Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-03-11
MARRIAGES IN INDIA.
THE CHOICE or A WIFE A MATTER or
GRAVE CONCERN.

Their Friends Services are Unknown.
DIR. Gangadan. Hindoo physician.
who Is now travelling In this country.
has found much tn admire In our GUS
toms and laws, and he has had much Of
interest to tell of the curious customs
OF his native land. To reporter Of
the indianapolis Journal he gave an
entertaining interview in regard to the
marriage customs of his home.
There are several classes of women
In my country" said the doctor, land
only those whose husbands get a dol
Tar or even less a month will do any
kind of labor outside of their own
house. Even the wives of the men
who labor for "a a month have all their
housework done by servants. All the
women of India are married by the time
they are fourteen. and must be at the
age of sixteen, else they will be thought
to be Of unsound mind or body. The
young people have no part In the court
ship, the selection and arrangement OF
the marriage being done by the par
ents."
Then you have no love marriages."
ventured the reporter.
The doctor smiled and his eyes
frightened as he answered: "Ah, but
we have, and will undertake to Lhow
you that we have love marriages in the
truest sense of the word; and ] will
prove to you that our marriage laws
are better than those of this country,
where the youths and maidens are rear
ed and educated together and allowed
to choose and marry at first sight. The
first ceremony in India usually takes
place when the girl is five years old
and the boy eight. The father of the
boy goes among the men of his own
rank, caste and station in life, for we
never marry either beneath or above
us, and selects a girl that he thinks
will make worthy wife for his son.
He goes home and consults his wife,
who sends several of her trustworthy
women to see the girl. After due de-
liberation and thought the girl is chos-
en-. Then her parents act In the same
way toward the boy. So you see our
marriages are made by wise heads and
loving hearts. After the first ceremony
the boy and girl go on with their edu-
for how would children Of that age
know what to talk about? The girl is
taught that her husband is next to
God to her; that she must love, honor
and obey him. Faithfulness to him is
the attribute that makes her an
ideal Indian woman. The boy is taught
the same sacred truths concerning we'd
sion; he must love her devotedly and
protect her for ever.
Now, all through those years of
training the boy sees no other girls
and the girl sees no other boys. She
goes at will from her fathers house
to the boys home and learns the names
of all the members of his household.
When she is about fourteen and he is
eighteen they are formally married
with much ceremony, and the girl lives
with her husbands people. When a
marriage is once made in India there
is no law for separation. We have no
divorce courts. Even though a woman
should tire of marriage and return to
her fathers home, which is rarely the
case, the husband is bound to support
her as long as she lives; he catnot
marry again unless she permits it. A
woman can never marry but once. But
often, when the husband dies first, the
wife will throw herself on the burning
body rather than live without him, so
ic hnr Il rd ia rn-
mark, that nothing on earth equaled a
wife's love. l determined to test my
wife. One evening l went to her room
and told her that l was suffering from a
fatal disease; that my physician had
told me that nothing would save my life
except a drop of blood from some per-
sons heart. She was much alarmed
about me, and asked II had gone to
any other doctors. / told her had,
and all had told me the same thing.
Then she said, you shall take my
life-blood' OF course protested, but
she was firm, and, to see how far
could carry my joke, l got the knife;
she came to me in loving calmness;
took her in my arms and she threw back
her head on my breast, and / actually
drew the knife across her throat, and
she never fiinched. or course, then /
explained to her, but ever after be-
lieved in the truth of that remark.
"In India the wife always lives with
her husbands people, and the house,
holds are thus very large. There are
fifty in my fathers family, and our
house is about three times as large as
this hotel. Every male member brings
his salary or income from his business
home and gives 1t to the Oldest man,
who is the master of the home. My
native home Is Dingapore, but / am a
practicing physician at Calcutta, and
all the money l make outside of my ex-
penses send home to my father, who
is now master of the household. But
when one of the family travels, as /
am doing now, he is supported by those
at home. / left India the 22nd of last
May, travelled through the European
countries, and came to America in Aug
ust, intending to stay two weeks, but
1t will be all of six months before /
leave the States entirely"
Speaking further the doctor, who is
80 and a widower, said: II can never
marry an Indian lady now, for at home
they Will call me a Christian, though
am not one and do not believe in the
religion. Yet / have eaten and drunk,
lived and studied with the Christian
people, and that Is enough to bar me
from the association of Indian ladies'
To ever marry again NV wife will