New-York tribune., 1883-03-11
THE PRESS IN INDIA.
A LETTER FROM F. MARION CRAWFORD.

SHARP COMMENTS ON HIS PRESENT ADMIRERS
-ENGLAND's RULE OF PEACE. ORDER. AND
STAINLESS JUsTICE.v
To tho Editor Of the tribune.
SIR East Indian journalism is very different from
journalism elsewhere. There is a hazy and poetic
atmosphere of improbablity about the country,
which pervades the daily literature as well as the
landscape and the mythology. Everything is slow,
If it Is not sure, and the calm editor OF an Indian
daily prepares his leaders weeks and keeps
them in type in the comfortable security that they
Will do just as we'll next year as to-day Under that
warm spell of Incidence which the climate casts
over Eastern humanity, IL IL of little Importance
what man reads so long as it puts him to sleep
The Oriental editor peed only provide the requisite
amount of soporifc matter peppered with Reuters
kilograms, and with such speculative comments on
the occupations of the Viceroy as present them
selves to his own semi-somnolent Imagination, and
the rest will take care of itself.
In the large ports there is indeed a certain show
of animation about the dailies, Inasmuch as they
are chiefly morning papers and contain certain
amount of fresh work. But morning paper In the
interior, say in Allahabad, DELHI, or Lahore, is
always printed by 3 o'clock on the previous after
uoon and every is perfectly satisfied. The edi-
tion Is printed, sealed and ready for the post by
o'clock, and the Editor goes TO his late dinner with
an appetite sharpened by his clear conscience; for,
come what may, the paper is ready for tomorrow
morning Nobody seems 70 care III the least. and
all parties are perfectly happy. would like to hear
of an Indian editor who has ever sat up till III the
morning. except over whist table in the club.
There is beauty belonging to any kind of life in
the Far East that makes even the existence OF
press man half poetic. Surrounded by the peculiar
luxuries of tropical country, waited on by white
robed messengers in many-folded turbans famed
by the soft breeze of the pendulum punkah over
head and much pressed for time II is not sur
pTsiug If tho journalist sinks INTO bisstu indii-
ference about the doings of the great world and is
only o be reused from his reveries by the excite
ment of libel suit the destruction of several
hundred thousand persons by famine. One or the
other of these two events is sure TO occur once IL
every few years.
But do not mean TO say that because journalism
IN tie East is dreamy and contemplatlve in charac-
ter 1t ought TO be So, or thai there is for
something more active. The press is everywhere
the outcome of liberty. and should be the pioneer
of freedom, spiritual and temporal. The press in
sndia is the result of the presence of Englishmen
who have always been used 10 a daily paper at
home, and cannot do without It abroad-but there
is wide difference In the manner of their reading.
The press in England has great power over the
reading public. In India the reading public con-
sistsamost entirely of the cfci ais of n despostic
Government, who perfectly understand that moth
ing the papers can say Will have the smallest iniu-
ence on the affair. of the Empire. The English
press seems to tolerate the public-tho Indian pub
lie toleraies the press.
Manifestly the character of set Of newspapers
which at best can only aspire 10 be fayorably
viewed IN the light of agreeable literature,
la iesq aoryile In tho deanot m
represented by the general reader and the
editor II he has the financial interests Of
his Journal in view, must beware of censuring
the system of government by which his subscribers
get their livelihood. He may. indeed. pass an oc-
casOnal jud gment upon the doings Of the ViccToy,
who j. very often an outsider thoroughly dctestcd
by the established civil service OF the ludian En-
pre : but should he venture to attack such points
as the administration OF justice. the reckless
travagance of the salaries paid to the regular
officials. or the shameless promotion OF fayorites IN
high places, he will find himself In exec. lively hot
water.
recent ariccin The London Daily telegraph Feb
ruary (bcaring the unmIs akahe stamp Of Mr.. Ed
WIN Arnod's workmanship, declares that She Brit
sh rule IN India, which has CIV peace order, and
stainless Justice to two hundred and fifty millions ~
the human racc-the greatest marvel in history OF
heroic achievement it IL the noblcst fruit of We
torious duty-rests upon Force" With a change
IN the figures the same statement might be made of
our own country n regard the Civil War and with
truth. But can II be said thar England has given
"peace order, and a stainless justice to India
think not. The proofs of all this righteousness
are to be found in the Anglo-Indian press, in the
reports of enthusiasts Ike sir Richard Temple aud
the Strachcy brotherhood, III the beautiful dignity
Of Mr.. Edwin Arnolds poems, sketches and news
paper artices-but not in the lives. the financial
enterprises the conversation Of those best able
TO Judge the Indians themselves,
The press in India cannot properly be held respon-
sible for the misconceptions that prevail concern
ng the state Of the country II native opinion had
license to express itself openly the matter would bo
different but that not the case. TIL is. there
was two years ago, n stringent censorship of most
elaborate organization. making any native paper
caught speaking little too boldly liable to mme-
diate suppression. BY a " native paper" mean q
journal published in one or other OF the Indian
dialects as distinguished from those published in
the English language, of which there are between
thirty and forty. These latter constitute nomi-
nally free pres but matter OF fact they are more
wholly at the mercy OF the Government than their
native fellows, for the subscribers to an English
paper in India are almost without exception per-
sons connected with the British rule The editor
has the choice of running his journal or OF holding
his peace such topics likely to be disagree
able Therefore he calmly sits beneath the pendu-
lum punkah and turns out twadde by the basket
full if he is an ass, or pretty, harmless, innocent
little things If he has turn for literature. His
paper is not the organ of any original thought
To illustrate tins truth it is sufficient to quote
one instance. In the year 1879 n rich native mer-
chant who had enjoyed very liberal education,
and was thoroughly conyersant with the English
language, made effort to start an independent
English journal in of the principal cities OF the
INTERIOR great railroad centre in the Northwest
Provinces. lie believed, and many of his fellow
merchants with him. that there was for such
an enterprise, and he spared expense in the
cution of his design. The newspaper edited by
young Dian who was not an Englishman, but