New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-22
Erased Humanity in. India,
Famous Poet
Says
FINDS NATIONALISM
IS UNDESIRABLE
Declares "Peace Is Good,
but Not More Good
than Life"

10 Judge from the plaudlls OF MS hu-
dience, Sir Rabindranath Tagore, the
East Indian poet, disposed forever last
night, in his lecture in Carnegie Hall,
Of the notion that the nation is neces-
sary or even desirable. "The Spirit
of Nationslism," which formed the SUBJ
ject Of his lecture, he conceived Of as
a monstrous distortion Of human i'm
pulse, an octopus of distractions" re-
sponsible as we'll for the subjugation
of on-nationalistic peoples. like those
which inhabit India, as for the death
grapple among the nations of Europe.
The majority of Sir Rabindranath' 8
hearers were women, comfortably filling
the orchestra and parquet seats Of the
big amphitheatre. The exotic figure
of the poet, with his ample beard and
flowing robes, sgains, d spacious back
ground of palms, Impaired emphasis
to his invectives against the Organ
lied greed" af Western nationalism.
"the inhuman "reminiscences and
power Of it. There were many obs
and abs to greet the eloquence Of
his rather high pitched voice, while
every pause for breath was accompa.
MED by volume of gloved handicap
ping.
British Erase Humanity"
The lecturer had a good deal TO say
of the effect of British rule in India.
Before the British occupation, he said,
his countrymen had become accustomed
to the personal sway of petty rulers
who. with all their faults. did not seek
10 erase the humanity of their subjects.
They had become used TO the stimulus
of change, and fourd hope In the chang
ing fortunes of dynasties. But with
the establishment of British rule the
future for them, he said. had become
a dead white wall, and they had ex-
perienced the levelling of the imper-
sonal machine of nationality.
"Thc government of India to-day"
said he, ''is as little touched by the
human hand as is possible in human
affairs. And yet we who are governed
are not mere distractions.
1--WE have felt the greatness of the
British nation as we have felt the sun.
IL has been like an hydraulic press
whose pressure Is impersonal and for
that reason completely effective. Our
government might have been French
or Dutch or Portuguese. but then il
might not have been so densely per-
feet and might have allowed for some
manifestation Of the human impulse
and the throbbing heart.
ut takes every opportunity 10 re-
mind us of it's boon of peace. And we
can only remember that peace is good,
but not more good than life, which is
Gods own boon"
Japan His Bad Example
Sir Rabindranath found plenty of
material for his sermon in the rise of
the japanese nation, stung with the
perverted ideals Of the west. He had
exhorted the japanese, he said, not TO
be drawn into the vortex of organized
greed exemplifed in the nationalism
fthe Occident, and his words had
been quoted in the Japanese newspa-
pers as the philosophy of defeated
people"
But more significant still, TO his
mind, was the suspicion with which the
nations of the west followed the ma
tonal progress of Japan. Great Brit
ain complained of her -aggrandize-
ment, as il this were not the natural
expression Of nationalism, while Amer
lea distrusted her protestations of
friendliness.
"rhe wisdom Of the nation" he re-
marked. SIS not in the trust OF hui
mainly but in its complete distrXst."
Il. e -.
he exclaimed, "can be likened TO this
of the nation digging its fangs into
the flesh OF the world"
Balks at Few Crimes
What is this nation ?" he asked. at
is the aspect of a whole population
organized for mechanical purposes.
Trading upon the greed and fear of
man, it occupies more and more space
in society And when human society
allows itself to be turned into an or
ganization of power, then there are
few crimes which il does not allow
itself 10 commit. The personal man
is eliminated, and every one becomes
part of the clockwork of a machine
without human responsibility. Nation
alism is a cruel epidemic Of evil sweep
ing over the world in this age. eating
into its vitality. Machine is pitted
against machine and nation against ma
ton in an endless bullfght OF politics.
And yet, man in his fulness is not
powerful, but perfect. The time has
come when Europe should know the
terrible absurdity Of the thing called a
nation, all stomach and no heart.
After this war there will arise out OF
the West men and women capable OF
exercising this evil of nationsism, Of
turning the occident back into the