The position of a Roman woman after marriage was ver^' different from that of a Greek woman. The Ro- man presided over the whole household ; she educated her children, watched over and preserved the honor of tlie house, and, as the materfamilias, she shared the honors and respect shown to her husband. Far from being confined, like the Greek women, to a distinct apartment, the Roman matron (at least during the bet- ter centuries of the republic) occupied the most impor- tant part of the house, the atrium. — Smith, Diet, of Class. A nt. s. V.
III. Among the Hindus. — There are writers, perhaps we had better call them " fact gatherers" (comp. Miiller, Chips, ii, 2G2), who, not contenting themselves with the accomplishment of the task for which they are fitted, frequently go out of their way to cast a slur upon the Christian's belief, and to ridicule him for entertaining the thought that the Bible is the educator of the human race. Yet the deeper the researches into the " primitive" condition of man, and the more intimate our relation with those nations ^vho can claim a civilization outside of the pale of Christian teachings, the more stubborn ap- pears the fact that Christianity alone assigns to woman
MARRIAGE
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MARRIAGE
a position of equality with man. The N. T. teaches " there is neither Jew nor Greek ; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." The Hindu's sacred writings, however, not only fail to make woman the equal of man, but they even put a stigma upon her from her very birth. A ^voman, it is affirmed by the Institutes of Manu (q. v.), whose inspiration is as unquestioned as his legislative supremacy is universal among the Hin- dus, " is never fit for independence, or to be trusted with liberty; for she may be compared to a heifer on the plain, which still longeth for grass." " They exhaust," says Massie {Continental India, ii, 153), " the catalogue of vice to affix its epithets to woman's nature — infidel- ity, violence, deceit, envy, extreme avariciousness, an entire want of good qualities, with impurity, they af- firm, are the innate faults of womankind." "Why," says Butler {Land of the Veda, p. 470), "if my native friend had six children, three boys and as many girls, and I happened to inquire, ' Lalla, how many children have youV the probability is he woidd reply, 'Sir, I have three children ;' for he would not think it worth while to count in the daughters." Indeed, the Brahmin is taught that perfection is to be attained only, freed from the contamination of woman, in a purely ascetic state (Wuttke, Christian Ethics, i, 51). But let us not be misunderstood as conveying the impression that the lay Hindu favors asceticism. Far from it. Among the laity celibacy is a reproach in either sex. As among the Chinese (see below), "girls are not desired, not wel- come;" and, when they come, they are either quickly done away with, where the English law does not inter- fere [see Infanticide], or, if they must live, are ig- nored, if not despised. Arrived at the age of onlj' seven, the age at which the Shasters pronounce the girl mar- riageable, the unhappy parents begin to look about for an early opportunity to free themselves from the burden that is upon them by betrothal of the child. As all through the East, so also here the whole matter is held by the parents in their own hands. The poor girl has no choice or voice in her own destiny— all is arranged without consulting her views or affections in any way whatever. " Courtship, in our Christian sense," says Butler, " the maiden in India can never know. She is not allowed to see or converse with him to whose con- trol she win ere long be handed over. She cannot write to him, for she can neither read nor write ; all she is able to do is to follow the instructions to ' worship the gods for a good husband.' She is taught to commence as soon as she is four years old. Her prayers are ad- dressed chiefly to Kama-deva (q. v.), the Hindii Cu- pid. . . . The maiden prays, and father and mother manage the business of selection. Each caste [see In- dian Caste] has its professional match-makers, whose aid is indispensable. When the negotiations have reach- ed a certain definiteness, the Pundits are consulted to avoid mistakes of consanguinity, and then the astrolo- gers, who pronounce upon the carefully-preserved horo- scopes of the boy and girl, whether they can be united with safety. These preliminaries all found satisfactory, the aid of the Brahmin is sought to ascertain if the family god favors the union. The stars, the gods, and men being a unit, negotiations are opened between the parents and relations as to the amount of gift and dow- ry, and, when conclusions are reached here to their mu- tual satisfaction, the astrologer is again called in to as- certain and name a lucky day when the agreement may be registered, and a bond for the dowrv' executed. This is done with due solemnity, and then the astrologer has again to ascertain and name a lucky day for the cere- mony, which is accepted by the parents under their bond to see to the consummation of the engagement. This is the usual method, slightly varied in different locali- ties" (p. 470, 480). No female child is expected to have gone beyond the age of twelve without the consumma- tion of an engagement. Woe be unto that family wherein a girl is past the age of twelve and vet unbe- V.— E E E