A COLONIAL'S IMPRESSIONS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXI, Issue 12187, 7 June 1907, Page 4

A COLONIAL'S IMPRESSIONS.

A London journal recently published some impressions ot the Motherland by "A Colonial," the chief point of which was a denunciation of the hiorh development of the caste feeling at Homo. The colonial complained that the self-superiority of the ruling: class was joyfully acknowledged by the poorer people, and stated that if the governing cluss of Groat Britain had become, through excessive conceit, incapable of leading on proper lines, it had become t-o largely through the wild idolatry of the rest of the nation. "In the coloni«» there is a good working theory of equality," he wrote. "Jack does actually believe that ho 'S every bit as good as his master, and his master is of the same opinion, and he would consequently be. us little inclined to patronise Jnck as Jack would be inclined to tolerate 'the patronage. But in England, in spite- of trade Unions and the spread of So»alism, I find that if a man is born a caiflbnter it never occurs to him that he can be anything else but a carpenter. He may dislike his master, he may combine with his fellows to fight him, but he recognises in his master a being ol a different order. If the master came into the workman's club he would bring with him a. feeling of discomfort. Between maßter and man there is a great gulf fixed." "A Colonial" added that the social life of Great Britain was almost as much dpminated hy caste as was the social life of India, and that tli-s class distinctions seemed to be a source of grievous weakness to the whole Empire. He had found in England an almost farcical adherence to customs the- utility of which had long since departed, and a great weight of public opinion against anything at all that was new. "There is iio reason to believe,"

he ba.d m kuh lusion. tlui' the AugloS.ixon. spri'.id *•, lv' )- nei the globe, ami holding- flu- dretmy of n.ilH'iw m his hand», i<? ln<,in«r tnitli in him«i'li. lint Eligl.md in tiyinsr hi* |).ifion<o. .uid it may happen j that hw, intluisKifciii «ill m the Inline he ' .til lor the n.-e. while nothing will remftiu 1 hut .i to'eiant. gond-iiatuml pity for it« 1 cradl.'."