The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-09

and If that pressure is removed by
the contagion of general panic, such
as is caused by the rout of an army or
by frightful epidemic, all re-
straints vanish at once, and the result
is general decentralization and bewil-
derment, of which flight appears to be
the only fixed idea. Mr.. Kinglake
contrasts with this undignified flight
the grave demeanor of the Mohamme-
dams. 81 did not hear while was at
Cairo that any prayer for remission
of the plague had been offered up in
the mosques. l believe that, however
frightful the ravages of the disease
may be, the Mohammedans refrain
from approaching heaven with their
complaints until the plague has en-
dured for long space. Then at last
they pray God, not that the plague
may cease, but that it may go to an
other city!' We do not know how
far this may apply to the attitude of
Mohammedans of the present day,
but nothing could express better the
belief that the plague is sent to an
Swer some specific purpoSe-of
that that purpose will in all probabili-
struction of a city, and is likely
rather to involve the partial depopu-
of other cities. According to Mr..
Kinglake, deaths in Cairo had reached
1900 Il day before he left, and even
that was not point at which it was
thought decent by the Mohammedans
to assume that the purpose of God in
sending the plague had been suffi-
Oin tlN FIJI 70 ~ g
pray that it might pass on
Oriental evidently faces boldly the
possibility that it may be the purpose
of God that he and great number of
his companions should die, while the
average European avertS his mind al
together from such a possibility as
purely unnatural, and bolts from the
danger which he perceives, so soon as
he understands its fatal character,
just as, without discipline, he would
bolt out of the line of fire of a nit
railleuse the moment he saw his COM
rades falling thickly around him.
And those words without discipline
tell the whole secre OF the average Eu-
ropean's strength and weakness. A
disciplined force would be kept in its
place by the respect paid to the
opinion of those who had been trained
to value courage and fidelity to Or
ders more highly than life itself. An
undisciplined crowd flies, because
there is no such respect for trained
opinion, no knowledge that there is
such body of opinion worth respect
ing, and because there is no restrain
ing instinct in the individual strong
enough to take the place of that
social discipline which governs a
trained body of men. The Oriental
does not fly, because there is in him
such a restraining instinct-an in
stinct consisting in part, perhaps, OF
\the feeling that life is hardly worth sc
ignominious a retreat from death
partly, again, of the feeling that life
cannot ultimately be SO rescued, but
will be shortly forfeited again, under
circumstances of still greater igno
minyeven if for the moment death b,
delayed; in other words, the value fol
life is less vehement and potent il
, the Oriental, while the belief in ;
dlscernible destiny is stronger; tn,
value for life is overwhelmingly pre-
dominant in the European, while tn,
, belief in "a destiny that in any sens
, overruleS human action is more thee
retic than practical The Oriental i
| less terrified by the prospect of dealt
| and more profoundly impressed b,
; the impossibil!ty of escaping it whel
. the time comes. The European fear
| premature death as something alto
gether irrational, unnatural and al
, most intolerable except under tn
social coercion of professional in
stinct which has become second an,
/ stronger nature; and, therefore, eX
cept when this social coercion is il
, full force, Europeon mu titude i
subject to much more disgracefu
panics than an Oriental people, beini
r both more tenacious of life and les
tenacious of dignity.