Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-03
TWENTIETH CENTURY EGYPT
EV-Egypt for the Egyptians
By Erederfc u Haskil7

I vited a party of French Anglophobe
writer's to take a trip on the Nile as his
guests. The English government pro-
tested with Yehemence This caused
Moustafa to break with the khedive,
and the Nationalist movement became
more intensely Egyptian, and, there
fore, more generally popular.
Then Moustafa came to a realization
that the soft-spoken Gaul had encour-
aged him not because he loved Egypt
more, but England less. The French
formed a new entente cordiale with the
British, and agreed to support the in
definite occupation of Egypt. The Brit
ish permitted the Nationalist newspa-
pers to publish what they pleased and
to circulate freely in Egypt. But the
French, fearing the doctrine of liberty
in Africa, refused to admit "Al Lewa"
to the mails in Tunis and Algeria.
Moustafa was forced to the conclusion
that he must rely upon Egyptians alone
to establish a government by Egyp-
time he realized the pitiful weakness
of his people. In his latter days he
preached patriotism and preparation
for the liberty that was sure to come.
1t was better lesson than that which
he had formerly taught, that the
French would help and that liberty
would come without preparation.
Always delicate in health, and worn
out by the strenuous life he had lived
since boyhood, his body gave way and
he died at an age when most great
statesmen have not laid off their swad-
ding clothes. If Moustafa had lived
there is little doubt that his name
would have been carved high on the
tablets sacred to national patriots and
liberators.
His body was followed to the grave
by half million people, the greatest
funeral procession of modern times.
His brother received more than $4,000
kilograms and letters of coincidence
when Moustafa's death was announced.
Two millions of copies of his last great
speech have been sold. On the first an
niversary of his death the people of
EGYPT hlourned as they did in the an
clent days when the Angel of Death
smote the first born in every house.
Despite his faults of logic, despite his
creamy lack of responsibility, despite
mis- passionate attachments and quick
quarrels, Moustafa Kamel Pasha pos
sessed the elements of greatness, and
no one can contemplate his career with
out sympathy for the man and for the
cause for which he Tough so valiantly.
When he died an attempt was made
TO carry on the Nationalist party or
ganlzatlon In the manner as he had
directed, but it was a failure and the
party ls now broken into a score of
cllques, each intent upon fighting the
others. The British overlords now
contemplate the situation with salts
factfon. The khedive is on more pleas
ant terms with Sir Eldon Gorst, the
present British consul general than
he was with Lord Cromer. The French
agitation against the British no longer
mas any support from the French Off
clal quarters and is waning. In fact,
since since the British agreement OF
iso4 the Nationalist movement has
been on the decline; since the death
of Moustafa Kamel Pasha it has been
moribund.
Another feature of the mission of
Moustafa was that he predicated his
beliefs upon the Mohammedan reli-
gion. He believed In the restoration
of the power of Islam and it was on
religious grounds that he obtained
much of his support in Egypt. The
Egyptian peasant does not fail to re-
alize that his condition is much better
under British rule than ever before,
but at the same time ne can be aroused
to fury against, his benefactors by an
appeal to his religious enthusiasm
death TO infidels" is a cardinal fea-
ture of his creed, not dead, but only
sleeping.
At the same time Moustafa knew the
weakness of his religion in its oppo-
sition to education and he set about
to reform it. He established Moslem
schools of great merit, but In doing
so he offended many of the more con-
sentative of his co-religionists. Fight
ing hard to restore Islam to a COM
manding place in the world, he must
have chafed bitterly at the realization
that 1t was the chains of the Law of
the Prophet that bound his people in
an intellectual prison.
No one can say that Moustafa Kamel
Pasha lived and worked in vain. He
awoke the embers of a latent national
patriotism to glowing life. He taught
the people to read newspapers and to
take a lively interest in governmental
affairs. He brought support to the
cause OF general education. He or
ganized party of native Egyptians to
strive for q national autonomy by
peaceful means and not by armed re-
volt In the Occident such things are
born in men as a heavenly birthright
In the Orient these things must be
brought to a people from without.
Moustafa Kamel Pasha did that.
Strange as it may seem, the net re-
suit is that England's task of govern
ing the nation has been made easier
for the time being, whatever the future
may hold. Although admitting that
England has done great good in Egypt,
the unbiased observer probably will
conclude by indulging the hope that
in some not distant day a free Egyp-
tan government will erect splendid
monument to the memory of Moustafa
Kamel PaSha.
Copyright, 1909. by Frederick j. Hasktn.)
TomOrrOw-The Dimmins Crescent of