“HONORED ENORMITY"

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 52, Issue 3771, 19 June 1936, Page 10

“HONORED ENORMITY"

A HINDU MEMOIR From India come many amusing examples of the pitfalls into which partially educated natives fall when they express themselves in English. The Indians have a natural love of exhuberant rhetoric, and when this is joined with an imperfect knowledge of the foreign language in which they try to express themselves, the results are entertaining. Lady Dufferin, the wife of a former Viceroy of lijdia, has recorded that when she was living at Bhurtpore, a Hindustani gentleman addressed her by letter as “Honored Enormity.” One of the finest specimens of Hindu English is the memoir of Onoocool Chunder Moorkerjee, a judge of the High Court of India, who died in 1871. This memoir was written by his nephew, and published in Calcutta. The writer declared that his honored uncle “by dinZof wide energy and perseverence, erected a vantage ground above the common level of his countrymen—nay stood with the rare tarring few on the same level with him, and sat arrayed in majestic glory, viewing with unparalleled and mute rapture, his friends and admirers lifting up their hands with heartfelt glee and laudation for his success in life.” The future judge had lost his father when he was a boy, and “unfortunate blind bargains and speculations” by an elder brother soon reduced the family to so low an ebb that “it was threatened with Barmecide feasts.” Onoocool studied law, and was admitted to the bar, where his power of arguing cases with "capacious, strong and laudable ratiocination, and eloquence” brought him an income which he used “to extricate his family from the difficulties in which it has lately been enwrapped, and to restore happiness and sunshine to those sweet and well beloved faces, on which he had not seen the soft and fascinating beams of a simper for many a grim-visaged year.”

In 1870 Onoocool Chunder Moorkerjee accepted a seat in the Legislative Council of Bengal, his selection for this honor being characterised as “most judicious and tip-top.” Within a year he resigned from the Council to accept a judgeship. “His elevation created a catholic ravishment throughout the Dominion under the benign and fostering sceptre of great Albion.” But he did not live to enjoy his elevation more than eight months. While delivering a judicial (pinion he felt a slight headache, “which gradually aggravated and become so uncontrollable that he felt like a toad under a harrow.” All the well-known doctors of Calcutta, did what they could with their puisance and knack of medical knowledge, but it proved after all as if milk to the ram. His wife and children had not the consolation to hear his last words; he remained sotto voce for a few hours, and then went to God at about 6 p.m.” Naturally his death caused great grief to his relatives and friends. “The House presented a second Babel, or a pretty kettle of fish. All wept for him and whole Bengal was in lahrymation—and more I shall say, that even the learned judges of the High Court heaved sighs and closed it on its Appelate and Original sides.” Regarding the charitable disposition of this learned judge his nephew did bleed freely, but he was not a leviathan on the ocean of liberality; the mode of asignment of his charities was to such men as we truly wish and recommend and exsuscitate enthusiastically. He used to give monthly somthing to many relicts who had no hobbardy-hoy even to support them, and had no other source of sustenance left to them by their consort.” APPLICATIONS FOR EMiPLOYMENT A Canadian paper printed the following letter, which it stated came from Bombay in the hope of securing the writer a job at the Winnipeg court house:—“Most honoured sir,— Understanding there are several hands wanted in your honours dept., I beg to offer my hands. As to my adjustments I peared for the metrikulation examinations at Ooty (Ootacamund), but failed, reason for which I wall deskribe, to begin with my writing was illigible. This was due to clemit reason, for I having come from a warm to a cold climit, my fingers stiff and very disobedient to my wishes. Further, I had received a grate shok to my mental sistern in the shape of the death of my only fond brother, besides most honored sir, I beg to state that I am in very uncomfortable circumfarences, being the soul support of my fond brother’s seven issus, konsisting of three adults and four adultrenes, the latter being the bain of my existance owing to having to support two of my own wifes as well as there issus, of which by God’s misfortune the femanene gendre predominates. If by wunderful good fortune the few humbel lines mete with your benign kindness and favourable turn of mind, I the por menial shall ever pray for the long life and prosperity of yourself and your honors posthumous olive branches.—l am your honors very dutyful servent.”