I read an article recently that reminded me of the practice of suttee in India. When faced with the prospect of a two tear legal system General Napier had a clear response.
....any chronicle of Britain's past is his response to the suggestion that the practice of suttee be allowed to continue, as part of a sort of “parallel jurisdiction” to the law he was asked to police as the Commander-in-Chief of the Queen's Forces in India. Napier listened politely to the request and replied: “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”
It is sad as Michael Gove notes that our leaders have a limited knowledge of history.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
1. My pal tells me I am old and not middle aged. Middle age he thinks is mid 30's to early 40's. 2. Dr Moore ask 'Have the pla...
-
I watched the Cornel West interview and he quotes a Tennessee Williams essay called 'the Catastrophe of Success' which makes inter...
-
I have just got back from New Wine where Francis Chan has been teaching us for a week. He has said no to all speaking engagements for over a...
No comments:
Post a Comment