Page:Indian Home Rule by Mohandas K. Gandhi.djvu/34

26 myself with endeavouring to show that what you call Swaraj is not truly Swaraj.


 * Then from your statement, I deduce the Government of England is not desirable and not worth copying by us.


 * Your deduction is justified. The condition of England at present is pitiable. I pray to God that India may never be in that plight. That which you consider to be the Mother of Parliaments is like a sterile woman and a prostitute. Both these are harsh terms, but exactly fit the case. That Parliament has not yet of its own accord done a single good thing, hence I have compared it to a sterile woman. The natural condition of that Parliament is such that, without outside pressure, it can do nothing. It is like a prostitute because it is under the control of ministers who change from time to time. To-day it is under Mr. Asquith, to-morrow it may be under Mr. Balfour.


 * You have said this sarcastically. The term "sterile woman" is not applicable. The Parliament, being elected by the people, must work under public pressure. This is its quality.


 * You are mistaken. Let us examine it a little more closely. The best men are supposed