The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-07-29

Unable for the most part to read
and write, rumors reach them from
the markets. the bazaars. the talk Of
servants, and of the children, many of
whom attend the normal school, now
numerous, and are consequently famil-
lar with the topics Of European thought.
They feel the old order passing away,
but OF the new they know nothing.
They identify these changing influences
with Christianity, which they urgently
fear and dread as bringing disruption
into families where the ties of kindred
are unusually strong. Conversion i'm
plies no less than social excOmmunica-
tion-exclusion from the pale of caste,
and social death. So the mother fears
il kecnly for son, the father for his
daughters, the husband for his wife.
The mother in especial fears to lose
her, at present, unquestioned suprem-
acy. In higi caste households, il
must be kept in mind, she is the cen
trail parsonage; her influence in the
household is unique and almost limit
less, for the high caste Hindu is pro-
fcssedly monogamist. One wife is the
rule, though second is permitted if
there be no offspring. But the proud
mother of sons holds u high place. 1t
is common saving that the Hindu
beats his wife and adores his mother.
She makes the marriages of her sons,
chooses her daughters-in-law. and en-
joys the dutiful respect Of her sons.
Her sway is almost absolute. As RAJ
nee she may, and does very often, ex-
crc.sc great influence. which she uses
tor purposes of family ACCOMPLISHMENT
or intrigue, or for wise and beneiicent
ends, as it pleascs her. Such is the po-
sition Of the mother. but the wife occu-
pies very inferior place.
Letters that have appeared of late
in the Times Of India present lament
able picture of the domestic interior as
it too frequently exists. The writer,
who is apparently q youthful widow.
says: 1.-The wife may not sit in the
presence Of father or mother-in-law, or
any elder member Of their family.
She must get up early and goto bed
late and eat with the servants Such
is her position Of inferiority as wife,
but as widow matters are still worse.
..Shc is debarred from second mar
riage, even if widowed in her cradle;
for betrothals before birth are not un-
known in India. She is doomed to
neglect, ill-usage. opprobium, and re-
| Wiling. The frightful immortality
which devours Hindu society like =
cancer is largely traceable to this one
source" The writer above mentioned
looks to the spread of education as the
best hope for lettering this state OF
things; but education. uninspired by
the salutary influences o: true religion,
will prove remedy worse than the
disease, as leading solely to a more
thorough materialisM.
Heathendom dooms women to .
cruel state of inferiolity, not only ply
sically, but spiritually. There is one
law for men and another for them.
The code of morality does not even
serve for both. They are simply re-
garded as slavcs-thc mere necessary
complement Of mans existence. They
are dcbased by all the codes Of heather
ry. By Buddhism. as seen in China;
BY Islam, which dooms them to per-
petual scclusions; by Hinduism, which
does not recognize in them moral
position at all.