appears who is the conquered party. It generally happens that the vanquished party now challenges the opposite class to contend in some other subject; and thus a new trial of strength commences. As the children are in the habit of writing from a thesis, they are on this occasion publicly tried as to their progress. A thesis being given, each boy writes it down on his slate, and endeavours to arrange his thoughts on the subject. When all have finished, their productions are read aloud, which excites much emulation, and affords at the same time great amusement. Nothing can exceed the animation and eagerness of the boys to excel in these trials. Indeed, we should look in vain for an equal degree of emulation in Europe.
“In our seminaries the children know of no precedency but that which is derived from merit. The Brahman sits by the side of his ignoble neighbour, and must be content oftentimes to stand below him in his class. On the contrary, the boy of inferior caste, if he excel the Brahman, which he oftentimes does, begins to believe a maxim true which he learnt in his school book, that God hath not created men with rights differing from each other, but that he hath created all men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth.”[1]
When the Calcutta School Society undertook, in 1819, the management of a number of Vernacular Schools in Calcutta, it sent its superintendent for five months to Burdwan to learn the system of Captain Stewart’s schools, as he educated a greater number of children with fewer teachers, and at half the expense of the old system.
Writing by dictation, and the giving the morals of fables out of their class books, also formed a part of the course of instruction. “The boys themselves delight in the lively application of a fable, and the attempt to give it sharpens their wit, and improves their language,—moral truths come to them with a sort of fascinating conviction, when dressed up in the form of a fable.” The following questions are a specimen of this mode of instruction:—“What is it unwise to do? To do anything without consideration.—Example: The Lion and the Fox. How is a man’s want of ability shown? By his attempting to do what is beyond his capacity.—Example: The Spider and Bee. How may we promote our own happiness? By giving help to our needy neighbour.—Example: The Dove and Bee.”
In 1817 Dr. Marshman published a valuable work “Hint relative to Native Schools;” it gave the sketch of a system of National Education: one object he laid down was—
“A peasant, or an artificer, thus rendered capable of writing as well as reading his own language with propriety, and made acquainted with the principles of arithmetic, would be less liable to become a prey to fraud among his own countrymen, and far better able to claim for himself that protection from oppression, which it is the desire of every enlightened government to grant.”
Besides the ordinary reading, writing, and arithmetic, were to be taught “a concise but perspicuous account of the Solar
- ↑ The First Report of the Calcutta Corresponding Committee, pp. 7, 10.
