The St. Johns herald., 1901-03-30
THE BRITISH RULE.
Have 6 Knack of Getting Into
 Power in Other Lands.
Notable Instances of Such Reigna in SemiHavage COuntries-Deapotic Control Exercised by Self
 Made Kings.


 Not only does England govern many peoples on her own accoHnt, but Eng ishmen seem to have the faculty of
 lngratiating themselves with still
 other nations and practically running
 them. The most conspicuous of these Britons just now is Sir Robert Hart,
 who controls the customs service of
 China. His name and the story of
 his rise and achievements have been
 in the newspapers so much recently
 that it is all familiar to the public,
 says the New York Press In his po- sition Sir Robert has nothing to do
 with England, yet he has contrived
 to do a good turn to his native land many times. One time when Russia wanted to advance China loan and
 thus get China in her power, Sir Rob ert checkmated the game of Adam Zad, the Bear That Walks Life Man"
 Corea, the peninsular country that jnts out of China. has been managed for years by McLeavy Brown, who holds immense power in the land. He is a private Briton. like Sir Robert Hart, and has the customs, finances, government and practically the na- tiOn in his hands. He rescued the country from bankruptcy, showed the king how to reform the army, swept away official swindlers and leeches and made happy and prosperous nation of country that had been in bad state.
 For case of despotic power wielded by Briton, there is an instance near CT home. John Finlayson. who died a short time ago. ruled large part of Morocc" and was by a long way the most useful ruler the country ever had. He was a Scotchman, and had a knowledge of the Moors and the Arabic language that was unequaled by any man who ever Iived--except, perhaps, the traveller Burton.
 He was originally mining expert, and he opened and worked some tin mines in the back country for the benefit of the sultan. He became a close friend Of the monarch, who made hi,u practically ruling viceroy, who did the work and took the credit, leav- ing the sultan 10 amuse himself with out the anxiety of governing.
 Finlayson remodeled the army, re- formsG the revenues, and soon Mo rocco began to flourish. He did what no sultan had ever been able to do kept the wild tribes of the interior in something approaching order. Piracy and robbery he weeded out to large extent. but it was impossi- ble to stop them 1'together. lie paid eff the national debt of $10,GC0,OGO and increased the nations revenues from $750, 0,OGG to $2.5O0,CCO
 He lived the life Of an Arab chief, but kept tc the Christian religion. He was obliged, however. to conform 10 the ceremonies of Mohammedauism. for he was too tactfu to excite preju- dice The nation at large really thought him an Arab by birth. He was always traveI'ng aho"t the coun- try with his suite turning up rnex- pectedly. He held the chief rosi of justice. and was f:arei aEd esteemed as no native subiect ever was. When some of his unruly subjects raided Spanish territory and nearly caused a war, he pulled his adopted nation the fix and paid small in demnity. Once every year he visited his native town of Aberdeen for a week. Morocco misses him sorely, now that he is gone, and the coun- try's prosperity is not what it was. He died of fever caught in the Tetuan swamps, and his funeral was honored even more than a sultan's. Morocco did not know he was the son of a Scotch tailor, but so he was, and a great man into the bargain. He re- mained subject of Victoria up to his death
 Kipling's famous story, "The Man Who Would Be King" is founded on fact. An ex-civil servant, Cowper, who had come to grief in his profession. obtained the powers of monarch ir KafrStan. This is a wild and daR. gerous country at the back of Az ghanistan, north of India, and, as q rule, it is certain death for any Flu ropean who is found there The Kafris are one of the cruelest and most turbulent races on earth. Yet this man. who went there without fol- lowers or money, was actually in stalled as king for shor: time. He was master of the Kafri language and manners. and managed to get himself accepted as a sort of god.
 While he was king he did the thing and governed we'll; also surrounded himself with money, horses and servants. His reign, which was popular while it lasted, gained for him the reverence of the people, for they believed him to be a genuine deity. and worshiped at temple he had erected to himself He estab- Iished the beginning of a great horse 1 trade with Afghanistan, which has iourished ever since, and the coun- try certainly prospered under his rule He held the throne only year, for ! rival chief aroused faction against lim and had him murdered.
 Not a Wife Beater.
 ~Ihere," said Mr MeektOn's wife, q have won four games of cribbage and three of bezique."