Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note

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2. Certain typographic errors & hyphenation inconsistencies were
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3. The text version is marked up as follows:

(a) italics are indicated thus _italic_;

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4. Footnotes moved to the end of the file.

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and the Statistical Tables sections reflect the position of the
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6. Page number references in the index are as published in the
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7. In Statistical Tables List, item "V" is a Footnote reference in
Page 107 original text. Hence, "Footnote [82] reference" is added
in text version List & Footnote reference [82] linked in HTML.

The Education of the Women of India

The Education of
the Women of India

By

MINNA G. COWAN, M.A. (+T.C.D.+)
Girton College

_ILLUSTRATED_

Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier
Edinburgh and London

PRINTED BY
TURNBULL AND SPEARS,
EDINBURGH

Preface

It has been well said that no Western should attempt to make any general statement about inscrutable India; the most he can venture to say is, that “in certain places certain things which he saw may possibly have been what he thought they really were.” The present volume is therefore based upon appearances which may or may not have represented reality, upon conversations with Government officials, missionaries and Indian friends, who kindly gave of their leisure to a stranger, and upon the study of Government Reports. Where any generalization has been made, the writer trusts it will be taken with the reservations which a very brief residence in the East renders needful. If the book help the women of the West to realize how critical is the present evolutionary period in the education of the women of India, especially in its relation to constructive Christianity, it will not have failed of its purpose.

My thanks are specially due to Miss Richardson and Miss M’Dougall of Westfield College for aid in revision, to many friends for their unstinted help, and to the Faculty of Advocates for the use of their Library. M. G. C. +EDINBURGH+, _July 1912_.

To
the
G. A.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. +INTRODUCTION+ 13

II. +HISTORICAL SURVEY+ 29

III. +BURMA+ 60

IV. +EASTERN BENGAL AND ASSAM+ 78

V. +BENGAL+ 100

VI. +INTERESTING INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED PROVINCES
AND THE PUNJĀB+ 129

VII. +SIDELIGHTS ON SOME NATIVE STATES+ 146

VIII. +BOMBAY+ 160

IX. +UNIVERSITY EDUCATION+ 192

X. +THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT IN EDUCATION+ 223

XI. +CONCLUSION+ 244

+BIBLIOGRAPHY+ 253

+INDEX+ 254

Illustrations

A Parsi Girl _Frontispiece_

OPPOSITE PAGE

Government Examination of Girls, Calcutta 52

Girls at St Luke’s Mission, Toungoo, Burma 62

Ghurka Girl Boarder at S.P.G. Girls’ School,
Mandalay 68

A Hill School, Eastern Bengal 80

High School Class, Eastern Bengal 90

Four Scholarship Girls. United Free Church
Mission School for Hindus, Calcutta 120

Standards I. to IV. United Free Church Mission
School for Hindus, Calcutta 126

The Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow 136

C.M.S. Middle School, Amritsar--Hoop Drill 142

The Alphabet Class, Nasirabad 156

The University Settlement Students’ Hostel,
Bombay 208

Ludhiana School of Medicine--Hospital Court
Yard with Patients 216

Statistical Tables

TABLE CHAP. PAGE

I. Management of Girls’ Schools. All India II. 48

II. Classification by Race or Creed. All India II. 49

III. Management of Girls’ Schools. Burma III. 65

IV. Classification by Race or Creed. Burma III. 70

V. Comparative Figures. Bengal (Footnote [82] reference) V. 107

VI. Management of Girls’ Schools. Bengal V. 108

VII. Management of Girls’ Schools. United Provinces VI. 132

VIII. Management of Girls’ Schools. Bombay VIII. 168

IX. Classification by Race or Creed. Bombay VIII. 169

X. Classification of College Students IX. 197

XI. Diagram of University Courses IX. 204