The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-03

..rf of natives selected N.
49, PEOPLE would protest against 4
large an army reduce the taxes az.
1.4t India AZ lower salaries mt'
faces now held - Europeans
II il ia. fear II what an Indt21
#ss.sI government uould d that pre-
the experiment although I"
ether reasons. both Insufficient aft
gwen. one IF the@ Is that she IL
#4.a4 people are lot Intelligent enough
land that they must +. protected from
themselves rs denying them 4 voice
I'm their own Affairs The other Il ih+i
#fn.. Indians ar, 50 divided 4nta tribes
ana religious Sects that they cannot
Tact tremendously together. IN" hFt
#.fgumeut viii not impress ans uupr'-
JUDGED traveller who has come into
contact with the educated classes.
There are enough Informed. college
trained men IN India. not 10 speak ~
those who. like our own ancestors u
few centuries have practical
sense ana good judgement without
book learning. u guide pubIc OPT
ION. While the percentage ~ lteTacE
is le~plorabIy small. tile total number
Of educated men Is really c~ouSideTa-
bic. and there are at this time l.u3U
students above the secondary SCHOOLS
and studying for thu = \. degree
There is not Il district Of any constt-
cradle size thai has not IL II some in
telIigeut men. and these could be- re
led upon to direct the government UNI
Ill q larger number are qualified 10
assist. II is true that native princes
have often seemed Indifferent TO the
weIlfare OF their subjects-princes
who have lived i'll great luxury wht'c
the people have been neglected. bu-
today some Of the native states vi
with those controlled by European
officials in education and material &
vancement. And is not the very
fact tina the people are left under
n government Of native princes in
the native states conclusive proof that
in all the states the Government couli
be administered without the aid Of 50
large a number Of Europeans?
The second argument IS equally An
To say that the In .ians would
necessarily fight among themselves -
to ignore the progress Of the world
There was q time when Europe WA
the scene of bloody religious wars, aad
our country is indebted 10 the perse-
cution of the Pilgrims III England for
some of its best pioneers. There has
been q growth in religious tolerance
during the last century, and this is a~
noticeable in India as elsewhere. Al
ready the intellectual leaders of all
the sects and elements of The ndian
population are mingling in Congresses.
conferences and public meetings. Al
ready a national spirit IS growing.
NfllCll, ike the fldtlbIldI spirit III Els
and America. d~isregardS religious
lines and emphasizes more ana more
the broad social needs which are COM
mon to all; and with the increase OF
general education there will be stii!
more unity and national sentiment.
Those who make this also
that as long as England main
tainS sovereignty it will be impossi-
for religious differences to lead To
war and that differences in the coun-
and in congress would strengthen
than weaken her position.
But why is there a lack Of intelli- !
gence among the Indians? Have they
had the blessings Of British rule
for several generations. Why haV-
not been fitted for s~elf-govern-
fnent? Gladstone. whose greatness
IF head and heart she'd a luster upon
Ill Europe, said: 1T is liberty alone
which fits men for liberty. This prop
like every other in politices'
its bounds; but it is far safer thar
he counter doctrine, wait till they are
fit
How long Will it take to fit the In
lians for self-government. when they
ire denied the benefits of experience
are excluded from the higher
civil service (Ostensibly open to theIn)
a cunningly devised system of cX-
limitations which make it impossible
for them to enter. Not only are the
people thus robbed of opportunities
which rightfullY belong to them, but
he country is deprived Of the accum-
wisdom hat would come with
service, for the alien officials return
. Europe at the end of their service,
carrying back their wisdom and earn
not to speak of the pensions
they then begin to draw.
The illiteracy of the Indian people
!" l;cn,.aa, TO %ha -, alntin,1 ,,h Tot,
for a century and a half has controlled
their destiny. The editor of the In
liam World, a Calcutta magazine, says
in last February number.
IF. India has not yet been fit for
free institutions. it is certainly not her
fault. If, after one and a half centu-
ries Of British rule, India remaino
where she was in the middle ag@s
a sad commentary must it pc
lpon the civilizing Influences of that
rule, When the English came to In
liza this country was the ead of
Asiatic civilization and the u~ndisputed
enter OF light in the Asiatic world.
Japan was then nowhere. Now, in 30
Japan has reVolutioniZed ner
history With the aid Of modern arts Of
progress, and India. with $50 years
IF English rule, is still condemned TO
-utelage.
Who will answer the argument pre-
sented by this Indian EDITOR And he
have made it stronger. Japan
he arbiter of her own destiny and the
~uafdlan of her own people, has IN
lalf q century und from illiteracy
o a position where so per cent of
ler people can read and write, and II
loW thought worthy to enter into an
AnglO-Japanese alliance, while India,
condemned TO political servitude ana
sacrificed for the commercial adVar-
age of another nation, still sits 81
darkness, less than one per cent or
Ter women able to read and write, and
eSS than ten per cent Of her total pop
llation sufficiently advanced to cum
with each other by letter or
o gather knowledge from the printed
In the article above referred
o, Mr.. GOkhale estimates that -four
FillageS out of every five are Without
| school house, and this, too, In q
country here the people Stagge
lnder an enormous burden Of taxa
The published statement for
9O4-'05 shows that the general gov
rnment appropriated but S6,500.0o