Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09

tons together the women OF India are now
well supplied with hospitals and asylums.
There are also scattered over the country
under the care of jealous and devoted
Christian women large number OF homes
for widows, and no one who has not lived
in India can appreciate the Importance Of
such institutions and the blessings they
offer, for the situation of widows is pitiable.
Formerly they were, burned upon the flu
neral pyres of their husbands. 1t was an
ancient custom, adopted from the Scythian
tribes, who sacrificed not only the wives,
but the concubines and slaves and horses,
upon the tombs of their dead lords.
The British government forbade "suttee,"
as widow burning was called, and although
we hear that 1t is still practiced occasion
ally in remote parts of the empire, such an
act would be punished as murder II the
police were to learn of It. But the fate Of
some thousands of widows Is worse than
death. because among the superstitious
Hindus they are held responsible for the
death Of their husbands, and the sin must
be expiated by life of suffering and PEN
ance. AS long as widow lives she must
serve as a slave to the remainder of the
family, she must wear mourning, be ia
booed from society, be deprived of all
pleasures and comforts, and practice never
ending austerities, SO that after death she
may escape transmigration into the body
of reptile, an insect or toad. She can
not marry again, but is compelled to re-
main in the house of her husbands family,
who make her lot as unhappy and miser-
able as possible.
Remarriage Of Widows.
The Brahmins prohibit the remarriage Of
widows, but in 1856 Lord Canning legalized
1t, and that was one Of the causes of the
mutiny. The priests and conspirators told
the native soldiers that 1t was only a step
toward the abolition Of all their rites and
customs The law, however. is a dead let
ter. and while there have been several mo-
table marriages of widows. the husband
and wife and the entire family have usually
been boycotted by their relatives, neigh
bors and friends; husbands have been
ruined In business and subjected to every
humiliation ina ENABLE.
If you will examine the census statistics
you will be astonished at the enormous
number of widows in India. Out of total
OF 14OOO,OO0 women in 1901, %, 891 ,936 were
widows, of whom 10, 1876, 46S were Hindus.
This is accounted for by child marriage
for 1t Is customary for children five years
of age and upward to become husbands
and wives. At least so per cent of the ad-
herents of Brahminism are married before
they are ten years old, and 80 per cent be-
fore they are fifteen. This also is an an
cient custom, and Is due to several reasons
Fathers and mothers desire to have their
children settled In life, as we say. as early
as possible, and among the families Of
friends they are paired off almost as soon
as they are born.
lipeotofhout r4efartmeh ctmef wod rahteht
Inc carry marriage, however, is not much
more than betrothal. for after it takes
place, usually with great ceremony the
children are sent back to their homes and
remain under the care of their parents I'M
I'll they reach proper age. when the wife
Is conducted with great rejoicing to the
nome of her husband. and what is equiva-
lent to another marriage takes place. This
occurs among the highly educate and pro-
gressive Hfndus. They defend the custom
as wise and beneficial on the theory that 1t
Is an advantage for husband and wife to be
brought up together and have their char
acters nodded by the same influences and
surroundings. In that way, they argue
much unhappiness and trouble is prevented
But In India, as everywhere else, the NOR
tally is greatest among children, and more
of persons under ten years of age. Those
who are married are no more exempt than
those who are not, which explains the num-
Der OF widows reported and no matter how
young girl may be when her husband dies
she can never have a second.
? Widowers are allowed to marry again and
most of them do. There are only S,11O,OS4
widowers in all india as against nearly &c.
100000 widows.
OF course there are homes in which wild
ows are treated kindly and receive the same
attention and are allowed the same pleas
ures as the other women of the family but
those who understand India assert that they
are exceptional. and hence asylums for
those who are badly treated are very much
needed This is a matter with which the
government cannot very well deal. and the
work Is left entirely to the Christian mis-
sionarfes. who establish homes and teach
friendless widows to become self-support-
ing.