Romain Rolland is writing the first biography of Mahatma Gandhi--the man who has stirred three hundred million people to revolt, shaken the foundation of the British Empire and introduced into human politics the greatest religious impetus in the last 2000 years. This biography will be published in The Century Magazine beginning with the December number.

M. Rolland says there is no reason why a Westerner should not understand Gandhi's doctrine as well as Gandhi understands those of our great men for it should not be forgotten that this Asiatic believer has translated Ruskin, and Plato and quotes Thoreau, admires Mazzini, reads Edward Carpenter, and that he is, in short, familiar with the best that Europe and America have produced. According to M. Rolland, Gandhi's fundamental argument is against modern civilization, which he says is civilization in name only and that in reality it corresponds to what ancient Hinduism called the dark ages.

"The nucleus of modern civilization is machinery Age of iron! Heart of iron! The machine has become a monstrous idol. It must be done away with. Thousands of years ago India learned the art of self control and mastered the science of happiness. India must go back to the sources of her ancient culture--the plow and the spinning wheel."

From M. Rolland we learn that Gandhi was an English patriot as long as he could retain a grain of faith in England's loyalty.