The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03

libraries arc those which deal with the causes
and consequences OF the great mutiny which look
place in 1857 and Of the lessons and warnings
that have been drawn from that catastrophe.
To the same category Of useful comments and
suggestions belongs the account OF British midas
relations with Afghanistan and the border tribes,
an account intended 10 explain the change In
Enrland's position south OF the Himalayas that
has been the inevitable consequence oil the pro
pinquity OF first class European power 70 us
northwest frontier OF like importance are tho
authors remarks upon the efficiency Of the phtive
army and upon the measures by which this can
be sustained and improved l; is TO these parts
OF the narrative that confine ourselves, refer
ring our reader to the book itself for Autobiography
ical details, including the concise and modest
description OF the authors great victory at kanda-
har.
I.
II is in the thirtieth and thirty first chapters
that Lord Roberts undertakes TO answer the qucs-
tons, What brought about the MutinyT and Is
there any chance Of q similar rising occurring
again" He begins by pointing out that, during
the first years Of the supremacy OF Englishmen in
India, the Hmdus and the Mohammednns alike
were disposed to acquiesoc in the new regime.
the blessings OF rest and peace after long period
OF strife and anarchy being too real not to be APP
precinted As time went by. however. new
generation sprang up by which post miscries
were forgotten. and those who had real grievances
or were causelessly disseminated were all ready to
TO lay the blame for their real or fancicd troubles
on their foreign rulers. Mohammedans looked
back to the days Of their empire in India, but
failed TO remember how completely, until the Eng
lish broke the Mahrntta power. the Hindus
had got the upper hand. Tho Hindus, on
IT had that thew had
olsted the Mohammcdans. and they faneied
that the fate Of the British raj might also DO at
their mercy. Lord Roberts does not concur in
Sir George Campbell's opinion that "the Mutiny
a sepoy revolt, not Hindu rebellion II
Is true that there general rising OF tho
rural population but, in our authors Judgment.
the revolt would never have taken place had
there not been feeling OF discomfort and dis
quiet through bout that part Of tho country from
which the Irindustani sepoys chiefly came, and
had not certain influential people been thor
oughlydissat isfed with the British system OF gov
eminent
The plan Of action Of those influential
people was TO ALLEVIATE the native army, and
to increase the general feeling OF uneasi-
ness and suspicion by spreading false reports
to the general intentions Of the authorities in
gard to the various measures which had been
adopted with the aim OF promoting the welfare
Of the masses 1t is not disputed that these meas
were right and proper in themselves, but
they were not on that account the less obnoxious
TO the Brahmin priesthood the less distasteful
to the natives generally. In some cases, they
were premature, and in others, they were not
carried out judciously they might have been,
or with sufficient regard to the feelings and pro
JUDGES of the people.
The prohibition, for instance, Of sat" or the
burning Of widows on the funeral pyres Of their
husbands; the putting a stop to female infanu-
eide; the execution OF Brahmins for capital Offences
the efforts Of missionaries and the protection OF
their converts the removal OF all legal obstacles
to the remarriage Of widows the spread OF Western
and secular education; and. particularly, the
attempt to introduce female education; all these
innovations excited alarm and disgust among
the Brahmins and among those Hindus of high
caste whose social privileges were connected with
the Brahminical religion. - Those traditional
arbters of fate who had been until then all power
full to control every act OF their co rcligionists
religious social or political were quick To perceive
that their influence was menaced, and that their
sway would in time be wrested from them, unless
they could devise some means for overthrowng
the British government They knew full we'll
that the ground work of their influence was ignor-
ance and superstition, and they stood aghast
at what they foresaw would be the inevitable
result Of enlightenment and progress. Railways
and telegraphs were especially distasteful to the
Brahmins: these evidences of ability and strength
were too tangible to be explained away. More
over, railways struck direct blow at the system
OF caste, for on them people of every caste high
and low were constrained to travel together
The fears and entagonism Of the Brahmins be-
ing thus aroused. it was natural that they should
wish to see the British rule upset, and they pro-
ceeded to poison the minds OF the people with tales
OF the Governments determination to force Chris
tanity upon them and they stroyc to make them
believe that the continuance of British power
meant the destruction of all that the Hindus held
most sacred Neither was opportunity wanting
to confirm. apparently, the truth of such asscr-
tons. In the gaols. a system Of messing had been
esta bshed which interfered with the time honorcd
custom Of every man being allowed to provide and
cook his own food Lord Roberts considers that
this innovation was most properly introduced as
matter OF gaol discipline and he explains that due
care was taken that the food of the Hindu prison.
ers should be prepared by cooks OF the same or a
superior caste Nevertheless, false reports wero
disseminated and the creduous Hindu popula-
ton was led TO believe that the prisoners food was
in future, to be prepared by men Of inferior caste
with the express object Of dctiling and degrading
those who were to partake oft The news of what
was supposed to have happened in the gaols spread
from town TO town and from village to village the
belief gradually gaining ground that the people
were about to be forced TO embrace Christianity
II.
As the promscuous messing story did not
greatly concern the Mohammedans, other cries
were made use Of To create irritation and distrust
amongst the followers Of the Prophet One of
these which equally affected the Hindu and the
Mohammcdan was the alleged unfairnees of what
wa m in Ipdi In