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The Dowry Evil

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 19.

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The Dowry Evil

By L. G. Mookerjee

L. G. MOOKERJEE
Hindu society has been profoundly moved by the tragic death in Calcutta of a young Brahman girl who, rather than allow her family to be brought into difficulties by the necessity of paying her dowry, drenched her clothes with kerosene, set fire to them, and perished in the flames.
This sad event occurred in a Brahman family of Calcutta. The name of the girl who committed suicide was Snehalata (love-creeper), a girl fifteen years of age. Fifteen years, in a country where child marriage is a strict social custom, seemed to be rather an advanced age. The father of the girl, not having sufficient money to give a large dowry, failed to secure a husband. As he found the girl passing her marriageable age, he arranged to raise money by mortgaging the house occupied by his family. The bridegroom to be, held a university degree. The amount of the dowry is arranged according to a bazaar rate (rate fixed on the university qualifications of a young man). The guardian of the boy, after a great deal of bargaining, consented to accept $660 in cash and in jewelry. This led the father to mortgage his dwelling house to raise the amount.
February 26 was the date arranged for the wedding ceremony. Snehalata realized that for her sake her poor father was willing to give up his paternal property. She tried to prevent his doing such a thing, but her pleadings were not heeded. On February 14, rather than see the family reduced to poverty on her account, she burned herself to death.
The following is a free translation from Bengali of a letter reported to have been written by Snehalata Devi to her father before her tragic death:—
"MOST HONORED FATHER: I cannot bear to think of your mortgaging the house for the sake of my marriage. You shall not do it. You will have no necessity to do it, for ere the sun shines again tomorrow morning, the troubled spirit of your inauspiciously born daughter will have winged its flight to where beyond these voices there is peace.
"You have lavished your affection upon me. You have let this tender tendril of love entwine your manly breast. I have been happy in the love of my doting parents, beyond the dreams of princesses. Am I then to requite all this wealth of love by making myself the cause of the whole family's being turned out into the streets, and you, my loving father, doomed to lifelong penury and misery?
"Day before yesterday, late in the afternoon, when you returned home foot-sore and weary, after having been out the whole day since the break of dawn, I saw your face, saw the world of anguish and despair which was depicted on it, and heard with my own ears those fatal words, 'All is lost.' That face has never ceased to haunt me since. Those words are still ringing in my ears. And I heard the rest of that heart-breaking story, how the big mortgage, which you were so sanguine of your ability to put through and which was to furnish the money required for my marriage, had almost at the last moment been canceled, and now the only way out of the difficulty was to raise the money by a mortgage upon the house.
"Father, I can't bear that idea. What is marriage to me, except as a means of lifting the weight of anxiety on my account which lies so heavy on your breast? What social obloquy have you not already endured because I am unmarried! What heroic efforts have you not already made to find a suitable match for me, and with what ill success! No, the hall of my ancestors will not be trodden by the feet of strangers nor resound with unfamiliar voices. Not you, adored father, but I shall be the sacrifice.
"Father, I have heard that many noble-hearted and educated young men volunteered for philanthropic work for the relief of the sufferers from the Burdwan floods. God bless their kindly hearts, so full of compassion for their suffering fellow beings. But is there no one among them to feel for their own people?
"Last night I dreamed a dream, father, which made me take my vow.After I am gone, father, I know you will shed tears over my ashes. I shall be gone, but the house will be saved. Since then I have been pondering on the best way of ending my worldly pilgrimage by either fire, water, or poison. I have preferred the first, and may the conflagration I shall kindle set the whole country on fire!
"And now, dear father, farewell. The hour of sacrifice is come. All nature is slumbering peacefully, and erelong I am going to fall into that sleep which knows no waking. A strange and sweet sensation overpowers me. In my new home, lying with the light of uncreated rays, as I used to lie upon your loving breast, I shall be happy. I have only to wait a little while till you and mother come.
"Your ill-fated daughter,
"SNEHALATA BENGALEE."
The death of Snehalata has caused an outburst of indignation among the Bengali community over the high prices demanded for eligible bridegrooms. Meetings are being called by the leaders of the Hindu society. As the result of the meetings, an Anti-Marriage-Dowry League has been started.
Missionaries in foreign lands have varied duties. The gospel messenger not only preaches Christ, but has to educate people away from such pernicious heathen customs. It has been observed that those missionaries who enter into social work are better liked by the people than are others. It was in 1802 that William Carey by the help of the government carried into effect the abolition of the practice of drowning children at Sagar. He also condemned the practice of burning widows on the funeral pyre of their husbands, and at last brought about the abolition of suttee in 1829. Our missionaries have still a vast field to work on social lines, and thereby reach the hearts and homes of the people.
The presidency of Bengal contains a population of 46,305,642. On a fair average, half of these are women. It is a sad fact that there is not a single woman worker of our denomination who is spending her whole time in the interest of the zenana work among the Bengali women. There are many such unfortunate cases as the one mentioned in this article who could be comforted by the messenger of peace. In the city of Calcutta alone there are 233,003 Hindu women and 91,703 Mohammedan women. Who is there to visit their homes and carry the gospel to them?
Another appalling fact is that there are 4,516,922 widows in Bengal, about 400,000 of whom are under twenty-five years of age. My heart aches for these women in Bengal. It takes one of their own sex to work for them. Lately we have had several sad cases come to us from the zenanas. If our mission had a little home in Calcutta for such ones, it would be the means of bringing the truth before many of these homeless, helpless, and hopeless women.
Calcutta.

In the Uplands of Ecuador

MRS. JOHN OSBORNE
IN the midst of a new five-month-old rebellion in Ecuador, the wife of one of our medical missionaries stationed in the mountains at Quito, writes:—
"By the political conditions and lack of liberty our work is hampered to a great extent. Just recently, when the government sent soldiers north they notified one of our brethren who lives in Malchingui to have feed ready for thirty horses. He did so, but when they arrived they had sixty horses, and of course the feed was short; so they took him and brought him to Quito, where they put him in prison for four days.
"There are at present about one hundred political prisoners, and several hundred have been sent out of the country since the president took office. Everything has advanced in price, and the customs duties have been doubled within the last year in order to raise public funds. There is great suffering among the poorer classes.
"This uprising has been in progress for five months. We all hope it will soon come to an end, and that then there will be more liberty to carry the gospel to the honest in heart."