the life of william carey-第57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！


hat　in　the　long　run　the　literature　of　a　nation　must　be　of　indigenous　growth；　he　at　once　pressed　the　natives　into　this　service。　　His　first　pundit；　Ram　Basu；　was　a　most　accomplished　Bengali　scholar。　　This　able　man；　who　lacked　the　courage　to　profess　Christ　in　the　end；　wrote　the　first　tract；　the　Gospel　Messenger；　and　the　first　pamphlet　exposing　Hindooism；　both　of　which　had　an　enormous　sale　and　caused　much　excitement。　　On　the　historical　side　Carey　induced　him　to　publish　in　1801　the　Life　of　Raja　Pratapaditya；　the　last　king　of　Sagar　Island。　At　first　the　new　professor　could　not　find　reading　books　for　his　Bengali　class　in　the　college　of　Fort　William。　　He；　his　pundits；　especially　Mritunjaya　who　has　been　compared　in　his　physique　and　knowledge　to　Dr。　Samuel　Johnson；　and　even　the　young　civilian　students；　were　for　many　years　compelled　to　write　Bengali　text…books；　including　translations　of　Virgil's　苙eid　and　Shakspere's　Tempest。　The　School　Book　Society　took　up　the　work；　encouraging　such　a　man　as　Ram　Komal　Sen；　the　printer　who　became　chief　native　official　of　the　Bank　of　Bengal　and　father　of　the　late　Keshab　Chunder　Sen；　to　prepare　his　Bengali　dictionary。　　Self…interest　soon　enlisted　the　haughtiest　Brahmans　in　the　work　of　producing　school　and　reading　books；　till　now　the　Bengali　language　is　to　India　what　the　Italian　is　to　Europe；　and　its　native　literature　is　comparatively　as　rich。　　Nor　was　Carey　without　his　European　successor　in　the　good　work　for　a　time。　　When　his　son　Felix　died　in　1823　he　was　bewailed　as　the　coadjutor　of　Ram　Komal　Sen；　as　the　author　of　the　first　volume　of　a　Bengali　encyclop鎑ia　on　anatomy；　as　the　translator　of　Bunyan's　Pilgrim；　Goldsmith's　History　of　England；　and　Mill's　History　of　India。

Literature　cannot　be　said　to　exist　for　the　people　till　the　newspaper　appears。　　Bengal　was　the　first　non…Christian　country　into　which　the　press　had　ever　been　introduced。　　Above　all　forms　of　truth　and　faith　Christianity　seeks　free　discussion；　in　place　of　that　the　missionaries　lived　under　a　shackled　press　law　tempered　by　the　higher　instincts　of　rulers　like　Wellesley；　Hastings；　and　Bentinck；　till　Macaulay　and　Metcalfe　gained　for　it　liberty。　　When　Dr。　Marshman　in　1818　proposed　the　publication　of　a　Bengali　periodical；　Dr。　Carey；　impressed　by　a　quarter　of　a　century's　intolerance；　consented　only　on　the　condition　that　it　should　be　a　monthly　magazine；　and　should　avoid　political　discussion。　　Accordingly　the　Dig…darshan　appeared；　anticipating　in　its　contents　and　style　the　later　Penny　and　Saturday　Magazines；　and　continued　for　three　years。　　Its　immediate　success　led　to　the　issue　from　the　Serampore　press　on　the　31st　May　1818；　of　〃the　first　newspaper　ever　printed　in　any　Oriental　language〃the　Samachar　Darpan；　or　News　Mirror。

It　was　a　critical　hour　when　the　first　proof　of　the　first　number　was　laid　before　the　assembled　brotherhood　at　the　weekly　meeting　on　Friday　evening。　　Dr。　Carey；　fearing　for　his　spiritual　work；　but　eager　for　this　new　avenue　to　the　minds　of　the　people　who　were　being　taught　to　read；　and　had　little　save　their　own　mythology；　consented　to　its　publication　when　Dr。　Marshman　promised　to　send　a　copy；　with　an　analysis　of　its　contents　in　English；　to　the　Government；　and　to　stop　the　enterprise　if　it　should　be　officially　disapproved。　　Lord　Hastings　was　fighting　the　Pindarees；　and　nothing　was　said　by　his　Council。　　On　his　return　he　declared　that　〃the　effect　of　such　a　paper　must　be　extensively　and　importantly　useful。〃　　He　allowed　it　to　circulate　by　post　at　one…fourth　the　then　heavy　rate。　　The　natives　welcomed　their　first　newspaper。　　Although　it　avoided　religious　controversy；　in　a　few　weeks　an　opposition　journal　was　issued　by　a　native；　who　sought　to　defend　Hindooism　under　the　title　of　the　Destroyer　of　Darkness。　　To　the　Darpan　the　educated　natives　looked　as　the　means　of　bringing　the　oppression　of　their　own　countrymen　to　the　knowledge　of　the　public　and　the　authorities。　　Government　found　it　most　useful　for　contradicting　silly　rumours　and　promoting　contentment　if　not　loyalty。　　The　paper　gave　a　new　development　to　the　Bengali　language　as　well　as　to　the　moral　and　political　education　of　the　people。　

The　same　period　of　liberty　to　the　press　and　to　native　advancement；　with　which　the　names　of　the　Marquis　of　Hastings　and　his　accomplished　wife　will　ever　be　associated；　saw　the　birth　of　an　English　periodical　which；　for　the　next　fifty…seven　years；　was　to　become　not　merely　famous　but　powerfully　useful　as　the　Friend　of　India。　　The　title　was　the　selection　of　Dr。　Marshman；　and　the　editorial　management　was　his　and　his　able　son's　down　to　1852；　when　it　passed　into　the　hands　of　Mr。　Meredith　Townsend；　long　the　most　brilliant　of　English　journalists；　and　finally　into　those　of　the　present　writer。　　For　some　years　a　monthly　and　for　a　time　a　quarterly　magazine　till　1835；　when　Mr。　John　Marshman　made　it　the　well…known　weekly；　this　journal　became　the　means　through　which　Carey　and　the　brotherhood　fought　the　good　fight　of　humanity。　　In　the　monthly　and　quarterly　Friend；　moreover；　reprinted　as　much　of　it　was　in　London；　the　three　philanthropists　brought　their　ripe　experience　and　lofty　principles　to　bear　on　the　conscience　of　England　and　of　educated　India　alike。　　As；　on　the　Oriental　side；　Carey　chose　for　his　weapon　the　vernacular；　on　the　other　he　drew　from　Western　sources　the　principles　and　the　thoughts　which　he　clothed　in　a　Bengali　dress。

We　have　already　seen　how　Carey　at　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　found　Hindooism　at　its　worst。　　Steadily　had　the　Pooranic　corruption　and　the　Brahmanical　oppression　gone　on　demoralising　the　whole　of　Hindoo　society。　　In　the　period　of　virtual　anarchy；　which　covered　the　seventy…five　years　from　the　death　of　Aurangzeb　to　the　supremacy　of　Warren　Hastings　and　the　reforms　of　Lord　Cornwallis；　the　healthy　zeal　of　Islam　against　the　idolatrous　abominations　of　the　Hindoos　had　ceased。　　In　its　place　there　was　not　only　a　wild　licence　amounting　to　an　undoubted　Hindoo　revival；　marked　on　the　political　side　by　the　Maratha　ascendency；　but　there　came　to　be　deliberate　encouragement　of　the　worst　forms　of　Hindooism　by　the　East　India　Company　and　its　servants。　　That　〃the　mischievous　reaction〃　on　England　from　Indiaits　idolatry；　its　women；　its　nabobs；　its　wealth；　its　absolutismwas　prevented；　and　European　civilisation　was　〃after　much　delay　and　hesitation〃　brought　to　bear　on　India；　was　due　indeed　to　the　legislation　of　Governor…Generals　from　Cornwallis　to　Bentinck；　but　much　more；　to　the　persistent　agitation　of　Christian　missionaries；　notably　Carey　and　Duff。　For　years　Carey　stood　alone　in　India；　as　Grant　and　Wilberforce　did　in　England；　in　the　darkest　hour　of　England's　moral　degradation　and　spiritual　death；　when　the　men　who　were　shaping　the　destinies　of　India　were　the　Hindooising　Stewarts　and　Youngs；　Prendergasts；　Twinings；　and　Warings；　some　of　whom　hated　missions　from　the　dread　of　sedition；　others　because　their　hearts　〃seduced　by　fair　idolatresses　had　fallen　to　idols　foul。〃

The　most　atrociously　inhuman　of　all　the　Brahmanical　customs；　and　yet　the　most　universal；　from　the　land　of　the　five　rivers　at　Lahore　to　the　far　spice　islands　at　Bali；　was　the　murder　of　widows　by　burning　or　burying　them　alive　with　the　husband's　corpse。　　We　have　seen　how　the　first　of　the　many　such　scenes　which　he　was　doomed　to　witness　for　the　next　thirty　years　affected　Carey。　　After　remonstrances；　which　the　people　met　first　by　argument　and　then　by　surly　threats；　Carey　wrote：〃I　told　them　I　would　not　go；　that　I　was　determined　to　stay　and　see　the　murder；　and　that　I　should　certainly　bear　witness　of　it　at　the　tribunal　of　God。〃　And　when　he　again　sought　to　interfere　because　the　two　stout　bamboos　always　fixed　for　the　purpose　of　preventing　the　victim's　escape　were　pressed　down　on　the　shrieking　woman　like　levers；　and　they　persisted；　he　wrote：　〃We　could　not　bear　to　see　more；　but　left　them　exclaiming　loudly　against　the　murder　and　full　of　horror　at　what　we　had　seen。〃　　The　remembrance　of　that　sight　never　left　Carey。　　His　naturally　cheerful　spirit　was　inflamed　to　indignation　all　his　life　through；　till　his　influence；　more　than　that　of　any　other　one　man；　at　last　prevailed　to　put　out　for　ever　the　murderous　pyre。　　Had　Lord　Wellesley　remained　Governor…General　a　year　longer　Carey　would　have　succeeded　in　1808；　instead　of　having　to　wait　till　1829；　and　to　know　as　he　waited　and　prayed　that　literally　every　day　saw　the　devilish　smoke　ascending　along　the　banks　of　the　Ganges；　and　the　rivers　and　pools　considered　sacred　by　the　Hindoos。　　Need　we　wonder　that　when　on　a　Sunday　morning　the　regulation　of　Lord　William　Bentinck　prohibiting　the　crime　reached　him　as　he　was　meditating　his　sermon；　he　sent　for　another　to　do　the　preaching；　and　taking　his　pen　in　his　hand；　at　once　wrote　the　official　translation；　and　had　it　issued　in　the　Bengali　Gazette　that　not　another　day　might　be　added　to　the　long　black　catalogue　of　many　centuries？

On　the　return　of　the　Marquis　Wellesley　to　Calcutta　from　the　Tipoo　war；　and　his　own　appointment　to　the　College　of　Fort　William；　Carey　felt　that　his　time　had　come　to　prevent　the　murder　of　the　innocents　all　over　India　in　the　three　forms　of　female　infanticide；　voluntary　drowning；　and　widow…burning　or　burying　alive。　　His　old　friend；　Udny；　having　become　a　member　of　Council　or　colleague　of　the　Governor…General；　he　prepared　three　memorials　to　Govern