VICTORIA COLLEGE TO BOMBAY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 11

VICTORIA COLLEGE TO BOMBAY

A; WELLINGTON GIRL. „Miss Winifred. Griffiths, a graduate of Victoria.College, who three years ago left to ]oia a University Women's Missionary bettlenient in Bombay, has just returned to Wellington on furlough. She gives a most interesting account of her work in • Bombay. Tho settlement was founded iourteen years ago, chiefly by a. Girton .graduate and now there are four graduates on the staff; two from English women s colleges, one, a- Miss: Carruthers, Jf.'Si'; Sydney. ■ .University, . and Miss Griffiths,' from Wellington. -They have a varied work. For one thing thev have a hostel for women students, and to this «? Ue i tudents are admitted. Among those .thero -is a Mahommedan- girl, - the daughter . of : a-. Mahommedan reformer, who is tho only Mahommedan woman university student in the -world.- It is not a very happy, career/for her, perhaps, but it is her. father's will that she should adopt it. Then,'there are other -boarders who-live, not in the. hostel, but-with tho teachers. Four of these are Parsees, the daughters, of a Parsee high. priest, and there was great consternation among.their people when-itwas known that they had entered a Christian, settlement, but as a matter of fact they,still retain their re-. ligipnj but: they live at the settlement,' where'they support themselves with art work.;"

The university - women do some outside missionary' work,: visiting the ..native women'in. their homes, they give; lessons in music'and other subjects, and coach; for examinations, and each lesson is supplemented, by a little Bible study: Then/as another, way)ofreaching the women, they have gone to India to influence, they have fortnightly'social evenings,; at which European ladies mix with Parsees,' Mahommed&ns, Hindoos, and Eurasians. Sometimes men are also invited, in'which cose no 1 -Mahommedan women are • able to be present. --. At other ■ times these are what they/call "purdah;parties." Lectures are. given, and one series that created much .interest.was on th(.' lives 'of, great'- women. .Then,- also/'-thisrsettlement carries on

in- the colleges' and high .schools .the. work of • the .Students' .'Christian TJnion, a-work which..they'do'.as';representatives of the Young 'Women's Christian Association. .;';Miss .Griffiths.,is■> much .-.pkase'd with .the. Eurasian ..women, students'-with •whom she. has" come in'' contact.'. ' They belong to the^-finest type of ' Eurasians, and are very' intelligent. .. '. ■. She was,asked whether the educated Eurasian .woman had any'social position. "No woman who works has any' social :position-in India," said, ..Miss Griffiths. /'The ideal :fpr! a .woman, there -is. that she shall-be married and devote. herself 'to-her home.and husband, and this rule holds:good, except for. one or two women' such; as, Cornelia' Eorabjui who- occupies ;ii.'. high 'Government.'position,' and' /last :. year received a medal in recognition of the' .services she. rendered to community." 'There'-is/practically,; no, opening .for the-'Woman; graduate, except the: woman doctor./'-If'she-takes-an:arts; course,.she ;will find that the teachers:appointed .in the .colleges 'are all. ". English women, -and, this is. inevitable,-because - the ,<English-.; woman knows,.how to ;govern, and; how to bear 'responsibilities.' as. the native, woman cannot; do. •'. The seclusion of the ;Mahommcdan women is: still very strict, .though' some families; are out of purdah, and Miss Griffiths' tells of a.-family/so large., that it-forms; a ;clan ' by..itself, which is out. of .purdah, and is being educated along modern lines. The Par-, see;women are very emancipated, and are becoming ■ much.; like •';Englishwomen. Many'of. them : travel a great/deal, and go • every, year for trips to ( London and to' Paris,,-which they, love.: 1 •■ .-■'.'• In London they dress as Englishwomen, but 1 so much mind wearing the. saree: in Paris'. As schoolgirls,' they wear blouses :and 'skirts, and ,adopt the saree when grown up. It is a. graceful'garment,- and Miss Griffiths has. brought with .her, as a gift froma'Parsee' lady,' a beautiful one of crimson.'silk,: with'-.a lily' design, of the same colour. ,It is' a wide piece "of silk, six yards long* edged on one side with a very narrow band of deep red; velvet,/ which is elaborately ■worked in a design of gold and silver. '• The Parseo women have their clubs, or gymnkhana, as they are called, in Bombay, with rest rooms,, tea. rooms, and tennis courts, for' they . are. fond of tennis. Hockey has not yet reached the girls' schools; one would suppose it too strenuous and hot in India; .but there are athletic schoolgirls even: in India, and' -'in Bombay they/have an,annual inter-school tournament in which girls-from all parts, of the Presidency: compete. .They have tennis arid, skipping '.'and'..club-swinging among other sports, and. though little Mohammedan girls, take part; men.as well as women are,among the spectators. _: Asked about the unrest in India, Miss Griffiths, says it is recognised by all thinking people that the unrest is the outcome .of education, and-secular'educatiou and the universities and schools are the main centres of the disturbance. The Parsees and others are becoming .imbued with patriotic ideals, but Miss Griffiths does not think the Mohammedans, will join them, for the Mohammedans ai'o in the minority, and have everything to gain by loyalty-to'England.''---The English mission-, ariesfeel'that they, must standclcar of these' questions. There ,is nothing. to ;bo gained in India at present by espousing any : sida-■'.