Those God Protects

I had now given up all hope of returning to India in the near future. I had promised my wife that I would return home within a year. The year was gone without any prospect of my return, and so I decided to send for her and the children.

I had now given up all hope of returning to India soon. I had promised my wife I would return home within a year. The year had passed, and there was still no prospect of my return. So I decided to send for her and the children.

On the boat bringing them to South Africa, Ramdas, my third son, had broken his arm while playing with the ship’s captain. The captain had looked after him well and had had him attended to by the ship’s doctor. Ramdas therefore landed with his hand in a sling. The doctor had advised, that as soon as we reached home, the wound should be dressed by a qualified doctor. But this was the time when I was full of faith in my experiments in earth treatment. I had even succeeded in persuading some of my clients who had faith in my quackery to try the earth and water treatment.

On the boat bringing them to South Africa, my third son, Ramdas, broke his arm while playing with the ship’s captain. The captain took good care of him and had the ship’s doctor treat him. So Ramdas came ashore with his arm in a sling. The doctor advised us to have a qualified doctor dress the wound as soon as we got home. But at the time, I had great faith in my experiments with earth treatment. I had even persuaded some of my clients who believed in my quackery to try the earth and water treatment.

What then was I to do for Ramdas? He was just eight years old. I asked him if he would mind my dressing his wound. With a smile he said he did not mind at all. It was not possible for him at that age to decide what was the best thing for him, but he knew very well the distinction between quackery and proper medical treatment. And he knew my habit of home treatment and had faith enough to trust himself to me. In fear and trembling I undid the bandage, washed the wound, applied a clean earth poultice and tied the arm up again. This sort of dressing went on daily for about a month until the wound was completely healed. There was no hitch, and the wound took no more time to heal than the ship’s doctor had said it would do under the usual treatment.

What was I to do for Ramdas? He was only eight years old. I asked if he would mind my dressing his wound. He smiled and said he did not mind at all. At his age, he could not decide what was best for him. But he knew very well the difference between quackery and proper medical treatment. He also knew that I often treated people at home, and he had enough faith to trust himself to me. Fearful and trembling, I undid the bandage, washed the wound, applied a clean earth poultice, and bandaged his arm again. I dressed the wound this way every day for about a month, until it had completely healed. There were no problems, and the wound healed as quickly as the ship’s doctor had said it would with usual treatment.

This, and other experiments, enhanced my faith in such household remedies, and I now proceeded with them with more self-confidence. I widened the sphere of their application, trying the earth and water and fasting treatment in cases of wounds, fevers, dyspepsia, jaundice, and other complaints, with success on most occasions. But nowadays I have not the confidence I had in South Africa, and experience has even shown that these experiments involve obvious risks.

This experiment and others strengthened my faith in household remedies, and I began using them with greater confidence. I used them more widely, trying earth, water, and fasting treatments for wounds, fevers, indigestion, jaundice, and other ailments. Most of these treatments were successful. But today I am less confident than I was in South Africa. Experience has even shown me that these experiments involve obvious risks.

The reference here, therefore, to these experiments is not meant to demonstrate their success. I cannot claim complete success for any experiment. Even medical men can make no such claim about their experiments. My object is only to show that he who would go in for novel experiments must begin with himself. That leads to a quicker discovery of truth, and God always protects the honest experimenter.

So I do not mention these experiments to show that they succeeded. I cannot claim complete success for any experiment. Even doctors cannot make that claim about their experiments. I only want to show that anyone undertaking new experiments must start with themselves. This leads to a quicker discovery of truth, and God always protects the honest experimenter.

The risks involved in experiments in cultivating intimate contacts with Europeans were as grave as those in the nature cure experiments. Only those risks were of a different kind. But in cultivating those contacts, I never so much as thought of the risks.

My experiments in forming close relationships with Europeans involved risks as serious as those in my nature cure experiments. The risks were simply different. But as I formed those relationships, I never even thought about the risks.

I invited Polak to come and stay with me, and we began to live like blood brothers. Mrs. Polak and he had been engaged for some years, but the marriage had been postponed for а propitious time. I have an impression that Polak wanted to put some money by before he settled down to a married life. He knew Ruskin much better than I, but his Western surroundings were a bar against his translating Ruskin’s teaching immediately into practice. But I pleaded with him: ‘When there is a heart union, as in your case, it is hardly right to postpone marriage merely for financial considerations. If poverty is a bar, poor men can never marry. And then you are now staying with me. There is no question of household expenses. I think you should get married as soon as possible.’ As I have said in a previous chapter, I had never to argue a thing twice with Polak. He appreciated the force of my argument, and immediately opened correspondence on the subject with Mrs. Polak, who was then in England. She gladly accepted the proposal and in a few months reached Johannesburg. Any expense over the wedding was out of the question, not even a special dress was thought necessary. They needed no religious rites to seal the bond. Mrs. Polak was a Christian by birth and Polak a Jew. Their common religion was the religion of ethics.

I invited Polak to come and stay with me, and we began to live like brothers. He and Mrs. Polak had been engaged for some years, but they had postponed their marriage until a favorable time. I believe Polak wanted to save some money before settling into married life. He knew Ruskin much better than I did. But his Western surroundings prevented him from putting Ruskin’s teachings into practice immediately. I urged him: ‘When two people are united in their hearts, as you are, it is hardly right to postpone marriage merely for financial reasons. If poverty prevents marriage, poor men can never marry. Besides, you are now staying with me. There are no household expenses to worry about. I think you should get married as soon as possible.’ As I said in a previous chapter, I never had to make an argument twice with Polak. He saw the force of my argument and immediately wrote about it to Mrs. Polak, who was then in England. She gladly accepted the proposal and arrived in Johannesburg a few months later. There was no question of spending money on the wedding. They did not even think a special dress was necessary. They needed no religious ceremony to seal their bond. Mrs. Polak was a Christian by birth, and Polak was a Jew. Their shared religion was the religion of ethics.

I may mention in passing an amusing incident in connection with this wedding. The Registrar of European marriages in the Transvaal could not register marriages between black or coloured people. In the wedding in question, I acted as the best man. Not that we could not have got a European friend for the purpose, but Polak would not brook the suggestion. So we three went to the Registrar of marriages. How could he be sure that the parties to a marriage in which I acted as the best man would be whites? He proposed to postpone registration pending inquiries. The next day was a Sunday. The day following was New Year’s Day, a public holiday. To postpone the date of a solemnly arranged wedding on such a flimsy pretext was more than one could put up with. I knew the Chief Magistrate, who was head of the Registration Department. So I appeared before him with the couple. He laughed and gave me a note to the Registrar, and the marriage was duly registered.

I might mention an amusing incident connected with this wedding. The Registrar of European marriages in the Transvaal could not register marriages between black or coloured people. I was the best man at this wedding. It was not that we could not have found a European friend for the role, but Polak would not hear of it. So the three of us went to the marriage Registrar. How could the Registrar be sure the couple were white when I was the best man? He proposed postponing registration until he could make inquiries. The next day was a Sunday. The day after that was New Year’s Day, a public holiday. We could not put up with postponing a solemnly arranged wedding on such a flimsy pretext. I knew the Chief Magistrate, who was head of the Registration Department. So I went before him with the couple. He laughed and gave me a note for the Registrar, and the marriage was duly registered.

Up to now the Europeans living with us had been more or less known to me before. But now an English lady who was an utter stranger to us entered the family. I do not remember our ever having had a difference with the newly married couple, but even if Mrs. Polak and my wife had had some unpleasant experiences they would have been no more than what happen in the best regulated homogeneous families. And let it be remembered that mine would be considered an essentially heterogeneous family, where people of all kinds and temperaments were freely admitted. When we come to think of it, the distinction between heterogeneous and homogeneous is discovered to be merely imaginary. We are all one family.

Until then, I had known the Europeans living with us at least somewhat beforehand. But now an Englishwoman who was a complete stranger to us joined the family. I do not remember ever having a disagreement with the newly married couple. But even if Mrs. Polak and my wife had some unpleasant experiences, they would have been no worse than those in the best-run families of similar people. And we should remember that my family would be considered a very mixed one. People of all kinds and temperaments were freely welcomed into it. When we think about it, the distinction between mixed and similar families turns out to be imaginary. We are all one family.

I had better celebrate West’s wedding also in this chapter. At this stage of my life, my ideas about brahmacharya had not fully matured, and so I was interesting myself in getting all my bachelor friends married. When, in due course, West made a pilgrimage to Louth to see his parents, I advised him to return married if possible. Phœnix was the common home, and as we were all supposed to have become farmers, we were not afraid of marriage and its usual consequences. West returned with Mrs. West, a beautiful young lady from Leicester. She came of a family of shoemakers working in a Leicester factory. Mrs. West had herself some experience of work in this factory. I have called her beautiful, because it was her moral beauty that at once attracted me. True beauty after all consists in purity of heart. With Mr. West had come his mother-in-law too. The old lady is still alive. She put us all to shame by her industry and her buoyant, cheerful nature.

I had better celebrate West’s wedding in this chapter too. At this stage of my life, my ideas about brahmacharya had not fully matured. So I was taking an interest in getting all my bachelor friends married. In time, West made a pilgrimage to Louth to see his parents. I advised him to return married if possible. Phœnix was our shared home, and we were all supposed to have become farmers. So we were not afraid of marriage and its usual consequences. West returned with Mrs. West, a beautiful young woman from Leicester. She came from a family of shoemakers who worked in a Leicester factory. Mrs. West had also worked in this factory. I have called her beautiful because her moral beauty attracted me at once. After all, true beauty lies in purity of heart. Mr. West’s mother-in-law had come with him too. The old lady is still alive. She put us all to shame with her hard work and her lively, cheerful nature.

In the same way as I persuaded these European friends to marry, I encouraged the Indian friends to send for their families from home. Phœnix thus developed into a little village, half a dozen families having come and settled and begun to increase there.

Just as I persuaded these European friends to marry, I encouraged my Indian friends to bring their families from home. In this way, Phœnix grew into a small village. Half a dozen families came, settled there, and began to grow in number.