the life of william carey-第66章

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n　cases　of　compulsion；　drugging；　widows　under　sixteen；　and　proved　pregnancy。　　The　policenativeswere　to　be　present；　and　to　report　every　case。　　At　the　very　time　the　British　Parliament　were　again　refusing　in　the　charter　discussions　of　1813　for　another　twenty　years　to　tolerate　Christianity　in　its　Eastern　dependency；　the　Indian　legislature　legalised　the　burning　and　burying　alive　of　widows；　who　numbered　at　least　6000　in　nine　only　of　the　next　sixteen　years；　from　1815　to　1823　inclusive。

》From　Plassey　in　1757　to　1829；　three　quarters　of　a　century；　Christian　England　was　responsible；　at　first　indirectly　and　then　most　directly；　for　the　known　immolation　of　at　least　70；000　Hindoo　widows。　　Carey　was　the　first　to　move　the　authorities；　Udny　and　Wellesley　were　the　first　to　begin　action　against　an　atrocity　so　long　continued　and　so　atrocious。　　While　the　Governor…Generals　and　their　colleagues　passed　away；　Carey　and　his　associates　did　not　cease　to　agitate　in　India　and　to　stir　up　Wilberforce　and　the　evangelicals　in　England；　till　the　victory　was　gained。　　The　very　first　number　of　the　Friend　of　India　published　their　essay　on　the　burning　of　widows；　which　was　thereafter　quoted　on　both　sides　of　the　conflict；　as　〃a　powerful　and　convincing　statement　of　the　real　facts　and　circumstances　of　the　case；〃　in　Parliament　and　elsewhere。　　Nor　can　we　omit　to　record　the　opinion　of　Carey's　chief　pundit；　with　whom　he　spent　hours　every　day　as　a　fellow…worker。　　The　whole　body　of　law…pundits　wrote　of　Sati　as　only　〃permitted。〃　　Mritunjaya；　described　as　the　head　jurist　of　the　College　of　Fort　William　and　the　Supreme　Court；　decided　that；　according　to　Hindooism；　a　life　of　mortification　is　the　law　for　a　widow。　　At　best　burning　is　only　an　alternative　for　mortification；　and　no　alternative　can　have　the　force　of　direct　law。　　But　in　former　ages　nothing　was　ever　heard　of　the　practice；　it　being　peculiar　to　a　later　and　more　corrupt　era。　〃A　woman's　burning　herself　from　the　desire　of　connubial　bliss　ought　to　be　rejected　with　abhorrence；〃　wrote　this　colossus　of　pundits。　　Yet　before　he　was　believed；　or　the　higher　law　was　enforced；　as　it　has　ever　since　been　even　in　our　tributary　States；　mothers　had　burned　with　sons；　and　forty　wives；　many　of　them　sisters；　at　a　time；　with　polygamous　husbands。　　Lepers　and　the　widows　of　the　devotee　class　had　been　legally　buried　alive。　Magistrates；　who　were　men　like　Metcalfe；　never　ceased　to　prevent　widow…murder　on　any　pretext；　wherever　they　might　be　placed；　in　defiance　of　their　own　misguided　Government。

Though　from　4th　December　1829memorable　date；　to　be　classed　with　that　on　which　soon　after　800；000　slaves　were　set　free〃the　Ganges　flowed　unblooded　to　the　sea〃　for　the　first　time；　the　fight　lasted　a　little　longer。　　The　Calcutta　〃orthodox〃　formed　a　society　to　restore　their　right　of　murdering　their　widows；　and　found　English　lawyers　ready　to　help　them　in　an　appeal　to　the　Privy　Council　under　an　Act　of　Parliament　of　1797。　　The　Darpan　weekly　did　good　service　in　keeping　the　mass　of　the　educated　natives　right　on　the　subject。　　The　Privy　Council；　at　which　Lord　Wellesley　and　Charles　Grant；　venerable　in　years　and　character；　were　present；　heard　the　case　for　two　days；　and　on　24th　June　1832　dismissed　the　petition！

Though　the　greatest；　this　was　only　one　of　the　crimes　against　humanity　and　morality　which　Carey　opposed　all　his　life　with　a　practical　reasonableness　till　he　saw　the　public　opinion　he　had　done　so　much　to　create　triumph。　　He　knew　the　people　of　India；　their　religious；　social；　and　economic　condition；　as　no　Englishman　before　him　had　done。　　He　stood　between　them　and　their　foreign　Government　at　the　beginning　of　our　intimate　contact　with　all　classes　as　detailed　administrators　and　rulers。　　The　outcome　of　his　peculiar　experience　is　to　be　found　not　only　in　the　writings　published　under　his　own　name　but　in　the　great　book　of　his　colleague　William　Ward；　every　page　of　which　passed　under　his　careful　correction　as　well　as　under　the　more　general　revision　of　Henry　Martyn。　　Except　for　the　philosophy　of　Hindooism；　the　second　edition　of　A　View　of　the　History；　Literature；　and　Mythology　of　the　Hindoos；　including　a　Minute　Description　of　their　Manners　and　Customs；　and　Translations　from　their　Principal　Works；　published　in　1818　in　two　quarto　volumes；　stands　unrivalled　as　the　best　authority　on　the　character　and　daily　life　and　beliefs　of　the　200；000；000　to　whom　Great　Britain　had　been　made　a　terrestrial　providence；　till　Christianity　teaches　them　to　govern　themselves　and　to　become　to　the　rest　of　Asia　missionaries　of　nobler　truth　than　that　wherewith　their　Buddhist　fathers　covered　China　and　the　farther　East。

All　the　crimes　against　humanity　with　which　the　history　of　India　teems；　down　to　the　Mutiny　and　the　records　of　our　courts　and　tributary　states　at　this　hour；　are　directly　traceable　to　lawless　supernaturalism　like　that　of　the　civilised　world　before　the　triumph　of　Christianity。　　In　nothing　does　England's　administration　of　India　resemble　Rome's　government　of　its　provinces　in　the　seven　centuries　from　the　reduction　of　Sicily；　240　B。C。；　to　the　fall　of　the　Western　Empire；　476　A。D。；　so　much　as　in　the　relation　of　nascent　Christianity　to　the　pagan　cults　which　had　made　society　what　it　was。　　Carey　and　the　brotherhood　stood　alone　in　facing；　in　fighting　with　divine　weapons；　in　winning　the　first　victories　over　the　secular　as　well　as　spiritual　lawlessness　which　fell　before　Paul　and　his　successors　down　to　Augustine　and　his　City　of　God。　The　gentle　and　reasonable　but　none　the　less　divinely　indignant　father　of　modern　missions　brings　against　Hindoo　and　Mohammedan　society　accusations　no　more　railing　than　those　in　the　opening　passage　of　the　Epistle　to　the　Romans；　and　he　brings　these　only　that；　following　Paul；　he　may　declare　the　more　excellent　way。

As　Serampore；　or　its　suburbs；　is　the　most　popular　centre　of　Jaganath　worship　next　to　Pooree　in　Orissa；　the　cruelty　and　oppression　which　marked　the　annual　festival　were　ever　before　the　missionaries'　eyes。　In　1813　we　find　Dr。　Claudius　Buchanan　establishing　his　veracity　as　an　eye…witness　of　the　immolation　of　drugged　or　voluntary　victims　under　the　idol　car；　by　this　quotation　from　Dr。　Carey；　whom　he　had　to　describe　at　that　time　to　his　English　readers；　as　a　man　of　unquestionable　integrity；　long　held　in　estimation　by　the　most　respectable　characters　in　Bengal；　and　possessing　very　superior　opportunities　of　knowing　what　is　passing　in　India　generally：　〃Idolatry　destroys　more　than　the　sword；　yet　in　a　way　which　is　scarcely　perceived。　　The　numbers　who　die　in　their　long　pilgrimages；　either　through　want　or　fatigue；　or　from　dysenteries　and　fevers　caught　by　lying　out；　and　want　of　accommodation；　is　incredible。　　I　only　mention　one　idol；　the　famous　Juggernaut　in　Orissa；　to　which　twelve　or　thirteen　pilgrimages　are　made　every　year。　　It　is　calculated　that　the　number　who　go　thither　is；　on　some　occasions；　600；000　persons；　and　scarcely　ever　less　than　100；000。　　I　suppose；　at　the　lowest　calculation；　that　in　the　year　1；200；000　persons　attend。　Now；　if　only　one　in　ten　died；　the　mortality　caused　by　this　one　idol　would　be　120；000　in　a　year；　but　some　are　of　opinion　that　not　many　more　than　one　in　ten　survive　and　return　home　again。　　Besides　these；　I　calculate　that　10；000　women　annually　burn　with　the　bodies　of　their　deceased　husbands；　and　the　multitudes　destroyed　in　other　methods　would　swell　the　catalogue　to　an　extent　almost　exceeding　credibility。〃

After　we　had　taken　Orissa　from　the　Marathas　the　priests　of　Jaganath　declared　that　the　night　before　the　conquest　the　god　had　made　known　its　desire　to　be　under　British　protection。　　This　was　joyfully　reported　to　Lord　Wellesley's　Government　by　the　first　British　commissioner。　　At　once　a　regulation　was　drafted　vesting　the　shrine　and　the　increased　pilgrim…tax　in　the　Christian　officials。　　This　Lord　Wellesley　indignantly　refused　to　sanction；　and　it　was　passed　by　Sir　George　Barlow　in　spite　of　the　protests　of　Carey's　friend；　Udny。　In　Conjeeveram　a　Brahmanised　civilian　named　Place　had　so　early　as　1796　induced　Government　to　undertake　the　payment　of　the　priests　and　prostitutes　of　the　temples；　under　the　phraseology　of　〃churchwardens〃　and　〃the　management　of　the　church　funds。〃　　Even　before　the　Madras　iniquity；　the　pilgrims　to　Gaya　from　1790；　if　not　before；　paid　for　authority　to　offer　fu