How Gandhi convince Fred campel by writing a letter?
Letter, July 28, 1925428
[Mr. Campbell, who described himself as a young boy of 15 from Kansas, wrote on May 4, 1925: "A few days ago I heard a sermon in one of our Christian churches in which the minister gave a vivid account of your fasting in order to stop the hard feeling between the Mohammedans and the Hindus... the man said that you were the foremost example of Christ today, although you are not a Christian. After hearing this, I determined to read more about you. In this I read of your troubles with the British. What is your main reason for hatred towards them? Is it a commercial matter? If you could find time to answer this, I would be more than pleased. I am thanking you in advance."429] 148, Russa Road, Calcutta, July 28, 1925 My dear young friend, I like your frank and sincere letter for which I thank you. You seem to have taken it for granted that I hate the British. What makes you think so? I have hundreds of friends among the British people. I cannot love the Mussalmans and for that matter the Hindus if I hate the British. My love is not an exclusive affair. If I hate the British today, I would have to hate the ohammedans tomorrow and the Hindus the day after. But what I do detest is the system of government that the British have set up in my country. It has almost brought about the economic and moral ruin of the people of India. But just as I love my wife and my children, in spite of their faults which are many, I love also the British in spite of the bad system for which they have unfortunately made themselves responsible. That love which is blind is no love, that love which shuts its eyes to the faults of loved ones is partial and even dangerous. You must write again if this letter does not satisfy you. Yours sincerely, M.K. Gandhi Letter, April 23, 1926430 428 SN 10547; Collected Works, Volume 27, pages 432-33 429 SN 10540 430 Collected Works, Volume 30, pages 343-44 210 [Mr. Campbell wrote again on March 16, 1926, requesting Gandhiji to put him in touch with a 16-year-old pen pal.431] Ashram, Sabarmati, April 23, 1926 My dear young friend, I have your letter. Much as I would like to accommodate you, you have asked me to do the impossible. I cannot get a sixteen year lad to write to you in English for the simple reason that his mother tongue would be an Indian language. Spanish is out of the question. No doubt there are some Anglicised Indian families where English is taught from infancy. But in order to get one such boy I shall have to hawk your letter about from place to place which I am sure you would not want or expect from me to do. But if you want to open correspondence with a grown-up person who can write with the freshness of youth, I might succeed. With all good wishes, Yours sincerely, Fred Campbell, Esq. 7701 Main St. Kansas City, MO. [Not discouraged, the young man wrote again on May 31, 1926: "Nothing could be more acceptable to me than your offer to start a correspondence with me yourself." And he went on to describe his school life.432]
[Mr. Campbell, who described himself as a young boy of 15 from Kansas, wrote on May 4, 1925: "A few days ago I heard a sermon in one of our Christian churches in which the minister gave a vivid account of your fasting in order to stop the hard feeling between the Mohammedans and the Hindus... the man said that you were the foremost example of Christ today, although you are not a Christian. After hearing this, I determined to read more about you. In this I read of your troubles with the British. What is your main reason for hatred towards them? Is it a commercial matter? If you could find time to answer this, I would be more than pleased. I am thanking you in advance."429] 148, Russa Road, Calcutta, July 28, 1925 My dear young friend, I like your frank and sincere letter for which I thank you. You seem to have taken it for granted that I hate the British. What makes you think so? I have hundreds of friends among the British people. I cannot love the Mussalmans and for that matter the Hindus if I hate the British. My love is not an exclusive affair. If I hate the British today, I would have to hate the ohammedans tomorrow and the Hindus the day after. But what I do detest is the system of government that the British have set up in my country. It has almost brought about the economic and moral ruin of the people of India. But just as I love my wife and my children, in spite of their faults which are many, I love also the British in spite of the bad system for which they have unfortunately made themselves responsible. That love which is blind is no love, that love which shuts its eyes to the faults of loved ones is partial and even dangerous. You must write again if this letter does not satisfy you. Yours sincerely, M.K. Gandhi Letter, April 23, 1926430 428 SN 10547; Collected Works, Volume 27, pages 432-33 429 SN 10540 430 Collected Works, Volume 30, pages 343-44 210 [Mr. Campbell wrote again on March 16, 1926, requesting Gandhiji to put him in touch with a 16-year-old pen pal.431] Ashram, Sabarmati, April 23, 1926 My dear young friend, I have your letter. Much as I would like to accommodate you, you have asked me to do the impossible. I cannot get a sixteen year lad to write to you in English for the simple reason that his mother tongue would be an Indian language. Spanish is out of the question. No doubt there are some Anglicised Indian families where English is taught from infancy. But in order to get one such boy I shall have to hawk your letter about from place to place which I am sure you would not want or expect from me to do. But if you want to open correspondence with a grown-up person who can write with the freshness of youth, I might succeed. With all good wishes, Yours sincerely, Fred Campbell, Esq. 7701 Main St. Kansas City, MO. [Not discouraged, the young man wrote again on May 31, 1926: "Nothing could be more acceptable to me than your offer to start a correspondence with me yourself." And he went on to describe his school life.432]