Correspondence with A J Balfour, Sir R Wingate, Lord Allenby, Lord Milner and others on Egypt [‎87r] (173/300)

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ALEXANDRIA,
2nd May, 1919,
It seems rather absurd to write a long letter about
our affairs out here while such tremendous issues are
being decided elsewhere, and you . are already so
fully occupied, but perhaps if you have a spare half hour
an account of matters Egyptian may not bore you - if my
handwriting does not defeat you either; and perhaps
these remarks may even be useful if they can correct any
misconception on the part of those whose influence may
af1ect our destinies - should they ever see them.
You have ween the newspaper accounts of events, which
are fairly accurate, so I needn^ sa.y much more on that
s.<L/pe, but the causes of the insurrection may be of grea.ter
interest, and an insurrection it has been too, and
practically the whole country has been up against us.
There a.re rea.lly several ca.uses tending towards the
outbreak, but first and foremost comes the inborn fanaticism
of the Moslem, or more strictly the Oriental, (for the Copts
are partly in it too) for the Westerner as represented by
the English, and our methods. It is not exactly religious
fanaticism; the Gippy is far too much of a materialist for
that; it is much more an antipathy to us and our methods
and ethics, and the knowledge that if we were not here they
would be able to break out into Orienta.l savagery. This
applies more particularly to the educated cla.sses, who are
at the bottom of the movement, and of course take good care
to keep out of sight. About Q0/£ of the cause is this form
of fanaticism and the rest is a mixture of Bolshevism, excite-
raent, iovs of change, and force of example of our own Glasgow
Strikes - the Gippies are a very imitative race - and there
is an odd seasoning of National” sentiment of doubtful
genuineness, which springs from the astounding amount of
vanity, and facility for specious argument of which the
'‘educated” Gippy’s character is composed. There is no limit
to their self-conceit and this has much to do with their
"Legitimate Aspirations” as Wilson calls them.
This "National Sentiment" is a plausible idea, but
almost wholly fallacious, a.nd it is very dangerous as it
is calculated to deceive the English M.P, and Newspaper
Editor; but of this more anon.
The outbreak was fairly well organised, and therein
we trace the hand and influence of our Italian friends,
who are now known to be deeply involved - for their own
purposes.