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were turned. I do not mean to say that all women and maidens in that age, any more than now, were vituous and true. My object is to truthfully set forth the foundation facts, and the dominent grace and purpose. Contemporaneous testimony before the days of Christ, but also now extant, of biggesto authority, prove that the women of India were noti ceable for their modesty and chastity. Magastenes, the Greek ambassador, three hundred years before. Christ, found India two reasons for great admira. tion. The first was the absence of slavery, and the second the chastity of the women. In a previous lecture, aud to my classes also, I have given you in some detail a true account of the marriage customs of my people, and the constitution of the Hindu family, and will not, therefore, at this time enlarge in this direction. But I will describe to you in a short way the sacred cere nony of marriage, leaving out the mere secular, social and incidental exercises. Among the hymns recited at that ceremony are such as these.
"May the husband and the wife be well united," turning to the bride the priest would say, “Oh, maiden, the graceful sun had fastened thee with ties of mai denhood' (which ineans that up to this time she had lived free froin the carnal knowledge of any man, “We release thee now of these ties, we place thee with thy husband in a place which is the home of truth and the abode of righteous action."
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