Identifier: brahmanstheistsm00omanuoft (find matches)
Title: The Brahmans, theists and Muslims of India. Studies of goddess-worship in Bengal, caste, Brahmaism and social reform, with descriptive sketches of curious festivals, ceremonies and faquirs. With illus. from photographs and from drawings
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Oman, John Campbell, 1841-1911
Subjects: India -- Religion India -- Social life and customs
Publisher: London Fisher Unwin
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ork in ahustling money-grubbing age like ours. A rather curious encouragement to drink, in India atthe present time, is the belief that ardent spirits act as aplague prophylactic. Perhaps alcohol in moderation is apreventive against this fell disease. I cannot say, but thebelief amongst the natives is probably due to the immunityfrom plague generally enjoyed by the European communityin India. In every considerable town in the Punjal) there areTemperance Associations, and I presume they would notexist if they were not needed. The Sikhs in the NativeStates have also taken up the question of Temperancevery seriously. In all the Provinces of India the same activity prevails. Apostles of Temperance from Europe, aided byChristian missionaries, have given a great impetus to theformation of Temperance Societies and Total AbstinenceAssociations, which, with local differences, are conductedupon the main lines adopted in Europe and America.These societies and associations hold meetings, have 172
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HINDU SOCIAL REFORMERS lectures and addresses, encourage pledge-signing, organiseprocessions with bands playing and banners flying, arrangefor the public singing of temperance ballads in thevernacular, and the circulation of tracts illustrating theevils of drink. They further arrange for the performanceof temperance plays, one of which I had the pleasure ofwitnessing in the native theatre at Amritsar, and a toler-ably good play it was. setting forth in Hindu dramaticfashion the evils of alcoholism. Of course winged peris(angels or fairies) were amongst the dramatis personcc, andcuriously enough some of the temperance hymns introducedinto the play were set to once popular English airs, suchas Sweet Dreamland Faces and Wait till the Cloudsroll by, Jenny. Though equally demoralising in its results whether inthe East or the West, drunkenness in India can, however,at times put on a complexion impossible in Europe; forIndian inebriates with the rehgious zeal of their race haveactually been

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