iiiiiii tux—mill n iiii I "liiMiiinllilllllmii.ii'llilliiiiilMiriliiiiHlluiiMflliNIU" '.,.., ,:.u QfornBU Iniuetaita ffiibtarg Stifutu, Sim ^atk CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 M^ Cornell University WM Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023490422 H Nawab ^ Rajah and Rani — Hindu Prince and Princess, Nawab and Begum — Muhummedan Prince and Princess. THE ORIENT AND ITS PEOPLE. BY Mrs. I. L. HAUSER. SEVEN YEARS A MISSIONARY IN NORTHERN INDIA. MILWAUKEE : I. L. HAUSER & COMPANY. 1876. W4^^?^ COPTEIGHT 1876, By I. L. HAUSEE & COMPANY. PREFACE. In the Orient are the , two vast empires of India and China. In their antiquity, extent, fertility, and greatness of population, they rank first among the nations of the earth. In these two countries are nearly 700,000,000 of people, about one-halfof the earth's inhabitants, all bound by the shackles of idolatry, superstition, and ignorance. For the breaking of these fetters, and enlightenment of these millions of our fellow men, we are called upon to sustain Christian missions, in which many Chris- tian people have but little interest, because they fail to realize that the heathen are men and women like ourselves, of the same mental and moral capabilities; that for like reasons we all eat and drink, buy and sell, attire and adorn ourselves ; that the same motives prompt the heathen and Christian father to toil for his family; that it is one love, mother love, that calls forth the fond caressings and gentle lulkbys of Christian and heathen mothers for their tender babes ; that human laughter and human tears have but one language the wide world over ; and that the heathen are so near of kin to other people that only different surroundings, teachings, and religions, seem to cause diversity. I have striven to picture the people of India and China in their every- day life, hoping that some, reading these sketches, may feel better acquainted with our brethren and sisters ot those countries; that love and interest, as well as duty, may prompt them to aid in the redemption of that part of Christ's inheritance. Milwaukee, iSyd. CONTENTS. INDIA. Page. Geographical Sketch, by Rev. I. L. Hauser i Historical Sketch, 3y Rev. I. L. Hauser 24 The Women of India 43 Christianity for the Women of India 65 Curious Customs in India 78 Wonderful Architecture in India 94 The Religions of India, by Rev. I. h. Hauser . 115 The Brahmo Samaj 143 A Religious Fair in India 163 Bible Illustrations from India 172 Incidents of the Mutiny in Lucknow 182 Christianity in India 196 CHINA. The Land of Sinim 219 The Women of China 233 The Religions of China 249 Education and Literature in China 262 Curious Customs in China 272- The Opium War 286 The Chinese in America 295 An Emperor's Edict 307 Christian Missions in China 311 Christian Work Among the Women of China. .325 INDIA. A HINDU MOTHER Mourning over the dead body of her babe, and, with a mother's love, loth to bury it in the sacred ri\er. THE ORIENT AND ITS PEOPLE. A GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. Hindustan or India is one of the peninsulas of South- ern Asia. From its situation and natural resources, it is the richest country of that Continent, "an epitome of the whole earth." To the ancients it was a Wonderland, a Golden Chersonesus, gorgeous with barbaric pearl and gold, redolent of fragrant odors and spices, and densely populated by a singular people, distinguished for their arts, science, literature, many strange customs, and especially for their devotion to a peculiar religion. To the imagination of the Western world, it was a Golconda of riches, a prize coveted by all, which, for nearly thirty centuries, the armies of many kings fought to win for their masters. Its greatest length from Kushmir to Cape Comorin is 1,900 miles, and its breadth 1,600 miles. Its area is 1,527,698 square miles, nearly half as large as all the area of the Unit_ed States. It is bounded on the north and east by the Himalaya Mountains, and on the south and west by the sea and the river Indus. The Himalayas separate it from Tibet and China. This is the highest mountain range on the globe, many of its peaks rising from 15,000 to 30,000 feet above the sea. The chain commences in Burmah, and extends to 2 THB ORIENT Affghanistan, a distance of over 2,000 miles. Its width is from 100 to 150 miles. It is made up of a succession of ridges of mountains, running in every direction, according to the course of the streams and rivers that have for ages been furrowing out the valleys. There is scarcely any level land, and that which is cultivated by the millions of people living in the mountains is made into terraces. The farmers commence at the bottom of the valley, build a little wall, and level as much land as possible, then form another wall, and so continue up the side of the hill or mountain. I have seen a tea planta- tion, the first terrace of which was by the side of the stream in the valley, 4,000 feet above the sea, and the last field over 7,000 feet. Many of the lower hills are cultivated to the very top, on which stands an idol temple, and near it the public threshing floor. The highest places throughout India are selected for the temples. There are no roads in these mountains, but only paths from one foot to six feet in width. These generally fol- low the water courses, and when, to shorten the dis- tance, it is necessary to cross a ridge a mile or two in height, the path takes a zig-zag course one or two hun- dred feet either way, at a slight elevation, until it reaches the top, and then down the other side in the same way. To cross one of these ridges is about all a traveler wishes to do in a day, especially with an Indian sun over his head. There are no wheeled vehicles in the mountains, and all the burdens are carried by ponies, cattle, sheep, goats, men and women. Most of this labor is done by men, mountaineers, a race by themselves, very hardy, and who' carry day after day fifty to one hundred pounds each, AND ITS PEOPLE. 3 going from eight to ten miles a day. In some mountain provinces the men carry their burdens on their backs, in others on their heads, and to change this custom, even for an hour, would throw them out of caste. I once helped to place a pack on the head of one of my carriers, instead of to his back, when he was very much overcome by the thought of losing his caste. Although there is plenty of the finest water, the people seldom wash or bathe their bodies, believing that if they should do so sudden death would ensue. This idea is peculiar to the mountaineers, for the Hindu inhabitants on the plains are the most cleanly people of the earth. One of their rules is to bathe the body before meals. I had with me, on a trip in these mountains, several Hindus from the plains, and a number of mountain men. We found an abundance of the finest strawberries growing in spots where sheep had been herded during the rainy seasons ofprevious years. So thick was the fruit upon the ground that we could scarcely walk without treading upon it, yet my fellows of the plains would not touch one ofthe berries because they had not bathed or rinsed their mouths tvith water, while the others had to be driven away from their feast of the luscious fruit. The poor men needed something, for at home in their villages they ate what they could pick up in the forests and fields, and on this journey all they had to eat was parched barley, ground into flour, which they carried in little hempen bags, holding a quart or two each. When meal time or desperate hunger came, they would put a little of this meal upon a flat stone, and moistening it with water, dipped from the stream with the hand, would knead it into a ball, and then eat it with great satisfac- 4 TEE ORIENT tion. One day, after going up a steep ascent, as I was leaning on my staft', puffing and panting, one of these men with only a dhoti (loin cloth) and skull-cap upon him, looked with pity on me, and after glancing around to see that no one was observing, handed me half an onion, evidently thinking it would revive me. There are a number of passes through which mostly traders of the northern side, from Bhot or Thibet, come with their flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of the 5'nk, Thibetan oxen, all laden with salt, saltpetre, lamb- skins, wool, fur, and other commodities, for which they obtain wheat, rice, and goods from the plains, among which, latterly, tea from the southern Himalayas, forms a part. They do not use tea as other nations, but boil the leaves, putting in butter, and then eat the whole mixture, leaves and all. Throughout India, nothing that can be eaten is rejected. They never peel a potato, throw away a turnip-top or the outer leaves of the cab- bage, nor do they despise the prickly thistles or weeds.