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THE IDEAL OF INDIAN WOMANHOOD
India. She also is an admirer of Hindu culture ; but her admiration is not blind. She can see things in thcir historical perspective; and that is the Sensible manner of appreciating the positive values of past cultures.
Laws governing the relation between man and woman under the conditions of society thousand years ago, are not suitable to the circumistances of our time. To dispute this view is to deny history. Thosc laws might have been good in their time; they were certainly useful for the circumstance of the social system of the epoch. But from that, it does not follow that they are good or (ven useful for ever. When social institutions become obsolete, they must be discarded. Those suffering from their continued existence, arc bound to revolt. The advocates of progress must foment that historically necessary revolt. The Hindu system of marriage is an antiquated institution. Its usefulness has disappeared with the disruption of the patriarchal family. Whether in the past it was good or bad, is a question of social research. The question is of great importance for a critical appreciation of the ancient Indian culture ; but it is irrelevant for the purpose of solving the problem which faces us to-day. The question of to-day is what position women should occupy in a modern society. We are not living in the age of Manu. Modernisation of Indian society is a historical necessity. Consistent with this necessity, 10
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