Evening star., 1937-07-26
BY WILLIAM B. BENTON.

BY WILLIAM B. BENTON.
sEGAON, India (NANA). A sub
ject close to 'Gandhi's heart one on
which he will talk freely, is his great
movement to improve the lot of the
Indian villager or farmer, who con-
stitutes IS per cent OF Indias total
population
Two years ago Gandhi vigorously
espoused the crusade of village uplift.
In Wardha are the headquarters and
plant Of the Village Industries Asso-
citation, of which the mahatma is both
veins and arteries. There a school is
run from which 1870 have just been
graduated after years course. Out
to the villages these 1870 60 as work.
ers. At Wardha and at the Ashram in
Segaon experiments are constantly be-
ing made, designed to develop new
ways to improve the villagers lot
The platform Of village uplift rough
~ divides into four major planks
First. handicrafts are developed to
occupy the villager in the six months
OF the year when weather prevents
his tilling his fields and when he has
nothing to do. Chief among these
handicrafts Is spinning. Prior to the
English rule the villager spun his
thread and wove his cloth. Now his
few annas 60 to the cotton mills Of
Lancaster and Japan. Gandhi is re-
introducing this lost native craft.
See that boy there" my volunteer
guide told me as we visited Madeleine
SHADES cottage later in the day, "he
used to spend all his time spinning
top. Now he earns two annas a day
spinning thread Thus a man with
four children has eight annas daily"
An anna is "a cents. The average
wage for common day labor in
Waruha, city of 10000 and further
advanced than the villages, is II,
or : annas daily.
Paper Making Developed.
The Village Industries Association
has developed paper making, crude
wood pulp wetted down and dried in
the sun. The villager is urged not to
destroy the hive by fire and kill the
wild bees for one comb Of honey. He
Is shown how the bee can be do
mesticated.
Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell
DO not figure in Gandhis plan of vii
laee life. The blindfolded bullock goes
round and round its large wooden
mortar and pestle as oil is pressed
from the thili seed for cooking, for
bread. lamps, massage
Experiments continue. The search
Is on for other handicrafts. The work
Is still very new.
The second major plank is the de-
velopment OF the native palm tree as a
source OF sugar. From an occasional
palm alcoholic beverage is now dis
titled, as the Mexicans distill teoulla
from wild cactus. Millions Of palms
still await tapping for sugar.
I unwrapped 4 round, hard lozenpe
looking In its paper much like the
package OF nickels the bank teller
stacks on his till. Gingerly bit. With
1est ate. The taste compares to good
maple sugar. a rich, sweet peanut
navor. mdia's millions crave sweets
and dumbly await instructions.
Third comes sanitation.
The fourth and perhaps the most
important effort is Cow protection
The COW is sacred to the Hindu and
IN general. God is expected to look
after his own. The peasant surely
ooesnt. Cattle are abominably cared
for. Many a COW is turned out to
starve. In the plan for village uplift
the peasant is taught to tend, protect
and develop his COWS.
Further, and at first blush paradoxj-
eally comes care after death. Con-
nected with the Wardha School is a
tannery. Here no cattle are slauph-
tered. This would violate the Hindu
faith. But after natural death the
carcass is skinned, the hide is tanned
IN series of chemical baths made
from chopped-up bark, from lime. etc
4 saw 20 women chopping bark at
Two annas pay day. The tanner
tr1es TO emulate Mr.. Swift and Mr..
Armour in utilizing every part of the
carcass except the moo.
Progress Is Slow.
Progress is SLOW" the mahatma
tells me, but you must remember
That our work is new. We started
win nothing but faith. Only faith.
Today knowledge is added"
He breaks into his well-known tooth
less smile. You might add a third
lngredlent-give us part of the money
you make when you sell your storv,"
ne suggests. The mahatma is famed
!or MS humor. This was the first
eiAn1pee Ia had OF it. You think
u iaith plus knowledge are potent"
CnT@R