Imatges de pàgina
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telligent leaders of the community, and they adopted some rules.........and got them sanctioned by the whole caste. I am glad to say that some of the rules have immediately come into force, and I hope all will be followed as occasion arises......

In the Deccan, where there are not so many subdivisions among Brahmins as there are in Gujrat, the sphere of selection is wider and the evil is less. In Gujrat too the evil is not so much in the castes in which the brides are scarce. In families that are considered 'Kulwan,' and in castes where the number of girls is greater than that of boys, the evil is much spread. It therefore seems to me that leaders of castes should be persuaded to introduce the reform in their castes, by making rules according to their requirements.

40. CHATURBHOOJ MORARJI.-Among the Aryan people marriages are celebrated between the 8th and 12th year....... This is just. Some persons marry their daughters before the latter have completed their 6th year. But this is contrary both to the Shastras and usage, because they cannot enjoy connubial happiness.

41. RAM SHASTRI DIKSHIT APTE, OF POONA.-In the times of former governments, marriages of boys and girls were performed in the same way as they now are, but the people then possessed strong bodily constitutions and lived long. In those times, there existed the undivided family system, and only one member of a family had to look after the maintenance of the whole family, while the others led an easy and quiet sort of life. This state of things was possible, as in those times the people enjoyed landed hereditary incomes, but such not being the case now, one man cannot provide for the maintenance of the whole family. Families have thus been divided, and every man has now to bear the burden of maintaining his own family. To earn a livelihood, the chief resource now left to the people is (government) service, which they can enter only after studying the English language and passing certain examinations. The trouble and anxiety consequent upon these, tells upon the constitution of the younger generation,

who thus become weak and subject to disease. This is the cause of the people's weakness, and infant marriages have nothing to do with it, because though infant marriages are now celebrated, the same are not consummated, until both the husband and the wife have attained the age of maturity. The difference between the ages of the two is also in many cases not inconsiderable. (Gangadhar Shastri gives the same opinion at page 165 of the Selections.)

42. MANMOHANDAS DAYALDAS.-Girls in towns attain puberty, generally speaking, between the ages of 10 and 12, and those in the country between 15 and 18. As regards bearing children, nothing depends upon whether a woman has had natural or unnatural menstruation. It is our belief that a girl who has menstruated unnaturally will be a mother sooner (than one who has menstruated naturally), as is the case with a mango graft which is fed by various manures and chemicals. But it is an indisputable fact, that the fruit of such a graft never equals in quality a fruit that has been naturally borne by a tree. Looking rather minutely into the matter, it appears that, out of the children of the present generation, hardly two per cent can be said to be a fine set of children. It is our belief that, every woman miscarries at least once or twice in the begining. It is past human belief that, the progeny proceeding from originally diseased wombs can ever be strong and healthy, since, according to medical science, unnatural menstruation is a disease.

43. GANGADHAR SHASTRI DATAR OF POONA.-When a girl is married in her childhood, the mind then being stable, her sense of respect towards her husband is strengthened by the advice of her elders, who tell her to look upon her husband as her god, and there thus remains no possibility of her character being afterwards spoilt. When marriages are, however, performed at a late age, the mind being unstable, it is possible the character may be spoilt.

44. PANDIT NARAYEN KESOW VAIDYA.--Of late infant marriages have become a curse to the Hindus

Among the higher classes of Hindus especially, girls are married to boys sometimes in their teens, and to old men of 50 or 55.

45. PANDIT GUTTULAL.-The institution of child marriages, that is, marriages in which the bridgroom and the bride are children, and have not attained the marriageable age, is now prevalent in spite of its being opposed to the Shastras and to reason.

46. GOKULDAS KAHANDAS PAREKH.-In some cases there are apparently no sub-divisions, but there are degrees in the caste positions of different members, and there is then on the part of parents a strong desire to marry their children, and particularly daughters, in the highest families available. ............In some castes, marriages between members of the same gotra, or between persons otherwise within the prohibited circle of relationship, though prohibited by law, are recognized. The custom of marrying within prohibited degrees is of recent origin; such marriages are in my opionion of doubtful validity. Another practice equally repugnant to the notions of orthodox Hindus, which has arisen from the difficulty of getting a sufficient number of eligible girls, is the very abominable system of exchanges. The family of A can only get a bride for one of its boys from B's family, on condition of A's family giving one of its girls to a boy in B's. In many cases, there is no bride to be got, unless there is a bride for exchange. This practice has gone so far that sometimes when the bride's family has no present necessity for a girl, there are conditions made to the effect that the future female issue of the marrying girl should be at the disposal of the members of her parent's family, for the purpose of procuring in exchange girls for boys that might be born in the family. In same castes no bride can be got except on condition of exchange.

47. HONORABLE V. N. MANDLIK.-There is no enforced widowhood in India, at present. Nor is there any such a general early marriage system prevalent, as can be remedied by Government action, either executive or legislative.

If evidence is of any value, I could cite at least ten times more cases of happy unions in early life, some even beyond the dreams of such writers (as Mr. Malabari). But I refrain. If a healthy mind in a healthy body may be accepted as good evidence, in order to judge of the results of such mrraied life, I could produce the evidence of scores of families over at least 3 generations, producing men able to work at 50, 60 and at ages yet higher. Those who mourn in these days of diseased constitution, or weakened intellects, and perhaps of perverted morals......... ..must seek the causes of such unhappy results in quarters other than those of these early married Hindus, who have been trained under proper family influences.

48. HIS HIGHNESS THE THAKOR SAHIB OF MORVI.-The evil consequences resulting both directly and indirectly from infant marriages, are very numerous and disastrous..

Here in our part of the country where the evil is growing as any where else, the most galling of all the results is the growth of sickly generations, and the consequent early old age and grave. These marriages are a stumbling block in the way of study. Of late, I have noticed, with heartfelt regret, several instances, in wich infants that promised to turn out the bright-est jewels in their infancy, have had the edges of their intellect and energy blunted, by their being married to brides of equal age at an early age, when they were to find full scope and development. I think there are not, and cannot be, in these days of western civilisation, two opinions as to the enormity of this evil, and that it ought to be put a stop to

An old man of 60 or 70 verging on the grave is married, and that too with impunity at present, to a tender girl of 10 or 12, for sheer sake of money.

What horror is this?

49. SHANTARAM NARAYEN.-Statistics have been cited to shew that, the customs complained against apply to a limited section of people. I should say to this, in the first place, that even if the evil is limited in extent, that is no reason

why it should be tolerated, merely because it does not prevail more largely. In the second place, it should be remembered that, in this country, the lower classes regulate their social procedure by the example of the higher classes. Widow marriages being disallowed among the latter as sinful, the lower classes though excepted from the ban, intuitively as it were learn to look upon it with some prejudice, and in illustration of this, one could mention non-Brahmin communities, among whom widow marriage was allowed and prevailed formerly, but who, within living memory, declared themselves against the

custom

I must further point out what has struck me all along in noticing the several comments made upon his (Mr. Malbari's) paper that, none of his hostile critics has attempted to show that what he calls an evil is not an evil. .This is a point which deserves special notice, as showing that, generally speaking, most agree or feel forced to agree, most, that is, of those who are enlightened, that infant marriage and enforced widowhood are evils. That they are......not only social but economic evils. is the best argument that can be used to show that, the State has an interest in mitigating their influence, and in preventing their mischiefs, so far at least as that influence and those mischiefs tend to deteriorate the physical capacities and morality of the communities concerned, and breed.........mischiefs of an economic nature........

50. JASWANTSING, THAKORE SAHIB OF LIMBDI.-The baneful consequences of infant marriages have begun to be felt, and other circumstances, such as the poverty of the people &c. are, though imperceptibly, helping the cause of reform by the difficulties thrown in the way of such marriages.

SECTION III. BENGAL PRESIDENCY.

51. C. H. TAWNEY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.A large body of medical opinion was collected by the late reformer, Babu Keshub Chandra Sen, to the effect that that limit

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