e blessed by the parish priest.

CHAPTER XXXVI

THE EDUCATED HINDU

Education divorced from religion. Its effects on character;
instance of this in Babaji. Wealth will not purchase social
position. The new bungalow. Quarrels with the contractor.
Indians nervous about thieves. Night raids. Robberies
amongst plague refugees. Skilful thieves. Babaji's
inconsistency; removing his neighbour's landmark. The future
of the bungalow. Airy houses unpopular. Preference for
apparent discomfort.

There are many opportunities in India of studying the effect on
character of education when divorced from religion. The effect on a
few has been that the cultivation of their mental gifts in secular
study has helped them to understand and assimilate Christian truth.
Others, with a natural propensity for evil, have had their capacities
for mischief quickened by the varied knowledge which they acquired.
But with the vast majority of Indians, and more especially Hindus,
English secular education does not alter their character, and except
for the assumption of a few European externals, they remain exactly
the same as they were before. Even many of those who go to England, if
they do not take up some definite profession on their return, drop
back so entirely into their former manner of life that you would
hardly suppose it credible that they had ever been out of their own
country.

If you live amongst the people you will frequently meet with examples
of this kind of thing. And it should be observed that it is generally
in a man's ordinary everyday life that his real nature comes out. Here
is an illustration:--A Hindu, who was by caste a brass-worker, had
been for some years in the important position of assistant collector.
His father having been a good English scholar and a great reader of
books, both in that language and in Marathi, had given his son an
education which enabled him to rise to the responsible post which he
ultimately filled. He, in his turn, educated his sons carefully, and
they knew English well. The family possessed houses and land, so that,
together with the father's official income, they were well off.

But in India wealth will not purchase social position, as it does to
some degree in the West. Money is not powerful enough to override
caste. The members of this family, whom we will call Babaji, did their
best to pose as high-caste people, and were ready to dispense lavi