Evening star., 1924-12-07

that British rule could not be re-
established or British supervision
maintained were the fourteen mil
lions OF Egyptians capable of self
government as are, for example, the
eight millions of Belgians, if the al
Tentative were between even rea-
sonably orderly government by the
Egyptians and the vastly more eff
cient British rule. So much has been
demonstrated by the successive rise
of various European peoples in the
last century.
Cannot Quit Egypt.
On the other hand, it is manifest
that the British cannot now retire
from Egypt or from India without
exposing both countries and the
world to a new peril, to an anarchy
which would not be limited to either
country, but might easily extend
from the Sahara to Java, from Con-
stantinople to Handy. No man can
safely forecast what would happen in
India, in Arabia and Asia Minor, in
North Africa, were European rule
withdrawn, but there is not the small
est present reason to doubt that the
results would be catastrophe, and prf-
marily catastrophe for the populations
Immediately affected
Moreover, 1t is true that in Brit
ain and in France enlightened minds
have long perceived-and their num-
ber has steadily grown-that the
bases of European rule in Asiatic and
African lands must be broadened and
modified, that it was no longer pos
stble to retain the right to govern
simply because that government was
just efficient. In Algeria, Tunis and
India, to say nothing of Egypt, there
has been a plain effort to find a new
basis of cooperation which in reality
amounted to bringing the native pop
ulations into the conduct Of their
own government in a steadily increas-
ing measure.
Tension ON Increase
Yet what has been the result of
this experiment? No one can mistake
it, our own Philippines supply the
same evidence; the native popula-
tions, seizing what has been conceded.
have angrily proclaimed that it Is but
the minor fraction of what they are
entitled to, or they have refused the
concession altogether and declined
to make use of the restricted privi-
leges bestowed upon them, thus con-
Quoting a struggle for complete con-
troll Concession has not in any case
which l can recall brought any lessen
ing of the strain, but rather a marked
increase in the tension.
Beyond much doubt it Is in the
presence of this fact that the British
government of the moment, faced
with the horrid crime in Egypt. with
the mounting unrest in India, has re-
acted to something of the old con-
ception that in dealing with the ORR
entail only force-accompanied with
equal, If stern, justice-counts. And
yet one cannot escape the fact that
the concessions already made make
the reaction far less likely to have
effect and on the contrary almost Ger
tain to awaken new passion. Such. at
least, has always been the experience
in Europe.
Consequence Is Doubtful.
little less than a century ago all
italy from the Alps to the three
surrounding seas sang secretely the
songs Stranger. Begone." Now no one
can fall to see that in a thousand
different tongues and dialects Asia
and North Africa are singing tba
same song. The present Egyptian
crisis may easily be ended, the Egyp-
tian revolt may collapse without even
any decisive encounter, but it's con-
sequences can hardly be measured all
over Asia. 1t may be that the
Oriental mind is not susceptible to
the ultimate appeal of the doctrine
of self-determination, that the va
rious races will not-cannot-respond
to 1t as did the enslaved or subject
races of Europe in the century which
ended with the still recent peace
treaties of Paris. This is the CON
ception of many who know the East
and in it's lies the single real basis
for optimism.
Yet, on the other hand, one must
concede that on all sides there have
been striking evidences to the con-
trary within very recent days, evil
dences of which one is the sudden
renaissance of the Turk, following
his defeat and decreed abolition by
all the remaining great powers,
victors of the World War and masters
of what remafnded of the force of
Europe in arms. Everything which
has happened since the World War
at least tends to suggest that that
force which shook Europe for a
century and through small wars
mounted finally to the supreme Ca