The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-05-24

4 csHd1U, UQu nOw tACAS Voc V - S-~
umphapt note in their lamentations.
They bowed their heads toward the
widow raLrmuripg:
"Sat A good wife. Blessed is
I Chaudrhi Missir1'
Juegernath Missir, as perfectly
comptsed as his mother, gave her bis
hand and helped her mount the pyre.
There she stretched herself out be-
side her dead husband, hei head be.
meath b st llder, as became hum.
BILE wife. 81
All wss now ready. The men with
the sacred Sanks blew long note.
The drums, gongs and cymbals gave
forth mt fled sounds. The women on
the hillside waved their bodies, bow
ing their heads low toward the pyre.
Then the voice Of the widow was
heard softly calling to Juggernath
Missir:
my sou, since you are here and
fear not the law, do your duty as be-
comes faithful Hindu"
Then Juggernath Missir lighted
some wheat ST. cks, and having walked
three times around the pyre, accord
ing to custom, applied the fire to the
mou h OF the corpse. This failing to
ignite the pyre, Juggernath Missir
calltd upon four good Brahmins to as
sist bim In performing the "Humad. F"
TDose who responded were the
three Younger sons-Ram Oharan
Missir, Balkishun Missir and Lachman
Tewarl. First they burned incense
all b ,ut the pyre. Then they took
chips of wood dipped in ghee, lighted
them and placed them under the
wood of the pyre. Flames leaped up
ward, j,lning the smoke OF the incen-
se. The widow lay still beside the
corpse of her husband.
Nowithe drums, goDgs and cymbals
gave forth their full volume Of sound.
Notes from the Sauks resp oDded
through the grove. Every face upon
the hillside was alight with religious
ecstasy.
AS the flames reached the garments
of the widjw, she began to writhe in
agony. Suddenly, wrapped in fame,
fshe stood up, lifted her arms and tur-
ed her face toward the setting sun
Above the din of the drums and GYM
balls the crowd could be heard shout
ing from the Hin6u ritual.
Sat Rsml Sita Ram. Sati. Mai Kai
Ja!"
The pyre was not roaring furnace
All at once. amid the beating of the
drums and the clang Of the cymbsls,
the body of the widow fell upon the
corpse of the husband and the two
seemed to dissolve together. Soon
they werf but ashes mingled with the
ashes Of the pyre.
Nov that this second instance Of
suffice has come to light, when the
English officials believed thai the
widely reports d trial ard sentences OF
those i'm 3llcated in the burning tt
death nf Chaudrhi Missir would have
the effect of wholly stamping out the
uraclice. II ia not likely there will b.
any MITIGATION of those punishmeDts,
The government has issued orders thai
so!aLec H'udu communi'iss are to b.
closely watched to guard agair st se
cret c mmissions Of this demoralizlnf
crime.
The most shocking feature Of thi'
recrudescene OF tie ancient rite 1S tns'
t particularly mepaces wives who arr
hardly more than children-for MAJ
ri ges If Hindu girls at thirteen
Swelve, and eleven years Of sge, ar
not uncommon.
Wnen the husbands OF these mer'
children die, the attitude Of friends
relatives and neighbors toward th
poor little widows cha ges Immediate
ly. Will they be "Sat?" Will the!
throw themselves into the flames ant
thus prove tn. mselves good women
and faithful wives" or will the.
accept the alternative of the loves
form Of degradation during all th
years to come?
| AhC yO0b6 WloO" S@hhoo 'o'A w W.
serve the looks Of inquiry directed q
Der, the already growing coldness o
even her near reli tives. First, despai
: at her vision of the future assails her
then comes mad fanaticism for tn
old religion and, unless restrained b.
those who fear the law OF their Ene
!ish masters, she runs wildly to tn
pyre where her husbands body Is be
ing consumed and gives herself to I'll
; flames.
The British Government, striking z
the root of the matter. en""l-age
the missionaries in their 'ffoc;s +
teach these Hindu fanatics that
good wife who becomes p wiio'
through no fault Of her nw@ is a
worthy of resp, ct as any her Wnra
and has the same right to c"'"lnu al
hDnored member OF soc'e'y But t1"s
.roradic revivsls, OF -" p 'aI'lc3 %
Suttie indica,e how d fl;llt i. IT,
ask.
|
Made "-pp. f"- Lf"
Great happiness came into th'
huuI,- Of 8 T. RlDir school SllDerint on