There is probably no country in the world—not even excepting China re beggary is so rife as in India, This is in large measure! due to the fact that in one respect beggary has been made a virtue rather than a crime, Throughout the country the Hindu sanyasi or religious mendicant is to be met with and in the villages, and to a certain extent in the country, he is regarded with veneration by the In addition there are hordes of crippled, blind and mat. formed beggars who exploit their wretched condition by moving the pity of the public to assist them, It is clear, however, that the Indians themselves are waking to the degrading effects of the beggar evil, for a non-official resolution to ideal with vazraney has just been discussed by the Assembly and, although turned down, it is bound to reappear sooner or later.
The fact that religious prejudices are so intimately bound up with the bezzar problem in India makes the solution an extremely difficult one and this probably accounts in} come meastive for the reluctance of the Government to act. In course of the debate, however, Alexander Muddiman' admitted' tha: there was the problem of tackling the sturdy beggar who wandered] about for alms and did no work. In Calcutta particularly, he said, he had noticed an increase in the number but he declared that wherever it was found necessary the local ye sure who will join whom, interests of the safely of Empire I want an efficient army in India, Another interesting sus-gestion was made by Mr. Jinnah, a member of the Committee, who hint ed that instead of strengthening the regular standing army a second line of defence should be prepared by} raising a citizen army,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.