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RV 21 Representing the British man-power in India today, you therefore have these figures:

This is the entire local strength of the body to whose oppressive presence the Indian attributes what he himself describes as the “slave mentality” of 247,000,000 human beings.

But one must not overlook the fact that, back of Britain’s day, India was ever either a chaos of small wars and brigandage, chief preying upon chief, and all upon the people; or else she was the flaccid subject of a foreign rule. If, once and again, a native king arose above the rest and spread his sway, the reign of his house was short, and never covered all of India. Again and again conquering forces came sweeping through the mountain passes down out of Central Asia. And the ancient Hindu stock, softly absorbing each recurrent blow, quivered—and lay still.

Many a reason is advanced to account for these things, as, the devitalizing character of the Hindu religion, with its teachings of the nothingness of things as they seem, of the infinitude of lives—dreams all—to follow this present seeming. And this element, beyond doubt, plays its part. But we, as “hard-headed Americans,” may, for a beginning, put such matters aside while we consider points on which we shall admit less