New-York tribune., 1870-10-07
MR.. SEN VERSUS SOCIETY,"

We suggest that an invitation be sent to tie
Baboo Keshub Chunder Sen to come among
us. That eminent Indian refOrmer is profit
able guest He leaves quid-prO-quo for his
dinners such as money cannot buy. Having just
finished visit in England during which society
has taken him to her inneImOst bosom, and
the Queen bestowed royal hospitality upon
him in the shape of both of her letter books,
the Baboo assembled said society about him
at parting and cOOlly held up mirror before
it, in which it might see how not only 1t but
English Christianity appeared to shrewd In
dian eyes. Such an amount of very plain
talking is n gift beyond jewels, as wholesome
as unwonted. "John Bull,n confesses the candid
Mr. Sen, " first impressed me as a shopkeeper,
:" then as an eater. His sole idea of hOspi-
"tality was guzzlng. The flesh AYERS the Ba
boo, "croeps upon my bones when | look at the
"huge array Of meats upon dinner-table."
1t causes an answering creeping OF the flesh
on our bones to see Christianity (or its repre-
sentatiyes) taken up and weighed in the bal
ances of this Hindoo. English Christianity is
too sectarian religion for him; it is not
sufficiently humanitarian, not large nor broad
enough. "YOur houses for the body are
"small, and your houses for the soul
are blDl.' lutIo ~ Dut
sirabe thing in England which the BaboO
covets and would carry back to India if
ne could, and that is the healthful, in
tangible, OmnipOtent force of public opinion.
There is one thing which he as vehemently
protests against introducing to his native land
as an example or model, and that is the
English fashionable woman. He abjures her
from head to foot, in the "demDtiOn tOtalT-
in chignon and gown; in fashion, manner and
mind; as an encourager of drunkenness, as
pursuer of husbands, plaintiff in divorce
and breach Of-prOmise cases, az Il baby-farmer.
90 my sOuln cries this old heather yehe-
mently, "come not thou into her secret; unto
cher assembly, o mine honor, be not thou
"unitedlp That she is not the only type of
woman in England he is willing to believe.
The Hndoo is, by force of his religion,
charitable.
Now this is lamentable. What kind OF report
of Christianity will 90 abroad through heathen-
dom if our English cousins are left to represent
itP Let Keshub Chunder Sen, as we said be-
fore, come to us. Ii would be worth our while
to send out and kidnap him on his homeward
journey let him be brought to New-York "ri
Get armiS," if needs be, that he may see what
a Christian, civilized people ought to be, before
he goes back to report. He complains that
" it is all work among the English; there is
"nO meditation, no digestion of ideas" Prove
to him that there is such a thing among us as
lofty Christian ideas already thoroughly digested;
give him speech of Oakley Hall to read or
a morning paper hot TO the brim with Monta-
land and murders. Let us prove to him that
our idea of hospitality is not confined, like
John Bulls, To the gastric juices sink dinners
while he Is here, and treat him instead (as we
did ii. X. H. to glimpse of the Opera B0utfe
II he mistake the exhibition for one of the
obscene slave dances of his own country, we
can prove his error by showing him our wives
and daughters seated nbushing spectators by
our side, and show HIM still further how fool
ish was his mistake by taking him To private
ball and displaying our women folks again in
similar dresses, and not dissimlar dances.
Let us spare no effort 10 open his eyes TO the
desirabilty of sending our fashionable women.
who have had the benefit of Christianity, To
the vailed Indian begums TO teach them modesty
and decorum. Let his mind he thoroughly rid
OF all his absurd mistakes as to the narrowness
OF our sectarian limits; let him go and hear the
Protestants account of the Catholic, the
Churchman'S of the Dissonter if he would
know how sweet are the droppings OF brotherly
love among MS. As he has 50 keen an eye
for social questions, show to him how different
Is our status from that of our unfortunate En-
glish cousins. Any of our fashionable women
will no doubt gladly offer herself to his Pagan
eyes as an example of the refining and ele-
waiting effect of wealth. culture. and Christianity
upon the pQrezt half Of Immunity, ue will see