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THE JAIN CONFERENCE HERALD.
45'
,
are wasted and so many objects there are for which our money and energy are urgently and absolutely needed that for the welfare of the community it is high time the methods and ways and objects of charities are changed. When the community took much interest in many subjects, it was immaterial whether a good or an incompetent man managed an institution. But at & time when most of us are solely engaged with our own wordly dash and none caring for anything beyond his own household, it is most material that an educational institution like that founded at Mehsana should be headed and managed by a good educationist rather than a person who knows not ABC of education, however religious he is.
Times being hard and very few avenues open for our people to earn their livelihood, it is necessary to start life scholarships to enable scholars to study religion, make researches in ancient lore and literature to get information of once holy but lost and inbedded places and specially to enlighten other people with the truth of our religion and to correct wrong notions about our ancient and sacred religion,
How much wealth used to be spent upon these objects in ancient times is known to those who know Maharaja Asoka. Shrenik, Kumarpal and Acharyas Sidhsensuri, Haribhadra, Hemchandra, and others. Without some stich material help from the Jains, Sadhus also can do very little as we see from the efforts of Maharaja Dharm vijaya. Where would Hemchandracharya have been, had it not been for the help of king Kumarpal?
We can go to cite many objects and ways in which money ought to be spent where it is not spent at present and others in which it ought not to be spent where it is spent. But the above will suffice for the present.
In conclusion I will cite one glaring example of our apathy to the welfare of our community and this article ends. In the last Conference it was resolved by Graduates that every one will contribute at least, one paper to the ConferenceHerald. How many have done it? When educated people who often find fault with the elders for not doing anything, to do nothing for long 12 months after & solemn promise, and specially when they have to spend not it single pie for it, it is bad on their part to expect people, whom they call uneducated, to do something. These latter people do much according to their own light and leading. If they are mistaken in modes and objects to which they extend their helping hand, it is the fault of the educated and younger generation that they do not lead these elders to the right path by interviews, writings, public and private and any other means in their power.
In conclusion I invite my friends to pursue this subject in detail by a Beries of papers from different stand points.
? WELL WISHER. Ahmedabad.
(Graduate.)
