The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-24
iW0MAN'S WOES.
sza1a + 8
Girl Life in India from the
Cradle to the Grave.
What she is Expected to Per-
form.
From the Christian Monthly.

From the Christian Monthly.
On the day of her marriage the child.
bride is put into a palanquin, shut up
tight and carried to her husbands house.
Hitherto she has been the spoilt pet of her
mother; now she is to be the little slave of
her mother-in-law. upon whom she is to
wait, whose commands she is implicitly to
obey. and who is 30 teach her what she is
to do to please her husband-what dishes
he likes best. and how to cook them. IF
the mothsr, in-lsw is kind, she will let the
girl go home occasionally to visit her
mother. In her fathers house she NAV
wear her saree down her shoulders. In
her mother in laws house it must not only
be drawn up over her head, but it must
come down over her face to the mouth.
This may be lifted up off her face after
the birth of her first babe 10 her
mothers house she retains her given
name. Mohenee. In her husbands she
really loses her identity. She is never
called by her given name, but always 30.
which means daughter in law; bat added
to Bo is another name. which denotes
whether she 10 the first, second. third or
fourth sons wife. After the birth Of her
FIRST child she is known as the mother of
that child, the word ma being at
taCAU0 W tuot VILLA - WuCu sue
il spoken OF as Chundroma Bedo ma,
In the mother house she may run
about in the court and Verandas, talking
and playing as much as she pleases. In
her husbands till after the first child is
born. she must move about like poor
little ghost, so quietly and softly that her
voice must never be heard above the
latest whisper. 1t fact she is perfectly
tanned and broken into the most AFFECT
submission. Each morning when she
first sees her mother-iu>law for the day
she must throw herself PROSTATE before
her. toching the ground with her forehead
and kissing the mother-in -law's feet, plac.
ing one of them on her head for moment
This denotes the perfect subsection OF
body and mind II which she ia to remain.
OF her husband she sees very little. She
is of no more account to him than little
cat or dog would be. There is seldom or
never any love between them; and no mat
ter how cruelty she may be treated. she
can never plain to her husband of any
thing his mother may do, for he would
never take his wife's part. Her husband
sends to Der daily the portion of food that is
to be cooked for himself. her and the child
rem. When il is prepared. she places it
all on a large brass platter. and it is sent
into the husbands room.
IL eats what he wishes and then the
platter is sent back with what is left for
her and the children. They sit together
on the ground and est the remainder,
having Deither knives, forks, nor spoons
While she is never allowed to go any
where When she becopec very old, she
makes a vow to go on a pilgramags to
some heather temple, she is permitted to
go TO offer sacrifice either for herself or
for others. But this is only occasionally
done: very, very few ever undertake it.
She always has her tGkoors or household
gods on shelf in the house, most fire.
qeently over her own bed, and to them
she pays he daily devutjons, Offering them
rice and decorating them with flowers.
At length, when she draws near the hour
Of death, and it is thought her end is Just
approaching. she is carried down to the
hanks of the Gauges, there to to breathe
her last. IN view of that holy stream whose
waters are supposed to be efficac,ous in
cleansing away sin.
AS soon as the spirit has departed, the
remains are taken to the Burning Chat
(the place for burning the dead bodies),
and laid upon a pile Of wood. In few
hours nothing remains but little heap Of
ashes. TITS is then taken up and cast
into the river. Such is the life and death
OF the happiest, the most favored among
these Bengal women. The little girls are
married even as young as years of age;
and should the boy to whom such a child
is married die next day, she is called a
widow, and is heBceforth doomed to per
petuai owhood-she can pever marry
again. As widow she must never wear
any iewelry, never sseep on bed, nothing
but piece OF. mating spread on the brick
| floor, sometimes not even that between her
and the cold bricks; and no matter how
cold the night may be. she must have 40
other covering than the thin garment she
| has worn during the day. She must eat
but one meal OF food day, and that OF
! the coarsest kind, and once lie two weeks
she must fast for twenty four hours.
| Then not q bit of food, not a drop oil
water or medicine, must pass Ter lips, not
even if che were dying She must neither
sit down or speak in the presence either oil
! her motheF-in law or of her sisters iE-iaw
unless they command her to do so. Her
food must be cooked and eaten apart from
the other women's. She is disgraced, Q
degraded being. She may never look on
at any of the marriage ceremonies or fes
tivals 1t would be an evil omen for hel
to do so. She may have been high caste
Rrahminic woman, but on her becoming a
widow, any, even tho lowest servants. ma,
order her to do what they do not like 4
| do. No woman in the house must evel
speak one word of love or pity for ber, tol
IL is supposed that if woman shows III,
| slightest m:sseration to a widow shs
will become one herself, IF widow be-
comes go i'll that she cannot go down Il
the room where they take their food, sh'