The Women of India--The Widows--The American Zenana--Prizes Awarded in a
Girl's School--Annandabai Joshee--Her Visit to America--Reports to the
Government--Departure from India--Burmah--Ceylon--Arabia--Cairo.
From our point of view the social condition of women in India is highly
deplorable. The women are not regarded as the equals of men, but rather
as an appendix to them. Their religion teaches that they have no
acknowledged rights as individuals, and that the only happiness they can
attain in this world and in the world to come is to become wives and
mothers of men, and that the more a woman sacrifices herself for man the
greater will be her reward in the future. If the man to whom she is
married dies, the remainder of her life is full of sorrow and suffering,
and it is only in the life hereafter that she can expect any happiness,
and that by being reunited with him.
This belief gave rise to the so-called "sati," or the custom to burn the
wife on her deceased husband's pyre in order that she might _at once_ be
reunited with him and enjoy salvation through him. "Sati" is now
prohibited by the English government, but every widow in India is still
doomed to a life of misery and degradation.
When we consider that polygamy is practiced to a very large extent among
the rich so that a man is allowed to have any number of wives, and
may keep on taking new wives as long as he lives, it may easily be
understood what a great number of widows there must be. There is an old
man, for example, who dies and leaves many widows of different ages,
some of them only ten or twelve years old, none of whom are allowed to
marry a second time. They are deprived of all ornaments, and compelled
to wear a very coarse, plain dress, to live on the plainest food, and
work hard for the man who inherits the property of the deceased husband,
and who is generally his brother or his son. This is the reason that
rich families have a large number of women in all ranks and conditions,
from the mistress of the house, which position is held by the husband's
mother, to the humblest servant woman. The education of women is
prohibited; hence they are very much like children, playing with their
dolls, jewels and other toys, and having no higher idea of life in
general than what they have been taught in the nursery. It is rather
fortunate, therefore, that these lamentable victims of prejudice live in
ignorance, as long as the present condition exists, for otherwise their
life would be still more miserable.
In the course of the last few years missionaries from Europe and America
have opened schools for the education of girls. The most prominent of
these is located in Calcutta, and has many branches in other parts of
India. It is called "the American Zenana," or ladies' mission, and
during my stay in India it was managed by a Miss Hook, a very estimable
lady of Danish descent, the fruits of whose noble work will be of
incalculable value to future millions of Hindoo women.
[Illustration: MISSION HOME AND SCHOOL.]
At an examination in this school I had the honor of distributing the
prizes, consisting of five hundred American dolls sent by Cyrus Field of
New York. The recipients were the most dainty and pretty little girls
one could see. I wish I could describe this festivity. I sat on the
platform in the great hall with Miss Hook to the right, a pundit or
learned Brahmin to the left, and surrounded by the American and native
teachers and some American tourists. The immense hall might be compared
with a beautiful flower terrace alive with different colors, every
little girl shining like a pretty flower in her red, green, white, blue
or purple dress, her pretty black hair sparkling with gold and silver
ornaments or jewels. They were all listening with close attention until
their names were called, when they modestly, their faces beaming with
joy, stepped up to receive the pretty dolls sent by the generous
American.
At first these schools met with bitter opposition on the part of the
better classes of natives, but these prejudices gradually died away, and
at present the mission schools are not subject to either persecution or
ill-will.
One day in February, 1883, I received a visit at my home by a Brahmin of
the highest class, accompanied by his young wife and her little sister.
Her name was Annandabai Joshee. Her husband was postmaster in the old
Danish city Serampoor. He was a highly educated man, about forty years
of age, with fine, affable manners. His wife was nineteen years old, and
they had been married nine years. With the exception of the queen of
Kutch Behar and a few in the Zenana mission, she was the first educated
Hindoo woman that I had met. Her husband had given her an excellent
education.
[Illustration: ANNANDABAI JOSHEE.]
Their errand was to consult me and, if possible, obtain my assistance in
a matter of the greatest importance to the women of India. The young
woman had reflected somewhat in this manner: "Since I have acquired
education, and the same amount of knowledge as a man, why may not other
women in India do the same? In America many women are renowned for their
great learning, and many of them are doctors of medicine. The women of
India are not allowed to be visited by any man except their husband, and
as all our physicians are men, who cannot see and carefully examine
their female patients, they cannot, of course, prescribe proper
treatment for them; hence many women in India must suffer and die
without a remedy, which often could be avoided if women studied
medicine. If American women can become physicians, then I can, and I
have decided to go to America and enter the female medical college in
Philadelphia and study for the degree of doctor of medicine, and then
return to India and do good among my countrywomen, and disprove the
false doctrine which keeps Hindoo women in ignorance and degradation."
Her husband was very enthusiastic for her plan, and, being rich, was
also able to assist her in carrying it out if I would favor it and
contribute toward its realization by reason of the influence my official
position gave.
A few weeks later, the noble minded little Brahmin woman was on her way
across the great ocean to that country where not only man but also woman
enjoys a free existence. She carried official letters from me to all
American authorities with which she might come in contact, also to the
mayor of Philadelphia, and to the state department at Washington. Before
leaving Calcutta she delivered an extempore address before a large
audience at the University of Serampoor, of which address I have made
the following extracts:
"I am asked hundreds of questions about my going to America. I take this
opportunity to answer some of them.
"I go to America because I wish to study medicine. I now address the
ladies present here, who will be the better judges of the importance of
female medical assistance in India. I never consider this subject
without being impressed that none of those societies so laudably
established in India for the promotion of science and female education
have ever thought of sending one of their female members into the more
civilized parts of the world to procure thorough medical knowledge, in
order to open here a college for the instruction of women in medicine.
The want of female physicians in India is keenly felt in every quarter.
Ladies, both European and native, are naturally averse to expose
themselves in cases of emergency to treatment by doctors of the other
sex. There are some female doctors in India from Europe and America,
who, being foreigners, and different in manners, customs and language,
have not been of such use to our women as they might. As it is very
natural that Hindoo ladies who love their own country and people should
not feel at home with the natives of the other countries, we Indian
women absolutely derive no benefit from these foreign ladies. They
indeed have the appearance of supplying our need, but the appearance is
delusive. In my humble opinion there is a growing need for Hindoo lady
doctors in India, and I volunteer to qualify myself for one.
"Are there no means to study in India? I do not mean to say there are
_no_ means, but the difficulties are many and great. There is one
college at Madras, and midwifery classes are open in all the
presidencies; but the education imparted is defective and insufficient,
as the instructors are conservative, and to some extent jealous. I do
not find fault with them. That is the character of the male sex. We must
put up with this inconvenience until we have a class of educated ladies
to relieve these men. I am neither a Christian nor a Brahmin. To
continue to live as a Hindoo, and go to school in any part of India, is
very difficult. A convert who wears an English dress is not so much
stared at. Native Christian ladies are free from the opposition or
public scandal which Hindoo ladies like myself have to meet within and
without the Zenana. If I go alone by train or in the street some people
come near to stare and ask impertinent questions to annoy me. Example is
better than precept. Some few years ago, when I was in Bombay, I used to
go to school. When people saw me going with my books in my hand they had
the goodness to put their heads out of the window just to have a look at
me. Some stopped their carriages for the purpose. Others walking in the
streets stood laughing, and crying out so that I could hear: 'What is
this? Who is this lady who is going to school with boots and stockings
on?' Does not this show that the Kali Ugla has stamped its character on
the minds of the people? Ladies and gentlemen, you can easily imagine
what effect questions like this would have on your minds if you had been
in my place!
"Once it happened that I was obliged to stay in school for some time,
and go twice a day for my meals to the house of a relative. Passers-by,
whenever they saw me going, gathered round me. Some of them made fun and
were convulsed with laughter. Others, sitting respectably on their
verandas, made ridiculous remarks, and did not feel ashamed to throw
pebbles at me. The shop-keepers and venders spit at the sight of me, and
made gestures too indecent to describe. I leave it to you to imagine
what was my condition at such time, and how I could gladly have burst
through the crowd to make my home nearer.
"Yet the boldness of my Bengali brethren cannot be exceded, and is still
more serious to contemplate than the instances I have given from Bombay.
Surely it deserves pity. If I go to take a walk on the strand,
Englishmen are not so bold as to look at me. Even the soldiers are never
troublesome, but the Baboo boys[6] have their levity by making fun of
everything. 'Who are you?' 'What caste do you belong to?' 'Whence do you
come?' 'Where do you go?'--are in my opinion, questions that should not
be asked by strangers. There are some educated native Christians here in
Serampoor who are suspicious; they are still wondering whether I am
married or a widow; a woman of bad character or excommunicated. Dear
audience, does it become my native and Christian brethren to be so
uncharitable? Certainly not. I place these unpleasant things before you
that those whom they concern most may rectify them, and that those who
have never thought of the difficulties may see that I am not going to
America through any whim or caprice.
[Footnote 6: Educated Hindoo of the middle class.]
"Shall I not be excommunicated when I return to India? Do you think I
should be filled with consternation at this threat? I do not fear it in
the least. Why should I be cast out, when I have determined to live
there exactly as I do here? I propose to myself to make no change in my
customs and manners, food or dress. I will go as a Hindoo and come back
here to live as a Hindoo. I will not increase my wants, but be as plain
and simple as my forefathers, and as I am now. If my countrymen wish to
excommunicate me, why do they not do it now? They are at liberty to do
so."
After my return to America I visited her twice at the medical college in
Philadelphia, where she became everybody's favorite, being one of the
best students that ever crossed the threshhold of the institution. She
did not renounce her religion or her habits of life, but observed all
of these strictly. After three years of hard study she passed her
examination with high standing, and practiced a few months in American
hospitals, but she gradually succumbed to the dread disease, pulmonary
consumption, and returned to India after an absence of four years, only
to die in Poonah, the city where her ancestors had lived as highly
respectable people for two thousand years past. She left India with the
curse of the Brahmins on her head, but returned as the idol of her
people. Thousands upon thousands crowded around her home, almost
worshiping the frail, noble being whose youthful life was slowly ebbing
away.
Strange are the ways of Providence. When Rev. Dr. Fjellstedt kindled a
desire to see India in the bosom of the young country boy, who could
then have guessed that this boy was to become a medium to assist that
Brahmin woman who was destined to be the first one of the millions of
India to clear the way to education and liberty for her unfortunate
sisters!
Besides my report on wheat culture I sent numerous official reports to
our government on different industries, and other matters in India, such
as tea culture, the decline of American shipping in Asia, the railroads,
the population of India, our commercial relations with India, etc. These
reports attracted such attention in Washington that during the month of
February, 1883, I received orders from the state department to make a
tour of inspection to those provinces and cities which belonged to my
district and report to the government anything of national interest.
Shortly after receiving this order, which was accompanied by a leave of
absence for six months, I also received a cablegram from Holland
offering me the position of managing American director of the Maxwell
Land Grant Company in New Mexico, whereof more hereafter.
On the 12th of April I turned over all my official affairs to the
vice-consul, Mr. C. C. Bancroft, and took the steamer Raipatoonah for
Burmah, where I visited the most important seaports, Rangoon, Mulmain,
and Akjab. Buddhism is there the prevailing religion, and the caste
system, such as is found among the Hindoos, is unknown. The people are
more prosperous. The city of Rangoon has, among other notable objects, a
celebrated Buddhist pagoda, the great dome of which is covered with
solid gold plate. The pagoda is situated on a high elevation above the
city, and the dome is one of the most notable and costly works of
architecture in the world. It is visible at a great distance out on the
ocean, and when the tropical sun throws its rays on it, it looks like a
flame of fire, whose splendor is too dazzling for the eyes to endure.
At a dinner party arranged for me by the American consul at Rangoon, I
met many of the prominent men in this city. Among these a judge of the
supreme court, one Mr. Allen, who, late in the evening, at a game of
whist, informed me that he had on that day been engaged in the trial of
a Birmese prince accused of murder, and that he should pronounce
sentence the following day. I could see that he had already made up his
mind; still he politely asked me a few questions on international law
with reference to the trial. The next day the prince was sentenced to
death because he had violated the law of the land, which seems to prove
that the English administration of justice in Asia is no respecter of
persons.
In Birmah elephants are used for loading and unloading goods in the
harbors. In the city of Mulmain I saw some of these wise animals piling
up heavy timber in a lumber yard. The elephant put his tusks under the
beam and his trunk over it and handled it with great ease. Having lifted
the beam on the pile, he looked at it carefully to see if it lay in
right shape, and if not, he would move it with his trunk. It was
wonderful to see how well these animals seemed to understand what their
drivers said. If a very big log could not be moved in the usual manner
he would roll it with his feet or shove it with his head, or even put a
chain around it and pull it along, and all this at the command of the
driver who remained sitting on the head of the animal.
[Illustration: ELEPHANTS PILING TIMBER.]
On April 25 I again embarked, this time on the steamer Asia, sailing
across the Bay of Bengal, and arrived on the first day of May at the
seaport, Bimlipatam, on the Madras coast. It was a pleasant city of
white houses and situated at the foot of a high volcano. Here I saw for
the first time the notorious car of Juggernaut, in which the image of
the god is dragged through the streets. The car is of stupendous size,
and rests on sixteen wheels. Thousands of pilgrims followed the car, and
formerly many of the worshipers used to throw themselves under the
wheels in order to be crushed to death; but this barbaric custom has
been prohibited by the English government. The idol of Juggernaut is
regarded as very sacred, for according to tradition it contains a bone
of Krishna, the Hindoo Apollo, one of the ten incarnations or
manifestations of the god Vishnu. This relic worship, which is otherwise
unknown to the orthodox Hindoo faith, is a remnant of Buddhism, which
formerly prevailed throughout the whole province of Orisa.
[Illustration: THE CAR OF JUGGERNAUT.]
On the second day we arrived at Kokonada, where a flotilla of nearly one
hundred short-masted sailing vessels of native construction after having
received their cargoes lay waiting for us. Again we steamed away along
the coast, stopping at the seaports Kalingapatam, Vizagapatam,
Masulipatam, and finally arrived at Madras, on the fifth of May. This is
one of the handsomest cities in Asia. It is situated near the equator,
so that it is very hot there; but the fresh ocean breezes cool the air
in the afternoon, and make the temperature particularly delightful.
On the 10th of May I left with the steamer Assam for Ceylon, and arrived
at Colombo, the principal city and harbor on this island, on the 13th.
Ceylon is called the pearl of Asia, and justly so. I remained there two
days, in the company of the American consul, and visited the cinnamon
groves, the Buddhistic temples, and other objects of interest. Along
the coast south of Colombo is a drive-way for several miles, passing
through groves of cinnamon and other spice trees which fill the air with
fragrance. There are also artificial lakes, canals, parks and flower
gardens in endless profusion; in a word, this place is one of the most
delightful spots I have ever seen.
[Illustration: BUDDHA TEMPLE AT CEYLON.]
The Egyptian patriot Arabi Pasha was recently banished to this island on
account of his taking such a prominent part in the late rebellion in
Egypt. I drove out to his fine residence located near the sea, and found
him to be a very pleasant and highly educated man, who spoke English
fluently, and with whom I soon became on friendly terms on account of my
sympathy for the Egyptian people.
Ceylon is the centre of modern Buddhism in India. The temples of the
Buddhists are very interesting to see. Many of their priests are men of
learning and culture. I spent a few hours with them, and received much
attention on their part on account of my being a representative of
America. There is an old tradition among the Hindoos that the garden of
Eden was situated on the island of Ceylon. The Hindoo narrative of the
fall of man has many features in common with the biblical narrative, but
with this difference: that Adam, being reproached for his sins, did not,
according to the Hindoo legend, put the blame on Eve, but took it all on
himself, and said that he alone was to blame, and that the woman should
not be cursed. It is further told that when they were expelled from
paradise they turned their course northward, and when they came to the
shallow water which separates Ceylon from the main land of Asia, Adam
took Eve in his arms and carried her across.
Having remained two days at this delightful place we embarked again, and
on the 20th of May we were steaming along the coast of Arabia, being
within sight of land the whole morning. In my note-book I find the
following lines for this day: "Under thick canvass there is a strangely
mixed crowd of people on the half-deck, gathered for divine worship, and
when they closed the same by singing:
'O, hear us as we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea,'
the voices of Mohammedans, Jews, Buddhists and Brahmins from a dozen
different countries were blended with those of the Christians."
We spent the 22d of May in the city of Aden, in South Arabia. This place
is hot and dreary. Accompanied by one of my fellow-passengers I took
a ride on camel-back through the desert to the celebrated water
reservoirs. It seldom rains more than once in every three years at this
place. To preserve the water that falls on these occasions the Arabians
have built a series of cisterns, or large reservoirs, for the water
along the foot of a mountain. These cisterns are made with great
architectural skill; they are built of stone and cement, and are much
more compact and durable than similar works of modern times. Water is a
great luxury in Southern Arabia, and it is customary to offer the driver
a drink of water for his camel or horse as an encouragement to drive a
little faster or to show him a favor. At the same time the driver does
not object to a tip, which in oriental countries is called, as in Egypt,
"backshish," an expression with which every traveler soon becomes
familiar.
From Aden we had a pleasant voyage up the Red sea to Suez. The cholera
was, so to speak, in the air, and our steamer was the last one which
escaped quarantine. From Suez I traveled in company with some other
passengers by rail to Cairo. We stopped an hour at the little city
Ismailia, which is situated on the canal, and is a fine place, noted
especially for the great fete given by Count F. de Lesseps at the
opening of the Suez canal, for which occasion a fine palace was built
for the accommodation of Empress Eugenie of France. On the way to Cairo
we passed through the valley which in the Bible is called Goshen, and
which Pharaoh gave to the brothers of Joseph to live in, and where the
brick yards are located in which the Israelites were compelled to make
brick without straw and oppressed in different ways by their
task-masters.
During the day I had occasion to see a portion of the canal "Bahr
Jussuf," or Joseph's canal, a masterwork some four thousand years old,
which the legend ascribes to Joseph, and which still proves what a
blessing this man conferred upon the people of Egypt, not only by
warding off the dread famine, but also by executing many great and
useful works. The canal began at Siut, on the Nile, and meandered
through the valley on the west side of the river for a distance of
nearly two hundred and fifty miles, until its level was so far above
that of the river that its waters could be carried westward into the
province of Fajuin, and change its formerly sterile soil into the
richest and most fertile fields.