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FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
but under conditions laid down for the convenience of men. Modern women revolt against those conditions, which deprive them of a fruccoin, their: by birth-right.
There is no sex-war. The demand is for cquality in scs-relation in society. Wien this natural right is denied, on the absurd plea that women did not miss it in the pirst, there is bound to be somnc bitterness. But the responsibility for that undesirable atmosphere belongs to the reactionary male, who cannot see, or will not scc, 12211 the demand grow's out of a radical change in the eco. nomic position of women. The change is brought about by the inevitable breakdown of an antiquate system of social relations which unfortunately persisted in India much longer than in the morc advanced countries.
According to Indian tradition, the ideal of womanhood is to be realised in marriage, in the performance of the wifely duties, and in motherhoo. But that only road to the realisation of their “legitimate" ical is being closed to a growing number of women. Economic conditions are quickening the sense of justice and morality which rcvolts against the religiously sanctioned system of polygamy. To-lay, few can afford to kcep more than one wife. The lapse of the practice of poly. gamy is bound to create the problem of a surplus of marriagcable mates. The problem may not as 160
