45 



population is likely to become more severe in the future than in 

 the past, especially when it is considered how universal is the 

 custom of early marriages and how difficult it is to introduce 

 salutary changes in this custom. Dr. Farr has pointed out that 

 undue increase or decrease of population in England is capable 

 of being remedied by regulating the number of marriages. He 

 says: "at present (in England) one-fifth of the women who 

 attain the age of 24-3 years never marry ; if one-half of the 

 women who attained that age never married, and if illegitimate 

 births did not increase, the births would ultimately not exceed 

 the deaths, and the population would remain stationary. But 

 the same end would be almost as effectually, and less harshly, 

 attained though four-fifths of the women who arrived at the 

 mean age continued to marry, if instead of beginning to marry 

 at 18, none married under 23, and the mean age of marriage 

 were raised to 30 years ; for the interval from generation to 

 generation would be thus extended, the childi'en to a marriage 

 diminished and the number of women at 30 would be reduced 

 by the loss of the younger lives " (see Farr's Vital Statistics). 

 He adds that under the pressure of circumstances, the popu- 

 lation in England, to a considerable extent, regulates itself in 

 the manner above pointed out to prevent any impairment of the 

 standard of living and frequently with a view to bring about a 

 rise in that standard. Such a process of adjustment is of course 

 much more difficult of application in India, where the marriage 

 customs are less flexible. In England the average age of 

 marriage for women is about 25 years, and only 18 per cent, of 

 women of ages between 15 and 25 are married and '2 per cent, 

 are widowed. Further, of the women who reach 25 years of 

 age, 20 per cent, never marry. In this Presidency nearly 80 

 per cent, of women between the ages of 15 and 25 are married 

 and 5 per cent, are widowed, and a considerable proportion of 

 the widows are debarred by the customs of the country frem 

 re-marrying. I have been informed that 50 or even 40 years 

 ago men married much later (generally ^^ after 30 years) than 



'3 The Hindu Sastras recommend marriages between men of 32 years of age and girls 

 of 10 years, or men of 24 years and girls of 8. There is an inscription at Virinjipuram, 

 North Arcot district, dated during the reign of Veerapratapa Devaraja Maharajah of 

 Vijianagar, A.D. 1419, which shows that the practice of paying money to parents of 

 girls to induce them to give them in marriage was widely prevalent in former times. 

 The inscription states " in the reign of the illustrious Veerapratapa Devaraja Maharajah, 

 the great men of all branches of sacred studies of the Kingdom drew up in the presence of 

 Gopinatha of Arkapxishkarani, a document containing an agreement regarding the sacred 

 law. According to this, if the Brahmins of this kingdom of Padaividu, viz., Kannadigas, 

 Tamiras, Telungas, llalas, &c., of all Gotras, Butras and Sakhas, conclude a marriage, 

 they shall from this day forward do it by Kanyadansm (gift of girls). Those who do not 

 adopt Kanyadanam, i.e., both those who give away a girl after having received gold, 

 and thosfe who conclude a marriage after having given gold, shall be liable to punish- 

 ment by the King and shall be excluded from the community ot the Brahmins." The 

 inscription is 'interesting as showing in what manner legislation on social matters was 

 effected in the old days. 



