the life of william carey-第47章

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r　instincts　of　rulers　like　Wellesley；　Hastings；　and　Bentinck；　till　Macaulay　and　Metcalfe　gained　for　it　liberty。　　When　Dr。　Marshman　in　1818　proposed　the　publication　of　a　Bengali　periodical；　Dr。　Carey；　impressed　by　a　quarter　of　a　century's　intolerance；　consented　only　on　the　condition　that　it　should　be　a　monthly　magazine；　and　should　avoid　political　discussion。　　Accordingly　the　Dig…darshan　appeared；　anticipating　in　its　contents　and　style　the　later　Penny　and　Saturday　Magazines；　and　continued　for　three　years。　　Its　immediate　success　led　to　the　issue　from　the　Serampore　press　on　the　31st　May　1818；　of　〃the　first　newspaper　ever　printed　in　any　Oriental　language〃the　Samachar　Darpan；　or　News　Mirror。

It　was　a　critical　hour　when　the　first　proof　of　the　first　number　was　laid　before　the　assembled　brotherhood　at　the　weekly　meeting　on　Friday　evening。　　Dr。　Carey；　fearing　for　his　spiritual　work；　but　eager　for　this　new　avenue　to　the　minds　of　the　people　who　were　being　taught　to　read；　and　had　little　save　their　own　mythology；　consented　to　its　publication　when　Dr。　Marshman　promised　to　send　a　copy；　with　an　analysis　of　its　contents　in　English；　to　the　Government；　and　to　stop　the　enterprise　if　it　should　be　officially　disapproved。　　Lord　Hastings　was　fighting　the　Pindarees；　and　nothing　was　said　by　his　Council。　　On　his　return　he　declared　that　〃the　effect　of　such　a　paper　must　be　extensively　and　importantly　useful。〃　　He　allowed　it　to　circulate　by　post　at　one…fourth　the　then　heavy　rate。　　The　natives　welcomed　their　first　newspaper。　　Although　it　avoided　religious　controversy；　in　a　few　weeks　an　opposition　journal　was　issued　by　a　native；　who　sought　to　defend　Hindooism　under　the　title　of　the　Destroyer　of　Darkness。　　To　the　Darpan　the　educated　natives　looked　as　the　means　of　bringing　the　oppression　of　their　own　countrymen　to　the　knowledge　of　the　public　and　the　authorities。　　Government　found　it　most　useful　for　contradicting　silly　rumours　and　promoting　contentment　if　not　loyalty。　　The　paper　gave　a　new　development　to　the　Bengali　language　as　well　as　to　the　moral　and　political　education　of　the　people。　

The　same　period　of　liberty　to　the　press　and　to　native　advancement；　with　which　the　names　of　the　Marquis　of　Hastings　and　his　accomplished　wife　will　ever　be　associated；　saw　the　birth　of　an　English　periodical　which；　for　the　next　fifty…seven　years；　was　to　become　not　merely　famous　but　powerfully　useful　as　the　Friend　of　India。　　The　title　was　the　selection　of　Dr。　Marshman；　and　the　editorial　management　was　his　and　his　able　son's　down　to　1852；　when　it　passed　into　the　hands　of　Mr。　Meredith　Townsend；　long　the　most　brilliant　of　English　journalists；　and　finally　into　those　of　the　present　writer。　　For　some　years　a　monthly　and　for　a　time　a　quarterly　magazine　till　1835；　when　Mr。　John　Marshman　made　it　the　well…known　weekly；　this　journal　became　the　means　through　which　Carey　and　the　brotherhood　fought　the　good　fight　of　humanity。　　In　the　monthly　and　quarterly　Friend；　moreover；　reprinted　as　much　of　it　was　in　London；　the　three　philanthropists　brought　their　ripe　experience　and　lofty　principles　to　bear　on　the　conscience　of　England　and　of　educated　India　alike。　　As；　on　the　Oriental　side；　Carey　chose　for　his　weapon　the　vernacular；　on　the　other　he　drew　from　Western　sources　the　principles　and　the　thoughts　which　he　clothed　in　a　Bengali　dress。

We　have　already　seen　how　Carey　at　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　found　Hindooism　at　its　worst。　　Steadily　had　the　Pooranic　corruption　and　the　Brahmanical　oppression　gone　on　demoralising　the　whole　of　Hindoo　society。　　In　the　period　of　virtual　anarchy；　which　covered　the　seventy…five　years　from　the　death　of　Aurangzeb　to　the　supremacy　of　Warren　Hastings　and　the　reforms　of　Lord　Cornwallis；　the　healthy　zeal　of　Islam　against　the　idolatrous　abominations　of　the　Hindoos　had　ceased。　　In　its　place　there　was　not　only　a　wild　licence　amounting　to　an　undoubted　Hindoo　revival；　marked　on　the　political　side　by　the　Maratha　ascendency；　but　there　came　to　be　deliberate　encouragement　of　the　worst　forms　of　Hindooism　by　the　East　India　Company　and　its　servants。　　That　〃the　mischievous　reaction〃　on　England　from　Indiaits　idolatry；　its　women；　its　nabobs；　its　wealth；　its　absolutismwas　prevented；　and　European　civilisation　was　〃after　much　delay　and　hesitation〃　brought　to　bear　on　India；　was　due　indeed　to　the　legislation　of　Governor…Generals　from　Cornwallis　to　Bentinck；　but　much　more；　to　the　persistent　agitation　of　Christian　missionaries；　notably　Carey　and　Duff。　For　years　Carey　stood　alone　in　India；　as　Grant　and　Wilberforce　did　in　England；　in　the　darkest　hour　of　England's　moral　degradation　and　spiritual　death；　when　the　men　who　were　shaping　the　destinies　of　India　were　the　Hindooising　Stewarts　and　Youngs；　Prendergasts；　Twinings；　and　Warings；　some　of　whom　hated　missions　from　the　dread　of　sedition；　others　because　their　hearts　〃seduced　by　fair　idolatresses　had　fallen　to　idols　foul。〃

The　most　atrociously　inhuman　of　all　the　Brahmanical　customs；　and　yet　the　most　universal；　from　the　land　of　the　five　rivers　at　Lahore　to　the　far　spice　islands　at　Bali；　was　the　murder　of　widows　by　burning　or　burying　them　alive　with　the　husband's　corpse。　　We　have　seen　how　the　first　of　the　many　such　scenes　which　he　was　doomed　to　witness　for　the　next　thirty　years　affected　Carey。　　After　remonstrances；　which　the　people　met　first　by　argument　and　then　by　surly　threats；　Carey　wrote：〃I　told　them　I　would　not　go；　that　I　was　determined　to　stay　and　see　the　murder；　and　that　I　should　certainly　bear　witness　of　it　at　the　tribunal　of　God。〃　And　when　he　again　sought　to　interfere　because　the　two　stout　bamboos　always　fixed　for　the　purpose　of　preventing　the　victim's　escape　were　pressed　down　on　the　shrieking　woman　like　levers；　and　they　persisted；　he　wrote：　〃We　could　not　bear　to　see　more；　but　left　them　exclaiming　loudly　against　the　murder　and　full　of　horror　at　what　we　had　seen。〃　　The　remembrance　of　that　sight　never　left　Carey。　　His　naturally　cheerful　spirit　was　inflamed　to　indignation　all　his　life　through；　till　his　influence；　more　than　that　of　any　other　one　man；　at　last　prevailed　to　put　out　for　ever　the　murderous　pyre。　　Had　Lord　Wellesley　remained　Governor…General　a　year　longer　Carey　would　have　succeeded　in　1808；　instead　of　having　to　wait　till　1829；　and　to　know　as　he　waited　and　prayed　that　literally　every　day　saw　the　devilish　smoke　ascending　along　the　banks　of　the　Ganges；　and　the　rivers　and　pools　considered　sacred　by　the　Hindoos。　　Need　we　wonder　that　when　on　a　Sunday　morning　the　regulation　of　Lord　William　Bentinck　prohibiting　the　crime　reached　him　as　he　was　meditating　his　sermon；　he　sent　for　another　to　do　the　preaching；　and　taking　his　pen　in　his　hand；　at　once　wrote　the　official　translation；　and　had　it　issued　in　the　Bengali　Gazette　that　not　another　day　might　be　added　to　the　long　black　catalogue　of　many　centuries？

On　the　return　of　the　Marquis　Wellesley　to　Calcutta　from　the　Tipoo　war；　and　his　own　appointment　to　the　College　of　Fort　William；　Carey　felt　that　his　time　had　come　to　prevent　the　murder　of　the　innocents　all　over　India　in　the　three　forms　of　female　infanticide；　voluntary　drowning；　and　widow…burning　or　burying　alive。　　His　old　friend；　Udny；　having　become　a　member　of　Council　or　colleague　of　the　Governor…General；　he　prepared　three　memorials　to　Government　on　each　of　these　crimes。　　When　afterwards　he　had　enlisted　Claudius　Buchanan　in　the　good　work；　and　had　employed　trustworthy　natives　to　collect　statistics　proving　that　in　the　small　district　around　Calcutta　275　widow　murders　thus　took　place　in　six　months　of　1803；　and　when　he　was　asked　by　Dr。　Ryland　to　state　the　facts　which；　with　his　usual　absence　of　self…regarding；　he　had　not　reported　publicly；　or　even　in　letters　home；　he　thus　replied：

〃27th　April　1808。The　report　of　the　burning　of　women；　and　some　others；　however；　were　made　by　me。　　I；　at　his　expense；　however；　made　the　inquiries　and　furnished　the　reports；　and　believe　they　are　rather　below　the　truth　than　above　it。　　I　have；　since　I　have　been　here；　through　a　different　medium；　presented　three　petitions　or　representations　to　Government　for　the　purpose　of　having　the　burning　of　women　and　other　modes　of　murder　abolished；　and　have　succeeded　in　the　case　of　infanticide　and　voluntary　drowning　in　the　river。　　Laws　were　made　to　prevent　these；　which　have　been　successful。〃

But　there　was　a　crime　nearer　home；　committed　in　the　river　flowing　past　his　own　door；　and　especially　at　Sagar　Island；　where　the　Ganges　loses　itself　in　the　ocean。　　At　that　tiger…haunted　spot；　shivering　in　the　cold　of　the　winter　solstice；　every　year　multitudes　of　Hindoos；　chiefly　wives　with　children　and　widows　with　heavy　hearts；　assembled　to　wash　away　their　sinsto　sacrifice　the　fruit　of　their　body　for　the　sin　of　their　soul。　　Since　1794；　when　Thomas　and　he　had　found　in　a　basket　hanging　on　a　tree　the　bones　of　an　infant　exposed；　to　be　devoured　by　the　white　ants；　by　some　mother　too　poor　to　go　on　pilgrimage　to　a　sacred　river…spot；　Carey　had　known　this　unnatural　horror。　　He　and　his　brethren　had　planned　a　preaching　tour　to　Sagar；　where　not　only　mothers　drowned　their　first　born　in　payment　of　a　vow；　with　the　encouragement　of　the　Brahmans；　but　widows　and　even　men　walked　into　the　deep　sea　and　drowned　themselves　at　the　spot　where　Ganga　and　Sagar　kiss　each　other；　〃as　the　highest　degree　of　holiness；　and　as　securing　immediate　heaven。〃　　The　result　of　Carey's　memorial　was　the　publication　of　the　Regulation　for　preventing　the　sacrifice　of　children　at　Sagar　and　other　places　on　the　Ganges：〃It　has　been　represented　to　the　Governor…General　in　Council　that　a　criminal　and　inhuman　practice　of　sacrificing　children；　by　exposing　them　to　be　drowned　or　devoured　by　sharks；　prevails。。。Children　thrown　into　the　sea　at　Sagar　have　not　been　generally　rescued。。。but　the　sacrifice　has　been　effected　with　circumstances　of　peculiar　atrocity　in　some　instances。　　This　practice　is　not　sanctioned　by　the　Hindoo　law；　nor　countenanced　by　the　religious　orders。〃　　It　was　accordingly　declared　to　be　murder；　punishable　with　death。　　At　each　pilgrim　gathering　sepoys　were　stationed　to　check　the　priests　and　the　police；　greedy　of　bribes；　and　to　prevent　fanatical　suicides　as　well　as　superstitious　murders。

The　practice　of　infanticide　was　really　based　on　the　recommendation　of　Sati；　literally　the　〃method　of　purity〃　which　the　Hindoo　shastras　require　when　they　recommend　the　bereaved　wife　to　burn　with　her　husband。　　Surely；　reasoned　the　Rajpoots；　we　may　destroy　a　daughter　by　abortion；　starvation；　suffocation；　strangulation；　or　neglect；　of　whose　marriage　in　the　line　of　caste　and　dignity　of　family　there　is　little　prospect；　if　a　widow　may　be　burned　to　preserve　her　chastity！

In　answer　to　Carey's　third　memorial　Lord　Wellesley　took　the　first　step；　on　5th　February　1805；　in　the　history　of　British　India；　two　centuries　after　Queen　Elizabeth　had　given　the　Company　its　mercantile　charter；　and　half　a　century　after　Plassey　had　given　it　political　power；　to　protect　from　murder　the　widows　who　had　been　burned　alive；　at　least　since　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Great。　　This　was　the　first　step　in　the　history　of　British　but　not　of　Mohammedan　India；　for　our　predecessors　had　by　decree　forbidden　and　in　practice　discouraged　the　crime。　　Lord　Wellesley's　colleagues　were　still　the　good　Udny；　the　great　soldier　Lord　Lake　and　Sir　George　Barlow。　　The　magistrate　of　Bihar　had　on　his　own　authority　prevented　a　child…wido