Page:Works of Tagore from the Modern Review, 1909-24 Segment 1.pdf/158

Rh before her. At once she replaced her veil and stood erect, leaving her bed. Rajib knew that the thunderbolt was uplifted. He fell down before her,—he clasped her feet, crying "Forgive me!"

She answered not a word, she looked not back for a moment, as she walked out of the room. She never returned to the house of Rajib. No trace of her was found anywhere else. The silent fire of her anger at that unforgiving eternal parting left all the remaining days of Rajib's earthly life branded with a long scar.

2em

N a previous article on "The Status of the Church in England," I stated that a new social and spiritual idealism was developing in England at the present time, but that owing to the great and growing force of materialism it was not yet possible to say in which direction the nation would eventually go; whether the new spiritual idealism, or materialism, strengthened and upheld by a successful commercialism, would prove the stronger. That your readers may realise the truth and significance of this contention, and the better understand the social and religious conditions prevailing in England, I have in the present article tried to reveal some of the deeper movements and tendencies to be observed in our English life. Moreover I have done this from the point of view of an idealist, of one, that is, who, by reason of his great ambition for the highest spiritual advancement of his country, and, indeed, of humanity as a whole, sees perhaps more vividly than those who are not possessed of such a conscious ambition, the terrible evils and dangers which stand in the way of such advancement, and what requires to be done in order that the path of true greatness may in the future be followed. The writer hopes, moreover, that his description will be educative, and not without its lessons or significance for Indian idealists.

With the object of making my meaning and contention the more clear, I have drawn a comparison between Jerusalem at the time of Christ, and England at the present time, taking my cue of moral, social and religious conditions prevailing in Jerusalem at the time of Christ from the descriptive speech of that great teacher which is given, for instance, in Ch. 23 of St. Matthew's record of the Gospel, and in which appear these memorable words: "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets!"

Of course, I am quite well aware that the comparison will not carry in all respects, as, for instance, politically, and to some extent, socially, but it will do so, I think, morally and religiously. The Jewish Church at the time of Christ was intensely materialistic, and in a condition of moral stagnation; at the same time it was extremely religious, and deeply resented Christ's attack upon it. But precisely the same charge could be brought against the Church in England to-day; and it is this fact that I wish particularly to emphasise; for it is materialism, especially the materialism of the Church, which more than anything else threatens the future development and well-being of England.

Few words carry with them such burning pathos, or contain so much tragic significance as those of Christ which I have just quoted. They are words of reproach, but also of bitterness and despair, being the death sentence, so to speak, upon a venerable and time-honoured city, and upon a once mighty nation and great civilisation. But it is not the first instance of its kind; nor is it likely to be the last. Look at the picture! A great and proud nation exulting in the glory of its past, confident in itself, yet all the while tottering because of decay!