Caste In India

Caste, like i terrible iii!htin:ircfis flrtnly fastemd apon t lie social lite of India. It is not easy for a strangeT to understimd it. Diiring a Betere fatnhie a man with liis wit'e amlcliild applied to a niisRionaiy for help. They luid come f rom a distance, and wi-re thin and pinched with huuger. Food was ut once brourht, but, hungry as tliey were, tliey would not touch it. The cliild was on Ihe groutxl Bearchlng for and eaünj; tlie raw rice that was scattered about the door. Kice beiig piven Ihcni, thrv eoinmcneed lo cook i), but devoured it before it was halt' done. They would not lose ca.stc by eatlng food prepared by any olie not of tlieir grade. Phere are four principal castes. The Hralnnl .s or priests Me Ihe lligfawt. Thcy consider it beiicalh them to labor. To tend cattje or to inilk k cow woukl be polUuion. Konncrly if a low caste person touched them (even by accident) they oould kill him on tlie spot, with impunity. The people yleld to thcni as superiors as a matter of course. A higli caste man carne into a mi'ctinfr; a wliole bencb wíis vacated, the occiipants tiikini; scats on the ilonr. Tlie natives usually travel thirdClass on the railway. These cars are so crowded theie is no room to sit apart. This lias a temlency to break down caste. Tlie railway companies liad a diülculty in BUpplylDg them water to drink. A highCniÜ niaii could not drink water bfOUgfbl by ii man of lower caate. lij' employing a bih cnste 111:111, all can be Upplled. TboM of tlie lower caste sit 011 tbeir beels wiiilc lie piiur-tlie water into a cup made by tbelr hands, lrom wliich they drink wilhout teaching the carrier. Sotnetiiiieii a low caste man niay eniploy one of a highei' caste. The latter doea not cat with bis omployer, bul cookt and eatl by lilmself. A hih caste man will not drink water OBI ol ¦ cup or gluss beloiiglng toa Eiirojieau. Iu villajes éácn caste Uves by itíelf. ECh Ims its own shops or baais lielow Uh regular castes are the outcasts, llii.se wlio have brokcii over sotne of the various restrictions. They are rejected by tlieir set, and beoome larialis. There ara manj Bub-dirisloni aniong these. ( '.Milus Job worttera are often of this olasg. Olí ihe lines of railway they are eniploved to traoportpmMngsra - Touriat, iu Wateliluan and ItelleCtor. A petrilicd liiliy was lecently dlscovered in Texas, aml our lately niairied editor i wonderlDit " liow the blamed thingkept