70 A PILGRIMAGE FOB PEACES
jail In their hundreds and thousands. But that was not
enough. Mere filling of the jails would not bring India
freedom. " Even thieves and criminals go to prison, but
their prison-going has no merit. It is the suffering of the
pure and innocent that tells. It is only when the autho-
rities find that the only place where they can keep the
purest and most innocent citizens is prison that a change
of heart is forced upon them. A satyagrahi goes to prison
not to embarrass the authorities but to convert them by
giving to them an experience of his innocence. You should
realize that unless you have developed the moral fitness
to go to prison which the law of Satyagrsftia demands,
your jail-going will be useless and will bring you only
disappointment at the end. A votary of non-violence must
have the capacity to put up with the indignities and hard-
ships of prison life not only without retaliation or anger
but with pity in his heart for the perpetrators of those
hardships and indignities. I would, therefore, today ask
you to examine yourselves in the light of my remarks,
and if you find that you cannot or do not want to go the
full length, to drop your badge of non-violence and request
Badshah Khan to release you from your pledge. That
will be a species of heroism. But if you have full faith in
the creed of non-violence as I have described it, then know
it from me that God'will arm you with the required
strength in your hour of trial."
And the appeal was not wasted. At the end of the
speech, in answer to Badshah Khan's interrogatory, the
Khidmatgars said: " We admit we fall short of Mahatmaji's
standard of non-violence. We have not been able to banish
anger from our "hearts. We often lose our temper. Some
of the implications of non-violence that Mahatmaji has
set before us are new to us. All we can say is that we
feel our shortcomings and that we will sincerely strive
and spare no effort to overcome them and reach the ideal
that has been placed before us."
Gandhiji was pleased at the truthful reply of the
Khidmatgars. " Then it is well with us," he remarked as
he took leave of them.