Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-10-20
Oriental Patriotism.

We know of no subject upon which the
opinion of experts in Asiatic affairs is so
hOpelessly divided az to that of Oriental
patriotism. A great number of the
keenest of them, and especially of the
men whose experience is entitled to
respect, say that such a feeling as
patriotism does not exist in any Asiatic.
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.
He very rarely or never has word in
the language TO express the virtue, his
public opinion does not require it as o
condition Of political life, and under
temptation he never finds in it any
source Of strength. An Asiatic, such
observers say, can be very loyal to a
ruler or to an ally, or to an idea, but
his loyalty to what he terms his
'country" is of the fceblest character.
He may speak of patriotism in words,
especially when talking to Europeans;
but his impelling motive is always
either ambition or pride, or fanaticlsm,
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 ont 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 EOS, 900, and
ridicule the notion that man like
Arab Pasha can be governed by
anything like 'natiOnalist" feeling. He
may be, they admit, Mussulman
fanatic, or devotee of the Khalifate-
which is not quite the same thing-or
even an "Asptic"; that is, q man who
lOathes European ascendancy; but he
can not care enough for Egypt to make
Egyptian interest, as he conceives it,
the guiding star of his policy-can not,
in fact, be in any sense patriot.
We should say that, on the whole,
this was the more general opinion, es-
pecially among those experts who have
come much in contact with prominent
Asiatic statesmen-the men, that is,
who are not sOvcreigns, but have risen
by serving or opposing sovcreigns. At
the same time, minority of observers
equally experienced, and we think, us a
rule, possessed of more sympathy and
insight, though not of greater force, ut
terly reject this view. They say that
Asiatics not only can feel, but do feel
the sentiment of patriotism as strongly
as Europeans; that the want of word
to express the idea is an accident, which,
curiously enough, is reproduced in En-
gland, where, though every one under
stands ''love of country" tho only
single word which imprcsses that senti-
ment is borrowed from the French; and
that an Arab, Il native of India, or Il
Chinaman, when good man, is as
strongly moved by the idea of "coun-
try" and all which it implies, as on En-
glishman or all American. lie is more
, likely to be deficient in that virtue than
European, as he is more likely to be
deficient in any other of the active vir-
tues, his whole nature being feebler,
and, SO to speak, more feminine; yet
he not only recognizes, but, unless over
powered by strong temptation, arts on
it. He very often, for example, sub
mits to invasion when a 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 self-sacritice for his country he