The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-27
his commission. executed the repairs
and won the mems hearts while uncon.
sciously spelling their joke.
THE mINDoo suTTEE.
burning widows In India--A Much OPP
pressed Glass.

The position Of widows among the Hindooh
Is one which, sven ut the present day, and with
al the notifications introduced by European
influence, Is far from being o pleasant one
married In India Is considered, II will be seen
| that IL IL quite possible for little girl seven
or eight years old TO be o. widow. Until a
very recent period a poor child, upon whom
| this affliction had fallen, had not the re-
| hottest chance Of ever, during her life, lend
| Ing anything but the most uncom Portable kind
| Of existence. Re-matriage was quite out
Of tho question; and tho poor creature,
during her whole life, could neither enjoy
nor look forward to any of the pleasures
or considerations accorded 10 Hfndoo wo-
man. The barest subsistence was accorded to
her, she was expected during her whole life
10 '''etface" herself, and, when she was III, was
left to die alone and intended. That such u
state Of things Is now only too prevalent IN
Hindoostan Is unfortunately true, for the few
re-marrlages Of widows Of which we hear take
place in families that have much modified
their religious beliefs, and that may he said to
have ol1tgrown IN q great measure the power
Of old prejudice. Custom, which was 50 se-
we're In the case Of children left widows, was
and Is no less 80 In the case OF women who
have as adults, been wives for many years
To them, the fall from the position Of wife to
that Of widow. was more, painful thai,
scarcely known what 1t WINS not to
be- in the widowed condition. The
old practice the hair Of widows was
cut Off they were not allowed to touch betel,
10 wear precious stones, Or 10 marry again;
they were incapactated from enjoying even
the smallest trifle they were not allowed to
have the least honor paid TO them they In
herited nothing Of their husbands property,
they had one), or at that Of their husbands
brother, who was only obliged to afford them
a bare maintenance. 1t Is to be wondered nj
that, while suffice was allowed In Hndoostan,
n very large number Of Hlndoo women should
avail themselves Of what was a painful, but
ut least u rapid mode of getting rid Of their
misefies or that every now and then we
heard of an instance In which, even ut the
present day, suffice Is attempted or perhaps
carried out9 Tho practice Of suffice was for
mally abolished In the year 1920 In oil those
parts Of Hindoostan over which England has
power; and as that In 80 great an area peo-
pie have almost began to look upon the insti-
tuition as n thing OF the past.
It, therefore, comes upon the ordinary reader
with something Of a shock to read Of the suit
tee Of three ladies, at the time of the burning
Of the body Of the late Sir Jung Babadoor A
warm friend and staunch ally Of England, u
Knight Of the Order Of the Star Of India, n
man in many ways far above the preiudices
Of his nation, the real head of the Nepaulese
State, which still jealously maintains It's in
dependence, Jung Bahadoor had been made
much Of In England and by English people
Nothing can give n more vivid idea of the vast
lish people than the fact that nj the perform
ance Of the last rites TO such man suffice
should have been made n part
The whole account Ia just like that which
we have read over and over again. The
three principal RANGES. his brother and
son arrived, and the RANGES expressed their
desire to sacrifice themselves. The brother
tried to dissuhde,them. but he failed, and tho
funeral pyre was prepared with sandal wood.
resin and a large quantity of gbee. When the
arrangements had been made, the ladies'
bathe, performed poojah, and made presents
to the Brahmins The next step was, they
took measures for the government of the coun-
try and TO maintain peace; then general direc-
tions were given to the brothef-in-law. Their
last act was TO release some prisoners
They then entered the funeral pyre quite un-
concernedly, muttering prayers. The corpse
was then laid on Its back, and the eldest rance
took 1t head in her lap and the two others took
the feet. They were then surrounded by odor-
GUS combustibles, and the RANGES gazed upon
the features Of their husband, AZ II forgetful of
every other consideration. The fire was then
applied by the son, and, In O few minutes, oil
was over To these poor ladies life must have
had but dreary outlook, and the sense Of full
filling high duty, both In expressing love for
their deceased husband and In performing
what they had been taught to consider reli-
gous act, doubtless sustained them al the
end