Before there can be a real Education Department it must be entirely
native of the Province, responsible to the Province for its success.
Can we create such a Department? I think we could, slowly, by handing
our village schools as much as possible to Village Councils, district
schools to District Councils, and the University to the head Provincial
Assembly when it comes into being. They will each have to think out
what result they want, and then how to attain that result.
But all must begin with the village; within it alone is the germ cell
of all future progress.
CHAPTER XIX
CONCLUSION
There are many other subjects connected with the renaissance of India
that I should like to enter into, but I cannot do so here. This book
is already too full of matter that is never easy, and is sometimes
controversial. Such subjects are the real ideals and ideas that
underlay the religions of India, Hindu, and Mohammedan, and which gave
them life until they were hidden under priest-made ritual and killed;
the early history of India as a history of ideas and civilisations, and
not a stupid agglomeration of battles and intrigues; the absolute
necessity, as shown in all history, of representation and legislation
being by territory, and not by class, nor race, nor religion; and there
are many others. Perhaps some day I may return to these matters, or,
more happily, other writers will undertake them. They will see the
interest and pleasure to be derived from the study of humanity and
ideas, and will leave on one side the dusty frippery of ceremonies and
creeds and customs, of the details of battles and palace intrigues and
dynasties. Life lies under all these things, and they but affect it as
old clothes do a man. Meanwhile, I have done what I can to show the
causes of the trouble in India and to indicate in what way it may be
met.
Only in some such way as that I have sketched, only by following
principles of the nature here indicated, can the Government of India be
drawn into accordance with the people. The Government must learn to
understand those many millions over whom it has acquired so great a
power, and in understanding them acquire sympathy with their desires
and needs. The people must learn to know, and recognise, and feel that
Government does understand them; that it has sympathy with them, and
will help them onward to that goal whither their Destiny is calling
them. So will both work together toward that end.
To conquer India was great; it is the one great deed whereby we shall
live in history; but to make of India a daughter, not a subject, to
help her grow out of our care till she is strong enough to walk alone,
that will be greater still.
No nation in the world's history has ever done a deed like that.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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