A REMARKABLE SPEECH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 11

A REMARKABLE SPEECH.

" COUNT OKUMA ON THE FUTURE OF | INDU. . "The Times," London, recently .published < extracts from'the ppeccli'delivered in Tokio ; by Count Okuma, president of Waseda UniY\U'sity, and -es-prpsidont of the. Progressive v mrly hy-Japan,- on tho occasion of tho fust . (leetmg of <t!ie Indo-Japaiiesp Association, of. which ho ,is president. •-In tho'Cuurjo qfi hio apccoh Count o\\un;i said that'lndians' the foyntain-hoad \ of >■■■": civilisation/ .- 'She oxoelled, all, other ; coun.tries nraMiciit times-in foligjon, literature, art, 'and 1 industry, " wa3 almost un- • possible ' to - namo a country either m the East or ii tho West that .had not boen moro or lesS'influenced by Indian civilisation. Now, . h'owovor, she had' fallen on evil days, and for this she had largoly to thank her caste . ?ystoni), her . religion,' .and: : her languages, which - number, .including dialects, over 800. o After expjaming how these three causes had • impeded: Indian development, ■ Count Okuma proceeded A FOOLISH CRY.

i "AV'd aro .informed that some natives of .tho tountry haye recently,been crying for inde- • • pendente against "the; British Administration. , !*fothli)g::'(!ould ba more , ill-considered or >' :'3jet theni abolishVtHoir own pernicious system and customs toi start with, and elovatd themselves up-to tho j mark of. the Englishmen' in character, /'.ln morality, : in knowledgo, then they peed not bother J theinselyes/'iapoutl' struggling -'independ-, . enee, for; freedom, will comfe to; them of it-: • self. ■■ v Biifc. if they should Ije tQQ 1 eagerly en- / gaged'in "blaming-.others:, to - reflect upon 'themselves'and: he convinced of their own • faults,' tho step of India' Will . sink for ever ■ belowv'the. horizon, • not v to ".rise, up again. I assert that the Hindus .have every reason to _ heartfelt gratitude to ; the English' for -their b'enovolence. = . For was it not owing- to; tho British Government that 1 Hindustan -' came -to •, see : . for. the ■ .first . time the 'unification whole dominion in the , , propeMiieahitig'df tho word? Was it not w:ing., to ? the same benefactor that the:'native race , .enjoy : the interests of oivilised instrunlonts and'modern; science? -Their railway, , their are all the gifts: of their conqueror's Government. Their .education-and their sanitation aro also the gracious of tho same guardian. /Again they are. indebted to tho British Government ■for an - oxcolfhnt 'pohco system,:• for. tho. mitirgatioii'of'disftsUQiia'conseqiiciiccsof.'droughta • qnd pestilonees, and for-an admirable admim* strativo system. ' And" during a century of • the'political hegemony of Great Britain m ■ Jndia the 1 idea of unification has first been germinafljng / In- thp.hoads - of:- -the . Hindu ■ National Congress haying• beenoonvened a- view to .-poht\oal improve-: .ment-onono side/ and Brahma Sam?], Arya Samajj.' apd seme ::such -mpveiuent? having . sprung l uj) .• wv.tho' ptlior :to "lesson tho re-. liglous ovjlgwith : which they havo been .aftlictfelcP'do lQtig;-^:. 'These,are also tho ad- . vanWged'they ihavo obtained, directly or directly, in ponsequcnoe of thoir being in ■ the power* of tho British Government. The first step, {o be takpiv by tho native races on Indian soil, situated'as they are now, is to . avajl themselves of tho examplo of the best peoples on•'earfcn,-* and to improve tho socialconditions pf -their-,: 1 , own: country.. Their ■ only,chance-for tho present is to ba willing to romain quiet under tho auspices of British Government, to got rid pf-their corrupt i prnotioes j s'tp"onda!ivoin'..,-to i ,, invigorate: :tfie | •< national spirit,'to-do; their-utmost to subli-1 mate their::charabter, and'thus to cxslt their country's ipgsitiqn.ito - tha-isamo, level .with Canada, Australia,j or ... Capo .* Colony. The : present-generation of Hindus could not bo - top repeateflly, ojfhorted tp bear: in niind that they -are - Happy -because they arq ruled by ;oGreat>; : 'Britam.;:.■*;? JSriglitßd jjis a ; truly . liberal .country/.; ; and : . a, generous:/one,f'as -well, and ■i the'Etoperor'-of India-and King,of England . is a berievolent Soyoreign peerless under tho sun; The spirit of ■ the-Anglo-Saxon raco is a crystal of righteousness and humanity. Englishmen, boast themselves that; their rape -is tho most 'oxcellent in. tho world. This is ■.. not- : a: prido emanating j.frpin,,their patriotic hearts only,-for; 7l to', judgo'impartially, m ■ some respects Jt-is :really - so, anil .even-proud' . ..Ifrenchirieu". admit-:- its' '.truth.' !■,,'The' facts prove this. Go where you may oil tho surface of the earth, _to America, to Australia, or to- Africa,; you ■ aro • sure to find tho , descendants of the "Anglo-Saxon taking tho lead as reclaimers pf civilisation."

! THE GERM. OF DESTRUCTION. 1 v.After exhorting Indians ' 'to- imitate'. the; 1 cxamplo'ior'othqr and ;nal[Q them*' solves'fii for. independence, "the speaker.wont ; on t tx 1 • : i "A rising or a declining nation is aignalisedby tho prcsenco: or absence, ol' tho introspec-' . We faculty just alluded to, '.' 'Independence' ..is a;,pet subject of -the Hindus' conversation. To strugglo to break-loose from the British' • yokp.-in ...pursuance .of indcpondenco: is. plausible l as yell as;reasonable thought, but. .;v.-it--'is : . r^ly\tt. ; vjsipnary inipossi- 1 -A' hafcioiiUs'■&) titled 'to talk of inde-i .. pendence only aftcr it has entiroly abolished- • lts.oivn ovil customs. .onnobled'its own. char-: ■ aoter,!and attaiiiod tbo same qualifications as; : any,othor powerful or rising nation.' : rNeither tbo evolution theory nor anv ,-piodern ad-: -.'; virickl''thought I .admits, that j thi?,evils;,conse--;' ■ quehti.on ytlio Hindu-casto system and re- '. • ligious .superstitions, should. havu~a placq m . 'any.civilised nation." : ; ' ;.- went on to draw a parellel between tho . fall of- tho ■ Roman Empire .'and: . that of; other (great ..cpuntriesix-including; ; concludes;' thatlthovgerm of; de-i ;'. ..y. strucfcibnv,resides..-within ' a'i-State,■?.and "not; f : ■ nvitliout;.. V 'Wood '.wilt get '.'rotten, before it ; is.worm-eaten." - -;"Frpin.;aiiciont times' onwards, tlio realm; ; • was.? attacked' or subjugated (many a time);. r : by a foreign foo, and thon, bciiirr invaded by ! '; Spain,'.;l'ortugal, France, /or' England, tlio! destruction; of .its' immense, riches'/and the, '• degradation of its; industry,. art 3, aiid litera-- ' titro'were completed. And who' is ; answer-: able ; for. ; an tnis? y, 1 say it was not any', r. of;th'eso 1 aggressors,, but. India .herself-/;that' i v' annihilated.-.the realm.'' ; • 3 Count Okuma concluded by sketching the' - .; realms; for. tho: extraordinary.. development' . • of Japan. : ' "In Japan Buddhism has assumed a very different .shape; fr.om' : its. .prototype irtvlndia,: ' /; haying'^yundergono: Va - '.'careful .processor purification. ■ When it was first introduced.from .India through .China, it was inter-' . mingled. ..with great . evils,; .of. which: wo con-® ; trived ingeniously to. purgo it so as; to ex-. :.v-;' : son-:. - • sequence' lb _is_still, exercising - a"groat' v iri-' > fluon'co on bur "social life. - On the contrary, India', Turkey, Pfcrsia, Siam, and most other countries havo moro or.'lcs3 suffered, from ; ; roligioiiii-!yj^ispjiing;7r~v:Thaii^s.^to owivvjiccu-'- ■ liant;?-;o( . subjecting every exotic .thing" to a ■ refining 'process,'}-wo- Japaneso:turned to ac--courit,th;o^lndi;an';ahd.,tnD'Ghineso ; Bu(ldhism' « ' 'it'vto • our :(eustQrtsi'and. spiritual .. ■ cujtuie.; - ; i -Againf, CO years >ago-.wo\ eamo in contact; with the influenco of: the West/ and, ■ ■ when ;onoo ,we aware of our own in- - ferior .points and errors} we 'promptly appro- , ; priated'-.tho/,excellences ..ofaotners and assimi- ■, tho /pregghi!f ■'"'.things, the Japanese, }; . tlieirfeyes to tho world, r itch. tp ; avaife.tliemselvcß' : i. of any superior' ; poillt's .of : otlicr. naticnis, and that is tho rea- • son; have sprung up so suddenly. .- years ago 'our country,,like . ... India,^had.had a caste.system'of its own; but scarcely, had its weak poiritsUi'ccn disoovorod, when-it was disniissedj'arid iall tho people ■ camo. to be equalised in . rajilt and right.-;-: TMs was a cause of-our rising up. I . question whethor-tho Hmdu3 ;\Vill muster up courago%iough ;to do tho samp.'->,'; Upon this hinges-the future destiny of India. ' - : i Tne'.Coupt goes.oii" to warn tho Indians "against;tbo;fo<j!ishi'disturbaricc 'created ■ by their Swadeshi movements, and exhorts them onco moro^-'-'as-a sincere and intimate friend - of■: tho Indian 1 nation/' t0..-root;, out their , antiquated and bad habits, and to work out their own salvation. ''