One thing is certain : Indian children are proverbially
captious, disobedient, and easily thrown out of gear.
Whether this be the fault of the mother, the ayah, or the
climate is a moot point ; perhaps the safest plan is to attri-
bute it to all three. The more frequent employment of
English nurses is no doubt improving the regime of Indian
nurseries ; but even no\y it is no unusual thing to see an
English child eating his dinner oft' the floor, with his hands
full of toys, while a posse of devoted attendants distract his
attention, and the ayah feeds him Avith spoonfuls of pish-pash.
Appetite is no doubt variable in Anglo-Indian children, but
it is possible that a little more pomp and circumstance, and
a Avholesome conviction that food is not forthcoming except
at meal-times, Avould induce Sonny or Missy Baba to treat
dinner Avith graver circumspection. Where, save in India,
do Ave find sturdy little tots of four and five still taking their
bottles and refusing to go to sleep Avithout a lullaby ? Without
going further into the subject, Ave can only assure every young
mother that there is no climatic reason Avhatever Avhy dis-
cipline should be set aside in an Indian nursery, and that it
is as possible to insist on cleanliness, decency, and order there
as in an Indian pantry or cook-room. The whole secret lies
in refusing to listen to the Avord dustoor, or custom.
Fcav mistresses have been long in India Avithout having
had the trouble of scandals betAveen the ayah and other ser-
vants. In this connection, one word of Avarning. A steady,
Avell-doing Avoman may lay herself open to deliberate slanders
by her very virtues; and in sifting a story of this kind, it
88
The Complete Indian
must not be forgotten that the Mahomedan men-servants
as a rule have no shame, and Avill say anything.
The following reciijes will be found useful to the ayah : —
1. Brushes, to wash. — Dissolve one teaspoonful of carbonate of
soda or brush powder in a basin of hot water✪ Brushes, to wash, and whisk the brush
on it till clean, taking care not to wet the back lest the ivory or
wood should split. Dry in the shade, with handles upwards.
2. Dentifrice. — One oz. betel-nuts roasted to charcoal and
ground fine, 1 oz. lump sugar, cream of tartar and Peruvian bark,
of each ^ oz., powdered cinnamon, 1 drachm✪ Dentifrice. Pulverise. Or equal
parts of betel-nut charcoal and common salt. Both these whiten
the teeth.
3. Grease Spots, to remove. — Use a hot iron and blotting-
])aper. A piece of cardboard split to a rough edge, and rubbed
gently on the spot, will often remove grease from silk. But no
house should be without benzine.
4. Hair, to wash. — Bruise one dozen soap-nuts (reta), and steep
for an hour in a pint of hot water. Pound one tablespoonful of
])op]»y seeds (Icish-kush) on a curry stone, and steep in half a pint of
hot water✪ Hair, to wash. When wanted for use, strain the water from the sojip-
nuts into a basin, using pressure to extract all the juice. Into a
separate basin strain the liquor from the poppy seeds, which should
look like milk. Wash the hair thorouglily with the rPta water,
rinsing it well out before using the poppy-seed milk. Tlie latter
should only be lightly rubbed on to the hair, and just rinsed out.
It gives the hair a beautiful softness and gloss, without being
greasy. It is also a specific against scurf.
Page 60 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
One thing is certain : Indian children are proverbially
captious, disobedient, and easily thrown out of gear.
Whether this be the fault of the mother, the ayah, or the
climate is a moot point ; perhaps the safest plan is to attri-
bute it to all three. The more frequent employment of
English nurses is no doubt improving the regime of Indian
nurseries ; but even no\y it is no unusual thing to see an
English child eating his dinner oft' the floor, with his hands
full of toys, while a posse of devoted attendants distract his
attention, and the ayah feeds him Avith spoonfuls of pish-pash.
Appetite is no doubt variable in Anglo-Indian children, but
it is possible that a little more pomp and circumstance, and
a Avholesome conviction that food is not forthcoming except
at meal-times, Avould induce Sonny or Missy Baba to treat
dinner Avith graver circumspection. Where, save in India,
do Ave find sturdy little tots of four and five still taking their
bottles and refusing to go to sleep Avithout a lullaby ? Without
going further into the subject, Ave can only assure every young
mother that there is no climatic reason Avhatever Avhy dis-
cipline should be set aside in an Indian nursery, and that it
is as possible to insist on cleanliness, decency, and order there
as in an Indian pantry or cook-room. The whole secret lies
in refusing to listen to the Avord dustoor, or custom.
Fcav mistresses have been long in India Avithout having
had the trouble of scandals betAveen the ayah and other ser-
vants. In this connection, one word of Avarning. A steady,
Avell-doing Avoman may lay herself open to deliberate slanders
by her very virtues; and in sifting a story of this kind, it
88
The Complete Indian
must not be forgotten that the Mahomedan men-servants
as a rule have no shame, and Avill say anything.
The following reciijes will be found useful to the ayah : —
1. Brushes, to wash. — Dissolve one teaspoonful of carbonate of
soda or brush powder in a basin of hot water, and whisk the brush
on it till clean, taking care not to wet the back lest the ivory or
wood should split. Dry in the shade, with handles upwards.
2. Dentifrice. — One oz. betel-nuts roasted to charcoal and
ground fine, 1 oz. lump sugar, cream of tartar and Peruvian bark,
of each ^ oz., powdered cinnamon, 1 drachm. Pulverise. Or equal
parts of betel-nut charcoal and common salt. Both these whiten
the teeth.
3. Grease Spots, to remove. — Use a hot iron and blotting-
])aper. A piece of cardboard split to a rough edge, and rubbed
gently on the spot, will often remove grease from silk. But no
house should be without benzine.
4. Hair, to wash. — Bruise one dozen soap-nuts (reta), and steep
for an hour in a pint of hot water. Pound one tablespoonful of
])op]»y seeds (Icish-kush) on a curry stone, and steep in half a pint of
hot water. When wanted for use, strain the water from the sojip-
nuts into a basin, using pressure to extract all the juice. Into a
separate basin strain the liquor from the poppy seeds, which should
look like milk. Wash the hair thorouglily with the rPta water,
rinsing it well out before using the poppy-seed milk. Tlie latter
should only be lightly rubbed on to the hair, and just rinsed out.
It gives the hair a beautiful softness and gloss, without being
greasy. It is also a specific against scurf.