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441105-177

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a Bori Asmakahton., A young Mohammedan girl of approximately

six years of age. She was found playing with two Hindu boys,which is ,

as one is led to believe, stepping out of their religious caste. Should
one believe what is ebserved or go under the false impression of what one
hears about as seetatined by some foreign writer. I find that things are
not strictly adhered to and those policies set up are generally by those
individuals who have never had a look at India. Her'is a base of a boy
and a girl of two different families playing together away from home and

of differnet religious casts! Just isn't according to the books. If how-
ever they are of the same caste it becomes a different story, Child mar-
riage for these undducated people is in my opinion bases on a good physioddg-
ical basis. In the first place it %& only when the boy and girl are in
that early stage of life that they can still be moulded to each others
outlook. At a later stage they harden into habits and outlooks whith are
difficult to modify. That will probably be true in <= our our
society. If these boys and girls mst live harmoniously they must have the
opportunity to mould each others thoughts and actions and ways of life.
When they are married young they play together and quarrel together and
are reconciled but;they live as husbnéd and wife only after they reach

the age of puberty, and this is extremely early for these people. One
frequently sees mothers meds about 12 years old and carry, babies,

This early child marriage is punishable by law but am wondering how strictly
Bhese people obey, or even if they realize that a government even exists.
fhe Hindus have a betrothal ceremony where a boy and girl are betrothed
ishen still young but this does not involve living together noris it to be
confused with the regular or official child marriage. Another observation
I have made at other places is separate schools for boys and girls. ihen-
ever one sees a group of children returning from school they are separate
groups of boys and girls-never mixed. It is a rare site to see a boy and

Rkirl walking down the street together.