Titles which were the other day titles of honour are
to-day in my opinion badges of our disgrace.
We must therefore surrender all titles of honour, all
honorary offices. It will constitute an emphatic
demonstration of the disapproval by the leaders of
the people of the acts of the Government. Lawyers
must suspend their practice and must resist the power
of the Government which has chosen to flout public
opinion. Nor may we receive instruction from
schools controlled by Government and aided by it.
Emptying of the schools will constitute a demonstration
of the will of the middle class of India. It
is far better for the nation even to neglect the literary
instruction of the children than to co-operate with
a Government that has striven to maintain an injustice
and untruth on the Khilafat and Punjab matters.
Similarly have I ventured to suggest a complete boycott
of reformed councils. That will be an emphatic
declaration of the part of the representatives of
the people that they do not desire to associate with
the Government so long as the two wrongs continue.
We must equally decline to offer ourselves as recruits
for the police or the military. It is impossible
for us to go to Mesopotamia or to offer to police
that country or to offer military assistance and to
help the Government in that blood guiltiness.
The last plank in the first stage is Swadeshi.
Swadeshi is intended not so much to bring pressure
upon the Government as to demonstrate the capacity
for sacrifice on the part of the men and women of
India. When one-fourth of India has its religion
at stake and when the whole of India has its honour
at stake, we can be in no mood to bedeck ourselves
with French calico or silks from Japan. We must
resolve to be satisfied with cloth woven by the humble
weavers of India in their own cottages out of yarn
spun by their sisters in their own homes. When
a hundred years ago our tastes were not debased and
we were not lured by all the fineries from the foreign
countries, we were satisfied with the cloth produced
by the men and women in India, and if I could but
in a moment revolutionize the tastes of India and make
it return to its original simplicity, I assure you
that the Gods would descent to rejoice at the great
act of renunciation. That is the first stage
in non-co-operation. I hope it is as easy for
you as it is easy for me to see that if India is capable
of taking the first step in anything like a full measure
that step will bring the redress we want. I therefore
do not intend to take you to the other stages of non-co-operation.
I would like you to rivet your attention upon the
plans in the first stage. You will have noticed
that but two things are necessary in going through
the first stage: (1) Prefect spirit of non-violence
is indispensable for non-co-operation, (2) only a little
self-sacrifice, I pray to God that He will give the
people of India sufficient courage and wisdom and
patience to go through this experiment of non-co-operation.
I think you for the great reception that you have
given us. And I also thank you for the great patience
and exemplary silence with which you have listened
to my remarks.