Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09
Improvementof Their Condi-
ton Due to the Missionaries.
ILLITERACY = PREVAILS
ONLY ONE PER CENT IN THE
COUNTRY CAN READ AND WRITE.
Seventy-Five Per Cent of That Mum
Der Can Do No More-But They Are
the Best of Mothers.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS,

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS,
| Special Correspondence of The Evening star and
| Chicago Record-Herald.
| LUCKNOW, April 8, 1904.
There has been some improvement in the
| condition of women In India, and 1t lie due
| almost entirely to the missionary societies.
| They have brought about reforms which
could not have occurred otherwise. al
though, at the same time. the spirit Of mod
ern progress has not been without its in
fiuence upon the native families.
Remarkable instances have occurred In
! which native women have attained distinc-
ton In literature, scholarship and science.
Several have passed university entrance ex-
aminations; few have obtained degrees.
Last year there were 264 women in col
legiate institutions throughout the empire,
more than has ever been known before!
| There has been a gradual increase in their
number. In 1884 there were only 1Oa
| women in the colleges and universities and
schools for higher education; two years
| later there were no. In 1889 the number
| jumped to ia and in 1901 1t reached 2Q5.
hence you will see that the advance has
| been normal and regular and there have
| been no steps backward. The greatest
| progress has been in the southern part of
| the empire, where women are less secluded
and the prejudice against their education
| Is not so strong. Nevertheless 90 per cent
| of the women Of India are absolutely Hit
| crate, and among the total of IA, 400 600
| only $4,000 can, read and write; rs per
cent of them can do no more. If census
| were taken of those who, can read and un-
| derstand an ordinary novel or book OF
| travel the total would be less than 0,O0O,
| and counted among the literateS are all the
| girls now in school who have advanced as
| far as the first reader. I So lra.s yf:.rs
| In this province which is one Of the
richest and proudest of India, where the
| arts and sciences have advanced quite rap
idly among men. only $1,000 women out of a
| total Of 23O7S, 900 can read and write, and
| that. as said BEFORE includes the girl
| children in the schools In the PunJab
| province, which lies north of us, out of a
| total of II, 100000 women and girls only
AZ, 600 can read and write and at least 80
| per cent of them reIunder twelve years OF
age a. ff''tn
| The total number of agipls now attending
schools In India Is Only 448, 2S2 out of total
population of IA, 100000 women, but even
| this small number shows most encouraging
Improvement duringrthe aast ten years s oo IN
| 1884 the girls in school were only 5.S6S
| but since then there has been a gradual IN
crease every year-400 7eain 1878, 42o9l4
! in 1S99-19OO and 42G645 ,hul19O0-1.s Here In
| most progressive in India out of total
| female population of 23.dfS,00O only 1881
| girls altogether are In school
The Mother the Head of the House.
But this does mott fairly indicate the in
! huence of women in India, where they take
| larger and more active, share in the re-
| sponsibilities of the family and in the prac-
teal affairs of life than one would suppose.
The mother of family,nf she Is a wo-
man of ability and character: is always the
head of the household and the most 1nfuen-
| tial person in 1t, and as long as. she hves
| she occupies the place OF honor. Women
| often manage estates and commercial az
| fairs and several have shown remarkable
| executive ability and Judgment. Several
| of the native states have been ruled py Wo.
| men again ana again. and the Rannee OF
Sikkim is, today one of the most influential
persons in India, although she has never
| been outside Of the town In which she
/ An American lady living here told me the
| other dav Of a remarkable Interview she
recently had with the granddaughter OF
| Thu the native chief who, In the latter
part of the eighteenth century, gave the
| English the hardest struggle they ever had
| in India He was finally overcome ana
slain, and his territory is now UNDER ENG
| fish rule, but his family were allowed a
| generous pension and have since lived In
| state with high-sounding titles His grand
| daughter lives in splendid palace In SOUTH
| ern India which she inherited from her
| father, and Is now eighty-six years oio. one
| cannot read or write but is woman or ex-
| traordnary intelligence and wide knowi-
| edge of affairs, yet she has never been out
| side of the walls that surround her resi-
dence; she has never crossed the tnresffoia
| of the palace or entered the garden that
surrounds 1t since she was child, and 80
| per cent of her time, day and night mas
been spent in the room in Whlch sne was
/ born Yet this woman, with a ute ana
great wealth. Is perfectly contented with
| her situation. She consider, 1t entirely. ap-
| propriate and thinks that all the women
| in the world ought to live in the same way
| The influence she and other women or old.
| fashioned ideas and the conservative school
have is the chief obstacle to progress Ior
| they are much more conservative IMAM Inc
men. and much more bigoted in their IDEAS.
| She does not believe that respectable wo-
| men ought to goito school; she does not
| consider 1t necessary for them TO read or
write. and thinks that al women shoui :.
| devote themselves to the affairs OF their
| households and bear children. duties when
do not require any education. The mis-
/ sionaries who work in the zepanas, or har-
ems of India tell me that the preJudice ana
! resistance they are compelled 10 overcome
is much stronger and more intoierant among
women than among men. Tor the FORMER
| have never had opportunity TO see the
| outside of their homes; have never come
In contact with foreigners and modern Ideas,
and are perfectly satisfied with their eond1-
| ton They. testify that Hindu wives as a
rule are mere household drudges ano, WIN
very rare exceptions. are patterns OF chis-
| tily. industry and conjugal noeiity ana 1hey
are the very best of mothers. .
Here and there a. husband or father is
l. fGlnO
| under which the women OF MS 1amlly are
| aboring and would be glad to take upon
| himself the dutysof instructing his wife and
daughter, yet is prevented from doing so
| because the latter prefer to follow the ex-
ample of their foremothsrs and remain ig-
| norant -
A Notable Reform.
While such conditions prevail it is impos-
| sible for the government to take any steps
| for the promotion of education among wo-
men. but there has been a notable. reform
conducted by English women of India, under
the leadership of the Marchioness of Duff
FERN, Lady Curzoif and the wives of other
vtceroys. for supplying woman doctors . and
! hospitals. because, las you understand. men
physicians are not permitted to enter zen
| anas except upon dveryHrare occasions and
then only in the most liberal of families.
Nor are women allowed to be taken to hos
| p.tals. There are excellent hospitals and
! dispensar.es in every part OF india, but Wo-
| men are not permitted to participate in
their benefits, and an untold amount of I'M
necessary suffering is the result.
| Some years ago, inspired by Lady Duffer-
| in an association was formed to provide
| woman doctors, hospital nurses and estab-
lish under the direction of women exclusive
| Is hospitals for the treatment of women
and girls. This association Is unsectarian,
and no religious services or conversations