Had she been an acceptable
sacrifice, after the fire had touched her, the river would have
received her'. This satisfied the whole crowd. The father said that,
after this unanswerable argument, he would receive his daughter; and
the whole crowd dispersed satisfied.[12]
The following conversation took place one morning between me and a
native gentleman at Jubbulpore soon after suttees had been prohibited
by Government:--
'What are the castes among whom women are not permitted to remarry
after the death of their husbands?'
'They are, sir, Brahmans, Rajputs, Baniyas (shopkeepers), Kayaths
(writers).'
'Why not permit them to marry, now that they are no longer permitted
to burn themselves with the dead bodies of their husbands?'
'The knowledge that they cannot unite themselves to a second husband
without degradation from caste, tends strongly to secure their
fidelity to the first, sir. Besides, if all widows were permitted to
marry again, what distinction would remain between us and people of
lower caste? We should all soon sink to a level with the lowest.'
'And so you are content to keep up your caste at the expense of the
poor widows?'
'No; they are themselves as proud of the distinction as their
husbands are.
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