correspondence between tolstoy and gandhi

7/29/2019 Correspondence Between Tolstoy and Gandhi

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CorrespondencebetweenTolstoyandGandhi

WestminsterPalace

Hotel

4,VictoriaStreet,

LONDON,W.C.

10.11.1909.

DearSir:

Ibegtotendermythanksforyourregisteredletterinconnectionwiththeletteraddressedto

aHindu,andwiththemattersthatIdealtwithinmylettertoyou.

HavingheardaboutyourfailinghealthIrefrainedinordertosaveyouthetrouble,from

sendinganacknowledgment,knowingthatawrittenexpressionofmythankswasa

superfluousformality,butMr.AylmerMaude,whomIhavenowbeenabletomeetreassured

methatyouwerekeepingverygoodhealthindeedandthatunfailinglyandregularlyattended

toyourcorrespondenceeverymorning.Itwasverygladsomenewstome,anditencourages

metowritetoyoufurtheraboutmatterswhichare,Iknow,ofthegreatestimportance

accordingtoyourteaching.

Ibegtosendyouherewithacopyofabookwrittenbyafriend anEnglishman,whoisat

presentin

South

Africa,

in

connection

with

my

life,

insofar

as

it

has

abearing

on

the

struggle

withwhichIamsoconnected,andtowhichmylifeisdedicated.AsIamveryanxiousto

engageyouractiveinterestandsympathyIthoughtthatitwouldnotbeconsideredbyyouas

outofthewayformetosendyouthebook.

Inmyopinion,thisstruggleoftheIndiansintheTransvaalisthegreatestofmoderntimes,

inasmuchasithasbeenidealisedbothastothegoalasalsothemethodsadoptedtoreachthe

goal.Iamnotawareofastruggle,inwhichtheparticipatorsarenottoderiveanypersonal

advantageattheendofit,andinwhich50%ofthepersonsaffectedhaveundergonegreat

sufferingandtrialforthesakeofaprinciple.Ithasnotbeenpossibleformetoadvertisethe

struggleas

much

as

Ishould

like.

You

command,

possibly,

the

widest

public

today.

If

you

are

satisfiedastothefactsyouwillfindsetforthinMr.Doke'sbook,andifyouconsiderthatthe

conclusionsIhavearrivedatarejustifiedbythefacts,mayIaskyoutouseyourinfluencein

anymanneryouthinkfittopopularisethemovement?Ifitsucceeds,itwillbenotonlya

triumphofreligion,loveandtruthoverirreligion,hatredandfalsehood,butitishighlylilelyto

serveasanexampletothemillionsinIndiaandtopeopleinotherpartsoftheworldwhomay

bedowntrodden,andwillcertainlygoagreatwaytowardsbreakingupthepartyofviolence,

atleastinIndia.Ifweholdouttotheend,asIthinkwewould,Ientertainnottheslightest

doubtastotheultimatesuccess;andyourencouragementinthewaysuggestedbyyoucan

onlystrengthenusinourresolve.


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Thenegociations[sic]thatweregoingonforasettlementofthequestionhavepractically

fallenthrough,andtogetherwithmycolleagueIreturntoSouthAfricathisweek,andinvite

imprisonment.Imayaddthatmysonhashappilyjoinedmeinthisstruggle,andisnow

undergoingimprisonmentwithhardlabourforsixmonths.Thisishisfourthimprisonmentin

thecourseofthestruggle.

Ifyouwouldbesogoodastoreplytothisletter,mayIaskyoutoaddressyourreplytomeat

Johannesburg,S.A.Box6522.

Hopingthatthiswillfindyouingoodhealth,Iremain

Yourobedientservant,

MKGandhi

*****

ToGandhi,

IHAVEjustreceivedyourveryinterestingletter,whichgavememuchpleasure.Godhelpour

dearbrothersandcoworkersintheTransvaal!Amongus,too,thisfightbetweengentleness

andbrutality,betweenhumilityandloveandprideandviolence,makesitselfevermore

stronglyfelt,especiallyinasharpcollisionbetweenreligiousdutyandtheStatelaws,

expressedbyrefusalstoperformmilitaryservice.Suchrefusalsoccurmoreandmoreoften.

Iwrotethe'LettertoaHindu',andamverypleasedtohaveittranslated.TheMoscowpeople

willletyouknowthetitleofthebookonKrishna.Asregards'rebirth'Iformypartshouldnot

omitanything,

for

Ithink

that

faith

in

are

birth

will

never

restrain

mankind

as

much

as

faith

in

theimmortalityofthesoulandindivinetruthandlove.ButIleaveittoyoutoomititifyou

wishto.Ishallbeverygladtoassistyouredition.Thetranslationanddiffusionofmywritings

inIndiandialectscanonlybeapleasuretome.

Thequestionofmonetarypaymentshould,Ithink,notariseinconnexionwithareligious

undertaking.

Igreetyoufraternally,andamgladtohavecomeintouchwithyou.

LEO

TOLSTOY.

*****

ToCountLeoTolstoy,YasnayaPolyana,Russia.

JOHANNESBURG,4thApril1910.

DearSir,

YouwillrecollectmyhavingcarriedoncorrespondencewithyouwhilstIwastemporarilyin

London.Asahumblefollowerofyours,IsendyouherewithabookletwhichIhavewritten.Itis

myown

translation

of

aGujrati

writing.

Curiously

enough,

the

original

writing

has

been


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confiscatedbytheGovernmentofIndia.I,therefore,hastenedtheabovepublicationofthe

translation.

Iammostanxiousnottoworryyou,but,ifyourhealthpermitsitandifyoucanfindthetime

togothroughthebooklet,needlesstosayIshallvalueveryhighlyyourcriticismofthewriting.

IamsendingalsoafewcopiesofyourlettertoaHindoo,whichyouauthorisedmetopublish.

IthasbeentranslatedinoneoftheIndianlanguagesalso.

Iam,

Yourobedientservant,M.K.GANDHI.

*****

ToMahatmaGandhi.

YASNAYAPOLYANA.

8th

May

1910.

Dearfriend,

Ihavejustreceivedyourletterandyourbook,IndianHomeRule.

IreadyourbookwithgreatinterestbecauseIthinkthequestionyoutreatinit:thepassive

resistanceisaquestionofthegreatestimportance,notonlyforIndiabutforthewhole

humanity.

Icouldnotfindyourformerletters,butcameacrossyourbiographybyJ.Doss,whichtoo

interestedme

much

and

gave

me

the

possibility

to

know

and

understand

your

letter.

IamnotquitewellatpresentandthereforeabstainfromwritingtoyouallwhatIhavetosay

aboutyourbookandallyourwork,whichIappreciateverymuch,butIwilldoitassoon,asI

willfeelbetter.

Yourfriendandbrother

LeoTolstoy

*****

ToGandhi,Johannesburg,Transvaal,SouthAfrica.

KOCHETY.7thSeptember1910.

Ireceivedyourjournal,IndianOpinion,andwasgladtoseewhatitsaysofthosewho

renounceallresistancebyforce,andIimmediatelyfeltawishtoletyouknowwhatthoughts

itsperusalarousedinme.

ThelongerIliveespeciallynowwhenIclearlyfeeltheapproachofdeaththemoreIfeel

movedtoexpresswhatIfeelmorestronglythananythingelse,andwhatinmyopinionisof

immenseimportance,

namely,

what

we

call

the

renunciation

of

all

opposition

by

force,

which

reallysimplymeansthedoctrineofthelawofloveunpervertedbysophistries.Love,orin


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otherwordsthestrivingofmen'ssoulstowardsunityandthesubmissivebehaviourtoone

anotherthatresultstherefrom,representsthehighestandindeedtheonlylawoflife,asevery

manknowsandfeelsinthedepthsofhisheart(andasweseemostclearlyinchildren),and

knowsuntilhebecomesinvolvedinthelyingnetofworldlythoughts.Thislawwasannounced

byallthephilosophies IndianaswellasChinese,andJewish,GreekandRoman.Mostclearly,I

think,wasitannouncedbyChrist,whosaidexplicitlythatonithangalltheLawandthe

Prophets.Morethanthat,foreseeingthedistortionthathashindereditsrecognitionandmay

alwayshinderit,hespeciallyindicatedthedangerofamisrepresentationthatpresentsitself

tomenlivingbyworldlyinterests namely,thattheymayclaimarighttodefendtheirinterests

byforceor,asheexpressedit,torepayblowbyblowandrecoverstolenpropertybyforce,

etc.,etc.Heknew,asallreasonablemenmustdo,thatanyemploymentofforceis

incompatiblewithloveasthehighestlawoflife,andthatassoonastheuseofforceappears

permissibleeveninasinglecase,thelawitselfisimmediatelynegatived.Thewholeof

Christiancivilization,outwardlysosplendid,hasgrownuponthisstrangeandflagrant partly

intentionalbut

chiefly

unconscious

misunderstanding

and

contradiction.

At

bottom,

however,

thelawofloveis,andcanbe,nolongervalidifdefencebyforceissetupbesideit.Andifonce

thelawofloveisnotvalid,thenthereremainsnolawexcepttherightofmight.Inthatstate

Christendomhaslivedfor1,900years.Certainlymenhavealwaysletthemselvesbeguidedby

forceasthemainprincipleoftheirsocialorder.ThedifferencebetweentheChristianandall

othernationsisonlythis:thatinChristianitythelawoflovehadbeenmoreclearlyand

definitelygiventhaninanyotherreligion,andthatitsadherentssolemnlyrecognizedit.Yet

despitethistheydeemedtheuseofforcetobepermissible,andbasedtheirlivesonviolence

sothatthelifeoftheChristiannationspresentsagreatercontradictionbetweenwhatthey

believeandtheprincipleonwhichtheirlivesarebuilt:acontradictionbetweenlovewhich

shouldpre

scribe

the

law

of

conduct,

and

the

employment

of

force,

recognized

under

various

formssuchasgovernments,courtsofjustice,andarmies,whichareacceptedasnecessaryand

esteemed.Thiscontradictionincreasedwiththedevelopmentofthespirituallifeof

Christianityandinrecentyearshasreachedtheutmosttension.

Thequestionnowis,thatwemustchooseoneoftwothingseithertoadmitthatwerecognize

noreligiousethicsatallbutletourconductoflifebedecidedbytherightofmight;orto

demandthatallcompulsorylevyingoftaxesbediscontinued,andallourlegalandpolice

institutions,andaboveall,militaryinstitutions,beabolished.

Thisspring,

at

ascripture

examination

in

aMoscow

girls'

school,

first

their

religious

teacher

andthenanarchbishopwhowasalsopresent,questionedthegirlsontheten

commandments,especiallyonthesixth.Afterthecommandmentshadbeencorrectlyrecited

thearchbishopsometimesputaquestion,usually:'Isitalwaysandineverycaseforbiddenby

thelawofGodtokill?'Andtheunfortunategirls,misledbytheirinstructor,hadtoanswerand

didanswer:'Notalways,foritispermissibleinwarandatexecutions.'When,however,this

customaryadditionalquestionwhetheritisalwaysasintokillwasputtooneofthese

unfortunatecreatures(whatIamtellingyouisnotananecdote,butactuallyhappenedand

wastoldmebyaneyewitness)thegirlcolouredupandanswereddecidedlyandwithemotion

'Always!'Anddespiteallthecustomarysophistriesofthearchbishop,sheheldsteadfastlyto

itthat

to

kill

is

under

all

circumstances

forbidden

even

in

the

Old

Testament,

and

that

Christ

hasnotonlyforbiddenustokill,butingeneraltodoanyharmtoourneighbour.The


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archbishop,forallhismajestyandverbaldexterity,wassilenced,andvictoryremainedwiththe

girl.

Yes,wemaywriteinthepapersofourprogressinmasteryoftheair,ofcomplicated

diplomaticrelation,ofvariousclubs,ofdiscoveries,ofallsortsofalliances,andofsocalled

worksof

art,

and

we

can

pass

lightly

over

what

that

girl

said.

But

we

cannot

completely

silence

her,foreveryChristianfeelsthesame,howevervaguelyhemaydoso.Socialism,Communism,

Anarchism'SalvationArmies,thegrowthofcrime,freedomfromtoil,theincreasinglyabsurd

luxuryoftherichandincreasedmiseryofthepoor,thefearfullyrisingnumberofsuicidesare

allindicationsofthatinnercontradictionwhichmustandwillberesolved.And,ofcourse,

resolvedinsuchamannerthatthelawoflovewillberecognizedandallrelianceonforce

abandoned.YourworkintheTransvaal,whichtousseemstobeattheendoftheearth,isyet

inthecentreofourinterestandsuppliesthemostweightypracticalproof,inwhichtheworld

cannowshare,andnotonlytheChristianbutallthepeoplesoftheworldcanparticipate.

Ithink

it

will

please

you

to

hear

that

here

in

Russia,

too,

asimilar

movement

is

rapidly

attractingattention,andrefusalsofmilitaryserviceincreaseyearbyyear.Howeversmallas

yetiswithyouthenumberofthosewhorenounceallresistancebyforce,andwithusthe

numberofmenwhorefuseanymilitaryserviceboththeoneandtheothercansay:Godis

withus,andGodismightierthanman.

IntheconfessionofChristianityevenaChristianitydeformedasisthattaughtamongusanda

simultaneousbeliefinthenecessityofarmiesandpreparationstoslaughteronanever

increasingscale,thereisanobviouscontradictionthatcriestoheaven,andthatsooneror

later,butprobablyquitesoon,mustappearinthelightofdayinitscompletenakedness.That,

however,will

either

annihilate

the

Christian

religion,

which

is

indispensable

for

the

maintenanceoftheState,oritwillsweepawaythemilitaryandalltheuseofforceboundup

withitwhichtheStateneedsnoless.Allgovernmentsareawareofthiscontradiction,your

BritishasmuchasourRussian,andthereforeitsrecognitionwillbemoreenergetically

opposedbythegovernmentsthananyotheractivityinimicaltotheState,asweinRussiahave

experiencedandasisshownbythearticlesinyourmagazine.Thegovernmentsknowfrom

whatdirectionthegreatestdangerthreatensthem,andareonguardwithwatchfuleyesnot

merelytopreservetheirinterestsbutactuallytofightfortheirveryexistence.

Yoursetc.,LEOTOLSTOY.

correspondence between tolstoy and gandhi

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