England and Egypt 307
has been given by Egypt itself in the criminal attacks on
British officers and officials. So long as any Egyptian
faction, however insignificant, pursued this terrorism
the garrison could not be withdrawn and negotiations
could not be begun. But it looks as though during this
last year (1926) Egyptian Nationalism had been recover-
ing from its war psychosis. Assassination has disap-
peared and agitation has greatly diminished. Egypt has
again become a resort for the elderly pleasure-seekers of
our ruling class, though it Is no longer a refuge for its
younger sons. A new working relationship is gradually
growing up between the British authorities and the
Egyptian* Government. Zaglul himself has had personal
understandings with Lord Lloyd, and Bute House is a
good deal nearer Downing Street than was the Beit-el-
Watan. Egypt is coming out of its entrenchments to
parley, and we might well come out of the Cairo Citadel
to meet them.
When negotiations begin the extent of the concessions
that we can make must depend on the evidence that has
by then been given that Egyptians can govern Egypt
without English supervision. In which respect there is
still an assumption as to an essential superiority of British
rule and rulers that may not seem so axiomatic to an
Egyptian as to an Englishman. An Egyptian studying
social and political conditions in England to-day (1926)
might question whether the English were fit to govern
England. And in reply to our doubts as to whether an
Egyptian can be trusted to continue in Egypt the teach-
ings and traditions of his British pastors and masters, he
might question whether we were being true in England to
the teachings of that Eastern Master whose followers
we profess to be. But, apart from such controversial
points of view, we cannot to-day maintain the old