Evening star., 1927-09-18
Value of British Empire to Mankind

lives go-whether the political system we live
in is to be regarded end in itself, a divine.
unquestonable thing, whether 1t is to be
considered merely a transtory means to a
greater end, to be judged on it's merits, to be
used. altered and in the end gradually or COM
pletely replaced by something better
The Roman citizen was compelled to Wor-
ship the empire like god, the empire in
divisible and eternal. Many people in Europe
and America would oppose the same uncritical
AFFECTION toward the American Constitution
the British Empire. You must salute; you
must stand stiff and stupid.
Behind this personal AFFECTION turks moral
corruption a sort of collective scoundresm.
You must not trade fair and square; you must
favor empire" goods. You must not publish
the scientific truth, but make whatever you
discover an empire" secret. You may spy,
you may lie for the empires" sake Such
loyalty" repudiate insult to humanity.
| refuse my pinch of incense on that altar.
And 1 will go to say that British En-
pire which does not seem to me to be realizing
the wide and generous dreams of the liberal
imperialism with which the century began is of
no use to me, and do not believe the universe
will suffer it to continue. For 10 years / have
the empire going heavily and duly about
it's business have seen it made excuse for
much meanness and clumsy violence. 1t suf-
fers in credit and direction by the hard 10y
atty" Of stupid adherents and stupid repre-
sentativcs who do not understand how gra.
cious and mighty civilizing organization
could be- They control it, and they cripple it.
1t carries vast crowd Of parasites who snatch,
monopolize and profit in it's name. 1t has lost
moral prestige in Ireland, in India. in China
and before all the world. Enormously. Per-
haps fatally.
x X
To-day what is it doing? Officially, l mean.
Is it showing intelligent sympathy for the
efforts of the more intelligent Chinese to found
a modern state amid the ruins of the anti
quated Manchu system or is it bullying and
clustering the confusion? Is it displaying the
slightest generosity to the struggles of its
fallen and shattered ally and helper. Russia. to
reconstruct it's economic life? Is it building
up free and friendly modern India? In the
past it did great things for Japan, and it gave
unity and freedom and won the fellowship of
Canada and South Africa. Is it doing any
thing to compare with these former feats to-
day? Why is it engaging in childish wrange
with the equally reprehensibe Government Of
the United States about which is to have the
biggest navy? For what earth these
navies wanted now? 1t is improving it's tanks
l gather. Is it improving its educational
machinery?
What is it doing with it's manhood? What
chance has boy of distinguished gifts, born
a of miner under the shadow Of the
Duke of northumberland? How much of its
tremendous resources at the disposal of
scientific research? In the measure of the
available wealth. man power. which Is doing
the most for scientific work today Moscow or
London? Has the British Empire made it's
fine, great and ennObling gesture toward the
future unity of mankind for the past 10 years?
Wembley! Rodeos and military tattoos! Im-
measurable things could be done with the vast
opportunity of the British Empire, but they
being even attempted?
X
1 put these questions to myself, and l put
them to their leaders.
1t would be all too easy to fly off into an
attitude of anti-imperialism and say with the
Communists, These imperialisms are evil
things let US destroy them" But they are not
inherently evil things. TO destroy imperial
sms with nothing to replace them, is simply
to leap backward because is not going for
ward fast enough. The British Empire is not
thing to destroy it; it is thing to rescue.
But the time for is now here, and
the need is urgent. 1t has to be rescued from
the fagworshiping class and from the tariff.
monopoly adventures who are at present in
control. 1t has to be saved from it's patriots"
and its government. We have seen the great
civilized states of Central Europe Inundated
and brought to disaster by just that same COM
blnat1on of eXasperatng militarism with in
dustrial nationalism. That now impers Great
Britain Are we in our turn to tread that path?
We want the empire of the open hand We
want an empire which is not an end but
means to an end.
Copyright. 1927. by the New York Times Trans.
lation rights reserved.)