A FIGHTING RACE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7967, 19 February 1906, Page 7

A FIGHTING RACE.

k Mr Sidney Low, the Standard's representative on tbe Royal tour, in troduoes a most interesting article on the Rajputs, by reminding as of the size of some of the native states. "We do not, take very muoh notice of them in England; Simla is polite to them, but it has many other things to think of. Yet each of these Princes rule a territory equal to that of a second-rate European kingdom, and he has bis Court, bis army, bis feudal aristocracy, and perhaps a couple of million of subjects. Indore is quite a minor State, but it is larger than the Kingdom of Saxony. Jaipur is muob more extensive than - either Holland or Belgium, and more populous than Greece. Gwalor is about the size of Scotland and it has nearly as many people. And if we go a little further south to the Decoan we-find, the' Nizam ruling an area bicger than that of the whole of Great Britain, with some fifteen millions of inhabitants." Illustrative of 'the complexity of India it was said once that the most essential fact to be learnt about India was that there 1 uasmo snob country—the records the change which one experiences in going from Bombay to Rajputana. One changes moist sticky warmth for the vitalising air of the uplands and busy merchants, pushing Parsees and intriguing Mabrattas for a race of "hunters, cattle-drovers, shepherds and horsemen, square-headed, square-shoul-dered and upstanding, burly as Yorksbiremen and independent as the farmers of the Lottiians." Two Rajputs, who showed Mr Low over some ruins, refused 'with dignity to accept tips; they were servants of the King and did not wish to be rewarded for showing attention. The Rajputs remind Mr Low of the Highlanders in many ways. Indeed it has been held that the Rajputs,are of Soytbian origin, and it is considered by 9ome that the Celts and the Scythians were closely connected. The Rajputs are one of the iriany problems of India. They are fighting men—the peasant goes to bis field still with Bword and gun—but fighting is limited to levying execution on a recalcitrant Sirdar of coercing rebellious Bhils. They are oertainly great sportsmen; but s sport does not satisfy the spirit of fighting inberen t Id tbe blood, and it is said that the young lords, who might be leading their men to battle are living in supine inactivity, relieved by sport and quarrels with their liege lord.