Nationalist Renascence 183
even though It had no real root either in a racial, a
religious, or a reformist movement. For the Nationalist
effendi, though he was probably the first conscious
"Egyptian," had no special connection with any of
those racial communities that will some day coalesce
into a homogeneous Egypt. Nor, being notoriously
irreligious and gallicised, could the Nationalist effec-
tively appeal to the old religious solidarity of Islam.
And he had not even a practical programme of reform.
For the reforms required by one section of the com-
munity were strongly resisted by the other, while, on the
whole, the country was more prosperous and there was
less pressure for any reorganisation than ever before in
its history. Their lack of any strong pressure for reform
together with their ignorance of affairs explains the
emptiness of the Nationalists3 attacks on the British
administration. British officials, finding no real criticism
and nothing but rhetorical invective in the diatribes of
the Nationalist Press, ignored the whole movement as
insignificant and impotent. They looked on such Press
propaganda as merely blowing-ofif steam and on an un-
restricted liberty of the Press as a better safety-valve
than a responsible and representative Parliament. But
undoubtedly it would have been better for the British
if Cromerism had put a curb on the Nationalist Press
and given a looser rein to Parliamentary representa-
tion. Unfortunately, the traditional tenderness of British
Liberalism for free speech, combined with an Anglo-
Indian distrust of free institutions, diverted the National-
ist movement into that most dangerous of channels—
irresponsible incitements of hatred.
British authority in Egypt was based on military
power, and built up round the personality of Cromer
and of his colleagues. With Cromer many of the