The papers are still employed in discussing the Budget, for which Lord Curzon has claimed the abore title on the ground that, besides containing the remission of two' small taxes amounting to about a Yakh of rup-es and which only affect a very small area, it provides for the remis-dion of two crores of revenue. The phrase is catch one and is scarcely worthy of Tord Curzon. As a matter of fact the boon is merely a paper arrangement, and it means that certain arrears of revenue which accrued during the famine will be struck off and written down to profit and toss. Now, inthe first place, those who have to pay the land-tax are not the really poor classes of India and, secondly, this Fomission will not put a rupee into any one's pocket, but simply means the wiping Out of an' uncollected credit balance Which it would be difficult, hot impossible, ever to collect. Again, itis urged that the large surplus is nota natural but an artificial one, and is due chiefly to two causes, first of all to the artificial enhancement of the value of the rupee to 1s. 4d., which practically means a tax on the poor producer, and secondly, to abnormal military surplus owing the troops which have been sent to South Africa, and China, and are being paid from Imperial funds. Of course this latter item of saving is an abnormal one, and will cease as soon asthe war is over or the troops in China are no longer required. As regards the former objection, however. it must be remembered that six years have now elapsed since the rupee' was arbitrarily raised to 1s. 4d., and the growing sur pluses from increased revenue certainly Chow a general imerease of. prosperity. Objection is also taken to the undue proportion of money allotted to railways as compared with irrization works, which is as 10to1. The effect of the greatly increased mileage of railways has been to prevent food famines, but by a general raisins of prices to make it more ditticult to buy the food available. The fact seems to be that, whilst the general wealth and prosperity of the country is steadily increasing, it is gradually falling into the hands of a diminishing class of land owners and producers, and the bulk of the population, the really poor men of India are labourers whose condition is im no way improved by a remission of arrears of revenue, since they own little or no land and, therefore, pay little or no revenue. The phrase "Poor man's Budget," therefore, seems to be a misnomer, and as have said before is an ad captandum expression which is scareely worthy of Lord Curzon.
The University Commission is still holding its sessions, and the result of its labours will probably be a new departure in the system of higher education in the direction of increasing the number of universities, and of bringing the students more under the control of the governing bodies by making residence compulsory, in Tiubr, supply a much felt want, for the properly supervised hostels. This will, no present system turns out a number of graduates every year, who are crammed with book knowledge but with nothing more. They have little or no moral or physical training, and have absolutely fo. tradition such as is imbibed at a large Alma like Oxford or Cambridge. Even where so-called hostels do exist it has been shown that they are often kept by ex-dancing girls, a class whose contact is scarcely likely to improve the moral training of a young student.
Plague in the Punjaub.
There has been a very serious outbreak of plague in the Punjaub, and the deaths in this province have been as high as 10,000 in a week! There has, however, been this advantage that the people are beginning to see that there is some safety to be derived from preventative measures, andre voluntarily coming forward to aid instead of, as formerly, to oppose such precautions. The Punjaub type of the disease is said to be especially fatal and has been called the Chinese type. It is supposed to have been introduced by re-vumed soldiers or followers.
The Lawrence Asylum Schools. These schools were founded by Sir Henry Lawrence, of Lucknow fame, and are intended for the benefit of the sons and orphans of European soldiers. They are situated in hill stations and have been of the very greatest public good in affording education, and subsequent respectable employment, to a class of children born in the country, which, without them would be certain to degenerate. For some reason or other, these schools have been boycotted by the R. C. Bishops, and Catholic priests have been forbidden to attend for the purpose of giving religious education. The Tesult is that those R. C. fathers who allow their children to remain in such institutions have fallen under the displeasure of the R. ©. priers. A somewhat undignified correspondence has taken place in the "Pioneer" in consequence of a parent finding fault with the boycott of these schools. A certain Father Phillis. coming forward to vindicate the action of the Archbishop, vehemently attacks the parent, a Mr. Lee, for allowing his children to remain in a school where they can only get Protestant education, and finishes up by saying that if Mr. Lee were only a little nearer to the Irish priests with whom he finds fault, he would get from them 'a hearty blessing from. a thorn stick which they carry about with Military Chaplain as he signs himself C., and this, perhaps, is the reason why he is given to emphasising his blessings by means of a shillelagh. Mr. Lee, also an Irishman, retalintes by saying that as far as the sprig of black thorn is concerned he has one also, it is a game that two can play at, and there is lit lo doubt in his mind as to his own capabiliies." The controversy is not likely to impress the Indian mind with any light timation of the ''love which these Christians bear towards each other."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.