[English] CASTE DISSOLVED BY SCOUTS RESULT OF AN INDIAN EXPERIMENT.

CASTE DISSOLVED BY SCOUTS

RESULT OF AN INDIAN EXPERIMENT.

At the village of Surul (Bengal) (says the Journal of Education) certain disciples of Rabindranath Tagore are conducting an educational experiment of some interest. The mornings are spent in the garden, the afternoons devoted to associated crafts, such as dairying, tanning, weaving or poultry-keeping, and the evenings to literature, music, and the drama. The eyes of the pioneers are set on the problems of the village, and amongst the difficulties to be faced are enumerated monkeys, malaria, and mutual mistrust. The school of twenty matriculated pupils feels and fends for itself and pays its way. The aim of the new institution is to enable its pupils to earn a livelihood and to prepare them for the fullest possible life as citizens within a rural community.

The most amazing result is that by means of the Boy Scout Movement the system of caste, that has held its imperious sway for centuries, is being broken down. "Within half a mile of headquarters there are three villages with distinct types of customs and social organisation - those of the Santali aborigines, of the democratic Mohammedan, and of the Hindu, with his rigid caste system. Yet Scout troops from these three villages now study, play, and eat together"!

Source:

1. Page 4, "Hong Kong Daily Press", Thursday, 24th January, 13th Year of the Republic of China

   • 19th Day, 12th Lunar Month, Gui-hai Year

   • Thursday, 24th January, 1924 Common Era