The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-19

4 PLUCKY BRAHMIN LADY.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR WOMAN'S
EDUCATION IN INDIA. -

VITAL flHS BEEN DONE FOH WOMAWS =
EDUCATION IN INDIA. -.
Account of an Unparalleled Occurrence
Among the Brahmin Women-Pundita'
Ramabai Sanscrita's Address-A Trip
to England and to America. =
Funiita Ramatai, the distinguished
Brahmin lady who with her little daughter,
years Of age, arrived here in the British
Princess to witness the graduation in medi-
cine lat the Wonian's Medical collsge,
PhllaIe pAia, or her relative, Mrs AnanI
debai Joshee, is a remarkable character.
She is the daughter Cf tho famous plndit
OF Poont, Bombay presidency, india.
who sacrificed his worldly prospects and
eventually his life to the cause OF
emanciplring the women OF India.
He gLve this daughter the same education
that he gave his only son, AMI 10th the
sister anl the brother be anne famed Tor
their learning. and trave,el together
throughout India. III, brother dying sud.
denly, tho si;ter married las few Hindu
ladies are permitted to marry the man OF ).
university, SansIrit sci oar AMI pleader
at law. About year AM halt after this
marriage, which was happy on., the hls- I
band did OF As.atic cholera.
NATIVE SCHOOLS FOR GIRLS. Us
Stricken to the earth by this bereave-
ment, parents and brother a'so dead, d rk-
ness for time encompassed the widow.
Then she rallied, to devots her life to inn I,
prove the degraded condition Of her coun.
trywomen. For this purpose she returned
to her native city Poona, and formed so
ciety OF ladie; known as the Arya Mehila
sabbi, whose object was the establishment
of NJ tive schools for gir.s She then went
from city to city throughout Bombay presi-
d.ncy, esta lish;ng branch so ieies and
arous.ng the pope by her 60 .uent mp.
peal.
She is chiefly known in the United States
through remarkable scene in which she was
prominent actor, in Poona, in S, ptenber,
1sS2. At that time the English education
commission visited this conserv ative aud
wealthy city to Inspect the educational in .
stitutions, whereupon the leading Brahmin
ladies, members Of the newly formed SOC ETY.
and others, to thu number OF about 200, not
withstanding heavy rainstorm, assembled
with their chi dren in the town hall to well .
come the educational commission AMI to
show them that although the municipality
had not encouraged glrls' Schools real !,
movement was being male by the best fami.
lies OF the MaharattA country. This was quite
Oil unparal.el d occasion among Brahmin
women, who are kept in such strict seclu-
sion. .-.. .
oLo;
ator of the occasion. Sha read an address
in English to the commission, and made an
eloquent speech in Merathi She dwelt upon
tn diiilcu ties which. as won o. good
family, th.y had to encounter from the alb ),
need of traine fe1nals a,Lers and the :
absence of school looks fit to be placed in
the gir.s' hands. T.. IL
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. n
I'VE want" she said, education for our
girls as well as for our boys, but the Eng
lish government has supplied trustworthy
teachers and suitable books for boys anil
none for tho girls" The president Of the !.
commission, DR.. w. w. Hunter, in reply.
ing to the address, expressed his pleasure at
meeting such an assemblage, which was al.
together a new experience to him In India
"If the women of India" he said, have re-
ally made up their minds that their girls.
GU hit to be edncated all minor difficulties
will quickly disappear" ,
AS an immediate consequence the men,
Eers OF the Poona municipality intimatel to
the commission the next day their willing
ness to take up the cause of gir.s' schools
and to provide tho necessary funls Now,
four years later, not only are these element .
ary schools, but native high school is in
successful operation in Poona- In lSS3 Pun !.
dita Ramabia went to England to acquaint
herself more fully with the methods Of
teaching, and with educational work in gen
eral Her scholarship was tested by Pro-
fessor Max Muller and others, both in Cam
bridge and Oxford, and pronounced sound, .
and on the recommendation of these distin-
yuished friends, she was appointed professor
Of Sanscrit in wonan's college in Chelten-
ham, This position she has held for two
years, in the meantime improving the rich
opportunities on every hand for special
courses of study.
Her purpose in England accomplished, b,
she is now about to return to India to re-
sumo her educational work. But the great
event 50 fraught with significance to India,
about to occur in Philadelphia, led her to
decide to visit the United States, "that holy
land called Am: rica," as she stylos i; in O
recent letter. to witness the graduation as q
doctor of medicine of Mrs. Joshee, a Hindu
Brahmin Lady.-Philadelph Ledger.