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FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
bacy, and these can only be cxccptions. But in the Case of women, marriage is the law. If a large number of men refuse 10 .arry, there will be an
qual number of lininarried woincn--a situation 1:(it jimitted by cur social custom and religious tradition. So, by compelling the women to marry, Himlisin c!eprives me! also of the freedom in that respicet. Polygamy no longer offers an escape out of the chilcmma ; on a large scale it has become :11 conomic imposibility: Conscaucniiy, practically
ellinen also must marry, as a rule, if Hindu society is to stick to the prejudice that single wonien ar: risfortunes. The hypothetical remedy of mass
light from marriage thus has to be ruled out. It is unavailable as well as ineffective for curing the cvil of unwanted children.
The practice of birth-control has become an economic necessity for the distressed middle-class ; therefore, it is finding favour with the more intelligent, more couragcous and more responsible among the ed:cated youth of both sexes. Realising that, under the given economic conditions of their class, they may not be able to bring up children properly, they are reluctant to incur the responsibi. lity. Nor do they wish to prejudice their freedom of action by carly, premature, parenthood. They want to grow as men and women, live a love-life free from the cares of domesticity, before becoming fathers and mothers. They feel that the duty to themselves must have priority over their other
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