( 48 ) the proposal, to impart instructions up to the Entrance class through the, medium of the vernacular languages seems to be sudden as well as radical. Objection may also be taken to it on the ground of its being untimely, It cannot be denied that to use the vernacular languages as the medium, of instruction up to the Entrance standard in History, Geography and Mathematics means to teach less English to the Entrance candidates than now. For, so long as a tolerably fair knowledge of English is regarded as sine диа топ foemployment in Government Service, any measure tending to lower the standard of the knowledge of English required for passing the Entrance Examination can not fail to be regarded by our countrymen as an unmitigated evil, in as much as the bulk of our youngmen can hardly afford to read up to a higher-standard than the Entrance. There is also a third consideration that would seem to render the measure undesirable. It can not be gainsaid that to require less proficiency in English from our Entrance candidates will affect the proficiency of the generality of our graduates also. And in view of the present poverty of our vernacular literature, I am not in a position to say that the introduction of the proposed measure will not thwart its growth specially as it has hitherto been drawing its nourishment mainly from English which it has taken for its model. For, I am by no means sure that our vernacular literature has already reached that stage of development at which its supply of nourishment can be safely curtailed without prejudice to its unimpeded growth. ೩." The same remarks apply, though with less force to the alternative proposal of making the vernacular languages the medium of instruction up to the fouth class of Entrance Schools. " It may be argued that the Middle English Scholars generally, after passing the Entrance Examination, do not show themselves inferior in English to others who pass the Entrance Examination without going through the M. E. Course. But it may be safely affirmed as a matter of experience that these boys have to devote greater time and attention to English than the others and this they can afford to do without prejudice to the other branches of their study because of their advantageous position with regard to those branches and also because these few that pass the M. E. Examination with credit are of more than average intelligence and older than their fellow students of the English Schools. The introduction of both these proposed measures, however, labours under a more serious objection. Now a days, the children of such of the middle elasses as are comparatively well of resort to the Entrance Schools from the very commencement of their education in preference to the M. E. Schools, simply with a view to obtaining better training in English, notwithstanding that the latter class of schools charge a smaller rate of fee besides affording
