THE WILES OF WOMEN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 18 November 1911, Page 10

THE WILES OF WOMEN.

An interesting glimpse into the lives of native women in India was afforded by a lecturegiven in London recently by a Parsee woman who had graduated at Oxford and qualified as a lawyer. The common, impression in the West of women in the East is that they are little better than slaves. Miss Sorabji admitted that there was a certain amount of truth in this so far as India was concerned. Europeans hardly realised the strictness of women's seclusion. But the power possessed by women was extraordinary. Women who appeared to be mere slaves, "doormats for their lords to walk over," often ruled the household, without the husband ! knowing it. The methods the Indian I wife employs to get her way are many, and sometimes very ingenious. She may sulk for days, shut up in a room, until the man comes to terms. All old Indian houses had a special room for this purpose. She may say, "If you do not do this I will disfigure myself," and she is quite capable of carrying out the threat. Onejwoman announced that she would keep her left foot bent under her until her husband gave way, but he held out so long that she was a cripple for the rest of her life.. Miss Sorabji told an extraordinary story of the lengths some men will go~to in order to avoid trouble at home. A peasant went to a doctor, and asked to be cut open, giving as the reason that when going home he had been attacked by robbers, and to save his money he had swallowed it. A friend with him confirmed the story. The doctor gave the man medicine, but he came back the next day, saying he was in terrible agony. The doctor then operated, but found no trace of any coins. When the man had recovered from the anaesthetic, he told the truth with ,a grin. The money had not been taken by robbers, but had been lost in gambling to the friend who had backed up his story aboutthe theft. He. had not dared to tell his wife about the gambling, so he told her he had swallowed the money, bhe, being frugal, insisted on Ms going to a doctor and having it removed from his body. Still the doctor was puzzled -—what had he gained, seeing that after all the pain and danger he had gone through, the money was not there? "Oh, that's all right," said the patient, coolly; "now, you see, I can tell my wife you have stolen it!"