o school. She replied, "No. _I_ teach them." A tall, not
very attractive-looking old man came out of the verandah, and asked
who I was. When I gave him my name, he said that his name was "Krishna
_Padre_"--the latter being the popular title given in India to a
clergyman. He was the _Guru_, or religious teacher, to the community.

I said that I was the Christian _Guru_ of the place. He asked me the
usual questions as to what pay I got, and who gave me my food and
clothing, and the meaning of the knots in my girdle. Then he asked me
if I ate meat, and when I said that I did, he took a large pinch of
snuff, saying that I was not a true _Guru_, because a true _Guru_
never eats meat. Someone then called him away to supper. I invited him
to come and see the church next day, but the following morning they
all moved on to the next village. The Yerandawana people were thankful
to be rid of them, and assured me that the _Guru's_ assertion that he
never took meat was not true; as also another of his assertions, that
they never worshipped idols, because they carried one about with them
and the old _Guru_ worshipped it daily.

CHAPTER XXX

THE INDIAN WIDOW

Exaggerated statements about widows. Easterns naturally
demonstrative in their grief. The conservative widow.
Influential and wealthy widows. Remarriage of widows. Hindu
Widows' Home; its aim and object; a visit to the Home; the
daily routine; impressions made by the visit. The True
Light. The future of the widows. Custom a hindrance to
progress. The effect of caste. The Indian daughter-in-law;
not necessarily in bondage. A kind-hearted mother-in-law.

There has been a good deal of false sentiment expended, and
exaggerated statements made, concerning the condition of widows in
India. The condition of a widow is of necessity a trying one in any
country. She often has to exchange a position of affluence and
importance for one of poverty and obscurity. The Indian widow is at
any rate sure of a home and support from her relations, which is not
always the case with the English widow. The stripping of the
ornaments, the shaving of the head, the shabby garments, the meagre
food, the hard work, and the despised position of the Indian widow has
often been described in moving terms. But the Western widow also lays
aside her ornaments during her time of mourning, and the shaving of
the head is a natural Eastern outward symbol of sorrow.