If he came out to India at twenty, he could well afford eighteen months or two years of real training.
During the cold weather he should be with some District Officer, accompanying him in camp, observing how he works, getting an insight into the mechanism3 of Government; during the hot weather he should be in the hills. By thus keeping him out of the great heat at the beginning he would become slowly acclimatised. Now he is plunged4 straight out from England into the Indian plains.
As to the training he should receive, that is not very difficult to suggest. First and foremost comes the language, of which a good colloquial5 knowledge should be required. It can only be acquired by talking to the people. A teacher is useful to explain difficulties encountered by a pupil in trying to talk, but no teacher can teach a language. In fact, languages cannot be taught—they can be acquired. The ability of the ear and vocal6 organs to recognise and reproduce strange sounds comes only with constant practice; and it must be practice with the people, for educated men talk differently from peasants in India as elsewhere. All Acts should be learned by first clearly understanding the principles that underlie7 them, the object sought to attain8, and the method by which it is hoped to attain it. That is the only way to really understand an Act or Code. The detailed9 knowledge can be filled in later. In order to enable this to be done Government would have to frame introductions to their Codes and Acts. And such introductions would be most valuable not only to learners but to Government itself. Suppose, for instance, an introduction were written to the Village Manual explaining exactly what the village organism is and that the Act and Rules were intended to preserve and strengthen this organism; it would be immediately apparent that as they are now they really injure and destroy it. This would lead to a complete recast of the Manual—a most necessary work. And so with the other Acts and Rules. Now they are issued in a perfectly10 naked state that would be almost immodest had they any real life in them. But there is never any intention or life manifest, only dead formul?. Such introductions would also be most valuable in keeping an Act up to date. A law may fairly fulfil its intention when issued, but as circumstances change it would become obvious that the Act was out of date. If however you don't know the intention of the Act, how are you to judge its relevancy?
Further, such introductions would prevent the abuse of certain sections. Did, for instance, the Government of India intend sections 109, 110, of the Criminal Procedure Code to be used as they are in Burma now? I doubt it. But Burma can always say: "How was I to know the intention? There are the sections. Why shouldn't I use them as I think fit?"
How would the imprisonment11 sections of the Civil Procedure Code be justified12? What object are they supposed to attain? No one knows. It can't be to deter13 a man from being ruined—that is not necessary; it can't be to make him pay—the distraint sections are for that; it can't be to render him a better citizen—gaols don't do that. What are they for, then? To pander14 to the creditors15' desire for vengeance16? It can only be that. I would like to see Government avow17 it.
Then the young civilian should get an insight into the customs of the people and learn to understand what these customs mean. Nothing is more absurd than the way ceremonies are misinterpreted, not merely by the casual observer, but by what is called "science." A whole theory of "marriage by capture" has been built on ceremonies that are symbolical18, not of an absurdity19 like that, but of certain facts of human nature common to all marriages in all periods all over the world. The Nairs of Malabar have been credited with the most extraordinary forms of polyandry on the strength of ceremonies which were adopted as a protection to deceive the Brahmins. Human nature is, in its essentials, always the same. If the learner is helped to look under ceremonies he will see this. A knowledge of ceremonies has its value, like a knowledge of clothes has; but as clothes are used for good reasons—sometimes to hide the form, sometimes to accentuate20 parts of the form—so are ceremonies. And ceremonies may and do persist long after the human need has left them.
Further, he should know something of the economic state of the people. I think that a District Officer should be acquainted with the principal industries of his district, so as to be able to give help if need be. Generally speaking, the help he can give is protection from rash innovations. The cultivator neither in India nor in Burma is blind to his own interest, nor is he ignorant. He has behind him an experience of thousands of years, which have taught him a great deal about the capability21 of crops and soils. But he is quite willing to learn more, only he must make sure first. He cannot afford to experiment. His system will give him a living, and a change may mean starvation. He cannot run the risk. Prove to him that a new crop will grow and will fetch a decent price, and he is eager to cultivate it; but nothing less than ocular proof will do. That is, of course, right. He has common sense.
Unfortunately, not everyone has so much sense, and there are continual attempts being made to get him to make experiments he cannot afford. He should be protected against these. I can remember two such attempted booms in Upper Burma, both engineered by Government—one was cotton, and one was coffee or tea planting.
The cotton boom was very rigorously pressed upon us from England because I believe someone in authority had promised to "take his coat off" to make it succeed. But Burma is not a good cotton country, and the long staple22 will not grow. Moreover, if it could be grown with irrigation it would not pay nearly so well as rice. Therefore the cultivator will have none of it.
Tea and coffee planting is only suitable for capitalists, not for peasants; and as a matter of fact coffee won't grow north of about 12° north latitude23. So these booms fizzled out, but they created a good deal of trouble first.
Indeed, most of my experiences were putting dampers on enthusiasts24, Government or other, who wanted something grown, and who were ready to affirm that if it would not grow it ought to grow and must be made to grow, and sell afterwards as well. I remember a correspondence I had with a gentleman in Lower Burma on the subject of a fibre-producing plant which is grown in small patches near the villages of my district to serve as string. This gentleman heard of the plant and wrote to me a glowing account of the future before it, strongly urging me to advise my people—nay, to force my people—to grow it in large quantities for export. I wrote back that if he was so interested in the matter he should come up to my district and enter into contracts with the villagers to grow it for him. They would, I knew, do it at a certain price which I gave, and I offered to help him in every way. He, however, indignantly refused. He was not a trader, and the villagers should grow it on speculation25. As it happens, I have a considerable knowledge of fibre plants gained before I entered Government service, and as I knew there was no certain market for this fibre I let well alone.
But most of all, I think a young officer should learn that it is not only for the people's pleasure but for his own pleasure and for the good of Government that he should encourage the amusements of the people. Nothing will give him more influence than this, make him better known, or cause his official work to go so easily.
It is a continual complaint among the people now that life is so dull. Our administration has not only taken all the adventure and picturesqueness26 out of life, but it has been disastrous27 to sport. Boat-racing28, for instance, which used to be a great sport all along the Irrawaddy, is now nearly dead, and amateur dancing troupes29 which used to be common in the villages are nearly all defunct30. I believe they are all dead. Now this is a disastrous state of things. Man wants play as well as work, and if he can't get amusement he will do things he shouldn't. The principal reason given for this decay is that unless some high official will interest himself in sports and give them his encouragement, no one will get them up. Therefore, when I was in Sagaing I instituted a regatta in the October holidays. It was no trouble to me. Directly I said I would like to have races there were plenty of well-known Burmans ready to do all the work with pleasure and enthusiasm.
The riverside villages caught up the idea. They pulled out their old racing canoes and did them up anew. Crews were put into training, and for weeks all the talk was of times and spurts31 and the merits of this crew and that. Sagaing didn't know itself.
The races duly came off in the glorious full-moon week of October, when all Courts are closed for ten days and everyone has holidays. Many crews came, and their friends and relatives came, and their supporters and backers, and they brought their wives and sisters with them. In the evenings we had boat races, at night we had pagoda32 festivals and dances and illuminations.
All went well till the final great event, which was a race between our champion boat and a boat sent over from Mandalay to challenge us.
There was immense excitement about this because the Mandalay boat was said to be a swagger boat; but then so was ours, a very swagger boat. Mandalay bet on their boat. Sagaing laid their rupees on the Sagaing boat; and the banks on both sides the mile-wide river were thronged33 with spectators. Then a catastrophe34 occurred. Just before the race our steersman was discovered drunk and happy upon the beach. How this happened I don't know. Why the crew ever allowed him to be separated from them I can't think; and his own explanation threw no clear light on the subject. He said in self-defence that the enemy in disguise had lured35 him into a toddy shop and "must have hocussed the toddy, for I only had a couple of cups, yet see me now," and there was great indignation. Whether in consequence of his defection or not I don't know, but we lost. Mandalay just romped36 away from us, and not only secured the prize, but was declared to have carried off a "cart-load" of rupees won in bets.
However, notwithstanding that disaster the meeting was a great success, and now, after ten years, that is the principal event I remember of my three years' administration. It stands out in my memory, and I think that probably if the people ever remember me at all it is as the convener of the first regatta for many years.
There was an amusing sequel to this defeat by Mandalay. For months afterwards whenever I had an insolvent37 case in my Court the debtor38 attributed his failure to this race. The district was "stony39 broke" in consequence, at least so the insolvents40 in my Court said. The conversation would run as follows:
The Judge (myself). Well, I have read your schedule, and you are five hundred rupees out. How is that? Explain.
Debtor. I am a honest man, your Honour, and never in debt before.
Myself. No doubt. How did it happen this time?
Debtor. Well, your Honour will remember that last October your Honour got up boat races here.
Myself. Certainly.
Debtor. And Mandalay sent us a challenge.
Myself. Well?
Debtor. Naturally I believed in our boat. (Note the "our"—his and mine). I was sure it must win, and for our [his and my] credit I wagered41 all I could get on it.
Myself. Hum!
Debtor. We lost.
Myself. There was always a possibility of that.
Debtor (indignantly). Not with a fair race. But they drugged our steersman. I call it a swindle, but I had to pay, and consequently am now insolvent and in your Honour's hands.
Was there any truth in this? There was no truth, of course. These debtors42 became insolvent through the action of two or three newly arrived firms of money-lenders. That was clear enough. Possibly they had a rupee or two on the boat race, but that would hardly affect matters. They made this appeal to try to get at me—the man—behind the law in which I was encased. They will do anything to achieve that. Like all human beings they are terrified at law and want to touch humanity, no matter what it does. They can bear from a man what they cannot from a law. This is manifest all through one's official life. People, for instance, will not come to see you in Court, but come to your private house. That is to try to get at the humanity they know you possess. That is what they want—your personality; for it will understand; whereas a law—what can it know of anything?
Then there are the dancing troupes for girls. What other amusements have girls but these troupes? They love them. Many girls have told me that it was the practising for the dances which gave a meaning and an interest to their girlhood. It taught them what lessons could never do—grace and elocution and style. It collected the villagers together; it gave a village something to be proud of. There should be such troupes in all big villages, and when the village system is restored there will be no doubt a renaissance43 of these and other amusements.
Again, why should not there be village teams of football? The Burmans like the game immensely, and play it well. But of course for village play the rules would have to be greatly simplified. They are too scientific now. It should be a game.
Thus it seems to me a District Officer should be educated to be the head of his district in all ways, not merely its judge or its schoolmaster. His other work must be lightened. Much of the work he does should not be done at all. All interference with the village should cease. If the suggestions I have to make in a later chapter as to self-government were adopted, the District Officer would soon feel the relief. He now seeks for work to do. He should try to avoid work as much as he can. "Don't interfere44, except where you must," should be his rule. Now it is the other way about. And Government should regard him quite differently from what it does now. It should trust him, and not law. He must work within law, but not by law. When he has something to decide he should consider what is the right and proper thing to do, and then see if he can legally do it. If not, he must modify his order till it is within law. Now he looks to the law to tell him what to do. That is bad. Laws are bonds, not guides. They cannot give you motive45 force. They tell you what not to do, and that is all.
He should be trusted far more than he is. He should not be made to "fall into line." He should be judged not by his acts, but by the result of his acts, or his refusals to act, that is, by the state of his district. He should not be transferred when it can be helped, but be encouraged to make long stays in a district. He will do so if you give him a free hand so that he can take a personal interest in his work and people. The secret of success is personality.
I think if the young men sent out were trained on these or some such lines there would soon be a very different feeling between people and Government from what there is now. There would be a mutual46 understanding and respect which are now lacking.
There is a further suggestion I have to make as regards District Officers, not for their training, but for regulating their relations to the Government above them. They should be consulted prior to all legislation that affects their districts.
It will, of course, be said that they are now so consulted. Drafts of new Acts or amendments47 of Acts are sent round for comment and criticism, and so District Officers are consulted.
I don't call that consultation48; even if it come within the dictionary meaning of the word it does not come within its spirit.
Take a concrete case: Suppose a new Village Act to be drafted and sent round to District Officers for criticism, how can any one officer criticise49 it effectively, or make useful suggestions, except by chance? His experience is confined to one, or two, or three districts; the Act is for the Province. He may make suggestions to suit his district; he cannot tell if they will suit others. He has no idea why certain provisions are included. He has no certain basis for constructive50 criticism. Very often he won't criticise at all. He says: "What is the use? It's only sent to me as a matter of form." Besides, as I have pointed51 out, the opinions of a number of individuals taken one by one differ greatly from the opinion of the same number sitting together and discussing various points of view before framing an opinion.
But what Government wants is the collective opinion of its District Officers, and not many varying views. It would have far more confidence in such an opinion, and be more careful in disregarding it. Why should not District Officers meet once a year to discuss pending52 questions, to consider new Acts, to suggest changes in old Acts? Their proceedings53 would, of course, be private, and not for publication. Officers should be encouraged to speak out. It would be a great help to all of them, and I think it would give Government a sense of security it has not got now.
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1
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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colloquial
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| adj.口语的，会话的 | |
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vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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underlie
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| v.位于...之下，成为...的基础 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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deter
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| vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住 | |
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pander
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| v.迎合；n.拉皮条者，勾引者；帮人做坏事的人 | |
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creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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avow
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| v.承认，公开宣称 | |
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symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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accentuate
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| v.着重，强调 | |
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capability
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| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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enthusiasts
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| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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picturesqueness
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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troupes
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| n. （演出的）一团, 一班 vi. 巡回演出 | |
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defunct
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| adj.死亡的；已倒闭的 | |
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spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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pagoda
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| n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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romped
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| v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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insolvent
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| adj.破产的，无偿还能力的 | |
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debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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insolvents
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| n.无力偿还债务的人（insolvent的复数形式） | |
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41
wagered
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| v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 )；保证，担保 | |
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debtors
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| n.债务人，借方( debtor的名词复数 ) | |
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renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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amendments
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| （法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案 | |
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48
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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50
constructive
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| adj.建设的，建设性的 | |
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51
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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52
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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