Lord Hardinge on the Landed Aristocracy

REPLYING to the farewell address presented by the Taluqdars of Oudh, His Excellency the Viceroy said that if they were to play their part in the public life of the country they must continue as hitherto to take an intelligent and active interest in such important political questions as might arise. This advice is important and may influence this class of people to come out of their retirement. To most of them "political questions" are a bugbear and they avoid them as something very dangerous to personal safety. If they have to take an "intelligent and active interest" in the political questions of the day, they should have decent education such as the intellectual aristocracy possesses. The first thing necessary is to remove restrictions, where they exist.