MOTES AND BEAMS 441 



get that here is nearly a fifth part of the population of the 

 world under their care, who are held down and despised 

 far worse than our black man and brother. And yet the 

 Hindoo is an Aryan cousin. What a mote and what a 

 beam ! 



The Hindoo is free enough in theory, but he is kept 

 down in a markedly high-handed way. The Southerner 

 really takes an interest in the negro. It pays to do it. 

 Not so the Briton in the Hindoo. And w^hile in a certain 

 sense the latter has intelligence and some artistic qualities 

 beyond the American negro, his religion will prevent his 

 rising as the negro is eventually bound to do. It cannot 

 be said, indeed, that the Briton does much of anything to 

 raise the race. Of course he improves the land. He 

 builds water- works and railways and telegraphs. He is 

 just and liberal. All this reacts in a general way on the 

 people. India is distinctly mending her ways. But in 

 the matter of personal intercourse with the native, he 

 is far more of a sinner than the worst of the Southern 

 brigadiers. 



In order to provide work for the immense population 

 at a mere living wage, labor of all kinds is subdivided in 

 a manner we cannot understand. You hire your "bearer" 

 or travelling servant, a very intelligent sort of man, for a 

 rupee and a half (forty-five cents) a day, and he boards 

 himself. A friend of mine in Madras keeps thirty-six 

 servants to do the work which my six at home do quite 

 as well. One man will sw^eep out the rooms, but will not 

 dust them ; another will bring you fresh water, but his 

 caste forbids him to throw out the slops ; a third will per- 

 form the most menial ^vork, but will not touch a plate 

 which a Christian has eaten off. Each horse my friend 

 keeps must have a syce and a grass-cutter, usually the syce's 

 wife ; and he needs a coachman for every two carriages 



