XXI. POLAK TAKES
THE PLUNGE
It has always been my regret that, although I started
the Settlement at Phoenix, I could stay there only for
brief periods. My original idea had been gradually to
retire from practice, go and live at the Settlement, earn
my livelihood by manual work there, and find the joy of
service in the fulfilment of Phoenix. But it was not to
be. I have found by experience that man makes his plans
to be often upset by God, but, at the same time where the
ultimate goal is the search of truth, no matter how a
man's plans are frustrated, the issue is never injurious
and often better than anticipated. The unexpected turn
that Phoenix took and the unexpected happenings were
certainly not injurious, though it is difficult to say
that they were better than our original expectations.
In order to enable every one of us to make a living by
manual labour, we parcelled out the land round the press
in pieces of three acres each. One of these fell to my
lot. On all these plots we, much against our wish, built
houses with corrugated iron. Our desire had been to have
mud huts thatched with straw or small brick houses such
as would become ordinary peasants, but it could not be.
They would have been more expensive and would have meant
more time, and everyone was eager to settle down as soon
as possible.
The editor was still Mansukhlal Naazar. He had not
accepted the new scheme and was directing the paper from
Durban where there was a branch office for #Indian
Opinion# though we had paid compositors, the idea was for
every members of the Settlement to learn type-setting,
the easiest, if the most tedious, of the processes in a
printing press. Those, therefore, who did not already
know the work learnt it. I remained a dunce to the last.
Maganlal Gandhi surpassed us all. Though he had never
before worked in a press, he became an expert compositor
and not only achieved great speed but, to my agreeable
surprise, quickly mastered all the other branches of
press work. I have always thought that he was not
conscious of his own capacity.
We had hardly settled down, the buildings were hardly
ready, when I had to leave the newly constructed nest and
go to Johannesburg. I was not in a position to allow the
work there to remain without attention for any length of
time.
On return to Johannesburg, I informed Polak of the
important changes I had made. His joy knew no bounds when
he learnt that the loan of his book had been so fruitful.
'Is it not possible,' he asked, 'for me to take part in
the new venture?' 'Certainly,' said I. 'You may if you
like join the Settlement.' 'I am quite ready,' he
replied, 'If you will admit me.'
His determination captured me. He gave a month's
notice to his chief to be relieved from #The Critic#, and
reached Phoenix in due course. By his sociability he won
the hearts of all and soon became a member of the family.
Simplicity was so much a part of his nature that, far
from feeling the life at Phoenix in any way strange or
hard, he took to it like a duck takes to water. But I
could not keep him there long. Mr. Ritch had decided to
finish his legal studies in England, and it was
impossible for me to bear the burden of the office
single-handed, so I suggested to Polak that he should
join the office and qualify as an attorney. I had thought
that ultimately both of us would retire and settle at
Phoenix, but that never came to pass. Polak's was such a
trustful nature that, when he reposed his confidence in a
friend, he would try to agree with him instead of arguing
with him. He wrote to me from Phoenix that though he
loved the life there, was perfectly happy,and had hopes
of developing the Settlement, still he was ready to leave
and join the office to qualify as an attorney, if I
thought that thereby we should more quickly realize our
ideals. I heartily welcomed the letter. Polak left
Phoenix, came to Johannesburg and signed his articles
with me.
About the same time a Scotch theosophist, whom I had
been coaching for a local legal examination, also joined
as an articled clerk, on my inviting him to follow
Polak's example. His name was Mr. MacIntyre.
Thus, with the laudable object of quickly realizing
the ideals at Phoenix, I seemed to be going deeper and
deeper into a contrary current, and had God not willed
otherwise, I should have found myself entrapped in this
net spread in the name of simple life.
It will be after a few more chapters that I shall
describe how I and my ideals were saved in a way no one
had imagined or expected.
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