146 IN THE VISION CF GC3
any difference. It is tie Lord who plays all the parts in
the world-drama.
An Englishman named Abbot desiring to see Ramdas
motored him to his bungalow. Abbot and his aged sister
received Ramdas in the verandah. The English mother
talked in high admiration of Jesns Christ and his teachings.
Ramdas perfectly agreed with her in her laudation of the
divine Teacher. But her enthusiasm carried her so far as
to speak in comemptuons terms of Sri Krishna, Bnddha
and others.
"Mother, Eamdas cannot "be one with you there," he told
her. "He holds Sri Krishna and Buddha in the same high
estimation as, if not higher than, Jesns. Ton are speaking
of them as yon do, because yon have not understood them.
Similarly, there are Hindus who speak disparagingly of
Christ without knowing him."
The mother combated his view and started attacking it
by arguments. Bin Ramdas remained silent. Abbot did
not like the way his sister spoke and tried to pacify
her. At last she stopped and Eaindas took leave of them.
Rainkinkar and other friends of Jhansi proposed that
R&mdas should be made conversant with Hindi, because
many people who came to see him did not understand the
English tongue. They felt that they were losing the
benefit of his talks. So one of the friends undertook to
coach him up in Hindi. Ramdas was provided with the first
Hindi primer and a slate and pencil. He felt that he had
Just been enrolled in the infant class. He received an hour's
instruction from the kind teacher every day. His progress
was rapid. In ten days he finished the first primer and in
five days more, he passed through the second primer. Then
he commenced reading books in easy Hindi, such as Bala
Ramayan, life of Samarth Ramdas and Gita Sangraha. He
also started inditing letters in Hindi.
Ram-aavami, the celebration of the birthday of Sri
Ramcaandra* was fast approaching and Ramdas bethought