“The Greatest Empire of the World”

IN the course of his speech at the Sastri banquet, His Excellency the Viceroy said: “I shall not allude at length to my Rt. Hon. friend’s past service to India and the Empire for I feel assured that you will agree with me in holding that these services are already recognised as an important page in history and that the chronicle of his activities will be read by future generations in India as marking an important step of progress in the relations between the British Government and India’s place in the greatest Empire in the world.” Under other circumstances and on a different occasion the reference to “the greatest Empire of the world,” might have been regarded as being due to pride on the part of one who is the supreme administrative head in a country, the possession of which alone makes the British Empire not only the greatest of the world but also actually vests the British Crown with Imperial dignity. Under the circumstances in which the allusion was made and in view of the fact that the occasion was a valedictory dinner to an Indian whose very mission is necessitated by the invidious position which this great country unfortunately occupies among the other States and Dominions within “the greatest Empire of the world,” the reference has about it a touch of irony. If, however, the reference had to be made, His Excellency would have done well in amplifying the statement he made by adding that India is the brightest jewel in the British Crown and that without it “the greatest Empire of the world” would cease to be an Empire to say nothing of its being “the greatest of the world.”