In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

4 Social Conditions An exercise given to students in an art school is to seat them all around a person or an object placed in the center, and ask them to sketch that person or object. While doing so, some happen to be sitting in front of the object, some behind, and some at an angle; and they sketch it as they see it from their own perspective. This does not mean that if we see the right side of the object in the picture, it has no left side; or that if we see the front portion in the picture, it has no back. It merely indicates that only that side of the object which we see in the picture was visible to the artist, and not the rest. It is impossible for a person to see all the sides of an object while sketching it; the same applies to the description of the social conditions in a country. A single person is not able to see all aspects of a society; therefore one person’s opinion of it cannot be assumed to be infallible . Some English and American people have traveled in India and written descriptions of our customs and manners and social conditions. A perusal of these clearly shows that a foreigner sees the people of the country he visits in a very different light from how the inhabitants see themselves. Therefore, I have refrained from presenting any ¤rm and ¤nal conclusions that such-and-such is the nature of American society and that it has only these many types. Instead, I intend to describe how they appeared to me. This is the objective of this chapter and of the book as a whole. The most distinctive aspect of American society is the public-spiritedness (concern for the good of all) of the people’s thinking, government, and everything else of importance. In India, England, or other old nations, all facilities and conveniences are intended for a chosen class, and are not available to the general mass of people. Such a state of affairs is very rare in the United States. The public nature of this system of government is the chief reason for the public -spiritedness in everything else. No one here believes that a king is the lord and master of the subjects, and that the subjects and all other things have been created on earth for his bene¤t; because here the subjects themselves are the rulers and everyone believes that only what is good for the people should be incorporated into the government. In this nation “of the people, by the people and for the people,” all the people are consulted, and whatever is approved by the majority is accepted. The people themselves elect and appoint the chief of the country, state, and town. The people themselves get laws enacted as they want. This country provides no scope for the willful activities of those who follow the whims of the ruler, impose an arbitrary government upon the subjects, and lead a life of pleasure. This society does not have upper, middle, and lower classes.1 Although some class distinction and animosity is to be found everywhere, it is neither rigid nor detrimental to the nation, as is the case in the old monarchies, or like the caste distinctions in our country. A number of measures have been adopted for eliminating the existing class distinctions; chief among them is the free schooling provided to all children. The children of all the inhabitants of the United States receive a free education in schools where they learn to treat everyone in a friendly and civil manner as belonging to the same class and inhabiting the same country . They are taught that all are human beings and should treat one another as such, and not that some are socially superior and others inferior. Every child is convinced that even though he may be poor or destitute now, he can become the President of the country in the future, if he makes the effort. He knows very well that he will achieve a superior or inferior position in society depending on his quali¤cations. A person’s ability, and not his class background, is his principal means for obtaining a high or low position. In cities and even in villages, the streets, meeting halls, hotels, prices of goods, etc. are designed for the convenience of all the people. The large streets in cities are usually paved with round...

Share