Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-04-12
.ynSia Correspondence.
SCHOOL TEA CHING IN INDIA.
BY REV. j. NJ. THoBuHs.


- - ..i-|. -I.
Mk. EprToR: In connection with my
duties as a Missionary. I have been engaged
for some months 10 experimenting and Il
some extent teaching in a native boys
school. II Is OF teaching 10 his school ,ha,
] propose tc write and not in genera
throughout India. although much Of what
may coy, will apply to any school iu Hin.
doostan.
Our schopl 10 modelled somewhat after
the plan Of DR.. Duff's celebrated College at
Calcutta. Throughout the whole of India
there exists very strong desire among the
natives to have their children learn the Eng.
lish language. This arises chiefly from the
hope Of securing for them government
Offices. which have not only the most !ucra-
tive, but also 10 their eyes the most honor.
able, pests to which they can aspire. II is
also considered highly creditable to be able
to speak the language Of the rulers of their
country, and hence many are induced to
study it from motives of personal vanity. A
slight knowledge of English being necessary
10 business, The banyan or traders caste,
also try TO have their boys to be able to read
Eng lish letters and make out bills IL moth.
ing more. Taking advantage of this desire
to learn English, many Mission Sc hools.
after the plan of DR.. Duff's, have been
opened in which both the natives end Eng.
lish languages are taught. but upon the ex.
press condition that the pupils consent to
receive religious as well as secular instruc-
tion. This plan has worked admirably ly
wherever fairly tried. The natives send
their children to schools of this character,
in preference to those of the government
from which the Bible and oil religious in
struction are excluded. They have conf
dence in the Mission Schools because they
can understand them and can see tina. they
are consistent. But they are very suspicious
Of government which claims to be Christian
before all the world, and vet tries to con-
vince the Hindoos that in India they haze
no religion.
Our school at present consists Of only
thirty boys, owing to want Of accommo-
daiions. These are divided into FIVE classes
according TO the advancement OF the
scholars. All are first taught to read their
native language before commencing the
English. This first step is by no means SO
easy process as the teaching Of the same
number of abecedarians in an Ohio school.
The HinGoos and Mussulmen each speak a
distinct dialect, and have each separate
alphabet. In either dialect more than hun-
drei characters must be learned before the
boy can begin to read. After the alphabet
is once mastered, however the pronunciation
is eosily acquired, as the letters do not have
so many "uncertain sounds" as those of the
English alphabet. The work Of mastering
the letters however is no easy task. p
As soon as the boys are able to read their
own language with tolerable ease, we give
them the common English Primer and teach
them in the ordinary way until they are able
to spell, read and translate very easy SEN
tences, in which way theyvery soon ac.
qnire a small stock Of English words, which
they do I OF fail to use as muehas possible.
In this way they read the common "First
Reader" going over It time and again until
they are able to translate every sentence
into, their native tongue We then give
them small English H Hndoostanic diction-
ary, by the aid ofSwhich they read other
more difficult books. At the same time we
begin to teach them to write, so that by the
time they have finished the "Thrd Reader"
they are able to attend tc any common
business transactions in English. In due
time they begin Ari,hmetics, Grammars
Biographies, Histories and other higher
branches. In some few schools of the high
est grade the course of study is equal to
that Of many American colleges. biit these
are exceptions to the general rule. In
schools Of the same grades as ours, very few
boys advance beyond the common branches.
In point OF talent there is less difference
between an India school and one in Ohio,
than is generally supposed I have taught
two years in different schools in Belmont
county, where the scholars were by no
means below the average of talent. and SO
as can judge from memory, I think my
present school would compare .avorably
with the same number of boys taken
at random from any of them. So far as
strength OF memory is concerned, they
would excel their Ohio neighbors. But they
have not the same frmness aud general
soldity of character, and consequently lack
application, which is serious hindrsnce. 10