The Portland daily press., 1897-02-01
Young Mothers use it
Older Mothers use it
Grand Mothers use it

the ordinary course Of life never rega in
their freedom, hut as they DO not realize
the meaning of that word, they are hap.
py and contented after fashion, The
child and woman in purdab never sees
husband. She is reared for the zenana.
and when some great noble carries her
off to his palace she is practically buried.
Mayhap she will become the Begun of
the zenane, otherwise the first wife OF
her husband. This is rare distinction,
and forms the single ambition of the
young girls growing up in purdah.
Very few people have ever penetrated
to the interior of an Indian zenana-men
are never accorded that privilege. An
English woman, the wife of powerful
official managed to obtain this consent OF
Maohammedan naqwab to visit his wives,
and she subsequently described the ex-
perience in this way: /" A carriage and
mounted escort Of soldiers was sent at
O o'clock one mgorning to convey us to the
the compound led us into the i'll Kept
gardens; passing from these into the
courtyard and through long colonnades
and untidy passages, we were conducted
finally into thesszenBna. A large and lofty
room, with walls on three sides and a
colonnade opening on to courtyard.
was the apartment in which we were re-
ceived. Chairs were brought in for oul
accommodation, but, with the exception
Of the mating on the floor, the place was
without furniture.
"Women, some young and tall, Others
old and wrinkled, passed and repassed,
while we waited for the Begun to ap
pear. They were all dressed in the same
fashion. Trousers of bright oolored
damasks or satin clothed them from the
waist. These pantaloons were baggy
above, but SO close fitting from the knee
downward that they have to be sewn ur
after they are Cd. They are unsewn and
removed once week for the bath. A
short bodice reaching just below the
waist is worn, and then round the body
anu over Ullb SliOulQOlp gnu uCr0 IL
wound the sari of muslin or silk, which
falls in graceful folds from the hips and
shoulders.
''The Begun kept as waiting, and we
were told that the reason was that she
was putting on ell her jewels to do lie
honor. Presently she came ina small,
young woman, with oval, immoble
face and smooth black hair. She wore
tight trousers of rich green damask,
and q sari Of cloth and gold; on her bare
ankles were anklets of uncut emeralds
and diamonds said to be worth 40, GOO
rupees: on her arms were a large number
of ieweled bangles aud armlets, on her
fingers rings of beautiful rubies and
diamonds; round her neck were strings
Of fine pearls, and, suspended by studs
of large diamonds in the outer rim of the
ears, she wore across the hair, at the
back of the head, pearls, emeralds and
rubies, prettily SGT as kind OF collar
cite. The ears were pierced in several
places to allow of rings and jewels to be
inserted. and in the nose small dia-
mond was worn.
ssThe little jeweled lady did not speak
English, and, after we had admired her
ieweIr7. conversation soon came to AN
end.. Her wee baby was brought in
dressed in colored silk, with a gold laced
CAP on its little bald head. The nawab
Joined us, and there was much lively
chat over the object Of our visit to the
State. In such zeIiana the most rigor-
GUS seciusion of the wives is enforced
wives, say, for in this zenana the Be-
gum was the chief, not the only wife,
anu was married the day after the death
of the first Begun. y
The freedom of midas women from
the zanana dates back nearly seventy
years, when a high caste -Brahman
named Rsmmohun Roy formed the Brah-
mo-Somai society. Rammohun Roy WAS
a highly educated nan being deeply
versed in Persian, Arabic and Sansorit.
He was raised rs worshipper of Vishnu,
but the iaolatrous features of the creed
were repulsive to him. He stildiel Bud
dhisln and Christianity, and decided
that the teachings of Christ were more
conducive to morality than any thor9e
religion, Lut he refuse to accept the
doctrine of the Trinity.
In 1880 he established the Brahmo-
Sonaj Church, but it WAS not until 1865,
when Keshub Chunder San was the
leader of the sect, that direct war was
made upon the zenana by revision Of
ia .,,.rnian GO eng Nlma and the aholitio,,