The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi/Volume 1/1892-1893

by Mohandas K. Gandhi

public galleries, museums, theatres, vast commerce, public parks and vegetarian restaurants, is a fit place for a student and a traveller, a trader and a "addist"--as a vegetarian would be called by his opponents. Thus, it was not without deep regret that I left dear London. At the same time I was glad because I was to see my friends and relations in India after such a long time.

Oceana is an Australian steamer, one of the largest boats of the Company. She weighs 6,188 tons and her horse-power is 1,200. When we stepped into this vast floating island, we were treated to a good refreshing tea, to which all (passengers and friends alike) did justice. I must not omit to say that the tea was served gratis. At this time, a stranger would have taken them all for passengers (and they were a goodly number), from the ease with which they were taking their tea; but, when the bell rang to inform the friends of the passengers that the ship was going to weigh anchor, the number appreciably melted away. There was much cheering and waving of handkerchiefs when the ship steamed off the harbour.

It may be well here to contrast the Oceana with the Assam into which the Bombay-bound passengers had to transship at Aden. There were English waiters on the Oceana, always neat, clean and obliging. On the other hand, there were Portuguese waiters on board the Assam, who murdered the Queen's English, and who were always the reverse of clean, and also sulky and slow.

There was, moreover, a difference of quality in the food supplied in the two steamers. This was evident from the way in which the passengers were grumbling in the Assam. Nor was this all. The accommodation in the Oceana far outdid that in the Assam; this, however, the company could not help; they could not throw away the latter because the former was better.

How did the vegetarians manage in the ship? This would be an apt question.

Well, there were only two vegetarians, including myself. Both of us were prepared, in case we did not get anything better, to manage with boiled potatoes, cabbage and butter. But we had no reason to go to that extreme. The obliging steward gave us some vegetable curry, rice, stewed and fresh fruit from the first saloon, and last, but not least, brown bread; so we had all we wanted. Undoubtedly, they are very liberal in giving good and sufficient food to the passengers. Only, they go too far; so at least it seems to me.

It would not be amiss to describe what the second-saloon menus contained, and how many meals the passengers had.

To begin with, the first thing in the morning, an average passenger would have a cup or two of tea and a few biscuits. At 8.30 a.m. the breakfast bell would bring down the passengers to the dining room. They were punctual to the minute, at their meals, at any rate. The breakfast menu generally contained oatmeal porridge, some fish, chop, curry, jam, bread and butter, tea or coffee, etc., everything ad libitum.

I have often seen passengers take porridge, fish and curry, bread and butter, and wash down with two or three cups of tea.

Hardly had we time to digest the breakfast, when, bang,-it was the dinner bell at 1.30 p.m. The dinner was as good as breakfast: plenty of mutton and vegetables, rice and curry, pastry, and what not. Two days of the week, all the second-saloon passengers were served with fruit and nuts in addition to the ordinary dinner. But this, too, was not sufficient. The dinner fare was so easily digestible that we wanted a "refreshing" cup of tea and biscuits at 4 p.m. Well, but the evening breezes seemed so soon to take away all the effect of "that little" cup of tea that we were served a "high tea" at 6.30 p.m.: bread and butter, jam or marmalade, or both, salad, chops, tea, coffee, etc. The sea-air seemed to be so very salubrious that the passengers could not retire to bed before taking a few, a very few--only eight or ten, fifteen at the most -- biscuits, a little cheese and some wine or beer. In the light of the above, are not the following lines too true:

Your belly is your God, your stomach is your temple, your paunch is your altar, your cook is your priest... It is in the cooking-pots that your love is inflamed, it is in the kitchen that your faith grows fervid, it is in the flesh-dishes that all hope lies hid... Who is held in so much esteem with you as the frequent giver of dinners, as the sumptuous entertainer, as the practised toaster of health?

The second saloon was pretty full of passengers of all sorts. There were soldiers, clergymen, barbers, sailors, students, officials and, maybe, adventurers. There were three or four ladies. We beguiled our time chiefly in eating and drinking. The rest of the time was either dozed away or passed in chatting, at times in discussing, in playing games, etc. But after two or three days, the time between the meals seemed to hang heavy in spite of discussions and cards and scandals.

Some of us really warmed to the work and got up concerts, tugs of war, and running races for prizes. One evening was devoted to concerts and speeches.

Now, I thought it was time for me to poke my nose in. I requested the secretary of the committee, who managed those things, to give me a quarter of an hour for a short speech on vegetarianism. The secretary obligingly nodded consent to my request.

Well, I made grand preparations. I thought out and then wrote out and re-wrote the speech that was to be delivered. I well knew that I had to meet a hostile audience, and that I should take care that my speech did not send my audience to sleep. The secretary had asked me to be humorous. I told him that I might be nervous, but humorous I could not be.

Now, what do you think became of the speech? The second concert never came off, and so the speech was never delivered, to my great mortification. I fancy it was because no one seemed to enjoy the first evening, for we had no Pitts and Gladstones in the second saloon.

However, I succeeded in discussing vegetarianism with two or three passengers, who heard me calmly, and answered in effect, "We grant you the argument; but so long as we feel happy on our present diet (never mind about our being dyspeptic at times), we cannot give it a trial!"

One of them, seeing that my vegetarian friend and I got nice fruits every day, did give the V.E.M. diet a trial, but the chop was too great a temptation for him.

Poor man!

The Vegetarian, 9-4-1892

On Way Home to India II (16-4-1892)

Moreover, as an instance of affability between passengers and of politeness on the part of the first-saloon passengers, the second-saloon passengers were often invited to witness the theatricals and dances that they got up from time to time.

They had some very nice ladies and gentlemen in the first saloon. But it would not do to have all play and no quarrel, so some of the passengers thought fit to get drunk (beg your pardon, Mr. Editor, they got drunk almost every evening, but this particular evening they got drunk and disorderly). They, it seems, were discussing with one another over a glass of whisky, when some of them used improper language. Then followed a fight of words culminating in a fight of blows. The matter was reported to the captain. He reproved these pugilistic gentlemen, and ever since then we had no more rows.

Thus, dividing our time between eating and amusements, we moved onward.

After two days' voyage, the steamer passed by, but did not touch, Gibraltar. This caused much disappointment, mostly among smokers, who wanted to get tobacco, duty-free in Gibraltar, as some of us had entertained a hope the steamer would cast anchor.

The next place reached was Malta. It being a coaling station, the steamer stops there for about nine hours. Almost all the passengers went ashore.

Malta is a beautiful island without the London smoke. The construction of houses is different. We had a look round the Governor's palace. The armoury is well worth a visit. Napoleon's carriage is on view there. You see there some beautiful paintings too. The market is not bad. The fruit is cheap. The cathedral is magnificent.

We had a nice drive of about six miles to the orange garden. There you see some thousands of orange trees and some ponds with gold fish. The drive was very cheap, only 2s. 6d.

What a wretched place Malta is for beggars! You cannot go along the road quietly without being pestered by a crowd of dirty looking beggars. Some would offer to be your guides, others would offer to take you to shops where you could buy cigars or the famous Maltese sweet nougat.

From Malta we reached Brindisi. It is a good harbour and that is all. You cannot pass a single day in amusement. We had about nine hours or more at our disposal, but we could not utilize even four.

After Brindisi we reached Port Said. There we took final leave of Europe and the Mediterranean. Of course, there is nothing to be seen in Port Said, unless you want to see the dregs of society. It is full of rogues and rascals.

From Port Said the steamer moves along very slowly, for we enter the Suez Canal of M. de Lesseps. It is a distance of eighty-seven miles. The steamer took nearly twenty-four hours to travel that distance. We were close to the land on both sides. The strip of water is so narrow that two steamers cannot go abreast except at certain places. At night the sight is charming. All the ships are required to light electric lights in front and these are very powerful. The scene when two ships pass one another is very pleasant. The electric light you get from the opposite ship is simply dazzling.

We passed the Ganges. We raised three cheers for her, which were heartily returned by the passengers on board the Ganges. The town Suez is at the other end of the canal. The steamer hardly stops there for half an hour.

Now we entered the Red Sea. It was a three days' voyage but it was most trying. It was unbearably hot. Not only was it impossible to remain inside the steamer, but it was too hot even on the deck. Here, for the first time, we felt that we were going to India to face the hot climate.

We had some breeze when we reached Aden. Here, we (the passengers for Bombay) had to transship into the Assam. It was like leaving London for a miserable village. The Assam is hardly half as big as the Oceana.

Misfortunes never come single; with the Assam we had a stormy ocean, because it was the monsoon season. The Indian Ocean is generally calm, so during monsoon it is stormy with a vengeance. We had to pass five days more on the waters before we reached Bombay. The second night brought the real storm. Many were sick. If I ventured out on the deck I was splashed with water. There goes a crash; something is broken. In the cabin you cannot sleep quietly. The door is banging. Your bags begin to dance. You roll in your bed. You sometimes feel as if the ship is sinking. At the dinner table you are no more comfortable. The steamer rolls on your side. Your forks and spoons are in your lap, even the cruet stand and the soup plate; your napkin is dyed yellow and so on.

One morning I asked the steward if that was what he would call a real storm, and he said: "No, sir, this is nothing." and, waving his arm, showed me how the steamer would roll in a real storm.

Thus tossed up and down, we reached Bombay on July 5th. It was raining very hard and so it was difficult going ashore. However, we reached the shore safely, and bade good-bye to the Assam.

What a human cargo was on the Oceana, and the Assam! Some were going to make fortunes in Australia in high hopes; some, having finished their studies in England, were going to India in order to earn a decent living. Some were called away by a sense of duty, some were going to meet their husbands in Australia or India, as the case may be, and some were adventurers who, being disappointed at home, were going to pursue their adventures, God knows where.

Were the hopes of all realized? That is the question. How hopeful, yet how often disappointed, is the human mind! We live in hopes.

The Vegetarian, 16-4-1892

Letter to Ranchhodlal Patwari (5-9-1892)

September 5, 1892

My Dear Patwari,

I thank you for your kind letter and the advice you have given me. As I told you in my last p.c., I have to postpone going abroad for practice. My brother is very much against it. He thinks that I need not despair of getting a decent livelihood in Kathiawar ¹ and that without directly taking part in the khutput ². However this may be, since he is so hopeful and is entitled to every consideration from me, I shall follow his advice. Here, too, I have been promised some work. So I intend to be here for about two months at least. I do not think my accepting a literary post will materially interfere with my legal studies. On the other hand, such a work will add to my knowledge that cannot but be indirectly useful in practice. Moreover, thereby I can work with a more concentrated mind free from worry, but where is the post? Not an easy thing to get one. Of course, I asked for a loan on the strength of the promise you made me while at Rajkot. I entirely agree with you that your father should not know of it. Never mind about it now. I shall try somewhere else. I can easily understand that you cannot have a large surplus from one year's practice. My brother has been retained in Sachin as Secretary to the Nawab of Sachin. He has gone to Rajkot and will return in a few days.

I am glad to hear from Kashidas that he will settle in Dhandhuka. The caste opposition is as great as ever. Everything depends upon one man who will try his best never to allow me to enter the caste. I am not so very sorry for myself as I am for the caste fellows who follow the authority of one man like sheep. They have been passing some meaningless resolutions and betraying their malice clerly in overdoing their part. Religion, of course, finds no place in their arguments. Is it not almost better not to have anything to do with such fellows than to fawn upon them and wheedle their fame so that I might be considered one of them? However, I have to move with the times. I was very glad to hear of Vrajlalbhai becoming Karbhari ³ somewhere in Gujarat. You write such a nice hand that I have been induced to imitate you though but imperfectly.

Yours sincerely,

M. K. Gandhi

From the original.

1. Kathiawar, also known as Saurashtra, a collection of former princely States, or principalities in Gujarat. 2. Machinations, in Gujarati. 3. Administrator.

1893

Letter to "The Natal Advertiser" (26-5-1893)

Durban,

May 26, 1893

To

The Editor,

The Natal Advertiser

Sir,

I was startled to read a paragraph in your today's issue referring to myself, under the heading, "An Unwelcome Visitor".⁴ I am very sorry if His Worship the Magistrate looked at me with disapproval. It is true that on entering the Court I neither removed my head-dress nor salaamed, but in so doing I had not the slightest idea that I was offending His Worship, or me aning any disrespect to the Court. Just as it is a mark of respect amongst the Europeans to take off their hats, in like manner it is in Indians to retain one's head-dress. To appear uncovered before a gentleman is not to respect him. In England, on attending drawing-room meetings and evening parties, Indians always keep the head-dress, and the English ladies and gentlemen generally seem to appreciate the regard which we show thereby. In High Courts in India those Indian advocates who have not discarded their native head-dress invariably keep it on.

As to bowing, or salaaming as you would call it, I again followed the rule observed in the Bombay High Court. If an advocate enters the Court after the judge has taken his seat on the bench he does not bow, but all the advocates rise up when the judge enters the Court, and keep standing until the judge has taken his seat. Accordingly, yesterday when His Worship entered the Court I rose up, and took my seat only after His Worship had done so.

The paragraph seems to convey also that though I was told privately not to keep my seat at the horseshoe, I nevertheless "returned to the horseshoe". The truth is that I was taken by the chief clerk to the interpreters' room, and was asked not to take my seat at the horseshoe the next time I came unless I produced my credentials. To make assurance doubly sure I asked the chief clerk if I could retain my seat for the day, and he very kindly said "yes". I was therefore really surprised to be told again in open court that in order to be entitled to the seat I had to produce credentials, etc.

Lastly, I beg His Worship's pardon if he was offended at what he considered to be my rudeness, which was the result of ignorance and quite unintentional.

I hope, in fairness, you will extend me the favour of finding the above explanation a space in your paper, as the paragraph, if unexplained, would be likely to do me harm.

I am, etc.,

M. K. Gandhi

4. The reference was as follows: "An Indian entered the Court House yesterday afternoon and took a seat at the horseshoe. He was well-dressed and it was understood that he was an English barrister, on his way to Pretoria, where he is reported to be engaged in an Indian case. He entered the Court without removing his head-covering or salaaming, and the Magistrate looked at him with disapproval. The new arrival was courteously asked his business, and he replied that he was an English barrister. He did not attempt to present his credentials, and, on returning to the horseshoe was quietly told that the proper course for him to pursue, before taking up his position at the Bar, was to gain admission to the Supreme Court." The incident was reported in The Natal Mercury, 26-5-1893.

The Natal Advertiser, 29-5-1893

=== Letter to "The Natal Advertiser" (16-9-1893) ===

Pretoria,

September 16, 1893

To

The Editor,

The Natal Advertiser

Sir,

My attention has been drawn to the reproduction of Mr. Pillay's letter⁵ to The Transvaal Advertiser in your paper with comments thereon. I am that unfortunate Indian barrister-at law who had arrived in Durban, and who is now in Pretoria ⁶; but I am not Mr. Pillay, nor am I a Bachelor of Arts.

I am, etc.,

M. K. Gandhi

5. Pillay's complaint was that he was violently pushed off the footpath. 6. At that time, capital of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic); later Administrative capital of the Union of South Africa; 511 miles from Durban.

The Natal Advertiser, 18-9-1893

Letter to "The Natal Advertiser" (19-9-1893)

Pretoria,

September 19, 1893

To

The Editor,

The Natal Advertiser

Sir,

I shall be very thankful to you if you would be good enough to find place for the following in your paper:

Mr. Pillay, who recently wrote to The Transvaal Advertiser, has been taken to pieces for being "nasty" by some gentlemen here and by the papers there. I wonder if your leader about "the wily wretched Asiatic traders", "the real canker that is eating into the very vitals of the community", "these parasites who live a semi-barbaric life" would not bear Mr. Pillay's letter out of the field in a hard-word competition. However, tastes differ as to style, and I have no right to sit in judgment upon anyone's style of writing.

But why all this outpouring of wrath on the poor Asiatic traders? It is difficult to see how the Colony is in danger of li teral ruination. The reasons, so far as I can gather from your leading article of the 15th instant, can be summed up in the following words: "One Asiatic has gone into insolvency, and paid 5d. in the £. This is a fair sample of an Asiatic trader. He has driven out the small European trader."

Now, granting that a majority of Asiatic traders do become insolvent, and pay very little to their creditors (which is not at all the case) , is that a good reason for driving them out of the Colony or South Africa? Does it not rather show that there must be a defect in the Insolvency Law that they can thus ruin their creditors? If the law would give any latitude for such practices, people would take advantage of it. Do not the Europeans seek the protection of the Insolvency Court? I do not, of course, mean to defend the Indian traders by this tu quoque argument. I sincerely regret that the Indians should resort to such practices at all. It is a disgrace to their country, which one time had too great an idea of its honour to be associated with any dishonest dealing in trade. But it certainly seems to me that a case is not made out for expelling the Indian traders on the strength of the fact of their availing themselves of the law of bankruptcy. Not only can the law put a stop to the frequent occurrence of such cases, but the wholesale merchants, too, by being a little more careful, can do so. And, by the way, does not the very fact that these traders do get credit from the European merchants show that they are not, after all, so bad as they are portrayed by you?

If the small European trader has been driven out, is it to be laid at their door? This shows, it would appear, a grater competency on the part of the Indian trader in commerce, and this very superior competency is to be a reason for his expulsion! I ask you, sir, is this fair? If one editor edited his paper more ably than his rival, and consequently, drives the latter out of the field, how would the former like to be told that he should give place to his crestfallen rival because he (the successful one) was able? Should not the superior ability be a special reason for encouragement so that the rest may try to rise as high? Is it a sound policy to stifle healthy competition? Should not the European trader take a leaf out of the book of the Indian trader, if that be not below his dignity, and learn how to trade cheaply, how to live simply? "Do unto others as you would be done by."

But you say these wretched Asiatics live a semi-barbaric life. It would be highly interesting to learn your views of a semi-barbaric life. I have some notion of the life they live. If a room without a nice, rich carpet and ornamental hangings, a dinner table (perhaps unvarnished), without an expensive table-cloth, with no flowers to decorate it, with no wines spread, no pork or beef ad lib, be a semi-barbaric life; if a white comfortable dress, specially adapted to a warm climate, which, I am told, many Europeans envy them in the trying heat of summer, be a semi barbaric life: if no beer, no tobacco, no ornamental walkingstick, no golden watch chain, no luxuriously-fitted sitting-room, be a semi-barbaric life; if, in short, what one commonly understands by a simple frugal life be a semi-barbaric life, then, indeed, the Indian traders must plead guilty to the charge, and the sooner the semi-barbarity is wiped out from the highest Colonial civilization, the better.

The elements that generally constitute a reason for expulsion of a people from civilized States are entirely absent in the case of these people. You will agree when I say that they are not a political danger to the Government, since they meddle very little, if at all, in politics. They are not notorious robbers. I believe there is not a single case of an Indian trader having suffered imprisonment, or even been charged with theft, robbery, or any of the heinous crimes. (I speak under correction.) Their teetotal habits make them exceptionally peaceful citizens.

But they spend nothing, says the leading article under discussion. Don't they? I suppose they live on air or sentiments. We know that Becky lived on nothing for a year in Vanity Fair. And here a whole class seems to have been found out doing the same. It is to be presumed they have to pay nothing for shop-rents, taxes, butchers' bills, grocers' bills, clerks' salaries, etc. etc. One would, indeed, like to belong to such a blessed class of traders, especially in the present critical condition of the trade all the world over.

It seems, on the whole, that their simplicity, their total abstinence from intoxicants, their peaceful and, above all, their businesslike and frugal habits, which should serve as a recommendation, are really at the bottom of all this contempt and hatred of the poor Indian traders. And they are British subjects. Is this Christian-like, is this fair play, is this justice, is this civilization? I pause for a reply.

Thanking you in anticipation for inserting this.

I am, etc.,

M. K. Gandhi

The Natal Advertiser, 23-9-1893

Welcome Address to New Governor (28-91893)

To,

His Excellency, Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, K.C.M.G., etc.

May it please your excellency,

We the undersigned members of the Mahomedan and Indian community of the Colony of the Natal, beg most respectfully to welcome your Excellency on the occasion of Your Excellency's arrival here as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen, Empress of India. We trust that your Excellency will find the Colony and its associations congenial, and that the task of introducing a new form of government into Natal will be as free from difficulty as it will be pregnant with interest. The special affairs of the Indian community in Natal will, owing to the extending Indian influence here, constantly occupy your Excellency's attention; and we bespeak, with your Excellency's permission, that consideration towards our community, which, we are confident, Your Excellency, representing Her Most Gracious Majesty, will be pleased to grant to us. We take leave to wish for your Excellency and Lady Hely-Hutchinson all prosperity during your stay in this country.

And we are,

Your Excellency's most obedient servants,

Dada Abdulla 1 M . C. Camroodeen 2 Amod Tilly

Dawod Mahomed Amod Jeewa Parsee Rustomji

A. C. Pillay

The Natal Mercury, 30-9-1893

1 Proprietor of Dada Abdulla & Co., Durban, leading Indian firm, in connection with whose law-suit Gandhiji first went to Natal, South Africa 2 Indian merchant of Johannesburg and active member of the Natal Indian Congress

Letter to "The Natal Advertise r" (29-9-1893)

To the Editor,

The Natal Advertiser

Sir,

I have to request your indulgence for inserting the following in your paper: To make an exhaustive reply to the programme set forth by you for the would-be anti-Asiatic league in your issue of the 19th inst. is a Herculean task, and it cannot be undertaken in the compass of a letter to a newspaper. I would, however, with your permission, take up only two items. viz., the fears about "the coolie vote swamping the European vote", and the supposed unfitness of the Indians to vote. At the outset, I would appeal to your good sense, and the love of fair play which is supposed to be a characteristic of the British nation. No amount of facts or arguments would convince you or your readers of the justness of my remarks if you or they are resolved upon looking at one side only of the question. Cool judgment and a dispassionate and impartial enquiry are essential to a right view of the whole matter. Does it not appear a far-fetched view that the Indian vote can ever swamp the European vote? A mere superficial observer can see that such a thing can never happen. A sufficient number can never command the property qualifications to be able to outdo the European vote. They are divided into two classes--the traders and the labourers. The latter are by far in the majority, and have no votes as a rule.

Poverty-stricken, they come to Natal on starvation wages. Can they ever dream of having enough property to qualify themselves for voting? And these are they who live here with any degree of permanence. Some only of the former class have the property qualifications; but then they do not live permanently in Natal, and many of those who can legally vote would never care to do so. The Indians as a class never, even in their own country, avail themselves of all their political rights. They are too much taken up with their spiritual well-being to think of taki ng an active part in politics. They have no great political aspirations. They come not to be politicians, but to earn an honest bread, and it is a matter for regret if some do not earn it strictly honestly. So, then, it seems that all the fears about the Indian vote assuming portentous proportions are ill-grounded. And even the few votes that the Indians command cannot in any way affect Natal politics. All talk about an Indian party clamouring for Indian representation seems to be chimerical, for the selection would always be between two White men. Would it, then, matter much that there are some Indian votes? The most the few votes can do will be to secure them a perfectly White gentleman, who would, if he is faithful to his promise, do them good service in the Assembly. And fancy one or two such members making up an Indian party! Why, they, or rather he, would be a veritable John1 crying in the wilderness without his electric, and perhaps I should say divine, power of converting. Even strong little parties representing diverse minor interests can effect very little in the Imperial Parliament. They can only heckle the First Lord with a few questions, and have the satisfaction of seeing their names appear in the next morning's papers. Then, you think that they (the Indians) are not civilized enough to be fit for voting; that they may not be any better than the Natives; and that they are certainly not equal to the Europeans in the scale of civilization. Perhaps not. And all would depend upon the meaning of the word "civilization". It is impossible to enter into a full discussion of all the questions suggested by an enquiry into the matter. I may, however, be allowed to point out that they enjoy these privileges in India. The Queen's Proclamation of 1858--which is justly and rightly called the Magna Charta of the Indians--runs:

We hold ourselves bound to the natives of our Indian territories by the same obligations of duty which bind us to all our other subjects, and these obligations by the blessing of Almighty God, we shall faithfully and conscientiously fulfil. It is our further will that, so far as may be, our subjects, of whatever race or creed, be freely and impartially admitted to offices in our service, the duties of which they may be qualified by their education, ability, and integrity, duly to discharge.

I can produce other similar extracts relating to the Indians. But I am afraid I have already trespassed too much upon your courtesy. I may add, however, that an Indian has been the acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta; an Indian Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/102 Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/103 is a judge of the High Courtat Allahabad, whose co-religionists the Indian traders as a rule are; and an Indian is a member of the British Parliament. Moreover, the British Government in many respects follow in the footsteps of Akbar the Great, who ruled and lived in the 16th century. He was an Indian. The present land system is a copy of the policy of Todurmull, the great financier and an Indian, with but few modifications. If all this is the outcome, not of civilization, but of semi-barbarity, I have yet to learn what civilization means. If, in the face of all the above facts, you can foment dissensions, and set the European section of the community to work against the Indian section, you are great.

I am, etc.,

M. K. Gandhi

The Natal Advertiser, 3-10-1893

The reference is to John the Baptist.

Work for Vegetarianism (30-9-1893)

Mr. M. K. Gandhi, in a private letter from Pretoria, writes:

There is a very fine opportunity in South Africa for a vegetarian gardener. Cultivation is very much neglected though the soil is very fruitful. I am glad to say I have been able to induce my landlady, who is an English woman, to become a vegetarian, and bring up her children on a vegetarian diet, but I am afraid she will slide down. Proper vegetables cannot be had here. Such as can be had are very dear. Fruit, too, is very dear; so is also milk. It therefore becomes very difficult to give her a sufficient variety. She would certainly leave it off if she finds it more expensive. I was very much interested in Mr. Hills's article on vital food.

1 I intend giving it another trial very soon. You will recollect that I did

The theory of vital food was originally propagated by Mr. A. F. Hills, Chairman of the Vegetarian Society, at its first quarterly meeting on February 4, 1889. In The First Diet of Paradise, he expounded, at some length, a somewhat remarkable theory of vitality, energy, rays of the sun, etc., which were to be found in the following foods: fruit, grain, nuts and pulse, all raw. Vide also "An Experiment in Vital Food", 24-3-1894.