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260
Jain Conference Herald
[ August
from the deplorable position they are in. But taking the most optimist forecast of the fruition of their efforts, the question is whether they, as exerted at present, will be in themselves sufficient to lead to our solid and substantial progress. Granted that every Jain male and female will be imbued with Jain principles, the whole of our religious lore of literature will be revised and placed on a firm footing, our temples will be properly financed and placed under an efficient management, we will get a good number of highly educated Jain youths 8c, let us imagine for a moment that we shall realise the above things to their fullest extent, still are these, I ask, sufficient for the substantial advancement of the Jains ? Is the numerical strength of the laity entitled to less consideration than questions of education &c which are simply intended for them? Should it not be our earnest desire that we should have a thriving population-population growing numerically-the very basal necessity of the above things ? What are we going to do with an excellent temple without a sufficient number of persons to worship, manage and maintain it, or with tens of thousands of our Shastric volumes without the correspondingly sufficient population to study them? A good population is, then, in itself the chief factor in the constitution of the well-being of Jains. It should be looked upon as foundation and the things taken iphand at present for reforms, as superstructures. I hereby don't mean any disparagement to the subjects taken in hand at present, nay on the contrary, I fully admire them. Men may differ from me as anot homines tot sententía. But my view is that the question of population should be placed in the front as it is a sore questiou. Census reports will clearly show that we are diminishing more than our sister Communities, Jain population in every city, town or village is deceminated in a short period and the process continues till it vanishes and becomes a thing of the past. This deplorable condition of the Jain community has not as yet unfortunately been able to draw the attention of any Jain leader. I may be imagined by some persons to be driving at things beyond the
control of human agency. Life and death are no doubt admittedly : beyond the reach of human efforts. But there are according to the
principles of G49ETt measures practicable by human agency which can go a great way towards arresting the decrease in population which I shall discuss later ou.
