Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/439

 GUJARAT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE 349'

the mother-tongue will still remain the medium. Prof. Dhruva fears that if we do not receive all instruction through English, but learn it as a foreign language, it will share the fate of Persian, Sanskrit and other lan- guages. With due respect I must say that there is a hiatus in this reasoning. Many Englishmen, although they receive their training through English possess a high knowledge of French and are able to use it fully for all their purposes. There are men in India who although they have received their training through English have acquired no mean command over French and other lan- guages. The fact is that when English occupies its pro- per place and the vernaculars receive their due, our minds which are to-day imprisoned will be set free and our brains though cultivated and trained, and yet being fresh will not feel the weight of having to learn English as a language. And.it is my belief that English thus learnt will be better than our English of to day And our intellects being active, we should make more effec- tive use of our English knowledge. Weighing the pros and cons, therefore, this seems to be the way that will satisfy many ends.

When we receive our education through the mother* tongue, we should observe a different atmosphere in our homes. At present we are unable to make our wives co-partners with us. They know little of our activity. Our parents do not know what we learn. If we receive instruction through the mother-tongue we should easily make our washermen, our barbers, and our bhangio, par- takers of the high knowledge we might have gained. In England one discusses high politics with barbers while having a shave. We are unable to do so even in our family circle, toot because the members of the family or

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