Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/676

 586 NON-CO-OPERATION

adv ice possible in the interests of Islam and India, when I asked the Brothers to make the statement issued by them. The Ali Brothers have showed humility and courage of a h-gh order in making the statement. They have s'-jown that they are capable of sacrificing their pride and their all for the sake of their faith and country. They have served the cause by making the statement, as they would have injured it by declining to make it.

In spite of all that conviction in me, lam not surprised at the remonstrances lam receiving. They but show that the methods now being pursued are new, that the country will not surrender a title of its just demands, and for theT satisfaction, it wishes to rely purely upon its own strength.

I give below the relevant parts of the strongest argument in condemnation of my advice and its accept- ance by the Brothers. The leuer, moreover, is written by one of tin; greatest among the Non-Co-operators. It is not written for publication at all. But I know the writer will not mmd my sharing it with the reader. For I have no doubt that he represents the sentiments of several thoughtful Non-Co-operators. It is my humble duty to discuss the issues arising from the incident, and the implications of Non-Co-operation. It is only by patient reasoning, that I hope to be able to demonstrate the truth, the beauty and the reasonableness of Nor- Co-operation. Here then are the extracts :

4 * The statement of the Brothers, taken by itself and read without reference to what has preceded and followed it, is a manly enough document If in the heat of the moment they have said things which, they now find, may reasonably be taken to have a tendency

�� �