The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-20
IN CEYLON.S SPICY ISLE
. ASIATIC WEAKENING
BY Frederic J. Haskin,

Indeed, 1t doesn't care for the respon.
sibility of Government. But what IT
does expect Is a larger share OF the
Government offices In the various de-
partments. A native who has been
educated in England from babyhood,
who has gone through the Royal Col.
lege here, who has taken his degree
at classic Cambridge in England, and
who comes back to his island para
disc to live, naturally desires the hon
orable station OF a government Of
ficer. 1t Is the only thing which af-
fords the slightest opportunity for even
the outward semblance- of that social
equality with Europeans which he
learned to love In his English college
experience.
Such men make good officers. 1t Is
admitted, and some of them are at the
head of important departments with
out English supervision or advice. The
only reason the English are not will
ing to distribute more billets among
the natives is that there are SO many
younger sons from home" who look
to the civil service for support and a
career.
Against the demands of the natives
for representative Parliament, the
argument is advanced that it would do
no good that it would simply bring
into existence a. class of demogogic
politicians who would spend all the
time talking. and thereby delay the
business of the Government. and keep
the departmental officials away from
their legitimate duties.
The native press, of course. urges
the reforms In season and out. But
II is temperate in tone, protestant of
its loyalty to the Empire. and does not
even consider the possibility of sew
Grace from England. The Ceylonese
know. all too we'll, that their little
island is one of the richest prizes of
the sea. and that IL England was driven
away, some other nation would come
in and senze 1T. Much as they glo-
ried in an Asiatic victory. they fear
Japanese control beyond anything. So
far as the press is concerned, there 10
not the slightest protest against Eng
lish domination: 1t is only against
But, in private--and this Is the rea.
son why the average Englishman 10
so eloquent in discussing what he
calls the American failure in the Phil
ippines-in private, many Ceylonese
will declare that they would like Moth
ing so much as to come under the
wing of the American eagle. 1t Is im-
possible for them to understand that
all the United States is not unit for
imperial ACKNOWLEDGMENT, and If their
flag is changed at all. they would ask
Tor the stars ana SlflpSb. lie
ippine administration Is responsible
for this feeling. and 1t must be admit
ted that the educated Ceylonese knows
vastly more about the American rule
in the Philippines than does the avers
aged educated American.
Another effect OF the Asiatic awak-
ening in Ceylon is social rather than
political. Many of the most prominent
men are leading q movement for
| g. iva nnfa
and costumes. The teaching of an.
| cient Ceylonese history in the English
schools-practicallye every school In the
island Is English--is one of the recent
results of this agitation.
Ceylon is particularly fortunate in
possessing an authentic and uninter.
rupted history from the time of the
| foundation of the Sinhalese dynasty,
544 years before Christ, down to the
fall of the last King of Randy, who was
overthrown by the British in 1915.
These records were kept by royal his-
torians and have been translated into
English An abridgement of this
great history is being used as text
book in the schools. The Sinhalese
dynasty endured longer than any other
race of kings of which modern history
takes account with the single excep-
ton of the present ruling dynasty OF
| Japan. And no nation on earth has
a written history covering such long
period of time without break of even
| one month in the record of twenty.
| four centuries.
Four hundred years ago the Portu.
guese came and took possession OF the
| seaports, which were already practi-
| calIy In the hands OF the Arabs. The
native kings established themselves in
| the mountains and reigned on. They
| invited the Dutch to help them GUST
the Portuguese, and found the Dutch
were worse than the Portuguese. Then
the English came, in 1893, and drove
ont the Dutch. They were not con-
tent with the maritime provinces, and
prosecuted a war into the interior.
conquered Handy and sent the last
king to die In exile in Madras. the
awakened Ceylonese is proud of his
history. but he is warned by his knowl-
4 edge. Unless he knows exactly what
is before him. he will content himself
with English rule and permit his RAJ
cial patriotism to blow of steam In
reform movements and the everlast-
|