Civilised Europeans and Savage Asians
Written: Pravda No. 87, April 14, 1913
Source: The Emancipation of Women: From the Writings of V.I. Lenin
Publisher: International Publishers
Transcribed and HTML Markup: Sally Ryan
The well-known English Social-Democrat, Rothstein, relates in the German labour
press an instructive and typical incident that occurred in British India. This
incident reveals better than all arguments why the revolution is growing rapidly
in that country with its more than 300 million inhabitants.
Arnold, a British journalist, who brings out a newspaper in Rangoon, a large
town (with over 200,000 inhabitants) in one of the Indian provinces, published
an article entitled: "A Mockery of British Justice." It exposed a local British
judge named Andrew. For publishing this article Arnold was sentenced to twelve
months' imprisonment, but he appealed and, having connections in London, was
able to get the case before the highest court in Britain. The Government of
India hastily "reduced" the sentence to four months and Arnold was released.
What was all the fuss about?
A British colonel named McCormick had a mistress whose servant was an
eleven-year-old Indian girl, named Aina. This gallant representative of a
civilised nation enticed Aina to his room, raped her and locked her up in his
house.
It so happened that Aina's father was dying and he sent for his daughter. It was
then that the village where he lived learned the whole story. The population
seethed with indignation. The police were compelled to order McCormick's arrest.
But Judge Andrew released him on bail, and later acquitted him, following a
disgraceful travesty of justice. The gallant colonel declared, as gentlemen of
noble extraction usually do under such circumstances, that Aina was a
prostitute, in proof of which he brought five witnesses. Eight witnesses,
however, brought by Aina's mother were not even examined by Judge Andrew.
When the journalist Arnold was tried for libel, the President of the Court, Sir
("His Worship") Charles Fox, refused to allow him to call witnesses in his
defence.
It must be clear to everyone that thousands and millions of such cases occur in
India. Only absolutely exceptional circumstances enabled the "libeller" Arnold
(the son of an influential London journalist) to get out of prison and secure
publicity for the case.
Do not forget that the British Liberals put their "best" people at the head of
the Indian administration. Not long ago the Viceroy of India, the chief of the
McCormicks, Andrews and Foxes, was John Morley, the well-known radical author, a
"luminary of European learning", a "most honourable man" in the eyes of all
European and Russian liberals.
The "European" spirit has already awakened in Asia, the peoples of Asia have
become democratic-minded.
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