opened the eyes of his countrymen to the benefits of such education. He, as it were, turned their faces from the East towards the West. In spite of his great regard for everything Oriental, he held up the Occidental’s love of science, of moral excellence, and his desire to promote the welfare of all, as worthy of imitation. In time he drew many to his side, and a movement was soon organised, the object of which was to cultivate the knowledge of English literature and science, and to introduce such social and moral reforms as were deemed necessary. The end of these reformers was noble, but the means used by them were not always prudent. They had a strong orthodox party to oppose them, and in their contest with it they at times ran to extremes; and the collision between these classes was, as we will show hereafter, productive of great evil.
Most of those who had received their education in the Hindu College, and the other seminaries in Calcutta, were fired with the desire to do away with everything that was old and embrace everything that was new. “Cast off your prejudices, and be free in your thoughts and actions,” was their watchward; and there was at the time a new force at work to foster this independent spirit.
Stirring reports of the French Revolution reached their ears. Some of their English friends expressed sympathy with the movement; and such works in English literature as advocated its course were placed within their reach. No wonder then that they soon became thorough revolutionists, and were resolved to lay the axe at the root of everything that savoured of ignorance and superstition. The orthodox customs of the country were run down wholesale by them; and the cry they raised was: “Break down everything old, and rear in its stead what is new.”
It was at this crisis that Lord William Bentinck came to
