( a8 ) From BABU BISvEsiv AR CHAKRAvARTI Head Master, Hindu School, Navadwipa. To Babu Rabindranath Tagore, The Hon'ble Gurudas Banerjee, M.A., D.L. Mr. N. K. Bose, M.A. C.S, Pandit Rajani Kanta Gupta Babu Hiirendranath Datta, M.A., B.L. Dated, Navadwipa, the 24th January 1895. GENTLEMEN, With reference to your Circular letter, dated the 5th January 1895; I beg to submit my views as to the questions put forth in your letter. I. I fully approve of the proposal to make the vernacular languages the medium of instruction up to the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University in History, Geography and Mathematics. The vernacular of our school students is in a way neglected, and the result is that even the senior students are often at a loss to express their ideas in their own mother tongue without the help of the English vocabularies here and there. It is contended by some that if History be taught in the higher classes through the vernacular languages of the boys, it would tell om their proficiencies in English ; but I beg humbly to maintain that the loss on one side is more than counterbalanced by the gain on the other. I am, however, for introducing the change gradually and I would for the present restrict the proposal up to the 4th class of Entrance Schools; and I beg humbly to add that the school I am in charge of is founded on the vernacular basis, and it is one of the causes of the efficiency of the institution. 2. It is desirable, no doubt, on the national point of view, that the study of vernacular languages be made a part of the curriculum in the F. A. and B. A. Examinations. For the encouragement of vernacular literature, it would be better, in my humble opinion, to prescribe vernacular text-books with those in the classical second languages, than to make simple composition in and translation to the vernacular languages a part of the required test. Such has been the test of the Entrance candidates for years together, but it does not produce the intended result, as the candidates seldom study vernacular books to better their style of writing, being sure of securing 25 per cent pass marks simply by answering papers on the Classical second languages. Yours faithfully, BIsvEsvAR CHAKRAvARTI, Head Master, Navadwipa. Hindu School.
