Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/47

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to the common good, the members supporting themselves by work at the hand-loom or other manual labour.


TRAVELS IN INDIA

True to his promise to Gokhale, Mr. Gandhi, on his return to India, started on an extensive tour through the country. Though his idea was merely to visit every place of importance and acquaint himself thoroughly with the conditions of the country and thus acquire first-hand knowledge of men and things, he had of course to speak wherever he went. He was given a warm and enthusiastic welcome at every station and the magnificent demonstrations in his honour bore eloquent testimony to the great regard in which his countrymen have always held him. Mr. Gandhi accepted these marks of affection and respect with his accustomed grace, but spoke out his mind on every subject, as the occasion demanded. One characteristic feature of these speeches is that Mr. Gandhi seldom repeats second-hand opinions and his views on every subject are, therefore, refreshingly original. Undeterred by fear or any exaggerated sense of conventional respectability he retains his independence, indifferent to the applause or contumely of his listeners. Speaking at the Students’ Hall, College Square, Calcutta, in March 1915, when the Hon. Mr. Lyon presided, he said with reference to


ANARCHICAL CRIMES

Whatever his personal views were,he must say that misguided zeal that resorts to dacoities and assassinations cannot b eproductive of any good. These dacoities and assassinations are absolutely a foreign growth in India. They cannot take root here and cannot be a permanent institution here. History proves that assassinations have done no good. The religion of this country, the Hindu religion, is abstention from "himsa," that is taking animal life. That is, he believes the guiding principle of all religions. The Hindu religion says that even the evil-doer should not be hated. It says that nobody has any right to kill even the evil-doer. These assassinations are a western institution and the speaker warned his bearers against these western methods and western evils.


LOYALTY T0 THE BRITISH RAJ

At the Madras Law Dinner in April of the same year he observed in proposing (at the request of the President