Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-15
BRAHM|NS IN REVOLT
Lead MaIcontents Against
England in India.
THEY HAVE MOST TO GAIN
Ejectment of Present Rulers Would
Leave Them Masters.
BUT CHAOS WOULD FOLLOW
Discussions of Caste and Sects
Throughout Nation Sure to
Ensue on Change of Government.
Special Cablexram to The star.

|
ring creeds Joined forces for a moment in
manner that was remarkable as it
was unexpected. Long indeed this I'M
natural alliance could not last but even
this momentary rapprochement for a
| common purpose has formed the text of
many who wished to prove that there
| must have been good grounds for the
joint action of such eternal enemies
Moreover. in 1851 the religious supersti-
| tions of both Islam and Hinduism were
played upon with unfailing assiduity.
! Throughout Hindustan all castles. in town
wandering sunyasis and bhairagis. whose
cooperation. in spite Of reckless misstate
ments. has been conspicuously absent
from the present movement.
Brahmins Are Scholars.
| But. it may be demurred, if religion
plays little or no part in the present agi-
| tation, how comes 1t that the Brahmins
/ are. at the root of it all? The answer to
| this is that the religious functions of the
| Brahmin, though inherent in his caste,
are not. and never have been. the most
| important or respected attributes Of the
class.
| the Brahmins is based upon and enforced
| by their cOnuol Of the religious Office is
! indisputable. 1t Is quite another thing to
assume that when the political leaders of
Tie DTdIlHliHS WISH 10 dSlldte 1OT reIOTInS
| they necessarily have behind them the
ecclesiastical organization Of their order.
| If nothing else could be cited in proof of
| this, the bare facts that in Benares, Puri
szirangam !Trichinopoly) and the other
places Of pilgrimage or religious author
I ity in India not even a passing breeze of
| sedition has ever arisen. while the action
| of the priests OF Kali's Temple in Calcutta
the ''mujteheds'' of eastern Bengal-in
publicly disowning and denouncing the
agitation has a significance that the most
versatile Of Bengalis is put to it to ex-
plain away.
The truth is that between the highly
educated and mentally brilliant Brahmin
of political life and his religious brother
a daily widening gulf is fixed. The
curious part Of 1t Is that the old weapon
of superstition seems to have broken in
the hand Of the priest. There is no class
of Brahmin SO despised and socially de-
| graded In the caste as he who ministers
| at any. but especially at great, center
of public worship. or performs religious
| offices. even In private, except in the ex-
elusive circle of private house of which
the owner IS at the lowest member of
! the NaiSya caste.
AS matter Of fact. the leading Brah-
| Minis of Bengal or Poona, the centers OF
disaffection. have never had any connec-
| ton whatever with the performance Of
any religious function. In that they are
strictly within their rights. The suprem-
acy of the Brahmin was due from the
first to the fact that scholarship was
| his especial privilege
| AS elsewhere in the world scholarship
and ecclesiastical influence have gone
hand in hand. Especially was this
| bound to be the ase in India, where un-
=; tutored men were excluded from the
priesthood as much by common belief
of laymen that they were ignorant of the
lall-necessary formulae as by the DELHI
crate disqualification imposed by the
popular hierarchy.
But the priesthood has generally found
the monopoly Of scholarship to be of dou-
ble-edged nature. and India is no excep-
ton to the rule. Today the cleverest
| among this clever race have chosen poll
| tics rather than religion as a field for
| their energies. and we shall make seri-
| Gus mistake il we do not separate the &c
clesiasticai aspect of Brahminism from
their political activities.
Before British Came.
The true causes of the Brahmn agita-
ton are to be found in the fact that be-
fore the English administration of Bengal
and other parts OF India, the Brahmin
was all-important in civil as we'll as re-
ligious affairs. The vast advantage which
| education conferred upon him made his
| services indiSpensa BILE.
| Whatever the nominal sovereignty of
the state. it was the Brahmin vice re-
gent who actually governed, even in Mo-
| nam N1eUan courts MS dOuble
made ii impossible for any one of lower
caste to rise to any position of real i'm
portance in the administration of India.
| The great weapon In the hands of the
| Bra hmins, the power o. decision in all
| matters touching caste, was used relent-
lessly against adventures, both civil and
religious. There were, of course, excep-
| tons. Low caste men succeeded both i'll
|! directing an administration and in found
ing new cults But these did but empha-
lei, no foc hot no RrahrainS rule the
| natives Of India. body and soul alike.
The incoming of the English altered all
| this.
Probably none of the many conquerors
or India has ever treated the Brahmins
| with the iron-handed justice which they
have experienced at the hands Of the
| English. BY them the service of the
| state was thrown open to every man high
| or low and the knell of Brahmin pre-
| ponderance was sounded
| At first the ancient tradition Of educa-
ton gave the Brahmins an advantage.
| but this has vanished with the spread of
| education and the ancient ruling class
| Of India has had to come down into the
arena and struggle with the schooled
| Vaisya or Sudra for the prizes of official
life. On the whole. he has done extremely
| we'll and creditably.
| The Brafmins still possess a large and
justly gained majority Of the more i'm
| portant positions In northern India. But
| 1t is poor thing compared with what
| they possessed hundfeO years ago. Al
| ways over them is the strong hand OF
the Englishman. a very different super.
visor from the idle acquiescence of their
old masters in any policy that provided
| them In peace.
Once get the English out of the coun-
try. and their old ancestry is secured
| to them. For no race in India, except
the Pathans of the northwest frontier
would British expulsion be fraught with
more beneft-more apparent benefit.
Chaos Would Ensue.
Yet should the reigns of government
ever fall from British hands there would
arise in India. from the Brahmaputra to
the Indus, sanguinary chaos which
would have no parallel in history since
the days Of Jenghiz Khan. But the Brah-
min takes short views. believes perhaps
that the Hindu regiments would retain
their efficiency and passively accept the
changed allegiance, and certainly re-
fuses TO have brought home to him the
unpleasant truth that for his caste the
day of supremacy has closed. and closed
for good.
Control of the agitation is rapidly pass
| ipy int he NJ fhta Onpnly