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} - .c008 { margin-top: 1em; font-size: .9em; } - .c009 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c010 { font-size: .9em; text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; - margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c011 { margin-left: 5.56%; text-indent: -2.78%; margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;background-color:#E3E4FA; - border:thin solid silver; margin:2em 10% 0 10%; font-family: Georgia, serif; - clear: both; } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align: justify; } - .x-ebookmaker .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block; } - .figleft {font-size: .9em; page-break-inside: avoid; max-width: 100%; } - .x-ebookmaker img {max-height: 30em; max-width: 100%; } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .ol_1 li {font-size: .9em; } - .x-ebookmaker .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } - body {font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; padding: 1.5em .5em 1em; page-break-inside: avoid; - clear: both; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .ph1 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; - margin: .67em auto; page-break-before: always; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - .double {border-style: double;border-width: 4px; } - .x-ebookmaker p.dropcap:first-letter { float: left; } -</style> - </head> - <body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of That Eurasian, by Aleph Bey</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: That Eurasian</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Aleph Bey</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 7, 2023 [eBook #69717]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>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.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THAT EURASIAN ***</div> - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><strong>Transcriber’s Note:</strong></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'><span class='sc'><span class='xlarge'>That</span><br> Eurasian</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>BY</div> - <div><span class='large'>ALEPH BEY</span></div> - <div class='c002'><span class='large'>❧</span></div> - <div class='c002'>F. TENNYSON NEELY</div> - <div>PUBLISHER</div> - <div><span class='sc'>Chicago</span> <span class='sc'>New York</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='small'><span class='sc'>Copyright</span>, 1895</span></div> - <div><span class='small'><span class='fss'>BY</span></span></div> - <div><span class='small'>F. TENNYSON NEELY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>PREFACE.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>In a letter accompanying the manuscript of the following -book were these paragraphs:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>THAT EURASIAN</div> - <div class='c007'><span class='large'>ALEPH BEY</span></div> - <div class='c007'><span class='large'>Neely’s International Library,</span></div> - <div class='c007'><span class='large'>Fine Cloth Binding, $1.25</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c005'>For Sale by all Booksellers or Sent Prepaid on Receipt of Price -by the Publisher,</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>F. Tennyson Neely,</div> - <div>CHICAGO. NEW YORK.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>THAT EURASIAN.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER I.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some one, I think a Frenchman, has said that we should -select our parents with the greatest possible judgment. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As might be supposed, the above is only a flight of -fancy. Descending, I will now enter upon the real story -of my existence.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER II.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“That would be impossible,” he replied. “You would -not be happy among my people in a strange land; you are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>of another caste or race, and it would only make you unhappy -to go there.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>kissing her, said: “Salaam, good-bye, God bless you,” -and rushed from the room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Shall I now express my opinion of that very brave <em>Christian -English gentleman</em>? coming up through that stinking -gully, through that little back door at the hour of midnight? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>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; <em>even that man</em>, my -own father, for the infamous wrong done my darling mother.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>sleep, for in the morning I found myself lying on the charpoy -where I suppose my mama placed me.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER III.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>The men, with the women and children, threw themselves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man seemed very sad on hearing this, and when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The sahib came in and had a long talk with me. He -said that this was a school, an orphanage, where they kept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>not understand anything that was said. After that we -went into what they called the school and I was taught to -say alif be.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER IV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>his chin. He told one of the khitmutgars to wait on me, -and this man did his best to help me.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>you use your fork as if you had been born with one in your -mouth.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER V.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I now look back and see with what foresight and kindness -Mr. Percy arranged to keep me in his home until I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Such a man, such a friend, such a benefactor, was he not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then came the boots, the tennis shoes, the balls and -bats, some handsome books, papers, pens, ink, sealing wax, -envelopes, etc.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>I think it was on account of its prominent figure-head -that Mr. Percy finally decided upon this school.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The teachers, with one exception, were excellent men. -They were good scholars, as I afterward came to know. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<em>My Dear Charles</em>:—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>have sent by him. Wishing you every blessing and success, -I am your very desolate and devoted friend,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>R. Percy</span>.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In a few days another letter came:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.””</p> - -<p class='c006'>I could see in my mind the twinkle of his eyes as he -would have made this remark had I been near him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>hinge or lock to a box, when it would require but little -labor or expense.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>average, and some of them did not pass their “exams;” -yet they presumed to be <em>the</em> 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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 <i><span lang="la">vide</span></i> Hamlet, “Get thee to a nunnery,” -the world would be almost motherless.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>“Why, Charles, my boy, I am so glad to see you. How -you have grown!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>would take our morning ride, as my pony and his horse -were waiting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I asked him if he was going to dismiss the shepherd. -“O, no,” said he, “I might get a worse thief, and he will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>never shear the sheep again.” He never did, and was one -of the most faithful servants ever afterward.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He often indulged in such reflections. It was his indirect -way of appealing to my reason, in giving me suggestions -and advice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I was considerably excited over our plot and showed it -by my restlessness. “Charles, Charles,” said Mr. Percy, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“You are too agitated. I am afraid you would never do for -a judge.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Now, Ram Singh,” inquired Mr. Percy, “did you ever -get any medicine of the Tahsildar sahib?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“O yes, I got a bottle.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“When?” quickly asked Mr. Percy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“It was on the last day of the Ram nila mela, when the -people were coming from the pooja.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>“He gave you some?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“No, no. I paid a rupee for it; and here is the empty -bottle.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“He is lying,” broke in the Tahsildar, catching at this -straw, “they are all liars, these spawn of Shaitan!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Ram Singh,” continued Mr. Percy, with a grave voice, -“I want to know where you got that rupee.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” said Mr. Percy, “and then you wasted it on a -bottle of medicine.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“It is well,” said Mr. Percy; “but did you ever get any -more medicine?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” he replied, “this morning I got another bottle, -and here it is,” holding it up.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“And this was given to you?” asked Mr. Percy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“No, no! I gave two rupees for this one.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“We will hear them,” said Mr. Percy. “What do you -know about it?” They were all standing in a row in front -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Another lie! they are all of a kind, and have made up -this story together, to destroy my honor,” put in the Tahsildar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Is this it?” inquired Mr. Percy, showing him the -note.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER IX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>He had great sympathy for the poorer natives, since he -knew so much of the extortions and tyranny of the richer -classes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>To have some little part in the conversation I told the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are many thousands—bishops, priests, parsons -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span><i><span lang="la">et id omne genus</span></i>, 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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER X.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>a bound of delight, thinking I could write just as -I felt, the thoughts of my heart without a spy over me.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The year closed, and we were all soon homeward bound -again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Did you hear what Mrs. Swelter said?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” I replied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“That was a strange meeting, wasn’t it?” he said. -“Have you ever heard of that little sister of yours?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Could I doubt when I heard this, the cause of his being -so pure, honest, candid, frank and free? His mother.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>Having such feelings about war and soldiering in my -later years, I must have had something of them when I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, “<em>We died at such a place</em>;” 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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>the station where my property was situated, and found a -home in one of the houses with an excellent family, one of -my tenants.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I concluded to make a trip on commercial life intent. I -took me to the capital city of India with the highest ambition. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was sometime before I could realize what had happened. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>This seemed to me very unjust, as his Honor himself was -an outsider, but he probably had in mind the saying, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I was disgusted—angry. Though I did not care a fig -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some months after this we lost our magistrate, for he -was promoted to the Commissionership of a distant province. -The governess also disappeared.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>his own thinking. He always showed great respect for the -opinions of others, the same that he claimed they should -have for his.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At this I interrupted him, by asking if these girls and -women were restrained and prevented from leaving?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Again I interrupted, I inquired if there were not medical -examinations, and did not the doctors give certificates?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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—’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘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?’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>formed him, that he could no more have injured a woman -than he could have hurt his own soul.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>a serpent even in the garden of Eden, and I never thought -that one could enter mine.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I had frequently to be absent for several days, to visit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I know that, Ram Kishn, but what do you wish to say?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I quickly asked, “Has somebody been stealing my fruit -or flowers, or the bearer been cheating with the grain?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“No, Sahib! nothing of that kind, something worse than -that.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I began to be impatient and said, “Out with it then, -what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Said he, “If the sahib will not kill me with the knife in -his hand.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I hurled the knife away, and said, “There goes the knife,” -and then I folded my arms and stood waiting. He went on:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Now, if the Sahib will not call me a liar, or the son of -a dog, or curse me.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But, what shall I do?” I asked, for I was in such a -dazed stupor that I could not think.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He replied, “The Sahib is going away to-night. Go, but -do not go far from the station, and return here to this arbor -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In an instant, at the glow of the light, they both awoke -with a scream of fright. I turned and left the room.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At this she asked, “Am I not to be your wife again?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>She fell back in a swoon, and I called her ayah, waiting -woman, and left the room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>Why not, in the name of all that is just and holy, demand -of men the same chastity that they demand of women?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I acted according to my sense of justice—one law for -both sexes, so how could I have done otherwise than I did?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some might say, “Why not have charity?” and my -reply would be,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Urge neither charity nor shame to me,</div> - <div class='line'>Uncharitably with me have you dealt,</div> - <div class='line'>And shamefully by you my hopes are butchered,</div> - <div class='line'>My charity is outrage, life my shame</div> - <div class='line'>And in that shame still lives my sorrow’s rage.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“As the earth when leaves are dead,</div> - <div class='line'>As the night when sleep is sped,</div> - <div class='line'>As the heart when joy is fled,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I am left lone, alone.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘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,—’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Such a performance as that, and I don’t know what else -to call it, is degrading a religious service, and turning it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I suggested that perhaps his hymns might not always be -appropriate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>‘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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But,” I inquired, “do you not believe in the forgiveness -of God?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I interjected, “If a man makes his own destiny, what is -the use of the church or parsons?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘I sent my soul through the invisible,</div> - <div class='line'>Some letter of that after life to spell,</div> - <div class='line'>And bye and bye my soul returned to me,</div> - <div class='line'>And answered, I, myself, am heaven or hell!’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“There is nothing truer than the saying of Kant. ‘Every -action carries with it its own punishment, and its own reward.’</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘It matters not how straight the gate,</div> - <div class='line'>How charged with punishment the scroll,</div> - <div class='line'>I am the master of my fate,</div> - <div class='line'>I am the Captain of my soul.’</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Our acts our angels are, for good or ill,</div> - <div class='line'>Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>“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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>‘Yet here’s a spot,</div> - <div class='line'>Out damned spot! Out I say,</div> - <div class='line'>What! will these hands never be clean!</div> - <div class='line'>Here’s the smell of blood still;</div> - <div class='line'>All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘Conviction,’ says Bacon, ‘comes not through arguments, -but through experiments.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Once, conversing with a Roman Catholic priest, he -said, ‘Your theory may do very well for you, but for the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>masses of ignorant people, sunken in vice and sin, a literal -hell of fire and a devil are an actual necessity.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Bobby Burns says:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘The fear of hell’s a hangman’s whip,</div> - <div class='line'>To haud the wretch in order,’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>but I prefer his other sentiment,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Just where ye feel your honor grip,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let that aye be your border.</div> - <div class='line'>Its slightest touches instant pause,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Debar a’ side pretenses,</div> - <div class='line'>And resolutely keep its laws,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Uncaring consequences.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All the teaching was in their own language, of course, -as I was not an enlightened fool enough to introduce English -among them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>“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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Said Rowland Hill: “I would give nothing for that -man’s religion whose very dog and cat are not the better -for it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I left the villages to themselves for awhile and engaged -in other matters.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Sir, we do not understand the common rights of humanity.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>Though I recognized her, would she know me, as she -was so young when we parted? That thought troubled -me.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I did a great deal of thinking in that moment of silence. -How fast we think at times!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But do you remember nothing about a little brother of -yours?” I asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>How vividly I recalled that scene! How frightened I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>We reached our home, and a new life for her commenced. -We were happy in a brother and sister’s love and care, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>genuine upper class of the world is what are called the -common people.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>virulent attacks, denunciation, differing from the former -methods, but with the same old spirit and the same purpose -in view.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“That Jesus was the Prince of Peace? And that all the -people of these different creeds are his true followers?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>churches only when all the others would be in the bowels -of one.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>graveyards, in which none of the outside world may be -laid to rest.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Nothing can come between me and God. I am what I -am, and so shall I remain forever.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>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 <i><span lang="fr">pour pis aller</span></i> about the -dignity of the priesthood.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Now you have read the thoughts of my soul. Good -night, Mr. Japhet.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” he interrupted, “The most of us have had -fathers.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He replied, “We watched by the cattle till morning, as -we were in to the finish, and sent for the owners, as we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I could not see what all this had to do with me so I -asked, “And then?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Smith!” I thought, “that name Smith, have I come -across it again?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“And then?” I asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>As my friend was evidently in a gossiping mood, I -checked him by asking: “Do you know anything more?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>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.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>My friend halted a little and I started him by asking, -“And then? Did you learn nothing more?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>How my heart beat, and my whole body, hot then cold, -trembled, as he told this.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>What more or less could I do than go, and at once? I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I don’t see why you shouldn’t,” he replied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I went on. “You know what I am in search of?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Your father,” he said with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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<a id='t185'></a> 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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“It’s all a lie, a damned lie!” he cried.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I resumed, “You had two children by this woman, a boy -and a girl, and then you left her.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You cannot prove a word you have said,” he interjected.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You left a number of letters with her.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I deny them,” he replied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“What damnable plot are you hatching?” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I continued, “In the packet of letters there was a photograph -of yourself. This is it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Let me see it,” he said, reaching out for it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You can look at it, but it shall not go out of my hands,” -I said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“That is no likeness of mine,” he replied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He rose and began pacing the room back and forth. He -evidently found himself caught and bagged. He at length -asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>“What is your object in raking up these youthful follies -of mine? I wish you would stop at once.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“No,” I replied, “I am not ready yet.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Go on then, go on; damn your persistency,” he retorted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Damn your insolence!” he angrily exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Where is she? Tell me where she is and I will marry her -at once,” he excitedly exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>“Have you finished?” he asked, very mildly though, for -the great man, as he was considered to be, seemed to be -completely cowed, beaten.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>M. Le Maistre was as good a listener as I knew him to be -a good talker, though these two traits seldom go together. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>often thought that a man who respects and reverences -women can scarcely go wrong in a moral sense.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>pay the rent, and at the end have enough left to buy a cloth, -worth less than a shilling!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An opposition paper, reviewing the book, said that the -committee was a ponderous one, in number, in titles, in its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>The longer I live, the more charitable I become towards -the shortcomings and sins of the poor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old station life again. The blessed books, the gardens -and the duties of each day occupied my attention.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 <i><span lang="la">ineffabilii deus</span></i>, by -which the doctrine of the immaculate conception became an -article of the Romish faith, to disbelieve which is heresy. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>The Hindu virgin is shown as nursing Krishna, a golden -aureole around the head of each.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Buddhists believe that Maha Maya, the mother of -Gotama, was an immaculate virgin, and conceived him -through a divine influence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Perictione, a virgin, immaculately conceived Plato through -the influence of the god Apollo.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Says a writer, “Hundreds of Christs and virgins are being -continually born into the world in Russia, and find thousands -of worshipers and disciples.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>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.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Bad as he is, the devil may be abused,</div> - <div class='line'>Be falsely charged and causelessly accused,</div> - <div class='line'>When men, unwilling to be blamed alone,</div> - <div class='line'>Shift off their crimes on him, which are their own.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 <em>our</em> 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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“John, John!” she said very gravely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a few moments silence we fell to talking of our school -days.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“John, John,” she replied very sternly. “It was not -a little thing, John, and you know it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The days passed only too quickly, full of delightful -enjoyment to me, and I think, as well to them, and my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I have but little patience with the theory of some scientific -men that there is necessarily an inequality of the sexes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>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?</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>While Mr. Jasper was telling this I recalled what I had -read in the autobiography of George Ebers, where he writes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was a sad, sad day when death suddenly removed -the mother from her privileged place in the home.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>lately returned from a visit to a distant place where -he had met some young people with whom I was slightly -acquainted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>These remarks recalled Mr. Percy’s earnest talk to me -when he, with both of my hands clasped in his, and tears -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I expected to find some sympathy and kindness in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>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.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I lost breath in my soul sometimes</div> - <div class='line'>And cried, God save me if there’s any God</div> - <div class='line'>But even so, God saved me; and being dashed</div> - <div class='line'>From error on to error, every turn</div> - <div class='line'>Still brought me nearer to the central truth.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>to a just God what is considered by universal mankind -an act of infamy?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>the best of them at times have to do a little shinning for -the sake of a few paltry rupees.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As I have a personal interest at stake in this question, I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A clearer definition of a society gentleman is, “One who -can break all the commandments genteelly and keep his -linen scrupulously clean.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a little my hostess said: “Mary, what did you tell -him?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>nothing, because they have not the courage to demand -anything.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I had heard enough of evil, want and wretchedness to -make me long again for my quiet home, so I quickly hied -myself thither.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another thought. I am not opposed to marriage between -people of different races, if it be a true marriage. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here beginneth another chapter of my life.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>they do when they have so many weak places in their own -character.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You see from this that the two systems of government, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>and paid for by Christian England for the benefit of her -exiled people.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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!’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Did you ever think of the power of profits in controlling -the tastes, judgments and consciences of mankind?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“All this is history and we would not refer to it but for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>“Whatever we have from England we owe nothing to -her aristocracy or her government that should fill her with -pride.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>“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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“And bitter shame hath spoiled the sweet world’s taste, -That it yields nought but shame and bitterness.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>she never forgets the man she loved with all the wonder and -idealism and devotion of a girl’s early love.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>only that the jokes lacked the response, “Good Lord -deliver us.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>I wanted a Sunday in London to hurry about alone without -any “sweet encumbrance.” That I obtained on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There is nothing so omnipotent in London as shillings, -except it be sovereigns. With them in sight, I think my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I cannot refrain from quoting what the greatest poet of -the world says:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Money—This yellow slave</div> - <div class='line'>Will knit and break religions; bless the accursed</div> - <div class='line'>Make the hoar leprosy adored; place thieves</div> - <div class='line'>And give them title, knee and approbation</div> - <div class='line'>With senators on the bench.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“’Tis gold that buys admittance, oft it doth,</div> - <div class='line in20'>and ’tis gold</div> - <div class='line'>Which makes the true man kill’d, and saves the thief</div> - <div class='line'>Nay, sometimes hangs both thief and true man,</div> - <div class='line'>What can it not do and undo?”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>peculiar, and yet they would have taken it in high dudgeon -if I had requested them to speak to me in English.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At length the show dissolved or rather moved away -as silently as it came, and without any one saying “To your -tents, O Israel.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Their very existence as they are, plainly declares that -there is a fault somewhere by somebody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Famine gnawing at their entrails, and despair feeding at their hearts,</div> - <div class='line'>Gropes for its right with horny, callous hands,</div> - <div class='line'>And stares around for God with bloodshot eyes.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Let us be patient, lads,” said a pious weaver, “surely -God Almighty will help us soon.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Don’t talk about your goddlemighty,” said one, “there -isn’t any, or he wouldn’t let us suffer as we do.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A tract-man handed me several leaflets, from which I -culled the following:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“The drink bill of Great Britain annually amounts -to one hundred and forty million pounds sterling. This is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>And it is a civilized Christian nation that tolerates and -encourages such things!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>It is so easy and gratifying for some people to meddle -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>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.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“For heaven’s sake,” begged the lord, “don’t do that -or I shall be disgraced forever.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>What also surprised me was that there were two kinds of -justice; one for the rich people of rank and another for the -poor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>These were my reflections in my room at my lodgings -at the close of my privileged leave.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>were also some righteous people, truly noble, belonging to -the nobility of heaven.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The daughter enjoyed this intensely, and when the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The constant tips to every one at every turn is a real -nuisance. England may boast of her freedom, yet all her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anent this, I must mention a couple of incidents, though -not about “tips,” rather of sharp tricks, which reflect on -myself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I was cutcha in the ways of the civilized world, that -is, green, unripe, and am so still, even in my old age, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Is not their climate foggy, raw and dull,</div> - <div class='line'>On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale,</div> - <div class='line'>Killing their fruit with frowns?”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Not only in their cookery, but in their homes, the French -have fine taste. They are great admirers of the beautiful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They prove the truth of the statement that where religious -ceremonials predominate there is an absence of morality -and the highest spiritual life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I could not help asking myself frequently: What would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>At last we were homeward bound, having “done” Europe, -Turkey, Egypt, and seen various objects of interest -in Bombay.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>When in trouble enough to crush life out of me, I resorted -to my library, and when despised and shunned by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The flowers my guests, the birds my pensioners,</div> - <div class='line'>Books my companions and but few besides.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This is a queer, mad, man-made world though Providence -has provided the materials.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'>“For that dye is on me,</div> - <div class='line'>Which makes my whitest part black.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>If, when he states his doctrine, I should doubt his word, -he might say I was no gentleman, so when I take him to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>mean just what he says, he certainly should not find fault -with what he gets.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Such is the power and worship of wealth that even Her -Majesty, the Queen, and her eminent advisers make peers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXIV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It is said that there are two parts in a man, right and -left, to dominate the brain in turn. When one part had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXV.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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<a id='t336'></a> 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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>This was encouraging, and I was hopeful. I inquired -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“That is it, you do not believe that Jesus was the son of -God.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He asked, “Do you not believe that Jesus is God?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Do you not then believe that Jesus was conceived of -the Holy Ghost?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” he answered, “we do use strong expressions -when we are speaking against idolatry, for ours is the only -and true God.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>then demand that everybody else shall believe and feel as -they do, or be considered not orthodox, heretics and infidels.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But, it was shed as an atonement for us,” he suggested.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Men are never satisfied, unless they reach the extreme, -always delighting in the mysterious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a pause, he said, “Our belief is founded on the -Bible as the inspired word of God; don’t you believe -that?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You asked me questions and I have given you my best -answers. They are my sincere convictions and honest beliefs.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Said Dr. Johnson, “Sir, I would be a Catholic if I -could, but an obstinate rationality prevents me.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXVI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXVII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Jesus never made a creed or said anything but what the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>But I am moralizing again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As I said, all during my life I had been giving assistance -especially to the Eurasians, but these favors were desultory, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At times I had invited them all to my house with their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>My wife was the latter, and if she ever guided me, it -was through her affections, but this is beside the story.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He heard me all through very calmly, and replied:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes, it is a good scheme, but can you carry it out?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He continued, “You know me too well to take offense at -what I am going to say. You know the Eurasians, what -they are?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Don’t I know?” I exclaimed. “Am I not one of them -to my sorrow and shame?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Do I not know this?” I asked. “Do I not carry the -proof of this in my face every hour I live?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>I replied to the note in unbounded thanks, expressing a -hope that he might never have occasion to regret his magnificent -proposal.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Among all the others I had great success.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>with large, ornamental grounds around it, could not fail -to excite attention.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXVIII.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span>had become proud, and that is one of the necessary elements -in the making of manhood.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Independence is the rarest gift and the first condition -of happiness.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>merchants stick up notices ‘No Eurasians need apply.’ -When they advertise for clerks they add, ‘No Eurasians -wanted.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>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—”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>I think this was the milk in the cocoanut in regard to -the opinion and feeling about the Chaplain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The women took charge of the refreshment part of the -ceremony, and assisted with their good taste in the decorations, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>and it is not necessary to say that everything they -did was worthy of them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“To prevent the commission of crime, prevent the manufacture -of criminals.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Our Club was for the development of manners, morals -and mental growth, not for one day in seven, but every day -in the year.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXXIX.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>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,—</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>We provided, and so had our rights.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The upper apartments were reserved entirely for the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;</div> - <div class='line in4'>In feelings, not in figures on a dial.</div> - <div class='line'>We should count time by heart throbs.</div> - <div class='line'>He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.”—<cite>Bailey.</cite></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“There is no religion higher than truth.”—<cite>Oriental -Proverb.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“I would rather that men should say there never was -such a man as Plutarch, than say that Plutarch was unfaithful.”—<cite>Plutarch.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sin makes us pay toll, if not along the way, surely at -the end of the road.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Not he that repeateth the name,</div> - <div class='line'>But he that doeth the will.”—<cite>Longfellow.</cite></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Every rifle should have its own bullet mold.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Everything is bitter to him who has gall in his mouth.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Truth is not drowned in water or burned in fire.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A fool may throw a stone into a pond; it may take -seven sages to pull it out.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”—<cite>Jesus.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“Purity, even in the secret longings of our hearts, is the -greatest duty.”—<cite>Xenocrates.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“A good man sees God reflected in his own soul; the -cleaner the soul the more vivid the image.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>“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.”—<cite>Porphyry.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“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.”—<cite>A Disciple of Confucius.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“The thoughts and intents of the heart are deeds in the -sight of God.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”—<cite>Bible.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“All lovers of truth are lovers of God.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He only truly lives who lives for others.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We must do one of two things—either learn to control -the conditions of our lives, or let them control us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The more one lives for his kind, the less need he fear -to die.”—<cite>Kabalist Proverb.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“The highest service one can do is to serve himself in -the highest manner.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Whatever good betideth thee, O man, it is from God, -and whatsoever ill, from thyself is it.”—<cite>Koran.</cite></p> - -<p class='c010'>“There is only one road to Heaven—obedience to the -Golden Rule.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“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.”—<cite>Ancient Pagan.</cite></p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“A man obtains a proper rule of action</div> - <div class='line'>By looking on his neighbor as himself.</div> - <div class='line'>Do naught to others which, if done to thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Would cause thee pain; this is the sum of duty.”</div> - <div class='line in34'>—<cite>Hindu Maxim.</cite></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“I will set my camel free and trust him to Allah.” -Mahomed answered, “Tie thy camel first, and then commit -him to God.”—<cite>Arabian Saying.</cite></p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span>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.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XL.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Who dare say that we had not the right to try the experiment, -and to do as we pleased in the matter?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But,” he interrupted, “did not our Lord Jesus Christ -establish the ordinances and command us to use them?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“What ordinances?” I asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Why, baptism and holy communion.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“‘In this church, the body which derives life, strength -<span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Leave polemic folios in their dust,</div> - <div class='line'>But this point hold, howe’er each sect may brawl,</div> - <div class='line'>When pure the life, when free the heart from gall</div> - <div class='line'>What e’er the creed, Heaven looks with love on all.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.’</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He asked, “Don’t you believe that the Church was specially -established by God?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Does not the church do this?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span>He replied: “Then you degrade the church into a mere -human society?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“God sends His teachers into every age and clime</div> - <div class='line'>With revelations suited to their growth.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“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? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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?</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Yes,” I replied, “they would have favored us with -their presence, to direct our affairs, domineer over us, patronize -<span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then he inquired: “Is not that creating a class feeling -and a spirit of caste?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This was the last I ever saw of the Chaplain.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XLI.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Prayers are most essential and are answered best when we -give them life and reality by our practice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“For none has ever returned to tell us of the road,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Which to discover we must travel too.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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!</p> - -<p class='c006'>I could neither eat, sleep or rest. It seemed as if a part -<span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The shades of night fell on us, while we lingered at the -sacred, hallowed spot.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>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</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“None knew thee but to love thee,</div> - <div class='line'>None named thee but to praise!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<p class='c006'>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?”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>⁂</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>⁂</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>The hour has come. A crowd of friends are waiting -outside to say the last farewell words, and I must go.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>⁂</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>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.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>THE END.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c007'> -</div> -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span></div> -<div class='double'> - -<div class='figleft id001'> -<img src='images/i_400.jpg' alt='' class='ig001'> -</div> -<div class='lg-container-l c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='xlarge'>NEELY’S</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='xlarge'>INTERNATIONAL</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='xlarge'>LIBRARY</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>IN UNIFORM CLOTH BINDING, $1.25 EACH.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c005'>LOURDES—Zola.</p> - -<p class='c005'>AT MARKET VALUE—Grant Allen.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “The Duchess of Powysland,” “This Mortal -Coil,” “Blood Royal,” “The Scallywag,” Etc.</p> - -<p class='c005'>RACHEL DENE—Robert Buchanan.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “The Shadow of the Sword,” “God and the -Man,” Etc.</p> - -<p class='c005'>A DAUGHTER OF THE KING—Alien.</p> - -<p class='c005'>THE ONE TOO MANY—E. Lynn Linton.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “Patricia Kimball,” “The Atonement of Leam -Dundas,” “Through the Long Night,” Etc.</p> - -<p class='c005'>A MONK OF CRUTA—E. Phillips Oppenheim.</p> - -<p class='c005'>IN THE DAY OF BATTLE—J. A. Steuart.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “Kilgroom,” “Letters to Living Authors,” Etc.</p> - -<p class='c005'>THE GATES OF DAWN—Fergus Hume.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “Mystery of a Handsome Cab,” “Miss Mephistopheles,” -Etc.</p> - -<p class='c005'>IN STRANGE COMPANY—Guy Boothby.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Author of “On the Wallaby.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>For Sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent postpaid on receipt of price by the Publisher.</div> - <div class='c007'>F. 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