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ItuMnrea Douglas 238
ClirnlaUra . . . .IXtnitlas M7
Editorial ...... PoagWuiaoi
VOL. XXKV-NO. 50.
OMAIIA, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 3, 190G.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
The
Omaha
Sunday
AROUND THE WORLD WITH WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Calcutta's Teeming Life and Wonderful Museum Afford the Traveler an Excellent Opportunity to Learn of India's Races and Conditions Under Which They Have Their Daily Existence
SUEZ, April 8. (Special Correspondence to The Bee.) We
hare at last reached India and what extremes are here!
Southern India penetrate the Indian ocean and Is so near
the equator that the Inhabitants swelter under the heat of a
perpetual summer, while the rocky sentinels that guard the northern
frontier are clad In the Ice of an eternal winter. As might
be expected in a land which has every altitude from sea level to
nearly 80..000 feet, one finds all varieties of vegetation, from the
delicate fern of the tropics to the sturdy edelweiss that blossoms
In the snow from the grain and orchards of Agra, Oudh and the
Punjab to the cotton, rice and fruits of Bombay, Calcutta and Mad
ras. The extremes are as noticeable among the people as in nature's
realm. In learning there Is a great gulf between the Hindu pundit
and the Ignorant ryot; there is a wide sea between the wealth of the
native prince and the poverty of the masses, and there Is a bound
less ocean between the government and the people.
Eastern India Is entered through Calcutta, a city of more than
1,000,000 inhabitants which has been built up under British occu
pancy. It Is the capital of the province of Bengal and the winter
capital of British India. I say winter capital because the higher
English officials have their headquarters at Simla, 8,000 feet up In
the Himalayas, during eight months of the year. Calcutta Is on the
Hooghly river, one of the' numerous mouths of the Ganges; and the
Ganges, It may be added, is a little disappointing to one who has
read about It from youth. Instead of being a large river, flowing
down from the Himalayas directly to the sea, It Is neither of great
length nor 'of great width, and It runs for hundreds of miles along
the foot of the range and joins the Brahmaputra which comes from
an opposite direction and apparently Is much longer. The mouths of
the Joint stream form a delta like that of the' Nile, which at. the
coast Is something like 200 miles wide.
Lacking the antiquity of the cities of the Interior, Calcutta does
not possess many things of Interest to the tourist, no elaborate
tombs, no massive mosques and few temples of Importance, although
all shades of religion are represented here. There Is a very pretty
Jain temple In the suburbs, and In the city there Is a Hindu temple
where goats are offered as a sacrifice, but the center of Hinduism
is at Benares, while Agra, Delhi and Lucknow' furnish the finest
specimens of the taste of the Mohammedan rulers. There are at
Calcutta some fine public buildings and less pretentious private
blocks, some beautiful parks and a very extensive museum.
Museum Tells of Indian Life
In this museum one can learn more of the various races of India,
of their dress. Implements and weapons, more of the animal and In
sect life, more of India's mineral wealth, more of her woods, stones
and marbles, more of her agricultural products and manufactures
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THE GREAT BANYAN TREE AT CALCUTTA.
other place one man carried a large Saratoga trunk on his neaa tney travel in covered cnairs or ciosea carriages, this custom was
rinwn fho hnoi DtQira H hni tn ham nssistance In llftlnK and brought Into India by the Mohammedan conquerors, but It has been
than he can In weeks of travel. He sees here mounted specimens . . Q ' wag once balanced upon hiB nead he marched generally adopted by Hindu society. There is a growing sentiment
different countries. This year forty-four arc going, and 1 had the
pleasure of meeting these at a public reception given them at the
town hall. 'i
This meeting interested me very much. It was Opened with a
prayer by Editor Sen of the Indian Mirror, a liberal Hindu, and It
was such a prayer as might have been offered In anj American
church. It was so brief that I quoto it In full: v
"We thank Thee, O Ood, that by Thy blessing those yourit men
whom we sent abroad for study last year are doing tholr workVell,
and have by Thy grace been kept In the right path. We ajeow
met to bid farewell to a much larger number of our youths, who
shortly leaving these shores for study in distant foreign lands, w
ask Thy abundant blessing on them, and we humbly beseech Theo1
to protect them In their travels by sea and land and to bring them M
all safely to their respective destinations. May they be diligent in
their studies, obedient to their teachers, grateful to those by whoso
help they are betug sent abroad and blameless In their conduct.
May the love and fear of Ood rule their hearts, and may t,hey re
turn to us and to those nearest and dearest to them in due course
crowded with full success and filled with an earnest desire to labor
for the good of their country and their poorer brethren. We com
mend them to Thy gracious keeping as we now bid them a hearty
farewell, and beseech Thee to help us all to live and work for the
glory of Thy name and the good of our fellow men now and always."
Most of the students were going to Japan one of the many
Indications of that country's Increasing Influence In the Orient some
were going to England and a few to America. Those bound for
America called upon me later at the hotel, and I found them an
earnest and ambitious group. They had, as all the Indians whom
we met seemed to have, a high opinion of our country and spoke
with enthusiasm of the benefits which they hoped to derive from
their stay in the United States. These and other students with
whom I came in contact Impressed me as exceedingly patriotic and
anxious to turn their Information and their ability to the advantage
of their country.
In Calcutta there are a number of Indians who have won prom
inence in various spheres of activity. Editor Sen, to whom I have
already referred. Is one of the roost Influential of the native editors
and writers. Editor Banerjee of the Bengalee is both a writer and
an orator, and the editor of the Patrlka has made his paper an ex
ponent of advanced political thought. The Tagore family has fur
nished several men prominent In religious, literary and official life;
education has found a patron In the Roy family and Dr. Bose has
won more than a national reputation In science,
i
Delightful Little Trip to Mountains
Those wlib visit Calcutta cannot afford to miss the Bide trip to
of bug and butterfly, bird, fish and beast. It is the very Mecca
of the student and we saw a number of groups thus engaged.
Among the Insects there are several which illustrate the mimicry
of nature to a marvelous degree. Some are like dried glass, like
moss and some like leaves. The most remarkable of these la a leaf
"insect which can scarcely be detected from a leaf even after It has
been pointed out There Is a mountain grouse which. turns white
in the winter, and in some countries a hare which undergoes -the
same change. In Ceylon there are crabs with legs like pieces of
coral and a color closely resembling the sand upon which they crawl
but the leaf insect surpasses them all. Not only is its color identical
with the leaf, but Its body and wings are veined and ribbed like a
leaf; even rust spots could be found on some of them. We could
hardly believe our own eyes had we not seen' some of these insects
alive and some of the young Just listened.
The botanical garden, while not equal in variety and beauty to
the gardens at Bultensorg and Kandy, has one object of growing In
terest, viz., a gigantic banyan tree. This tree Is nearly a century
and a half old and shades a spot of ground almost a thousand
feet in circumference. Qreat arms run out from the parent trunk
and these are supported by 464 aerial roots or minor trunks, some
of which are several feet in diameter. Seen from a distance the
tree presents a very symmetrical appearance, and, as It is' still
growing, it is likely to become, if it is not already, the largest tree
In the world. t
The zoological garden contains some excellent specimens. We
were especially Interested In the Bengal tigers, in a red-nosed Afri
can mandrill (which looks like a cross between a hog and an ape),
' and in the monkeys. Three of the latter belong to the shouting
variety at least, they do shout. When the attendant glvee the cue
they set up such a chorus of earspllttlng yells as one seldom hears.
off with It with apparent ease. The coolie women also carry
burdens upon their heads, water Jars bejng their specialty. Two
and even three of these, one on top of another, are sometimes
carried thus. The brass Wr pot is, by the way, never out of
sight in India; it is to be seen everywhere, and the scouring of these
pots seems to give employment for leisure moments.
While much carrying is done on the head and on the pole, carta
of all kinds are numerous. The water buffalo is to be found In
India, but he divides the honors with the Indian. bullock as a beast
of burden. The Indian bullock is a mild-eyed beast, usually white
or light in color, and has a hump on the shoulders which seems
made expressly for the yoke. There Is a small variety of the bullock
which Is used for drawing passenger carts', and some of these Are so
last that they are entered In trotting races. V ; -
The merchants of India are a shrewd and persistent class: They
press their wares upon one at the hotels and in their shops, and the
purchaser never knows whether he Is buying at a. bargain or paying
two or three prices. It is not at all uncommon for the dealer to
begin negotiations with the assertion that he has but one price and
that his conscience will not allow him to ask more than a fair price;
and conclude by selling at a 25 or 60 per cent discount It may be
that natives are treated differently, but the foreigner is likely to be
charged "what the traffic will bear." , '
You cannot Judge the value of a merchant's stock by the size
or appearance of his store. He may have a little booth open in front,
with no show windows, but when he begins to bring out his trunks
and bundles, he may exhibit Jewelry worth $100,000. or rich em-,
broideries worth their weight in gold. The merchant sits cross-legged
on the floor and spreads out the wares which his attendants bring,
beguiling you the while with stories of Lord So-and-So's purchase or
The echoing and re-echoing makes a din before which the noise at a , of Lady WThat's-Her-NTame's or"r, or of a check for thousands
toot ball game seems tame. While not a foot ball enthusiast, I
venture the suggestion that an' American team would do well to
tecure the assistance of these rooters for they could work ud the
necessary enthusiasm on short notice and with a great saving to
the throats of the students.
Coolies as Beasts of Burden
On the streets of Calcutta one sees Indian life In all its forms.
The coolies wear the lightest possible clothing and carry enormous
burdens on their heads. I saw eight of them hurrying down the
street at a fast walk bearing a grand piano on their heads. In an-
nanded him by an American millionaire.
The natives buildings are, as a rule, neither beautiful nor cleanly.
The little shops that open on the street exhibit food and vegetables
aranged In heaps, the vendor apparently indifferent ,to dust and
flies. ..The houses are generally of adobe, plastered with mud and
without floors. In the warmer sections of the country they are
built of matting and bamboo. The rich Indians live In substantial
houses with high ceilings, tile floors and spacious verandas, but
these are very few compared with the mass of the poor. '
The Indian women of the higher classes are In seclusion, all the
time. ' They seldom leave their homes and when they do venture out
among the educated Hindus against the practice, so burdensome
to woman, but custom yields slowly to new Ideas. At Calcutta we
met several Indian women of high social rank who In their home life
have felt the Influence of western ideas, and who have to some
extent lessened the rigors of the zenana (seclusion). Two of these
women one a princess were daughters of the famous Keshub
Chunder Sen, the great Hindu reformer, whose writings made a pro
found impression on the religious thought of the world. In the
group was also a daughter-in-law of Mr. Sen's, a brilliant woman
who was left the widow of a native prince at the age of 18 and who
recently shocked the orthodox Hindus by a second marriage. I
mention these women because they represent the highest type of In
dian womanhood, and it would be difficult to find in any country.
In a group of the same size, more beauty culture and' refinement.
The principal article of feminine dress is the sarai, a long strip
of cotton or silk, part of which Is wrapped about the body to form
a skirt, while the rest Is draped over the head and shoulders In
graceful folds. This garment lends Itself to ornamentation and is
usually embroidered along the edges, sometimes with silver and
gold. We have not found in our travels a more becoming and at
tractive costume.
The dress of the men is so varied that description Is Impossible.
One form of dress resembles the Roman toga. Many wear trousers
made by mysterious windings and foldings of a long strip of cloth,
others wear loose pantaloons. The coats are as multiform, a long
close-fitting one being the most popular. But the hat Is the article
'to which most care Is given. While the fez is popular, it is not so
conspicuous, as the turban. ' The latter Is to be seen In all colors,
Bhapes and styles. Some of the educated" Indians have adopted the
European dress, but the change in costume has not been rapid.
One of India's Educational Centers "
- .' Calcutta Is one of the educational centers of India, and one
finds In the city many of the leaders of thought, educational and.
political. The university of Calcutta grants degrees and affiliates
to Itself the colleges .whose students are preparing for the univer
sity examinations. ' Besides the "university there are medical, law
and technical schools which draw young men from the entire coun
try. . The position taken by Lord Curzon in the matter of higher
education aroused so much opposition among the native population
that an association was formed two years ago for the purpose of
raising money to defray' the expenses of students desiring to study
abroad. Last year fourteen students were selected and sent to
DarJeellng, a summer resort perched upon the foothills of the
Himalayas. The Journey la rather fatiguing three hoars to the
Ganges, then an all night ride to the foot of the range and then an
eight-hour climb on a two-foot gauge up the mountain side. But It
amply repays the effort We count this experience among the rich
est that we have enjoyed. The city of DarJeellng is about 7,000
feet above the sea and the sides of the Himalayas are so steep at
this point that it is only fifty miles down the zig-zag little railroad
to the plain where the elevation is but 200 or 800 feet. I do not
know where one can find more of the grand and picturesque in the
same distance than on this narrow gauge that threads its way. up
the rocky sides of this most stupendous of mountain ranges.
Darjeerlng is so near to Thibet Nepal, Sikklm and Bhutan that
one finds here a( motley variety of types and sees something of the
native life of the forbidden land that stretches along the northern
border of India. The mountain tribes are sturdier in build, coarser
In feature and lighter in color than the people of 4he lowlands and
we saw some types that strongly resembled the American Indian.
While all about us was yet in darkness, the snowy robe which
clothes the upper 12,000 feet of the range, caught a tine of pearl
from the first rays of the sun, and, as we watched,' the orb of day,
rising like a ruby globe from a lake of dark blue mist, gilded peak
after peak until at last we saw Mount Everest earth's loftiest point
120 miles away and nearly a thousand feet higher than Klnchln
Junga. We saw shadows fleeing from the light like hunted culprits
and hiding In the deep ravines, and we marked the triumph of the
dawn as it swept down the valleys. '
How puny seem the works of man when brought Into com
parison with majestic nature! His groves, what pigmies when
measured against the virgin forest! . His noblest temples, how in
significant when contrasted with the masonry of the hills! What
canvas, can imitate the dawn and sunset! What Inlaid work can
match the mosaics of the mountains!
Is it blind chance that gives these glimpses of the sublime?.
And was It blind chance that clustered vast reservoirs about inac
cessible summits and stored water to refresh the thirsty plaint
through hidden veins and surface streams?
No wonder man from the beginning of history has turned to
the heights for inspiration, for here is the spirit awed by the infinite
and here one sees both the mystery of creation and the manifesta
tions of the Father's loving kindness. Here man finds a witness,
unimpeachable though silent to the Omnipotence, the Omniscience
and the Goodness of God. . W. J. JBRTAM.
(Copyright 1906.)
Edward Rosewater Talks of the Moden Aspect of Imperial Rome
R
Graphic Pen Picture of the Eternal City as it impressed the Writer While Attending
OMH, May 10. (Editorial Correspondence.) Rome was not Unl8. generals, admirals and statesmen and immortalized itself
in xtcman msiory, uuu moreover mruisueu a uoruiuv lor ounnoa
peare In "Romeo and Juliet" The Colonnas still maintain their
primacy. At the dinner given by King Victor Emmanuel III to
the members of the International Postal Congress list Sunday,
the Princess Colonna was seated next to the queen and was a con
spicuous figure at the reception of the king's guests that followed
the dinner. Incidentally it may be-noted that four drawing rooms
and the magnificent art gallery in the Colonna palace have been
occupied by the Postal congress since its opening at a rental of
9,000 per month, paid by the Italfan government
It is not my purpose to enter upon an elaborate pen sketch
of the historic and monumental edifices that attract thousands of
people to Rome from all quarters of the globe. Saint Peters,
Saint John of Lateran, St. Pauls, the Vatican, the Qulrlnal, the
Colosseum and scores of other structures would each afford suffi
cient material for a long letter. The most profound impression
is not always made by mere magnitude or magnificence. I con
fess, however, that the grandeur of St. Peters exterior and in
terior has not been exaggerated, and yet this crowning triumph
of architectural genius, viewed for the first time at close range,
does not meet antlclnation. St Peters is too ereat to show its
Like a coral reef, the Rome of today was built In successive greatness at a glance. The structure is pajtly concealed behind
the Recent World's Postal Congress as Official Representative of the United States
built in a day and cannot be seen in a day, a week, a month
or even in a year. Volumes have been written about Its
monuments and rains, its churches and catacombs, its
palaces and art treasures, yet the theme has by no means been ex
hausted. The first view of the Eternal City is as much of a disap
pointment as the first view of Niagara falls or Pike's peak; but
Rome grows on you gradually and the reflex of its past and present
grandour consciously impresses itself more deeply into your mind
and memory from day to day. Modern Rome la a panorama of red
tiled, moss-covered roofs and roof gardens, plaster walls of pink ana
saffron, with patches of red brick, iron balconies, monumental col
umns and obelisks, with church domes looming in the sky line
on every side, and, towering above all other domes, white in the
distance, the superb outlines of St. Peters. These structures are
for Che most part the product of medieval times, a few are .mod
ern and a very few date from the empire. The mass of them
came into being after ancient Rome, beyond the capltol line, bad
been destroyed and the governing power trantrerrec from em
perors to popes, from the Palatine to the Vatican, ' across the
Tiber.
layers of granite and marble that constituted the colossal struc
tures erected by Ceasars and their predecessors. It is a matter
of common notoriety that nearly all the palaces, including' the
Vatican and Qulrlnal and most of the 200 churches Rome boasts
were constructed out of granite, porphyry and marble taken from
the temples, tombs and palaces of the Roman emperors. A large
the great facade and the perspective dwarfs its true proportions.
The height of St. Peters measured by the eye is deceptive. It
does not seem as high as the capltol at Washington, lthough in
reality nearly double its height. A correct conception of its height
can be had only at long range, viewed from a distance of twenty
miles, when every vestige of St Peters is seen looming up ma-
i .a ..it. ri j a . .
yoruua i vu w..i. 4 iu u.uwuu. wr lorn aown ana me en- jestlcally. The Interior of 8t. Peters is strikingly impressive. The
tire structure was stripped of Its marble coating by Romans of the effect l8 produced not so much by its vastness as by the harmony
middle ages and those of more modern days. The vandalism of and ,ymmetry of its proportions. It is heightened by the mag-
ttccesalve popes was cleverly touched oft by Mark Twain in his nlflcent yet plainly decorated dome resting on four huge piers
"IanocenU Abroad." What the barbarian spared, said the fa- 234 feet in circumference, and the imposing bronze canopy borne
xaoua humorist the Barberlnls grabbed. The Barberlnis were a Dy four rlcnly gllded ,plrai columns ninety-five feet In height of
powerful family of Roman nobles that had supplied a succession bronw meUl taken from the Pantheon. Under this canopy is the
. of Roman poatlffs. The Barberlui palace, which occupies a square tlgh altar, where the pope alone reads mass on high festivals. At
la the re oOhe hotel In which I ant lodged, ts now oecupled as this aitr I witnessed Pius X. assisted by twenty-elx cardinals, per-
j a apaKmeat house strikln. example of the mntatlon of time. lorm Kllema ceramony of beautlflcstlon the making of a
. In ontrast with the oeeljne and downfall of the Barberlnis U the whlca i ,han nie.vor to describe la another letter.
IWftWtf tVEcUl. ttf CvJSOOM tiut has ecntrih pQiK oro- - EyUtU moat Lunreaalve jix. ol j(Uxs,-itoHK A
retrospective survey of the arena of its past grandeur and glory,
is from the Palatine hill and the capltol, now the municipal
building known as the Campldoglio. My first ascent of the series
of stairways that lead up to the Campldoglio was made on the
third day after my arrival in Rome, on the occasion of the open
ing of the International Postal congress by the king of 1 Italy.
The exterior of the capltol is neither Imposing or handsome, but
the structure is within a stone's throw and overlooks the "Cradle
of Roman Liberty," and its foundations honeycombed with vaults
and passages reach down to the Forum as strong and firm today
as when they were built in the first century B. C. My first and
second visits to the capltol were confined to an inspection of the
Interior of the structure, amidst the pomp and pageantry of a
their heads to a height of more than eighty feet and yet fully
seventy feet below our window. There the solitary oolnnra ' of
Phocas and the arch of Septimus Several, who , reconstructed the
palace of Augustus Caesar, are turned green tor the moment, grado
ally the lights go down, the curtain falls and all is again darkivess.
On the piazza below us a military band strikes up one oi Sousa'S
'marches. Again and again the skyrockets give the signal and again
and again the lurid green fires kindled on different spots to IliamU
nate the arena from different points of view in variegated colors.
For the man at the window the' spectacle awakens reflections
that carry his mind back twenty-five centuries, involuntarily re
calling the bloody and cruel tragedies, oratorical combats and,
royal welcome and the less ceremonious reception tendered to the struggles for supremacy that have been enacted on this very apo4
Postal congressmen and their ladies by the mayor and council of Descending into the city council chamber, I was much soryrUflA
Rome a few days later. Tho walls of the great hall in which we to learn that some of Rome's most noblest patricians hold ae&is la
were entertained were hung with precious tapestry illustrating that body and among those Mr. Oammond, postmaster general of
memorable events in the history of Rome, beginning with Romus Italy. Strange as it may seem, however, the city of Rome does
and Remulus, suckled by a friendly wolverine. Anelnnatus plowing not own a single public utility. Although the ancient Romans
the ground on which otd Rome wds built, passing on to the tri- had built a great aqueduct more than twenty-five mOes long,
umrhs won by Roman valor on land and sea, the invasion of Rome many miles of which still remains a standing monument to their
by the barbarians and Its rejuvenation under papal rule. Besides public spirit and enterprise, the water supply of modern Rome it
the municipal offices,, the capltol also contains sqyeral large halls
and museums filled with antique sculpture, principally found by
archeologlsts in excavating the ground beneath the ruins of ancient
Rome.
My third and most memorable visit to the capltol was last
Thursday night to view a special illumination of the Forum and
Colosseum. Imagine yourself looking out of a window in the top
story of the city hall of Rome. In the very heart of "old Rome,"
the Forum, the Colosseum, the arches of Constantino, Titus and
Septimus, Severus and the intervening structures and ruins spread eluding suburbs, did not exceed 1,000,00. Rome within the wfeUf;
out before you. Presently a skyrocket, with mutlcolored globules never contained over 800,000 people. The Circus Maximo nereil
shooting way above the Coliseum, signals the outburst of great held more than 160,000, and careful measurement of the CefttseoW
furnished by an English corporation. The same is true eflts gaa
supply and electric power and light supply and street railroads, all
owned and operated by British, Belgians, French and German eapt
taliata. Talking about modern and ancient Rome with Prof, Bone, an
eminent authority, the other day, I learned that the traditional
2,500,000 population claimed. for Rome In Its palmiest days, as well
as the reputed capacity of the Circus Maxim us, to accommodate
400,000 spectators, and the Coliseum seating 10,000 people, ie de
cidedly overdrawn. The largest population Rone ever had,' In-
fires, red lights, blue lights and green lights from forty or fifty
points within the radius of 1,000 yards. The whole area frcra
the Capltol hill to the Coliseum is ablaze. The arena of the Forum,
ISO feet beneath you, with its rows of broken columns looking
like a pine forest clearing with its uprooted trees and stumps in
vaded by a prairie fire. The red lights bring into melancholy re-
Uet the th-flated ioliuans of the Temple of VsspaslnxfUa A9JmSsk
show a seating capacity of 57,000. That, of course, could not be'
matched even In London, but It -was easy In old Rome, where no
admission fees wore charged. The great shows were Improvised
to make Reman holidays and to make the Reman emperors pop-1
nlar. No amusement place In Rome at this day aoceumdoates,
move than 1,000 spectators.- Its only great aoditortsttt t tl!