Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-06
NEW POLICY OF ENGLAND IN EGYPT

It is premature. perhaps. to forecast
the result OF the assassination Of Boutros
Pasha Ghale. the Egyptian
Premier prime minister and minister
ST., OF foreign affairs. who was
01oAA' shot In Cairo by national
list student February 20 and died the FOL
lowing morning. Boutros Pasha was
highly educated Egyptian Copt, a very
sympathetic man and popular with all.
but he became OF late specially oonox-
ious to the native Arabs and nationalists
by his alleged responsibility in tho Den
shawl affair. which cost Cromer his COM
mission.
Unrest in the orient has been marked
by assassination in turn In Turkey IN
Persia, in India. in Korea and nnaliy IN
Egypt. The anarchists Of these countries
in extenuation of the crime of assassina-
ton plead patriotism and point 20 Ing
horrors committed by the Sultan ADoul-
Hamid. the provocations In South A1fica'
in Bengal and at Denshawi.
For a fact Sir Eldon's predecessor. Loro
Cromer, closed his administration py
frankly admitting the very same .n'n nc
such sins to answer for as Lord CromeI.
and the writer is assured that when oir
Eldon's term OF office shall nave te'IH
mated he will personally be very much
regretted by the Arabs.
A dispatch from Cairo. February q; an
nounces that a new cabinet mas oeen
formed, Of which Mohamed Said Bey Is
premier. president Of the council ana NM l..
istep Of the interior; Husseln Hucha,
Pasha. minister of foreign affairs: Said
Pasha Baghoul, justice; Hechmat Pasha.
education: Sir Joseph Saba, finance. ana
Ismail Sirry Pasha, public instruction
and war.
These ministers are native ministers
only in name. for each has an English
double who is attached to
Powerful him as secretary. but
who indeed has more
secretaries. authority than his So
called chief. more authority than the
khedive. who has none.
The British have undertaken to do in
Egypt what they undertook generations
ago in India, and failed-that Is, attach
the natives to them. Race prejudice is
as old as the earth. It is as strong In
Egypt as in India. and az impossible to
change as the spots Of the leopard. The
invasions Of India from Cambyses to
clive may be cited in proof Of this IND
placable truth; the revolt Of the eepoys
in 1857; the siege of Delhi and Of Luck
now by Lawrence are memorable lessons
which should serve as instructions now.
One Of the great obstacles to British
domination in Egypt has been the diff
culties experienced with the Arabic Ian
guage. The French. from the time of
Bonaparte, had impaired their language
and literature. French was the language
of the khedivial court and the accepted
means of communication between the
Arab and the foreigners Of whatever
nationality.
The languages Of the International tri-
bunal were French, Italian and Arabic.
Until 1882. the year Of the British occu-
patton. the English language was almost
unknown In Egypt, and. excepting the
British consulate. there were not fifty
Egypt. In view of the British occupa
ton, the tribunals could not refuse to
admit pleadings in the English language
by the English solicitors who followed
understood French, Italian or Arabic.
AS long as Egypt was under the nation
al element the Arab language had hope
of triumphing. The French language i'm
posed itself morally and by reason Of it's
beauty and literature, with which all
learned Arabs were familiar. The CO.
existence OF the French and Arabic Ian
grages was a marriage Of inclination and
devoid OF all rivalry and hostility.
The English language was imposed
upon the administrations after the British
occupation, which the
English reader may be reminded
To,~r.r. was to be temporary. and
LAMP 0o6e' was hardship and HUI
initiation to the Arab and European en-
ploye. All educated Egyptians possess
the French language. To oblige them to
acquire the English as a sine qua non
to hold office was singular. since the
avowed purpose Of the English occupant
was transitory. The British official knew
only his own language. and it was his
only means to make himself understood
by his subordinates. All reports thus and
bulletins and communications OF every
character are prepared In English: but
to be made Ineligible must be translated
and printed In English, Arabic and
French.
Since 1882. and especially since 1904, the
year Of the AnglO-French accord. a silent
but persistent war has been waged
against all French functionaries in the
served sufficiently long were pensioneds
Those who had not were worried into
resignation and their places quickly sup
piled by Englishmen from London or from
the British administrations in India.
The case of Nj. Lambert, director of
the Khedivial School of Law In Cairo, is
typical. M. Lambert is Frenchman of
distinction. professor Of the faculty of
law of Lyons and holding a high place
In the esteem of all In Cairo. NJ. Lam
bert. incredible as II may appear. was
subjected to every kind of indignity In
order to oblige him to resign. 1t should
be stated just here that these indignities
were committed under Lord Cromer's adj
and the like was never at
tempted under that of his successor.
NJ. Lambert had been authorized verbal
He had made all his preparations and
within a few hours of his departure he
was informed that he must remain until
further orders. The treatment savored SO
much Of that which might be used as a
sort OF "pensum.' or punishment to a
student, M. Lambert resigned immedi-
ately.
The Franco-E English accord in Egypt in
1904 in exchange for the concession Of
Great Britain's somewhat
French ethereal rights in Mo-
Relics. h,oa, ~ w. r .ao Ma ,nemanns
in Egypt. The service Of antiquities un-
der the direction OF M. Maspero and that
- ff,rfo "a nYelx