The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-21
Evil Of Child Marriage
In India
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

in India hoping to awaken the minds
Of the people there to the evils Of child
marriage.
AT first the effort seemed almost
hopeless, for only few Of the educated
and progressive men were Interested
In her ideas; but with the assistance
OF another American, Miss Carrie Ten
nant, she kept On IN her work.
Every year the movement has grown,
aud In letter Just received Mrs. Wal
lace says: "All India is waking up
to all modern ideas Of progress. Every
time one Of India s great men, its edu-
Gated, rich and powerful men, speaks
ON these subjects, it makes a profound
impression on the Masses
India has the foolish custom Of many
other Oriental countries, OF spending
much money on ceremonies supposed
to better the condition Of dead ances-
tors.
And it uses extravagant sums in
marriage ceremonies for its girls; girls
Children Of that age do not usually
live with their husbands; but the ex-
pense Of the wedding is no less be-
cause Of that fact. Girls Of ten fre-
quently do become actual wives, how
ever, and actual mothers at twelve and
thirteen.
And the infants born of these early
marriages are weakly, and many die
early; and that is why India has de-
generated as nation in the last few
The evils which are entailed by these
child marriages are too innumerable to
mention. Only education can do away
with the custom. which originated with
the Mohammedan invasion Of India,
and which was not sanctioned by their
own religions, yet has been allowed to
exist in. spite Of them Here is one
story Of an early marriage in India
which can be duplicated by the hun
dred thousand. The young bridegroom
is referred to as "A.'
A is the oldest son Of his father,
who worked in a merchant 3 office in
Calcutta on a monthly salary of so
rupees, and lived in rented house at
Kalighat A passed the entrance ex-
animation in the first division and got
the Presidency college and went or
very well.
One day his fathers mother. urged
on his father to get him married. as
she must see the face of her grand
daughter-in.law before her final de-
parture for Benares. AS mother also
Joined in the prayer. A g father at
last agreed, and A was married. to
girl of ten, while he was only sixteen
years VI dSo, onu So'
Within year of the marriage, when
the wife was eleven, she gave birth
to a daughter, and at the age OF thir-
teen she was mother of three children:
The parents of wife are expected
to bestow handsome presents On the
parents of the husband, and this vile
received insults and GOODNESS and dis
agreeable treatment because, her pa,
oh n
the young husband failed in his examl,
nations through his home worries, and
lost his health besides,
Nevertheless, his bigoted grand
mother urged the early marriage of
his brother, and a similar condition foi'
lowed.
Raj Bahadur Chandra Chose. one of
India's brilliant men,, related tnese
stories in lecture, and continued as
follows:
at is indeed the highest folly to
marry before YOU are competent TO
take care of yourself and your family.
Economically speaking, early mar
riage is a great blunder, for. as soon
as you get married you take many
great responsibilities on your shoulders.
With the Hindu the burden is heavier,
Joint family To an outsider it may
seem Just otherwise. but that is not 30.
By marrving YOU create certain neces-
sites which had no existence before.
"And as marriage among us IS
closely followed by childbirth, our
needs and requirements increase
steadily, incomes, however, remaining
the same Children born OF immature
parents are subject to frequent attacks
Of diseases. which tell severely upon
the shattered health of the glrl-mother,
who has got to nurse them; and it so
happens that the doctor s monthly bills
are hardly covered by the monthly
salary Of the bread winner of the
family, who has no capital to fall back
upon, and so runs into debt.
"sNow the gloom of poverty hangs
upon the family, and the early mar
ried youth, compelled to seek means
for supplementine the income. Of the
family. In our country there is hard
ly any occupation for half educated
youth in the technical OF industrial
sphere. he has no money to start
with on trading venture. Conse-
quently he must have to secure a post
in some Office on poor monthly pit
lance,
'Thus you see how our young men
are taken away from their books so
early and compelled to hug the tram
mels of service. There, In the dark
cell of his offce-the grave Of his
Enthusiastically overworked, the
young enthusiast is doomed to pass
the rest of his days in endless misery
and gloom.
Only few years ago no man in
India would have dared make such
speech and so defy and accuse tradi-
tion. There is hope for India now its
men are awake. and a few Of
it's women. All will awaken in time,
Don't be content with indifferent,
careless service, when those who are
proficient can be reached by bidding