The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-04
WOMEN OF INDIA.
THEY IRE NOT MEMS SLAVES, rs
MANY BELIETE.

-
Is Tight Lacing Injurious 9-The Tale OF
a Printer Who Gambled Away His
Pay-Cooking by Electricity.
Now that the subject of Hindu women
is being freely discussed in important
quarters, it may not be inopportune to
say here a few words. There is no au-
thority in the Shastras in support of their
cruel treatment. The treatment results
evidently from jealously, and the intro
duction of this vice must be of Moham-
medan origin, as has been rightly OBJ
served. Vice is copied with greater ease
than virtue. Hence the wholesome Aryan
instructions on the subject are neglected.
Varaha Mihira says:
In no world has Brahma created q gem
superior to women. A Woman
the goddess of wealth in a family, and
must be treated with respect and all her
wants satisfied.
Those houses will meet with ruin as if
by witchcraft, which are cursed by wo-
men who are not treated with respect.
AS a man is the earning member OF the
family he must, of course, be allowed
greater liberty of action thar woman. 1t
is, therefore, wrong to claim the same
liberty for women as that enjoyed by
LlCu. R0CA AlUOIJJ ID OClIE GAfOA y
European ladies, and we have no doub
that the majority of right handed Euro
pean husbands will be glad to impose
some little restraint on their wives.
But there is no excuse whatever for the
cruel treatment, which, i'll many places,sa
Hindu woman receives at the hands of
her husband, and more especially at the
hands of her mother-in-law, the real
tyrant in the house, whose very speech
and presence are dreaded by the young
wOman
Shastras says that "a girl must be I'M
der the protection of her father, and that
when she attains ~womanhood she must
be under the protection of her husband,
and that in her old age she must be I'M
der the protection Of the son, and that a
woman is unfit for independence at any
period of her life"
1t must not be supposed that no affec-
ton is shown to our women, and IL is also
a mistake to uppos that Hindu women
are treated like slaves. Large sums of
money are ungrudgingly expended on
their dress and ornaments, and no sort OF
work is given to them in Wel-to-do famt
lies. In Door families the women are made
to do the work of their W house Il not
the work of other people, as in the West.
What then is the meaning of the state
ment that Hindu women are. treated like
slaves? Have we eyer heard OF a Euro
pean or American planter expanding a
considerable fraction of his revenue in the
dress, decoration and comfort of any of
his slaves? That a Hindu attaches great
Importance to the honor of his wife will
be evident from the circumstance that the
husband of a ~dishonored wife will rather
destroy himself for disgrace and not run
into court, prove her infidelity. seek for
divorce, obtain it and be satisfied.
The principles involved in the treatment
of Hindu women are kindness, respect
and restraint. This last may not be liked
by the Europeans, just as the undue liber-
ty which they give their women is not
liked by the Hindus.
The foreigner hardly knows what an
important factor a wife is in a Hindu
family. Without her the husband is unfit
for one and all the numerous religious
rites. She is the custodian of the sacred
fire in the house. A Hindu cannot marry
a second wife without the consent of his
first wife, who grants the former a por-
ton of the sacred fire of which she is in
custody in order that the second wife may
become fit for cooperating in her hus-
bands ceremonies. Does the picture look
like that of a slave?
There is, however, a great deal of room
for improvement in the treatment of
European as we'll as Hindu women; and
it would be as absurd to give women I'M
due liberty and let them &C out in the
world just as they choose as to put upon
them ndu restraint and make their life
a living tomb and one endless misery
Indian Messenger.