The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-23
The Crisis in India.

The administrative capacity or Brit
ish craftsmanship for colonial govern
ment, concerning which so many boasts
have been made, is apparently about
to undergo q supreme test in India.
All the accounts coming from trust
worthy sources agree that Anglo-In-
dian rule is nearing a crisis beside
which the Sepoy rebellion of 1857 may
appear mild. AS yet we have only
scattering reports of sporadic upris-
ings Of Indian tribesmen on the Pun
jaub frontier, but those who have been
in India and studied in detail the situa-
tion there aver that there is reason to
| suspect the existence of a deeply-laid
conspiracy, including the Mohammedan
natives, the Afghan influence and Sc
| cret Russian intrigue, to improve the
| opportunity occasioned by the famine
and the plague, with their incitement
of native discomfort, to strike a grand
| blow at British overlordship and, as
the natives believe, do away with Brit
ish oppression.
| Those who have read the exceeding
| ly vivid and instructive papers on In
dia by Julian Hawthorne lately printed
in the Cosmopolitan magazine will be
prepared to appreciate the temper of
the native millions for whom English
occupation has seemingly meant abso-
lutely nothing save spoliation. 1t is
not clear that England could have ma
terially improved her policy in India.
The natives of that teeming land ap-
pear in some respects to resemble the
North American Indians, notably in
filth, superstition, treacherousness and
unresponsiveness to attempts at their
civilization. Unfit, according to the
Caucasian standard, to govern them
selves, they seem to be equally unfit to
be governed by superior race, and II
may be fair to say for John Bull, as
was said of the western fiddler, that
he has done the best he could" He
has introduced improvements which
the natives don't appreciate, he has
ordered salutary reforms which they
refuse to obey, and he has preserved
under innumerable difficulties a good
show of patience. True, he has also
feathered his own nest, or, to use
another figure, has sucked the orange
well-nigh dry; but that is what British
colonization is for. 1t may be doubted
if any other European power coult
have done so we'll.
Nevertheless, this kind of argumen
doesn't appease the natives nor lesser
the gravity of the situation in India
We begin to perceive the underlyin.
significance of that, at the time, some
what strange jubilee poem of RudyarC
Kipling, which, coming in the train o
inordinate boasting, sounds like tn
| rafting of a skeleton at the feast. w
quote four stanzas of it as showing it
: | prophetic import:
I The tumult and the shouting dies
{ The captains and kings depart;
| Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and contrite heart.
!, Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet.
( Lest We forget-lest we forget.
Far-called, our naVies melt away
u On dune and headand sinks the fire
. Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Z Is one with Nireveh or Tyre!
Judge of the rations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget
= If, drunk with sight OF power, we loose
i Wild tongues that have not Thee
awe
Such hoasting as the Gentiles use
e Or lesser breeds without the Law
: Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
h Lest we forget-lest we forget!
= For heather heart that puts her trust
e In reeking tube and iron shard--
n All valiant dust that bullds on dust
And guarding calls not Thee to guard
e For frantic boast and foolish word,
II Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord!
. British domination in India has "pl
;, its trust in reeking tube and ire
= shard," and the next few month
V promise to disclose whether that tru
&c is wisely located. ...