That Eurasian

by Aleph Bey

I had plenty of books, the gifts of Mr. Percy, each of them a true indication of his style of thought and belief. I ordered others, such as I considered would interest me. With them I lived. They were my best and most intimate companions. I have often thought that if I were cast away on some desert island, and had plenty of books, I could not be alone.

The middle part of each day I spent in reading; mornings and evenings in adorning the compounds and gardens of my several houses with fruit and fine trees, flower plants and shrubbery. I soon made a great change in the places, to the great satisfaction of my tenants. This gave me a great liking for botany, as I had scarcely heard of such a science in school, for there we were so much driven to study men’s rules and theories that we had no time to study what God had created.

This employment finished, I became restless with a desire to enter upon some profession or business for life. I thought of commercial business, and from what I knew of it I supposed it would give me a chance to use my brains; but I had no more idea of what it required than if I was the son of a lord. I knew nothing of book-keeping, for this was another of the practical things omitted in our school, and it sometimes puzzled me to see what I really had learned that was to be of practical use to me. If it be true, as some one has said, that the greatest knowledge is to realize how little we know, I concluded that I had reached that happy condition. It is true that I practiced a little book-keeping as required by Mr. Percy, but it was single entry, or rather two entries, cash received and cash paid out, and every pice I handled was in that account. Since then my acquaintance with even commercial men has led me to believe that single entry book-keeping is not a slight affair, for some forget to enter what you have paid them, and remember to enter what they did not pay you.

I concluded to make a trip on commercial life intent. I took me to the capital city of India with the highest ambition. At once I sought the papers with an advertisement, “A young man of good abilities and excellent education, etc.” Some letters were received to which I replied, and found that there was work enough, and that the salaries offered, ranged from the magnificent sum of fifteen rupees to forty rupees a month, and some of the parties expected me to keep a pony besides, as their’s was outdoor work. Some of these offers were made by white men!

The advertisement evidently useless, I got a city directory and wrote to a large number of the best mercantile houses, and as I had a very fair hand and did my best with the Queen’s English, I received a number of very polite replies in babu English asking me to call at a particular time, which I did in my best rig, as I came to know that a well-fitting suit of good clothes had a great deal to do with a first impression. Each kuli, and there were a number of them at every door, had to look at my card, and then several babus wished to know my business, until finally I reached the grand mogul of the place. Looking me over while I stated that I had received his letter asking me to call, “Yes, yes,” said he, “but since your letter came my partner has found a man.” The same thing happened in a number of places. That partner was always the one who was putting his fingers in my pie. Several asked me what salary I wanted. I replied that I wished to learn the business, so I would be satisfied with a hundred rupees a month to begin with, and they exclaimed something like this: “Great heavings! we can hire a dozen babus for that money.”

I kept up this “racket” for a number of days, as I became quite interested in learning this part of mercantile life. If it had been a matter of daily bread with me, perhaps I would not have taken the rebuffs so easily.

One day I ran across two of my schoolmates on the same errand. They were terribly down in the mouth or down at the heels, for they were completely discouraged, and their clothes had long since forgotten the press of the tailor’s goose, and their boots were in the last stages of decrepitude. They put me in mind of the fellows we read of in our Scripture lessons at school, who went down to Jericho and fell among thieves. “Well, boys,” said I, “come over and dine with me, and we’ll talk over old times.” They did not look into their note-books to see how many engagements they had, or say, “We’ll think it over,” or “We’ll see,” in that kind of society style you know, but accepted at once. After making a short call on one of the merchant firms, I found the boys in my room. We had a good feed, the best I could get, and they told me their experience. They had been at so many houses, run the gauntlet of so many kulies and babus, and had been snubbed so often by the mercantile gentlemen that they had scarcely courage enough left to look in at the door of a house again. Through the friendly influence of the dinner they confided to me that they had trusted “an uncle” with their watches and most of their clothes, and their money was nearly all gone, and if they did not get work soon they would have to sleep in the park, and then have a chance of being accommodated with apartments at the workhouse.

“Yes,” said one of them, “if we were not Eurasians we could get situations at once, and one fat white face had the cheek to tell us that he would not employ Eurasians, as they were not trustworthy. How did he know that of us? It was a downright insult!”

Again he burst out, and as we had not had any liquor whatever, he was clear-headed, saying, “Hell and fury! Who made us Eurasians, I’d like to know?” “That’s it,” said the other, “who made us Eurasians?” and they brought down their fists so hard onto the table that the bearer rushed in to see what we wanted. At this I changed the subject to our school days, and inquired after the boys of our set. Before leaving I told them if they did not succeed in a day or two, to come to me and I would let them have money to go home with; for the sake of old times I would not have them “run in.”

I was such a simple innocent that it never once entered my head that I had been refused because I was an Eurasian. This reference of the boys opened my eyes, and I concluded to make some calls to see if what they said was really true. I was out again the next day. I did not care so much now for a situation as I did to know the effect of the color of my face. I had a roll of government notes in my pocket, and could draw for more when needed, so could face the kulies and babus without having that utterly forsaken walk and look of a beggar. As I entered one of the prominent offices I could not help thinking of what Mr. Percy would say, “Charles, be a man, in your looks and in every step you take,” and so I uprightly faced the grand panjandrum. I bowed politely, and said, “I am seeking a situation. I don’t care so much about the wages, as I wish to learn the business.” Looking me all over, as if I was some specimen from the zoo, he remarked, “I don’t think you would suit us.” “Will you be so kind as to tell me the reason?” I inquired, with as much suavity as I could command. I think my manner fetched him, for he said, “Take a seat, will you?” the first time a chair had been offered me in all my rounds. He replied, “Well, really, you know, I don’t like to say; for myself I think you would suit us, but, now, ahem! I hope you will take no offense, but the fact is, I am really sorry to say it, but my partners are opposed to having any Eurasians.”