DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68024#0227
219
“ rather it is scholarship of a kind that shall benefit the nation by raising its intellectual and
moral standard, and conduce to its material and social development.” This, the Lieutenant-
Governor goes on to show, can at present only be obtained through a knowledge of English;
he thinks, however, a sufficient knowledge of English has been attained by a student who passes
the first arts examination, but here I venture, though with much deference, to differ from
His Honour. It would, I think, be a mistake to cut short a student’s English studies after
advancing so far ■ or to encourage him to give himself up entirely to the study of Arabic or
Sancrit learning till he had more thoroughly fortified himself with the progressive and liber-
alizing spirit of Western science. I should not write in defence of retaining English in the
B. A. examination as a compulsory study, were there any vernacular liberature at all equivalent
toE nglish in its liberalizing tendency, but it must be remembered that if a student ceases to
read English at the first arts stage, he ceases to have recourse to the only source whence he can
draw strength and incentive to progress. However graceful may be Arabic or Sanscrit poetry,
and however subtle the Oriental system of philosophy, experience has, I think, shown that
neither is successful in liberalizing and expending the mind in opening it to the. reception of
truth from all sides, and in nerving the student to cast off the yoke of custom and caste.
10. Sir William Muir truly remarks that “the great want of the people is a vernacular
literature.” I venture to submit, however, that it is not to deep Arabic and Sanserifs scholarship
that we must look for the growth of a vigorous vernacular literature, but rather to minds well
filled with Western ideas, possessing a moderate acquaintance with the parent languages of the
country, and a thorough mastery of the vernacular as a medium for conveying instruction.
The vernacular literature of Bengal is, I believe, now much superior to that of any other
Province in India, and it is, I think, fair to attribute its growth to the rapid spread of English
education. Give our students a liberal course of English, and so bring them into direct con-
tact with a never-failing source of new and progressive ideas, at the same time let care be
taken that they are trained to write freely the vernacular of the Province, add a grammatical
knowledge of the parent language, and then whenever a sufficient impulse is given, whenever
circumstances arise, creating a strong desire to influence the masses, those who have the
ideas, and are masters of the medium by which they can be communicated, will most
certainly write.
11. The use of the vernacular in the University examinations.—The importance of higher
education can scarcely be over-rated, but the primary education of the masses is, if possible,
still more essential to the welfare of the country. Now, as the masses can only be reached
through the vernacular languages, it becomes most important to enquire if the University does
all that is practicable to develope a vernacular literature. I respectfully submit it does not.
In other countries, whatever place is assigned to foreign languages, ancient or modern, the
vernacular is the medium of examination in science, philosophy, and mathematics; not so in
India; the University here altogether ignores the vernacular in the higher examinations, and
only tolerates it as an alternative to a classic in the entrance. A Native of India might in
fact perfectly well go through the whole University course, and take the highest honours with-
out knowing any vernacular language at all. Now this is manifestly not a natural arrange-
ment ; it was adopted because there were no vernacular books on the subject taught by the
University; but it is plain that so long as the University ignores the vernacular in their
examinations, one great stimulus to vernacular authors is wanting. It seems, therefore, most
desirable, in the interest of primary education, that the University authorities should unmis-
takeably show a readiness to use the vernacular as the medium for examining so soon as books
become available. Now there are books in Urdu and Hindi sufficient to enable students to
pass the entrance examination standard in mathematics at least, and perhaps in geography
and Indian history. Moreover, it may, I think, be hoped that if the practice of examining
in the vernacular were once commenced, the stimulus given would soon lead to the production
of better books. The difficulty is in making the beginning; but it appears to me that the
first step is now practicable.
12. The Vice-Chancellor proposes to take this step. If I apprehend his proposal
aright, it is to allow candidates at the entrance examination the option of either (1) pass-
ing the whole examination as now in English, taking a vernacular or classic as his “ second
language;” or (2) of passing the whole examination in a vernacular, taking a classic as his
second language. The second course excludes English altogether, and this is more than I
should have ventured to propose at present, because it makes the entrance examination cease
to be a step to the higher standards. A student who passes the former without any knowledge
of English would find it impossible to go on to the first arts examination which is conducted
altogether in English; the University would to him not begin only, but also end at the entrance.
On the other hand, there is no doubt, I think, that the examination proposed would in time be a
powerful stimulus to higher class vernacular schools ; it would give them a standard to work up
to, and I have no fears but that the necessary books would soon be forthcoming. If the
28 a
“ rather it is scholarship of a kind that shall benefit the nation by raising its intellectual and
moral standard, and conduce to its material and social development.” This, the Lieutenant-
Governor goes on to show, can at present only be obtained through a knowledge of English;
he thinks, however, a sufficient knowledge of English has been attained by a student who passes
the first arts examination, but here I venture, though with much deference, to differ from
His Honour. It would, I think, be a mistake to cut short a student’s English studies after
advancing so far ■ or to encourage him to give himself up entirely to the study of Arabic or
Sancrit learning till he had more thoroughly fortified himself with the progressive and liber-
alizing spirit of Western science. I should not write in defence of retaining English in the
B. A. examination as a compulsory study, were there any vernacular liberature at all equivalent
toE nglish in its liberalizing tendency, but it must be remembered that if a student ceases to
read English at the first arts stage, he ceases to have recourse to the only source whence he can
draw strength and incentive to progress. However graceful may be Arabic or Sanscrit poetry,
and however subtle the Oriental system of philosophy, experience has, I think, shown that
neither is successful in liberalizing and expending the mind in opening it to the. reception of
truth from all sides, and in nerving the student to cast off the yoke of custom and caste.
10. Sir William Muir truly remarks that “the great want of the people is a vernacular
literature.” I venture to submit, however, that it is not to deep Arabic and Sanserifs scholarship
that we must look for the growth of a vigorous vernacular literature, but rather to minds well
filled with Western ideas, possessing a moderate acquaintance with the parent languages of the
country, and a thorough mastery of the vernacular as a medium for conveying instruction.
The vernacular literature of Bengal is, I believe, now much superior to that of any other
Province in India, and it is, I think, fair to attribute its growth to the rapid spread of English
education. Give our students a liberal course of English, and so bring them into direct con-
tact with a never-failing source of new and progressive ideas, at the same time let care be
taken that they are trained to write freely the vernacular of the Province, add a grammatical
knowledge of the parent language, and then whenever a sufficient impulse is given, whenever
circumstances arise, creating a strong desire to influence the masses, those who have the
ideas, and are masters of the medium by which they can be communicated, will most
certainly write.
11. The use of the vernacular in the University examinations.—The importance of higher
education can scarcely be over-rated, but the primary education of the masses is, if possible,
still more essential to the welfare of the country. Now, as the masses can only be reached
through the vernacular languages, it becomes most important to enquire if the University does
all that is practicable to develope a vernacular literature. I respectfully submit it does not.
In other countries, whatever place is assigned to foreign languages, ancient or modern, the
vernacular is the medium of examination in science, philosophy, and mathematics; not so in
India; the University here altogether ignores the vernacular in the higher examinations, and
only tolerates it as an alternative to a classic in the entrance. A Native of India might in
fact perfectly well go through the whole University course, and take the highest honours with-
out knowing any vernacular language at all. Now this is manifestly not a natural arrange-
ment ; it was adopted because there were no vernacular books on the subject taught by the
University; but it is plain that so long as the University ignores the vernacular in their
examinations, one great stimulus to vernacular authors is wanting. It seems, therefore, most
desirable, in the interest of primary education, that the University authorities should unmis-
takeably show a readiness to use the vernacular as the medium for examining so soon as books
become available. Now there are books in Urdu and Hindi sufficient to enable students to
pass the entrance examination standard in mathematics at least, and perhaps in geography
and Indian history. Moreover, it may, I think, be hoped that if the practice of examining
in the vernacular were once commenced, the stimulus given would soon lead to the production
of better books. The difficulty is in making the beginning; but it appears to me that the
first step is now practicable.
12. The Vice-Chancellor proposes to take this step. If I apprehend his proposal
aright, it is to allow candidates at the entrance examination the option of either (1) pass-
ing the whole examination as now in English, taking a vernacular or classic as his “ second
language;” or (2) of passing the whole examination in a vernacular, taking a classic as his
second language. The second course excludes English altogether, and this is more than I
should have ventured to propose at present, because it makes the entrance examination cease
to be a step to the higher standards. A student who passes the former without any knowledge
of English would find it impossible to go on to the first arts examination which is conducted
altogether in English; the University would to him not begin only, but also end at the entrance.
On the other hand, there is no doubt, I think, that the examination proposed would in time be a
powerful stimulus to higher class vernacular schools ; it would give them a standard to work up
to, and I have no fears but that the necessary books would soon be forthcoming. If the
28 a