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vol. title: Vol Four of The Theosophical Society of The Arya Samaj of Arya-wart vol. period: Sept 1878 – Sept 1879 pages in vol.: 350 |
< Social Intercourse Between Europeans and Natives. (continued from page 8-259) >
more. We can account for this in many ways The first batch of Englishmen that came to India was undoubtedly the best also. But, then, India had only recently passed into their hands, and by a mistaken policy, they thought harshness alone could keep India in their hands. Then, as years went by, the Civil Service let loose a host of needy adventurers, to whom India and the Indians offered a rich booty. These were the days of the famous Nabobs, whose splendour, so much celebrated in cheap novels, was maintained at the expense of the country. In proportion the Nabobs were generous and profuse in England they were niggardly and ungenerous to the Indians; and so it came to pass, that all Europeans who came to this land were considered to have come to make money, abuse the climate, consume a sea of burgundy, and abuse the natives. With the natives themselves it fared differently but in no better fashion. The British Government, with a policy the wisdom of which we will not pause to question at this moment, began to make the education of the natives a duty of the state. No doubt, they were impelled to take this step from the notion that education would help the natives to better understand the beauties of British rule in India and to compare the despotism and anarchy of previous governments with the stability and justice of England. This end was partially gained; and the Indians began to look up to Europeans as beings to whom there was no near approach for their smallness. But as this knowledge taught the natives humility, it as well served to keep them more and more apart from Europeans. They thought, they were not made to be the social equals of those, whose civilization extended centuries back. This happened, however, at an early stage of their education. Suddenly there came a change over the spirit of their dream. They rose to new thoughts and new feelings and new hopes. They began to discover, that the civilization, that was the boast of Europeans, was, as it were, the offspring of yesterday; that the Europeans were barbarians at a time when their own ancestors knew all the secrets of nature; that in short, European civilization was but a faint copy of the old Hindoo civilization. There were at first, few of course, who knew this; but these few industriously proclaimed the news all over the country. They assumed a haughtiness of manner and speech, which to the Europeans, who had only seen them in their cringing humility, was undisguised insolence. They assumed an air of familiarity, talked mysteriously of their rights and grievances, proclaimed silly nonsense from the housetops, and while they did all this, they began at the same time to ape the manners and costumes of those whom they looked down upon, put on boots and coats and stockings, drank brandy and soda, and in the most brilliant neckties and collars promenaded the streets. This gave the Europeans a good and substantial reason to cut them, and to think badly of natives generally. This class of men are to be observed to this day in Bombay and Poona, and it is these men, who stir up the seditious passions of the ignorant masses. Their number is very small, indeed; but they do incalculable mischief. Two or three months ago, we met a native of this stamp (A Poona Brahmin) at the house of an European lady. This lady had a great regard for the natives, and this was her greatest weakness. She treated all natives indiscriminately. While she was scrupulous in admitting Europeans to her house, it was enough to be a native to pass her portals. Thus multitudes of deserving and undeserving visitors went daily to see her. The Poona Brahmin introduced himself to her as the editor of some newspaper. He appeared on the first day to be a modest young man, pretty well educated and of good manners. Familiarity, however, breeds contempt it is said; and if we ever felt sincere contempt for any human being, it was for this Poona Brahmin. The lady was a great smoker, and it was her way to offer jocularly a cigarette to every visitor. The Brahmin in a few days never waited for the offer of the cigarette; but cooly put his naked and dirty feet on the sofa, and appropriated the contents of the tobacco-box. He would often bring his friends and distribute freely the cigarettes of the lady! So much for this excellent Brahmin.
We hope and feel, that the class. to which this Brahmin belongs, is very small. There are Indians, whose society must ever impart pleasure to the most fastidious lover of good manners. We have, we know, in this article treated lightly the general aspects of the question. We hope, in a future article, to deal a little more minutely with the question of social intercourse between Europeans and Natives.
Editor's notes
- ↑ Two uncaptioned illustrations. by unknown author