"How do you mean?" asked he, "Well, it is found that the new railway and
factory workmen, the fitter, the smith, the engine-driver, and the rest
are already forming separate hereditary castes. You may notice this down
at Jamalpur in Bengal, one of the oldest railway centres; and at other
places, and in other industries, they are following the same inexorable
Indian law."

"Which means?" queried Pagett.

"It means that the rooted habit of the people is to gather in small
self-contained, self-sufficing family groups with no thought or care for
any interests but their own-a habit which is scarcely compatible with
the right acceptation of the elective principle."

"Yet you must admit, Orde, that though our young friend was not able to
expound the faith that is in him, your Indian army is too big."

"Not nearly big enough for its main purpose. And, as a side issue, there
are certain powerful minorities of fighting folk whose interests an
Asiatic Government is bound to consider. Arms is as much a means of
livelihood as civil employ under Government and law. And it would be
a heavy strain on British bayonets to hold down Sikhs, Jats, Bilochis,
Rohillas, Rajputs, Bhils, Dogras, Pahtans, and Gurkbas to abide by the
decisions of a numerical majority opposed to their interests. Leave the
'numerical majority' to itself without the British bayonets-a flock of
sheep might as reasonably hope to manage a troop of collies."

"This complaint about excessive growth of the army is akin to another
contention of the Congress party. They protest against the malversation
of the whole of the moneys raised by additional taxes as a Famine
Insurance Fund to other purposes. You must be aware that this special
Famine Fund has all been spent on frontier roads and defences and
strategic railway schemes as a protection against Russia."

"But there was never a special famine fund raised by special taxation
and put by as in a box. No sane administrator would dream of such
a thing. In a time of prosperity a finance minister, rejoicing in
a margin, proposed to annually apply a million and a half to the
construction of railways and canals for the protection of districts
liable to scarcity, and to the reduction of the annual loans for public
works. But times were not always prosperous, and the finance minister
had to choose whether he would bang up the insurance scheme for a year
or impose fresh taxation. When a farmer hasn't got the little surplus