representative government-第79章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


whatever　pledges　might　be　given　of　teaching　it　only　to　those　who　spontaneously　sought　it；　no　amount　of　evidence　would　ever　persuade　the　parents　that　improper　means　were　not　used　to　make　their　children　Christians；　or　at　all　events；　outcasts　from　Hindooism。　If　they　could；　in　the　end；　be　convinced　of　the　contrary；　it　would　only　be　by　the　entire　failure　of　the　schools；　so　conducted；　to　make　any　converts。　If　the　teaching　had　the　smallest　effect　in　promoting　its　object　it　would　compromise　not　only　the　utility　and　even　existence　of　the　government　education；　but　perhaps　the　safety　of　the　government　itself。　An　English　Protestant　would　not　be　easily　induced；　by　disclaimers　of　proselytism；　to　place　his　children　in　a　Roman　Catholic　seminary：　Irish　Catholics　will　not　send　their　children　to　schools　in　which　they　can　be　made　Protestants：　and　we　expect　that　Hindoos；　who　believe　that　the　privileges　of　Hindooism　can　be　forfeited　by　a　merely　physical　act；　will　expose　theirs　to　the　danger　of　being　made　Christians！　　　Such　is　one　of　the　modes　in　which　the　opinion　of　the　dominant　country　tends　to　act　more　injuriously　than　beneficially　on　the　conduct　of　its　deputed　governors。　In　other　respects；　its　interference　is　likely　to　be　oftenest　exercised　where　it　will　be　most　pertinaciously　demanded；　and　that　is　on　behalf　of　some　interest　of　the　English　settlers。　English　settlers　have　friends　at　home；　have　organs；　have　access　to　the　public；　they　have　a　common　language　and　common　ideas　with　their　countrymen：　any　complaint　by　an　Englishman　is　more　sympathetically　heard；　even　if　no　unjust　preference　is　intentionally　accorded　to　it。　Now；　if　there　be　a　fact　to　which　all　experience　testifies；　it　is　that　when　a　country　holds　another　in　subjection；　the　individuals　of　the　ruling　people　who　resort　to　the　foreign　country　to　make　their　fortunes　are　of　all　others　those　who　most　need　to　be　held　under　powerful　restraint。　They　are　always　one　of　the　chief　difficulties　of　the　government。　Armed　with　the　prestige　and　filled　with　the　scornful　overbearingness　of　the　conquering　nation；　they　have　the　feelings　inspired　by　absolute　power　without　its　sense　of　responsibility。　　　Among　a　people　like　that　India　the　utmost　efforts　of　the　public　authorities　are　not　enough　for　the　effectual　protection　of　the　weak　against　the　strong；　and　of　all　the　strong；　the　European　settlers　are　the　strongest。　Wherever　the　demoralising　effect　of　the　situation　is　not　in　a　most　remarkable　degree　corrected　by　the　personal　character　of　the　individual；　they　think　the　people　of　the　country　mere　dirt　under　their　feet：　it　seems　to　them　monstrous　that　any　rights　of　the　natives　should　stand　in　the　way　of　their　smallest　pretensions：　the　simplest　act　of　protection　to　the　inhabitants　against　any　act　of　power　on　their　part　which　they　may　consider　useful　to　their　commercial　objects；　they　denounce；　and　sincerely　regard；　as　an　injury。　So　natural　is　this　state　of　feeling　in　a　situation　like　theirs　that　even　under　the　discouragement　which　it　has　hitherto　met　with　from　the　ruling　authorities　it　is　impossible　that　more　or　less　of　the　spirit　should　not　perpetually　break　out。　The　Government；　itself　free　from　this　spirit；　is　never　able　sufficiently　to　keep　it　down　in　the　young　and　raw　even　of　its　own　civil　and　military　officers；　over　whom　it　has　so　much　more　control　than　over　the　independent　residents。　　　As　it　is　with　the　English　in　India；　so；　according　to　trustworthy　testimony；　it　is　with　the　French　in　Algiers；　so　with　the　Americans　in　the　countries　conquered　from　Mexico；　so　it　seems　to　be　with　the　Europeans　in　China；　and　already　even　in　Japan：　there　is　no　necessity　to　recall　how　it　was　with　the　Spaniards　in　South　America。　In　all　these　cases；　the　government　to　which　these　private　adventurers　are　subject　is　better　than　they；　and　does　the　most　it　can　to　protect　the　natives　against　them。　Even　the　Spanish　Government　did　this；　sincerely　and　earnestly；　though　ineffectually；　as　is　known　to　every　reader　of　Mr。　Helps'　instructive　history。　Had　the　Spanish　Government　been　directly　accountable　to　Spanish　opinion　we　may　question　if　it　would　have　made　the　attempt：　for　the　Spaniards；　doubtless；　would　have　taken　part　with　their　Christian　friends　and　relations　rather　than　with　Pagans。　The　settlers；　not　the　natives；　have　the　ear　of　the　public　at　home；　it　is　they　whose　representations　are　likely　to　pass　for　truth；　because　they　alone　have　both　the　means　and　the　motive　to　press　them　perseveringly　upon　the　inattentive　and　uninterested　public　mind。　The　distrustful　criticism　with　which　Englishmen；　more　than　any　other　people；　are　in　the　habit　of　scanning　the　conduct　of　their　country　towards　foreigners；　they　usually　reserve　for　the　proceedings　of　the　public　authorities。　In　all　questions　between　a　government　and　an　individual　the　presumption　in　every　Englishman's　mind　is　that　the　government　is　in　the　wrong。　And　when　the　resident　English　bring　the　batteries　of　English　political　action　to　bear　upon　any　of　the　bulwarks　erected　to　protect　the　natives　against　their　encroachments；　the　executive；　with　their　real　but　faint　velleities　of　something　better；　generally　find　it　safer　to　their　parliamentary　interest；　and　at　any　rate　less　troublesome；　to　give　up　the　disputed　position　than　to　defend　it。　　　What　makes　matters　worse　is　that　when　the　public　mind　is　invoked　（as；　to　its　credit；　the　English　mind　is　extremely　open　to　be）　in　the　name　of　justice　and　philanthropy；　in　behalf　of　the　subject　community　or　race；　there　is　the　same　probability　of　its　missing　the　mark。　For　in　the　subject　community　also　there　are　oppressors　and　oppressed；　powerful　individuals　or　classes；　and　slaves　prostrate　before　them；　and　it　is　the　former；　not　the　latter；　who　have　the　means　of　access　to　the　English　public。　A　tyrant　or　sensualist　who　has　been　deprived　of　the　power　he　had　abused；　and；　instead　of　punishment；　is　supported　in　as　great　wealth　and　splendour　as　he　ever　enjoyed；　a　knot　of　privileged　landholders；　who　demand　that　the　State　should　relinquish　to　them　its　reserved　right　to　a　rent　from　their　lands；　or　who　resent　as　a　wrong　any　attempt　to　protect　the　masses　from　their　extortion；　these　have　no　difficulty　in　procuring　interested　or　sentimental　advocacy　in　the　British　Parliament　and　press。　The　silent　myriads　obtain　none。　　　The　preceding　observations　exemplify　the　operation　of　a　principle…　which　might　be　called　an　obvious　one；　were　it　not　that　scarcely　anybody　seems　to　be　aware　of　it…　that；　while　responsibility　to　the　governed　is　the　greatest　of　all　securities　for　good　government；　responsibility　to　somebody　else　not　only　has　no　such　tendency；　but　is　as　likely　to　produce　evil　as　good。　The　responsibility　of　the　British　rulers　of　India　to　the　British　nation　is　chiefly　useful　because；　when　any　acts　of　the　government　are　called　in　question；　it　ensures　publicity　and　discussion；　the　utility　of　which　does　not　require　that　the　public　at　large　should　comprehend　the　point　at　issue；　provided　there　are　any　individuals　among　them　who　do；　for；　a　merely　moral　responsibility　not　being　responsibility　to　the　collective　people；　but　to　every　separate　person　among　them　who　forms　a　judgment；　opinions　may　be　weighed　as　well　as　counted；　and　the　approbation　or　disapprobation　of　one　person　well　versed　in　the　subject　may　ou