New-York tribune., 1902-05-27
IN INDIA.
THE IMPRESSIONS OF A MISSIONARY.

THE IMPRESSIONS OF MISSIONARY. |
osAIcs FROM INDIA Talks AbQgt Ipde md4e.Isf Its
Il 81 Denning. l2mo pp 296 Fleming H. ReVeH !
r Company.
i Mrs. Denning gives an interesting view of
bdia and OF many Indian customs, through
be eyes of a missionary. Many Of the observa-
tcns have been reported before; others are less
4miar: but through them all earnest
tess and sympathy with the hard conditions
J life in India. The sufferings of women in
be household as there constituted, and Of child {
tidcws naturally appeal most strongly 10 her
Eonsen are prisoners, as in most Oriental
1t7untries, and Mrs. Denning has patience :
d ith the rose colored views Of life of the
Aarem and zenana, as pictured by travel
iers-always men, OF course-whO never see
what they describe" She makes IT clear
hat ali prisoners IN their /
homes: they may not even have the company :
of their sex, except upon the rarest oc- 8
cesions 1t is alike with rich and poor. Mrs.
pennirg tells OF one she knew, who came TO
q little brick and mud house a bride ten
years old and never left it, for brief
yisit, until she became a grandmother. A few
have fine furnishings and surroundings, rich |
rlothes and quantities Of costly jewelry. But d
t~ese women spend their days in what would 4.
- 20 their Western sisters elegant prison.
/ account of this state of things missionary n
(, men; the male missionary can never. except q
! hearsay gain any knowledge Of the women =
= spt IN 'purdah." the native expression is
.at IN the zenana. Says Mrs. Denning; Y
The zenana work. expensive it undoubtedly :
ss and requiring many workers is YET lhe
sniy way 10 reach millions and mlhons Oh d
sxomen-especially those Of the upper classes; g
Ne are often told that people IN America ana ana 6
IN England think comparatively httle OF ms n
work, since its results seem so small. and TINS
Feeling is exhibited TO some extent by certain =
missionaries who have been in other work all #
their lives and have given very little thought
To this If by result is meant the number Of
slaptisms then we must certainly concede that =
& here IS very little use in Zenana work. But
i ; we 40 moi believe that salvation is obtained
i / the rite of baptism. We cannot estimate
1 e number saved by the baptisIns received
he subject of child widows has been made If
Z nIiar by the years of agitation in favor of
8 legal amelioration of this wrong; but even
d " though ''suttee" the burning of such
ldows has been abolished by law. the re-
6 lirements of caste custom make their lives +
& living death. All Hindoo girls at the age of
{ teen are either wives or widows Mrs. Den e
) ing tells Of the poor shayen heads and the
Attle figures hiding in corners or behind doors
ahose of child widows: d
i always single them out for kind words and i
notice hut they are almost too timid 10 re =
spond They think it a favor if one is
kind enough to motion them TO leave their
drudgery and listen TO the hymns We sing
Closely connected with this is the INSTITUTION n
Uf caste which holds the people Of India III
IN iron grasp The different forms of this in
sfftution and their subdivisions are innumera-
sle Mrs Denning gives list for the people :;
Of Central India that is fairly bewildering. !;
Thus the farm laborers have twenty-five castes l.
with eleven subdivisions; the graZiers fifteen. c
with eleven subdivisions; the carpenters and
masons fifteen with seven subdivisions, and
SO on On all sides one sees the observance Of
caste rules
Immediately makes obeisance ana salaam :
10 the stone to prOpitiate the spirit possessing
IT, man proceeds to so down a We'll but
lot tin he performs pujG Cworship) to the rope, :,
70 that fl may not break and precipitate hfms
below; you offer some bread or food to hungry
aonev as he can buy raw grain and rreLares
4 himself so it will not be conlailnaIeeu e W IN
fau- touch Your cordial handshake Is re1useon
/. the Zenana women for fear II may ehtallt
1 extra bar7a of publication before lhey can
Z ausre The next meal. Many castles dare not
4 ou must first lay II down, and then the olheE
a free Il lift il and enjoy it. Ana so II goes
i trough an the minuti8 of the daily duties
B = &C eosv for this observer to show that all
,e advantages claimed for the caste system
\ eanliness protection, division of labor, ret
soect for authority and moral restralnt-are as
nothing in actual life, and quite without sig
ptfcance in comparison with the burdens IL
imposes She has many stories. drawn from her
avn experience to show the pitiful absurdity
81 IRE whole system.