66 "lowing ways:-'Mark one point at the bottom and another at the 'top,' 'coat the tube with wax and draw marks with the needle "at proper places, and then plunge in hydrofluoric acid,' 'take a 'glass tube and scratch with a needle a line at a hundred steps, &c.,' wax and acid as before. I notice that boys who use no ceremony in scratching the marks are always very strict about "the acid. Some indeed leave the whole work to the acid as "thus: If you dip the thermometer in a solution of hydrogen gas, you will obtain the first two points.' The wildest answer I "received was the following, to which I see no clue in any words "of the primer :-'The two points are obtained by Sir Stamford Raleigh when he was in Ireland.'” 66 The above illustration is chosen out of many as an example of the difficulty under which Indian youths labour in the use of books prepared for English students, as well as of the superficial character of much of the education given. I close with the following from the pen of Dr. Monier Williams, Boden Professor of Sanskrit in the University of Oxford. It points out what I have long felt was the great want of Indian education, the development of the manhood of the youth of India BY THE HEALTHY CULTIVATION OF THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND MORAL NATURE: "With regard to languages, I cannot help thinking that a great "mistake is committed-a mistake which calls for the immediate "consideration of the directors of public instruction. We do not sufficiently encourage the vernaculars. The classical languages "receive due respect and attention, but the vernacular dialects of India, which ought to be stimulated to draw fresh vitality and "energy from Sanskrit, are every where showing signs of serious "deterioration. Be it observed, however, that they are by no means dying out. It would be simple folly to suppose that we can impose English on 240 millions of people.""Modern India," p. 219. On the effects of our higher education on the youth of India, instead of giving my own opinion I give that of Dr. Monier Williams. In his "Modern India," after a personal and careful survey of the field, he says:-"We in England sometimes require "to be reminded that the duty of an educator ought to be in "accordance with the etymology of the word-that it should "consist in gently drawing out rather than in roughly hammering "in. Indian educators of Indian children are still more forgetful "of this truth. Nor do they sufficiently bear in mind that the "most valuable knowledge is that which is self-acquired when the "faculties are matured, and that teachers are doing their business "more effectively when they are teaching their pupils to be their แ 66 own future self-teachers. I am afraid our Indian colleges and schools are turning out more well-informed than well-formed 'men, more free thinkers than wise thinkers, more silly sceptics "than honest inquirers, more glib talkers than accurate writers, more political agitators than useful citizens." This is stronger language than I have ever ventured to use, and but for the position and character of the writer I would not have quoted it. Few men have so good authority for speaking on such a subject, and none can question Dr. Williams's deep and intelligent interest in the welfare of the youth of India. I gladly acknowledge the important service which has been rendered by the Government colleges, not only in the intellectual work they have done, but in the elevation of the moral tone of a large number of the youth. It was impossible for those susceptible youths to come into daily contact with English gentlemen of culture, and in most cases men of high character, without being inspired with better thoughts and a deeper sense of moral responsibility, and especially a regard for honour and justice and truth. But even in these respects there is room for great improvement. The better thoughts and feelings are too often overcome by temptations which wreck the most hopeful of them from the want of stable principles and an authoritative standard. The system tends to substitute the imitation of the English character for the cultivation of a good conscience. An illustration will explain my meaning. An undergraduate came to the principal of the Calcutta University in a towering passion, and demanded redress for his injured feelings, because he had been called a "liar" by a fellow student. The principal observed, with a smile, "I did not think that it was thought a disgrace to be called "a liar," using the Bengali word for the epithet. “True," said the youth, with increasing rage, "if he had called me a liar in Bengali "I would have laughed at it; but, Sir, he called me a liar in English, " and I won't stand it." We do not despise even this dawn of a Saxon conscience in an Indian youth. DISCUSSION on the REV. JAMES JOHNSTON'S PAPER. [R. GIFFEN, Esq. (President) in the Chair.] PROFESSOR LEONE LEVI said several facts stood out very prominently from the paper just read, namely, first, that the attention of the Indian Government had not been given to education to the extent that it deserved; and second, that the expenditure devoted to this purpose formed a much smaller proportion than was the case in this country; third, that the persons instructed belonged entirely to the male population, to the almost absolute exclusion of the females; and fourth, that the largest proportion of the expenditure was devoted to superior instead of to popular education. The following comparisons brought this out very prominently. In India, out of a total expenditure of 76,500,000l., the estimate for last year was under 1,000,000l. for educational purposes, giving a proportion of 130 per cent. In the United Kingdom, with a total expenditure of 85,000,000l., the imperial expenditure for education was 4,500,000l., or a proportion of 526 per cent. In the United Kingdom, out of the 4,500,000l. devoted to education, 3,800,000l., or 84 per cent., was applied to elementary education, whereas in India, out of 1,000,000l., only 118,000l. were devoted to elementary education, or only 11 per cent. Whereas, therefore, the bulk of the Government expenditure in this country was on behalf of the masses of the people, the bulk of the Government expenditure on education in India was on behalf of secondary and higher instruction, or of the middle and higher classes. The disproportion of females was very notable. In this country the numbers of boys and girls under education were nearly equal; in India, on the contrary, out of 2,000,000 under education, 1,800,000 were boys; the abandonment of the girls to ignorance, whatever was the cause, being very sensible and extraordinary. They had before them the deplorable fact that there were 30 millions of people in India unprovided with education of any kind by the State, and these must constitute a great mass of ignorance which might occasion difficulty in government. In this country they held that education was a great element of safety, progress, and advancement, both social, political, and economical, and if this element was wanting in India, the consequence would be that the country must be kept far behind for a very considerable time to come. General Sir HENRY NORMAN said Mr. Johnston's address had been very interesting, and afforded great scope for reflection, but they must recollect that at the present moment the whole of this subject was being most exhaustively inquired into by a tribunal which appeared to command Mr. Johnston's entire confidence, presided over by Dr. Hunter, and on which all the most eminent authorities connected with education in India were serving. With reference to the comparison made between the expenditure in England and India, he should like to know how much was expended in England twenty years ago in proportion to the imperial revenue. Education was now compulsory in England; there was no such thing in India; the country was not ripe for it, and they had not the means of carrying it out. Then again as to the number of people who were educated, they must remember that there were an enormous number of indigenous schools all over India in which the people found an education suited to their wants, and which were not aided by the Government. Taking England as it was fifty years ago, there were as many natives in India educated up to their requirements as there were then in England. Now they had a comparatively perfect system of education in this country which compelled everybody to go to school, but in India that was impossible, and might be so for many years to come. Practically the females in India were not educated at all. Great efforts were being made to educate them by means of Zenana missions and institutions of that kind, but still when it was remembered that there were 100 millions of females in India, that agency for many years to come could produce very little results. He agreed that there was too much expended for higher education, and people if they wanted this higher education ought to pay for it themselves. The observations that these higher colleges turned out people who, failing to get Government employ, became political agitators and so forth, would, he was afraid, apply equally to all the colleges whether aided or not, for certainly some of the political agitators in Calcutta had not come from Government colleges. If a large number of natives were educated to a high extent, there being no scope for them as there was in England, they would infallibly become agitators, and some of them possibly dangerous characters to British rule. He did not mean to say that that was any argument against high education, but any argument that applied to Government colleges in that respect would also apply to the aided colleges. He hoped they would see a good deal of improvement as the result of the inquiry of the Commission, but too much must not be expected at once, and it must not be supposed that it would end in an expenditure on education in India proportionate to the amount now expended in England. Mr. T. B. KIRKHAM said he would avail himself of the courteous invitation to visitors, to offer a word or two of respectful criticism on the exceedingly interesting paper which they had just heard read. If his remarks were exclusively confined to criticism, it was not because he did not appreciate the mass of information and the valuable views put forward in the paper, but simply because he believed criticism was expected, as being the most useful sort of comment. What they had been asked to do was to abolish Government colleges altogether, or else to transfer them to local and private management. Why were they asked to do this? First because the author seemed to say in one place that the education was bad. He quoted Mr. Porter, an examiner of Madras, who stated that out of 1,000 candidates a very large proportion got no marks at all; and he also quoted some exceedingly ridiculous |
