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1905 ] A field for real workers.
293 out the date of its composition and though its being taken as a Vira. Vikram or Gupta date is controversial, in the majority of cases there is no question as to its being accepted as conclusive. The work proposed above requires a good deal of research into antiquarian matters and patient study for the collection and analysis of ithe materials. The writer would like to bring to the votice of real workers how assiduously and ingeneously Western scholars work for our religion. In a recent correspondence with Prof. Hermann Jacobi, he tried to prove the date of Siddharshi to be Vikram era from special tables for the preparation whereof he had taken days together. Is it not really worth imitating that a man in Germany should try so much for fixing the date of Siddharshi the wellknown author of the Upa Miti Bhava Prapancha Katha ? Such things are prompting us the responsible children of the community, to work hard day and night. This incident is mentioned for the sake of impelling one to his duty; a real worker has his own way of working. The late Prof. Peterson has done something in this branch of the subject and though what he has done is really praiseworthy as chalking out a line for future workers, much still remains to be done and we are in bad need of his labours being supplemented by other masterly hands.
A still more important thing is the establishment of a general library of all available manuscripts. The necessity of such a central organisation is looked through for the Jains by Prof. H. Jacobi and he passingly observes in his last letter that though the efforts of the Jains are preiseworthy he really feels that there is want of organization. Of course this requires handsome donations from the rich, benevolent men of our community, who, I am glad to note, are doing their duties satisfactorily and if one succeeds in impressing upon minds of aristocracy the utility and possibility of such a central library all kinds of manuscripts must be preserved with a good deal of care. The copies must be correct or at least must be nearly correct, and they must be accessible to any person who wants to take advantage thereof and at the same time such an arrangement ought to be made that no copy may be lost, mutilated or destroyed. This is rather a question of detail which can be attended to at tbe proper time. Still more important, to which it is advisable to draw the attention of the would-be workers, is the point which ought to have taken the lead. All the above suggestions presuppose that the persons to whom this article is addressed are wellversed in religious lore. The necessity and use of study on an educated mind cannot be impressed too strongly. It is, of course, on the progress
