Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 20.pdf/604

 THE CODE INSCRUTABLE man; but may converse with a Brahman who is under vows of pilgrimage, a hermit, or an old man; she shall not laugh without drawing her veil before her face; she shall not eat till she has served her guests with victuals (if it is physic she may take it before they eat), a woman also shall never go to a stranger's house, and shall not stand at the door, and must never look out of a window." There are six things which are declared to be disgraceful to a woman. The majority of these are disgraceful, even in America, yes, even in New York. But the fifth is surely a strange one, and if American law were to declare it disgraceful, how many of the fair ones would be respectable? "Six things are disgraceful to a woman; first, to drink wine and eat conserves or any such inebriating things. Second, to keep company with a man of bad principles. Third, to remain separate from her husband. Fourth, to go to a stranger's house without good cause. Fifth, to sleep in the daytime. Sixth, to remain in a stranger's house." Two more curious passages concerning women are to be found in the code. The first may well serve as a suggestion to all proud fathers. Regarding the second, it seems a pity a more appropriate simile could not be found for the walk of the maiden. If the kangaroo were only native to India! — but this would be countenancing modern slang, and I fear the staid lawyer of to-day is not familiar with the beauties of the kangaroo walk which the maids of the "younger set" have affected more or less in the last decade. "The names of women should be agreeable, soft, clear, captivating the fancy, auspicious, ending in long vowels, resembling words of benediction. "Let the student of the Gentoo scriptures not marry a girl with reddish hair; nor one immoderately talkative; nor one with inflamed eyes. Let him choose for his wife a girl whose form has no defect, who has an agreeable name, and who walks gracefully,

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like a phenicopteros or like a ycung ele phant." It will be seen that these quotations touch but slightly on legal principles. They deal rather with religious custom. In India, however, religious custom is practically law. They have their dry legal principles but these refuse to keep company with humor. The strict legalities are interesting in themselves and deserve study; we know altogether too little of them. The best authorities on the laws of India are Morley and Macnaghten. The laws collected by Sir William Jones go at great length in laying down rules as to how a Brahmin shall attain perfection. Almost a quarter of the volume is rules con cerning the conduct of a student of theology. One or two of these deserve mention. Any one interested in longevity would do well to take this to heart : "If the student of theology seeks long life he should eat with his face to the east, if exalted fame, to the south, if prosperity, to the west, if truth and its reward, to the north. "Let him take his food having sprinkled his feet with water; but never let him sleep with his feet wet; he who takes his food with his feet so sprinkled will attain long life. "Excessive eating is prejudicial to health, to fame, and to future bliss in heaven; it is injurious to virtue and odious among men; he must for these reasons by all means avoid it." Many a Brahmin when caught in a rain storm must have got drenched by obeying the following "settled" rule; also he prob ably never experienced the novelty of tripping over a rope to which a calf is tied or of imitating Psyche's famous act in looking into the pool, for — "Over a string to which a calf is tied let him not step; nor let him run while it rains; nor let him look on his own image in water; this is a settled rule." It makes one wonder, from this last curious rule which I shall quote, whether