PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WOMEN OF INDIA.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3585, 27 March 1886, Page 2

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WOMEN OF INDIA.

An instructive lecture was delivered last evening m tho Oddfellows' Hall by lira Brown, wife of tho Pastor of the Baptist Church, at which there was a very fair audience. His Worship tho Mayor preaided. The proceedings commenced by ; the choir singing an anthem, after which the Hey. Mr Gillies engaged m prayer. Another anthem by the choir, and then the Chairman introduced the lectures!!. He said that ho had listened to several lecturesses, but not to one such as he expected to hear that night. He then spoke of tho wealth of India and of tho natives)' peculiarities. Tho membera of the Baptist Church ought to feel proud of their piietor and his good wife (applause) for the way m which they worked for tho Church. The rainy weather would no doubt havo kept some away, but he was Bure.thoso who had come would not go away disappointed. Mrs Brown, on rising, wbb received with loud and prolonged applause, and began by

saying that she would fh'at apeak of tho children of India. When a baby is born and becomes six days old, an interesting ceremony takes placo. The goddess of children is worshipped, and a great feast is held. Before going further, she mentioned that the children are born m a kind of a hut, and the mother and child remain there for about threo weeks. However, on the sixth day, tho goddess of children is supposed to come down and write the destination of the child m ink on its forehead, and the old nurse who is minding the child asserts that she has heard tho goddess come down and do the writing. In almost every case the child was to have a bright and glorious future. If any trouble comes to the child, or anything adverse happens m after life, they will aay that such was tho fate written on their foreheads by the goddess. When the child is about three ■weeks old, it is token and smeared with mustard-oil, and laid on a board, and put out m the sun to dry, and is nearly halfcooked. They also put on a kind of mixture like blacking under tho oyeß, and this is called a mark of beauty. When the child attains the age of Bix months, the age at which it eats rice for the first time, a grand ceremony iB held. At this age tho children are generally named. The lecturess went on to describe the feaßt which takes place at these gatherings. She said the men and women do not dine together, hut m different rooms. They have no knife, forks, or spoons to eat with, but merely a leaf is spread before them, and an old woman — probably a grandmother — takes a big snoon and goes round and places on each leaf Borne rice, onrrie, and all different kinds of eatables. The wonder was how they got this to their mouth, but Mrs Brown explained that they double down their thumb and " scoop " it m with the remaining four fingers. It was a sickening sight. They also pack food up m a leaf into little parcels and put them m their mouths and chew for about three-quarters of an hour. When the boys go to school they are blessed by a goddess, a picture of whom was shown painted on paper to the audienco and is an extraordinary looking object. When a boy is about fourteen the parents think it is time for him to get married, but lately it has been altered to the age of eighteen. The marriage is arranged by the parents, with the help of a woman called the cottocks. This woman goes to a young man and tells him that it is time he was married, and. Bhe accordingly looks for a wife for him. When she finds one she tells the father of the young man, and he asks if the bride's father will be able togive a dowry, and how much. After a lot of ceremonies the marriage is ultimately arranged. The day before the wedding the bride iB besmeared all over so that her body is perfectly yellow. On the wedding day neither the bride nor tho bridegroom or near jrelatives eat anything. The bride is generally about nine years of age, and of course thinks such things are hardships. Tho lecturess gave an illustration of tho wedding ceremony. It seems that it is very hard on tho bridegroom, who before he is married has to endure all sorts of torments such as having ashes and water thrown at him. Up to this stage the bridegroom has not seen his wife, who is brought m on a board covered with a kind of robo and then ho is allowed to lift up one side of this, and for tho first time sees her. Instead of having the ring to bind them they are literally tied together by their tartans. After going to ace her husband several times, the wife lives with her father for two or threo years. At tho ceremony the god Oonnish's blessing is specially asked for. The lecturess then read the prayer which the native storekeepers offer to their god. The natives evidently are not honest for they pray that people may come into their shop with plenty of money and not know the vulue of the shopkeeper's goods ; that they may be a silly, foolish lot, and that tho storekeeper may be able to cheat thorn. Mrs Brown detailed the feasts to the different goddesses, which are very peculiar and quaint. She sang two of the native hymDS m the native tongue, but put to English tunes.B The lecture, from first to last, wob exceedingly interesting, and the lecturess was frequently applauded. The choir sang an anthem, and the K«v. Mr Gillies moved a vote of thanks to the lecturess for her instructive and interesting lecture. He said human nature was much the same all the world over. He was not sure whether the storekeepers here did ; the same things as were done m India, but at nny rate they might have thought it. (Applause.) The Mayor also thanked the leoturess, and the Rev. Mr Brown asked tho listeners to direct their attention to the work displayed on the tables, and hoped that they would assist the church by purchasing. Ho blbo thanked His Worship for presiding, and Mr Jackson suitably responded. The rest of a very pleasant evening was Bpent m listening to songß and glees by the choir.