A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

THE TRUE METHOD OF SOCIAL REFOAM. 543There is, then, another great consideration. Here, inIndia, we have always been governed by kings ; kings havemade all oui laws ;now the kings are gorJb nd there isnone left to dike their place. The Government dares not ;it has *to fashion its ways according to the growth ofpubTic opinion. It takes time, qftite a long time, to make&& laealthy,* strong, public opinion which will solve its ownproblems, and in the interim we shall have to wait. Thewtiole problem of social reform, therefore, resolves itselfinto this : where are those who want reform ? Make them^first. Where are the pople ? The tyranny of the minorityis the worst tyranny that the world ever sees. A few menwho think that certain things are evil will not make anation move. Why does not tjie nation move ? First educate the nation, create your legislative body, and thtin thelaw will be forthcoming. First create the power, thesanction from which the law will spring. The kings are.gone ;where is the new sanction, the new power of thepeople ? Bring it up. Therefore, even for social reform,the first duty is to educate the people, arM you have towait till tthat time comes. Most of the reforms that havebeen agitated for during the last century have been ornamental. Every one of these reforms only touches the firsttwo castes, and no other. The question of widow marriagewould not touch seventy per cent, of the Indian women,find all such questions only reach the higher classes oIndian people who are educated, mark you, at theexpenseof the masses. Every effort of these classes has been spentin cleaning their own houses, making themselves nice an<3looking pretty before foreigners.That is no reformation.You must go down to the basis of the thing, to the veryroots, That is what I call radical reformation. Put thefire there and let it burn upwards and make an Indian