February, 1907.] Amiual Address; 



XXV 



desire to respect would rather that we would show him our own 

 so that he might adopt tliem. 



I believe no doubt that there are other causes at work. 

 Men perhaps stand more aloof owing to the prevalence of mere 

 officialism. They know less of the people, because they are so 

 much confined to tlieir offices. They have also been brought by 

 the improvement of communication too near Englatid to settle 

 down in India among the people as they used to do. Again, on 

 the one hand they have in India their English home and their 

 English club ; and on the other hand the Indians nearest to them 

 have acquired the English language and much of the English 

 way of thinking and of English manners. All these causes and 

 many others undoubtedly tend to what I believe to be a fact, 

 namely that there is less knowledge of the veinaculars and of the 

 customs of the people on the part of our officers than there used 

 to be. But I believe that perhaps the principal cause is, that in 

 the ordinary work of the Government official lie has to do with 

 a class of people who, by their education and training, have, as 

 far as at least their outer life is concerned, dra^^Ti much nearer 

 to the West. It is possible to get through one's office work 

 without much knowledge of either the language or customs 

 of the people. All the same (however one may explain thc^e 



concerned 



true that, as far as the great 



out a knowledge of the vernacular and a knowledge of their 

 customs and chai^acteristics which personal intei^conrse accom- 

 panied by intelligent study alone will give, I think that it 

 would be well worth while for Government to co-opeiJit^ with 

 this Society in endeavouring to encourage such knowledge. 



The consequences of ignorance of or indifference to the cus- 

 toms of the people have often in our histoiy been must serious. 

 We in Bengal know how ignorance of Santhal history and 

 customs led to gi-eat disaster. Only the other day I found in 

 Ranchi that a complete indifference to the customs of the Mundas 

 was leading to universal discontent among them. It was not 

 until the Judicial Commissioner (an officer whose high legal 

 reputation made it safe for him to express a belief in equity) 

 secured the co-opei-ation of the Courts with the Settlement 

 Department in the endeavour to ascertain these customs, that the 

 people began to get their rights. These extreme cases are only 

 very clear illustrations of what goes on everywhere. Ignorance 

 of the people, wherever it exists among jurlicial and executive 

 officers, leads to misunderstanding and wrong. I feel that it ig 

 the interest of Government to encourage among its officers such 

 work as is done by this Society. 



I do not pi'opose at the present time to show how this might 

 best be done. But I think that it might be possible to work out 



pract 



in this direction. The 



Society has now one or two members at least in most parts unt 

 only of this province but also of those other pixjvinces which 



ight 



c 



Bengal 



