Page:On the education of the people of India (IA oneducationofpeo00trevrich).pdf/134

120 as easy for them to learn an English as a Sanskrit word. Numerous Arabic, English, and Portuguese terms have thus become household words in India, the Sanskrit synonymes of which are utterly unknown to the people. The first form part and parcel of the popular language: the last have no existence beyond the Shasters and the memories of a few hundred Pundits who are conversant with those old records. A gentleman, holding office in India, lately attempted to reduce to practice the theory now under consideration. In his official communications to the neighbouring courts, every word not of Sanskrit origin was carefully expunged, and a pure Sanskrit word was substituted for it. Thus Sungrahuk was thrust in the place of Collector, Sunkhuk of Number, Adhesh of Hukm, Bhoomadhikaree of Zemeendar; and so on. The consequence was, that his communications were unintelligible to the persons to whom they were addressed; and it would have been better if they had been in Persian, from which we had at that time just escaped, than in such a learned jargon.

As it is therefore a matter of indifference from what source the vocabulary is derived, while it is admitted that English must be cultivated for the sake of the knowledge which it contains, will it not be advisable to make English serve both these