The record-union., 1899-03-13

pontine dependencies Christianity, as
well as laws and customs which were
entirely foreign to the traditions of the
people, and that showed no considera-
ton either for the principles in which
they had been reared or even for eli
matte conditions. The result is that
to-day Spain has lost every vestige OF
her once immense colonial empire
while the colonies of Portugal, of
France, of Germany and of Italy are
source of expense instead Of revenue
to the mother country, and are of no
| possible benefit to the latter's industry
or trade.
| E.ngland's ways and means are the
outcome of long experience, though, Gu
| riously enough, it is only lately that
the British people themselves have had
their eyes opened to the methods en-
ployed by their countrymen in India,
! in the Straits Settlements and in other
Asiatic and African dependencies This
| is due to the fact that the authorities
both at home and abroad have been to
a certain extent terrorized by what was
known in English Government circles
| as Exeter Hail." which used to be the
headquarters of the extreme evangel-
ical element, that element which
breaches the eternal damnation of all
those who do not belong to the Chris
tan faith, and who are convinced that
it is an imperative. duty to proselytize
the heathen-if not by persuasion, then
| by compulsion. I can remmeber how,
some fifteen or twenty years ago,
very ingenious and to the Mahometans
perfectly satisfactory, scheme was pre-
scented to the English Cabinet Ministers
of the day for exercising a species of
control and supervision of the harems
in India and Egypt, which are now to
all intents and purposes beyond the
| jurisdiction of the authorities, and in
consequence thereof the scene of many
an unpublished crime. 1t was submit
ted among others to both Sir Charles
Dixie and to Mr.. Chamberlain, who
We're then in Office. IAN excellent
scheme" they exclaimed, land thor
oughly practicable But what would
Exeter Hall say thereto? 1t could
never be carried in the face of their
opposition
THINGS NOT WIDELY KNOWN IN
ENGLAND.
1t Is due to this influence, now ap-
parently at an end, that the English
authorities in India and other Oriental
dependencies of Great Britain. have OBJ
served considerable amount of dis
cretlon in permitting the people at
nome TO become aware of the extent to
which they not only tolerated but act
uaiy fostered and encouraged those di-
verse faiths which are regarded by Ex-
eter Hall as heather, and vet which
nave in their origin the same object as
Christianity, namely, the imposition of
moral restrictions to the evil passions
OIL mankind and the amelioration of the
human race. Few save those who have
Deen in the Orient are aware of the
faet that English Christian soldiers
take part in religious professions that
have for their object the Qualification of
Mahometan saint, that British req
coats are often called upon to do sentry
duty at the stable door Of the holy COWS
OF the Brahmins, and that the most Sc
we're penalties are inflicted by the Eng
fish authorities in the Oriental depen-
denotes upon any white man, be he
civilian or soldier, who fails to show
proper regard for native beliefs and
prejudices, or who offends the latter by.
Tor instance, entering a Moslem mosque
Ing his way into some Buddhist shrine
or by bringing some high-class Brah-
min into contact with a dog or any
other animal which is regarded as I'M
clean
1t was not, however, until Lord
Kitchener won his victory at Omdur-
man and returned to England eavi-
roned with all the glory and popularity
OF the conqueror of the Soudan and
the avenger of Gordon that the British
government plucked up courage to
make the public, through him. under
stand what has really been it's policy
In dealing with Oriental races ever
since the Great Mutiny in India, name
~, the broad-minded regard, considera-
tlon and respect for creeds, customs
ana forms of civilization that are
dl1ferent from those of the Occident
ana yet which in their way are far
better adapted to the people who have
been reared thereto than are Western
forms OF civilization and religion OF
course, this policy on the part of Eng
land does not imply the liberation of
customs and religious practices that
are opposed to the laws of humanity
Thus she has abolished in her Indian
possessions the practice of burning the
widow alive on the funeral pile of the
dead husband. She has likewise done
away with the open slave market, and
Furnishes severely those mutilations
which are among the most odious
forms Of Oriental slavery. But she toll
crates the plurality of wives as we'll
as domestic slavery in her Oriental de-
tendencies; she respects the sanctity
of the harem, which English authorities
did not invade even when they had
reason to believe that English women
and children, captured and sold into
bondage at the time of the Great Mu-
tiny, were behind it's walls. In Egypt
English soldiers and officers present
arms to the sacred camel with the holy
carpet on its back each year on it's
return from Mecca, while the Prince
of Wales and the dignitaries OF. his
suite manifested as much veneration
and respect when the holy tooth of
Buddha at Handy, in Ceylon, was
shown them as they would have shown
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