258 EARLIER JNPIAN SPEECHES.
degraded. But what does that signify ? They gentlemen before they came here, and if they have lost soms of the moral fibre, it is a reflection upon our- selves. (Cries of *' No".) Just think out for your- selves, if a man who was good yesterday has be- come bad after having come in contact with me, is he responsible that he has detenerated or am I ? The atmosphere of sycophancy and falsity that surrounds them on their coming to India demoralises them, as it -would many of us. It is well to take the blame some- times. If we are to receive self-government, we shall tiave to take it. We shall never be granted self-govern- ment, Look at the history of the British Empire and .the British nation ; freedom-loving as it is, it will not be a party to give freedom to a people who will not take it themselves. Learn your lesson if you wish to from the Boer War. Those who were enemies of that empire only a>few years ago have now become friends.
��[At this point there was an interruption and there was a movement on the platform to leave ; the speech therefore ended here abruptly,]
THE BENARES INCIDENT.
The following communication was made to the Press by Mr. M. K. Gandhi, describing the circumstances under which his speech at the opening ceremony of the Hindu University, Benares. xc?i> interrupted.
Mrs, Besant's reference m New India and certain other references to the Benares incident perhaps render it necessary for me to return 10 the subject, however disinclined I may be to do so. Mrs. Besant denies my
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