The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-08-10
Oriental patriotism.

WIlouthl EhbElOGhbus
We know of no subject upon which the |
opinion of experts In ASiatio affairs Is SO |
hopelessly divided as to that of Oriental |
patriotism. A great number of the |
keenest of them, and especially of tho !
men whose experience is entitled to |
respect, say that such feeling as
patriotism does not exist in any Asiatio. |
He can and will die for his creed, or for |
his tribe, or caste, or for his dynasty;
but of patriotism he has no conception.
Hc very rarely or never has q word in
the language to express the virtue, his
pubic opinion docs not require tt as q
condition of political life, and under
source of strength. An Asiatic, such
ruler or to nm ally, or to an idea, but !.
his loyalty to what he terms his
"country" is of the feeblest character.
tlo may speak of patriotism in words,
especially whea talking to Europeans;
but his impelling motive is always
either ambition or pride, or fanatiolsm,
and not, especially under temptation,
love of country. lIe will SELL his country
in order to rule it, and sometimes for
mere lucre, especially when he is out of
spirits, and thinks Destiny has declared
against the virtues, Those observers
who think thus believe in their own
view very firmly, point TO the case of
Tel Singh, who sold victory, as General
Cunningham reports, for 1920 900, and
rldICule the notion that man like
Arab FaSha can be governed by
anything liko "nationalist" feeling. lie
may be, they admit, MusSulmau
| fanatic, or a devotee of che Khalifate-
4 MI ~ noe .,sNss
| even an 'NASlatic"; that is, q man who
lo&the$ Europesn ascendancy; but he
can not care enough for Egypt to make
kgyp'lAn interest, as he conceives it,
the guiding star of his policy-can not,
Ii fact, be In any sense patriot.
! We shOuGd say that, on the whole,
! this was the more general opinion, es-
/ PsSt&Dly among those experts who have
! cNt1le much in contact with prominent
I A<o&tfG S1AteSmeU-the men, that is,
who &rS not SoyercignS, but have risen
| by serving or opposing sovereigns At
the SAEue time, y minority of observers
e,li&lly experienced, aud we think, as n
rCILs, possessed of more sympathy and
insight, though not of greater force, ut
1<"ty reject this view. They say that
ASl&ticS not only can feel, but do feel
the sentiment OF patriotism as strongly
S> Europeans; that the want of a word
to express the idea is an accident, which,
cC1Tiolt>iy enough, is reproduced in En-
gland, where, though every one under
$cSn,lS ''love Of country" the only
siugle word which impresscs that senti-
menf Is borrowed from the French; and
that an Arab, native Of India, or o
ChIn&man, when a good man, is as
strongly moved by the idea of "coun-
try, y and al which it implies, as an En-
gilShman or All American. He is moro
likely to he deficient in that virtue than
a European, rs he is more likely to be
deficient in any other OF the active yir-
tues, his whole nature being feebler,
and, so to speak, more feminine; vet
he not only recognizes, but, unless over
powered by strong temptation, acts on
it. He very often, for example, sub
mlts to invasion when European would
resist, but he never submits willingly,
still less permanently. He never adopts
the invader, never forgets that his own
country is separate, and never ceases to
hope that in Gods good time the inva-
der will be compelled to depart, or, if
such extreme good fortune may be, will
be slaughtered out.
AS to sclt-sacrifcc for his country, he
fills up the national army readily
enough, and this in countries like Az
ghanistan, which have no conscripti0n;
he serves as soldier, say in Turkey,
with wonderful sclf-suppression; and he
viii, and docs constantly, risk his for
tune rather than give an advantage to
the national enemy. No foreign Gov
ernment in an Asiatic state is ever able
quite to trust the people, while it is a
, universal experience that if rising oc-
ours, the people enter into a silent con-
spiracy to give it aid. They may not
rise, but the foreigner hears nothing of
the plot till it explodes, finds no one to
bctray the leaders, and is conscious of
living In an atmosphere of deadly hos
tility. In the exceptional case of small
states separated by any cause from their
nclghbors, like that OF the Albanians,
the Afghans, the Burmese, or the
Druses, patriotism is burning passion,
to be as fully relied on as the same pas
sion in any European country. Men
who think thus declare that Arab Pasha.
though governed by mixed motives, still
does feel the nationalist feeling; that his
followers, though moved by many emo
| tions, still do seek tho independence of
| Egypt; and that good many of those
, whom we consider dangerous fools,
| nctuated by bloodthirsty raoe.hatred,
honestly believe that in rioting thev are
risking life in order to be rid of enemies
to their country.--LOndoeS Spectator.