The outbreak of fixes in various parts of the city seem more than usually numerous lately." The one most regretted was the U. F, College Church, which was recently completely destroyed. Happily the College buildings were saved, including " very valuable library.
The Passive Resistance Movement has gained and is gaining in strength and volume; the enormous gathering in Hyde Park, London, recently showed plainly that the solid respectable church-going people of our nonconformist. communities have deen thoroughly roused and no one can tell where or when their action may end. To many the hope is that disestablishment of the Church of England inay prepare the way for a complete severance of the Church from the trammels of the State, placing all sections of the Christian Church on an equal footing in the eye of the law, and so svieqping vay the mss of pretension and privilege. which has been so fruitful a force of strife and injustice in the past. The Baptist body is taking a lead in this movement. They have elected as_ the Chairman of their Union Alderman White, of Norwich, a vigorous outspoken layman who made & manly and moving address at his induction which cannot fail to have a profound effect far beyond the bounds of his own communion. Dr. Clifford, a well- j the reception ro known Baptist Minister, has also taken a! all round, his visitors would he perfectly ment place in this struggle og: satisfied. With all due deference to yhteous inequalities and has added to " Whish and his long experience, Tinust ey pastoral and other of the Liberatic that, in my is just this ki 1 patronising of educated natives that the principle obs between them and ourselves, Berar, 13th Tune. The Influence of Home Politics on Ind The past fortnight has been unev in India, We have beand a great de nul Football snd Lock lage Question.
Sir Roland Wilson the question, of Mixed Mar es, of which {he professed himself in favour, Peonsiders that until there is mo social obstacle om either side to unions between dish ladies and Indian gentlemen sat verse, no real social sympathy will between the two races. Other spankers reed with thie hist statement and say that most thoughtful men, ish and Livdian, are opposed 10 erence thas taken home with th Tain'. prope tionary and important attention of the whole world. turn which the wheel of events may of course alter the political coal not be rash to suppose westion of Lord term of office being extended et been made, and Lont George Hamilton has refused to be drawn on the subject but it is generally expected that Lord Curzon will be asked to remain at the helm of affairs in this country for another year at least, This should give him time to start more of the reforms he is jnstitutins nnd to guide them through the initial states, It is anticipated that some announcement on the subject will be mad-within the next month or six weeks. Meane while the Viceroy has planned a trip to Knshmir for September under the able Reahmie fF ike private Secreta ster, put the position of an Eng:
in Usdia rather neatly, He suid not goto foreign visitor, lie hes ty support ich more invidious position ut a ster." Al, there's. th point! [And the native never forgets it. But Mr, Rees does not appear to quite appre ciate the true signitic nce of i when he says that: "itis quite possible ty be on friend terms with all tac out you, pro vided an attitude of patronage i d." but n i paty with the of India, all these questions will be in way to answer themselves. the refusal of the Endian gentleman to bring his. ladies into society, and his refusal to sit down to dinner with not only Englishmen bat even with persons Falter Lawrence, who is intimate with the °F his. lens of country.
Royal Visit Postponed T mentioned in my last letter the belief that the Prince of Wales's Indian tour would exactly the. same caste re again portant point. should to treat B, like an unelewn or unal or A. being the the Take ant not tate place this year as suggested by} ov, lent some newspapers.
This belief has proval B. and his wife to dine to be correct. It is, however, probable that His Royal Highness will pay us a visit in the cold weather of 1904-5, which is decidedly a wise arrangement.
Social Intercourse in Ind 'A most interesting discussion took place las: month in London at a meeting of the Kast India Association, on the subject of social intercourse between Indian and English ladies and gentlemen in India. The lecturer was Mr. C. W. Whish, a retired Indian civilian, who, as you may have seen, has lately contributed some interesting articles on Indian subjects to 'East and West." As Mr. Whish remarked. the subject is one of great difficulty and delicacyyut it is second to none in its importance in affecting the welfare of India and our hold upon' the country A Practical Suggestion.
One practical suggestion was made by the lecturer: that every English official should keep one room in his kome open to native visitors at any time. This suggestion is of course, open to criticism, for a considerable proportion of the visitors vould consist of persons with a petition or a tale against some official sul ordinate or other person; and some might come only with establish a certain inti sy which mi rove useful some day or oth But Mr. Whish also say: scornment tact would find little ditticulty in seeing through these yphants and should discourage their visits. Finally Mr. Whi: remarks: Should the official be busy and be unable to do more than give a look into sit at the sume table with ul His wife, A's wife (or wives) pst of entertainly her husband's guests, be considered nad or in ing the societ the pur. Iah is one of the greatest: barriers to social intercourse between Indians and En limen. The Rev. J. Lazarus, a nati Christian mission: tried to combat Sir Lepel's complaint of the seclusion of Indian ladies by representing that they were mostly uneduested, unread, and un travelled; that they would have no common topics of conversation with English folk The answer is of course, why not educate them. not let them travel and red and make theniselves fit for social intercourse with e-luceted copie? Mr. Whish has promised to reply in detail, to the discussion in "The Asiatic Quarterly." His remarks should be interesting, though Sir Lepel Grifia la saying that caste is ut the root of race differences is probably fur nearer the mark 600 Persons Excomm ated.
In the above connection the follo facts are of interest as showing to what Tengths the caste prejudices are corried amongst the natives themselves. Tu 19M adas residing in Bombay, called Bhattias, being short of marriageable girls, some 30) enterprising youths pro-eeled to a place called ilurdwar, where there is a community which they believed to be of the same persuasion as themselves. There they procured brides and returned rejoicing to Bombay. But they had reckoned with:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.