Holten High School - Onion Yearbook (Danvers, MA)

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THE HOLTEN 9 at the hands of the white race, he became their leader, launching for the first time his policy of passive-resis- tance. Gandhi defines passive-resistance as follows: Through love he says, we seek to conquer the wrath of the English administrators and their sup- porters. We must love them and pray to God that they might have wisdom to see what appears to us to be their error. It is our duty to let ourselves be slain, but not ourselves to slay. If we are cast into prison we must ac- quiesce in our lot without bad feeling, hate, or any sort of revenge. In the struggle in South Africa, lasting six years, Gandhi was in a large measure successful. It is to his credit that in spite of his conflict with the government he holds nothing against the English as a people. He has often declared him- self a lover of the British Empire be- cause it stands for racial equality and freedom of conscience. But although he accepted the theory of government expressed by the British Constitution as being founded upon justice, he soon became convinced that the ad- ministration of the Constitution in India violated all the principles of that Constitution. Upon his return to India at the be- ginning of the World War, Gandhi re- mained. loyal to England' both because he wished to prove India worthy of self-government and because he be- lieved that the Allies were fighting to make the world safe for democra- cy. He immediately enlisted for am- bulance work for the entire term of the war. When he became physically unfit to carry on he recruited soldiers in India encouraging Hindus and Mo- hammedans alike to fight the Ger- mans and the Turks. At the close of the war came dis- appointment. The Government's at- tention was focused on India, but in- stead of self-government, it gave on- ly more representation and certain civil rights to the Indians, none of which satisfied the Nationalist party. Then followed the great program of non-violent resistance, using love, faith, and sacrifice as its instruments. If all India had sincerely followed Gandhi's ideal of passive-resistance, his plan would have met with some measure of success. But many Indi- ans were incapable of the exaltation and sacrifice demanded in order to re- frain from violence. The result was a riot at Amritsar, in quelling which the government used the utmost cruelty and violence. Gandhi then, supported by the all-India National Congress, precipitated the movement called Non-Violent Non-Co-operation. This movement called for the res- ignation of Hindus from all govern- ment offices, the withdrawal of Hin- dus from the government schools, the refusal to pay taxes or perform mili- tary service, the withdrawal of Hin- du funds from government bonds, and the boycott of government courts and British goods. Gandhi also ad- vocated the restoration of the spin- ning wheel in the homes of India as an immediate and practicable solu- tion of the economic problem of pov- erty and starvation. It will be seen upon examination that these methods of Gandhi are the aims of an idealist. It is hardly conceivable that in a ma- chine age a nation can accomplish in- dependence by stepping out of the in- dustrial world and by returning to conditions of the past. This whole program was to be car- ried out without violence, for to Gandhi no end is worth while which requires open warfare in its attain,-

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8 THE HOLTEN Q ,L iifiigi iii Qfiliflis LITERARY VALEDICTORY Mahatma Gandhi: His Personality and Power There is no figure in the world to- day more important or more interest- ing than Mahatma Gandhi. Although his activities center in India, his sig- nificance is to the entire World. Gandhi's great political objective is the gaining of Swaraj or home rule for India. The desire of India for in- dependence is not remarkable. The leaning toward self-government in the East is one of the inevitable results of the World War. During the war India had been led to believe that some measure of independence would be granted her in return for her loy- alty and support. When, therefore, at the close of the war, Britain's promises were not regarded as being satisfactorily fulfilled, the spirit of India was awakened to revolt. It was at this point that Gandhi assumed the leadership of India. Mahatma Gandhi was brought up as an orthodox Hindu of the third caste of trade and agriculture. In de- fiance of Hindu custom and sanction, he was sent to England to study law. It was during his three years in Lon- don as a student that Gandhi came in contact with the doctrines of na- tionalism and of democracy, which were to influence his future life. Having passed the bar examina- tions, he returned to India and at- tempted to build up a law practice, but as a lawyer he was a failure. His natural timidity and shyness were a- gainst him, and his refusal to prose- cute for debt or to accept cases which seemed to him unjust lost him many clients. Then occurred the incident to which the world owes the discovery of Gandhi. He accepted a legal case in South Africa. While there he saw racial prejudices against the Indians which stirred the depths of his soul. Determined to free his Hindu bro- thers from their shameful oppression

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10 THE HOLTEN ment. He prefers to fail without vio- lence than to succeed with it, and if India cannot obtain freedom by pass- ive resistance, she cannot, in his opin- ion, obtain freedom with bloodshed. But once again India proved un- able to remain non-violent. There were dreadful riots at Bombay and Chauri Chaura. Gandhi issued a statement acknowledging the revolts as the third warning from God that India was not yet spiritually ready to carry out the policy of non-violence. Amid the angry cries and bitter words of his followers he courageous- ly withdrew the whole movement on the ground that it was degenerating into mob rule. In this hour of out- ward failure Gandhi rose to the greatest spiritual heights he had ever reached. Politically he had failed, but morally he had won his greatest vic- tory-the victory of the soul. It was at this point that he was ar- rested and charged with sedition. Al- though the government knew that he was not directly responsible for the outbreaks at Bombay and Chauri Chaura, it believed that indirectly he was to blame. The trial which follow- ed was one of the most remarkable in history and Gandhi pleaded guilty. In his great speech to the court he said, I do not ask for mercy. I do not plead any extenuating act. I am here, therefore, to invite and cheer- fully submit to the highest penalty that can be inflicted upon me for what in law is a deliberate crime, and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen. The respect in which he was held by the court is evidenced by the words of Judge Broomsfield, It would be impossible, he said, to ignore the fact that in the eyes of millions of your country- men you are a great patriot and a great leader. Even those who differ from you in politics look upon you as a man of high ideals and of even saintly life. In sentencing Gandhi to prison for six years, the judge fur- ther said, If the course of events in India should make it possible for the Government to reduce the period and release you, no one will be better pleased than I. In 1924, after serving two years of his term, Gandhi was forced to un- dergo a serious operation. Upon his recovery he received full pardon from the government and retired to his school, where he remained until 1929. During these years he was looked up- on as a lost leader. But recent events have proved to the contrary, and Gandhi is once again at the helm guiding toward self-government. The 'greatest contribution of Gand- hi to the world is his own life, which bears a remarkable analogy to the life of Christ. He has vowed himself to poverty and developed Christ-like powers of self-control, fortitude, and forbearance. All his actions have been marked by gentleness, simplicity of soul, humility, and forgiveness of enemies. Christ's sermon on the mount has exerted a tremendous in- fluence upon his life. He accepts Christianity as a moral doctrine, and practices its principles to such an ex- tent that he has been called a better Christian than many Christians. Yet for all his devotion to Christianity he remains steadfastly a Hindu in faith. For him personally the religion of his people is best, for it offers all that is necessary for his inner development, in that it teaches him to pray. Within his frail body lies an indom- itable soul. In his idealism he en- larges his own cause to make it the cause of humanity, saying, Home Rule is not really our goal. Our bat- tle is really a spiritual battle. We, the miserable outcasts of the Orient, We must conquer freedom for all hu-