OUR RECENT INDIAN VISITORS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 141, 21 June 1901, Page 4

OUR RECENT INDIAN VISITORS.

" A LESSON IN IMPERIALISM." The "Times of India " (Bombay) in its issue of the 9th ultimo devotes a leading article, airier the heading of " A Lesson in Imperialism ' to the recent visit of the Tndmn. troops to the colonies. The writer, after referring to the idea of having an Indian Contingent at the Commonwealth celebrations, as " a happy inspiration," says : — " Henceforward India and Australia will have a new interest for each other. Prejudices have been removed, and the shadow of ignorance lifted, and the ties which link the Dependency with the Commonwealth, and both with the mother country, have been strengthened and tightened by this act of far-seeing statesmanship. Popular misconceptions die hard, bat as one result of the visit colonial opinion of the Indian peoples was quickly re-modelled. The general ignorance of things Indian extended to the An tipodes, and colonial ideas of the races which inhabit thia country were largely based upon the unrepresentative examples to be found within their own borders. The splendid physique, martial bearing, and dignified manners of the fighting men of the North revolutionised these ideas, and displayed a new India to th© delighted colonials. From the moment of their arrival the Contingent w.re made royally and magnificently welcome. New Zealand and Tasmania vied with Australia in the cordiality, and generosity ef their greeting to those whom the Commonwealth delighted to honour ; at every port and every town the Indian troops were made t* feel that they were valued guests, for whom too much could not possibly be done Nor have the beneficial results of the visit been one-sided. The members of the Contingent, shrewd intelligent soldiers, were greatly impressed with the extent, the power, and the resources of the New England under the southern Cross. Round camp fire and in barrack for many a year the talk will often turn to the great continent.thousands of miles away, where men of Uic samo race and speaking the _ame tongue as the .irkar have built up huge cities and big industries, where stalwart soldiers abound, ready and anxious to fight the battles of the Empire in any quarter of the Globe. Australasia, which waa not even a name before to the vast proportion of the Native Army, -will now have a definite and important place in their thoughts, for in every division men will be found who have seen with their own eyes the country whence came those stern soldiers who have been making history in South Africa. The lesson borne in upon the picked men who formed the Contingent, that they are subjects of no mean Empire, will not be readily forgotten. By the genuineness and cordiality of their welcome, .he Colonials have also convinced theae stalwart warriors that they are indeed fellow-subjects of the same King, fellow-soldiers to bear the Empire's burden wherever true men and stout hearts are wanted. This is no mean achievement. The Anglo Saxons are | wont to pride themselves upon being a practical race, little given to-senti-ment. At heart there is no more sentimental people. The- Empire is mainly | based upon sentiment and held together by the Bame.*trojig, though indefinable, tie ; the remarkable outburst of martial spirit evoked by the reverses in the South African War are based on the sentiment of pride of race and loyalty to the Queen. To widen and strengthen the respect and interest the various units of the .Empire entertain for each other should be the chief end of our Imperial policy, and a marked advance in this direction has resulted from the wise expedient of having the Indian Army represented at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia."