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This newspaper page contains 15 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
May 26, 1889
Page
20
Agra reports stark poverty in India with shrunken limbs and hungry crowds near Patna. The article contrasts Indian conditions with the United States and describes the Taj Mahal as a vast jewel of mosaic marble and wealth controlled by a few.
A description portrays India’s rural life with 19 villagers living in mud huts across scattered settlements. Homes lack fences and chimneys, floors are mud, and interiors show minimal furniture while families dine on the floor and beds are kept outside due to space limits.
A traveler notes a hut lined scene with an Indian family sleeping under an overhanging roof and around 500 people in the village. Women and men lie wrapped in cotton garments, while others rise from beds to tend smoldering coals as dirt and squalor pervade the scene.
The passage describes Indian workers earning as little as 3 cents a day for field labor and 50 cents a week for men, with embroiderers earning 2 to 3 dollars a month. It notes frugality, low expenditures, and periodic famines, while contrasting Indian practices with Western wealth and criticizing colonial wage policies.
A nineteenth century traveler details a Taj Mahal setting and an Indian cab drawn by two large white bullocks with humps. The vehicle uses bamboo covering, a sulky-like seat, and a high platform. cabs are common across India in single and double forms built with ng rods and cloths.
A first person reminiscence on the Taj Mahal its construction by 20 000 workers over 17 years and the wealth of Akbar era Epics describe the Taj as a magnet for admiration and the fort near Agra with its pearl inlaid interiors and vast revenues The piece compares peasants hardship to royal extravagance and notes local customs and animals including sacred cows and water buffalo used as beasts of burden.
Mrs. Alexander surveys modern court life at Buckingham Palace and Marlborough House, noting a shrinking, sobriety driven court, expanded though less formal social circles, and a rising new nobility. She contrasts royal routines, presentation etiquette, and the old buckhounds office with contemporary trends, while praising the peerage’s vitality and warning against excess.
A writer recalls turning through aged volumes in a dark Holywell Lane shop and discovering a small book or large pamphlet with yellowed leaves and worn corners. The title page bears an old fashioned print, hinting at a relic from another era.
A biographical sketch of the London thief known as Old Patch, detailing Charles Price’s long career in swindling from the 1750s to 1786. It recounts his disguises in brewing ventures and churchgoing fronts, his confederacy with Mrs. Daulton, the rent frauds, and a final period of high stakes forgery ending in self-inflicted death at Newgate.
The correspondence notes Sallie Hargous as the likely 19th century beauty winner who could gain royal reception in London and Paris, while Grace Wilson, linked to the Astor and Goelet families, is praised for poise and wealth. It also covers an exhibition of Chinese porcelains and a staged kiss incident involving actor Alvary, later revealed as misdirections by society circles.
The author notes similar forms of hardship in Southern and Northern India, citing migrants from Madras who travel to Singapore and Buormah emi grants seeking higher wages. He describes them as thin, often unclad black men with long hair, who perform labor in Ceylon and various Indian Ocean islands. They are bright and resilient.
The passage portrays a caste of moneylenders called chitties active across Southern India with banks in many towns and Burma. It contrasts Indian banking with U S moneylending and imagines a narrow cell like room holding about 25 somber figures in white cloth.
A photographer filming Pennsylvania Railroad work at the Old Navy Yard reported repeated obstructions by an engine and freight car to block views of Belt Line Railroad obstruction efforts. The camera was moved repeatedly to prevent the shot, with the photographer continuing to attempt captures.
An eight year old New York girl already frets over female suffrage and believes she could influence government. The piece notes her strong views and curious reasoning about democracy and social change.
An old bachelor living in a disorderly, uncomfortable place is asked why he never marries. He dismisses the idea, joking that a wife would tidy the home and improve life, while acknowledging the notion with a wry smile.
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