INDIAS CONDITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 12 October 1907, Page 3

INDIAS CONDITION.

A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. PROSPECTS OF A GENERAL RISING. The Rev. Arthur Parker, of the London Missionary Society, who is visiting Wellington, and who Las spent twenty years in India, was seen by a representative of the Post with reference to the internal condition of India, and in connection with the remarks attributed to Mr Keir llardie, AU\ Mr Parker thought Mr Hardie's explanation of his remarks was correct, and was satistaclury. "The ultra-conservative classes at Home and the same party in India," said the rev. gentleman, mo doubt prophesied what would happen when Mr Hardie went to India, and when he did give public utterance then it is likely that they magnified what he said. Personally, I do not think there is anything like an extensive and organised conspiracy which might culminate in n general rising throughout India." "Rut do the natives need any encouragement at all from without r" Mr Parker was asked.

"There has, no doubt, been a lot" of big talk among the natives; but there has been talk of the kind for very many years," was the reply. "But it has been magnified to a great extent. If you know anything at all about India, you will know that the great mass of the Hinds are a simple, law-abiding folk, and very ignorant. There is a comparatively small class of semi-educated Hindus and a still smaller class of highly educated Hindus, who affect to represent the whole of India It is (juite possible that they may cause disturbances among the people over whom they hold some inlluence. It is to be expected also that these will cause trouble in the big cities, and riots in country places, where isolated missionaries, planters, and officials may suffer. Here these disturbers have some family Or clan iuituencc. The chances of a great rising an-, 1 think, happily very remote. People at all interested in the *ubjeet should >tudy the geography of India, anil the part played by the self-govern-ing slntes which have home rule, and which themselves contain millions of people. Again, the Mahoimnedans have to be reckoned with when considering the possibility of a geifcral rising. They still cling to the hope of becoming once more the rulers of India. They have no sympathy whatever with the Hindus I and would never tolerate Hindu rule."

"What position would native Christians occupy in a general outbreak against British rule?" "Christianity in India has not yet reached to suck a position as to lie what one might call a controlling political force. There are three millions of Christians—one million Protestants and the other two millions are Roman Catholics and Syrians. The. l'rotcstauts are scattered all over the peninsula, among three hundred millions oT people. They are mostly poor, and have practically no political influence. Although there is far more education among the Christians than among the heathen,still they cannot lie regarded as a political facter. In the great mutiny, however, the Christians went through awful trials, and yet their faith was unshaken. They were all on the side of the British Government." i "Mav trouble be looked for among the Mohamedans?"

'■l think not. They have been disaffected because of the promotion of the higher cducted Hindus, in the public MTvices. But the Mohamodan abhor? ! education. He is a good craftsman, a I hunter, a good soldier, and makes an : excellent official, hut ho is very conserj vative. and lias an undying belief in the pa-t and feeds upon his traditions. The l Indian (inviTiimeiit has done much to improve his education even to incurring the offence of the Hindu, who think*. I too much addition is beine; paid to him; | but the C'.im-nimont wishi-s to employ | more Mohaniedans if thev will onlv . 1 ipialify for the piwilimis onen for Iheni. I 111 Cdl-idcl-m? die possibilitie. of a . Hindu rising, the pn-id,.:, occupied by the ilohuincdaus must not be left out."