Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1883-06-04
Ten Years in India.

Am Interesting Talk by n Former new
Haven Lady at st. John street M E'
1lChurch-The Htndoos i'm Every Day
Life-The1r Domestic Relations In
Guiding the MOther-in-Iaw.
very interesting talk was given at the st.
John street N. E. church last evening by
Mrs. Martha Nudge wife of Rev. Mr.. Nudge.
They returned recently after ten years resi-
| dence in India, where they were engaged in
the mission work. Mrs. Nudge was former
| ly Miss Wiswell, and is daughter of Mrs.
James M. Wiswell, and a sister of Mrs. Prof.
Jepson. She was long much priced and es-
teemed teacher in one of our most successful
private schools. Her talk was the more in
teresting as it diyerged from the beaten track
in statements of missionary work to which
all are accustomed, statements in general
broad way as to the work. Her talk was an
unaffected, simple, yet terse and very bright
interesting statement as to how she found the
Hindoos, how they live, where they live,
what they aspire to as Hindoos Or
rather as rule do not aspire to, under their
religion, what they subsist upon, which seems
to be very 1ittle as they (the poorer people,
take but one meal day and often light one
~
bright eyes) going half hungry two-thirds of
the time. She told of the stultifying pro-
cess of living to which the married women
are subjected for life, as they are shut up in
close confinement in the dwelling with their
mothers in-law as the acknowledged and leg
ally constituted rulers of households The
work of teaching the girls the Christian re-
ligion is therefore mostly confined to their
teachable years before they get married and
they are expected to get married before
twelve years of age and seven years is not
too young. The families live in the
patriarchal style. The family relationship is
exceedingly complicated. In addition to the
mother-in-law having chief control by the
custom of the land, the sons all live at home
and when they marry take their wives home
to live with the father and mother and the
children and grandchildren constitute a
household with now and then greatgrandchil-
dren and dependent widows thrown in. When
the daughters marry they have to go to
some other patriarchal household where they
will be sure to find a mother-in-law waiting
to receive them and exercise rule over them.
Then to further complcate matters to Euro
peans at least they do not use the family titles
such as grandfather, grandmother, great
grandfather, ETC., sister in-law, etc but
specially designate each in their own peculiar
taShlOn, making variety OF nOuSnOld terms
for stranger to get acquainted with. The
speaker further very much interested the
large audience present, explaining that In
dia's dark people and our own white people
were descended from one common stock, the
Aryan, one part settling in the tropics and
becoming dark hued, the other settling in
temperate zones and both having
the same general cast of features.
Some of India's daughters were very.
beautiful, but owing to the seclusion of the
women they remained in blind ignorance
and threw all their prejudice and influence
to prevent the men, who are more in
teIligent, as they mix with the world, from
becoming Christlanized. Mrs. Nudge told
of the Christian schools and Sunday schools,
the dress of the native children, the great
dependence upon rain at particular season,
as slight rise in the price of wheat and
rice meant famine for thousands of fami-
lies, and summing up said the people of India
when you reach their hearts are very lovable
and greatly interest the earnest seeker after
| their souls welfare. One thing the speaker
alluded to was the Hindoo house cleaning,
which was of a very primitive description,
and the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Harris, in very
| happy remarks, much enjoyed by the aud
fence, CATER thanking the speaker in behalf
of all present for her talk, took occasion to
say that New England might learn lesson
from these Hindoos on the house cleaning
question, for here it was most trying ordeal
to male creation.