সবুজ পত্র আষাঢ়, ১৩২ the human mind is not a chemical compound which admits of either quantitative or qualitative analysis. But we shall not go very far astray if we say that, what is modern in our literature has its root in modern Europe, and what is national in ancient India. Spiritually we all hark back to the Vedanta Philo. sophy, because Europe has not succeeded in robbing us of our sense of the Beyond. We welcome the science of modern Europe, but not its philosophy. We would sooner believe that all is spirit, than that all is matter. But we seek to modernise the ancient thought-that is to say, we would apply the doctrines of man's spiritual freedom to his social life. Europe has simply taught us to bridge the ancient gulf be- tween Indian thought and Indian life. Rabindranath Tagore incarnates in himself the whole spirit of the age, and in his works Europe can find all the heights and depths of our new psycho- logy. But whilst European readers of his writings can easily recognise what is Western in thought and feeling therein, they fail to realise that his religious consciousness is inspired by the Vedanta, and that his lyrics are informed by the spirit of Vaishnava poetry. Our new literature at its best shows that in it the East and West have not only met, but have inter- penetrated each other. Manchester Guardian, March 28, 1918.
