Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25

able estimate than the one which would
make him out to be supplemented
spiritual ascetic led away by dreams
and visions. Gandhi's whole career
prior to his work in India, showed HIM
to be q very clever lawyer, and lawyers
to succeed at all, must be masters OF
evasion and implication. clear thinking
and perfectly well aware of the value OF
each separate word. Any one who has
ever drawn up the simplest legal docu-
ment, let alone a brief, knows something
about the meaning and value OF words;
From Mrs. Annie Besant, the noted
Theosophist, Gandhi has learned the
value of never explaining himself
When he has wrought the people up t.
mischief. and bloodshsd and destruction
result, Gandhi retires into silence and
fasts-en plenty of milk and fruit. He
is very sorry for what has happened,
and promptly goes out and does it again
The difficulty of pinning down such a
type is obvious. The British official,
questioned as to the British attitude
toward Gandhi, will assure you that Ca
Gandhi is really a harmless visionary
tb) that he is no real leader, and
having been given enough rope to hang
himself with, he has performed the
execution.
Neither Of these remarks seems per-
fectly sensible when facts and not words
ere considered. Gardhi is much more
than a visionary. Thousands of vision
aries exist In India, but none OF them
has so far thrown India into a turmoil
ruined and hfen responsible for the
deaths Of thousands Of people, and got
ten away with 1t all.
Government Criticized.
Vr,t.. 1900 H., ,,l,joH T.orSl,j l,py,a IA
self was not one which has profited the
British very much as far as prestige
goes. When immense misery had been
caused. a number of people came to
their senses and saw Gandhi for what
he was. But the question thsy put
then and now. was. why didn't the gov
eminent stop all this? And the answer,
as far as nine-tenths of India is con-
cerned. has been: They were culpably
weak and afraid"
Indians do not understand subtle
policies involving the personal misery CT
the governed.
Moreover Gandhi. personally, has not
been in the least harmed by his expert
ences Ill health? Yes. But that is less
a result of his work than q matter OF
inherited physique.
That Gandhi is a Bolshevist. or in
communication with Moscow, is pooh
poohed in India. 1t is pooh-poohed
very largely because the Communist
leaders in India have a way Of de-
nouncing Gandhi's nor-violsnce theo-
ries as useless for revolutionary pur-
poses Moscow also. believe, speaks
of him disparagingly,
But it is not quite obvious to the man
in the street that Moscow or MOSCOW
agents are in the habit Of broadcastine
eulogies of such people as may be most
useful to them. except where such eulo-
gies might help their own ends. To I'M
derstand Gandhi's real work it is neces-
sary to examine his actions and con-
nections and to see where they mt In.
Was Follower Of Gokhale.
Gandhi was at one time an associate,
or rather a follower, Of Gokhale. Cox
hale was a man of sane views and I'M
blemished personal life. He did not
trust Gandhi entirely. and most GER
tainly he did not believe that he was
well enough acquainted with India
necessities to play at that moment an
active part in public life. Gandhi had
been away from India for more than 20
years. Therefore. he asked Gandhi not
to speak in public for two years:
Gandhi promised. At the expiration oil
one year Gokhale died. And so did
Gandhi's promise.
It was by reason of the non-eo-opera-
ton campaign that Gandhi came into
prominence. The actual reason for the
campaign Is not often mentioned by
Gandhi's eulogists, because, in fact, 1t
was started as a protest against the
Rowlatt bill In other words Gandhi's
first appearance in the limelight was in
aid of the terrorists. against whom the
bill was aimed. And his immense sue
cess was primarily due to the fact that
every revolutionary organization in the
country, secret or overt, placed what
ever 1t possessed in the scales for the
furtherance of his campaign. When
the bill was repealed the campaign be-
gan to die down