5th. The Government Grants for the purposes of Lower Pri- Grants mary Education are inadequate; and as contrasted with the inadequate. Grants given for High Education are cruelly disproportionate.

Ditto ditto Vernacular Schools where a little English is taught

...

66

32 215

Ditto ditto High English Schools
Ditto ditto Aided Colleges
Ditto ditto Government Colleges
Ditto ditto Engineering Colleges
Ditto ditto Medical Colleges

3246

8

2

3

280 7 2

814 4 10

Whether a scale of Government Grants like this, which gives to one youth at College as much as it doles out for 383 boys in the Lower Primary Schools-and moreover, gives for about 28,000 scholars in aided Vernacular Schools an additional Rs. 2-6-9 per scholar for learning a little English, which the Director of Public Instruction himself admits "is of no special educational value". whether, I say, a scale of Grants thus arranged is fair to Mass Education, judge ye.

And now in conclusion let us see to what extent the village schools of Bengal have been brought within the range of Christian Teaching.

Society.

As a distinct organization-" The Christian Vernacular Edu- The C. V. E. cation Society," is doing more than any other Society to effect this object; for it is affording Christian instruction to 6,300 boys out of 14,789, which is the total number of boys attending Missionary Vernacular schools. This Society is in connection with 153 Primary Schools in Lower Bengal, in which schools the scholars are instructed in religious truth by means of Christian Circle teachers. These schools are not, in most cases, the Society's own established schools; but are brought into connection with the Society through an arrangement with 5 or 6 teachers who have schools in neighbouring villages; by virtue of which arrangement (a monthly grant of about two Rupees) their schools are placedto a greater or less extent under Missionary direction, and Christian instruction is allowed to be given to their scholars twice or thrice a week (oftener if practicable) by a Christian Circle Teacher. As the Circle Teachers are usually much more capable men than the school gurus, and consequently able to help the scholars in attaining secular as well as religious knowledge, the arrangement is, ordinarily, as satisfactory to the gurus as it is well pleasing to The Christian instruction given is of course very elementary, but as far as it goes it is heart-cheering; for I can testify, as the result of scores of examinations, that the answers given to Bible

us.

Number under instruction.

questions by many of the elder boys would not compare unfavourably with the answers given to such questions by the scholars of Board and Denominational Schools in England.

In addition to the Christian teaching given in 153 Primary Schools by the "Christian Vernacular Education Society," through the various Protestant Missions-separate educational efforts are being made by nearly all Protestant denominations. Their united efforts, however, scarcely touch the great mass of ignorance which surrounds them, and the Tables of Religious Statistics, just published, may well set Missionaries and Missionary Home Committees seriously enquiring if very much more cannot be done for the poor and ignorant children of Bengal than is now being done. The number of girls and women, in Schools and Zenanas, under Christian instruction has advanced from 6,707 in 1871 to 11,933 in 1881, which is gratifying, but as regards the number of boys receiving Christian instruction in Missionary Schools and Colleges, the number is actually 780 less now than it was 10 years

So far as the number of Christian Schools is concerned, there is an increase as compared with 1871 of 99 Schools, nevertheless the number of scholars attending our Mission Schools is, as I have said, less now by 780 than it was at the last decade. In 1871, the attendance at each Mission School averaged 41; to-day it is but 33. Mission Education in connection with girls has advanced 75 per cent. during the last 10 years; but so far as it relates to boys, it has declined 3 per cent. There ought to be at school in Bengal 7,650,000 boys and girls; there are actually at school-including Mission Schools-just a few beyond one million. Of this number Christian teaching has more or less hold upon 33 450 boys and girls,-that is, of those who are attending school 1 in 39 is receiving instruction, to a greater or lesser extent, in matters pertaining to salvation; whilst the 6,631,000 who ought to be at school but are not, are beyond the touch of any appreciable Christian influence whatever.

I have no wish to cry up the claims of Mass Education at the

Education.

expense of other departments of valuable Missionary work, but Importance I cannot refrain from saying that, (in my opinion) if the Church of Primary of the Lord Jesus were as far-seeing and politic as it is liberal and earnest, it would look with far more interest than it does upon the children of the land, for in them lies our main hope for the future. I presume that most of us believe that a day will come when all Bengali children of school-going age will be at school; and not only so, but that all these children will be receiving daily Biblical instruction; but unless efforts more worthy of producing such a grand result are forthcoming, and that soon, the realization of our anticipations will be delayed till the Lord our Master comes to introduce the Millennium, and give the unfinished work to others to complete.

A Missionary in loving and active charge of a circle of schools, with say 250 children passing through his hands every 5 years, would in the course of 20 years exercise a very considerable spiritual influence over 1000 children. That he would not exercise the same amount of influence over the same number of adults during 20 years of miscellaneous or desultory Mission work, is with me a settled conviction. I am not prepared to assert that greatly increased effort in the direction of Christian education for children would for years to come, give tangible results of a startling character; but the daily uplifting in our Schools of a crucified Lord Christ-the daily exposition of His teachingsand the daily details of His loving self-denying spirit and sinless life, could not fail to spread sound Christian knowledge throughout the land, and make ready a people to receive the Lord.

Viewing Lower education as a Christian citizen, I say to my The duty of Government,- "You have no defensible right in India as rulers, Government. except upon the assumption that you wish to elevate and bless her people; but how can you elevate them if you allow them to remain in ignorance? or who will believe in your professed good intentions when you dole out for the education of a peasant's or petty trader's son 9 annas a year, whilst you bestow upon youths of higher degree, who, as students attend Government Colleges and Hospitals, Rs. 215 and Rs. 814 respectively. I do not begrudge to these fortunate young men the exceeding bounty of the State, but if Government cannot afford to be correspondingly bountiful to all classes of its subjects, it is manifestly unjust to be so to the tens at the expense of the myriads. Governments are supposed to exist, not for the special well-being of the few, but to promote and advance the welfare of the many."

Upon my brother Missionaries, and upon certain of our Missionary Societies, I would urge that they expend more thought, effort, and money upon Christian Mass Education than they have hitherto done. So far as I have had time to study the Missionary Statistics just published, there seems to have been very pleasing progress in Bengal during the last decade, in every direction, with the solitary exception of Christian Lower Educa

Freedom of discussion.

A most important

tion for boys; but in this one matter of attendance at Mission schools by the boys of the land, we are in a less satisfactory condition now than we were ten years ago. Surely this is humbling. May the knowledge that things are so stir us up to such earnest effort that the present reproach shall soon be rolled away. Up, brethren and sisters, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.

THE REV. H. C. SQUIRES, C. M. S., Bombay, said:-I wish to call attention to an important principle. There should be in an assembly like this perfect freedom of debate. I listened with feelings of the deepest regret to the cries of 'shame' with which a former speaker on this platform was assailed. He was giving us frankly the results of his extended experience and his views were certainly entitled to a respectful hearing. In Bombay we listen with self-restraint even to the ravings of Theosophy. We are here to speak freely and honestly on practical matters to state and face our difficulties; and all the views, though they may differ from our own, that are expressed here by Christian men, ought to be listened to with respect.

Compulsory I have to touch on a delicate subject, and one that is calculated religious to evoke considerable feeling. Nevertheless it ought, I think, to instruction. be fairly stated and discussed. I refer to the subject of compulsory religious instruction in our Schools and Colleges. I listened with the most careful attention to the papers that have just been read to us on educational matters, but failed to discover what were on this point the principles and practice of those who addressed us, and yet it is, I am firmly convinced a question at this time of the greatest practical importance in connection with this department of Missionary effort. The proceedings of the educational Commission have helped to bring to light in Western India the intense irritation which our present system has provoked in at least the native community. In fact the only objection that has been raised, or that could be raised, against our educational work is this of compulsory religious instruction. Against religious instruction, even Christian religious instruction, they cannot and do not object. In reply to my own enquiry I have again and again been informed by some of the most influential members of the educated native community in our part of India that were attendance at religious instruction made voluntary, there could then be no ground of complaint; we are without doubt entering upon an educational crisis in India, and this particular point calls I believe for the most earnest attention.

and difficult question.

We are fully aware what has been up to the present the opinion and policy of Missionary bodies on this question, but we are at least justified in enquiring whether circumstauces have not now so changed as to necessitate a reconsideration of that policy. My own experience is of only about twelve years, an average period I suppose in this assembly, but I know that this question does

Bombay.

press heavily on the consciences of some, and I think it ought to be faced. I do not profess to have decided it as yet in my own mind, even though I propose it for discussion. It is not a question of adherence to Gospel principles or of fidelity to Christian truth. Those who doubt the wisdom and benefit of forcing on our non-Christian pupils attendance at religious instruction, do not do so from any want of reverence for the Gospel or from any disregard of the importance of such instruction. It is merely a question of the choice of means. By which means shall we best bring Gospel influences to bear upon the youth of the land? The present system has in the Bombay Presidency at least, failed to Especially in retain male and female education in our hands as we once had it. Female education especially is slipping, if it has not already slipped, from our grasp. Must we submit to this? are we to rest content with handing education over to non-religious or antiChristian agencies? Some will ask,-What, give merely secular instruction? The reply may be given that it is not merely secular. Surely it is a grand thing to be able to impart a Christian knowledge of science and history and philosophy and literature combined with direct Christian religious instruction to such as voluntarily accept it. One serious objection then to compulsory religious instruction is, that it defeats its own object another still more serious objection is, that by forcing such religious instruc- Objections to tion on those who are unwilling to accept it you array against the compulsory Gospel such religious convictions and conscientious scruples as the teaching. students have when they first come under your influence. It is then a question calling for consideration whether the ultimate gain to Missionary effort would not be infinitely greater and more satisfactory, if attendance at religious instruction were in the case of non-Christian students allowed to be voluntary. Be this as it may, I think it is important that a matter which concerns so seriously and directly our educational efforts should be plainly stated for discussion.

work.

THE RRV. W. R. BLACKETT remarked:-that the one point which had struck him in reference to primary education was the vastness of the work. Bengal had a million boys under instruction Vast field for out of a population of 68 millions. That was much better than the Panjab, which out of 22 million people had only 100,000 boys at school,-one-tenth of the number of boys with one-third of the population of Bengal. But both sets of numbers showed what a vast work had yet to be done. Missionaries could hardly touch the work. The utmost they could do would be hardly appreciable. The best step they could take would be to agitate for an increase of primary education by Government agencies, and to be prepared to take advantage of increased reading power by increased circulation of Christian literature. Sunday Schools would also be most useful. Two fields were left almost vacant for Missionary effort, Two special -the education of lower castes and aboriginal tribes, and the

fields.