DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0468
458 Caste in relation to Trades and Industries.
witches, and devils. The astrologer determines the lucky
days for sowing and reaping, tells fortunes, prepares horo-
scopes, and knows how to counteract bad omens—to avert
the evil consequences of an envious look, of a sudden
sneeze, of the yell of a jackal or chirping of a lizard. If the
astrologer also practises sorcery it becomes necessary to
conciliate him by frequent gifts; for he can cause diseases
as well as cure them, and can destroy the life of any one
who displeases him by the simple repetition of magical texts
and spells.
Then nearly every Indian village possesses a schoolmaster,
and his functions also are sometimes united in those of the
; priest. In passing through a large village in Bengal, I came
i upon a group of at least fifty naked children squatting under
a tree near a homestead, some engaged in scratching the
letters of the alphabet on leaves, and some learning to write
on the dust of the ground. This was the national school,
presided over by a nearly naked pedagogue who, on my
approach, made his pupils show off their knowledge of
arithmetic before me, by shouting out their multiplication
table with deafening screams. It may be noted as remark-
able, that no religious teacher in the native schools of India
receives money for teaching. Divine knowledge is too sacred
a thing to be sold. It is, therefore, nominally imparted gratis,
though the teacher has no objection to receive presents from
the parents on festive occasions. Some of the national punish-
ments are certainly curious from our point of view. For
instance, a boy is condemned to stand for half-an-hour on
one foot. Another is made to sit on the floor with one
leg turned up behind his neck. Another is made to hang
for a few minutes with his head downwards from the branch
of a neighbouring tree. Another is made to bend down
and grasp his own toes and remain in that position for a
fixed period of time. Another is made to measure so many
cubits on the ground by marking it with the tip of his nose.
witches, and devils. The astrologer determines the lucky
days for sowing and reaping, tells fortunes, prepares horo-
scopes, and knows how to counteract bad omens—to avert
the evil consequences of an envious look, of a sudden
sneeze, of the yell of a jackal or chirping of a lizard. If the
astrologer also practises sorcery it becomes necessary to
conciliate him by frequent gifts; for he can cause diseases
as well as cure them, and can destroy the life of any one
who displeases him by the simple repetition of magical texts
and spells.
Then nearly every Indian village possesses a schoolmaster,
and his functions also are sometimes united in those of the
; priest. In passing through a large village in Bengal, I came
i upon a group of at least fifty naked children squatting under
a tree near a homestead, some engaged in scratching the
letters of the alphabet on leaves, and some learning to write
on the dust of the ground. This was the national school,
presided over by a nearly naked pedagogue who, on my
approach, made his pupils show off their knowledge of
arithmetic before me, by shouting out their multiplication
table with deafening screams. It may be noted as remark-
able, that no religious teacher in the native schools of India
receives money for teaching. Divine knowledge is too sacred
a thing to be sold. It is, therefore, nominally imparted gratis,
though the teacher has no objection to receive presents from
the parents on festive occasions. Some of the national punish-
ments are certainly curious from our point of view. For
instance, a boy is condemned to stand for half-an-hour on
one foot. Another is made to sit on the floor with one
leg turned up behind his neck. Another is made to hang
for a few minutes with his head downwards from the branch
of a neighbouring tree. Another is made to bend down
and grasp his own toes and remain in that position for a
fixed period of time. Another is made to measure so many
cubits on the ground by marking it with the tip of his nose.