New-York tribune., 1901-03-03

asks you to sit in chair near hers. But you
hesitate Is that the proper thing 70 do? In
india no mother OF no friend Of yours asks you
to do the same. If at ALL you always stood at
q respectful distance and answered the mothers
9uestlons- But here II is 50 different. You
obey with hesitation. and sit in the chair rather
awkwarGly, both your legs thrust as far he
meath your chair as possible-of course as a
mark of respect tu your friends mother
yourself only answering the mothers questions
| IN monoSyllahles. The mother wonders nat
Is the matter with You, why you shy and
why You appear So dun Are all Indians like
thiS-so dullt OF course. she cannot divine the
nature Of the things which perpex YOU She
does not understand; YOU only trying 20 be
"n Your best behavior-in fact. 10 pass for a
very good hoy For a moment your perpIexitiss
increase Iur friends mother has dropped her
handkerchief. She is not aware of IT, But yu,I
have seen il drop " hat are YOU 10 do? Are
You To pick il up ana give il to her? Is that
he proper thing L. DO? At home You dare not
d" II. But IL is So different here. and. at last
You make UP your mind To pick up the hand
kcrchlci ana you dn IT 50 awkwardly that your
friends mother while accepting il with thanks
looks ut Your face to why YOU blush.
The kindness OF your friend increases Your
perpleXities stiil. He and his mother desire
YOU a. stay for dinner. You don't know what
Ia say I'm reply. Yes or no NJ home on a visit
- a friend. YOU always say No The question
often ~ meaningless Your friend generally does
not expect You to accept the invitation. and
the invitation - often made without making
any provision for you You are generally
r"ot"i I" say No and YOU say No" But it
is not $50 la England and. with some hesita-
u"n. YOU lutripuSc "A word which may be inter-
pret"t as Yes or No bat which your good
friend understands ms si,snifying assent. In the
mean tIUt other IN, nlh, Is 80 the huuSchul are
uSAcT,i futY th. tloru and To- each If them
Nou age dUced. and among the number -
your friends sister. whose cagcTu,ss u shake
hands With yuu sends thrill through Your
whole frame. Fancy Your friends sister being
intrlduc-I ,tt home in InliIt can anything b.,
NOR atrHeiuu-r ist such is the custom IN
ENGLAND. And then the time for dinner arrives.
And. as the chief guest II the evening. You are
asi..d q, lead the l3 " ut the house Your friends
ID B. ftl he N4I Pc more raT-
picked than ever Tn" idea of giving our arm
RS, a lady whom you respect your own
mother, You never touched your own mother
At least. not after you i,C;,lI" q man. AMI how
could you now touch your friends mother?
Woman rus no individual existence in India.
To quot" the oft-rcpcatrd verse from Manu-:
Her father maintains her i'm childhood her nus
band maintains her in youth. and her sons main
tain her old age" She seldom maintains
herself She is always the ivy and her husband
the oak Ii is different here. She is recog-
nizad factor in English society. There is no
society in England without her whereas
India society knows her not. In London she is
a familiar figure everyw here: she is at the shop
window. she is at the restaurant. she appears
on the platform. she is connected with the press
she writes books, she talks politics she has her
own clubs and her own societies" Her ndiVid-
uality is asserted in a thousand directions,
much that one woman out of every ten earns
her own living.