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184 A word before closing this chapter. The evils of competition are overtaking even the Indian people, Modero industrialism and city life are taking away the taste for healthy reading, while forcing him to work all day for the day's meal for himself and his family. Let it not be said that the scholars of this country were responsible in any way for creating a literature which, by being unsuited to the needs and taste oi the people,has weakened the people's appreciation of gocd literature and the capacity to live a healthy life, and to find a joy in it. The Tamilian of to-day can hardly find any time to rack his brains in wading through the moth-eaten pages of the rigmarole puranas of a Kachiyappa or a Minakshisundram. We have already had enough and more poetry-sonnets, idylls, dramas, ballads and epics; nay, even works on philosophy, religion, ethics, history, grammar, dictionary, medicine and on every imaginable subject are all poetry. Poetry and versification had their value in the past, anti they may still be of use in some cases. For our literary models let us go to the writings of Sattanar or Ilango-adigal whose beauty, simplicity, smoothness and grace it is a pride and glory to approach in our efforts. But communication of knowledge in these days is best done in prose not poetry. We want therefore plenty of prose, but not Asiatic prose, and little of poetical literature. The prose should be simple and idiomatic, free alike from pedantry and baldness.