Wichita eagle., 1888-07-28
midas CHILD WIDOWS.
THE UNHAPPY LIVES LED BY THE
WOMEN or THE EAST.

What High Caste Hindoo Christias
Woman Says of Her Sist-rs-Besro;hcd
In Their Infancy They Are Till Death
the Slaves of sicn.
At All Souls church the Pundita Bamahai,
a high caste Eiadoo Christian woman, gave
an interesting, address concerning her work
in behalf OF the child widows OF India The
Pundita is slender little woman with a low
musical voice. She has a re.na- kshIs ccr,-
Eland OF English She was attir,si in the
simple white vestmelts of her pSscpie She
Is endeavoring 20 raise sufficient money to
enaoie her 10 maintain school in southern
INDIA for the instruction of Hindoo women.
The picture that the Pundita drew of the
condition Of the Hinsioo woman seemed TO
have strange interest for the hundreds Of
well dressed American women accustomed 10
liberty OF thought and action! The Hlpdoo
theory of creation the speaker explained.
placed the women a provocative energy.
the results of which have been sorrow and
misery. The man therefore is the master
and is without blame. 1t is the duty Of a
good mother 70 get her daughter under the
influence Of a male at once, for thereby 10
the females only salvation and a hope for q
place in heaven. 1t is the custom whes
children are mere infants, TO promise them
TO youths for wives. When the girl is rot
yet IN her teens she is sant to the house Of her
prospective mother-in-la~, who e<iucates her
with harsh measures and a stick. impreSsius
upon her her inferiority TO the male Only
men are allowed 10 study the philosophy OF
salvation, and a good wife on dying centers
her thoughts on her husband, So that on her
return 10 earth she may take the form Of
man and study the philosophy that brings
salvation.
WHEN THE HUSBAND DIES
When the husband dies he does not let his
thoughts revert 10 his wife other than IN q
feeling OF pity for her loss, lest he, on re-
turning, take a step backward and assume
the shape of a woman. i woman who does
not find salvation through her husband will
be compelled. should she continue in tho
form of her sex, 10 lie reincarnated $4,000
times. The domestic life of the Hir.doo
woman is confined in four walls, and the
only opportunity she has of going outside is
10 draw water. She rises and remains
standing when her husband enters the houss
and seats himself The husband can avail
himself of the privilege of bathing himself
in the sacred river, but she, because Of her
domestic imprisonment, being dcbarred from
making the journey, can enjoy only the ex-
on site pleasure Of bathing his feet after he
has been swimming and then drink the
water The power Of the husband is abso-
lutte. He can doom his wife 70 hell If he 10
III the mood, he is endowed with tho
power Of a god A faithful widow,worships
her dead husband as If La were present in
the flesh. Study makes the women skepti-
cal, hence they are jealousy declared from
it IA violation Of orthodoxy.
missionary worl; cannot accomplish tho
of these women,n said the
Pundita; 1T must be done through eCiuca-
ton. So far as ny experience goes think |
that it is next TO impossible for missionaries !
TO reach the orthodox people, as they are
called. There are some men who are at first
in western ideas, especially the
Brahmas, who viii allow a Christian mission
airy to visit the women OF their household
but most of them do il because they want the
women to be a little educated, and since they
have no female teachers Of their own they
are obliged TO invite Christian women; but
have known the men, while they allow "A
Christian missionary 10 visit their wives, Ia
strictly command their wives not 10 accept
any religious ideas, and thus placed the poor
woman in the plight OF being compelled 20
obey her husband, and at the same time read
Der Bible. If she is sometimes convinced,
she has no power to accept the Christian faith
publicly. This renders her situation doubly
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