66

elapsed before the gravity of the error
committed was fully apparent.

the number and circulation of the | the medium of the press to masses
vernacular newspapers largely in- too ignorant to judge of their worth-
creased, more particularly in Bengal lessness. Unfortunately this gag-
where the number of publications was ging act," as it was commonly called,
nearly doubled, and it was only natural remained in force for only three years.
that these men should pour into the It was repealed in 1882 by Lord
columns of their papers what they con- Ripon, who earned for himself a cheap
sidered their grievances. Had they popularity at the expense of sound
stopped at that, no harm and some administration; and but little time
good might have resulted; but unfor-
tunately they did not. The loyalty
which on the whole had characterized So far I have endeavored to sketch,
the vernacular press gradually gave in as condensed a form as possible,
place to language calculated to excite the past history of the native press;
bitter hatred and contempt of British and before proceeding to discuss its
rule. Editors became advocates and present extent and influence, a few
promoters of sedition. Individual remarks of a general nature, on the
members of the government were intellectual development of the people
grossly libelled and held up to merci- with whom the press has to deal, may
less ridicule and contempt. Vernacular not be altogether out of place. In the
papers in the hands of unscrupulous rapid advance towards Western civil-
editors were used to intimidate and to ization in India during the last decade
extort money from our feudatories and the fact that the educated class bear
native subjects. It was clear that this but a very insignificant proportion to
state of things could no longer be tol- the mass of the population is too apt to
erated. The opinions of this class be overlooked. Notwithstanding the
were of themselves of little importance, great impetus to education, ignorance
and it could be easily dealt with should and superstition everywhere prevail to
occasion arise; but the government of an extent which it is difficult to realize
the day was determined that the ma- in England. India, it must be remem-
chinery of the press should not be em-bered, is essentially a nation of agri-
ployed to spread disloyalty and distrust culturists. Of the two hundred and
of British rule among the people of the eighty million inhabitants of British
land. It was reluctant to interfere India no less than seventy-two per
with the freedom of the press, but the cent. of the adult males are directly
policy of non-intervention could no dependent upon agriculture for the
longer be maintained, and in 1878 an necessaries of life. The dwellers in
act was passed by Lord Lytton's gov- towns form but a small fraction of the
ernment which completely gagged the total population, for those living in
vernacular press. Printers and pub- towns of over twenty thousand inhab-
lishers were required to enter into a itants do not number above five mil-
bond binding themselves not to print lions. The population is in fact almost
in any vernacular publication "words exclusively rural, dwelling in hamlets
or signs or visible representations likely and villages thickly dotted over the
to create disaffection to the govern- face of the country. Conservative to
ment established by law in British the backbone, these people cling to
India or antipathy between persons of their hereditary homesteads, too often
different races, castes, religions, or indifferent to the fact that their acres
sects 99
nor to use, nor to attempt to have long ceased to afford adequate
use, any newspaper for purposes of support to their increased number.
intimidation or extortion. The ob- Extreme poverty is the lot of a numer-
ject aimed at was thus effectually ous class; yet they abhor change of
accomplished; the disloyal and sedi- any kind, and view it with a supersti-
tious utterances of a small class could tious dread hardly imaginable.
no longer be communicated through cannot better convey an idea of the

I

t

incredible ignorance prevalent among | villages, but even here it cannot be this great rural population, than by said that education has made much quoting the following extract from way among the masses. the official gazette of the government In painting this somewhat gloomy of India, dated 27th June, 1887. It is picture of the intellectual attainments by the pen of an intelligent native of the people of India, I do not wish to official and describes graphically the appear to minimize the results that difficulties besetting the path of prog- have already been achieved in this diress in this country. rection. Much has been done both by "The following cases, which came the State and by the people themunder my personal observations, will selves. The extent to which education fairly illustrate the hopeless ignorance has become popularized may be gathof the majority of village populations ered from the fact that during the in this country. It was at Muham-decade ending 1892-93, the annual exmadabad Post-Office, in Azamgarh dis- penditure under this head from all trict, I was one afternoon sitting under sources rose from 186 to 229 lakhs, a tree close to the post-office talking to while the total number of educational some Tahsil and police officials who institutions increased from 109,085 to had called to see me. The letter-box 144,699, and the number of pupils from (a big, square, newly painted, red one, 2-8 millions to 3.8 millions. These with a big, long, projecting mouth-facts suffice to show the success which piece) was lying at a distance of about has attended our educational system in twenty yards from where we were sit- India. Readily admitting, however, ting, waiting to be built up in the wall. that in the face of great difficulties A villager approached with a letter in much progress has been made, what I his hand and inquired where he was to submit is, that the results are complace it. The letter-box was pointed paratively small in proportion to the out to him. He went up to the box, vastness of the population. The centook off his shoes at a little distance sus returns of 1891 show that only from it, folded his hands reverently, twelve and a half million adults of put his letter in the box, bowed low both sexes are able to read and write, before it and placed two coppers on so that the percentage of those who the ground; retreated a few steps with possess the merest rudiments of eduface towards the box (walking back- cation is very low. If we proceed a wards), again bowed very low, then step further and take as our standard put on his shoes and walked away. I the entrance examination at the unidid not discover that he had left two versities of Calcutta, Bombay, and coppers on the ground close to the Madras, we find that out of seventy letter-box till some time after he had thousand candidates for matriculation left. In another case I saw a man during the five years ending with 1891 drop a letter into the letter-box and only thirty-four per cent. were successthen putting his lips close to the mouth ful; while if we go yet further we find of the box, calling aloud (very loud) that only one in every ten candidates that the letter was to go to Rewah as if for matriculation succeeded in obtainsomebody was sitting inside the box ing a degree; and of these, it must be to hear and carry out his wishes. remembered, only a limited few attain Numerous other cases of ignorance of a standard which will bear comparison this nature have occasionally come with Western ideas of progress. These under my observation, but those men- facts should be carefully borne in mind tioned above are quite sufficient to in any discussion regarding the freeshow what class of people we have to dom of the native press of India. deal with in rural parts."

The town population is naturally many stages in advance of that of the

I now proceed to consider the native press as it exists in the present day, Owing to the ephemeral character of

many native prints it is a matter of | politically unimportant. In the front some difficulty to ascertain with accu- rank of native papers are the Dainik racy the actual number of papers in and the Bangobasi, Bengali papers of existence; but I believe that there are Calcutta, which are under one manageat the present time some three hundred ment, the Dainik being published on and fifty newspapers proper published the first five days of the week and the under native management. Most of Bangobasi on the sixth. The circulathese are in the vernacular, but a few tion of these two papers largely exare conducted in English, while others ceeds that of any other paper in India; are in both English and vernacular. that of the former is about six thouThe majority of these are weekly or sand daily and that of the latter averbi-weekly, the number of daily papers ages twenty-three thousand. Other being under twenty. The circulation well-known Calcutta papers are the is greater in Bengal than in other parts Hindu Patriot, the Bengali, the Amrita of India, but on an average it does not Bazar Patrika, the Reis and Rayyet, exceed eight hundred to nine hundred and the Indian Mirror. The chief excopies per issue. Sir W. Hunter in his ponents of native opinion in Bombay "Imperial Gazetteer" estimated the are the Indian Spectator, the Bombay weekly circulation of native papers at Samachar, and the Jam-i-Jamshed. In about two hundred and fifty thousand; Madras the Hindu, and in Upper India but the circulation has increased con- the Akhbar-i-am of Lahore and the siderably during the last few years, Bharat Jivan of Benares are the most and at the present time cannot be less deserving of mention. The native than three hundred and fifty thousand papers are of course small, few cona week or about eighteen millions a taining as much matter as is found in year; in other words, out of every one a single page of a London daily. thousand people fifty-eight can read While, however, it must be admitted and write; and they have about two that the native press is still in its inpapers a week between them. It must, fancy, it is only necessary to turn to however, be remembered that the read- the last official report on the working ers, and not merely the subscribers, of the Indian post-office to be conrepresent the true circulation of a vinced that the circulation of newspaper; and it is probable that the papers is increasing at a very rapid former are five or six times as numer-rate. The figures given by the postous as the latter. There is, moreover, office, though they necessarily fall far reason to believe that the practice of short of showing the actual circulation, reading out newspapers in the villages give a very fair idea of the rate at for the benefit of those unable to read which this circulation is extending is by no means uncommon, so that the throughout the country. The figures I true circulation of the native papers is quote include Anglo-Indian papers; very much larger than might at first but there is every reason to believe sight appear. that the rapid expansion indicated is The first native newspaper was pub-rather due to increased activity in the lished in Bengali by the Serampur native press, owing to extra facilities Mission Press in 1818; and for many introduced in 1881 for the despatch of years the native press retained the light newspapers through the post, stamp of its early origin; but at the than to any very marked increase in present time, with the exception of a the number of Anglo-Indian newsfew of the Madras papers, it is almost papers. Taking one hundred to repentirely devoted to the discussion of resent the number of newspapers political questions. In addition to the (excluding European papers), given newspapers proper there are a consid-out for delivery in 1883-84 the followerable number of magazines and pam- ing table shows the rate of increase phlets, but the majority of these are during the last ten years:

1883-84

1884-85

1885-86

1886-87

1887-88

1888-89

1889-90

1890-91

1891-92
1892-93

100

111

134

145

146

150

153

165

183
186

|for some years past, endeavored to
draw the attention of the government
to the growing magnitude of this evil.
The Pioneer, a leading journal, has
frequently commented, in strong terms,
on the evil effects which result from
the unbridled license of the native
"The official," it stated on one
press.
occasion," is abused in terms of reck-
less vituperation and, in many in-
stances, is deterred from conscientiously
doing his duty. The minds of the
people are poisoned against their rulers
and it is obvious to the most careless
observer that the hostile attitude of the
press and its disgraceful license are
every day rendering the administration
more difficult." These views are more-
over fully shared by the more respect-

In 1883-84 the number of newspapers
in circulation in India (excluding those
exchanged with Europe) stood at thir-
teen millions; and in 1892-93, ten
years later, this total had risen to over
twenty-four millions. These figures
prove very clearly that the circulation
of newspapers is increasing at a very
rapid rate; but, as we have just stated,
they naturally fall far short of the num-able portion of the native press itself,
ber actually in circulation.

and are, in fact, held by almost every man who has at heart the welfare and prosperity of our Indian Empire.

A few of the native newspapers are conducted with ability and moderation; but too many are the mouthpieces of Let us now examine briefly the main men whom it would be mere affecta- grounds on which it is reasonable to tion to credit with any true feeling of suppose that the present policy of nonloyalty towards the ruling power in interference with the freedom of the this country; and their demoralizing native press is based. They are three. influence on the ignorant cannot be Firstly, an impression that the circulaquestioned. They deal in no restrained tion of the papers is small and that sentiments, but denounce our rule what is written. never reaches the boldly and with peculiar bitterness. masses. The true circulation, howMany of the editors stand so deeply ever, is, as I have already shown, very committed as advocates and promoters much larger than would at first sight of sedition that they spare no pains to appear; and though the number of misrepresent the actions of the govern-native newspapers in circulation per ment, and to this end no falsehood is annum does not exceed eighteen miltoo glaring, no exaggeration too gross lions, the number of readers is probably but will serve to poison the minds of four or five times as great. Secondly, their too credulous readers. On the a conviction that these papers are so other hand it must be remembered that many safety valves, carrying off much to supply antidotes to the poisoned that would otherwise accumulate danweapons of the native press or to effec-gerously near the surface, and which, tually expose the forgeries and mis- if deprived of an exit, might lead to the statements, in which many native writers indulge is completely out of the power of the government, while a moment's reflection cannot but convince any dispassionate thinker that the unchecked growth of sedition and its free circulation through the medium of the press must inevitably tend to undermine the loyalty and attachment of the people of India to the British The Anglo-Indian press has,

crown.

nullify any good results which a conviction might otherwise effect. In all cases of this nature, so long as we have to deal with a grossly ignorant and su

observe that secret societies exist in | by such trials for the propagation of countries which enjoy a free press, seditious matter in a great measure equally with those in which its freedom is materially curtailed; and that they will exist in India on a formidable scale only when discontent has spread itself among the masses, a state of perstitious people, the object aimed at things which the native press is doing its best to promote. Thirdly, a belief that it is preferable to ignore the evil than to interfere with the liberty of the press. Those who entertain this opinion appear to lose sight of the fact that all the usual arguments in favor of a free press fall to the ground when the very backward state of the population, to which reference has already been made, is taken into consideration. Wrong opinions no doubt yield to fact and arguments, when in course of time facts and arguments are brought face to face with them; but in the India of to-day how is this to be accomplished? The people of India, born amid the ruins of an ancient civilization, are still in the very cradle of Western progress; and their welfare is far safer in the hands of a wise and benevolent, if despotic, government than it would be in their own.

should be the suppression of seditious matter rather than the subsequent punishment of the offenders. This can only be secured by a partial revival of Lord Lytton's press policy; and the fact that this has not already been done is attributed by the natives of India not to a wish to avoid interference with the liberty of the subject which is one of the chief characteristics of the English nation, but simply to fear of the consequences of interfering with a liberty once conceded. It would not, of course, be necessary to withdraw the freedom of the native press generally. An act might be framed on similar lines to the Press Act of 1878 empowering the governor-general in Council to bring any bonâ fide native newspaper, irrespective of the language in which it is published, under the operation of its clauses by a simple Gazette So long as this state of notification to that effect. Confining things exists, so long as the mainte- this power to the governor-general in nance of absolute power in this country Council would be an absolute guarantee is a recognized necessity, there can be that no unnecessary or unreasonable no question that to allow the seeds of interference with the freedom of any sedition and disloyalty to be sown particular paper would be permitted. broadcast by the native press is in the Criticism of a fair and legitimate charhighest degree impolitic, and must ulti-acter is essential to all progress; but mately be productive of grave political consequences completely throwing into the shade any advantages which a free native press might otherwise confer on the country.

It has been suggested from more than one quarter that the obvious cure for the evil is to put into force the ordinary law of libel; but the inadequacy of the existing law in such cases was clearly established on the occasion of the State prosecution of the Bangobasi, which, a year or two ago, in the controversy over the Age of Consent Bill, exceeded the bounds of all legitimate criticism. Moreover, it is unfortunately easier to set the ball rolling than to stop it; and the opportunities given

carried to its present extent it cannot but exercise a harmful and disturbing influence on the country.

In India, where, as we have already seen, education of any kind is confined within such narrow limits, its value is naturally greatly enhanced; and probably no society in the world has ever been so entirely at the mercy of this small class which regards itself as entitled by its intellectual superiority to dictate its opinions to others, as are the people of India of the present day. The unreflecting, the vast majority who possess neither the energy nor the knowledge to sift the wheat from the chaff, are entirely at the mercy of selfconstituted leaders, men, for the most