Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/878

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find out without having to wait for a cart load of books. Who are your Governors and what are your relations with them? What they do to you and what you can do to them? In my humble opinion, it is not possible for you to live your religion fully, until you undertake to understand these things and my task this afternoon is finished if I have stimulated your desire after a knowledge of the affairs of your country. And I hope you will not rest contented until you have found out through your advisers and leaders the true affairs of this country. I wish you all the prosperity that you may desire and I hope that you will discharge yourselves as good citizens of this country (loud applause).


THE DOOTRINE OF THE SWORD[1]

In this age of the rule of brute force, it is almost impossible for anyone to believe that anyone else could possibly reject the law of the final supremacy of brute force. And so I receive anonymous letters advising me that I must not interfere with the progress of non-cooperation even though popular violence may break out. Others come to me and assuming that secretly I must be plotting violence. inquire when the happy moment for declaring open violence is to arrive. They assure me that the English will never yield to anything but violence secret or open. Yet others, I am informed, believe that I am the most rascally person living in India because I never give out my real intention and that they have not a shadow of doubt that I believe in violence just as much as most people do.


  1. From Young India, August 11, 1920.