New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11

children whom they wished 60 CO. ga o. "! iS"l
10 fav, thcn TIE land whore they woad b' foina'
20 they threw them m The river which crlyd the s
away I";r i,I'rdn, Hn'" - revcr wac re-
ligious custom in India.
TIE BURNING OF WIDOWS.
This t. called suttec. The widow asccndS the
funeral pile 81 the dead husband and Is consumed WIN
him. II pains me to hear now and then that certain
people in the West still pretend that this is custom
Of our country 1t is not 1t has died ont. 1t was
the invention Of women themselves. Of women VINO
had a high spirit and who would not survive their
husbands if the price Of life to be dishonor IL
began not more than 800 or 100 years ago ana arose
ont Of the act and from the ashcs OF great NUMBER Oh
women who went into the flames together II WAS
after the Moeul conquest. In Rajputana, the Prince
Of Oodcypoor, who was a member of a great Aryan
family one Of the Oldest in India had bcautiiul
dauchtcs. He lived at Chitturgath. The Emperor
a Mohammcdan-desircd thi, daughter for his harem'
INT the Prince said viii not give my daughter TO
one who IS not of my religion
They then engaged In conflict. The MohammedanS
defeated the Aryans and then destroyed all the men,
leaving the women. The princess was at Chltturgath
with nearly 800 Of her women, all malc
widows at one blow, and TO them the news was
brought that their husbands dead. They erected
a funeral pile. set fire 10 Il, walked on 1t ana Wclo
consumed, saying: We will not survive our dead
The deed too great to be forgotten monument
was made learned pundit' wrote books ana poets
composed poems praisng such loyalty ana COURAGE
and saving that all these women went to heaven. All
hi, was natural, and II was natural, too whcn
other Indian women read these things that they shou
wish to gain an easy entrance into heaven upon ms
death Of their husbands. These were ignorant. puI
they were loyal.
TIN, custom lasted about 200 years and then stopped
II had holy writ. sacred book 70 support IT, ic'
in other land, are where women have done t''
same thing under like circumstances. II only ono
woman had burned herself at Chtnreath instead u
300 the practice would never have aii'eh
Now 1t is dead 10 bring II forth as an accn'a'loh
against my country now Is a fssehood, dshonoraoio
act II Is true that the Ramayana there occurs one
instance Of one woman who committed snttee' Hho
the wife Of Ravana'- son. and feared ma'rao!'
fate when Rama had defeated Ravaua. but She was III
error, for Rama would not hav" permitted any OF MS
warriors take her. he followed the EIahmana ana
had no Koran to sanction such acts hose Of HE Mo
hainmcdans I'm India.
RELIGION ENTERS EVERYWHERE.
No matter whether the religious belief relied on 10
false true it is fact that all the habits and man
ucr, ~ my countrymen intimately connected with
religion 81 these forms Of religion are not true
but rc!i ;oG, ,cuumcnt j, there, the belief in the
particular doctrine IS consequence of cducatop the
sentiment is not altered Bu' orr best habits and
customs are associated with what appears 10 me 70 he
t.ae religion. Let H. begin the day W.th one OF
my own oa-'e-a Brahmr. NJ about 6 O'Clock he rises
from bed. II he live, I'm "a small. town he goes OUT
side o. the town 10 battle and then returns +" the
house To- ~,y h pfagcr-. peak Of th1," Who 40 not
Use any imlg,- a. aid, - mpldtion. lie first
na,hc, a small. stone which represent, the supreme
Being. thi, being In correspondence with hi, own bath
which va, taken with Tie mind fixed on the necessity
II washing away All impurt,. Certain small lights
are lighted. incense }, burned aud 'olpfed powder
prepared. When be begin, the recitation Of hi
prayer. h. rings small bell 50 that no ono