DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68024#0180
172
4. The question whether it is kind and expedient to encourage the Mahomedans and
other natives of Behar to prosecute the higher education by the medium of the languages of
the previous rulers of the country,—Oordoo, Persian, and Arabic,—is«common to Behar and
the North-Western Provinces and Punjab; and is one which the Lieutenant-Governor would
rather that the Government of India should decide with the advice of the accomplished men
who preside over those provinces. His Honor does not believe it to be possible to educate to a
high standard by means of the vernacular Hindustani only. If we go higher we must borrow
or coin words, which, in Hindustani countries, will be taken from the languages of Western
Asia. In fact, we must come to the Arabic at last, the only West-Asian language sufficiently
copious and elastic to give new words for every thing. Whether we take the artificial and
mongrel Oordoo, or Persian,—in itself the most simple and beautiful of languages,—we always
find that for all difficult words we must introduce Arabic phrases. Arabic is not only a foreign,
but a non-Aryan language, of a construction radically very different from any of the Aryan
tongues; and the question is, whether the tendency of our rule and system is not such that
when we have educated our Mahomedans and high class Hindus in Oordoo-Arabic learning,
• we shall find that, for the practical purposes of our Government and system, they are far
behind the more pliant Hindus who have taken to English and obtained more direct access to
Western education and knowledge. His Honor merely throws this out for consideration. So
far as the vernacular can go, His Honor has no doubt that in all Hindustani provinces instruc-
tion should be given in the vernacular Hindustani. His Honor has also no doubt that educa-
tion in Arabic should be given to Mahomedans so far as to satisfy their religious necessities,
but beyond this His Honor desires to leave the question in the hands of the Government of
India, without expressing an opinion whether natives of Hindustan should receive higher in-
struction in Oordoo and Arabic or in English.
5. His Honor would confine himself then to Bengal. Here the first important point to
be noticed is, that in the greater part of Bengal—say all Bengal east and north of the Hooghly
—the Mahomedans are probably a majority of the population; among the cultivating ryots
and ordinary industrial classes they are, in most districts, in a large majority. That is the
result which the census shows in several districts, the figures of which have been already
totalled. Mahomedans are therefore more concerned than any other class in primary education,
though of that they have at present less than any other class. The question of primary
education in Bengal is one of much larger importance than anything now discussed. It has
not been solved, because it is too large to be solved easily. The following extracts from a
recent speech of the Lieutenant-Governor in the Bengal
* 27th July 1872. Legislative Council* will show how His Honor means to try
to solve it:—
“ The Bill [Bengal Municipalities] had left it optional with communities to deal with very many subjects.
It had attempted to deal by way of compromise with one very important subject which had considerably occupied
the attention of this Council, and which had been the subject of very great discussion, both official and non-
official, namely,—the vastly important subject of education. It had been said, and with truth, that the educa.
tional destitution of the masses of the people of this country was very great and lamentable. The Government
of India being very much alive to the responsibility which we had incurred by the existence of such a state of
things, had very much pressed for several years past upon the Government of Bengal the necessity of doing
something towards educating the mass of the people. The Council were aware that the question of local taxa-
tion first arose to some degree with regard to this particular subject of education. The discussion regarding a
cess upon land also was connected with that subject. His Honor had informed the Council in the course of last
session that the Government of Bengal did not see its way to make education a special tax upon land; we rather
thought that property in general should be taxed for that object and not in any kind of property in particular.
At the same time that we felt the immense importance of educating the people, we also thought that in starting
the machinery provided by this Bill, we should not undertake too much in too sudden a manner. Well, the
clauses of this Bill which deal with the subject of education represented the compromise which the Council had
been pleased to accept: the result of that compromise was this, that in towns to which this Act might be
extended, education to a certain extent should be insisted on; that is to say, if it was found that in populous
places the means of primary education did not exist, the Council thought fit to give to the Government certain
powers to insist on those places which were rich enough providing the means of primary education. Ou the
other hand, with regard to rural villages, we had thought that the time for compulsion in respect of education
had not yet arrived; the devotion of a portion of their funds to education would, in village municipalities, be
optional. But our hope was that seeing, as they must see, the advantages of education, the more advanced
villages would take advantage of the provisions contained in this Bill, and the Government would help those
who helped themselves to a reasonable extent. ******
“He hoped he should be able to give a very considerably increased grant for the education of the masses,
that was to say for village schools; that he should be able to give a very considerable portion of the cost of such
schools to those villages which, under the provisions of this Act, established schools. We had saved the money
by our economies, and he hoped to devote it in this and other ways to promote self-help among the people.”
6. The present question referred to by the Government of India the Lieutenant-Governor
understands to be the higher and secondary education.
4. The question whether it is kind and expedient to encourage the Mahomedans and
other natives of Behar to prosecute the higher education by the medium of the languages of
the previous rulers of the country,—Oordoo, Persian, and Arabic,—is«common to Behar and
the North-Western Provinces and Punjab; and is one which the Lieutenant-Governor would
rather that the Government of India should decide with the advice of the accomplished men
who preside over those provinces. His Honor does not believe it to be possible to educate to a
high standard by means of the vernacular Hindustani only. If we go higher we must borrow
or coin words, which, in Hindustani countries, will be taken from the languages of Western
Asia. In fact, we must come to the Arabic at last, the only West-Asian language sufficiently
copious and elastic to give new words for every thing. Whether we take the artificial and
mongrel Oordoo, or Persian,—in itself the most simple and beautiful of languages,—we always
find that for all difficult words we must introduce Arabic phrases. Arabic is not only a foreign,
but a non-Aryan language, of a construction radically very different from any of the Aryan
tongues; and the question is, whether the tendency of our rule and system is not such that
when we have educated our Mahomedans and high class Hindus in Oordoo-Arabic learning,
• we shall find that, for the practical purposes of our Government and system, they are far
behind the more pliant Hindus who have taken to English and obtained more direct access to
Western education and knowledge. His Honor merely throws this out for consideration. So
far as the vernacular can go, His Honor has no doubt that in all Hindustani provinces instruc-
tion should be given in the vernacular Hindustani. His Honor has also no doubt that educa-
tion in Arabic should be given to Mahomedans so far as to satisfy their religious necessities,
but beyond this His Honor desires to leave the question in the hands of the Government of
India, without expressing an opinion whether natives of Hindustan should receive higher in-
struction in Oordoo and Arabic or in English.
5. His Honor would confine himself then to Bengal. Here the first important point to
be noticed is, that in the greater part of Bengal—say all Bengal east and north of the Hooghly
—the Mahomedans are probably a majority of the population; among the cultivating ryots
and ordinary industrial classes they are, in most districts, in a large majority. That is the
result which the census shows in several districts, the figures of which have been already
totalled. Mahomedans are therefore more concerned than any other class in primary education,
though of that they have at present less than any other class. The question of primary
education in Bengal is one of much larger importance than anything now discussed. It has
not been solved, because it is too large to be solved easily. The following extracts from a
recent speech of the Lieutenant-Governor in the Bengal
* 27th July 1872. Legislative Council* will show how His Honor means to try
to solve it:—
“ The Bill [Bengal Municipalities] had left it optional with communities to deal with very many subjects.
It had attempted to deal by way of compromise with one very important subject which had considerably occupied
the attention of this Council, and which had been the subject of very great discussion, both official and non-
official, namely,—the vastly important subject of education. It had been said, and with truth, that the educa.
tional destitution of the masses of the people of this country was very great and lamentable. The Government
of India being very much alive to the responsibility which we had incurred by the existence of such a state of
things, had very much pressed for several years past upon the Government of Bengal the necessity of doing
something towards educating the mass of the people. The Council were aware that the question of local taxa-
tion first arose to some degree with regard to this particular subject of education. The discussion regarding a
cess upon land also was connected with that subject. His Honor had informed the Council in the course of last
session that the Government of Bengal did not see its way to make education a special tax upon land; we rather
thought that property in general should be taxed for that object and not in any kind of property in particular.
At the same time that we felt the immense importance of educating the people, we also thought that in starting
the machinery provided by this Bill, we should not undertake too much in too sudden a manner. Well, the
clauses of this Bill which deal with the subject of education represented the compromise which the Council had
been pleased to accept: the result of that compromise was this, that in towns to which this Act might be
extended, education to a certain extent should be insisted on; that is to say, if it was found that in populous
places the means of primary education did not exist, the Council thought fit to give to the Government certain
powers to insist on those places which were rich enough providing the means of primary education. Ou the
other hand, with regard to rural villages, we had thought that the time for compulsion in respect of education
had not yet arrived; the devotion of a portion of their funds to education would, in village municipalities, be
optional. But our hope was that seeing, as they must see, the advantages of education, the more advanced
villages would take advantage of the provisions contained in this Bill, and the Government would help those
who helped themselves to a reasonable extent. ******
“He hoped he should be able to give a very considerably increased grant for the education of the masses,
that was to say for village schools; that he should be able to give a very considerable portion of the cost of such
schools to those villages which, under the provisions of this Act, established schools. We had saved the money
by our economies, and he hoped to devote it in this and other ways to promote self-help among the people.”
6. The present question referred to by the Government of India the Lieutenant-Governor
understands to be the higher and secondary education.