The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-08-18
Welded In INFANCY.
Child Marriages Are Still the
Curse Of India.
A Calcutta Official Reports That They still
Continue to Enervate the Race, and
Christian Missionaries Are Hav-
ing But Little Eject.

cutta, who is visiting this country for
the purpose of attending the worlds
fair, lately gave some very interesting
information about the state of his ma
tive country and his countrymen, says
the New York Herald.
"The people are quite content and
satisfied under British rule" said he.
"Of course, the sentimental attach
m ent to the old regime has by no
means died away. There remains
feeling of regret for the times of past
greatness as an independent race.
''Still, the domination of foreign
nation has been so long an established
fact that pretty generally the exist
ing order of things is accepted and
recognized by the natives, who quietly
try to derive as much benefit as pos
sible from the grating of a new civ
ilization upon the Oldest the world has
ever known.
'"The greatest curse of India and the
greatest drawback to the development
of my country is, in my opinion, the
terrible child marriages that even yet
obtain in very great measure. Tho
drain upon the vital energy and the
deterioration of the character of the
people caused by this fearful custom
are enormous.
81 often think I can trace it's evil
effects in the languor of my country-
men, in their lack of energy, of inter-
est, of ambition, and in their passive
acceptance of whatever is as the best.
Certainly these marriages, being made
without regard to the feelings of the
married couple, are very frequently
the source of lifelong unhappiness,
and undoubtedly lead indirectly to
much profigacy and to misery of many
kinds"
DIR. Chumoololl, who possesses very
decided views upon the subject, stated
as his opinion that Chri stianity had
not made the satisfactory progress its
believers and teachers imagined.
MANY causes contributed to this"
said he. "For ages long gone the va
rious Hindoo religions were great
power. Still the natives were so ha-
bituated to them that in the course Of
time belief in them would have become
thing Of the past through mere lack
of interest.
AIuIoPO0h LhGCISSU AL U10 SuDJCCUS
however, and the Unsuitable curiosity
manifested by western races in the an
cient philosophy of the Hindoos has
perhaps served to fan the dying embers
of these religions and to keep them
alive indefinitely.
'In any case belief dies so slowly,
my countrymen are so conservative,
they change only after the lapse Of o.
great space of time, that I am inclined
to the opinion that European civiliza-
ton will become the civilization of
the Hindoo until there remains only a
fragment of the historic race of Think
ers to whom the west owes everything;
for, pardon me for reminding you, there,
is very little that Is original in your
philosophy.
"Theosophy has also retarded the
progress of the people toward the ac-,
septance of Christian doctrines The
subtle influence of belief in manifest
atoms and interference from the spirit
ual world is very potent in causing be-
hevers to take little interest in the or
dinary affairs of everyday life.
'But the influence of European as
sociation, wherever it has been al
lowed to have full play, has been Of
the utmost benefit. The natural genius
Of the Hindoo has been stimulated un-
der the influence of keen competition,
engendered by the establishment in
their midst of European trading and
manufacturing firms. This has result
ed in the production and remarkable
development of native industries. The
schools established by various Eu-
ropean societies have also been re-,
markably successful, but l doubt If
any practical results in the way Of
conversion to Christianity have been
attained.
1.-THE Hindoo has very real horror
of losing caste, and SO will hold no
communication with Christians; the
natives without caste are in a great
measure too Indifferent to trouble
themselves about a new religion, par
ticularly religion introduced by a
people whom they blame for many
hardships; for the advent of Europeans
in India has not been without it's
drawbacks"
DIR. Chumoololl was asked if he had
ever seen any of the Jogas or adopts,
and answered with some disdain that
he had no belief in any of the pretend
ed manifestations. 81 think a great
deal of good might result from the
cultivation of such moral modes of liv-
ing and thinking as are so strictly en-
joined upon the adherents of theoso-
phy," said he, ''but 1 must confess I
have no sympathy with the Joga as
ordinarily shown.
II have seen many curious things.
For instance, man who swallowed
yard after yard of linen cloth, and
finally drew it back clean, smooth and
without a mark, as though it had just
left the store.
81 have seen such as claimed, by
virtue of long fasting asceticism, the
complete domination of all passions
and the entire subjugation of the
material part of their existence, to be
able to penetrate at will into an un-
seen world, but have never seen any
performances or manifestations en-
tirely free from suspicion of trickery."
Typosrapher'S Error.
Typographical errors are frequent in
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