36. Man and Machine

The Bishop of Birmingham, who met Gandhiji during the latter's visit to Birmingham in 1931, was loud in his praise for science and machinery, which, he said, were made to free man from manual toil so that he might have all his time or the bulk of it for intellectual work.

Gandhiji reminded the Bishop that he could not trust the average man to use all his spare time profitably on the Strength of the old adage "Satan always finds some work for idle hands to do." But the Bishop demurred.

"Look here," said he, "I do not do manual work for more than an hour a day. The rest of my time I give to intellectual pursuits."

"I know," said Gandhiji laughing, "but if all became Bishops, the Bishops would find their occupation gone."