Page:Convocation Addresses of the Universities of Bombay and Madras.djvu/105

 the perception of all those who are trained to perceive; something of the universe, of the orbs which rule the day and night, and of the stars which have from the most primeval periods attracted the gaze of man in his most savage state. If any of these peasant boys be gifted with genius, he will, I hope, be able while in a primary school to win a scholarship tenable in a middle school, and there again win a scholarship tenable in a superior institution, ascending the educational ladder step by step. Thus ability and industry wheresoever found, even in the lowest social state, will have their chances.

But if this teaching is to be given within so short a space of time to young children of lowly capacity, there must be good schoolmasters, men much better than any that can ordinarily be found in the villages of India; men specially trained in pedagogy, that is, the art of imparting Knowledge to the young. The best salary which can be allowed is small: therefore we must obtain the utmost qualification which can be obtained for scanty remuneration. Again, as the children have their being among rough, ignorant people, it is important that in school they should come in contact with masters possessing some traits of culture and refinement. For all these reasons it is necessary for the State to undertake the training and supervision of the village schoolmaster, and to see that they all possess certificates of competent qualification. The village schoolmaster represented an ancient institution, but he was dull and unlettered. Now-a-days his office is filled by men of a new stamp; and the production of such, men is among the first-fruits of our educational efforts.

It is remarkable that there are in this Presidency more than 7,000 girls in the lower class schools, a circumstance exciting hopefulness, and showing that even the peasantry are awaking to a sense of the benefits of female education.

Next, our consideration must be turned to the middle or secondary education relating to those middle classes which in many countries form one of the mainstays of the social fabric, which, indeed, in this country are not so strong in number as we could wish, but which are growing and will grow more and more, relatively to other classes, as the country advances in prosperity. There are about 16,000 boys in this Presidency receiving this secondary education, out of whom about 5,000 are at private institutions. This total number is comparatively small. In the middle classes are included the peasant proprietor of the better sort, the small landholder, who should learn mensuration and village accounts, the money-lender, the trader who should be