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Hindu Funeral Reform. 229 Hindu Funeral Reform
We all know that the epidemics in India every now and then work a havoc, but nobody can exactly say why. The average Indian looks at his socio-religious sentiment when he should take lessons from the terrible scourges, and the authority looks at the great Proclamation of 1858 on socio - religious self-determination ! None cares to look at Nature and find whether she is on the side of sentiment or not. Here we are with our daily mortality-bulletins, for which a great sanitary authority had to say: « Preventive measures on a large scale in any eastern city demand a degree of public enligh. tenment and co-operation, which are not likely to be realized for many years. you all know how difficult it is to get people to listen to any advice which is contrary to their way of thinking.” The public would simply shed tears and say to say: “ Thousands and thousands are lying, sick, many of these are very very poor people who have no one to nurse them, no money for modi. cine, food or comfort. They lie in their hovels. and die for want of attention.” But then whatnext ? "only when the atmosphere used to become unbearable the people from the adjoining hovels would carıy the dead as far as the funeral grounds or the nearest river and decamp. This in spite of so many castes, so many benevolent authorities of religion, public at large and Government at our back, sounds very queer.
In every part of this world Caste' does
