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Religious and Moral Education.
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our community can afford the expenditure. It is to be earnestiy koped that our millionaires would give their best consideration to the proposal. It would be a practical charity. The advantages to accrue to the community would be permanent and fer-reaching. A better propos:1 could hardly be put forward for the material advancement of the community. The many pernicious customs amongst us whose existence we so much deplore will of themselves gradually dis-appear with the spread of education of the right kind. It will I think, be conceded by the most enlightened portion of the community that proposals of this kind must receive our first attention and be preferred to costly religions processions after which we spend so much.
5--I would also have some text-books on our religion compile: on the lines of Mrs. Annie Besant's Sanatan Dhuram Series. They must give in an intelligent and systematic manner the fundamental doctrines of religion and morality. They could then be used as textbooks on religion in the institution referred to in para 4 above, if it comes into existence. They could also be used in local Pathshalas &c. They should be compiled in English which is to-day the common language in India, and then travslated into the various Vernacular Janguages. It is a defficult and responsible task indeed. The gentleman undertaking the task must, besides being a profound scholar have studied our religion and philosophy. The compilation of the series is proposed for the use of youths as well as grown up persons. What a tremendous responsibility ? But if the necessity for a systematic and intelligent training in religion is admitted, the task must be undertaken by some self-sacrificing and capable scholar amongst us It is hoped some gentleman would come forward to respond to the call of duty. With sound religious and moral education given to our youths, surely they would make better men, and members of the community, better citizens and above all strong champions of the religion Any amount of sacrifice in money and energy would not therefore be too much for the purpose.
6-But if we are not fortunate enough to see a Jain High School and College of the sort adrerted to above in the near future, the proposed compilation of Text books on Jain religion would serve its purpose to a limited extent only, though considerable, since the problem of making religious education a part of the. Higher education would remain. The problem must be satisfactorily solved, if education s to bring all the manifold advantages it ought to. Is it inn
