THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

2A NEW centre of thought implies a newcentre of education. The system prevailing in our universitiesis one which ignores the psychology of man, loads the mindlaboriously with numerous little packets of information carefullytied with red tape, and, by the methods used in this loadingprocess, damages or atrophies the faculties and instrumentsby which man assimilates, creates, and grows in intellect, manhoodand energy. The new National Education, as inauguratedin Bengal, sought immensely to enlarge the field of knowledgeto which the student was introduced, and in so far as it laidstress on experiment and observation, employed the natural andeasy instrument of the vernacular and encouraged the play ofthought on the subject of study, corrected the habit of spoilingthe instruments of knowledge by the use of false methods. Butmany of the vicious methods and ideas employed by the oldsystem were faithfully cherished by the new, and the dominationof the Council by men wedded to the old lines was boundto spell a most unfavourable effect on the integrity of the systemin its most progressive features. Another vital defect of thenew education was that it increased the amount of informationthe student was required to absorb without strengthening the bodyand brain sufficiently to grapple with the increased mass of intellectualtoil, and it shared with the old system the defect ofignoring the psychology of the race. The mere inclusion of thematter of Indian thought and culture in the field of knowledgedoes not make a system of education Indian, and the instructiongiven in the Bengal National College was only an improved Europeansystem, not Indian or National. Another error which hasto be avoided and to which careless minds are liable, is the reactionaryidea that in order to be national, education must reproducethe features of the old tol system of Bengal. It is noteighteenth century India, the India which by its moral and intellectualdeficiencies gave itself into the keeping of foreigners,that we have to revive, but the spirit, ideals and methods of