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262
159, East 31st St.,
New York City, Nov. 14th 1894. MY DEAR Mrs. Howard,
Viva and I thought of you last evening at the 19th Century Club. When Mr. Gandhi sat on the platform in his white costume with purple turban and sashlooking just the same as in your parlör-and not as if it were a proud moment in his life. You can imagine how proud we were of him to think that when people asked, as they did behind us, “Will we have to have an interpreter ?” “I suppose so" and to know how taken by surprise they would be, at his first word. It was a splendid crowd-brilliant in jewels and broad in mind-as crowds go in New York, there could be none more on the qui vive. The missionary was a nice gentleman who won for his side by his defeat-- he was really as a Christian should be. I know you would have liked him, too. When Mr. Gandhi came forward, he seemed eager for the fray. I had no idea that he would care so much. He began very nicely indeed, saying that his reinarks should not be construed as applying to America or the gentlemen present. Then he simply sailed in, and gave the missionary system " Hail Columbia." I could see heads nodding approval to his statements, and many rounds of applause were given. He waxed faster and faster, using the most superfine English in the most masterly way, till our heads began to swim trying to take it all in: If any interpreter were needed, it was one for our own language,
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