on the one hand, and Hindi on the other, no such great dividing line exists as there does between English and the sister languages of India ; and the Congress audi- ence was better able to follow the speakers in Hindi. I am hoping that this University will see to it that the youths who come to it will receive their instruction through the medium of their vernaculars. Our langu- age is the reflection of ourselves,and if you tell me that our languages are too poor to express the best thought, then I say that the sooner we are wiped out of exis- tence the better for us. Is there a man who dreams that English can ever become the national language of India ? (Cries of " Never* 1 ), Why this handicap on the nation ? Just consider for one moment what an un- equal race our lads have to run with every English lad. I had the privilege of a close conversation with some Poona professors. They assured me that every Indian youth, because he reached h*s knowledge through the English language, lost at least six precious years of life. Multiply that by the number of students turned out by our schools and colleges, and find out for your- selves how many thousand years have been lost to the nation. The charge against us is that we have no initiative. How can we have any if we are to devote the precious years of our life to the mastery of a foreign tongue ? We fail in this attempt also. Was it possible for any speaker yesterday and to-day to impress his audience as was possible for Mr. Higginbotham ? It was not the fault of the previous speakers that they could not engage the audience. They had more than substance enough for us in their addresses. But their addresses could not go home to us. I have heard it said that after all it is English-educated India which is
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