e breaking of which is
attended with great disgrace, and even degradation below all the other
castes. For instance, if a Brahmin should, by eating any forbidden
thing, break his caste, he would sink below all the other castes. He
would become an outcast, or pariah. For beneath the fourth, or lowest
caste, there is a class of people belonging to no caste--a class of
outcasts, held in the utmost abhorrence.

By the system of castes, the Hindoos have been divided into so many
selfish sections, each scowling on all the rest with feelings of hatred
and contempt. The spirit which upholds it, is similar to that spirit
which says, "Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou," and, of
course, is nothing but pride. This is one of the greatest obstacles to
the spread of Christianity in this dark land, and for the exhibition of
which we were lately obliged to cut off many of the members of our
churches.

The Brahmins, in consequence of their being of the highest caste, and of
their having been taught from their infancy to regard all other classes
of men with the utmost contempt, are very proud. They make great efforts
to keep themselves pure, in their sense of the word, both without and
within. They are exceedingly afraid of being defiled by persons of other
castes. They have the utmost dread even of being touched by a pariah.
For them to eat with any of these pariahs, or to go into their houses,
or to drink water which they have drawn, or from vessels which they have
handled, is attended with the loss of their caste. A Brahmin who should
enter their houses, or permit them to enter his, would be cut off from
his caste, and could not be restored without many troublesome ceremonies
and great expense. The pariahs are considered to be so low, that if a
Brahmin were to touch them, even with the end of a long pole, he would
be looked upon as polluted In some districts they are obliged to make a
long circuit, when they perceive Brahmins in the way, that their breath
may not infect them, or their shadow fall upon them as they pass. In
some places their very approach is sufficient to pollute a whole
neighborhood.

The Brahmins carry their ideas of purity very far. Should a Sudra happen
to look upon the vessels in which they cook their food, they would be
considered as defiled. They can never touch any kind of leather or skin,
except the skin of the tiger and antelope. The most disagreeable of all
American fashions, in their eyes, is tha