The morning call., 1893-08-18
THE STORM IN INDIA.

A scrinniape between Hindoo and Mos
lem in a big city like BOmbay is matter
of mn sipnifcance. Street fights occur in
snch nlaces every year when the religious
fostivels take place. A few heads are
broken. n few temples CIR mosques are de-
c,roved. but after couple Of days quiet is
rastofpd by the lassitude of the mob and
avervtbiug gUeson as before. The striking
! feature of The present disturbance is the
! nowerlessnesS of the Government and the
Etroops TO hold the insurgents in check. 1t
anryears that there are only some 10000
! iinpir of the Indian army in and about
! ci:g which contains over; 100000 people,
and of the troops a considerable number
are prepared, if opportunity offers. to take
sides with the rioters.
T. In such con tests there is little to choose
between victory and defeat. Under COM
petent leadership the army will probably
get the better of the I'm armed mob. But
the contest VIII have educated the m0b in
"a knowledge. of its power. An English
officer predicted: the easy suppression of
the riot for the reason that the rioters were
.unarined. being forbidden by the English
authorities tO'cdrty arms. Ii so. the event
wilf-bring forcibly TO the notice of the ma
,tves the Injustice of :depriving them of
one of tHeir natural rights. TO wit: the
right Of bearing arms for their own protec-
ton. The next. time a disturbance takes
place this wrong 70 the Hindostanees may
strive, asa basis for the m ovement II the
English can only bold their ground in
India by denying to the natives their natu-
raj rights their expulsion must be a mere
matter ofiime.'
British observers of events rely upon the
internecine iealousyof Hindoo and Mussul-
man TO pafalyZe uprisings against the
European. But experience has shown
that when the feeling of nationality is
reused differences of creed are set aside
for the IN Oment. 10 the Instruction of
1857 the first uprising took place among
the. high caste HiRdo3s of Bengal; but it
soon spread to- the Mohammedans Of
Delhi and HvderaDad. The two sects
fought.side by side against the alien, and
If they had had arms and general they
would have repossessed their country. On
that occasion the intelligent classes dis
cerned in Lord Dalhousie's annexation of
Dude fixed purpose to substitute Eu-
rOpean civilization for Asiatic civilization,
and they did not propose to submit to the
change. At no occasion in that conflict
was the rivalry between Hindoo and
Mussaman of the least assistance to the
English.
The conquerors of India lave been con-
fronted with an alternative which they
have solved according to the dictates of
civilization in preference TO the dictates of
expediency. They have established
schools everywhere, and have taught
the Hiudoo and Mohammedsn that the
subsection of one race by another is
impraclieable in theory and impos-
slble in practice. They have inter
sected the country with strategic
railroads without rejecting that the roads
would distri butte insurgents as well as Sc
pOys. Every step which has been taken
since the abolition of the East India CON-
pany has been calculated 20 fit the natives
for coming struggle. The English have
educated their subjects in the business of
organization and concentration. Can they
expect that the lesson will be without
fruit?
The chances are that no immediate re-
suits will flow from the riots at Bombay.
They seem 10 have been meTe Incidents.
not parts of any deliberate plan. But the
rioters who saw how easily they wrested
the control of The city from the organized
troops cannot but feel that they are
stronger than they knew, ard that when
an opportunity recurs to try conclusions
with the foreigner they may be more sue
cessful than they were in the time of the
''mntiny." Those were memorable words
of Lord Canning on his departure from
England to take the Governor Generalship
OF dia: II hope for peace. But / cam
not forget that in the sky Of India, serene
as it seems. there is a small cloud 10 bigger
than mans hand which. growing larger
and larger, may at last threaten 10 burst
and overwbelm us with ruin"