CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY lOT 



ther the Masters explained what had been committed to 

 memory, which was generally concluded with religious in- 

 struction, exhortation and encouragement, in some cases by 

 distribution of prizes, 



2. They then proceeded to examine and interrogate the 

 adults who had lately left the school, as w T ell as the parents 

 who brought their infants for baptism. With respect to 

 the former, to know whether they retained and understood 

 what they had learned at school, whether they regularly 

 attended Divine Service on the Sabbath, and manifested 

 an interest in their spiritual welfare ; with respect to the 

 latter to know whether they understood the nature and 

 obligations of Baptism, when pains where taken to impress 

 on them the principal truths of the Christian religion. It 

 will be necessary here to remark that the children were not 

 permitted to leave school at pleasure, but only when they 

 had obtained the requisite amount of knowledge, which 

 was decided, not by the Schoolmaster, but by the Inspec- 

 tors. When thus found qualified, a certificate was granted, 

 usually at the age of 15 years. They were then designated 

 " Largeerden" which means discharged or set at large. But 

 the care and supervision of them did not cease here : even 

 after such dismissal they were required for a future period 

 of three years, to attend the school twice a week to receive 

 religious instruction from the Master, who then signed their 

 certificate in testimony of their continued attendance. Dur- 

 ing this second term they were called <s Nieuwe largeer- 

 den" newly discharged. Then they were to attend, though 

 perhaps not so regularly, other two years, and be classed 

 among the " Oude largeerden," old discharged. Although 

 the period for instruction subsequent to the technical dis- 

 missal was thus fixed at five years, in some schools indivi- 

 duals were found with their certificate signed for 9 and 10 

 years together, indicating their voluntary continuance un- 

 der instruction. 



3. The next business was the inspection of church and 

 school-books, lists and registers, roll of fines, placards and 

 other documents in charge of the Master, to ascertain the 

 state in which they were kept. The fines here mentioned 

 were imposed, in obedience to an express order issued by 

 Government and repeatedly enforced, on all persons neglect- 

 ing to attend school on week days and divine service on 

 Sundays. These fines occasioned at various times refrac- 

 toriness among the natives, dishonesty on the part of the 



