xxiv Annual Address. [February, 1907. 



men. And I am quite prepared to admit that tlie Secretary in 

 this department cannot be expected to scrutinise every detail in 

 the papei's submitted to him, and that it is not desirable that he 

 should do so. But I am sure that the influence of this Society 

 ought to be used to encourage such work, and that such encour- 

 agement would be of enormous advantage to the students them- 

 selves. At the same time I think that a great deal of interest- 

 ing and even valuable material is lost, because the interest of 

 men in the interior is not enlisted by this Society on behalf of 

 scientific research. I think it might be possible to do something 

 in this direction. 



It seems to me that it might be possible for the Government 

 and this Society to co-operate in regard to this matter. It "will 

 undoubtedly be admitted that it is the interest of the Society to 

 encourage observation and research, to make some effort to direct 

 and stimulate any man of inquisitive and acquisitive mind in the 

 pursuit of such knowledge as I have indicated. It is not less in 

 the interest of Government. Knowledge of this kind acquired 

 by petsonal intercourse with the people, assisted bey study of 

 the literature on the subject, would be of great benefit to our 



officers. 



I confess that it is a cause of great regret to me to find that 

 the study of the vernacular and the cultivation of intimate per- 

 sonal relations with the people of the country seem to be less 

 common and effective now than formerly. I cerbiinly do not 

 expect to find at the present time the widespread enthusiasm 

 about the acquisition of knowledge on Indian subjects which we 

 had in the olden d>iys. Circumstances have very greatly changed. 

 The Indian world is not so strange and unknown a world as it 

 was. There are still features and chaiacteristics of Indian life 

 as strange as ever; but they are not so 

 the surface as they used to be. "We have brought a great deal 

 of the life of the West to the East. There are many men who 

 spend a lifetime in India and yet know as little of what is purely 

 oriental as if they had lived all their time in London. The fact 

 that this is possible decreases the sense of necessity of acquiring 

 a real knowledge of the people. 



If one tulks of carrying on the business of a Local Board in 

 vernacular, he is told at once that, though some of the Indian 

 gentlemen who are members of the Board would no doubt under- 

 stand the business better if it were carried on in vernacular, the 

 majority would probably regard it as anything but a compliment 

 to be asked to conduct it in any language but English. A 

 fact like that explains how the necessity for mastering the verna- 

 cular is not so strongly felt now as it once was. When I came 

 to the country we had to conduct our municipal work in vema- 

 cuhir: few young Assistants could do it now. And this is only 

 one instance of the operation of forces which affect the whole life 

 of the country. In regard to customs and manners it is very 

 murh the same. We may desire to show respect to the old 

 customs; but we find perhaps that the man whose customs we 



obtru 



