Page:Report on the Memorial Meeting for Mahatma Gandhi.djvu/4

 politicians and statesmen did not wish to make certain expressions, but it was he who spoke out friendly and candidly and fearlessly and he taught others who followed him to do the same, and in the face of every conceivable danger, and there it was that the greatest revolutionary struggle for India's freedom was launched, which lasted for very nearly 25 years.

“During these 25 years, time and again, some of us who used to get impatient, used to ask him, ‘How long will you continue to subject us to this?’ His answer was, ‘The weapon of violence has been tried for thousands of years, and has it given the world peace? Try in my way, even if it is for a few years and see whether it will not succeed.’

“Well, Mr. Chairman, I think I can honestly say today we within our own lifetime have seen a success, the like of which can hardly be found in history. 400,000,000 people have achieved their freedom which is the first condition of the kind of freedom which he would have liked to see established in the country.

“His last will and testament are before the world. He did not want merely living freedom, but he wanted the completest religious, individual, social, and economic freedom for all individuals throughout the world; and I can assure you that he never for once allowed it to be said that he was preaching to the whole world. He used to say, ‘How can I face the world when I have not achieved that which I want my own country to achieve?’ Time and again he was invited by other countries and his answer always used to be, ‘How ridiculous that I should leave my country in this state and go to the world and preach to them. Let me achieve Justice here before I go to the world.’

“He has achieved success. He is no more, but he is there in spirit, and I have no doubt that his spirit will grow in ever-widening circles as time passes on, and his voice will be heard among the voices of all the great religious and moral teachers of the past from pulpits of the world.”