The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-28
RELIGION FOR HINDU MEN ONLY.
Women Have no Interest in Heaven
Some Strange Customs.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer
The Mohammedau peasant woman is
spared all the jealousy and misery of
charfng her title of wife with others
since her husband cannot afford to indulge
in polygamy, thou5n a Mohammedan OF
the better class may indulge in as many
as four wives at time, but 1t IS not
supposed to exceed that number. How
ever he can have just as many wives IN
his lifetime as he uleases, since he may
resort to divorce on the smallest preteXt,
and as frequently as he chooses
A Hindu is generally supposed to have
but one wife, but should she bear MIN no
son within seven years he may take an
other: also for other reasons, sometimes
the most trivial The highest rank of the
Hindus are privileged TO take as many
wives as they like, and, since each VIE
brings him a good dOwry one of these
aristocrats will wed as many as 100 wives,
sometimes marrying al the eligible mem
bers of one family, and even engaging
himself to twenty brides in one day.
In addition 10 the work OF the household
the woman always engages in some re-
munerative employment, such as picking,
cleaning, spinning or weaving cotton, in
company with others or she makes YER
miceui weaves baskets, manufactures
fans, or embroiders chaddars and caps
with silk, in her own home.
Her costume varies according to her re-
ligion race and rank, and so numerous
and minute are the differences in dress
that in the case of a man even his occu-
| patton may be known by his clothing.
Women of all ranks make a great dis
| play Of jewelry the rich wearing gold and
| precious stones. and the poor either silver
| or some manufactured material of little
| value Numberiess rings adorn the ears,
! nose, fingers and toes, A pecket, score
of bracelets and two or three anklets en-
| circle the neck. arms and ankles respect
| iVe,v Sundry ornaments are also placed
| in the hair The bracelets most common
! " worn are made of glass ornamented
| with colored chellac. The necklet is of
! ten composed of the current coin, but the
size increases and diminishes with the
| fluctuations of the income
Having no individuality apart from hel
husband, a woman is practically an ire
| sponsible creature, except that should sne
| have the i'll grace 10 outlive him she IS
| blamed as the cause of his death, but
then the circumstances are quite beyOnc
| her control since it is the consequence
of some crime of which she was guilty
| in a former existence. and therefore mus
| be accepted as her fate in her present life
She takes no part in public worship, ans
they say that serving a husband is th'
wifes religion, for that to worship th'
husband is 10 worship the gods. She only
takes part in such ceremonies as relat
to ner DOSlilOn as Wlle anu lliOtlltt.
! In recognition of the superiority of tn
man an Indian woman always sits on
lower seat than her husband. She walk
at a respectful distance behind him. AM
never presumes to eat with him. Away
preparing his food and waiting upon hin
while he eats 1t, before she gives an,
thought to her own meal. 1t is not thoush
correct for d woman to utter her hus
bands name.
The laws of Hinduism teach that q
woman must at no period of her life d
anything according to her own pleasure
since i'm childhood she is dependent upo
her father, i'm youth on her husband an
in widowhood on her sons, or, should sh
have no sons, on the kinsmen of her de
ceased husband, or on other male rela
tiVes, and failing all such relatives, SIN
becomes dependent upon the rajah.'
Mohammed wrote: MEN shall have tn
r pre-eminence above women, because {
? those advantages wherein God hath cause
| The former 10 excel the latter"
IN view of all this. the struggle of OF
own women for cher rights has a some
what humorous side to the unprejudice
p onlooker.