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THE JAINA GAZETTE.
APRIL My idea is that the whole proceeding was quite unauthorized. The Jaina College is an all-India institution, and nothing regarding it should be decided but by the consent of representatives of the whole Jaina community all through India. The locality of the college is a matter of the gravest importance, and cannot be decided in a huphazard way. Even the last Mahasabha did not thoroughly represent the whole Jaina community-of India ; so bad the matter been regularly passed there, which too was not done, that too would havebeen ultra vires, not to speak of taking it decided by implication based on the offer of Rs. 10,000 on the condition of having the college at Saharanpur. If money is to be the only consideration in solving the difficulty, then I fear the locality of the College can never be certain. Next year ano ther gentleman may come forward and offer a larger sum on condition that the college be removed to his place. Under such circumstances the college would itself be acting the part of the deputation, going from place to place and begging for money. I dare say the plan is quite ill-considered. The nature and centre of the proposed Jaina College should be finally settled after full discussion and consideration by members of the whole com'munity, guided not by money considerations but others of a better, loftier and more useful type.
However, let us now see what our brethren of Saharanpur have been doing since they brought the Mahavidyala from Muttra. A general meeting of the local Jains was called and a managing committee formed, evidently to attend to the local necessities of the institution. This committee, however, soon usurped all the powers of the managing committee of the Mahasabha so far as the Mahavidyala was concerned and began to pass rules and regulations by its own authority, which was all self bestowed. For example, they decided what was to be the scheme of the college; who were to be eligible in the same and on what conditions, constitution of the staff and its emoluments, and the budget etc. In other words they took the whole responsibility in themselves, while as a matter of fact euch authority can only vest in a body of trustees appointed by the MahaBabha and the local committee can only exercise such power as is delegated to them by the trustees. Differences arose as is usual with every Indian Association, and some influential members of the Mahasabha were called from abroad to reconcile. A general meeting. was accordingly held on the 7th March and there the local committee came to realise its true position. Iro portant resolutions embodying some requests to the Mabasabha wero pagged, the text of which you will know in due course, but I am afraid they seem to remain a dead letter.
