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SOCIETY AND REFORM
137
(c) a powerful, mature mind, able to understand its own good,
and
(d) an iron will, born of self-denial, that will adhere to what is
right and eschew crookedness and temptation. Now, gentlemen, I hold that each and every one of these things depends on your own exertion and cannot be granted, as a boon, by any association or body of men or Government, whether indigenous or foreign. It is true that an unsympathetic Government can, to a certain extent, impose restrictions upon a nation's freedom and trade that are of a nature likely to paralyse its life and activity, but reflection will show that that is possible to a very limited extent, and then only when in dealing with those races that possess none of the abovementioned requisites for national prosperity. The political problem of India is, no doubt, not solved in its entirety by the above considerations, but there is no doubt whatsoever that if we qualify ourselves in respect of the above particulars it will be impossible for any other nation to impose its will on our own, and soon we shall find things beginning to shape themselves to our advantage.
As for reform in Society, the most important thing to know is that unless you raise the status of your women all your best efforts in that direction are bound to fail. You have just simply to glance around to be convinced of the fact that wherever feminine influence is not allowed to soften the dealings of the sterner sex, there civilisation is either totally conspicuous by its absence or is of a type that is scarcely distinguishable from savagery and primitive barbarism. The woman is intended by nature to be a real companion to man in social life, and if she is not you must raise her up to that level. You must, therefore, set your hearts against the purdah system and early marriage both, as they are opposed to female progress, and should do all you can to educate your sisters and daughters. Your reward will be the sweetening of your home life in due course of time.
With regard to religious reform, the most deplorable feature of the matter is that people have generally no idea of what religion means. You who have been educated in a Jaina institution know that religion is a Science, and as such above reform. One might as well talk of reforming Physics or the science of Chemistry. The
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