The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-01-03
Life In India.

The following is an extract from an ad-
dress by prominent missionary from
India:
"The girls are married at the age of five
and six, never later than ten, on account
of the believed effect that such misfor-
tune would have on her ancestors. She
is put into box, which is closed up Like
coffin and covered with decorated cloth,
and in this shape taken to the husband s
house, where she is deposited and left
for the rest Of her life, never to go out
save on the occasion of exceptional and
rare visits to her mother In the high
caste houses the outer court, around
which are the the mems apartments, lux
uriously furnished, is reached by an I'M
derground passage. A passage leads
from this to the inner court about which
are the wives rooms or cells. The walls
and floor inside are of brick; there is no
bed, no chair and no furniture but sort
of desk and box In which the occupants
clothes are kept. They are never taught
to read or write, and I suppose that when
I went there first not one. In eighty
thousand could read. All of the world
they ever see is this inner court. They
are marvelously beautiful, however, both
men and women, as a race, despite
ll4O Ad1h 1OB vi L14O h1NGS. I1dCu ldIl
has her own brick-foored cell, and sleeps
ON strip of mating The widows are
far worse off, however. They can never
marry again; can eat only one meal day,
of rice; are debarred by superstitious
custom from receiving any help or any
word of love or mercy; are compelled to
wear their hair hanging loose, Uneleansed !
and unbraided, and cannot speak in the
presence of their mother-in-law or sister
in-law without permission. Every three
weeks they have twenty four hour fast.
/ saw one little girl, child who was
burning up with fever, and whose tongue,
black and swollen, was pfOtIuding from
her parched lips. L asked her if she
wanted water, and she isignifed feebly
that she did I told the women to get |
her some, but they refused, saying that !
she was widow and it was wrong. She
had had no water for three days, but they
would not let me give her an on the
plea that [ was polluted foreigner, and |
such an act would break her caste and |
that of the whole house. She died in |
great agony the next day.
a powerful battery had Just been pre-
pared, and the officer in charge readily |
to operate upon the paralyzed |
arm. To the two poles of the battery a |
copper wire was attached, and at the ex-
tremity of each wire dampened sponge.
The Persian was instructed to tightly |
grasp one of the sponges in the paralyzed |
arm. Timidly complying, he was aston
ished to feel no sensation.
"Wait moment" said the English
man, clapping the other sponge ON the
mans shoulder With leap and yell,
he bounded out Of the room, amid the
1proarous laughter of the officials.
All Shiraz was excited, the next day, at
the shock the nobleman had received.
Though it effected a partial cure, the
frightened man refused to submit to a
second application of the invisible
ire" One shock was sufficient, for, he
declared, all the stars of the heavens
we're visible to him at that awful moment.
He would visit the Office and look with
1--WE at the "fire" machines. Mournful-
y shaking his head, he would depart
without uttering word.
Another Persian, whose curiosity con-
Iuered his fear, while examining the tel
graph, touched one of the terminals of
he machine. As he felt no sensation. he
aid his hand on the other terminal. A
sudden yell and backward jump was the
'esult
The man told his companions in an
Iwe-struck tone, that he had been bitten
y the genn of the machine. The Eng
ishman attempted to explain the opera
ion, but his words did not disturb. in
he least, the Persian's credulity.
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