Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-22
Maharashtra.
BY REV. GALEN W. Seller.


MEssRS. EDlTORS-AB every lntelllgent
person knows, the Hindus are very
conservative people, and custom having
the force of law in India, il is very diff.
cult for foreign institutions TO get a
foothold there. The people of other
Asiatic countries not having the good
fortune TO belong TO one of the few
great Hindu castles have, for ages,
been called Miechchas, and considered
so low i'm the social scale that their
very touch is communicating to Brah.
man.
When the Portuguese and English
first came to India, they were regarded
with wonder on account of their com.
plexion, prowess, and advanced type of
civilization. Hence they were called
Heegatee Ioke-wonderful people-and
Europe and America are still called
Feeiyat by the Hindus. .
Though Western civilization and
Christianity offer so many facilities for
the realization of earthly comfort and
true happiness, yet there have been
many obstacles TO their progress, which
has necessarily been slow. Railroads
were superstitiously opposed, though
now they are we'll pstronized. People
thought 1t great wrong that the
sacred" water of the Ganges should
be diverted into canals. Vaccination
has often been stoutly opposed and
on account of caste prejudice, hospi.
tails are not yet appreciated as they
should be.
In the interior, especially where west
ern influence is not so much felt. the
customs of 1900 years ago still obtain.
Farmers use rude, primitive ploughs /;
most people live in small, sun.dried
brick or rubble.stone houses, without a
glass window or q chimney. Two wo.
men grind wheat or '.jwari' (like mil
let daily at the mill, which consists Of
an upper and lower fat milestone; and
the members of the family sit on the
floor when they eat, and eat with their
fingers. One could imagine while among
them, that he was living with the an
clients 1000 years ago.
Grass is cut, not even with a scythe,
but with a small sickle, so that it takes
half dozen men a week 10 cut an acre
Of it. If an embankment is TO be made
earth is brought in small baskets car
ried on the head. When wheelbarrows
were first used for such purposes the
workmen actually began to carry them
loaded on their heads
Custom in the abstract and customs
constitute great obstacles to Evangelist
10 work in India. Natives are often at
loss to answer arguments adduced by
Christians, and they frankly confess
that they perpetuate old institutions
like caste, child. marriage, idolatry, &c,
only because they are ancestral. They
seem to satisfy their conscience with
that plea, and then remain indifferent
and stolid.
Money and marriage are the princi
pal subjects of conversation in the aver
age Hindu family. When child is
only two or three years old the parents
begin to made arrangements for its be.
trothal, and when parties are betrothed
the transaction is chiefly mercenary.
The marriage ceremonies usually take
place when the parties are from five TO
ten years old and often one wedding
procession follows another for days, and
there is an incessant noise of discord.
ant musical instruments and tom-toms,
which taxes ones patience very much.
A Hindu widow is not allowed TO
marry again ESPECIALLY if she belongs
to a high caste) even If she be only
seven years old, and has only been be.
| trothed. Neither Is she allowed TO
wear ornaments; she must shave the
hair off her head and live in compare.
tive seclusion. Though not absolutely
required, they were advised to burn
themselves alive on the funeral.pyre oi
the husband, and were taught that il
was a mark OF the highest virtue and
fidelity in a widow TO do so. Moreover
the life of Hindu widow has usually
been so miserable that thousands oI
them have been quite willing to burn
themselves. and though sutteeism was
abolished by Lord Vim. Bentiuck in
1880. we occasionally read of some "a,
natical widow immoiating herself on
the burning ground. Not satisfied with
/ t,r, a.,ak k~~x.I .S~o.A..x. az