The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-02

s4as
Brsllmans in religion, buddhism hsving Il sA1d
urther east If tho peninsula The BrahmA0i.
called Kuloen Brahmans. where poiygsmy p
n3t on y allowable, but is quite extensively
practiced. To procure the marriage Of .
4sughter into the Kuleen class is an honor
much sought after aud highly priced, and An
unusually heavy dowry always accompanies
trine OF the TRANSFORMATION OF souls
which distinguishes the Brshman faith. reacts
upon their daily regimen, excluding therefrom
all forms Of lunged animals and making il .
crime to kill even no1ious a1irnnlss birds and
snakes. Monkeys aud cattle and elephants are
regarded as objects of worship, and the deadly
cobra and viper are passed by unmoles,ed, -
sacred, though supposed to be- inhabited
Y Ky f. Y 'i Sso nesappy fs sssls s. ,s .'P beg
sars of India, when refused aims BY tho I'm
Elish, will always surse them a. miserable
fesh-ea'iug Christians" their vocabulary con-
sa1ning no more opprobriousi epithet. These
takirs, by the way, are an anomalous class,
half natural bsggar and half religious enthus-
last, who subsist upon the charity
and fears Of the community. a
man of any caste who will do 8
certain amount of severe p%enauce, such ~
sleeping upon sharp spikes or over hot Goals,
keeping perpetual silence, or taking part in
the ceremonies of Jugeernaut, becomes
thereby an object of worship and, il inclined,
a fakir. Tn Hlndoo religion imposes pe
ESPECIAL obligation to care fo- the aicE Of de-
. crepit; hence there are no asylims nor infrrnar.
les in India except such az have been established
by tho English, aud among the higher classes
the old people are well and even affect onatsiy
cared for by the children, and this duty IL
enforced by the priesthood. Each house
among tho Brahmans has q special priest. who
exclusively visits it and conuucts the Religious
services before the FANNY idol. These men
are, as a rule Intelligent, ana respectful and
KIND to their own people and TO the misaion1
aries, but their ceremun es and msny Of their
dqgnAs are revolving and obsoen5. S!fa4t 81
Somewhat in the nature of the public shrines
which stand upon the thoroughfares of devout
Catholic countries, there are found upon tho
streets and roads OF Bengal email brick tenn
pies containing idols, beiora which tho Way
farer may PROSTATE himself in devotion as be
hastens on his journey. 4gsise.
MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.
There nre what may be- called two marriages
in the history of every Bnhnian wife: oha.
which is really the p.ightiag of troth, at the
average age OF five or six years, and the other
ne ne reaa nppttiai., e. ten or TIVE ye. During
IN her fathers house, from he outer world. ~
ssterWard III her husban's zenana; aud should
the husband die, she becomes . widow, exI
actly AZ though tho final ceremony had been
hoVo tuuSut WtuUW6 uOv Ov6xf
seven ysarsof aga. The N ,hammsAans have :
s6mewhat peculiar marriage, wnich may DO not
inaptly described as Hooking through q glass
darkly." The husband and wife Ito bel arc
seated on a raised pta form, with . screen be-
tween them, hiding each frdfn the other az the
proper time the screen is slightly raised, and
discloses . Horizontal mirror, in which their
furtive Chances for the first time discover the
beauties and defnrmities Of their future help
meets 1.-The marriage ceremonies OF the Bfah-s
mans ! have never seen. but have often heard.
aad they are described is mere orgies, feastng
and carousing, and degrading in the extreme.
zENANA WORK.
~ 10 easy now in MldnapDro oud many other.
Indian cities for missionary women to gain
access TO the %zenanas, wealthy men often sollc-
itlng the teachers to visit them, But in the
beginning IT was very difficult to get this per-
mlssion; and that it ever was obtained il due
to, the fancy work, embroidered Shippers, csps,
etc which ti,eimissionary women made. Their
elegance, and the fact that they were made by
women, excited the admiration Of tho babies
or native gentiemen,s whose rcuriosity soon got
ainbitioaiof social custom; and thus the needle
opened the doors upon the most heaft grinding
cspuyityEin the world. Though the Hindooa
are bigotsd,, yet they were more easily im-
pressed with the policy Of educating their
women, and reading, writing and thsi scriptures,
quickly fglio yed the needle in the curriculum
Tie instruction is given, OF course, III the
z%enAnas. sud .fby women, either native
OF siwhite; but each new suhoIar
becomes soon = teacher in turn, and thus the
work goes on in an ever increasing ratio. Most
Of the teaching is in the Pensatee tongue.
though some EnslIsh instruction u given, as,
pectaliy in the schools, and some evangelizing
is carried on ameng the Aooammsdans Id
Arabic. The zenana women are ready scholays,.
depending upon memory. kathomatics and
other brsnches requiring much urs oftths rSa-
s9ning faculties arc found p pernle1 them =
Ufu0H DAHL fIo,nr.t,I,.y IL Al ~ rrsH - kEn1A:L
also. az ittcan welisbe Imagined III would b
for those whose whole. world SINCE infancy hsd.
been . narrow court yard and It's encompsssinE
waliA'a In composition they arv very
apt, often learalag 10 write very
good letters in; eight months. Tneir,
progreas in Christianity Is necessarily SLOW.
They are hampered bpi,heir Traditional faith
and BY the Disgrace which custom heaps upon
caste then forever. Nevertheless. some 81
then IN my departments have become pIofess-
ing Christians and abide the consequences
heroicslty.' We do not seek their baptism, /
however. preierring to have stsmstrstsin sheif
the household. g ~ sgtg1sS} ay9Iis
SOM sUaGEB1I0NA
The Hindoos can become civilized. ~
coralng 70 our standard nn,ii they sha,l lose
with the tissue Of sthsir every day lite that thsy
are never free from it for s moment :, By il
influence they still pillow with al irun-skod
stick. reap with . sickle and thrssh tho grain
beneath the feet,of. oSen. II xlyss them no idea
OF right and wrong, according to our standard
IT lnculea ses child marriages, ,and the tsrr,xs
Of widowhopd it fosters female ipfsnticide By
it, doptrinef Of female sdeprsyity and WORTH
l~essness. In short it il . vast Improvement
over fetichism shd Parseeism, but Ii falls abort
Of, the real needs OF MANKIND, aud Il. IL oply
through this foreign missionary work and il
active support that those poor, benighted
down-trodden and heart rokon sistsrs q
ours can ever be lifted out OF this utter DARK
ness into the light Of truth and hsppinesA