New Britain herald., 1921-10-08

ly known in India as 'Mahatma' (Su- per-Spirit) Gandhi He is most in teresting person, and I am sending you herewith an excellent estimate ot the man and his character, evil gently written by an Englishman and published in The Glasgow Herald, which has been copied in Mahatma Gandhis own paper, Young India his is the most comprehensive and fair estimate have yet come across of this remarkable leader, and I am sending it to you because it is so much better than anything I could give myself. I am also sending you small colored picture of the man. which shows how very far from being a1 Apollo he is in outward appear e.nce. He is most like the Apostle Paul. in his personality, as the article in Young India suggests. He is the cal leader. intellectually and spirit cally, of the people of this land today. and he declares that he is aiming at complete Home Rule, or Swaraj, for India within the next two months, though he is wise enough to say this will happen only if the necessary con- ditions are fulfilled, and the one es- sential condition he insists, is that the people of India shall learn to act as of one mind in at least some one Cause. Just now he is trying to m ke the boycott of foreign cloth of every kind, serve the pudpose of this Cause, and by making the people economically independent of other na- tions to set them on their own feet politically and in the qualities of Self Control and self-Rule It has never seen true in the past that the people of India have become of one mind in any matter. and it does not even now seem likely that Gandhi will succeed i'll this latest scheme of his, though he has managed to get larger meas ure of unanimity of opinion than most people would have believed to be pos slble in India. the most heterogeneous and mixed-up land on earth. I hope { have succeeded in making plain that l I believe Gandhi is a true prophet and spiritual leader, of the highest per- sonal character. and is in many ways | follower of the principles taught | and lived by Jesus Himself. But one i of the main difficulties that Gandhi faces is that his right-hand smen are not of the same high character as he l iS, and are often actuated by nothing more or less than hatred of England and of all things Western.
 l "On the other hand we have strong men who are trying to guide India wisely and as rapidly as is probably safe along the road to regular consti- tut:onal development as a self-gov- erning DominSn, within the British Empire. Chief of these is Lord Read ns. the new Viceroy, who was so sue cessful in Washington, during the war s~s the representative of Great Britain It is fortunate that such a strong, wise ruler has been sent to India at thi.
 time. but 1t remains to be seer
 whether he is skilful enough to cop,
 with the power and influence O endhi. and to bring India to accep i, policy of progressive moderation One great difficulty which all foreign l CTS labor under in India today is tn s most insuperable barrier of Rac : Prejudice and Race Feeling w4icI } haS been stirred up by the events o 3 the past two or three years to an in j. tense heat. There is a most tragi lack O. faith by those of each sid : in the purity of motive and honesty o ! those belonging to the other side
 EVen In Christian and Missionary wor
 this difficulty has become acute. ]
 can only be conquered, I am sure, by
 rresh realization and appropriation C
 power from the presence of Jesu
 christ Himself in the hearts of mer
 Anotner fine, good ruler is the preser
 Governor of the Panjab, a Scotchma
 named Sir Edward Maclaxa,
 and true Christian. We ar
 We are indeed fortunate in havin
 such q man to guide this provinces af
 fairs in these troubled times. He ha
 the confidence of the Indian people t ' remarkable degree, and he know
 how to combine gentleness and kind
 ness with f1rmness and justice. He is
 great friend of the Young Men
 Christian association, having serve
 on several boards of directors in tn
 course of his life as a government o1
 ffcial in the Panjab, and he is no
 the patron of the Lahore association
 "a position found only in countrie
 connected with England and the Eas
 believe. By the way meant to hay
 said that Lord Reading is the patro
 of the whole association movement l we are trying to do for the your,
 men of this land
 Conditions Being Faced.
 And now, with the background
 tho foregoing nasty sketch of th situation which we are facing in Indi today, want to close my letter to yo with 8 brief description of what oy ] Lahore Y. M. C.. A. work is like. Tn
 Lahore association was organized i : 1875, and existed as a small band 5 young men for several years, for tf f most part with voluntary leadersli t Then secretaries were sent out fr6 r England and from Scotland till tt . year 1912, since when the interns
 tlonal committee in New York hs , been responsible for providing, the fol
 e1gn members of the Lahore secretari,
 staff. At present we have thtee An - er1can secretaries, and just recent
 Scotchman was sent to look aftt
 our work for the British soldiers i, Lahore cantonment which is five mil. :, from Lahore city, but operates undt
 the same board of directors. We al