258
thought and morality, and conformed to the old
high standard of decency and respectability in all
essential matters, is to be regretted. The nobi-
lity and gentry of Hyderabad towards the close
of the last century, though not quite the same in
these respects as their predecessors of the
seventies, were yet of a higher type than is seen
nowadays. This gradual decay of the best
local product, together with the gradual growth
and spread of a hybrid type, has undoubtedly
lowered the standard, not of mere mechanical
efficiency, perhaps, but of true worth and refine-
ment. "
" I base the distinction between ' Mulki'
and ' non-Mulki' on grounds very different
from those generally accepted. It is not the
accident of birth alone that makes a man Mulki
in the best sense of the word ; it is the Mulki
heart to give that does it. It implies devotion,
self-sacrifice, absence of a mercenary spirit, will-
ingness to give to the country of one's best with-
out any thought of recognition, remuneration or
reward, and to work for the country as one does
for one's self or for one's own family. Let a
person work with this feeling in his heart for
Hyderabad, and I would honour him as a Mulki
whether he be a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim, a
Hindu or a Parsi; and whether he came from
Bombay or Madras ; or from Delhi or Lucknow. "
*	*	*
17*