THE LATE REV. C. F. ANDREWS
Tributes by Mr. Gandhi and
Dr. Rabindranath Tagore
THE passing of C. F. Andrews has drawn forth two remarkable testimonies in India, and in these days of tension between England and India it should be helpful to all Britishers to know what Mr. Gandhi and Dr. Rabindranath Tagore have to say about their mutual friend. Mr. Gandhi writes: -
“In my Opinion Charlie Andrews was one of the greatest and best of Englishmen. And because he was a good son of England he became also a son of India. And he did It all for the sake of humanity and for his Lord and Master Jesus Christ. I have not known a better man or better Christian than C. F. Andrews. India bestowed on him the title of Deenabandhu. He deserved it because he was, a true friend of the poor and downtrodden in all climes.”
Under the heading of “Andrews’ Legacy,” Dr. Rabindranath Tagore writes: —“Nobody probably knew Charlie Andrews as well as I did; ours was not a friendship between an Englishman and an Indian. It was an unbreakable bond between two seekers and servants. I want Englishmen, and Indians, whilst the memory of the death of this servant of England and India is still fresh, to give a thought to the legacy he has left for us both. There is no doubt about his love for England being equal to that of the tallest of Englishmen, nor can there be any doubt of his love for India being equal to that of the tallest of Indians. . . . At the present moment 1 do not wish to think of English misdeeds. They will be forgotten, but not one of the heroic deeds of Andrews will be forgotten so long as England and India live. It is possible, quite possible, for the best Englishmen and the best Indians to meet together and never to separate till they have evolved a formula acceptable to both. The legacy left by Andrews is worth the effort.”
So does the reconciling spirit of C. F. Andrews— the best loved white man in India—still live on.
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