Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-09 00:00:00

DE4.TH AND WIDOWHOOD IN INDIA.

(Translated from the writings of Bhowany Wahwaneth
Kenwindey, a Hindoo.)
tat ee now PI-4trh the life of a widow. When the
husband falls sick she prays to every go 3 to have com-
passion on her, asks the doctor to nreserve the life of her
kind husband, taking her to be his daughter, for, says she,
the tie cf love ad "ed to the fuure state of wretchedness t
which she would be subjected, compels her to make such a
request. Ware it promised her that if she offered her life
his would be saved, she would with great delight bid fare-
well to this world and its inhabitants, and leave her dear
husband, the peom3ter of her comfort, to live and enjoy
more bliss and happiness, When the doctor gives up all
hopes of him she sits near his bed shedding torrents of
tears for the would be loss f her husband, looks at him
from head to toe, and cries ' Oh, what a heavy loss I shall
have to: suffer!' She smites on her cheeks, tears her hair,
atd beats her heart with the severe pang of sorrow, and
boks at everything, even her daily nourishing food, with
disgust, beeau e her object of bye has suddenly to
disappear. When it is doomed that he should. die, no
doctor's medicine, no mantras of Bhuts, no human being
possessed of whenever powers will save him from the
clutches of death, who hovers around his prey and waits
for the appointed In .ment to make his attack. At last,
though nobody knows yet, the time c3mee, and the man
who aid wonders, who boasted of his strength and of his
fortune, is left in the spot motionless. That valuable
thing li'e leaves him altogether. When this catastrophe
occurs cries of lamentation are shouted aloud. The
mother cries for her son, the sister for her brother, the
aunt for her nephew, the mother-in-law fir her son-in-law
and her daughter, who is reckoned as dead while living,
and the wife for her dear and affection ate husband ;
but the mother may have another son, the sister another
brother, the aunt another nephew, and the mother-in-law
another son-in-law, which is a sufficient temptation
for them to forget at some future period their heavy loss ;
but the death of the husband proves as a fresh wound of
'. a poisoael dagger all her lifetime on the heart of his wire
who by the present ts rannical custom does not expect to
get herself relieved of h3r widowhood. The weeping and
snowing of all, and particularly of the widow, on whom as
it were the wholelmountain of sheer mhsery has fallen, is
indescribable. A person possessed of a butcher's heart
will not stand a minute to gaze on the spectacle without
his heart being meted with compassion and shedding
tears; but superstition has made such a stamp on the
hearts of her relations that they stand gazing like a
wooden doll, and think of making an increase to the
afflictions of the widow instead of commiserating on her
con.iition. They prepare to make her appear the ugliest
iof all creatures. The long hair which nature has provided
her for wearing fhwer wreaths, and which f 3rm one of the
emblems of her beauty are instantly shaved, the red mark
on het forehead which makes her face appear handsome
is forcibly rubbed, the bangles and the jodwas (finger
ornaments), whose slight stroke attracts the mind of
everybody, and which suddenly awakens a sleepy man,
are cruelly broken and st ipped off, the geld, silver, and
pearl ornaments, which serve to increase her beauty, are
violently taken off her b3dy, and even the best of her
clothes she wore are powerfully demanded of her, and in
return she is left without any other thing but a wretched
cloth called plttal. One who was some days ago an object
of attraction, is made by adamantine hearts and wicked
hands t a appear as the ugliest of creatures Instead of
sympathising with the widow, who was the sole comforter
of her husband, th 3 sole sharer of his sorrows, one who
belongs to the tribe, to whom we owe our existence and
our happiness as human beings, we surrounded with blind
prejudice, turned against her with a scourge of vengeance
as if she has very much injured us. We shall ask, and
pause for rep-y, what right have we to deprive her of her
beauty which nature has given her ? Can one head come
out to defend this black deed ? Can one out of so many
pretend to show us any decree from 'leaven, empowering
him to get a av,man's heal shaved ?

WIND FLOUR MILLS ON 111 WESTXRN PRURIIIS.—
YANKYIII INVEN rios.—For years foe great trouble to the
farmers of the Western prairies has been the want r f fi iur
mills. Wil'iam D. Snow, of Dixon, Illinois, has given
much atten ioa to wind power as a substitute for steam or,
the pr iries. Afer two years' api lication, and an expense
of 12,000 dollars in tips imendng,. he h-s succeeded in
making improvements in winl sails that will make a new
era in milling at th- West. The trouble heretofore has
been in goverring the sai's, ant causing a steady motion.
This he h,s arcompliset, and faur new mills now in full
opera ion in North9rii Illinois give evidence of it. I left
Chicago two dais since to see the operation of one of his
improved mil's at this point. It works admirably, with
tip ° ru i of stones of f ur feet each. The sails shift and go
round by means o' a railway in the dome of the mill, and
are alwa)s found in the wind. This is dune by machinery,
without stopping work. The greatest ingenuity is in
reefing aid unreeling the sails, by inaehi-ery, according
to the strength of the wind, which is done in three
seconds, without ',topping grinding. The mill hero has
been in operation a month, and turns out about twenty
bushels an hour. But four days have baen lost during
this time.—Correspondence of th eßoston Traveller.