Tales of Destiny

"During to-day's discussion, in the spirit of tolerance that Akbar teaches to all of us, we Rajputs have had to harken to severe upbraiding. We are accused of inhumanity because in our homes a female child may be done away with at birth, lawfully and without dishonour. Be it so; the fact itself I shall not dispute. Nor shall I defend the practice except to point out that a woman more or less in the world does not matter, that the babe suffers no pain and knows no ill, that had she lived it might have been to a life of widowhood-if courage were wanting to choose the suttee-and therefore to long days of shame and sorrow. "Furthermore, has it to be remembered that the marriage of one of our daughters costs much money.