Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c9.22

c9.22

The main purpose of this book has been to trace the development of the ancient Indian systems of education, and in emphasizing some of the ideals which they have worked out no attempt is made to be exhaustive, nor to show all the bearings which the ancient ideals have on present conditions. This would need a book to itself. There can be no doubt, however, that the development of India's future educational ideals will not be governed solely by Western educational thought and practice, and in education as in all other phases of social life a mingling of East and West is not only inevitable but desirable.¹ Experience alone will determine how this can be done with the least possible friction and waste of effort. It may not, however, be out of place to indicate what seems to the author of this book the plane upon which European and Asian thought may best be brought together in education as well as in other matters. This is best shown by the following quotation :—