Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-02
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the Rookloper

Whether or not he Is considered as
q great political leader, whether or
not he Is placed among the philosophers
of mysticism, whether or not he de-
cides to make peace with England and
accept a gradual and modified national
ism, Mahatma Gandhi must be ranked
as one of the important figures of the
twentieth century, not only as regards
the development of his own country,
but in international affairs. So his
autobiography, "Mahatma Gandhi: His
Own Story" edited by c. F. Andrews
assumes something Of the value of a
public document. The material of this
autobiogr3 ply has been abridged from
several longer sources. One of them
The Story of My Experiments With
Truth" was first dictated by Gandhi
to fellow political prisoner during a
long confinement in 1924. Il was
later continued serially in his paper,
"Nava iivan," and was translated into
English by his friends. Mahadev Desai
and Piyarelal Nair. The series of chap
ters was then published in two volumes
by the Nava jivan Press. The chapters
have also been published serially in
Unity" the paper Of DR. John Haynes
Holmes In America. Another work used
in this abridged autobiography is
"Soul-Force," in which Gandhi de-
scribes his experiences in South Africa
The editor of the short autobiography
Mr.. G. F. Andrews, is an Englishrnan
who has lived for over a quarter of
century in India and is q devoted
friend of Gandhi.
The family Of Gandhi belongs to the
Bahia caste, a subdivision Of the
Vaishya, or third caste of trade and
agriculture. Both his father and his
grandfather were prime ministers in
small west peninsular native states. He
says Of his father: My father never
had any ambition to accumulate riches
and left us very little property. He
had no education, save that of practi-
cal life. OF history and geography he
was ignorant. But his rich experience
in practical affairs helped him towards
the solution Of the most intricate oues-
lions and enabled him to manage hun
dreds of men. He had very little re-
ligious training, but he possessed that
culture which comes from the frequent
visiting OF temples and listening to
discourses on Hindu religion" He
speaks Of his mother as a woman of
strong common sense" after telling of
her prolonged fasts during periods of
vows which she had taken for various
reasons which doubtless did not seem
trivial to her Living on one meal a
day during her fastS was a habit with
her. Not content with that, she tasted
completely on each alternate day dur
ing one such period. At another time,
she vowed not to take food without
seeing the sun. We children on those
days would stand, staring at the sky,
waiting to announce to our mother the
suns appearance. At the height of
the rainy season the sun not seldom
remains invisible throughout the day;
and / can recall days when, at the
sun s sudden appearance after the rain,
we would rush In and announce it to
her. She would come out to see with
her own eyes; but by that time per-
haps the fugitive sun would be gone
thus depriving her of her meal. That
does not matter she would say cheer
fully. God did not want me to eat
today Then she would return to her
round Of duties" In the light of this
early example, 1t is not surprising that
Gandh1 states in his aut0biogTa Apply,
my life is based on disciplinary reso-
lutions."
AS a young man Gandhi went to
|
very miserable and homesick. Landing
in late September, wearing white fan
nels, he was greatly chagrined to flnd
every one else in dark clothes. AS he had
taken VOW Of yegetarianism, he also
found the English food question rather
difficult. Boiled vegetables cooked with
out seasoning or condiments were not
to his taste, ascetic though he was. and
bread and jam for breakfast, luncheon
-,
ly he discovered a vegetarian restau-
rant and felt that God had come to his
aid. There he purchased Salts plea
for Vegetarianism, and by it's argu-
ments reinforced his vegetarian phiIos-
ophy and thenceforth became an apos-
u tie of vegetarianisn. In England he
studied law and passed his law exam
nations. Then he returned to India
and opened law office at Ra Ikot. Be-
fore long he was sent by business firm
to South Africa, where he remained
during the Boer War and practiced law
at johannesburg. Obliged to live In a
warm climate, he returned to India in
1914, and from that time his activities
in behalf Of Indian nationalism have
been continuous.
Cecilia Beaux In her autobiography,
Background With Figures" tells why
she has always distrusted professional
philanthropists 1t was because an
uncle who was something of a reformer
played a mean practical joke on her and
her sister when they were children. Let
adults be careful how they tease or play
tricks on children. Some children never
forget. The two little girls had gone to
bed. after carefully tucking their dolls
into Their miniature beds to keep them
warm on cold night An uncle, the
reformer mentioned some way back as
having made to effort to assist his par
entS in trouble, made a visit to his
family and when he inquired for his
nieces, who had long since retired, and
wished to have a look at them sleep
ing he was permitted to do so and was
escorted upstairs by young and mis-
chievously inclined brother. When the
uncles entered and turned on the light,
the scene before them produced an eff
feet quite the opposite of what a civil
lized soul should feel. redresSer of
wrongs done to humanity-that is. to
the working claSseS-and careless
youth thought 1t was humorous to drag
all the dolls from their beds and hang
them by legs, arms and hands to gas
fixtures, door handles and exposed
points The night was bitter cold, and
when the girls awoke in the early morn
ing the shadowy forms hanging about
the room proclaimed the outrage. Here
veil must be drawn. Suffice 1t to say
that there were neither tears nor cries.
The effect was far-reaching. The nieces
went down to the breakfast table silent
and refusing to salute or to notice their
visiting relatives, who were quite ready
to be forgiven. They never forgot to
shrink from the reformer when he APP
peared as a guest. His mother had a,
severe reproof for both her sons, who
wished to conciliate, and it is not 60
ing too far to say that one of the
mothers has since then never really
trusted the ethical principles Of pro-