HINDU WEAVERS 81
for those which are to be found at Manchester , Birmingham , Lyons , and other cities in Europe . Well , the truth is ( and most people are still unaware of the fact ) all these beautiful fabrics are manufactured in wretched thatched huts built of mud , twenty to thirty feet long by seven or eight feet broad . In such a work-room the weaver stretches his frame , squats on the ground , and quietly plies his shuttle , surrounded by his family , his cow , and his fowls .
The instruments he makes use of are extremely primitive , and his whole stock in trade could easily be carried about by one man . Such is , in very truth , an exact picture of an Indian factory . As to the manufacturer himself , his poverty corresponds to the simplicity of his work-shop .
There are in India two or three large classes whose only
profession is that of weaving . The individuals comprising these classes are , for the most part , very poor , and are even destitute of the necessary means for working on their own account . Those who deal in the products of their industry have to go to them , money in hand , and after bargaining with them as to the price , quality , and quantity of the goods required , are obliged to pay them in advance .
The weavers then go and buy the cotton and other necessaries with which to begin work . Their employers have to supervise their work and keep a sharp look-out lest they decamp with the money , especially if the advances happen to be in any way considerable .
As regards the condition of the Hindus generally , I think that the following account may make things plain . It is based on a long acquaintance with the inhabitants of a large tract of country . Still , the casual observer may find fault
with it if he judges it by what he has noticed in large towns , more especially on the coast . There , at least , most of the natives possess houses of more or less value which they can dispose of if necessary , an advantage not shared by the rural classes . Besides , the towns are the rendezvous of the rich and industrious , and of those who intend to become so by fair means or foul , so it is not surprising to find a higher standard of comfort prevailing there . It is from experience of the masses of the population that I have been able to present this sketch of the different degrees of poverty or wealth amongst the people . *~ ^
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