HINDUISM AND CHILD-MARRIAGE [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sirt,—In
the Spectator of June 1st there is a remarkable letter by a correspondent signed " A Seeker." He makes an effort to reply to a letter by Mr. Pennington, who wrote in your issue of May 11th referring to certain evils in Southern India. The chief of these evils is child-marriage. He very properly declared that Hinduism not only sanctions but insists on this evil. Your correspondent " Seeker " repudiates this charge " most emphatically." Now, in the Ashwalayan Lutras- seven centuries before the Mann Smriti—the evils referred to were neither " sanctioned " nor prohibited. In the Mann Smriti evils like child-marriage were sanctioned. Since then alinost all the Shastnis have encouraged all such evils. A great number of these are daily quoted in the vernacular Press against reformers of these evils—like Mr. Ghana; and others. When the Report on the Age of Consent is published
shortly, your correspondent will not then be able to say that " it does not do the intelligence of a man much credit to believe that sanction for such an evil can be found in Him:
duism." Your correspondent seems to me to be very imper- fectly acquainted with the Hindu Scriptures to write as he does. He speaks of " Hinduism " as the " oldest religion," but, as Dr. Kethar in his famous classic on Caste explains, it is not a " religion " in the sense that Christianity or Mohamme- danism is a " religion." It is merely a " social system,"
and a very poor one at that.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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