________________
40
THE JAINA GAZETTE
In the peculiar circumstances of India, however, their abolition must remain an ideal for a long time yet; and in the meantime, it is only right that the desire for the uplift of one's own community, which expresses itself in such forms as we witness to-day, should not be discouraged but fully utilised. Only, let the boys and young men living in the hustel be taught that they owe a lesser allegiance to their hostel than to their school or college, and through that, to their country. Beyond the hostel is the school or college ; beyond the Jain community is the Indian Motherland. It is only by the cultivation of such an attitude, by laying stress on the wider relationships of humanity, that it is possible for a country of many religions and races to take its proper place among the nations of the world. India cannot progress if efforts are governed by separated aspirations. Thus, I would deprecate the tendency which is sometimes visible, and which is quite natural, to make the hostels the centres of athletic and other activities of their inmates. This, of course, is not due to communal feeling at all, but to mere distance of location. It is, however, infinitely harmful to students to be apart from the united activities of their colleges or schools.
Responsibility of Hostel Management. A special responsibility rests on those who are in charge of hostels. Their duty does not begin and end with the provision of food and accommodation. They must hold themselves responsible not merely for their material comforts but also for the moral welfare of those living in the hostel. Bereft of home influence, or what there is of it in our country, the boarders are subject to many temptations and are apt to fall an easy prey to sinister influences. It is possible for those in charge of hostels, who come into close and daily contact with the students, to exercise a considerable influence upon them, to develop their character, that priceless possession without which no amount of book-learning can avail
them anything. That influence is best exercised not by direct Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
