Asiatics, sober and industrious, good farmers and skilful artizans, they scarcely ever had recourse to a law suit, and lived peaceably under their native chiefs." That acute observer, the historian Abul Fazal, says: "The Hindus are religious, affable, courteous to strangers, cheerful, enamoured of knowledge, lovers of justice, able in business, grateful, admirers of truth, and of unbounded fidelity in all their dealings." Colonel Dixon dilates upon "their fidelity, truthfulness, honesty, their determined valour, their simple loyalty, and an extreme and almost touching devotion when put upon their honour.”2 "The Indians," says Neibuhr, "are really the most tolerant nation in the world." He also says that "they are gentle, virtuous, laborious, and that, perhaps of all men, they are the ones who seek to injure their fellow-beings the least." The high character, the noble self-sacrifice, the unbounded love of a Hindu for those who are near and dear to him are well illustrated by the refusal of Yudhisthira to accept salvation, while his wife and brothers were outside Heaven. The Mahabharata says:— 6 "Lo, suddenly, with a sound that ran through heaven and earth, Indra came riding on his chariot and cried to the king, Ascend.' Then indeed did Yudhisthira look back to his fallen brothers and spoke thus unto Indra with a sorrowful heart: Let my brothers, who yonder lie fallen, go with me. Not even into thy heaven, O Indra, would I enter, if they are not to be 1 Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. 1, p. 643, 2 Colonel Dixon was Commissioner of Ajmer. Merwara about 1850 A.D. there; and yon fairfaced daughter of a king, Draupadi, the all-deserving, let her too enter with us!." Sir Monier Williams says:1 "Natives never willingly destroy life. They cannot enter into an Englishman's desire for venting his high spirits on a fine day by killing game of some kind-live and let live' is their rule of conduct towards the inferior creation." "The villagers," says Mr. Elphinstone," "are inoffensive, amiable people, affectionate to their family, kind to their neighbours and towards all but Government, honest and sincere." In 1813 A.D., when evidence was given before the British Parliament, Mr. Mercer said: "They (Hindus) are mild in their disposition, polished in their general manners; in their domestic relations, kind and affectionate." Captain Sydenham said: "The general character of the Hindus is submissive, docile, sober, inoffensive, capable of great attachment and loyalty, quick in apprehension, intelligent, active; generally honest and performing the duties of charity, benevolence and filial affection with as much sincerity and regularity as any nation with which I am acquainted." 66 Abbe Dubois says The Hindus are not in want of improvement in the discharge of social duties amongst themselves. They understand this point as well as and perhaps better than Europeans." Sir John Malcolm said: "From the moment you enter Behar, the Hindu inhabitants are a race of men, 1 Modern India and the Indians, p. 33. generally speaking, not more distinguished by their lofty stature and robust frame, than they are for some of the finest qualities of the mind-they are brave, generous, humane, and their truth is as remarkable as their courage. At a subsequent examination, he said, with respect to the feeling of honour: "I have known innumerable instance of its being carried to a pitch that would be considered in England more fit for the page of a romance than a history. With regard to their fidelity, I think, as far as my knowledge extends, there is, generally speaking, no race of men more to be trusted." Sir Thomas Munro when asked if he thought the civilization of the Hindus would be promoted by trade with England being thrown open, replied: "I do not exactly understand what is meant by the 'civilization of the Hindus. In the knowledge of the theory and practice of good government, and in an education which, by banishing prejudice and superstition, opens the mind to receive instruction of every kind, they are inferior to Europeans. But if a good system of agriculture, unrivalled manufacturing skill, a capacity to produce whatever can contribute to either luxury or convenience, schools established in every village for teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, the general practice of hospitality and charity amongst each other 'In Bengal there existed 80,000 native schools, though doubtless for the most part of a poor quality. According to a Government Report of 1835 there was a village school for every 400 persons."-Missionary Intelligencer, IX, p. 183-193. Sir Thomas Munro estimated the children educated at public schools in the Madras Presidency as less than one in three"-Elphinstone's History of India p. 205. and, above all, a treatment of the female sex, full of confidence, respect and delicacy, are among the signs which denote a civilized people, then the Hindus are not inferior to the nations of Europe, and if civilization is to become an article of trade between the two countries, I am convinced that this country (England) will gain by the import cargo.' Professor Max Muller says:-" During the last twenty years, however, I have had some excellent opportunities of watching a number of native scholars under circumstances where it is not difficult to detect a man's true character, I mean in literary work, and, more particularly, in literary controversy. I have watched them. carrying on such controversies both among themselves and with certain European scholars, and I feel bound to say that, with hardly one exception they have displayed a far greater respect for truth, and a far more manly and generous spirit than we are accustomed to even in Europe and America. They have shown strength, but no rudeness; nay, I know that nothing has surprised them as much as the coarse invective to which certain Sanskrit scholars have condescended, rudeness of speech being, according to their view of human nature, a safe sign not only of bad breeding but of want of knowledge. When they were wrong they have readily admitted their mistake; when they were right they have never sneered at their European adversaries. There has been, with few exceptions, no quibbling, no special pleading, no untruthfulness on their part, and certainly none of that low cunning of the scholar who writes down and publishes what p. 63. 'India What can it teach us? he knows perfectly well to be false, and snaps his fingers at those who still value truth and self-respect more highly than victory or applause at any price. Here, too, we might possibly gain by the import cargo. "Let me add that I have been repeatedly told by English merchants that commercial honour stands higher in India than in any other country, and that a dishonoured bill is hardly known there." The first Governor-General of India, Warren Hastings, said: "The Hindus are gentle, benevolent, more susceptible of gratitude for kindness shown to them, than prompted to vengeance for wrongs inflicted, and as exempt from the worst propensities of human passion as any people upon the face of the earth. They are faithful, affectionate," etc. (Minutes of evidence before the Committee of both Houses of Parliament, March and April 1813). Bishop Heber said: "To say that the Hindus are deficient in any essential feature of a civilized people is an assertion which I can scarcely suppose to be made by any who have lived with them." Again, "they are decidedly by nature a mild, pleasing, intelligent race, sober and parsimonious, and, where an object is held out to them, most industrious and persevering2. They are men of high and gallant courage, courteous, intelligent, and most eager for knowledge and improvement, with a remarkable aptitude for the abstract sciences, geometry, astronomy, etc., and for imitative arts, painting and sculpture; dutiful towards their parents, affectionate to children, more easily affected by kindness and attention to their wants and feelings than almost any men I have met with."3 1Journal, II, p. 382. 21bid, p. 329. Ibid, p. 369, |