The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-16

IUb kpcb away SVu iSbN ehe
complained. why does my servant
wander to seek me, forsaking meT"
TAgors does not preach renuneiation
OF this world.
The elder Tagore sent his Oldest son.
Dwijendranath, to manage his coun-
try estate: but he was too much OF a
philosopher TO be a good manager and
wanted always money to help the poor
farmers. The Maharshi thought a
good manager should be able to keep
10th the zamindar, landlord. and the
rsyat. tenant. happy; 40 he called
home the oldest son and sent the
youngest, who had kept the accounts
Of their journey in the Himalayas.
Rabindranath admired the "illiterate
but intelligent. high thinking and de-
vout Indian peasants" but the lax
created poverty and absolute helpless
ness Of the farmers" worried him. He
INDUCED In theoretical studies Of So
cial %levitation. and also took such
practical easur for the "uplift' OF
the p~easantry that the British magis-
tratc Of the district. beho'ding the
managers growing popularity, be
came Jealous and began to harass
him in various ways"
Now the poet becomes the social
philosopher. He compares the posi-
ton Of woman In the East and the
West. A sentence here and there from
the chapter on his feminism:
He never believed In the inferiority Of
women. The Christian mission
airy. with his profound ignorance OF the
spirl, Of Hindu social organism. sees moth.
ing but sbject misery In the lot Of the
Hindu woman. The orthodox Hindu. with
his equally profound ignorance Of the out
side world. looks upon the lot OF the Hindu
woman az blissfui. Tsgore says: I'm Eu-
rope man IL loath to build a home for
woman. and at the same time IL stubborn
In refusing her equal rights to enter the
arena Of fruitful work. Heretofore the
male bees used TO gather honey outside
and store i, In the hive: now the bee
prefers to rent q cell and live BY himself
so that he alone may drink all the honey
In the evening which he gathers during
the day time. The queen bee 10 obliged
to come out in the world Of composition
to gather honey. 80 that she may live. She
has not yet been able to get accustomed
to the changed conditions. The result
IL uneasiness and buszing. Our
women make our homes smils with sweet
ness. tenderness and love"
It IL as an exponent of Indian ma
tionalism' that Mr.. Tagore Is most In
! teresting. Once his father received
from a Bengal a letter written In
English. and returned IL without re-
! ply. why should a Bengali write
letters to a Bengal In English" Ia
gore has always cherished Indian cul-
ture. 1t is certainly. even In Its ne
cations. a positive, hence a personal
thing. 1t Is characteristic OF Indian
culture to give practical effect to the
literary declaration that the life OF
a peop.e Is in its poetry, its painting,
its music. not less than in its internal
or even international politics. At any
rate. calling a peoples poetry a part
of its national life. we u say that
by Incorporating in his poetry the
doubts and problems. the collective
hopes and misgivings OF h Indians.
Rabindranath Tagore has made him.
self unQuestionably a factor In the
situation" And India being from
time -immemorial given to mixing
mysticism with it's practical affairs,
there Is no reason whatever to dis
! pute the probable correctness Of the
assertion that the p%hilipplcs Of the
political agitators and the diatribes OF
the caustic editorial writer's are mere
pin pricks when compared with the
majestic sweep Of the patriotic fire
songs Of our poet" So much may Ike
said In simple justice to Tagore with
out in the least debating an answe to
49, -..-1u xA.sh.r YVlton sv,ntA~-
alism" is or Is not following the right
path.
So much for the "kind" OF Tagorear
power and influence. As to the de
gree" the biographer may or may
not be right-he IL partisan, but he
is an Indian. and We are not-wher
he says: These deep appeals are
lashing the little ripples into o
famous waves OF unalloyed nation
alism hat in the India OF to-day are
dashing against and engulfing thu
rocks OF se!fshness and provin'
cialism and thus helping to form
mighty, homogeneous nation out OF
multitude OF conflicting interests
Tagore himself says. with reference e
British overlordship: zone section o
the human race, cannot be perma'
nentiy strong by depriving another sec
ton of its inherent rights. The Brit
ish are getting strong by the posses
sion OF the Indian empire, . Thu
weakness Of disarmed. famine stricken
and poverty ridden India will be the
cause OF the destruction Of the British
Empire" I'm Europe" he says
charity. religion and education ar
al in the hands of the State: in oul
country they rest on the sense o
public duty. SO Europeans taxi
special care OF the State. and we o
Dharma.' righteousness. Tagore's pub
lished talk Is not at all that Of tn
partisan politician.
His nationa.ism blossoms into uni
versa.ism: HE holds that the pres
ence of the national. the racial, tn,
credai and the continental element
and their cooperation in human SO
ciety are essential for the harmo
NOUS development of the universal
just as the presence and the coopera
tfon OF the distinct organs OF the bod!
are essential. for the normal develop
ment OF the man." Tagore's politica
theories are beautiful, but invertebrats
In 1907 he withdrew from active poll
tics, and devoted himself wholly L
the model schoo. at Bolpur which h
had started five years before, an,
where he turns out 'men, not ma
chimes"
Vh~ ssNgovucV Me- On Ceut.,