SOME EEFLECTIONS ON HOW EMPIRE CAME TO US. 43 



men who move amongst these peoples to be sympathetic, 

 tactful, wise — wiser than some of them often are ! 



We are called to a great work, and we must let our thoughts 

 expand to its greatness. " A great empire and little thoughts," 

 as Burke asserted, " go ill together ! " 



An Indian gentleman said to the writer, when passing through 

 his country ten years ago : " Concession will not cure the present 

 unrest in India. The first Englishman who is overbearing and 

 high-handed with the people will imdo all the effect of the con- 

 cessions made ! The fact is — my people will almost worship 

 the EngHshman for his justice, fairness and impartiality, but 

 when he begins to call us ' niggers,' we hate him ! There are 

 great and noble exceptions to this latter, and we are not slow to 

 recognize them." 



Many things have happened since these remarks were made in 

 the spring of 1910. And a situation has since gro\\Ti up in 

 India that is full of menace to the British Raj. 



Never was the Suaviter in modo more necessary to Hnk up 

 with the fortiter in re than now. 



Never was it more necessary for the rulers to understand the 

 ruled. Never was it more fatal to speak contemptuously and 

 slightingly of the various races that go to make up our Indian 

 Empire. This will require considerable watchfuhiess and self- 

 control. Even missionaries in India have confessed to the 

 writer how hard it is for them always to be free from the con- 

 sciousness that they belong to the ruling class ! 



Time was, too, a few years back, when African peoples were 

 in the imitative stage of childhood. That stage is rapidly 

 passing away. Race instincts are growing stronger, and demands 

 are being made that it will be difficult to refuse. Let anyone 

 consider the racial problems of South Africa, the Negro problem 

 in the United States of America, and the quite new problems 

 (largely arising out of the recent war) in relation to the Jew 

 the Arab and the Moslem, and he will be compelled to agree 

 that something more than a League of Nations is needed to keep 

 the world at peace and our Empire undisturbed. 



Nothing less than a fresh conversion to the ancient Law, 

 " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ..." and 

 " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," will do it ! 



If we, as a people, charged with such vast responsibihties, will 

 thus govern ourselves, we shall not only " pull together," but 

 we shall " pull through." 



