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WHY MEN ARE HANGED
the villagers generally came to believe sincerely that the woman was a witch. Sincerity, that is to say, honcsty of faith, is the inost fundamental characteristic of superstition. That is why superstition dies so very hard. They being honest about their belief in the evilness of the woman, it was incomprehensible for them how someone could fail to share it. The relation between the nonconformist and the persecuted woman was a matter of no consequence. What is a wife ? One does not place the loyalty to a merc woman above popular suspicion, based on traditional faith. Even Ramachandra did not do so. He exiled Sita to placate public opinion. The unprecedented behaviour of the man aroused suspicion against himself. He was believed to be an accomplice of his wife. He could not possibly stand by the evil woman unless he was himsclf evil. Before long, there were stories about co-operation between the man and his wife in various nefarious acts. They were shunned by all the villagers who were afraid of them. The entire family came to be regarded as a brood of evil.
It was not a very pleasant position to be in. What could the poor fellow do? The whole village was scared out of wits; and the neighbourhood shared the superstition. Fear deadens reason, the very little of it possessed by the superstitious. He could not persuade the people to see that they were scared of a spectre invoked out of their
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