Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/114

be forgiven by the government. Cases of this kind have been extremely few, but they have occurred.

Criminals are always ostracized by society, excepting in cases where a man is too rich to be excommunicated, or commits only a fashionable crime. Immoral women, or women who are seduced, are also entirely forsaken. The bastards, or illegitimate children, are generally ostracized, but such persons always move away from the districts where they are known and go somewhere else; and when they do so they can successfully conceal their status. It should be remembered here that in America it is not customary to inquire about a person's father or mother, as it is customary in the old world.

A boycott is a combination against a landlord, tradesman, employer or other person, whereby the persons enforcing the boycott cease social or business relations with the party boycotted, and seek to induce others to withhold having relations with him. It is used also of agreements not to use certain articles or the articles of a certain manufacturer. Boycotts, though largely conducted by trade unions, are by no means confined to them. Manufacturers boycott certain dealers, publishers boycott some booksellers, railroads boycott railroads, temperance people boycott certain persons, clergymen establish boycotts, even one nation boycotts another nation.

Bahiṣhkāra, or the system of excommunication, ostracism and boycotting, have become much less effective under the modern social conditions. Ostracism and boycotting exist and are considerably practised, but excommunication is not practised to any large extent. There are only a very