Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/207

 ADVICE TO SOUTH AFRICAN INDIANS

In spite of his multifarious activities in India, Mr. 'Gandhi seldom forgot the scene of his early labours, His South African friends and felloio- workers are always dear to him. In a communication to the Indian Opinion he wrote under date 15th December, 1917 :

When 1 left) South Africa, I bad fully intended to write bo my Indian English friends there from time to toirne, but I found my lob in India bo be quite different! 'from whati I had expected it) to be. I had hoped bo be able to have comparative pe*oe and leisure but I have been irresistibly drawn into many aotivi&ies. 1 hardly oope with them and local daily correspondence. Half of my time is passed in the Indian trains. My South African friends will, I hope, forgive me for my apparent ^neglect of them, list ma assure them that not a day has passed bub I have thoughb of them and their kindness. "South African associations can never be effaced from my memory.

You will not now ha surprised when I 6eII you bhab it was only to-day that I learnt from Indian Opinion to hand about the disastrous floods. Daring my travels I rarely read newspapers and I have time merely to glance at them whilst I am not travelling. I write this to tender my sympathy to the sufferers. My imagination enables me 60 draw a true picture of their sufferings. They make one thing of God and His might and the utter evanescence of this life, They ought to teach us ever to seek His protection and never to fail in the daily duty before us. In the divine account-books only our actions are nobad, nob what we have read or what we have spoken, Th%ae and similar reflections fill my soul foe

�� �