Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎473v] (71/238)

284 Indian Civil Service and the Admission of Natives.
Mr. Tupp and the chairman, so anxious to be absolutely
fair. But, says he, look at the history of the “ simultaneous
examinations ” question, so summarily disposed of “contrary
to the evidence,’ as Mr. Martin Wood said. It is true
Mr. Wood corrected himself at once by explaining that
he meant “contrary to the opinion of the majority of
the witnesses,” a very different sort of statement ; but
Mr. Dadabhai will not believe that anyone can “honestly”
believe it “ impracticable ” to hold simultaneous examina
tions in the two countries with any hope of fairness, and
will probably disbelieve me when I say that I am entirely
in favour of making the competition as fair as it is possible
to make it, even at considerable extra expense. When,
however, we come to his second argument, based on the
ruinous expense of the present system of government, I have
always felt that here he is on much stronger ground, and
he is certainly supported by a great cloud of witnesses,
beginning with that greatest of all Madrassees, Sir Thomas
Munro, who said very truly that “our books alone will do
little or nothing ; dry, simple literature will never improve
the character of a nation. To produce this effect it must
open the road to wealth, honour, and public employment.
Without the prospect of such reward no attainments in
science will ever raise the character of a people.” No
doubt we have advanced a long way in the direction recom
mended by Munro, and I hope no responsible statesman
would be found nowadays to echo the Duke of Wellington’s
dictum, that “the higher offices must” (even yet) “be
closed against natives if our empire in India is to be
maintained”; but the time has come, in my opinion, when
we must be prepared to go a great deal further still, and to
say that not even the highest post under the Crown need
be refused to any native who has proved his fitness to hold
it. To prove that there are such men to be found in India
at the present time, I might safely appeal to the experience
of many in this room whose opinions will carry far greater
weight than mine ; but I will content myself by adopting the