{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 131,
  "chapterName": "1888. Mrs. K. C. Chatterjee on Zenana Work in the Punjab",
  "pageFrom": 248,
  "pageTo": 250,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 248,
      "ocrText": "248\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nI venture to make this appeal because I believe that those who regard\nthe preaching of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the heathen\nso important as to spend in its accomplishment millions of money\nand hundreds of valuable lives will deem it of the first importance\nto prepare the way for the spread of the gospel by throwing open\nthe locked doors of the Indian zenanas, which cannot be done\nsafely without giving suitable education to the women, whereby\nthey will be able to bear the dazzling light of the outer world and\nthe perilous blasts of social persecution.\nMothers and fathers, compare the condition of your own sweet\ndarlings at your happy firesides with that of millions of little girls\nof corresponding age in India, who have already been sacrificed on\nthe unholy altar of an inhuman social custom, and ask yourselves\nwhether you can stop short of doing something to rescue the little\nwidows from the hands of their tormentors. Millions of heart-\nrending cries are daily rising rising from within the stony walls of Indian\nZenanas; thousands of child widows are annually dying without\na ray of hope to cheer their hearts, and other thousands are daily\nbeing crushed under a fearful weight of sin and shame, with no one\nto prevent their ruin by providing for them a better way.\nWill you not, all of you who read this book, think of these, my\ncountry-women, and rise, moved by a common impulse, to free\nthem from life-long slavery and infernal misery? I beg you, all\nwho have any interest in or compassion for your fellow-creatures,\nlet the cry of India's daughters, feeble though it be, reach your ears\nand stir your hearts. In the name of humanity, in the name of\nyour sacred responsibilities as workers in the cause of humanity,\nand, above all, in the most holy name of God, I summon you,\ntrue women and men of America, to bestow your help quickly,\nregardless of nation, caste or creed.\n131. Mrs. K. C. CHATTERJEE ON ZENANA WORK IN THE\nPUNJAB (1888 A.D.)\nIn this report Mrs. K. C. Chatterjee describes the beginnings of\nsystematic zenana work in the Punjab. Mrs. Chatterjee was an out-\nstanding educator associated with the American Presbyterian Mission.\nShe started a Girls' School at Hoshiarpur and was the only Indian\nwoman from the Punjab to testify before the Hunter Commission on\nEducation. Woman's Work for Woman and our Mission Field, vol. III,\nApril, 1888, pp. 96-98.\nNecessity for this work arises from the peculiar social insti-\ntutions of this country. These forbid the appearance of women\nand grown-up girls in public. Amongst Mohammedans the\ncustom is enjoined by their religion, therefore every Mohammedan",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 249,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n249\nwoman is bound to obey it. The Hindus have no such religious\ninjunction. But they have learned the customs from Moslems\nand many of them consider it a part of respectability to observe it.\nHindu women visit temples and religious shrines; they go to their\nfriends and relatives in times of joy and sorrow, but they do not\nappear in public meetings attended by men. If we want to en-\nlighten women of the upper classes and bring them under Gospel\ninfluence, we must do so by going where they can be found. That\nplace is the Zanakhana. They cannot come to us; we must go to\nthem. This is the principle on which zenana work is founded.\nThere is another reason why it is necessary. It is to complete\nthe work begun in Girl's schools. The education imparted in these\nschools is very imperfect. Children attend for a short time and are\nwithdrawn before much substantial good is effected. All Hindu\ngirls are between the ages of seven and twelve, and seldom, if ever,\nafterwards attend school. They therefore leave school just at the\ntime when their minds begin to develop and think on serious\nsubjects. It is therefore of utmost importance that some means\nshould be found to continue and deepen the impression made in\nearlier years, and that means is zenana work.\nAlthough the necessity of this form of missionary labour was\nfelt from the beginning, it could not be easily supplied. The people\nwere not prepared for it. They looked upon it with dismay.\nBesides, there were the prejudices against Christianity to contend\nwith, prejudices shared alike by Hindus and Mohammedans, and\nso strong at one time as to be deemed almost insuperable. But\nblessed be God, time has brought a mighty change. Female\neducation began to be appreciated and abhorrence of Christianity\nbecame less. The missionaries commenced to be regarded as\nfriends and benefactors to the country. Then began the era of\nzenana work\nWhat is the nature of the work that these ladies and their assis-\ntants do in the zenanas? This may be described as partly educa-\ntional, partly evangelistic. Those engaged in educational work\nopen small classes attended by pupils belonging to one or more\nfamilies. The subjects taught are of the most elementary character\nin one of the vernaculars of the country. English is taught in some\nclasses. Needle or fancy-work is taught to those who desire it.\nBible truths are communicated to all out of the Bible itself, Barth's\nScripture History, Pilgrim's Progress or kindred works. Pictures\nare generally used to illustrate Scripture truths. Hymns and bhajans\nare sung and taught.\nThose who do evangelistic work go from house to house without\nmuch system, visiting wherever they find an open door and a willing",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 250,
      "ocrText": "250\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\near. After inquiring about the welfare of the members of the\nfamily they introduce the message and endeavour to impress it on\ntheir hearers by conversation, reading or expounding the Word of\nGod. They also make use of bhajans and pictures.\nOf these two forms of zenana labour the former is the most\nimportant and best adapted to the present wants of our women.\nThey are sunk in ignorance. To raise them from this degraded\nstate, knowledge as well as Gospel truth is necessary, and both are\nsupplied by the educational system. It aims at the renovation of\nthe entire women, her intellectual, moral and spiritual nature.\nThis form of labour is generally carried on in large cities and towns\nby missionary ladies themselves. If Bible women take part in this\nwork, they do so under the close and immediate superintendence\nof the ladies.\nThe evangelistic work has also its importance and usefulness.\nIt is the only means of reaching the great mass of women who have\nneither time nor inclination to go through a regular course of\ninstruction. It is also the only way of carrying the Gospel at present\nto the zenanas of the villages. These are visited in the Punjab,\nprincipally by the Bible-women.\nHow do the people regard zenana work, especially the religious\nelement in it? It is popular with the advanced classes of native\nsociety, particularly with the Brahmos and those who have been\neducated in mission schools. These appreciate female education\nand do not object to Bible instruction. Referring to them, one of\nour missionary ladies says: We have more calls than can be\nanswered. Were good Native Christian workers only a. lable,\nour work could be ind indefinitely extended. We pay nothing to our\nwomen; they come of their own free will, and after several lessons\nare usually sufficiently interested to desire a continuance of them.\nWhen we receive a call we always inform the parties that Bible\ninstruction will be the chief feature, and other things only secondary.'\nWith less enlightened classes the work is still very unpopular.\nSome of them simply tolerate it; others strongly object to the\nreligious instruction. It is in greater favour in large cities than in\nsmall towns. In the latter it is sometimes exceedingly difficult to\nfind entrance into a single real zenana.\nWhat has been the result of zenana work? We have not much\nto record under this head, yet enough to afford matter for thankful-\nness and encouragement. The work is still in an initiatory stage.\nIt has been fairly started. The doors of the once jealously guarded\napartments have been thrown open to Christian teachers. The\nwomen and girls have put themselves under instruction and are",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}