A RACIAL CONFLICT SETTLED
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—It is highly gratifying to read the account given by Sir John Harris of two missionaries and a layman effecting the settlement of a racial conflict in Northern Australia in circumstances involving much personal inconvenience and risk. But Sir John's letter has forced upon me, as a native of India, some rather unpleasant thoughts in con- nexion with the occupation of Australia by Europeans which took place a little over a hundred years ago.
Before that occupation the aboriginal tribes had complete freedom of movement in their own country. Now they are confined to certain restricted " native reserves " by their foreign masters who have arrogated to themselves the name of Australians. Sir John Harris has not deemed it necessary to state the ,cause of the conflict as it is irrelevant to the purpose of his letter ; but it may be observed that the natives (who are called " the blacks ") live under a constant sense of injustice at the hands of foreign aggressors who have molested them and have, in their own interests, restricted the rights enjoyed by them from time immemorial ; and it is quite possible that in this particular instance they had acted in a spirit of desperation with a full knowledge of the great risk which they, as ill-armed men, ran in facing people possessing the advantage of superior modern armaments.
Be that as it may, it strikes me that the issue Of loud and insistent demands on the part of the 'white settlers for a punitive expedition to " teach the blacks a lesson," was unworthy of a people professing a religion of love and good-
will. Similarly, the condemnation by the whites of the proposal to send a peaceful mission to treat with the natives as " foolish," " fantastic " and " quixotic " clearly indicates that the influence of Christianity on its followers has not been all to the good ; and it would not be unreasonable to infer that the religion really inspires a spirit of force and vengeance.
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