Speech in Vienna

Speech in Vienna
By Raja J.P. Bahadur Singh

[On May 11th, 1929 Raja J.P. Bahadur delivered the following Speech in Vienna. The lecture took place in INDUSTRISHAUS, and the chair was taken by DR.GREIGER of the University of Vienna. The Raja Sahib spoke as follows:]

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to the introductory remarks made by the chairman about myself, I have to say that I am one of those who are found in hundreds in the East and thousands in the West who, struck by the horror of war, are crying for peace and goodwill. Most of these people like myself must have though of the ways for promoting peace and goodwill. It is therefore for the purpose of expressing my methods for promoting peace and harmony, as also to learn the methods thought out by other people in this part of the world, that I have come over to Europe and an visiting different countries for the exchange of views.

I have met here in Europe, several peace loving people. Some say when one class is oppressed and exploited, how can there be peace? Others hate the very idea of soldiers in inform guarding the residences of highly placed officials. One lady came up to me, after my lecture in Prague and, shaking hands with me, said that she quite agreed with my idea that peace must be built form the foundation, not imposed from the top; but she said she could not see the possibility of lasting peace as long as there were people who were starving for food. The very first condition she would down for peace was that there be no hunger and starvation in the world.

It is not my object, however, to criticize either the government or the people of any country. The experience that they have had is enough to justify them to be suspicious. Eve the classes, creeds and communities that are fighting with each other have some reasons or other to do so. It is not very easy these days to induce people to accept new ideas. It is still more difficult to influence the prejudiced mind unless we find out some such basis for the foundation of peace as would have no for denial or opposition by any one of any rank, class, creed or country.

The only thing which no man of any country, nationality, rank, class, creed or party would oppose or deny is the sense of humanity. For, if asked whether he was a human being, no one would say no. Nor would he have any objection to take us also human beings like himself.
When the sense of the oneness of humanity is established in the mind of the general public, the next question that will naturally arise is, why particular types of living beings like ourselves are called human beings, and some other types are called animals. And the answer that will naturally suggest itself is that not only the shape, but the customs, habits modes of living and, last but not least, the faculty of reason and deliberation differentiate man form the beast.

But the mere knowledge of this faculty of reason and deliberation in man is not enough to set a man to work for peace and goodwill at once. There is yet other principle of life which, if grasped rightly, is certain to produce the desired effect. This is the Law of self-preservation.

There is no one who will not follow this Law of self-preservation. It is only because of his desire to preserve his life that every one is impelled to move and work and struggle. Thus, the central motive power of all the stress, strife and struggle that we see around us is this desire for self-preservation.
Thus, the first desire of every human being is to preserve his life; and the next is to make that life as happy and comfortable as he can. Though the desire for self-preservation is found in the animals also, the methods employed by man and the animal differ. For, the methods used by man are the outcome of his deliberative capacity, while the animal, being denied of this faculty, has only its natural instinct to guide it.
Thus we find that the means whereby the animal preserve its life are conning, force and brutality; while the methods employed by man, if he makes the best use of his deliberative capacity, are peace, unity and co-operation.

Of course, there have been thousand of occasions when man has sunk to the animal level and employed force and brutality, the result being war and strife.

It is therefore with this object of making man more peaceful that all the religions and doctrines have come into existence; but they have never been entirely successful, for we find in history that there was no time when wars and battles were not fought. This is the reason why I thought of finding some new methods that may be acceptable to all men, alike, irrespective of class, country or creed.

After a serious consideration for a pretty long time, I came to the conclusion that the only principle that should unite the whole of mankind into one common family is the knowledge of the fundamental oneness of humanity. And as there is nobody who says that he is not a human being, all should combine to work for the benefit of that humanity of which each is a member. Working for the interest and benefit of humanity, therefore, includes the interest of each human being not excluding the preservation of life with comfort and happiness, which all men desire.

It was therefore with this object of emphasising the fundamental oneness of humanity as also of presenting to the general public the ideals of unity, goodwill and co-operation in the interest of their own safety, comfort and happiness that I started the Humanistic Club in India. The world "Humanistic" is used not in the sense of classical learning, but in the sense of that which is worthy of a human being, as also to convey to the public that it has got for its object the interest of the whole of humanity and not of one party, class creed or country.
In naming the institution a "Club", my idea was that if the ideals of goodwill, unity and co-operation were taken in the light of recreation they would be far more easily practised than if they were give as some religious preaching or some ethical code or law. And again, the very word "Club", meaning as it does an institution where people meet together and talk to one another freely, implies liberty of speech and though which is essential for the for the promotion of understanding.

My methods to bring about peace and goodwill, therefore are to establish a humanistic club in as many places of every country as possible and through its members to spread the idea of the oneness of humanity, the necessity for the preservation of life, and the attainment of comfort and happiness through unity, goodwill and co-operation (which are the only right methods).

Thus only, in my humble opinion, we shall be able to purify the mental atmosphere of the world which is at present badly contaminated by the germs of class-hatred, suspicion and national and religious prejudices. I have come to ask every country to join hands together and to make a common cause against this pest through which the world at present is dangerously suffering.

There is another object for which "the Humanistic Club" stands; and this is to afford facilities for different races and peoples to meet together and exchange ideas with each other on matters of common human interest and benefit. When we consider the great progress that science and invention have made during the last few decades in the way of bringing together far-flung countries into close contact, it must be a matter for surprise how little we known each other, how little we understand each other's hearts, how little we know each other, how little we understand for surprise how little we sympathies with each other's hopes and aspirations. Aeroplanes and quick-going ocean liners have helped to bring people of far-divided countries into physical contact; but to bring their hearts together on the level of brotherhood and equality is not in the scope of Aeroplanes and steamers. That requires a change in the mentality of the people themselves.

To-day, there is everywhere the talk of toleration- of religious and racial toleration, of class and communal toleration. But I am afraid mere toleration is not what we want. We want mutual appreciation, mutual understanding and sympathy. We do not want different countries and people to tolerate each other, but we want different countries and people to tolerate each other, but we want them to understand each other and appreciate each other. If, thus, understanding each other and appreciate each other. If, thus, understanding is established between peoples of different countries, inter-national peace will naturally follow, but not until then.
But, before such big units like nations and countries can be made to understand and appreciate each other, it is necessary that the smaller units such as classes, creeds and communities be made to lay down their mutual distrust, suspicion and hatred of one another and meet together in amity and friendliness.

The League of Nations is trying to bind all the nations' heads together in order to make wars impossible; but if the hands and feet are allowed to move at random, lots mischief can still be done. Let us, citizens of every country, rise to the occasion and, while the League binds the heads, we shall try to inter-lock the hands and feet with hearts. If we neglect our duty now, the League of Nations can do very little in the way of allying suffering. The League may be able to prevent one country from waging war against another country; but are not the strikes, rioting, rebellions, racial or communal fracas, religious intolerance and civil wars quite enough to cause misery, distress and even death to mankind? And, as a matter of fact, to-day there is greater danger of inter-communal and inter-class warfare than international warfare.

The request, therefore, I have to make to every country is to make some sort of arrangement to promote better understanding between the different contending parties, classes and communities in its own territory, and also to keep in touch with other countries for the exchange of ideas with a view to enlarging the bond of sympathy and amity wider and wider till it becomes world-wide.

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