The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-10-05
CURSE OF CHILD MARRIAGES.


An East Indian Expatiates on the Chief
Drawback of His Native Land.
DR., Chumoololl, pundit from Cal
cutta, who is visiting this country the
other day gave some very interesting
information about the state of his ma
tive country and his countrymen. The
people are quite content and satisfied
under British rule" said he. ''Ot
course, the sentimental attachment to
the old regime has by no means died
away. There remains a feeling of re-
greet for the time of past greatness as
an independent race. Still, the domin-
alton of foreign nation has been so
long an established fact that pretty
generally the existing order of things
is accepted and recognized by the ma
tives, who quietly try to derive as much
benefit as possible from the grating
of new civilization upon the oldest
the world has ever known. The great
curse of India and the greatest draw
back TO the development OF my coun-
trymen is, in my opinions; the terrible
child marriages that even yetobtain in q
very great'measure. The drain upon the
character of the people caused by this
fearful custom is enormous. When You
think that the females are ordinarily
| married at ages ranging from infancy
| to nine years, that the age of the hus-
band varies in the same proportion,
| and that the average age of the mother
| giving birth to her first child is about
ten years, you may picture few of the
consequences of this custom. | often
| think can trace its evil effects in the
languor of my covntrymen, in their
| lack of energy, of interest, 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 undoubt-
eddy lead indirectly to much profligacy
and to misery of many kinds.
| DIR. Chumoololl, who possesses very
decided views upon the subject, stated
as his opinion that Christianity had
not made the satisfactory progress it's
believers and teachers imagined.
| 'Many causes contributed to this"
said he. For ages long gone the va
| rious Hindoo religions were a great
| power. Still the natives were so habit
uated to them that in the course of
time belief in them would have become
thing OF the past through mere lack
of interest. European interest in the
subject, however, and the Unsuitable
curiosity manifested by western races
in the ancient philosophy of the Hin
docs has perhaps served to fan the dy-
ing embers of these religions and keep
them alive indefinitely. In any case
belief dies so slowly, my countrymen
are SO conservative, they change only
after the lapse of a great space of time,
that l am inclined to the opinion that
European civilization will not become
the civilization of the Hindoo until
there remains only fragment of the
historic race of thinkers 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 prog
ress of the people toward the accept
ance of Christian doctrines. The sub
tie influence of belief in manifestations
and interference from the spiritual
world is very potent in causing believ-
ers to take little interest in the ordi-
nary affairs of everyday life.
But the influence of European asso-
citation wherever it has been allowed
to have full play has been of the ut
most benefit. The natural genius Of
the Hindoo has been stimulated under
the influence of keen comp tition, en-
gendered by the establishment in their
midst of European trading and manu-
featuring firms. This has resulted in
the production and remarkable devel-
opment of native industries. The
schools established by various Euro
pean societies have also been remarka-
bly, successful, but doubt if any prac-
teal results in the way of conversion
to Christianity have been attained.
The Hindoo has very real horror of
losing caste, and so will hold no com
munication with Christians; the natives
without caste are in u great measure too
Indifferent to trouble themselves about
new religion, particularly a religion
introduced by a people whom they
blame for many hardships; for the ad-
vent of Europeans in India has not
been without it's wbacks. IN. Y.
|