the life of william carey-第56节
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
llow them in revise； the chief part of which is done as the sheets pass through the press； and is by far the heaviest part of the work。 Of the Sanskrit only the second book of Samuel and the first book of Kings were lost。 Scarcely any of the Orissa； and none of the Kashmeerian or of the Burman MSS。 were lostcopy for about thirty pages of my Bengali dictionary； the whole copy of a Telinga grammar； part of the copy of the grammar of Punjabi or Sikh language； and all the materials which I had been long collecting for a dictionary of all the languages derived from the Sanskrit。 I hope； however； to be enabled to repair the loss； and to complete my favourite scheme； if my life be prolonged。〃
Little did these simple scholars； all absorbed in their work； dream that this fire would prove to be the means of making them and their work famous all over Europe and America as well as India。 Men of every Christian school； and men interested only in the literary and secular side of their enterprise； had their active sympathy called out。 The mere money loss； at the exchange of the day； was not under ten thousand pounds。 In fifty days this was raised in England and Scotland alone； till Fuller； returning from his last campaign； entered the room of his committee； declaring 〃we must stop the contributions。〃 In Greenock； for instance； every place of worship on one Sunday collected money。 In the United States Mr。 Robert Ralston； a Presbyterian； a merchant of Philadelphia； who as Carey's correspondent had been the first American layman to help missions to India； and Dr。 Staughton； who had taken an interest in the formation of the Society in 1792 before he emigrated； had long assisted the translation work； and now that Judson was on his way out they redoubled their exertions。 In India Thomason's own congregation sent the missionaries ？00； and Brown wrote from his dying bed a message of loving help。 The newspapers of Calcutta caught the enthusiasm； one leading article concluded with the assurance that the Serampore press would； 〃like the phoenix of antiquity； rise from its ashes； winged with new strength； and destined； in a lofty and long…enduring flight； widely to diffuse the benefits of knowledge throughout the East。〃 The day after the fire ceased to smoke Monohur was at the task of casting type from the lumps of the molten metal。
In two months after the first intelligence Fuller was able to send as 〃feathers of the phoenix〃 slips of sheets of the Tamil Testament； printed from these types； to the towns and churches which had subscribed。 Every fortnight a fount was cast； in a month all the native establishment was at work night and day。 In six months the whole loss in Oriental types was repaired。 The Ramayana version and Sanskrit polyglot dictionary were never resumed。 But of the Bible translations and grammars； Carey and his two heroic brethren wrote：〃We found； on making the trial； that the advantages in going over the same ground a second time were so great that they fully counter…balanced the time requisite to be devoted thereto in a second translation。〃 The fire； in truth； the cause of which was never discovered； and insurance against which did not exist in India； had given birth to revised editions。
CHAPTER XI
WHAT CAREY DID FOR LITERATURE AND FOR HUMANITY
The growth of a languageCarey identified with the transition stage of BengaliFirst printed booksCarey's own worksHis influence on indigenous writersHis son's worksBengal the first heathen country to receive the pressThe first Bengali newspaperThe monthly and quarterly Friend of IndiaThe Hindoo revival of the eighteenth century fostered by the East India CompanyCarey's three memorials to Government on female infanticide； voluntary drowning； and widow…burningWhat Jonathan Duncan and Col。 Walker had doneWellesley's regulation to prevent the sacrifice of childrenBeginning of the agitation against the Suttee crimeCarey's pundits more enlightened than the Company's judgesHumanity triumphs in 1832Carey's share in Ward's book on the HindoosThe lawless supernaturalism of Rome and of IndiaWorship of JaganathRegulation identifying Government with HindooismThe swinging festivalGhat murdersBurning of lepersCarey establishes the Leper Hospital in CalcuttaSlavery in India loses its legal statusCowper； Clarkson； and Carey。
Like the growth of a tree is the development of a language； as really and as strictly according to law。 In savage lands like those of Africa the missionary finds the living germs of speech； arranges them for the first time in grammatical order； expresses them in written and printed form； using the simplest； most perfect； and most universal character of allthe Roman； and at one bound gives the most degraded of the dark peoples the possibility of the highest civilisation and the divinest future。 In countries like India and China； where civilisation has long ago reached its highest level； and has been declining for want of the salt of a universal Christianity； it is the missionary again who interferes for the highest ends； but by a different process。 Mastering the complex classical speech and literature of the learned and priestly class； and living with his Master's sympathy among the people whom that class oppresses； he takes the popular dialects which are instinct with the life of the future； where they are wildly luxuriant he brings them under law； where they are barren he enriches them from the parent stock so as to make them the vehicle of ideas such as Greek gave to Europe； and in time he brings to the birth nations worthy of the name by a national language and literature lighted up with the ideas of the Book which he is the first to translate。
This was what Carey did for the speech of the Bengalees。 To them； as the historians of the fast approaching Christian future will recognise； he was made what the Saxon Boniface had become to the Germans； or the Northumbrian Baeda and Wyclif to the English。 The transition period of English； from 1150 when its modern grammatical form prevailed； to the fifteenth century when the rich dialects gave place to the literary standard； has its central date in 1362。 Then Edward the Third made English take the place of French as the public language of justice and legislation； closely followed by Wyclif's English Bible。 Carey's one Indian life of forty years marks the similar transition stage of Bengali； including the parallel regulation of 1829； which abolished Persian； made by the Mohammedan conquerors the language of the courts； and put in its place Bengali and the vernaculars of the other provinces。
When Carey began to work in Calcutta and Dinapoor in 1792…93 Bengali had no printed and hardly any written literature。 The very written characters were justly described by Colebrooke as nothing else but the difficult and beautiful Sanskrit Devanagari deformed for the sake of expeditious writings； such as accounts。 It was the new vaishnava faith of the Nuddea reformer Chaitanya which led to the composition of the first Bengali prose。22 The Brahmans and the Mohammedan rulers alike treated Bengalithough 〃it arose from the tomb of the Sanskrit；〃 as Italian did from Latin under Dante's inspirationas fit only for 〃demons and women。〃 In the generation before Carey there flourished at the same Oxford of India； as Nuddea has been called； Raja Krishna Rai； who did for Bengali what our own King Alfred accomplished for English prose。 Moved； however； chiefly by a zeal for Hindooism； which caused him to put a Soodra to death for marrying into a Brahman family； he himself wrote the vernacular and spent money in gifts； which 〃encouraged the people to study Bengali with unusual diligence。〃 But when； forty years after that； Carey visited Nuddea he could not discover more than forty separate works； all in manuscript； as the whole literature of 30；000；000 of people up to that time。 A press had been at work on the opposite side of the river for fifteen years； but Halhed's grammar was still the only as it was the most ancient printed book。 One Baboo Ram； from Upper India； was the first native who established a press in Calcutta； and that only under the influence of Colebrooke； to print the Sanskrit classics。 The first Bengali who； on his own account； printed works in the vernacular on trade principles； was Gunga Kishore； whom Carey and Ward had trained at Serampore。 He soon made so large a fortune by his own press that three native rivals had sprung up by 1820； when twenty…seven separate books； or 15；000 copies； had been sold to natives within ten years。
For nearly all these Serampore supplied the type。 But all were in another sense the result of Carey's action。 His first edition of the Bengali New Testament appeared in 1801； his Grammar in the same year； and at the same time his Colloquies； or 〃dialogues intended to facilitate the acquiring of the Bengali language；〃 which he wrote out of the abundance of his knowledge of native thought； idioms； and even slang； to enable students to converse with all classes of society； as Erasmus had done in another way。 His Dictionary of 80；000 words began to appear in 1815。 Knowing； however； that in the long run the literature of a nation must be of indigenous growth； he at once pressed the
