Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/105

Rh classes, and commenced their studies and recitations with the native teachers.

We now went to the church compound, and entered the two-storied building in which the high school meets. Here, some one hundred and fifty boys and young men were seated on wooden benches, almost filling the principal room. A monitor (assistant teacher) is calling the roll; and, “Ramasamy,” “Rungasamy," "Chinnappah," “Rungappah," "Chinnasamy” and a host of “Samys” (i.e. gods or lords) are answering to their names with a loud "present," or receiving a mark for absence. It is worthy of note that almost all Hindus bear the name of some one of their gods. This is a most economical arrangement in a religious point of view, as every utterance of the boy's name is an act of great merit, and secures the favour of the god. Thus, when the father exclaims, “Come here, you Narayana-samy!” or, “I will give you a good flogging, Narayana-samy!" or, “You lie, Narayana-samy !” he is increasing his stock of religious merit by repeating the name of Narayana, one of the names of the god Vishnu. The roll-caller, if this were true, would certainly be a favoured mortal, for he daily utters