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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
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BY THE
REVISED
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Entered accordhig to Act of Congress^ in the year i8gi, by
y.
PREFACE.
Having for upwards of eighteen years moved freely among
allclasses of the people in various parts of India, and hav-
ing taken notes of what I have seen and heard, I have ven-
tured to put them together in this little book. Many of these
pages, especially those on the manners and customs of the
people, have been read over to an educated Brahmin of
good family and position, who vouches for their general ac-
curacy. For what has not come directly under my own ob-
servation I am indebted to other sources, especially to Dr.
(V)
PUBLISHERS' NOTE.
In the present increase of interest in foreign missions, the
publishers take pleasure in presenting to the public, as one
of the volumes of the Young People's Library, the follow-
ing pages. The book was first published by the Religious
Tract Society of London. The matter and cuts have been
purchased by the present publishers for America. The title,
"Native Life in South India," has been changed to the more
euphonious and shorter term, "Native Life in India." The
book, however, does not include all of South India, as stated
in the author's preface; but as it treats of the more important
part of India, and as the system of caste i similar in principle
.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER V.
VIU CONTENTS.
Funeral Ceremonies Joint Family System Division of
Family Property Adoption - - - - 59
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VIII.
HINDU WOMAN.
Her and Real Status
Ideal The Hindu Widow Fem ile
Work Female Medical Pro-
---------95
Education and Zenana
fession
CHAPTER IX.
EDUCATION.
Education and Preaching Mutually Supplementary, not An-
tagonistic Notwithstanding Rapid Progress of Educa-
tion. Ignorance Still a National Evil
Great Need of
Technical Schools
Importance of Education as an
Evangelistic Agency Its
Fruits Attitude of Educated
Young Men towards Christianity Desire of the Natives
Themselves for a Complete Education, Religious and
CONTENTS. IX
. CHAPTER XII.
25
A Bazaar Man
Blacksmiths ---------
---------- 47
Sawyers
Weavers
A
-----_.-_- 61
^^
Potter
Snake-charmers
A Funeral -
---------97
.------^n^
- - - 85
(x)
t^iv^e Life \i) Tr)dia.
CHAPTER I.
of its own what actions are good and what are bad;
it shows far greater respect for its own harsh rules
excellency of workmanship.
The blacksmith likewise carries his smithy and
tools with him. He soon makes a furnace, and, sit-
dence.
CASTES AND SECTS. 33
(34)
CASTES AND SECTS. 35
^f
N outward appearance the Hindus of South
India are all shades of complexion. Some
1 -are fair, or " red," as they term it; others
are of a deep black. The prevailing shade may be
said be a sort of mahogany. As a rule the
to
higher classes are fairer than the lower, but not ex-
clusively so. One of the first things to strike a
foreigner in mingling with the people is that they all
(45)
46 NATIVE LIFE IN INDIA.
and a little of the cold rice left over from the pre-
vious night, or else a rice cake, called hoppah, and
coffee or tea, are now frequently partaken of before
the noon-day meal, on rising in the morning. The
laboring classes, who go to their work early and
remain out during the day, take their first meal in
the early morning instead of at noon. The principal
food of the country is curry and rice. Curry is a
kind of powder made of pepper, salt, turmeric, gin-
ger, tamarinds, onions, cocoanut juice, garlic, saf-
fron, etc., mixed so as to suit the taste of the indi-
vidual. The ingredients are ground on a smooth
flat stone with a stone roller. This is added to the
fish, fowl, piece of mutton, or vegetable, which is
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 5/
the girl had been injured, but the man jumps on the
lid, and the basket There is no appear-
is empty.
ance of the girl, only the cord with which she was
fastened is to be found. Snake charming is also a
favorite amusement.
In the evenings nautches^ or performances of
dancing women, are held. They answer much the
same purpose as theaters among Europeans. The
nautch girls are not infrequently good-looking, but
they are low, abandoned characters. Resplendent
with jewels, they advance before the audience and
dance gracefully, but with little variety, to the ac-
companiment of native music. They throw the
body into all kinds of positions, and their arms
move in unison with their feet; but the full meaning
of their motions and gestures is known only to the
initiated. Sometimes cotton ropes are suspended,
and the nautch girls, moving in and out among
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 63
Pi
HE Hindu is a religious person. His ideas
of God and of his worship are peculiar to
himself, but he is, nevertheless, intensely in
earnest. To a Hindu his every act has a relig-
ious meaning entering into the very fibers and
threadlets of his life. It is the Alpha and Omega,
(8.3)
84 NATIVE LIFE IN INDIA.
^ #f^^^
iji
RELIGION AND WORSHIP. 8/
( 95 )
g6 NATIVE LIFE IN INDIA.
servants, on and
their first arrival in India, despise
ill treat the Hindus, as though they were a savage
honor." We
once heard of a village near Delhi
where the people were poor and free from debt. A
canal was made; the value of the land increased;
the people became prosperous, and also became in-
volved in debt. The reason why they were not in
debt before was that the land was too poor to afford
security, but as soon as the value ofthe land im-
proved, they at once got into debt.
Marriage and funeral expenses are the chief
causes of debt. A man drawing a salary of ten
rupees a month will not hesitate to borrow one
hundred rupees or two hunded rupees at twelve
per cent interest to celebrate his marriage, the whole
of which is spent in presents and festivities. Farm-
ers borrow money to pay their rents to the govern-
ment. The money lender is always ready to lend,
provided the man is in service, and able to pay the
-
death blow.
Education in conjunction with Christianity is
CHAPTER XI.
EVANGELISTIC WORK.
Paramount Importance of Preaching The Best Times and
Methods to be Adopted in Preaching Some Arguments
and Discussions Concentration of Effort Desirable
Christian Literature Should Be Widely Circulated Re-
sults of Bazaar Preaching.
1851. 1881.
Native ordained agents 12 235
Native lay preachers 306 i,444
Native churches 161 2,758
Native Christians 74,176 299,742
Native communicants 10,334 70,607
Native contributions rupees 82,902
HAVE MISSIONS BEEN A FAILURE? I45
that one effect of the new forces at work upon the re-
ligious conceptions of the country will be that a new
religion will spring up. What form that new relig-
ion might take it is difficult to foresee. We do not
think it is likely to be our modern Christianity, al-