Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1891 — LIFE IN CALCUTTA. [ARTICLE]

LIFE IN CALCUTTA.

Mrs. Samuel 'lerrill describes a Punkah and Talks of InGian Servants. InCtanapoliE Journal. The following is an extract from an intercsting letter from Mrs. Sam-_ uel Merrill,of tlilshity,ppw aresident of Calcutta. India, for a few years. It was written to- a personal friend here. After the introduction Mrs. Merrill says: “What do you. say to our having become Methodists? We have made u.p our t .minds to' attend that church while we are here. We like the minister, who is an Aipcric*an, and we feel ;"ore atliome there than in the grand cathedral, where all the court people attend and all the fashion of Calcutta are in the Scotch Presbyterian, where the hymns are all.strange to us. and the preachers Have so strong an accent that it is very difficult to understand him. - The punkahs in the chui-ch are a great hindrance to hearing.and must bo very annoying to the minister. I counted-them one night ill the kirk, and there were forty, all swinging back and forth over our heads, and every one at a different rate of speed. Sometimes the minister would be entirely shut off from our sight. Then his head would appear only to disappear again behind another punkah, and fso it went on tlie whole timet At first the great fans waving to and fro, made me sea-sick but I do not notice.them now except for the delightful breeze they blow over us; Life in India would be unendurable without these luxuries, and it is almost so with them. Perhaps .you do not know what a punkah looks like. I did not till I came here. It is simply a I‘dilg board to which is fastened a tri 11 of stiff muslin, a foot or two wide. This is suspended from the ceiling and is pulled to and fro by a native who sits out in some back room. A rope is fastened to the board and passed through a hole in the doorway or wall, to him; one man pulls eight hours, then another takes it. He is paid very little above $2 a month, and on this he supports a. family. “The wagesTere are very low,“but we have to have so many servants that our nine attendants cost us more than two good ones at home. These men wear so- few clothes, just the cheapest, thinnest muslin, and'eat so little, just rice and the native vegetables and fruitSj that a dollar is a great two meals a day, and generally but one. * * * It rains every day. the air is full of moisture, so that the whole house smells musty, every article of clothingmiidews, pins rust in the cushions and needles in the needle-book. We packed away our evening dress in a tin box and had it soldered. * * .* Then the roaches aud ants are out iii force,’and are. not pleasant companions. We are obliged to keep a big lamp burning behind the piano atlffhe time to keep it from rusting; even then the wires rust aud the hammers are covered with white mold. All the time it is perfectly hot, ‘and w.e are most wild with prickly heat. The mosquitos are bad, and we are never entirely free from fleas. The constant heat and rain make everything grow, and the trees and shrubs are most beautifully fresh and green. Then the cloud scenery is remarkable; great masses <of vapor of many different colors piled up nigh are really a mag-1 nificent sight. We havO no refreshing foods. The native fruits are exceedingly sweet, like honey. Bananas are all we can eat. How we long for home products, something like pieplant, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, grapes and apples. California fruits can be had, but they are very expensive.” The letter shows that Mrs. Merrill will be glad to be at home once more.