Evening journal., 1901-05-21
CHILD WIDOW
OF INDIA HBR R
JeWOObai Tells Some Of HeT
Experiences TO interested
Audience

In Friends Meeting House, at the
corner of Ninth and Tatnall streets,
yesterday afternoon, Wilmington Ram
abai Circle held a meeting in the in
terest of the child widows Of India
The meeting was exceedingly interest
ing. In that ii was addressed by one Of
these young widows, who is now being
educated in this country. She came
with Mr.. and Mrs. Benson Roberts, at
whose school, near Rochester, New
York, she is a pupil.
Mrs. Roberts. who is deeply interest
cd In the work in India. spoke briefly,
outlining the work of Pundita Ram
abai, a learned Hindoo womah, uho
has taken upon herself the education OF
high caste child widows in India Ram
abai's father was a reformer, who, in
spite of persistent opposition. perse-
yered in educating his young wife and
afterwards his daughter Her learn
| ing caused the young woman TO doubt
the Hindoo faith. and after her parents
death. when she had spent several
years In England studying, she became
la Christian. Even before this she had
felt called to found a school for her
sisters, she herself being by this time b
widow. According to the HindoO be-
| lief a mans death is caused by some
sin of his wife. committed in this life
or in some former existence After
wiJlowhoOd these girls, who are usually
married at from to ~ years OF age
become the off-scourings of the earth
dept at mental tasks and given only
harsh words and ill-treatment.
Her original school was. and still Is
| for the education of child-widOws o
the high caste. While the girls ar'
| surrounded by many Christian inilu-
snces, no direct effort is made towards
Christianizing them, although a large
i proportion do become Christians. Dur
ing the famine Ramabai founded an
other school, confessedly a missi1I
school, for widows left friendless b,
the famine. The third school, whicl
has recently been founded is for tn
rescue Of little waits who have been lel
into lives OF sin.
SPOKE FOR HERSELF.
The little girl with Mrs Roberts /
named JewOobai, and in a pleasan
voice but in very broken English sh
told the story Of her life She was mar
ried at about years of age. At
0 she became widow, although she ha
q faithfully offered the prayers and gon
r through all the ceremonies require
by her religion in the hope of savin
her husbands life. Many of tn
curious customs which a widow mus
follow were told She must, anon
other things to dip her head one hun
l1red times in the river and go throug
q many meaningless ceremonies. On
. pilgrimage which she made with he
= parents she was Obliged to go throug
20 an even more severe ordeal amen
n Dthe rthings to dip her head one hur
AL lred times in each OF seven ditchC
a IN a steep mountain side.
= A few years after her widow
| hood her parents died, and the littl
| girl went to live with her brother an
his wife. Here she was cruelty treaa
d, being made to do al 1.-THE houseworl
S rs well as attend to outdoor tasks, wa
6 starved and beaten until she attempI
z ID to commit suicide Prevented froi
p ioing this she was made to work sti
AL harder. She at last became acquainte
Sl with a missionary who taught her
10 God and gave her a small Testamen
,Ol When her brother discovered the bOo
he burned II and beat the child bl
VI last the civil authorities interfere
md she was sent to Ramabai's schoO
Three years ago she was brought
his good woman to the school COZ
lucted by Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, whel
here are three other child widows, an
where Ramabai's own daughter fnisl
cd her education. She is hoping
graduate and to so back 10 her ow
country to help her benefactress
her work.