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1864] Application of tie Boman Alphabet. 353 



than the Bengali alphabet. How it would be, if the language and the 

 Koman alphabet were familiarized, if I may use the expression, I can- 

 not say ; a great many Bengalis now wear pantaloons, but in the 

 matter of the alphabets experience* as at present available, is not cer- 

 tainly encouraging to a change. 



It is surely not unnatural, that a people, after labouring for centuries 

 to compass an important end, to invent and elaborate a system of 

 signs and combinations of signs, and to apply them to every sound in 

 their language, and having accomplished it, should be unwilling to 

 resign that which had cost them so much time and trouble. The Deva 

 Nagari alphabet, if it is the most elaborate, is also the most perfect 

 alphabet in the world. It was modelled and improved from the 

 Pali or most ancient Indian alphabet expressly for the Sanskrit 

 language ; it was fashioned for this language ; it was made to fit it, and 

 therefore it does fit it better than any other ; and it is a singular coin- 

 cidence, that this fact attracted the attention of, and was noticed by 

 the very remarkable Chinese traveller, Houen-thsang, upwards of 1000 

 years ago, and from his memoireSj I make the following extract : — • 

 " Les caracteres de l'ecriture ont ete inventes par le dieu Fan, ('Bra- 

 ma) et, depuis l'origine, leur forme s'est transmise de siecle en siecle. 

 Elle se compose de quarante-sept signes, qui s'assemblent et se com- 

 binent suivant Tobjet ou la chose qu'on veut exprimer, Elle s'est 

 repandue et s'est divisee en diverses branches, Sa source s'etant 

 elargie par degres, elle s'est accommodee aux usages des pays et aux 

 besoins des hommes, et n'a eprouve que de legeres modifications. En 

 general, elle ne s'est pas se:osiblement ecartee de son origine, C'est 

 surtout dans l'lnde centrale qu'elle est nette et correcte." 



It is unnecessary to go into a comparative analysis of the two alpha- 

 bets to establish the truth of these remarks. The coat that is made 

 for a man is likely to fit him better, than the coat that is made for 

 somebody else, and this, it appears to me is, if not the whole ques- 

 tion, certainly the major part of it. "Yet" it will be urged by 

 progressists, " fashions may change, and it would be unjust and a hard- 

 ship, to condemn an ancient friend always to appear in his antique 

 costume, because it had once, when in fashion, been made to fit him." 

 I answer, that if it becomes him better than any other, it would be 

 a far greater hardship, to make him. change it to suit the taste or to 

 please the eye of foreigners ; but even if he agreed to put on a new 



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