Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
EQUAL RIGHTS CRY
IS MEEK IN INDIA
Miss Winifred Young of Eng
land, Visitor Here, De-
SCribeS Customs.

India is perhaps the only part of the
world where women in great numbers
have not yet raised the cry for equal
rights" According to Miss Winifred
Young of England, recently arrived in
Washington, who has spent many years
in the Orient, Indian women still live
secluded lives. venturing outside their
homes only when heavily yelled, or rid
ing in closed vehicles known as "ton-
gas in which they are concealed from
the outside world by heavy venetian
blinds. Their chief interests in life
are their children and their main am
bition is to be the mother of many
sons and some day chief "mother-in-
law of the household.
Miss Young'S knowledge of India has
not been gained merely through personal
experience, but through information
handed down to her through a long
line of ancestors we'll acquainted with
the East" and its problems, from the
days when her great-grandfather went
TO the Orient as a member of the East
India Trading Co., to the present gen.
Grafton, when her own father served
for many years as judge of an Indian
court. Miss Young spent most of her
childhood in India, going to England as
a young girl for her eduction. Return
ing for a visit to her parents during
the war, she was forced to stay least
of Suez' until after the cessation of
hostilities. due to the danger of travel
dng at that time
GIimpSes Into Homes.
Through her fathers contact as one
OF the important English officials of his
province, Miss Young obtained many in
innate glimpSeS into the homes of high
Glass BrahmanS and wealthy Indians,
which are rarely granted to white
women.
FREQUENTLY" she remarked, "I have
been invited to call on the wives Of
,high-class Brahmans and Moham-
.lnadans. They live in the closest Sc
clusion and rarely ever leave their
homes. When they do, they ride in
tongas, with venetian blinds drawn SO
closely that it is wonder they do not
smother. They are often very pretty
women, she replied to a question, with
pale, fair skins, classic features and
beautiful brown eyes. Clothed in the
1ovellest silks of gayest colors, they look
like exotic, hot-house flowers of rare
beauty
What do they talk about?" she
laughed. Really, very little, as they |
have nothing outside of their families |
that they can talk about. One always |
asks about the children-particularly |
the sons
Sometimes they will play on the lit
tie three Stringed native instrument,
which doesn't make very pretty music,
according to Western ideas.
"One is always offered Sweatmeats, |
the making of which seems to be
1avorite paStime of the higher class
Indian woman"
Primitive Customs Cling.
Although the English government has
waged a ceaseless and untiring war |
against the dangerous superStitions and |
practices Of the Hindus in particular,
many OF the primitive customs of the |
people still exist THE book, Mother
India, is absolutely true remarked
Miss Young. ut stirred up bitter COM
ment among educated Indians when it
first appeared, and of course was siren
uously denied. An answer to it, Father
india, was written by an Indian, but
it was a very weak refutation to the
charges in Mother India Everything
written in that book is true. The
child marriages still exist, despite the
fact that the English government tries
to prevent them. But the natives
stick together in these matters and
things go on without the English off,
Gals knowing about them"
One of the saddest conditions which
persists in India is the treatment Of
widows. Woe to the woman whose
husband dies first! mo matter how
young she may be, nor how beautiful"
said Miss Young, 1.-The minute woman
loses her husband she becomes ac-
cursed. She must shave her head, wear
colorlesS clothes, frequently sack-cloth,
and is obliged to wait on all the mem
bers of the household. She cannot eat ,
with them, nor mingle with them in
any way. Even her children look upon
her as accused. Very frequently these
women drown themselves. rather than
live the lives of widows. OF course, the
custom is not as prevalent as it was
few years ago, but, nevertheless, it does
continue. However, the custom of
'suttee.' or burning of widows, has been
entirely stopped and it has been several
years since there has been a known
case of that"
Miss Young has written several ar |
ticles for English newspapers and will
address the Twentieth Century Club
Monday at the Y. w. C. A. on condi-
tons in India. She is the guest of Miss
Myra Hendley of this city. where she
will remain until returning to London
in the early Spring. I