the missionary educationalists encountered in finding and training suitable teachers. They were generally of low social status and from the pre-existing system of education. The missionaries had to overcome competition from the traditional indigenous schools. In general, they found it difficult to implement their ideology of open discussion and free thought among traditional Indian educators. There were attempts to cultivate new teachers, mainly by Robert May. Unfortunately, his attempts ended in failure as the teacher-trainees were more interested in learning English than in teaching. A most interesting dynamic of the missionary schools, was that pupils were mixed in caste and were of the same class as those who attended the pathsalas. The pupils were then placed in categories based on their merit. As a result, sometimes the boy of inferior class would excel a brahmin. According to the missionaries, this was ideal because it taught in practicality the Christian creed that God created all men equal. Interesting furthermore is a missionaries report stating, “no wish has ever been expressed by [the brahmins] to be formed in a separate class; nor do we recollect a single instance of a brahmin youth’s having left the school in disgust because associated with soodras.”Laird concludes his book praising the missionary educationalists for drawing the first comprehensive schemes for education in modern times. He goes on to acknowledge the width of their curriculum as unfounded even in the contemporary schools of England. Furthermore, Laird states that “the missionaries came to play the leading part in the early nineteenth century in introducing the people of Bengal to the elements of modern knowledge.” He commends the missionaries usage of Bengali as the chief medium of education, giving impetus to the ‘Bengal Renaissance.’ He also mentions their success in printing the greatest number...
