A major part of late 19th century imperialism was the common European and American belief that white people were superior to blacks, Orientals and everybody else.
To his whole personality clings a well-intentioned air: his glance about the room is compounded of curiosity and a determined optimism; when he looks at Tana the entire burden of uplifting the godless Oriental is in his eyes.
As soon as he was within hailing distance he left his own party and walked ahead, though not hurriedly, for he knew that Orientals enjoy the ritual of meeting and like to take their time over it.
When he has sojourned for some years among Orientals, he comes insensibly to share the opinion of many sensible men that perhaps there is something in it after all'.
It may be entirely fictitious and certainly doesn't show a very positive attitude toward Arabs, depicting them as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus had, as wily and dishonest Easterners.