পাতা:তত্ত্ববোধিনী পত্রিকা (অষ্টম কল্প দ্বিতীয় খণ্ড).pdf/৪৩

?ङTछे >曾为影 The presentation of the above memorial caused a further postponement of the bill till the return of the Imperial siegislative Council to Calcutta in I)ecember next. In the meantime, the greatest agitation prevailed among the native community on the subject of the bill. It was "fully criticized in all the public journals and arguments for and against the bill were advanced by fhe two contending Brahmo parties THE CHWIL MARRIAGE BILL. who discussed the subject with the usual bitterness natural to men, fighting with each other for vital interests put to stake. the controversy (YIT. were carried We heartily wish that with a certain degree of moderation . befitting the religious character of the bodies by whom it was conducted. The foulest aspersions were cast on the Adi Brahmo Samaj regarding the way in which its members obtained signatures to their petition against the bill but these aspersious were treated by the Samaj with the contempt they deserved. It was allegol that the Adi Samajgot signatures to its petition of others than Brahmos quite unacquainted with, 聲 幽 is the petition which was in Fnglish was termed : “The Petition of the Members of the Brahma Samaj,” those, w lo understood English, could not inistake which kind of men were to sign it. A purport of the petition in }}engalee was also annexed to each copy of it for the information of those who were unacquainted with English. It was also alleged that signatures were taken of persons who were idolatious Hindus and not Brahunos but w” ask that, when the majority of the members of every Brahmo Samaj withvit any ecception are Brahinos in opihiou but idolatrous Ilindus in practice, how could distinction be made between aneh Hindus and Brahmos in the mat for ! One of the ministers of the Adi Somaj fully exposed the falsehood of the "totements made by the opposite par. *A regarding his proceedings at Benaos where he was deputed by the Samaj to take the opinion of the pundits of that place regarding the X*lidity of Brahmo marriages. It was, for instance, alleged that the Rajah of Benares excommunicated the pundits who gave their opinion in favor of the Adi Somaj whereas no such thing took 。 8 ○ place. The secretary of the Rajah's Dharma Sabha himself contradicted the statement and declared it to be utterly false. Most of the pundits of Benares, as well as of some celebrated seats of Sanskrit learning situated near Calcutta, gave their opinion that marriages, celebrated according to the form of the Adi Brahma Samaj, were valid according to the Hindu Shastras. These opinions have been published in a previous number of this journal. The reader is also referred to Pundit Anandachandra Vedantabagish's pam. phlet on the subject, in which he successully proves the validity of Prahma marriage according to the Hindu Shas. tras. He therein satisfactorily proves that the mere gift and acceptance of the bride constitute a Hindu marriage. His opinion is confirmed by the orthodox Hindus of Madras, the most con sorvative part of India, who, at a meet ing recently held by them against the Civil Marriage Bill, declared that ceremonial observances form no essential part of Hindu marriages and also by the Native Public Opinion of its contents, but Bombay who states in one number of his journal that Kushandika was un , cil returned to Calcutta in known in his part of the country. As the Adi Somaj based its opposition on the ground that the bill, if passed, will separate its members from the Hindu community, the subject, whether Bros. mos are Hindus or not, was discussei by the two opposing parties, the Adı Saluaj maintaining that, though Brah. moism is the universal religion, it is the same with true Hinduism which is nothing but the worship of Brahma and that Hrahmos are consequently Hindus, and the Samaj of India that, as Brahmoism was an entirely new religion, Brajuruos cannot properly call themselves Hindus. When the CounDecember next, Mr. Stephen availed himself of the abovementioned declaration of the two parties, and seeing his path clear. as one of them renounced the name of Hindu, framed a general civil mar. riage bill for the relief of all persons who declared that they did not belong to any of the existing religions of India. This bill would have been passed at once in March last, but for the opposition of Mr. Inglis and some other members of Council who