Страница 8

 

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In the first place I should not object in any way to dear old Olcott's supervision, because I know it would be nominal, as even if he tried to make it otherwise, Sinnett and I are both quite capable of shutting him up if he interfered needlessly. But neither of us could accept him as our real guide, because we both know that we are intellectually his superiors. This is a brutal way, as the French would say, of putting it, but que voulez vous?. Without perfect frankness there is no coming to an understanding. 

Truly I should object to the dictation not only of a Hindoo but of any human being - I allow no man to dictate to me. But if a Hindoo comes to me and gives me good advice, and shows me reasons why I should do this or should not do the other I should be as readily guided by that advice as tho it had come from an English man or a French man. 



So far as I am concerned the words "whose race you have not yet learnt even to tolerate let alone to love or respect" have no application. I do not love the low lying mookhtears and vaquils, the khitmutgars and the bulk of the lower class officials & employees, Hindoo's or Mohammedans. Nor do I love any more the similar classes in Germany France or England. Nor do I love the self seeking, fawning, money lenders and the like, who constitute the majority of those who crowd about us official Englishmen. I am civil to them, I try, to be kind to them, but I do not like or respect them, not because they are Hindoos Sikhs or Mohammedans, but because they are self seekers. Mean, Base, and because their presence sits on me like a nightmare and weighs down my own thoughts. But there have been natives Hindoos and Mohammedans whom I have loved and respected as much as I could have loved and respected any European. There is no question of race or colour or creed at all. It is a mere question of intrinsic qualities - "sifaten". 

When you say that your highest adepts are "greasy Tibetans & Punjabi Singhs" and that "the lion is proverbially a dirty and offensive beast", I presume you are joking. If not, tho a diamond is a diamond, and I should prize it equally however badly set. I should prefer to get it suitably set; and tho purity of soul is the one great first requisite, & all other things comparatively insignificant, yet in its way purity and cleanliness of body is not to be despised and I confess that I think the perfect jewell, the pure stone set in the pure clean body, the thing


Notes: 

"Vaquil" (more commonly spelled as "vakil") refers to an official or ambassador.

"Khitmutgar" is a waiter.

Sifat means attributes, qualities in Arabic.

French "que voulez-vous?" translates as: "what can you do?"