Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1914-04-17

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lessened famine areas. decreased the
death rate, added to the tillable terri
tory and reduced human suffering to
large degree.
Good Government Established.
II is impossible, within the limits OF
this article, even to sketch all the
achievements or the failures of Brit
ish rule in India. One can do little
more than suggest how, In the far
East, a great nation, destined to play
a large part in tomorrow's world, as
part of the mighty British empire or
alone, is being made. Probably the
greatest contribution to India by the
British has been the establishment of
civil rule that means absolute justice
between man and man. There are ex-
ceptions, of course, lamentable and
numerous, but on the whole the Brit
ish administrator has brought equality
before the law, inflexible though stern
justice, and answering honesty to a
land where before he came might
alone made right and the biggest bride
brought about, in large measure, by
men of the Indian civil service, work
ing almost alone, in obscure villages.
In one district with territory the
size of France and population Of
| 100000 Indians, one white man, HUI
bert Calvert, brother of DR.. Sidney
Calvert of the University of Missouri,
is administrator. This is but single
example. The British have done their
good work in India not by force of
numbers nor by rule of bayonet any
more than by the music of the kettle
drum.
Schools In Reach of Majority.
In the work done In education tie
British in India have made many mis-
takes. Some Of these mistakes have
been rectified by a newer educational
policy. Others will be rectified. The
immense difficulties in education, in
a land where primary education is not
wanted by the masses and higher edu.
cation of a superficial kind is often
sought merely as a means to escape
hard work, have prevented progress
that would otherwise be possible. Re
ligious antagonisms, of an intensity
which the western mind can scarcely
comprehend, have compelled the gov.
eminent to make it's education exclu-
sively secular. Even moral training,
without which any system Of educa-
ton is lame, is hardly permitted.
When all this-and much else-has
been written in criticism, the large
fact remains that British education is
Transforming India Primary educa-
ton is not everywhere free nor is it
compulsory The fees, however, are
r so small as to be no bar and schools
are in reach of majority of the en-.
tire population. Colleges, technical
schools and universities are doing
better work than under the old meth,
{ DDS. The new generation of educated
Indians will be more efficient more
thoroughly prepared for serious la.
Dor, and no less keen of intellect and
clever of speech than the older gen.
, Grafton.
Natives Represented In Government.
: Indian representation in the legis.
lative councils and municipal govern,
ments has been gradually increased
1t is now sufficiently large to permit
every section of the diverse and dis,
cordant population to have a voice
This Indian voice does not, as yet. di
rectly determine the policies of gov
eminent, but it is free to discuss these
policies, to question them and to bring
them to the bar Of public opinion. In
consequence, British rule has become
more responsive to native sentiment
The British government, always an
arbiter and promoter of peace between
warning factions, has, by the new lib
eral policy Of larger native represen
tation in official place, become also in
some measure an interpreter Of the
native opinion and an administrator
of its desire. This is not self-govern
ment, of course-indeed, it is a long
distance from it-but it is a step in
that direction. Because of this for
ward step and from the ranks Of the
educated but unemployed natives
has come much Of the turbulence
among the native population which
seems at times to threaten British
supremacy in India. Imbued with lib
eralism in the universities and with
no other serious work that appealed tc
them, given representation in al
branches of government, the natives
or rather, few Of the more advanced
are leaders in a movement of India
for the Indians" That ritish rule is
seriously threatened Ly this unrest
widespread though it may be, is doubt
full That British rule will change, is
changing, to meet the awakening
spirit of democracy in the empire Of
India, is certain.
Some Surface Evils.
The evils of British rule are on the
surface: exploitation, absentee gov
eminent the hill station where Off
cialdom retires from contact with the
people, press law which Surendra
s nath Banerjee, "the uncrowned kint