pion of the poor woman's cause, and thereby proved herself to be the "right woman in the right place," then she deserves all honor and your cordial and unanimous vote in favor of the resolution which I have moved, and which I now call on this meeting to carry by acclamation and hearty cheers.

The resolution was seconded by M.R.Ry. C. V. Ragavah Row, and the meeting dispersed.

The following sums were subscribed at the close of the meeting:

There is very much that is interesting in the social customs and manners of every nation, and it is not difficult to point out the good or evil effects of each on the community, or to conjecture the probable circumstances that gave birth to these time-honoured usages and customs. We in India are specially favoured in this respect, as the several customs handed down to us from time immemorial have undergone little or no change, and the Hindu of the present day is obliged to keep up all the observances that have accumulated during the past ages. It is not so easy, however, to separate the purely religious duties from the social ones, as they have become so much intermingled with one another, there being a tendency in the Hindu mind to consider everything old as sacred. It would be anything but fair on our part to look upon all these customs as crude and worthless. Some of them indeed afford harmless pleasure, and give innocent enjoyment. The Hindus, like other old nations, have many quaint, pleasant festivals, which evidently seem to have been specially introduced for the purpose of bringing

the people together, and thus promoting sociality and sympathy. A careful observer will find much that is graceful and beautiful in many of our customs, and will be able to trace in them, to a great extent, the inclinations and the particular bent of the Hindu mind. The insight one gains, by means of these customs, into the taste and character of the people is not to be overlooked; for we find that different people adopt different modes of living, manners, and customs. A martial, war-loving people, full of animal spirits and energy, will show this in their rude, rough manners, their restless, wandering, and combative lives; whereas an imaginative people, with some poetry in their nature, will be gentle and even refined in manners, and their lives will be spent mostly in sedentary occupations.

India's best days, alas! are long past, and what we see now seems to be the last faint refrain of some glorious song, or, better still, the soft closing notes of a grand piece of music, whose soul-raising power has ended, and in whose last dying notes you just catch the echoes of its higher chords. Our thoughts, our ideas, our customs, have lost the very pith and marrow of their full significance; and most of these institutions have failed to be of any use to people living under new circumstances, and in many cases we merely grasp the outward form, and strictly adhere as it were to the letter of the law, entirely ignoring the fact that laws and customs instituted for the good of the community at a particular age are not applicable to people living in another age, with entirely different surroundings. We have no doubt that early betrothals, infant marriages, and zenanas, were indispensable in former times, when so much oppression and misrule existed in our country, as they afforded a certain protection to young girls. But times are changed, and, under a Government where we enjoy perfect freedom, it is needless to keep up such customs, which, being out of date, are also detrimental to the progress and comfort of our people. The circumstances which made them almost imperative in former times, and counterbalanced their evil effects by checking greater evils, are altered, and now it is our duty to make our circumstances suit our surroundings. To effect a thorough reform in all social customs is by no means an easy task; but with the support and co-operation of all classes a good deal can be done. We have already noticed how great an influence a

woman has in a Hindu home, and how averse she is to everything new. It would indeed be an acquisition if we could get the women to aid in our efforts. But, before attempting anything, it would be necessary to make the women feel that a radical change is needed in their condition. It is a great mistake to suppose that women are utterly unhappy and miserable in their own homes, and that they will take any active part in reforms. We are all children of circumstances; habit becomes second nature to most of us. Born and bred in darkness and ignorance, cooped up in narrow homes, delighting in petty trifles, and unconscious of a better and nobler sphere of life in which they can move if placed under different circumstances-is it any wonder to see them so indifferent to the higher and more refined pleasures arising from perfect freedom and intellectual culture? Their housekeeping, dressing, and cooking engross all their attention, and many a pleasure unknown to us they learn to extract from these occupations. The widows, and those unfortunate women who have bad husbands, it is true, find their lot miserable; but even they learn to draw consolation in their religious doctrines, and in such thoughts as these,-that their next existence will be a better and more fortunate one, and that they suffer now for the sins committed in their former existence. A good deal of fatalism also enters into the thoughts and ideas of the poor ignorant women. We often hear such expressions as, "It is written in my fate; it must be so!" Poor women! they are much to be pitied. It is only when education widens the mind, and enables them to compare and contrast their own condition with that of the women of other nations, that they begin to feel for themselves and try to better themselves. Hence early and liberal education of our women is very essential; and this step once taken, their uplifting will gradually follow. Men must also respect women, and it is only then that we can expect them to take their true place in society. Our men are quite capable of appreciating the virtues and excellences in women which in the civilized nations command such homage. Those who wish to do any good to their country must set about earnestly to educate our girls, the future women of India; infuse liberal thoughts and ideas into them; purify the atmosphere that surrounds them; make their childhood innocent, happy, and joyous; then they will certainly be a step higher than their

mothers. They will bring their matured, well-balanced minds to reflect on the great questions of social reform; think of the happiness of their children; weigh consequences, and finally overcome the prejudices that now bar our way to social progress. It is our women who are most difficult to convince, and they are the ones who most persistently cling to old customs, thoughts, and ways; but, when enlightened, they can do much in a quiet, firm way.

The two most important topics of Infant Marriage and Enforced Widowhood are a good deal discussed at the present time, and it is now acknowledged by everybody that infant marriage lies at the root of all social evils. It leads, for instance, to early widowhood and all its attendant miseries. The idea that every girl should be married as early as possible has a firm hold on the women of our country. The Hindu mother looks forward to the marriage of her daughter or son as a great event in her life. From the day the child is born plans are made for the coming marriage. It is discussed all round with the female friends, and the earliest opportunity is taken to have the child betrothed. The mother of a son thinks so much of herself that her pride and vanity know no bounds. She constantly takes offence, her dignity is easily wounded, and the bride's party have to exert their best to keep her in good humour. This is a great triumph in her life. As the mother of a son, she is envied by all. The festival is sometimes prolonged to several days, and all possible gaieties take place at this season. Great expense is also incurred, and poor families borrow a good deal of money, the interest of which alone in many cases is so great that the parents are scarcely able to pay it. The married children, not knowing the meaning and importance of such a ceremony, delight in that festival in their own childish way. They like to be dressed up, made much of, and given everything they want. For some days they are treated as privileged beings; but for the girl this soon ends. She has to quit her parental home, and be at the mercy of the mother-in-law most of her life. The only education that is in most cases thought fit to give her is very elementary. She becomes a mother when yet a girl, and, however enlightened her husband may be, and wishful for his wife's education, it is impossible for her afterwards to continue her course of study. Infant marriages are therefore great obstacles to female education, and every

effort must be made to put a stop to them. There are, however, some cases of enlightened parents keeping away their daughters from their husband's home until educated and fitted for the duties of a wife and mother. But these are comparatively rare, and are only seen where the mother of the girl has herself received some education from her liberalminded husband. Some people say that infant marriages prove happy; and one Hindu gentleman, whose words I quote, gives quite an ideal picture of the effects of the

custom :

"The wife, transplanted to her husband's home at a tender age, forgets the ties that bound her to the parental hearth, and by the time she comes of age is perfectly naturalised in her adopted family. The husband and wife have constant opportunties of assimilating each other's natures, and growing, as it were, into one; so that when the real marriage takes place, the love they feel for each other is not merely passion, but is mingled with far higher and purer feelings. Misfortunes cannot alienate our wives; they have no frowns for us, even though we commit the most heinous crimes, or ill-treat or sin against themselves. Those ignorant of our inner life call this a vile subjugation, and say that we have made our wives our slaves; but those who live amongst us know that it is the result of that deep-seated affection that springs from early association and religious if you will, superstitious teachings. Where will you find a wife so true and contented as a Hindu's? Where more purity of thought, or more religious fervour, than in the Hindu women of respectable families? Our men, alas! may be materialists, atheists, immoral, base; but our women are goodness in human shape! And why? Because they have been shown an object on which to concentrate the entire love and veneration of their natures, at a time when their pure hearts were unsullied by any other impressions or ideas, and taught to look up to their husbands, whose faces they would only look on after many solemn ceremonies, as their guardians, protectors, and gods."

The account above given is very exaggerated, and the writer seems to have generalised a little too enthusiastically from his own personal experience. But, even taking the account to be true of a large majority, it is not difficult to see that the happiness he depicts in such cases is at the expense of the poor women, who, of course, though treated as inferior