Year: 1879

Apparently the British government would
like to be safely out Of the Afghan diff
Guilty, for the article in the London Times
which counsels an immediate retreat has
very much the air Of feeler thrown out in
the government interest. 1--WE can now"
says the Times, "retire from Afghanistan
with honor and with safety. BY and by the
choice may not be open to u.s." If this
were only tho expression of an individ-
ual opinion it would be of less mo-
ment than we take it to be, though
no instructed opinion on such point is
without weight. But if the government
has inspired this method of feeling the
public pulse-if it wishes to test by this
expedient how the country would receive
an official statement of retreat from Afghan
istan the result will perhaps encourage 1t,
for it does not seem to have provoked any
extravagant declarations. If this is, in
fact, an official rlse, it is characteristic OF
the real timidity in difficult occasions OF a
government that has staggered furiously
where there was no reason for it.


AS to the rapidly increasing complica-
tions of the situation in Afghanistan the
Times was right and even prophetic. 1t
wrote immediately after the defeat which
forced General Roberts into his fortified
camp, and already the difficulties are very
much greater than they were then. The
simple demons nstration that the tanatical
spirit Of Mohammedanism is to be counted
s., ;vt bo hoo uithi
few days made it apparent that Eng
land will not only be fortunate If her
soldiers can hold their own through the
winter, but more than fortunate If she ever
gets man of them out of the country.
England is now face to face with the one
Asiatic force that has in its turn over
whelmed and annihilated all empires and
governments and authorities which it had
reason to regard as its enemies. Divided
by collisions of interest the various
Asiatic races of men may be easily
enough subjected by a few thousand
such troops as England sends against
them, but if all these men are
united and moulded into one mass by the
spirit of great common passion England
does not possess military power enough to
conquer them. And the passion that can
thus gather into one focus all the barbarian
courage of these naturally fierce people is
already active, and has been just now
especially stirred by the senseless British
policy of attempting to awe the country by
q few executions of men whose persons are
sacred under the laws Of Islam. The risks
thus wantonly incurred may be appreciated
by consulting the elucidation of the ''great
Mohammedan revival" which appears in
our columns this morning.


1t would be an act of great moral courage
to withdraw the British troops at this mo-
ment, but one that would excite contempt
for the government, since it would admit
practically that the invasion of Afghanis-
tan had been undertaken heedlessly and
without proper consideration of the Difficult
ties. Therefore it is very unlikely the step
will be taken. There is not enough moral
courage in this Minister to face the cry
that would be raised over precipitate re-
treat from campaign undertaken with
such lofty contempt of much contrary
advice. Her Majesty's Ministers can better
endure tho bptchery Of all the troops at o,
near Cabul than face the political conse.
quences of saving them by q retreat.