The Washington herald., 1907-05-05

As for the cause of the hatred of the
native princes and people for the English,
/ it is. first and foremost, in the blood
The Asiatic, no matter what his creed,
| his hue, or his particular country, alb
| hors the white races. Formerly this ami
lmosity was blended with fear To-day it
/ is mingled with Contempt That the gulf
between the East and West will ever be
bridged, no one who has lived in the
Orient viii for one moment believe. Lord
ICurzon. Lord Cromer. Sir Robert Hart
ISir Ernest Satow. Baron Won Brandt
/ indeed. all those who have resided the
Longest in the East, ard who have made
the closest study Of its conditions. are
/ the most convinced of the impossibilty of
Iattaining that understanding Of the Ash
attic character and mind which is essen
tial TO real sympathy and friendship be-
tween the two races.
Lord CurzoE in the memorable speech
which he delivered al the Guildhau. in
London on the occasion OF his being pre-
sented with the freedom of the city, drew
attention 10 this when he remarked:
And who is there that can fathom the
unfathomable workings of the Oriental
mind?" While Sir Robert Hart who has
spent near half "a century at Pekin, where
he has enjoyed the highest rank that il
was in the power of the Chinese to be
stow. has confessed again and again that
the longer he lived in China. the more
did he become convinced Of the impossl-
bility of his ever arriving at a cOmpTehen-
sion Of the native train of thought and
character Then, too, the English though
| imbued with the best Of intentions, have
J n offend he NJ
step, even when endeavOring TO benefit
| them. Thus, there are few HindOos who
lhave not been savagely irritated By the
precautions which European science
thinks indispensable TO check the progress
of the bubonic plague, which still con-
tinues to decimate the natives By the
thousands every month.
The precautions include segregation and
the removal OF the afflicted 10 hospitals
for treatment This removal offends the
dearest preiudices OF the respectable
classes, their love OF privacy, their re-
spect for their women. their nervous anx-
iety about their ceremonial purity. their
religious feeling, their special ideas of
| honor, their rooted superstitions, and,
above all their prejudices Of caste. In
] fact. these rules, instituted by the English
! for the arrest OF the plague, are as often
! sive TO the natives as orders that the
dying should be refused the last sacra-
ment, and when dead denied Christian
burial. would be 10 the poor in a Roman
! Catholic country I'm Southern Europe To
/ the natives themselves. no epidemic sig
nifes very much The country is over
/ populated and the people. who care much
less about death than ourselves do not
attribute epidemics 10 any but super
/ natural powers. They care very little il
d million or two perish, would not allow
il 70 interrupt their customary Occupa-
tons ana. though disturbed and even hor-
rified by such an evidence Of the wrath
of the Higher Powers, submit 20 It with
touching patience. Under the eircum-
stances the precautions adopted by the
English authorities on the score Of hu-
manity. precautions that are enforced by
means of police and troops, seem to them
in the light of cruel persecution.
Many Of those who know India bes
argue that it would be infinitely prefer
able to allow the epidemic to spread un
checked. rather than 10 outrage native
sentiment by the means adopted to stay
its course The plague virtually conhne.
its ravages TO natives. and does not af
feet the English. But the latter are ikel}
to be killed by the thousands in tn,
event of the outbreak Of another insug
rection such as that of 1857. Popular
sentiment In England, however, woult
not permit such course OF action. Thi
difference of opinion between the Eng
lish authorities in India and the native
on the subject Of the plague is only on