I have now told you something about the jewels of this people. I hope
that you will never be disposed to imitate them, and load your bodies
with such useless things. They are not only useless, but tend to
encourage pride and vanity. All that you need is, the "Pearl of great
price," even Jesus. Adorn yourself with this Pearl, and you will be
beautiful indeed--beautiful even in the sight of your heavenly Father.
Have you this Pearl of great price, my dear children? Tell me, have you
this Pearl of great price? If you have not, what have you?

I just now alluded to those marks which the natives consider among their
chief ornaments. These are different among different sects. The
followers of Siva rub ashes on their foreheads. These ashes are
generally prepared by burning what in the Tamul language is called
[Tamul:] _chaarne._ They also apply these ashes in streaks, generally
three together, on their breasts, and on their arms. Some besmear their
whole bodies with them.

The followers of Vrishnoo wear a very different ornament from that just
described. It consists of a perpendicular line drawn on the forehead,
generally of a red or yellow color, and a white line on each side of it,
which unite at the bottom with the middle line, and form a trident.

Another ornament consists of a small circle, which is called pottu. This
is stamped in the middle of the forehead. Sometimes it is red, sometimes
yellow or black. Large numbers of women, in this part of the country,
wash their faces with a yellow water, made so by dissolving in it a
paste made of a yellow root and common shell-lime. The Brahmins
frequently instead of rubbing ashes, draw a horizontal line over the
middle of their foreheads, to show that they have bathed and are pure.
Sometimes the people ornament themselves with a paste of sandal-wood.