to Christianity or Mahomedanism and there would haveheen no danger to the peace necessitating the issue of such an order. It is difficult to characterize adequately the intolerant and wholly short-sighted attitude of the orthodox Hindus. They deserve the strongest condemnation from all who care for justice and humanity. We learn that a monster protest meeting was held after the issue of the prohibitory order at which strongly worded resolutions were passed warning the authorities as well as the Brahmans of Kalapathi thatthe unjust denial of the simple and elementary civic right of walking along the public roads would lead to. disastrous consequences in future inasmuch as even among the lowest of the low there is keen and intense resentment against such insulting treatment and invidious distinction between man and man. The depressed and suppressed classes in the south and elsewhere are awakening to a consciousness of human dignity and refuse to be treated as inferior beings. Swami Shraddhanand is to be praised for taking up their cause and for valiantly leading the movement.
Awakening1 among Moslems
The rejuvenation of Turkey is altogether
a good sign. The abolition of polygamy and
the emancipation of women in that country
are also welcome. The breaking up of orders
of dervishes, etc., are also to be approved.
But going In for mixed dancing and
European srrtorial fashions cannot but be
viewed with appehension. On the whole,
however, there are, signs of awakening in the
Moslem w.orld. There has been a,bloodless
revolution in Persia, leading to the deposition
of the ever-absentee Shah and his dynasty,
which has been recognised by leading govern
ments of the world. The Druses in Syria
are striving to win freedom for their country.
So are the Riffs in Morocco under their
leader Abdel Krim,
In China, which contains about twenty
million Mohammedans, according to The
Young East- :
A very noteworthy fact is that there has lately
been shown much enthusiasm for education among
their leaders. As proof, a report is to hand that a
great meeting of Mohammedans in the north
western part of China was held at Kalgan on
August 18. On the occasion, Genera] Feng
Yu-hsiang was elected as Honorary President and a
resolution was unanimously adopted to establish
elementary and'intermediate schools and colleges
on Mohammedan principle.
Colonel Godchot writes in La Bevae
Mondiale, a Paris current-affairs semimonthly:—
The effort to free Mussulman women is going
on everywhere—especially in Tunis, where a
literary society gives argumentative lectures, during
which an Arab woman once marched on to the
stage unveiled and explained the great suffering of
her sisters. Feminism is making progress in Turkey and in Persia; and strange to say, in spite of our own by no means commendable way of treating women, to whom we refuse political and civil rights, it is toward us,, toward France, that the women of Islam turn their glances. Our influence 1 extends beyond the Orontes and the Golden Horn even while it lags in our possessions in North Africa. That is what is shown, for example, by Khanoum Dowlat Abadi, who-, refusing to wear the veil or to be secluded at home, has helped to. save her sisters by creating a society with the significant name of ‘The Mothers of To-morrow”, and has made the French press aware of the sufferings of Persian women. In Afghanistan the Amir wishes to have his country join the forward; march. In 1918 a con ference of Indian Mussulman women gathered together four hundred women who came from Faridkot, from Lahore, Allahabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, and else where to demand the creation of a women’s uni versity. In January 1922 a book on Egyptian women appeared in Egypt which was sponsored by a princess. Everywhere, in short, round about _ our own North Africa, the Mussulman women are astir.
Our Friend Joynson-Hicks.
We do not call Sir William Joynson-Hicks our friend sarcastically. He is a real friend; for he spoke the truth, so far as the object, not the means and method, of the British ‘conquest’ of India is concerned, when, as quoted in Young India, he said:—
“We, did not conquer India for the benefit of the Indians. I know it is said at missionary meetings that we conquered India to raise the level of the Indians. That is cant. We conquered India as the outlet for the goods of Great Britain. We conquered India by the sword and by the sword we should hold it. (“Shame”.) Call shame if you like. I am stating facts. I am interested in missionary work in India and have done much work of that kind, but I am not such a hypocrite as to say we hold India for the Indians. We hold it as the finest outlet for British goods in general, and for Lancashire cotton goods in particular.”
Our Insanitation.
We have to quote the following words of Mr. M. K. Gandhi from Young India with pain and shame:—
During my wanderings nothing has been so painful to me as to observe our insanitation throughout the length and breadth of the land. I do not believe in the use of force for carrying out reforms, but when I think of the time that must elapse before the ingrained habits of millions of people can be changed, I almost reconcile myself to compulsion in this the most important matter of insanitation. Several diseases can be directly traced to insanitation. Hookworm, for instance, is such a
