[The Poison Tree by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]@TWC D-Link bookThe Poison Tree CHAPTER XX 10/14
You will not make the foregoing objections; you will say a double marriage is contrary to morals. Brother, how do you know that it is opposed to morality? You have learned this from the English; it was not held so in India formerly. Are the English infallible? They have taken this idea from the law of Moses;[14] but we do not hold Moses' law to be the word of God, therefore why should we say that for a man to marry two wives is immoral? You will say if a man may marry two wives why should not a woman have two husbands? The answer is, if a woman had two husbands certain evils would follow which would not result from a man's having two wives.
If a woman has two husbands the children have no protector; should there be uncertainty about the father, society would be much disordered; but no such uncertainty arises when a man has two wives. Many other such objections might be pointed out.
Whatever is injurious to the many is contrary to morals.
If you think a man's having two wives opposed to morality, point out in what way it is injurious to the majority.
You will instance to me discord in the family.
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