Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-18
BACKWARD LOOKING LEADERSHIP.

In a recently pubiished description Of csandhi, the
East Indian revolutionary leader, we are told that Gandht
Is tho son Of a prime minister to a rajah: had money and
gave it away: he became a lawyer and gave up the prac-
tce because he could not conscientiously follow it. He
dresses like = workman and eats fruit and rice only. He
10 against violence in every form: breaches non-redst-
ance and non-co-operation as the way to Indian freedom.
We have here apparently. an Indian Tolstoi, a man
following the customs of life Of the peasantry OF the far
peasantry, and who ike Tolstot, seeks to benefit his peo-
Pile by getting down on their own plane Of existence rath-
er than BY seeking to raise them to his.
Leadership Of this kind looks backward. Its con
ception 10 that manhood is entirely a thing Of the spirit
and the emotions rather than a growing character which
Influences and 10 influenced by its own material environ
ment The teachings of Gandhi in India and Of Tolstoi
in Russia are contrary TO. the spirit of what we know as
civilization, and contrary to its experience. They are as
extreme in ono direction as are the teachings of the
matertalis4s In the other; and we have no better warrant
for believing in the doctrine that humanity may increase
In usefulness and happiness utterly disreEarding the ma
tertal facts OF life than we have for believing that real
manhood can grow by eiving attention only to the ma
terisl things a-t
men has osen exhibited on a thousand other occasions by
men who separated themselves from their kind. went on
into . desert and lived The lives Of herntts. devotng
themselves to profound study and speculation. In this
to whatevsr heaven It was that they desired 70 reach.
Had this spirit governed the world in the psst, humanity
would stnl extst on the lAvel OF the brute. There could
have bsen no advsncemant in any direction. The human
mind would have bean % devoted to speculation on alb
sruss 4ssions ralsxine to It's future that It would have
had no time or oppostusity" to anand 70 the things Of
the present. Man would have continued TO i've in hovslA
70 olethA thsnaselvss In untanud skins, and TO suhsise on
such things - they could pick UP With utus effort On the
wsyHds - they pansd.
Nsvsrtha,am. sueh teachings have THAR inauAnce. No
enc can ignore the inAuancs which rolstoi had upon the
thought Of Russia. Neither Gan the influence Of such .
man - 0aAdht on the va& subHnasSAd population OF India
be ignored. In aseA casa the man who eaGayed tho roll
OF popular leader discovered nothing new IN thought or
~principle. He wa rather the INSTRUMENT through which
the thought OF . vat ignorant and uncultured people ex-
pressed ttself. And the unfortunate thing about such
u that ~ organtzing and Eystematixtng, these
leaders ars sbls TO a~coantuate the more strongly the back
ward tendencies OF th0sa to whom they address them
I0lves. ana thvs render more dihicult the work Of prog
- whioh others are trying TO carry ON among them.
TIA taAcAtngD of Tolstot have doubtless had much to do
WITH bringing shout The present conditions which exist In
lAuska tsday, and the teaehings Of such = man ~ Gand-
ihi Nfu taA = uvsk Moss esnH upsp the liunbs Of the
iIo1faa pesele ths ssaek1G ~ oaAs and supssDkition
wA3sASnnsAtsaa - $50 s.eAa . arks o. thsu.