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[The Indian Mirror, February 15, 1901]
A correspondent writes: — “The following is an epitome of Swami Vivekananda’s speech made in Belur M.E. School on the prize-distribution day held on the 22nd instant, Sunday, when the Swami was invited to preside. The audience was composed chiefly of the boys of the school and some elderly gentlemen of Belur.”
The modern student is not practical. He is quite helpless. What our
students want is not so much muscularity of body as hardihood. They are
wanting in self-help. They are not accustomed to use their eyes and
hands. No handicraft is taught. The present system of English education
is entirely literary. The student must be made to think for himself and
work for himself. Suppose there is a fire. He is the first to come
forward and put on [out] the fire who is accustomed to use his eyes
and hands. There is much truth in the criticism of Europeans touching
the laziness of the Bengali, the slipshod way of his doing things. This
can be soon remedied if the students be made to learn some handicraft
apart from its utilitarian aspect, it is an education in itself.
Secondly, how many thousands of students I know who live upon the worst
food possible, and live amidst the most horrible surroundings, what
wonder that there are so many idiots, imbeciles and cowards among them.
They die like flies. The education that is given is onesided, weakening,
it is killing by inches. The children are made to cram too much of
useless matter, and are incarcerated in school rooms fifty or seventy in
each, five hours together. They are given bad food. It is forgotten that
the future health of the man is in the child. It is forgotten that
nature can never be cheated and things cannot be pushed too early. In
giving education to a child the law of growth has to be obeyed. And we
must learn to wait. Nothing is more important than that the child must
have a strong and healthy body. The body is the first thing to attain to
virtue. I know we are the poorest nation in the world, and we cannot
afford to do much. We can only work on the lines of least resistance. We
should see at least that our children are well fed. The machine of the
child’s body should never be exhausted. In Europe and America a man with
crores of rupees sends his son if sickly, to the farmers, to till the
ground. After three years he returns to the father healthy, rosy and
strong. Then he is fit to be sent to school. We ought not for these
reasons push the present system of education any further.
Thirdly, our character has disappeared. Our English education has
destroyed everything and left nothing in its place. Our children have
lost their politeness. To talk nicely is degrading. To be reverential to
one’s elders is degrading. Irreverence has been the sign of liberty. It
is high time that we go back to our old politeness. The reformers have
nothing to give in place of what they have taken away. Yet in spite of
the most adverse surrounding of climate, etc., we have been able to do
much, we have to do much more. I am proud of my race, I do not despair,
I am seeing daily a glorious and wonderful future in my menial
[mental] visions. Take greatest care of these young ones on whom our
future depends.