mahatma gandhi was not a commander of great armies nor ruler of vast lands, he could boast no scientific achievements, no artistic gift.  yet men, governments and dignitaries from all over the world have joined hands today to pay homage to this little brown man in the loincloth who led his country to freedom.
pope pius, the archbishop of canterbury, president truman, chiang kai-shek, the foreign minister of russia, the president of france.  are among the millions here and abroad who have lamented his passing. in the words of general george c. marshall, the american secretary of state, "mahatma gandhi had become the spokesman for the conscience of mankind"
a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires." and albert einstein added, "generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."
 but perhaps to this man of peace, to this fighter who fought without malice or falsehood or hate, the tribute he would value most has come from general douglas mcarthur: "if civilization is to survive," the general said this morning, "all men cannot fail to adopt gandhi's belief that the use of force to resolve conflict is not only wrong but contains within itself the germ of our own self-destruction.".
perhaps for the rest of us, the most satisfying comment on this tragedy comes from the impudent new york pm which today wrote, "there is still hope for a world which reacts as reverently as ours has to the death of a man like gandhi.".