WOMEN’S WILES

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143647, 15 November 1911, Page 5

WOMEN’S WILES

An interesting glimpse into the life of native women in India uas afforded hy a lecture given in London recently by a Parse** woman who had graduated at Oxford and qualified a-.> a lawyer. The common impression in' the West of women in the Past is that they are little better than slaves. .Miss Sorahji admitted that there was a certain amount of truth in this so far as India was concerned. Europeans hardly jealised the stricinccs of women's seclusion. Hut the jxnvcr possessed by women was extraordinary. Women who appeared to bo mere slaves, “doormats for their lords to walk over/’ often ruled the household, without the husband knowing it. The methods the Indian wife employs to get her way arc 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 rill disfigure myself,” and she is quite capable of carrying out her threat. One woman announced that she would keep her left foot bent under her until her husband gave way, but lie 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 bo cut open, giving as the reason that when going home to hiss wife with his month** pay he had been attacked hy robbers, and to save his money lie had swallowed it. A friend with him confirmed the story. The doctor gave the man medicine, but he. came hack the next lay, saving he was in terrible agony. The doctor then operated, but found no trace of any coins. When the man had recovered from the anaesthetic, ho told the truth wither grin. The money had not been taken oy robbers, but had been lost in gambling to the friend who had backed up ids story about the theft. He had not dared to tell his wife about the gambling, so ho told her he had swallowed the money.. She, being frugal, insisted on his going to a doctor and having it removed from Iris body. Still the doctor was puzzled—what had lie gained, seeing that after all the pain and danger he had pone through, the money was not there ? “Oh, that’s all right]” said the patient, coolly; “now, you see, \ can tell my wife you huvo stolen it!”