VILLAGE ECONOMICS 468 administration which took place in Lord Curzon's time and the famous Resolution which the Government of India issued sixteen years ago in reply to Mr. Dutt's indictment, did not improve matters. Publicists and politicians have, since then, not ceased to call for an inquiry by competent and independent persons, and it was only in September last that a resolution ws? moved in the Supreme Legislative Council on this subject and was not accepted by Government. The feeling is still there that the economic condition of the rural popula- tion is not only not satisfactory, but is in many places deteriorating, and that the whole question must be thoroughly investigated in order that the truth may be found out and the self-satisfaction which prevails in certain quarters as to the supposed steady improve- meut of the village population may be shown to be unjustfried. It is believed that the alleged prosperity of the rural population i? only superficial and that there is stagnation if not deterioration in the majority of our villages. Fortunately obscurily; the places and this subject no veil has been lifted up light has penetrated 'where longer lies in utter in several there was darkness. The efforts of ardent students have recently been directed to the field of rural economics and the material condition of villages has be6n carefully investi- gated in several places in Madras, Bengal and Bombay. The inquiries have been and are being made by men with trained minds, men who know' how to collect facts, to sift them and to draw correct conclusions from th6m. An ounce of w?ll-ascertained facts is more valuable than a ton of vague impressions and sweeping generalizations, and as the volume and variety of information collected on the spot with discrimina- tion and regard for accuracy steadily grows, we shall have sui?cient data on which to base useful conclusions
