Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-03-10
HIzDOO ysGla

A lively article IN the March Allan
tic On the female sfatas among tie
Bradmins Of India furnishes US with
the following: Bahia HinGa. "fhs 1T
tie brown fOoi' As some tremendous
young puppy viii presently STYLE her,
IN the ~playfuiuess 0f his uXOrial fond
ness has been betr0thed these seven
years, being now in her fourteenth
season, and ripe for the nav Of that
coming man. She IS Of honorable.
caste, and a beauty, too, by the Him
doc standard; face a fine Oval. profile
elegant and rythmitcal brow low
and essentially feminine: chin dainty.
and almost infaHtile; hair straight
and or raven darkness; great black
laDguid eyes, to which he Fenarka-
bly, long lashes impart q quality OF
tender pensiVeness; lips red and
p~Outing, and at once serEucus and
weak; complexion safe ia the superb
or fairness Of high caste, Of rank.
wealth. seclusiOn, and eass-tha cou-
pleXiOn Of the B-ahmins and Raj.
pOots, Of Roma and silva, stair as the
moon, as the jasmine, as the fbres OF
the lotOs; - form plump. but 1.-THE; ont
lines plastic and Tippling. ike fgesOt
drapery; carriage erect cut undUiatOry
as n trained 70 the balancing u tall
water Jars on her head, vet happily
falling short Of that standard Of per
fiction which the P00raus set. and
which calls for g feminine gait Ike
that OF a drunken elephant or a
goose" Tried b. the negative re-
Quirements OF the POOFans, the Bahia
is all that fancy painted her; for she
has no beard, nor are her hands hairy,
or her ankles thick, nor do ger eve
broWs meet, or her test straCgle, or
voice crOak. If it had fallen % the
luck and honor OF q HindoO artist to
perpetUate on wood or ivory the
/ charms of Baba Kinda he would have
made her pale, to signify that she was
noble, and fat, 70 sigaiiy that she was
beautiful and rich. True, there vas
once a HindOO damssl who baguiied
the fierce fancy Of Suraish D0Wlah,
and she weighed only sky four
pounds; but then 6ursish O0Wlah
was eccentric. The attire OF or
pretty Baba is simple enough: chap
eau and upon, panier, and train, anti
hOunce and ehignOn, POmpad0ur
"bOdies'' land sOuisl Greeisn bend
and GerOlstein iuclinatiGus, are not
set down il the 5hasteEs she
drape5 herself IN one simple
piece Of tissue, for the fashion Of
which she is indebted to Rsbecea
and Rachel and Lean. This is
about nine yards long and forty
inches wide, and as various il quality
and cost Is in color; while at either
extremity there is q border Of some
bright dye, strongly contrasting with.
the otherwise UnifOrm hue OF the robe,
When Bahia or Bib makes her toilet,
no husband sWears, uOr baby cries.
nor visitor grOans. Bat handilv
folding the ends Of her simUis and
single garment twice around hersuB-
pie body, in a sort of tight fitting pet
ticoat, falling in front as low as the
feet, put not so low behind, 10r she
has naively drawn backward the end
of the web, with an artless movement
and tucked il up at the waist; and
now, from that point Of view, she IS
proper 10 be contemplated through an
opera glass. But q Bdba Of another
easte-and even Our own little Kinda
when she gads abrOad-Wul c0ntrive
in the arrangement Of her drap-
a more decOrCus departure
NUN s4O 14All4EL EagaE III Il aEaAr w
reserving one end Of the WEB to be
drawn owe the shoulders and bosom.
Here and there one meets q damsel
IN a sort Of half Jacket which dies not
cover the arms; but this IS a foreign
vanity adopted by the MOhamme-
There are BEahmIn women on
the coast OF Malabar who always ap-
pear uncovered 20 the girdle; and, il
he opinion of the curious observer
accurate deseriber Of HindO6 eos
umes, the Able Dubois, such was
the costume Of the women
throughout the peninsUiar, It is still re-
aimed among the RsipOOts, who jsal-
iusiy preserve many Of the decayiug
ustOms in their pristine purity. In
he Tamal country the women Of the
cast OF Malamai throw back the scarf
rom the head and shoulders, and
it demurely around the waist.
8 often IS they address q priest or
husband, or any other persOI- 10
peculiar respect is due.
The dress OF the women, like that
the meu, being Of bur one entire
ieee, is most convenient for frequent
nd modest bathing, a consideration OF
70 small importance to 3 people 20
7hom religion and manners, not less
han climate, enjOin the continual
ractiee Of ablutiOn.
For one day IL the year, her eve
and her bosom pants, with
be free tipsiness Of fun. And vet on
ach Of these holiday occasions.
trough all the PrOmiseuOus and bOis-
srOus license Of the crowd, cur little
'aba carries her mOdesty unguarded
nd unalarmed. She knows there
ill be no e0xeOmb's lodging compli-
tents 10 snub, no rOue's fuf1an IN
llt to resent. The invisible veil Of
1stom hangs between her blush and
lie leer of the hbertine; ana fast as
autchsgirls, the licensed courtezans
: the country, u irrepFOachahle OBJ
of decOrum in their pubiic-de-
and attire, go the Hind0o
no should stop to stare at M wos
on the street, OF madly venture
aeeOst her, would be branded as
constitutional pariah, whom every
tizan Of the high caste OF deceuev
.ust heneeforth walk round.
so, considering her lights and
fuences, cur Bahia is a good little
n. She loves and initiates her
Their, and waits for the coming man
superstitiOus awe. But the an
yer 10 the mystic enigma Of her lie
known only to the Paba, an6 the
never tells.