THE PEACE OF INDIA.—II.

HE violent language employed by Mrs. Besant's allies and their revolutionary demands inevitably caused alarm among the little body of Europeans in India. The British merchants were denounced in a public meeting by a lawyer-politician as " petty traders," " wretched traders," and persons engaged in " robbing Indians of their money " who ought to be made to dis- appear from the country. " If self-government is granted," said Mr. R. C. Das, " and the authority of Magistrates and Collectors in every district is lessened, what would happen to these gentle- men ? " The European Associations in India had simply pointed out the dangers of the situation created by the agitators at a time when the Empire was fighting for its life, and in calm and dignified words, in which sympathy for the Indian people was conspicuous, they had appealed to Government to resist proposals involving the ruin of India. The steadily growing trade and industry of India are due entirely to British guidance and initiative, which even introduced the valuable cotton business, now mainly in Indian i.ands. Where British methods have been• followed there has can success. The wholesale failure of Sundeshi financial insti- tutions, which the laxity of our commercial laws allowed, to. exist, and the revelations which followed, supply startling evidence of the dangers of enterprises of this nature under Indian 'direction. British capital, energy, and engineering have rtransformed.

given employment to Indians on a huge scale, created new wealthy classes, and spread prosperity unknown in the peat. In the Punjab alone, towns are springing up in what was desert country, and

everywhere there are plain aigns of general advancement due wholly to British Rule.

When a little body of malcontents, who have never shown aptitude for anything except talking, and many of whom have actively obstructed the progress of the masses, openly demanded that executive power should be transferied to their incompetent and interested hands on the plea of setting up the " exotic " eystem- of democracy which Mrs. Besant a few years' ago strongly condemned,

it was to be expected that many Indians would vigorously protest. They have done so in terms which constitute a powerful appeal to the British Government and people. As the Maharaja of Burdwan pointed out in December last,

" Whatever concessions India may get ere long, they will not satisfy those who go on either preaching the cult of hate against the British, or are out for wild incantations, or a free revolution. It is, therefore, essential that we should organize a propaganda by which we can rally around us all Moderates and rational thinkers in the land, for this alone will give a convincing reply to that section of the British democracy which understands so little of our real India, and whose good intentions are at present at any rate a real danger to this country."

Considering the extent to which intimidation has been practised, the fact that almost the whole of the Indian Press is controlled by the agitators, the absence of any previous organization, and the discouragement arising from the weakness of Government, it is wonderful that so pruch has been accomplished in a few -months. As the Home Rule movement, like all earlier attempts to subvert

British Rule, has been inspired by Brahmins, the hereditary oppressors of the Indian peoples, and as caste tyranny is felt more in the South than among the virile races of the North, Madras has taken a most active part in opposing Mrs. Besant's junta. In a memorial signed by leading citizens of the Southern Presidency it is pointed out that. Home Rule, if granted now or in the near future, would " greatly, and perhaps fatally, impair the efficiency of all the public services," and further

" That Home Rule, if introduced while the vast majority • of 'the Indian population is educationally backward, socially despised by the minority of Brahmin intellectuals, and almost wholly without political experience, would mean the permanent relegation of the masses to a position of hopeless inferiority under an oligarchy extremely intolerant of their efforts to uplift themselves."

From all parts of India strong protests are forthcoming, and Asso- ciations have been hurriedly formed to oppose the threatened

domination of the masses by a clique of Brahmins, lawyers and journalists. The Deccan Rayats Association has informed the Secretary of State that

" The legislators of the future, drawn from the upper layers of Hindu society for the most part, will only tighten the shackles by which the masses are bound down to degrading traditions and customs and laws."

The Association of Madras Dravidian, representing the early civilization of Southern India, assure Mr. Montagu that " We shall fight to the last drop of. our blood any attempt to transfer the seat of -authority from British hands to so-called high- caste Hindus, who have ill-treated us in the past, and would do so again but for the protection of British laws."

The Mohammedans are equally apprehensive and outspoken. Leagues are being formed -to counteract the machination of the Moslem coterie captured by the Hindu extremists. The Mohammedans in Bombay state in their address:— "We are opposed to any readjustment calculated to weaken the British character of the administration, or its ultimate guiding and controlling power."

Prominent Indians of the educated class are championing the cause of -the masses, and courting abuse thereby. Thus Mr. Daulat

Ram Kalia in an open letter makes a pregnant suggestion to the Secretary of State :-

" You may pick up a few peasants at random -and directly ask them whether they, like an Indian or a European to be their Collector or Judge. . . . And, if you do not mind, you can mill for a return from each district of those applications in which the prayer is ' my case be transferred to the Court of a European Magistrate or Judge.' In this way, Sir, you will see whether a Home Ruler is voicing the feelings of the people, or is only putting forth his own claims to rule the masses without their consent."

Such is the tenor of innumerable utterances of patriotic Indians who realize what the transference of power to the Brahmin-inspired agita-

tors would mean to the life and progress of India. It is-not-too much to say that, wherever among the vast mass of the Indian working classes the issue is understood, there is abhorrence of the idea of

rule by the small section of the English-speaking and town-dwelling caste, which -has never shown any sympathy with their welfare, and which seeks by reiterating the shibboleths- of' democracy to secure the support of the British manual workers.

The complex- medley of races, religions, castes, and languages which make up the population of India is held together by British Rule alone. If that Rule is weakened, and if the authority of British officers, thinly scattered far and wide over the land, is set at naught, there will be chaos deeper and darker than that into which .a small band—partly dreamers and partly German-corrupted scoundrels—has plunged Russia. The martial races of India, whose gallant. sons have followed their British officers into the valley of the shadow of death on many stricken fields, would not tolerate for a week the rule of the Indian politicians, whose only strength lies in- their tongues. While caste dominates the whole social structure- of India nationhood is impossible, and it is our duty and our privilege to build up a nation fit for self-government. That great task is well within our powers on condition that we show a firm front to the agencies of reaction.

While we have consistently refrained from all interference with the religious customs of India, except where the ordinary dictates of humanity demanded such action as the suppression of Sati, our Rule has been uniformly inspired by the principles of Christianity. That is the main reason of our wonderful success. The political agitation of recent years has led to a recrudescence of some of the darker forms of Hindu superstition. Prominent Brahmin agitators have encouraged Kali worship in its worst aspects in order to further their objects, and the revolting immorality of Tantric rites has been revived even among so-called educated classes for this reason. In the movement, which styles itself democratic with obvious design, lurks grave danger to the advancement of civilization in India.

Among us there must be many- who cherish a warm affection for the Indian people,and who keep a single eye for their welfare in the highest sense. The time has come for them to speak plainly, and to bring all available influence to bear. in order that the ignorance of the British public may be dispelled and that disaster may be averted. Many reforms are urgently requited in a system of government which has long failed to suffice the growing needs of India ; but such reforms will utterly fail to satisfy the demands of the Indian Bolsheviks. Upon the maintenance of British Rule, with executive powers unimpaired, the peace of India—now imperilled—absolutely