st frankly confess that, had it not been for Mr. Ewbank's
great zeal for the cause he has made his own, I should have shirked the
task. But there we were, seated on a fairly worn-out _charpai_,
surrounded by men, women and children. Mr. Ewbank opened fire on a man
who had put himself forward and who wore not a particularly innocent
countenance. After he had engaged him and the other people about him in
Gujrati conversation, he wanted me to speak to the people. Owing to the
suspicious looks of the man who was first spoken to, I naturally pressed
home the moralities of co-operation. I fancy that Mr. Ewbank rather
liked the manner in which I handled the subject. Hence, I believe, his
kind invitation to me to tax your patience for a few moments upon a
consideration of co-operation from a moral standpoint.

My knowledge of the technicality of co-operation is next to nothing. My
brother, Devadhar, has made the subject his own. Whatever he does,
naturally attracts me and predisposes me to think that there must be
something good in it and the handling of it must be fairly difficult.
Mr. Ewbank very kindly placed at my disposal some literature too on the
subject. And I have had a unique opportunity of watching the effect of
some co-operative effort in Champaran. I have gone through Mr. Ewbank's
ten main points which are like the Commandments, and I have gone through
the twelve points of Mr. Collins of Behar, which remind me of the law of
the Twelve Tables. There are so-called agricultural banks in Champaran.
They were to me disappointing efforts, if they were meant to be
demonstrations of the success of co-operation. On the other hand, there
is quiet work in the same direction being done by Mr. Hodge, a
missionary whose efforts are leaving their impress on those who come in
contact with him. Mr. Hodge is a co-operative enthusiast and probably
considers that the result which he sees flowing from his efforts are due
to the working of co-operation. I, who was able to watch the efforts,
had no hesitation in inferring that the personal equation counted for
success in the one and failure in the other instance.

I am an enthusiast myself, but twenty-five years of experimenting and
experience have made me a cautious and discriminating enthusiast.
Workers in a cause necessarily, though quite unconsciously, exaggerate
its merits and often succeed in turning its very defects into
advantages. In spite of my caution I consider the little ins