Page:Gregg - Gandhiism versus socialism.pdf/30

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in those countries. Indeed, in Germany and England, Socialists have made no effective changes in any of the old four forms of control described above—money, violence, social rank and parliamentarism. I believe it is for this reason that Socialism, outside of Russia, has been so weak. The Russian Communists have preached hatred of the old ruling classes, and have used that hatred as a means of aiding in the abolition of classes. Khadi is superior, in that it operates through love and pity of the poor, rather than through hatred of the rich. Love is more productive of social trust than is hatred.

Gandhiism is superior to Socialism in providing for every person a common daily form of social service to help directly toward creating a new social and economic order; namely, hand spinning and its associated activities. Old and young, men and women, rich and poor, city folk and country folk, educated and ignorant—all can and are urged to take part in this. If Socialism is primarily a program for the manual workers who make up the mass of the people, then those who profess it ought all to do some manual work, both as a symbol and so as to develop, through a common experience, a unity of attitude and understanding. This common activity of Gandhiism is psychologically wise. It recognizes that new habits and attitudes must be built up gradually by small stimuli regularly repeated for many months at least. This is the organic law of all growth . Action as well as talk is necessary to a full and strong understanding and to the development of the implications of any idea. For instance, one cannot really understand algebra or the activities that use algebra until one has actually and painstakingly, with his own fingers and pencil, written all the little figures involved in hundreds or thousands of algebraic problems. Gandhi’s program provides an immediate channel for the social good will of every one, without interfering at all with other