Madhusudan_Das

158 Madhusudan Das:
obstacles. It is surprising that a nation which worships both these
instruments in form of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and
Saraswati, the goddess of learning, shall be opposed to women's
education. Two women had awakened and controlled the
imagination of Balmiki and Vedavyasa. There would have been
no Ramayan without Sita. The present glory and empire of modern
England are the handiwork of the queens, Elizabeth and Victoria.
"All women, old, young or child are the mother of men. The
children of the old women are at present playing their roles in the
national plane. The children of the young women are at present
getting ready for similar roles to be played in future. The girls
will be mothers tomorrow. This is like the water course of a river.
Just as the water of a river cannot flow to a level higher than its
bed, no nation can in like manner ascend higher by keeping its
women at a lower level.
The child learns many things from his mother and the
knowledge acquired at this stage is regarded as the social capital.
The graduates of our country do not know as much as the young
boys and girls of seven or eight years of age of Europe. The
reason for this difference in knowledge lies in the education of
their parents and they learn many things from the daily life of
their educated mothers.
So in my humble opinion we should endeavour with all
our heart to spread women's education in order to develop the
nation. If modern education has failed to build up the pupil's
character, that is because of absence of women's education. 22
He wrote elsewhere:
Our women must be educated but they should be given such
education as will not make only 'Ladies' of them. We respect
women with western education. They have of course many
admirable qualities but we should imitate that child who told his
mother. 'I like to eat sweets but I do not want to be a sweet myself.'
It is not desirable to entrust the foreigners the full responsibility
of education our women. 23
Towards the close of his life, he said in a message dated August 1,
1931 to Orissa Women's Conference:
In Orissa, man has treated women as if she had been created to do
service to man and God did not assign to her any special duty in'