EAST AND WEST.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 18763, 30 December 1930, Page 4

EAST AND WEST.

SPIRITUAL CONTACTS. Sir Francis Younghusband, writing in “Asia,” submits an idea in international peace relationships that is at once arresting and impressive. He “When a young, man—only 23 I began travelling among Asiatics. Being entirely dependent upon them for the success of my exploration, I had to be keenly alive to what they regarded with favour or disfavour. While on my way from Pekin to India I had only one companion—an Afghan. He rode one pony, and I another, and we led a third pony carrying baggage. And thus intimately did I live with him all day and all night, day after day. "He suddenly asked me one day why I never said my prayers. 'You British have no religion,’ he said. ‘You have seen me say my prayers five times every day. You have seen the Kirghiz in their tents night and morning saying their prayers. But I have never once seen you saying yours.’ “I tried to appease him by saying that I had said mine inwardly. “But this did not satisfy him. He continued: ‘I have been in India and I have seen the English churches empty all the week. Only on Sundays does anyone go to them, and only once then. How can you care about religion if you practise so little? Religion is nothing to you English.’ "Now this Afghan was only a petty trader; he was no mullah or religious fanatic. He was just a typical Central Asian. And, when he thus evidently despised us for our want of religion, I might depend upon it that mos"t other Central Asians did the same.

“Three years later, in 1890, I was on a political mission to the Chinese. On one occasion I expatiated* at length to a high Chinese official on our achievements in India. He listened with the utmost politeness. And then, to my amazement, he intimated in the most graceful language that railways, canals, telegraph lines, ships and guns were not everything in life, and that we Europeans were perpetually at war with either ourselves or some one else; we had neither the culture nor the repose of the Chinese. The beautiful, whether expressed in literature or in pictures, or in forms and colour in porcelain, was evidently far more to him than were all our mechanical inventions. “Now these two conversations were a revelation to me. I learned from them that these Central Asians greatly prized religion, and the Chinese culture. In their hearts, both Afghans and Chinese prized spiritual things above material things. Evidently, to get on with Asiatics, I too must show that I set store by spiritual things. Only thus could I capture their real regard. By good fortune it so happened that I inherit a strong religious disposition. And this inheritance stood me in good stead during 28 years of dealing with Asiatics. “For example, in 1893-1894 I had to conduct political relations with the chief of Citral —a mountain state on the northern frontier of India. I found that the chief was interested in Christianity. Very searching questions he put to me. And the whole court would join in the discussion. Soon I saw the value of these debates. Religious discussion put us at ease with one another. If we could talk together over fundamental things, we should not be so far apart in political relations. I touched these people in the deepest part of their nature. Power of Religion. “Some years later I had a similar experience when dealing with Indians of an advanced culture. In this case

I was the president of a Council of Regency. The Prime Minister and all the other ministers were very able Hindus. We had before us schemes for new roads, better education, more adequate hospital accommodation, the sanitation of towns, police reforms, agricultural improvements, and so on. But I soon noticed that what really interested them was religion, and that, since I also was interested in religion, they felt at ease with me. •'I was charged with a political mission to Tibet in 1903. My business was to overcome the then obstructive attitude of the Tibetans, and put our relations with them on a friendly footing. Now, in no other country is more regard shown for religion. Tibet is ruled by priests. The main interest of the country is not in politics, nor in commerce, nor in the arts, but in religion. I discovered that the real reason why the Tibetans were so violently opposed to us was that they feared we would ‘spoil’ their religion. Therefore, in entering their monasterffes and temples I paid the utmost consideration to their feelings. I took interest in their art treasures and religious literature, and tried to show them that religion was a matter which interested me. All the officers of the mission I encouraged to do the same. As a result, their fears on behalf of their religion v/ere dispelled, and eventually their attitude of implacable hostility was turned into one of confidence and friendship.

“The entire experience of us British as a nation confirms my experience as an individual, that what weighs most with Asiatics is religion, and that, if we non-Asiatics wish to put our relationship with them on a sound and lasting basis, we must win their respect as caring for things of the spirit. “Not in India, nor in Palestine, nor in Arabia, shall we be able to settle things until we have gained the spiritual respect of the people. Standing aloof with an air of intolerance and indifference to their religion does not suffice. Nor does working for their material welfare. We must gain their spiritual confidence. In the eyes of Asiatics, we are too material; they would like us to be more spiritual. “We western peoples would therefore be wise to show Asiatics that we are not indifferent to religion—that we, as they, love the beautiful things of the spirit; that we, as they, believe in the existence of a mighty Spiritual Power working through and beyond phenomena for good, and that we, as they, honour above all others those holy men of God, who, in whatever land, in whatever age, have stirred the souls of men and turned earth into heaven. In such spiritual comradeship lies the secret of peaceful and happy inter-racial relations.”