The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-03-13

son. According to the Brahmin rcli-
gion, a man can with certainty escape
hell il he has a son living at the time
Of his death. Where Il woman does
not give birth to Il son in eleven years.
her husband must cast her aside and
choose another wife by whom he may
possibly have a son. A vivid COMPARE
son was made between the lives OF a
boy and girl. On the sixth night after
the birth OF a child the mother and
child lie down together in the same
room and sleep. An inkstand and pen
are placed in the room and a midwife
watches the slccpers. II the child
means and losses, the gods writing a
SorrOwful existence on its forehead.
Ii it smiles. the opposite may be
awaited. At the end OF a month the
a%strOlogcr comes and seeks to solve
the fate Of the chlld's life. At the end
OF six months the child is given the
first taste OF rice and water. In all
these ceremonies there is much feast
ing and celebrating in the cas- Of {;
boy, but nothing except the ceremony
itself in the case Of a girl.
A girl has a miserable time OF it all
her life. Only at night is "A mother
allowed to kiss or caress her child.
The boys are allowed to roam at will
but girls must remain in doors and
can only get out at long intervals for
short periods.
At6 years Of aye the child is mar
ricd, i. e., the first wedding ceremony
takes place. 1t is more Of a formal
bctrotlal, but with all the binding OF
a genuine wedding. The child must
now remain indoors and her face must
be hidden from all men. II she is the
daughter of a cast-off wife, that is,
one who for eleven years has borne no
son, she has to suffer rSi@aHy iersccu.
tions, which eventually lead her to al.
most any evil or sin.
At u years OF age the husband, too
often Il very old man, comes to take
the child to his home. Often the child
does not wish to go and, shrieks while
she vainly attempts to escape from
the messengers sent to bring her to
the waiting husband.
"The hardest things about this NV.
full custom cannot be told" said Mrs.
Griffin. Recently the English passed
Il law which forbade a husband to
take a wife to his home until she was
- years old. There were many Objrc.
tions to the passing OF this law, and
among them was one which said that
it was contrary to the Hindu religion
In an impressive voice Mrs. Griffin
said: 81 wonder il there arc any ad
vocates Of the so-callcd higher rcli
gions, Buddhism, Brahminism ant
Hinduism in this room. II so, to then
| say that these religions should bt
swept from the face Of the earth, i
for nothing more than because the.
permit these horrible child mar
riagcs."
Continuing, Mrs. Griffin drew tn,
picture OF the child wife in her new
home; the early birth of a son, ant
the broken health Of the mother du'
to this early birth, the water famine
such as there was four years ago, ant
the breaking out of cholera, rcsGltin,
in the death of the husband. WhcI
the husband dies the wife is shut VI
in 4 room, sometimes for years, wlicr,
she sees no one. Her Imprisonment
depends on the caprice of the mother
in-law.
Very suggcstivcly, Mrs. Griffin sale
the child she had been describing hat
Il happy life as the life OF Hindu girl.
goes. She has never been burned will
rcd-hot irons by her husband, and heI
husband has not beaten her as mucl
as other wives have been beaten
Beatings she has received, but the red
hot irons, although common, she Ia,
escaped.
AS a widow, however, she is In dis
grace, and the soone she dies the bet
ter for her. Iii hard luck tn look int
her face first on arising in the morn
ing. She is allowed one meal a day
and all dclicacies needed, owing u
her broken health us the result Of
early births, are withheld. The rca
son is eyident-widOws are not want,
ed, and they can never re-marry.