LETTERS FROM ABROAD
East—the patriotism which is racial egoism, national egoism. This is a comparatively later growth in European history and a far greater cause of misery and injustice in the human world than the blood-thirsty ferocity, the nomadic savagery, in the primitive history of man. The Pathans came to India and the Moghals, and they perpetrated misdeeds in their heedlessness; but because they had no taint of patriotism, they did not attack India at the very root of her life, keeping themselves superciliously aloof. Gradually they were growing one with us; and just as the Normans and Saxons combined into one people, our Myhammadan invaders would ultimately have lost their line of separateness and contributed to the richness-and strength of Indian civilisation.
We must remember that Hinduism is not the original Aryanism ; in fact a greater portion of it is non-Aryan. Another great mixture had been awaiting us, the mixture with the Muhammadans, I know there were difficulties in its way. But the greatest of all difficulties was lacking=the idolatry of Geography. Just see what hideous crimes are being committed by British patriotism in Ireland! It is a python which refuses to disgorge this living creature which struggles to live its separate life. For patriotism is proud of its bulk, and in order to hold in a bond of unity the units that have their own distinct individualities, it is ever ready to use means that are inhuman, Our own patriots would do just the
