fads. I always respect a man who -has a good fad, for there are so many aimless, jelly fish, fad-less -people in the world. One of my notions that has strengthened with my -years is—that much of the lack of energy in many people, the great cause -of drunkenness, and of much of the crime, is the want of good, -wholesome, stimulating food. “Pain is the prayer of a nerve for healthy -food.” “A man is what he eats,” or as the Hindus put it, “The milk of -the cow is in her mouth.” - -It may seem absurd to some great lordly persons who know everything for -others and little for themselves, for me to have such a thought, yet I -do not know why I should not have my opinion about things as well as -other people. The views of even the wisest and best men are attacked, so -why need I hesitate or fear? Even the lean Cassius dared ask about the -great Cæsar,— - -“Now, in the name of all the gods at once, upon what meat doth this our -Cæsar feed—That he is grown so great?” and it is allowed by common -consent that even a cat may look at a king. - -I have always known from my own introspection that I had more energy to -work, more charity for the poor and been less inclined to meanness, when -I had good nourishing food, than when as in my school days, I was hungry -and faint on watery soup and half-boiled vegetables. - -With these views I determined on trying an experiment in “Our Club,” as -I was sure it would be for good and certainly do no harm. We engaged an -excellent manager of the cookery and refectory in an Eurasian widow. -Eurasian, as we had decided to employ only our own people, except for -the most menial work. It is not a very good commentary on the native -Christians of India, that Christian families, padris, missionaries, -church committees or even the Bible and Tract Societies will not employ -them, but take heathen servants to their exclusion. If Christianity in -two hundred years has not been able to produce a servant that a -Christian might employ, is it—but what is the use of talking? - -Apropos of this is a statement made by a prominent clergyman at a Church -Missionary Congress. “After a century of effort, the expenditure of many -noble lives, as well as of some millions of money, the Church of -England, extraordinary to say, has signally failed to establish one -solitary or single native church in any part of the world—that is to -say, a church self-governed, self-supporting and expanding, or -exhibiting any true signs of vitality as a church. This is a tremendous -indictment, I know, but for long, my heart has been hot within me and at -last I have spoken, not without, however, having weighed well my words.” - -This woman was a model of cleanliness. One of the mottoes on our walls -was “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” and under it printed in large -type was the remark of Sir B. W. Richardson: “Cleanliness covers the -whole field of sanitary labor. Cleanliness, that is purity of air; -cleanliness, that is purity of water; cleanliness in and around the -house; cleanliness of person; cleanliness of dress; cleanliness of food -and feeding; cleanliness in work; cleanliness in the habits of the -individual man and woman; cleanliness of life and conversation, purity -of life, temperance, all these are in man’s power.” - -It is in man’s power, God-given always, as all good things are, to make -his own moral destiny for this life as for that to come. He can best -answer his own prayers by putting his own shoulder to the wheel, instead -of praying to the gods. There was a world of instruction in the reply of -Lord Palmerston to the Scotch elders of Glasgow, when they requested him -to appoint a day of fasting and prayer to avert the cholera. He replied -that it was useless to do so until they had cleaned the streets of the -city. He relied more on scavengers’ shovels than he did on Bishops’ -prayers. - -We made cleanliness one of the articles in our unwritten creed, for may -it not come that cleanliness of life and living will some day be the -universal creed to fit us not only for this life, but for the future -life? - -The next step was to have our manager understand just what we wanted and -a number of us formed ourselves into an experimental catering and -cooking committee having first secured an excellent range for our -cook-house. This cooking really belonged to the women, but we men -assumed the right to examine into it, whether it was ours or not. We saw -to the procuring of the food, and therefor felt empowered to know that -it was properly served. I have always felt great sympathy for Xantippe -who is generally written down as a scold, for it is recorded that -Socrates would often, unawares to her, invite a number of his friends to -dinner when he had not provided a scrap for the larder. What true wife, -though she had the temper of an angel, would not give it recriminating -voice and action under such circumstances? - -We provided, and so had our rights. - -Our first effort was with various kinds of good substantial soup. I had -enough skimmed broth in my school days to last me for life and the very -recollection of it causes in me a kind of water brash. - -We succeeded and made out a list of soups to be prepared in a wholesale -way of the best materials, at such a price that any wayfarer or -aristocrat coming to our club, could relish a bowl of it, and also that -families belonging to the club, could send in their orders the day -before for what they wanted. The price just above the cost, was so much -below what they could be made for in their homes, and so much better, -that we had many orders. We also had the best of bread, cake and -biscuit, made in the cleanest possible way. If the Europeans in India -could see how their bread is made by the natives in the bazars, they -would eschew it forever, and diet on fruits and vegetables. It is -scarcely credible the methods of the native cooks. I once at table -gravely asked my khansaman, if they really strained our soup through -their turbans? Putting his hands together in front of him, with a slight -bow he replied: “What else can we do if their Honors do not give us -towels?” - -Once, as a guest, eating food provided by a zemindar, he placidly -looking on, I turned and noticed two of the servants, the one pouring -milk through the shirt-tail of the other, straining it for me to drink. -A sahib blaming his khansaman for boiling the roly poly in one of his -master’s socks, the fellow gravely replied: “Sahib! it was not one of -the clean ones!” - -A friend of mine eating his mutton chops and finding some cottony shreds -in his mouth questioned his cook standing by, when the latter replied, -that as he had no tallow, he had used the waste ends of the burned -candles. The sahib at once seized his chef and holding him by the neck -forced all the remaining mess down his throat, for which he was summoned -before the magistrate and had to pay a fine of twenty-five rupees. -“But,” said my friend, “I would willingly have paid five times that -amount for the satisfaction I got in making him swallow the rest of the -stuff with the burnt wicks.” - -We wanted none of that kind of cooking in our club. Our next experiment -was in the making of tea and coffee, and after a number of trials -succeeded in producing articles that few of our people had ever tasted -the like before, a nectar like coffee not to be paragoned anywhere in -the world. “And they in France of the best rank and station are most -select and generous,” in making this delicious drink. - -Anent the native coffee-making is this told by a khansaman. His Sahib, -an English doctor, was always complaining that he did not get good black -coffee, such as they made in France. His cook at his wit’s end, finally -took some charcoal and grinding it to powder mixed it with the coffee. -His Sahib was highly delighted, and boastingly invited his friends to -drink his real French coffee. The servant very considerately never told -the story until after his master’s death. - -Our manager fell in with our ways and suggestions and took great pride -in the science as well as the art of cookery, and in having everything -in the best possible condition. - -It is a saying among the Europeans in India, “If you wish to enjoy your -dinner never look into the cook-house.” We reversed that order to “If -you wish to enjoy our food see how it is cooked.” Our restaurant was -well patronized, and it was of great benefit, morally as well as -physically. It was not for the poor alone, though the prices were so -low, for the better class, that is, the better well-to-do, did not -disdain to favor us, as everything was better than most of them could -get in their homes, and I doubt if the great Commissioner Sahib, or the -Commanding General, had near as good. - -The only vice we tolerated was the smoking of tobacco, and this was -confined to the smoking-room or to the grounds outside. In respect to -this habit, we thought it best not to stretch the bow of restraint too -far, lest it break with its own tension, or we be like “The man that -once did sell the lion’s skin while the beast lived, was killed with -hunting him.” “We may outrun, by violent swiftness, that which we run -at, and lose by overrunning.” - -The upper apartments were reserved entirely for the women, and reached -by a wide, marble staircase from the lower entrance hall. They had their -dressing-room, reading and other rooms richly furnished. They had more -than an equal share, for besides their own, they had the right of our -lecture hall, the library and refectory, but we were pleased with all -their encroachments, for they assisted us in every way. The walls of the -lecture hall and refectory were bare until we selected some mottoes, -which our feminine members, with their skillful taste and hands, -ornamented, making them works of art. This was done, not in a day, but -during many months of most laborious work, with rivalry and pride as to -which should produce the finest work. Some of the mottoes were these: - - “We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; - In feelings, not in figures on a dial. - We should count time by heart throbs. - He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the - best.”—_Bailey._ - - “There is no religion higher than truth.”—_Oriental Proverb._ - - “I would rather that men should say there never was such a man as - Plutarch, than say that Plutarch was unfaithful.”—_Plutarch._ - - “Sin makes us pay toll, if not along the way, surely at the end of the - road.” - - “Not he that repeateth the name, - But he that doeth the will.”—_Longfellow._ - - “Every rifle should have its own bullet mold.” - - “Everything is bitter to him who has gall in his mouth.” - - “Truth is not drowned in water or burned in fire.” - - “A fool may throw a stone into a pond; it may take seven sages to pull - it out.” - - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”—_Jesus._ - - “Purity, even in the secret longings of our hearts, is the greatest - duty.”—_Xenocrates._ - - “A good man sees God reflected in his own soul; the cleaner the soul - the more vivid the image.” - - “Only through the highest purity and chastity we shall approach nearer - to God, and receive, in the contemplation of Him, the true knowledge - and insight.”—_Porphyry._ - - “The doctrine of our Master consists in having an invariable - correctness of heart, and in doing towards others as we would that - they should do to us.”—_A Disciple of Confucius._ - - “The thoughts and intents of the heart are deeds in the sight of God.” - - “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”—_Bible._ - - “All lovers of truth are lovers of God.” - - “He only truly lives who lives for others.” - - “We must do one of two things—either learn to control the conditions - of our lives, or let them control us.” - - “The more one lives for his kind, the less need he fear to - die.”—_Kabalist Proverb._ - - “The highest service one can do is to serve himself in the highest - manner.” - - “Whatever good betideth thee, O man, it is from God, and whatsoever - ill, from thyself is it.”—_Koran._ - - “There is only one road to Heaven—obedience to the Golden Rule.” - - “So long as every man does to other men as he would that they should - do to him, and allow no one to interfere between him and his Maker, - all will go well with the world.”—_Ancient Pagan._ - - “A man obtains a proper rule of action - By looking on his neighbor as himself. - Do naught to others which, if done to thee, - Would cause thee pain; this is the sum of duty.” - —_Hindu Maxim._ - - “I will set my camel free and trust him to Allah.” Mahomed answered, - “Tie thy camel first, and then commit him to God.”—_Arabian Saying._ - -We soon had everything in good working order. A committee of -entertainment was appointed; one evening of each week was devoted to -instruction and practice in singing, for which an excellent teacher was -secured. Another evening was for the literary society, when essays were -read and subjects discussed, the members appointed in turn, so as to -give every one a chance, and all to take an interest and have something -to do. This compelled them to read and think, which took up all their -leisure hours from work, formerly spent in idleness and folly. We had no -idea of having any one or a few do all the work and receive all the -benefit, but every one, no difference who they were, was urged, assisted -and required to do their part, not so much for the benefit they might -give to others, but what they would do for themselves. Ours was a mutual -improvement association, the weakest to be helped the most. - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - - -Every Sunday morning there was a lecture or a sermon read, prayers and -singing. We gleaned in all fields, gathering the ripest grain we could -find. For our needs the library was increased by the addition of -valuable books as works of reference, for investigation of subjects for -discussion. There were only a few novels, and by the best writers. We -always had plenty of music and singing, and in a few years our club -became quite a musical society. We had no castes, as in “society,” to -prevent Mrs. Smack, the clerk’s wife, from sitting beside Mrs. Grimsby, -the wife of the railway guard. - -The intention was to vary the exercises, even the religious, so as to do -away with that everlasting monotony prevalent in the churches; to make -all of moral benefit and intellectual profit, as well as attractive and -entertaining. The subjects of the lectures, articles and sermons, took a -wide range from earth to heaven, from the physiology of plants and -animals to astronomy, the care of the homes, the health of our bodies, -the welfare of our moral natures, temperance a most prominent topic, the -restraint of our passions and the immortality of our souls, everything -that might make us cleaner, healthier, wiser and nobler. We believed in -useful work to make people happy, to fit them to live on earth, more -than in worrying them about what they might be hereafter, or in -troubling them about “the ineffable relations of the Godhead before the -remotest beginnings of time;” in making a heaven for them in this life -and trust to God and their own fitness for the one to come; not so much -in trying to penetrate the mysteries and glories of heaven, as to -realize the facts and realities of every day life on earth; less in -describing the many mansions and the golden pavements of the new -Jerusalem, but caring more about improving the homes and cleaning the -alleys of the poor, giving them good bread for which they were hungering -daily, instead of wasting time on dilated descriptions of the imagined -joys of the blessed, so very far away. It seemed to be a settled -conviction among us that if we could get our people to live good, clean, -honest, happy lives here, they would run no risk of enjoying the life to -come. - -Who dare say that we had not the right to try the experiment, and to do -as we pleased in the matter? - -Why should we not start our society, found our church, if we choose to -call it such, as any other set of men to found theirs? - -If the church of Rome, the church of England, the Presbyterian or any -one of the other thousand heterogeneous sects could set up for itself, -why should we not do the same? They did not ask us or anybody for their -privileges, why need we ask anything of them? We were not responsible -for them as they certainly would deny any responsibility to us. Should -they say that they had divine authority, could we not make the same -claim for ourselves? Since God our father created us, as we believe He -did, as He created them, why could we not have a share in His divine -rights as well as they? We conceded to all others the same privilege, -the right to do as they deemed best, and claimed the same right for -ourselves. - -If that libidinous, much-wived and wife murderer, Henry the Eighth, -could set up for himself in founding a church, why cannot other men of -better morals and less exceptional tastes start a society, a church, a -denomination? To go further back: If Constantine, who “drowned his wife -in boiling water, butchered his little nephew, murdered two of his -brothers-in-law with his own hand, killed his own son Crispus, led to -death several men and women and smothered in a well an old monk,” and -yet was the distinguished patron, and one of the founders of the -Christian church, cannot others whose hands have never been stained with -blood dare to think and act for themselves? - -Much might be said of the bigotry and assumption of some classes of -people who claim like the egotistical, over-bearing Jews of old, that -they are the elect, the chosen people of God and all the rest of mankind -are to be subdued, exterminated, unless they fall into the ways and -accept the creeds and ceremonies of these self-assumed religious rulers -of the world; claiming that “God’s actual grace is limited to those who -are within the church and have the faith,” meaning thereby their little -church and their very doubtful faith, and boldly inscribe on their -portals, “Beware of imitations; here is the only genuine article;” that -there is no truth, except what is seen under their little ecclesiastical -microscopes. - -What of the wisdom, justice and mercy of God in creating fifteen hundred -millions of people now living, not to consider the infinite number -passed away, if He only saves the few poor unworthy Christians, as they -style themselves, and hands over the vast majority to some omnipotent -demon to torture forever and forever, as the Christians teach? - -Has God so badly bodged His work, or are these people mistaken? What -gods some of these little ecclesiastics would be if they could have -their own way! Their assumption of divine authority and wisdom reminds -one of the remark of a French critic, “The fact is, only I and my -friends possess any real knowledge, and I am not so sure concerning -them.” - -I have got somewhat ahead of my story. These thoughts were prompted by a -conversation with the Chaplain. We had not met since his first and only -call. At his approach he greeted me very respectfully with a -condescending air, and I saw from the frigidity of his manner that he -had a purpose in coming. I was not left long in doubt what it was. He -said, “Mr. Japhet, for some time past none of the Eurasians have come to -church.” He waited for a few moments, as if he expected me to say -something, but I remained silent. This rather disconcerted him. Then he -continued, “Since the opening of your club these people keep entirely -aloof from us.” I said nothing, and this annoyed him, as I saw by his -fidgeting and the reddening of his face. Then he struck me hard by -asking: “Do you think, Mr. Japhet, as an Eurasian, with an influence -over these people, you are doing right in keeping them away from the -church and from participating in the divine ordinances, without which -there can be no salvation? The church was ordained of God, He -established its ordinances. Is it not wrong, then, to interfere and -prevent people from attending that which is for their eternal welfare?” - -He stopped for my reply, which was: “You are making a very severe -accusation against me. I have never uttered a word to them against your -church. They have been entirely free in the matter. As for God ordaining -the church, my belief is that He has ordained it as He has everything -else, no more no less. All that we know about it is what some men say, -and what some can affirm others can deny; the statement of one set is as -good as that of the other.” - -“But,” he interrupted, “did not our Lord Jesus Christ establish the -ordinances and command us to use them?” - -“What ordinances?” I asked. - -“Why, baptism and holy communion.” - -“No,” I replied, “not at all. Baptism was an old rite used at the -initiation of men into some society, or to signify their attachment to -some leader or principle. Only to mention two instances: Were not people -baptized unto Moses, and were they not baptized by John, the forerunner -of Jesus? Jesus only continued the old rite, or custom among his -followers with the same significance. The church, assuming to know more -than Jesus did, has changed this rite into a regenerating and saving -ordinance. Let me read what one of the Bishops of your Church says about -it: - -“‘In this church, the body which derives life, strength and salvation -from Christ its head, baptism was instituted as the sacred rite of -admission. In this regenerating ordinance, fallen man is born again from -a state of condemnation to a state of grace. He obtains a title to the -presence of the Holy Spirit, to the forgiveness of sins, to all those -precious and unmerited favors which the blood of Christ purchased. -Wherever the gospel is promulgated the only mode through which we can -obtain a title to those blessings and privileges which Christ has -purchased for his mystical body, the church, is the sacrament of -baptism. Repentance, faith and obedience will not, of themselves, be -effectual to our salvation. We may sincerely repent of our sins, -heartily believe the gospel; we may walk in the paths of holy obedience, -but until we enter into covenant with God by baptism and ratify our vows -of allegiance and duty at the holy sacrament of the supper; commemorate -the mysterious sacrifice of Christ, we cannot assert any claim to -salvation.’ - -“Every man of common sense will reject such a statement as false, no -matter who made it. It is the teaching of priests to clothe their -performance with power and mystery. It is utterly opposed to the plain -statements of the Bible and contrary to what any true man must believe -of the character of God. I would rather accept the sentiment of the -poet: - - “Leave polemic folios in their dust, - But this point hold, howe’er each sect may brawl, - When pure the life, when free the heart from gall - What e’er the creed, Heaven looks with love on all.” - -“As to the communion. This was a ceremony observed among the heathen -long before Jesus was born, signifying friendship and a devotion to each -other’s interests, and it is observed even now by the wildest tribes of -men as a sign or proof of kindness and friendship. Among some people it -is customary at their funerals for a cup of wine to be passed, and each -one present to take a sip in memory of the dead. At first it was only a -simple custom, a rite in memory of friendship, but how it has been -transformed and degraded! At a Roman Council, Berengar, who had denied -transubstantiation, was compelled to swear that ‘the very body and blood -of our Lord Jesus Christ are not only sensibly in the sacrament, but in -truth are handled in the hands of the priest, and broken and crushed by -the teeth of the faithful.’ - -“What can be more sacrilegious and disgusting than such a doctrine? Is -it strange that thinking men become infidels when such stuff is forced -upon them? or that a Muhamedan sage remarked: ‘So long as Christians -worship what they eat, let my soul dwell with the philosophers.’ - -“Baptism and communion are only rites, with a meaning, and well to be -observed, but have no power in themselves, and are no more divine than -are the various ceremonies among men. I claim that all forms and -observances that tend to elevate and bless mankind are in a sense -divine, good or Godlike, the one as another. We might say that the light -of the sun, or the rain, or the cooling winds, are among the divinest -gifts to mankind. So any good impulse in the hearts of men, and every -noble deed, is a divine gift ordained or given from God, our Heavenly -Father. Why restrict His divine gifts or ordinances to two mere -ceremonies, and not include all that is good? The universe is alive with -God. The thing that is natural is none the less divine and worthy of our -love and reverence. Every scientific fact, or we might say, everything -good, all is of divine origin.” - -He asked, “Don’t you believe that the Church was specially established -by God?” - -“No,” said I, “not more than any other good society. In fact, I have -more faith in the divinity of an association that would establish a soup -kitchen to feed the starving poor, or one that would clothe the naked, -or another that would help them to a means of livelihood, or for the -education of their children.” - -“Does not the church do this?” he asked. - -“Yes,” I answered, “in a great measure, to its credit, but does this -prove that it has the only and exclusive right to help mankind, or by -doing so that it was established by God to the exclusion of all other -good societies? Just so far as it performs good deeds it is of God, as -any society or an individual that does the same kind of work.” - -He replied: “Then you degrade the church into a mere human society?” - -“Yes, it is only a society founded by men, but there is no degradation -if it does the work of God. It is to be judged as any other human affair -by its works, as your Scripture says: ‘the tree is known by its fruits,’ -or as Jesus said, ‘not every one that saith Lord, Lord, but he that -doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ When God sends His -sunlight equally upon all mankind, are you going to confine His -spiritual light to any one society, called by men a Church? We should -have more liberal views of God’s justice and loving mercy than that. - -“One of the beautiful expressions of Charles Kingsley is this—“God -demands not sentiment, but justice. The Bible knows nothing of the -religious sentiments and emotions, whereof we hear so much talk -nowadays. It speaks of duty. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to -love one another. We must live nobly to love nobly.” - - “God sends His teachers into every age and clime - With revelations suited to their growth.” - -“I want to admit the fact that the Church in its principles, as -indicated in the teachings and example of Jesus is the grandest society -on earth for the amelioration and salvation of mankind, but what is it -in practice? Go into the large, fashionable churches in any country, -where are the poor? In many of them not there at all. If a few of them -happen to be present, they are on the back seats, in the corners, while -the rich and influential are on the best seats in front. Take your own -church. The highest of rank in the station are honored with cushioned, -carpeted pews in front, where they get the first draughts of the -unskimmed milk of the word and so on down, caste by caste to the doors, -where the poor may find a few plank seats if they can. Have I not seen -some of the poor who have gone early into the front seats, ordered into -the rear? Are there not ranks and castes in the House of God, as you -call it? Did not the first missionaries in India for many years, as may -be some do now,—have different cups for the communion, some for high -castes, and others for low castes? Was this following Jesus in the true -spirit of the communion? Jesus did not establish a church; then why -should any of his followers do what he did not even suggest, and -besides, claim infallibility for what they have done? Certainly in human -affairs organization is essential, but principles should be first of -all, and instead of wasting time over dogmas and trivial rites and -ceremonies, the church, as a society, should follow and imitate Jesus in -doing the work he did.” - -I went on rapidly, and my caller did not seem disposed to interrupt; -whether he thought my remarks worthy of his notice or not, I did not -know or care. - -He said, “I will not answer you, but come to the subject again,” putting -on a humble, unctuous, clerical manner. “I am sorry that through your -club these people are kept away from the church.” - -I replied: “Let us see how far this is the case. There is a large number -of Eurasians in the station. How many of them ever went to church? Not -more than a score. Why the others did not attend is not for me to say, -only to mention the fact. Where were the rest? Some out shooting; others -at their games; the most of them in their miserable homes, spending -their time in idleness, frivolity and vice, drinking the wretched cheap -liquor that Government has provided for them. You have never been to -their homes; you know nothing of their poverty and squalor; you have no -idea of the social vice and drunkenness among them, unfitting them for -any work. They seemed to be forsaken of God, as well as by their fellow -men. - -“I am one of their race. I know their condition. I have been down among -them, and for years have seen their degradation, and have assisted them -in various ways. Seeing that the church did not attract them, and did -little for them, and that they were going from bad to worse, I started -this club, believing that I had as much of a divine right and commission -to do so, as any man or men had to start a society called a church. I am -most happy in believing that if God ever sanctioned anything, He has -bestowed His blessing upon us. I have no doubt of this. The change -already seen in the condition of these people is wonderful. They have a -clean, beautiful place, which they can be proud to call their own, to -which they can resort without fear of being considered intruders—a home -to them where they can be free from degrading influences. There are -plenty of good books and papers, music to attract them, and in which -they are instructed. There is the best of food and drink that the -poorest can afford to purchase. Their ambition is stirred, their energy -increased, their pride and self respect stimulated, and every tendency -given to lift them up and make them better. What is this but God’s work? -Besides all this help is not for one day in the week, but for every day -and night. - -“We go further than the church in many things, but especially in this, -ours is a strictly temperance association. Every one among us is urged -and required to be a total abstainer from all intoxicants. This is one -of our chief principles, and is lectured, practiced and talked about, -until it has permeated every life. If our enterprise has done nothing -more than this, it is worth all it cost. You cannot talk in favor of -temperance when you take liquor yourself, nor can you preach on total -abstinence to your people in church, so how can you reach these people -on that subject? - -“Shall I tell you what was said in regard to you? Several of our younger -men thought that our rule about drink was too rigid, and one of them -said, ‘Why, the Chaplain takes wine and beer.’ I told them that we were -to govern ourselves regardless of what other people did.” - -He winced under this, for it was a common report that he was more often -under the spirituous, than under spiritual influence. As from his office -he should be a seeker after truth, I thought best to give him a little -of it. I was surprised that he made no answer to this, but asked, “Would -it not have been better for you to have worked with the church and had -its influence to aid you?” - -“When—how?” I quickly asked. He said, “I would have been delighted to -assist you, and some of my people would have done the same.” - -“Yes,” I replied, “they would have favored us with their presence, to -direct our affairs, domineer over us, patronize us and give us advice as -if we were a lot of paupers in an alms house, or charity school -children. There has been already too much of this. No, the better plan -is to let these people be separate and govern themselves.” - -Then he inquired: “Is not that creating a class feeling and a spirit of -caste?” - -This touched my tenderest spot. I instantly grew hot, and abruptly -asked: “Who began this class feeling? Who created this caste? It ill -becomes you, one of the dominant race that is responsible for the -creation of these people, who always sneer at them and oppress them in -every possible way, to ask such a question. Take myself, for you called -me an Eurasian. I am one, a half caste, but who made me such? An -Englishman, a member of your church, took a Mussalmani, my mother, not -as his wife, but as his mistress, deceiving her with a promise of -marriage. When he saw fit, he threw her aside to die of a broken heart, -and left two of us, his children, to starve for all he cared. Who made -me a half caste, who started this class feeling in me, but that -distinguished gentleman, my father?” - -He stopped me suddenly by saying that he had no intention to be personal -or cast any reflection by using that word. Such gentlemen are always -innocent after the mischief is done. “’Tis like a pardon after -execution.” - -I concluded to say nothing more. He had listened to me with that bland -suavity of manner, that assumed superiority of race, as if he was -dealing with a simpleton, or a truant school boy, or that anything I -might say was not worthy of his notice. I waited with repressed scorn -while he continued to talk of the church, its divine origin, its divine -ordinances, as if God was shut up within its walls, and nobody could -have access to Him except through its doors or through the mediation of -its priests. It was the church, and nothing but the church, as if it was -the only divine infallible thing on earth, and he was one of its -infallible popes. - -Had he been a really spiritual, noble-minded man, working among the -poor, my feelings would have been somewhat different. He was high -church, so very high that he never came down to common humanity, a -ritualist of the rankest kind, and cared more outside of the church -walls, for good living, and inside of it, more about his intoning, the -singing of his choir, the folds of his gown, and for the order of his -services, than for the moral or eternal welfare of anybody. Could he -have got our association to be as a tag in the tail of his church kite -for his own glorification, he would have been a happy man, not that he -cared the value of a pin for the soul of any of us. He went on with his -church rhetorical parade until my breakfast bell rang, when he took his -clerical hat and himself away, to my great relief. - -This was the last I ever saw of the Chaplain. - - - - - CHAPTER XLI. - - -The years passed. Mr. Jasper was like a patriarch among us, revered and -loved by all, his advice and friendship sought by young and old. He was -a frequent guest in our home, and we loved him for his gentleness, with -a reverence for his purity, and admired him for his wisdom. Our children -ran to him on his entrance, often watching for him at the gate, sat upon -his knees, clung to his neck, and made him their confidant, as he made -them his companions and friends. I say our children, for there had come -to us, two boys and a girl to the joy of our hearts and the delight of -our home. - -There was one thing in them that lifted a burden from my life; they -resembled their mother in complexion. Before they came, I was in an -agony of fear lest they should bear upon their faces that Cain-like -curse that had blasted my happiness and been my constant torment. I -prayed, yes, I prayed day and night, pleading, beseeching God if He had -the power that He would avert that terrible stain from these innocent -ones. I reasoned with Him, begged for justice and mercy, that He would -not let the sin of my father be visited upon them; that I had suffered -enough and made sufficient atonement. I know that my wife also prayed -for this, though she never hinted a word about it. She was too good and -true a wife for that. Alas! What a sad thing for a father to pray that -his children might not resemble himself! I have often felt a sting when -people would say to a father, “How much your boys take after you!” I -never had the pleasure of such a remark, but I had more, a profound -satisfaction in knowing that my own dear children had not inherited that -accursed brand of shame from their father to carry through their lives. - -Our prayers were answered. Whether by God or our mutual desires and -ardent wishes, I would not assume to say, for having such a firm belief -in God’s immutable, established laws, I am inclined to believe that we -answered our own prayers, as most, if not all our prayers, are answered -by ourselves. - -Prayers are most essential and are answered best when we give them life -and reality by our practice. - -In our community we had our annoyances. What else could we expect when -there were so many “taints of blood and defects of will?” These were -endured as thorns among the roses, the fairer the flowers the less we -thought of the thorns. - -But a great calamity and grief came upon us. Mr. Jasper fell ill. He -knew it was unto death. He lingered for a few days, and every one went -to receive his blessing. The shadow of a great cloud hung over us. -Everybody spoke in whispers. Surely death is the king of terrors, as -well as the terror of kings and of everybody. Death is terrible, -anywhere and always, but infinitely so when we are watching, waiting, -when one we love as part of ourselves is about to leave us, and start on -that eternal unknown journey, - - “For none has ever returned to tell us of the road, - Which to discover we must travel too.” - -No religionist or moralist, has ever, with all their fine theories, been -able to prevent this dread, this indefinable, choking pain at the heart, -when our loved ones are going, O so far away! - -I could neither eat, sleep or rest. It seemed as if a part of myself was -dying, going away from me. Under all the hardening influences of my life -I have made a constant endeavor to keep my heart tender to the ennobling -influence of real friendship. I have had bitterness enough, and it is -well there was something to keep me from utter hardness and despair. - -Our dear friend received our unremitting attention. The last moment was -approaching. My wife and I, with others, were around his couch, while a -crowd was outside, waiting with bowed heads, in solemn silence, his -departure. Opening his eyes, with a smile upon his face, he pressed my -hand, and whispered with gasping breath: “I’m going—God—bless—you—all,” -and he had gone. As the sorrowful word was quickly passed outside, some -one on the veranda started the hymn, “Abide with me, fast falls the -eventide,” and all joined in it with sobbing, weeping tones. - -This was the great second death in my life. Need I say that the first -was that of my best friend, the one of my youth, Mr. Percy. Never had -any one lost two better friends. My mother? Yes, my darling mama had -gone. She had never died to me, only gone away, and I had not seen her -go, too young to realize what it meant, however bereaved I was. - -At evening time we laid his body to rest in the garden, in front of the -building he had done so much to erect. Every one, from the oldest to the -youngest, had gone into the garden, his garden, and plucked flowers that -he had cultivated for us, and now for his own burial, and one by one, -they came up and strewed them upon the coffin with sobs and -lamentations. Then we all sang, as best we could through our tears, his -favorite hymn, “Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer to Thee.” - -The shades of night fell on us, while we lingered at the sacred, -hallowed spot. - -On the next Sunday morning, we had a solemn remembrance service in our -lecture room, which was festooned with flowers that our friend loved so -well, intertwined with mourning cloth to signify our love and joy in -him, as well as our great sorrow. - -It seemed to be conceded by mutual consent, that I should give a -eulogy—no that would not have pleased him—an address or talk, in -remembrance of him. This was a service of devotion, of joy, that we had -known such a man, and of the deepest grief that we had lost him, for -each could truthfully say - - “None knew thee but to love thee, - None named thee but to praise!” - -I portrayed his life, the nobility of his manhood, his devotion to -purity and truth, and then I told for the first time what he had done -for us in erecting our beautiful structure, and ornamenting our grounds, -and his heartfelt interest in the welfare of every one. In closing the -lessons of his life to us, I urged all, especially the younger men and -boys, by all the powers of their being, to imitate him, and make -themselves pure and noble. - -His life, his purity, his kindness, and his beautiful death, made such -an impression upon every one, as never to be effaced, and he knows now -in part, and will know all in the great hereafter, the good he -accomplished, and his heaven and our heaven will have a brighter glory -for his having lived. In closing, I pointed to one of the mottoes as -most appropriate to him, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall -see God.” - -We erected a beautiful marble monument over his grave to be a perpetual -remembrance, and a daily lesson to all, of his life and character. - -Mr. Jasper, as might have been expected, left all his books and many -mementoes to “Our Club,” besides quite a sum in government bonds for the -annual increase of the library, so his good deeds did not die with him. - -Somehow, after this, the ties connecting me with India, seemed to have -been sundered. One thing that greatly added to this, was the destiny of -our children. I lived in perpetual dread, that if they remained in the -country, they might be humiliated, if not cursed, with the sneering -epithet: “The children of that Eurasian.” I was determined, if there was -a place on God’s earth, where they might escape this, I would try to -find it. This may seem to some a trivial matter, yet I could not help -feeling intensely about it, for I am very human after all. I have -suffered, only God knows how much agony, and how often, from being -taunted with that accursed name, more especially when it was uttered by -Christian gentlemen and ladies, from whom I might have expected better -things, so it ought not to appear strange to any one if I should wish to -save my own dear, innocent children from the degrading stigma of their -father’s birth. - -It was decided that my wife, with the children, should make their -residence in southern France, where the mild climate was best suited to -them, on leaving the heat of India, and where she could superintend -their education, thus realizing in some degree the day dream of my -youth, inspired by the reading of a most delightful book, and which I -have given at the commencement of this sketch of my life. - -After their departure, I sold all my property, except two villages, -which I placed in the hands of trustees, for the benefit of “Our Club,” -having first drawn up rules of control, so that the villagers should -never be oppressed. I left many of my books and pictures to the club, to -be for the good of the members, as well as a token of my regard for -them. - -It was not the least of my sad pleasures to visit my friends, the -villagers. Poor heathen, as some might call them, had hearts to feel. -Some clung to me with tears, and others threw themselves upon the -ground, with loud lamentations. One of the expressions that touched me -most, was from one of the old widows, who, in her sobs exclaimed, “What -will become of the poor widows, when the Sahib has gone?” - - ⁂ - -The day of my departure has arrived. As I am writing these last lines my -boxes are all packed, and I am only waiting. We had a farewell meeting -last night at “Our Club,” and the memory of the kind words spoken, will -be to me a joy forever. - - ⁂ - -The hour has come. A crowd of friends are waiting outside to say the -last farewell words, and I must go. - - ⁂ - -India! The land of my birth, and the land of my degradation, of some -joys and pleasures, but always embittered with fear and despair, that -cannot be told, but must be felt to realize their depth. Good-bye, never -again to see thee, forevermore, and I hope and pray, though I cannot -forget the miserable past, that I may never again meet people, mean -enough to taunt me with that miserable blasting phrase of contempt, -“That Eurasian.” - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -[Illustration] - - NEELY’S - INTERNATIONAL - LIBRARY - - IN UNIFORM CLOTH BINDING, $1.25 EACH. - - -LOURDES—Zola. - - -AT MARKET VALUE—Grant Allen. - - Author of “The Duchess of Powysland,” “This Mortal Coil,” “Blood - Royal,” “The Scallywag,” Etc. - - -RACHEL DENE—Robert Buchanan. - - Author of “The Shadow of the Sword,” “God and the Man,” Etc. - - -A DAUGHTER OF THE KING—Alien. - - -THE ONE TOO MANY—E. Lynn Linton. - - Author of “Patricia Kimball,” “The Atonement of Leam Dundas,” “Through - the Long Night,” Etc. - - -A MONK OF CRUTA—E. Phillips Oppenheim. - - -IN THE DAY OF BATTLE—J. A. Steuart. - - Author of “Kilgroom,” “Letters to Living Authors,” Etc. - - -THE GATES OF DAWN—Fergus Hume. - - Author of “Mystery of a Handsome Cab,” “Miss Mephistopheles,” Etc. - - -IN STRANGE COMPANY—Guy Boothby. - - Author of “On the Wallaby.” - - - For Sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent postpaid on receipt of - price by the Publisher. - - F. TENNYSON NEELY, - CHICAGO. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. P. 185, changed “you have got hear it” to “you have got to hear it”. - 2. P. 336, changed “what can happen any mortal man” to “what can happen - to any mortal man”. - 3. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 4. 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