Show PROGRESS IN INDIA lUarriagc by Advertisement Opens a IV cw Era for he Widows The native laces in our Indian empire are doing their best to show themselves civilized people They are rapidly surmounting their ridiculous and barbarous prejudices against the consumption of alcohol they have already al-ready mastered a very effective vocabulary of English expletives and in fact in a hundred hun-dred interesting ways are endeavoring to prove themselves intelligent students of occidental oc-cidental culture One of the most striking manifestations of their progress is their I adoption of the Western peculiarity of marriage mar-riage by advertisement Everyone knowns l that a short time ago the condition of Hin doo widows was most pitiable When a young girl lost her husband her relatives held tho view that the mans death was a punishment on her for some crime committed com-mitted in a former life According to are a-re ent writer she was not only condemned to perpetual widowhood but wna subject to all manner of insult and illtreatment from sheer dread that any act of kindness shown to the cursed thing would be resented by the king of hades who had on her account killed her husband She had to eat only the most common and coarse food and that only once a day She was stripped of all ornaments however rich she might be and had to wear tho most coarse clothing She slept on the bare floor and was the drudgr of tho whole family She was never shown I any pity or compassion however ill she might be She was compelled never to sing and never to laugh and never to appear happy nor to join in any family feast or pleasure All this continues the writer and much more insult and cruelty often drove the poor victims of it to desperation and despair which frequently ended either in a plunge into a well or in a disreputable life One name for a widow in India is the common com-mon term for a harlot which shows the light in which poor widows were regarded in Hindoo society These discreditable manifestations i mani-festations of degrading superstition have moved the more enlightened Hindoos to forman form-an organization for improving the condition of widows This body publishes a journal called the Social Kcformcr which advocates many objects for promoting the social felicity of tho natives The widow question of course is foremost and the columns of the Social Reformer are full of advertisements advertise-ments from enlightened bachelors who desire to marry widows and from widows anxious to reenter the matrimonial state A few of them are worth producing One states that A widow of Bengali Brahmin caste 13 years of age lost her husband six months after marriage Her father wishes to give her in marriage to a Bengali Brahmin of high clan Another paints a more fascinating fascinat-ing picture for the benefit of Bengali benedicts bene-dicts It runs A Bengali lady of Brahmin Brah-min caste who became a widow when she was 11 years of age and who possesses a fair complexion and long beautiful hair and whose moral character is most unexceptionable unex-ceptionable is prepared to marry a gentleman gentle-man of uer own caste according to orthodox i I Athirdreintes to a youth who is fortunate or unfortunate enough to have enthusiasts for his guardians 1t is as follows The guardiansoLa lvhrrt Xcaste lad of Kapul clan aged 17 vv isiho scion of a highly respectable family and is recemng nj edu cai 3uui English and Persian are wUiing to encourage the system of jnnpmge by marrying him with a widow pVtho same caste Another gentleman isaberal in his ideas but would perfer not to have a widow if he can help it Possibly he has heard something of the theories of the elder Mr Weller He writes A well educated Hun jabi gentleman goodlooking and fair color aged about 21 holding a permanent Government Govern-ment appointment wishes to marry an educated edu-cated and beautiful lady who may be of any caste provided she bears a good moral character and is willing to be married according ac-cording to nonidolatrous rites An unmarried unmar-ried lady is preferred but a widow will not bo objected Jo if she lost her husband at an early age A very domesticated lady applies ap-plies for a second spouse in the following advertisement Itequired a match for a Bengal widow of a Valdya cast aged 14 who had been married at her eleventh and lost her husband at her thirteenth She is of wheat complexion of good features and can read and write Bengal tolerably well knows the alphabet of English andis very intelligent can knit comforters stockings etc very well and is very willing to work The candidate must be a member of the Vaidya caste and of respectable family Ho must bo well educated and of good moral character Finally a Bengalese landowner land-owner somewhat fastidious in his ideas as becomes the owner of acres applies for a wife Bequired an educated widow 13 to 15 years of age She should be of good feature complexion temper and shape health and not suffering from any hereditary heredi-tary disease daughter of a welltodo gentleman and of respectable castefor an tleinan unu uj ito enlightened young Bengal zimindar landlord land-lord of respectable caste and family an i accomplished wellbuilt and free from every present and idiopathic malady He is prepared 1 pre-pared to meet agreeable demands and in order to encourage widow marriage amongst j the noble and gentries he is desirous to presenting I pre-senting the bride at tho wedding with jewels 10000 With such a field of worth rupees A WUrill AVJjVUU UJJCKO usefulness open to them it is really surpris I ing that some of our matrimonial agencies a branchinCalcutta where I have ncjgslarted I they would be sure to receive valuable of the commissions from the Secretary I I Widow Marriage Aiding society Liverpool I Liver-pool Post |