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CANADA AND INDIA
tonomy." Local self-government should not be a mere sham, but based on real foundations as contem- plated by that noble Viceroy, the Marquis of Ripon. The Arms Act must disappear from the statute book, and no limitation should be laid on the entry of Indians into any public service. Volunteers should be enlisted freely from all classes. Agriculture must be improved and commerce and industry helped. Education will have to be free and compulsory. I have refrained from laying down any cut-and-dry scheme of self-government. I suggest that there should be unanimity on these questions amongst all the people of India, and I can conceive of no better agency than that of a joint deputation of the Con- gress and the League, which would place our de- mands before the British public and the British Gov- ernment.
SELF-GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE.
One of the most important resolutions passed was that moved by Mr. Jinnah for the appointment of a Committee to formulate a scheme for self-govern- ment after conferring with other political bodies. Mr. Jinnah said that his object was that the two rep- resentative organizations, namely, the National Con- gress and the Muslim League, should, without the slightest prejudice to their interests and with due regard to the needs of Mussulmans, formulate a scheme and go to the authorities, those responsible for the administration of India, and say, 'Here is a demand in the united name of India."
Mr. Iaque, in seconding the resolution, said: "It was stated that the view expressed by the National Congress was the view of all communities, minus the Mohammedans. But the Muslim League repre- sented 70 millions of Mohammedans, and the united demand from the Congress and the League must be according to common arithmetic, the united voice of the people of India."
The resolution was passed unanimously.
INDIAN SOCIAL CONFERENCE.
The 29th Indian National Social Conference was held Dec. 30th in the Congress pandal, Bombay. A special feature of the session was the large number of Indian ladies present, about 1,600, and six of them were among the speakers.
INDIA'S GREATEST NEED.
Professor Karve, in his Presidential address, which dealt very widely with the subject of education, said:
Coming now to the practical questions that are con stantly knocking at our social doors for solution, I must say at the outset that to my mind the greatest need of Indian society at the present day is educa- tion. I do not know if you will all agree with me in placing education at the forefront of social ques- tions. It may, perhaps it does, have a political aspect. But looking at it socially; want of education is the one canker that has been eating up the vitals of India. If there is injustice and wrong in society, it is because society is mostly buried deep in ignorance. Evil is the offspring of darkness, and there can be no dark. ness blacker than that of ignorance. No wonder if the Indian social world appeared to an outsider to be a scene of discord and division. What else can it be when that light which reduces all chaos to order is denied to it? Ninety per cent. of the population live and move and have their being without any oppor- tunity of drinking at the living fountain of know- ledge? The inner eye, with them, is never opened. Life to them is no more, no higher, than a struggle of hungry creatures, where might has a right to crush all weakness out of existence. The first thing that we ought to look to, therefore, is universal edu-
March, 1918
March, 1916
cation. No re-adjustment of the social polity is pos- sible unless every man, woman and child in the land is able at least to read, write and reckon. On the political platform the cause of universal elementary education was first emphatically espoused by my friend, the late Hon. Mr. G. K. Gokhale, and I hope the late patriot's efforts, backed by the unanimous voice of the country, will not fail ultimately to hear fruit. But we cannot afford to wait till the Govern- ment of the land are pleased to take up the question. We ought to bestir ourselves to supplement the en- deavors of Government wherever we can.
Resolutions were adopted urging the abolition of the caste system, and advocating intercaste marriage, the education of girls, re-marriage of widows, raising of the marriageable age of girls to sixteen years, abolition of the purdah system, education and train- ing of widows, elevation of the depressed classes, pro- tection of minor girls, social purity, and condemn- ing the system of indentured labour.
MOHAMMEDAN EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE.
FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION. The Mohammedan Educational Conference met at Poona, December 28th, in a spacious building erected for the occasion.
The president of the Reception Committee, in his opening remarks, said: "So long as the scope of primary education is not widened, the progress of the Mohammedan community is impossible, and in order to achieve this object, it is necessary that the Government should make primary education not only free, but compulsory.
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One of the most important resolutions passed by the Conference was "That the principle of free and compulsory education should be recognized, and that as a step towards it the municipalities of the larger cities be empowered to levy an educational cess with a view to instituting free and compulsory education." In seconding this resolution Hon. Mr. Justice Abdur Rahim said that both Hindus and Mohamme- dans had impressed upon the Government the abso- lute necessity for this step. He instanced the State of Baroda, which had introduced free and compul- sory education, and said that a beginning should be made in the larger cities in British India.
INDIAN WOMEN AND NATIONAL WEEK.
The Indian National Social Conference had 1,600 ladies in attendance and six women speakers. Mrs. Sarojini Naidu was invited to speak before the Mo- hammedan Educational Conference, the Industrial Conference and other organizations. Fifty ladies attended the Hindu Intercaste Dinner, and let the superior West observe that these did not look down from a gallery upon the dining men, but sat down with them.
There were 750 ladies, delegates and visitors in attendance at the National Congress. A choir of Hindu, Mohammedan and Parsi girls opened the daily proceedings with singing. Mrs. Sarojmi Naidu sat upon the platform, and spoke in support of the leading resolution that for self-government. A band of lady volunteers assisted in looking after the guests. In the words of an Indian reporter: "Women acted as volunteers, women chanted the invocations before the Congress proceedings began, women attended the Congress as visitors and dele gates, and women spoke with their musical voices from the Congress platform not merely on questions affecting women's interests alone, but of the Indians as a class. One's heart thrills with joy when such things happen. God's blessing on them.'
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Beats.
CANADA.
CANADA AND ENDIA.
CANADA AND INDIA
Both Canada and India, after the war, are destined to have more important places in the Empire than they have hitherto commanded. Their loyal devotion and sacrifice at this time have won for them those higher places, and it does not require a prophetic voice to give assurance of their being called to higher But if Canada and India are destined for higher places in the mother's house, they should be drawn together more intimately as children in that house, and in practical life give evidence of their relationship. We do not pretend to know all the ins and outs of the question, but we feel sure that there must be some way for dealing with the Hindu and Sikh question in Canada that will evidence brotherli- ness and Christian principles to a greater extent than has yet been experienced. "The Canadian Baptist."
THE SIKHS IN CANADA. Albert Ernest Stafford writes in the "World": There is no reason to suppose that the Sikhs have any other object in coming to Canada than to estab- lish themselves in an agricultural community. In a country such as Ontario, where settlers are at a premium, it might be thought they would be wel comed in the northland wastes. In British Columbia there should be plenty of room for millions like them, The more men there are on the land the more food there will be for the artisan and mechanic, and in- stead of fearing competition, the labour men should find their wages enhanced in value by the greater agricultural output. The big railways may discover the advantage of getting agricultural settlers of this highly cultivated type, and should they do so, the prairie provinces will quickly respond to the stimu- lus of such settlement. But the shameful problem in British Columbia at present is the refusal of the church people, the labour men, and the politicians to permit the Sikh settlers to have their wives and chil- dren brought from India. For not less than five years, and some of them for longer, these Sikh men have been separated from their families by the desire and act of our Christian community. They came over here in good faith, and invested their funds in land. Many have gone back at great loss, but 2,000 or 3,000 still remain. They are British subjects, and they are denied their rights. They are industrious and thrifty, and these virtues are regarded as crimes. They have a lofty and spiritual religion, and they are branded as heathen. And we are mightily offended when the Germans tell us that we practise hypocrisy. Our treatment of the Sikhs is one of the weak spots in our armour, and while we have no business politically to say anything to British Columbia, I am satisfied that the stronger our views are privately on the mat- ter, the better for us as a nation. The women of India, the Sikh women and children, divorced from their husbands and fathers, challenge our caste wor- ship. And what poem shall Sarojini Naidu write about British Columbia?
THE HINDU IN CANADA.
Dr. Sunder Singh writes in "The Christian Guard- ian"
The people of Canada are not aware that the un- righteous and un-Christian treatment given to the Hindus in British Columbia (and especially the well- known and yet so little understood Komagata Maru episode) is really accountable for almost all the recent trouble in India about which we hear so much,
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In the interests of the Empire, and Canada in par- ticular, we should be more liberal in our desire to remove the barriers which are preventing a better understanding of India. We can do this by investigat- ing the truth, and in the meantime discourage the exaggerated and apparently biassed reports which are circulated from time to time. Let us remember how much India is rallying to the aid of the Empire's battles. This she is apparently doing without stint.
Would it not be a wise thing for our ministers to investigate the truth of the British Columbia charges, with a view to bringing together the representatives of India and Canada on a fair and equitable basis after the war, and in the meantime resolve that they will remove, in the interests of morality and justice, the barrier to the families of the Hindus domiciled in Canada joining them? India has stood by us in this great war, so let us at least show a little appreci ation by permitting the families of the Hindus in Canada to reach their husbands and fathers. Then the question of Oriental immigration can be dealt with, and a definite standard erected that will give the Hindus a common footing with the Japanese, Chinese, negroes, Bulgars and others. At present gross discrimination against the Hindu appears to prevail. Surely this matter can be settled from a Christian and ethical standpoint.
THE STRONGEST OF ALL BONDS. "Canada and India," a journal published in To- ronto, takes as its motto the words, "The strongest of all British bonds are knowledge and sympathy.'
These are true words, and they should be consid ered deeply, and applied to all our relations. What, after all, is the fundamental reason for the British unity that has been shown in this war? It is sym- pathy a sense of brotherhood as between the people of Canada and the other outlying commonwealths of the British Empire and the people of the United Kingdom. We think of India too much as an ab- straction. We think of India, but not enough of Indians as human beings and fellow-Britishers. In order to have a true British union we must break down the prejudices of race and creed, and dwell only upon the common bond of humanity. Remem- ber that the natives of India are three-fourths of the people of the British Empire.-Toronto Star.
VEDANTA SOCIETY.
Dr. Sunder Singh lectures every Sunday afternoon in the Foresters' Hall on the religions of the East.
CANADA INDIA COMMITTEE, The Committee has been carrying on very success- fully a series of drawing-room meetings in the city. About twenty have already been held, resulting in much interest and a large increase of membership.
In consequence of a fire, the Committee was obliged to remove from the room on Richmond Street to 158 Bay Street, Toronto. Information and litera- ture may be obtained there on personal application or letter to the Secretary. Visitors and workers are always welcome.
WHAT FRIENDS MAY DO. Friends interested in bringing about a better understand- ing between India and Canada may give time and attention to study the movement.
They may give effort in public speaking and in organizing their communities.
They may use the local press, the men's and women's cluba, young people's organizations, churches, missionary societies, or any social or literary organization to inform the public.
They may make personal effort among their acquaintances. They may write to lawmakers, asking support of bills for making just laws on this question.
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