The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1897-12-14
SOCIAL LEE IN INplA.
A Country without Paupers-The Inner
Aspect Of Her Famine.

aspect OF heF Fhhihes
Civilized citizens accustomed to an
elaborate and expensive system Of
poor relief have perhaps never asked
themselves what Is the ordinary social
and civic manner in India of providing
for the pauper population, says Sir
Edwin Arnold in the North American
Review. remember being asked by
a newly appointed president OF the
poor-law board in one OF Mr.. Glad
stones cabinets to talk with him about
his new portfolio. why not begin,
said. by examining the methods
pursued in such a land as India? With
a subject population of 200 100000 and
10000, 900 or s0,000,000 more. practi-
cally dependent on Britain, the lessons
OF such a field ought to teach you
much!" Bless my soul, yes" he ejac-
ulated. Il must look into that! What
is the poor-law system Of IndiaY' And
nightly astonished was the able min
lister when | replied: There is none
at all" Yet SO, indeed, 1t is; and the
reasons OF this, immeasurably credit
able morally and socially to the Hindu
people, are we'll worth grasping by
such as would comprehend the inner
| aspects OF Indian famines. First OF all,
India is the home OF the ideal -relig-
ious. metaphysical and domestic-to an
extent which makes those ridiculous
who speak OF her creeds as ignorant
or her inhabitants as heather" You
never see any but the most wretched
women begging for aims there. Whyi
! The explanation proves how elevated
even II mistaken the average moral
sense is OF the people. Every woman
not deformed or an outcast or insane
at least in the higher castes-has been
betrothed at an early age to a boy
whose household thenceforward adopts
her entirely. II the little husband
dies before or during the marriage the
disaster is regarded universally as the
penalty for sins committed by the fe
male In a previous life. The widow
must submit and will submit, not mar
rying again. but hoping. by patience
to rejOin her lord after death, and hi
family Will. until her demise, loyalll
support her for his sake. Practically
this view obtains all over the land an,
as every female child becomes be
trothed all women are definitely pro
yided for II the rash ardor OF Ger
tain crude reformers could have IL
will and alter this SO as 70 promot
the remarriage OF Hindoo widows al
those who became wives for seconD
time would find neither Of the two al
lied families willing to sustain a wifi
belonging in the next world TO tw
husbands or TO none at all. Beside
this the sentiment Of the bhao-bun
or blood relationship is all powerful
In the land and never repudiated. A
also In japan, where there are no poo
laws and no paupers, the ties OF kin
ship are everywhere acknowledge
discharged and repaid: and the house
hold cakes will be distributed 10 a
who put forth the claim OF povert,
hunger and relationship. Add 10 a
this that charity is not 50 much a vii
tue In India as a habit, a religious ns
eessity, an indispensable passport
D further prosperous existences and
E will be seen why India. IN a most tel
D der and effective manner, fulhlls N
law which Christians only, or prime
pally, talk about.