English Education Act 1835 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The English Education Act was a legislati

e Act of the !ouncil of "ndia in 1835 gi ing effect to a decision in 1835 #y William $entinck, %th &uke of 'ortland, the then (o ernor)(eneral of $ritish "ndia to reallocate funds the East "ndia !ompany was re*uired #y the $ritish 'arliament to spend on education and literature in "ndia+ Formerly, they had supported traditional ,uslim and -indu education and the pu#lication of literature in the nati e learned tongues ./anskrit and Ara#ic01 henceforward they were to support esta#lishments teaching a Western curriculum with English as the language of instruction+ Together with other measures promoting English as the language of administration and of the higher law courts .replacing 'ersian0, this led e entually to English #ecoming one of the languages of "ndia, rather than simply the nati e tongue of its foreign rulers+ "n discussions leading up to the Act Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay produced his famous ,emorandum on ."ndian0Education which was scathing on the inferiority of nati e .particularly -indu0 culture and learning+ The Act itself howe er took a less negati e attitude to traditional education, and was soon succeeded #y further measures #ased upon the pro ision of ade*uate funding for #oth approaches+ 2ernacular language education, howe er continued to recei e little funding+ !ontents 3hide4 1 $ritish support for "ndian learning 5 ,acaulay6s 7,inute 8pon "ndian Education9 3 The Act % :pposition in ;ondon suppressed 5 After the Act 5+1 <e ersion to fa ouring traditional colleges 5+5 ,ill6s later iews = <eferences $ritish support for "ndian learning3edit source4

When the $ritish 'arliament had renewed the charter of the East "ndia !ompany for 5> years in 1813, it had re*uired the !ompany to apply 1>>,>>> rupees per year314 7for the re i al and promotion of literature and the encouragement of the learned nati es of "ndia, and for the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of the sciences among the

inha#itants of the $ritish territories+9354 This had gone to support traditional forms .and content0 of education, which .like their contemporary e*ui alents in England0 were firmly non)utilitarian+ $y the early 185>s some administrators within the East "ndia !ompany were *uestioning if this was a sensi#le use of the money+ ?ames ,ill noted that the declared purpose of the ,adrassa .,ohammedan !ollege0 in !alcutta and the -indu !ollege in $enares set up #y the company had #een 7to make a fa oura#le impression, #y our encouragement of their literature, upon the minds of the nati es9 #ut took the iew that the aim of the company should ha e #een to further not :riental learning #ut 7useful learning+9 "ndeed, pri ate enterprise colleges had #egun to spring up in $engal teaching Western knowledge in English .7English education90, to ser e a nati e clientele which felt it would #e more important that their sons learnt to understand the English than that they were taught to appreciate classic poetry+ $roadly similar issues .@classical educationA s @li#eral educationA0 had already arisen for education in England with eBisting grammar schools #eing unwilling .or legally una#le0 to gi e instruction in su#Cects other than ;atin or (reek and were to end in an eBpansion of their curriculum to include modern su#Cects+ "n the "ndian situation a complicating factor was that the 6classical education6 reflected the attitudes and #eliefs of the arious traditions in the su#)continent, 6English education6 clearly did not, and there was felt to #e a danger of an ad erse reaction among the eBisting learned classes of "ndia to any withdrawal of support for them+ This led to di ided counsels within the !ommittee of 'u#lic "nstruction+ Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay, who was ;egal ,em#er of the !ouncil of "ndia, and was to #e 'resident of the !ommittee, refused to take up the post until the matter was resol ed, and sought a clear directi e from the (o ernor)(eneral on the strategy to #e adopted+ "t should ha e #een clear what answer ,acaulay was seeking, gi en his past comments+ "n 1833 in the -ouse of !ommons ,acaulay .then ,' for ;eeds0,334 had spoken in fa our of renewal of the !ompany6s charter, in terms which make his own iews on the culture and society of the su#)continent ade*uately clearD " see a go ernment3%4 anBiously #ent on the pu#lic good+ E en in its errors " recogniEe a paternal feeling towards the great people committed to its charge+ " see toleration strictly maintained+ Fet " see #loody and degrading superstitions gradually losing their power+ " see the morality, the philosophy, the taste of Europe, #eginning to produce a salutary effect on the hearts and understandings of our su#Cects+ " see the pu#lic mind of "ndia, that pu#lic mind which we found de#ased and contracted #y the worst forms of political and religious tyranny, eBpanding itself to Cust and no#le iews of the ends of go ernment and of the social duties of man+ Finishing with a peroration holding it a moral imperati e to educate the "ndians in English ways, not to keep them su#missi e #ut to gi e them the potential e entually to claim the same rights as the EnglishD

What is that power worth which is founded on ice, on ignorance, and on miseryGwhich we can hold only #y iolating the most sacred duties which as go ernors we owe to the go ernedGwhich as a people #lessed with far more than an ordinary measure of political li#erty and of intellectual lightGwe owe to a race de#ased #y three thousand years of despotism and priest craftH We are free, we are ci iliEed, to little purpose, if we grudge to any portion of the human race an e*ual measure of freedom and ci iliEation+ Are we to keep the people of "ndia ignorant in order that we may keep them su#missi eH :r do we think that we can gi e them knowledge without awakening am#itionH :r do we mean to awaken am#ition and to pro ide it with no legitimate entH Who will answer any of these *uestions in the affirmati eH Fet one of them must #e answered in the affirmati e, #y e ery person who maintains that we ought permanently to eBclude the nati es from high office+ " ha e no fears+ The path of duty is plain #efore usD and it is also the path of wisdom, of national prosperity, of national honour+ The destinies of our "ndian empire are co ered with thick darkness+ "t is difficult to form any conCecture as to the fate reser ed for a state which resem#les no other in history, and which forms #y itself a separate class of political phenomena+ The laws which regulate its growth and its decay are still unknown to us+ "t may #e that the pu#lic mind of "ndia may eBpand under our system till it has outgrown that system1 that #y good go ernment we may educate our su#Cects into a capacity for #etter go ernment, that, ha ing #ecome instructed in European knowledge, they may, in some future age, demand European institutions+ Whether such a day will e er come " know not+ $ut ne er will " attempt to a ert or to retard it+ Whene er it comes, it will #e the proudest day in English history+ To ha e found a great people sunk in the lowest depths of sla ery and superstition, to ha e so ruled them as to ha e made them desirous and capa#le of all the pri ileges of citiEens would indeed #e a title to glory all our own+354 The sceptre may pass away from us+ 8nforeseen accidents may derange our most profound schemes of policy 2ictory may #e inconstant to our arms+ $ut there are triumphs which are followed #y no re erses+ There is an empire eBempt from all natural causes of decay+ Those triumphs are the pacific triumphs of reason o er #ar#arism1 that empire is the imperisha#le empire of our arts and our morals, our literature and our laws+3=4 ,acaulay6s 7,inute 8pon "ndian Education93edit source4

To remo e all dou#t, howe er, ,acaulay produced and circulated a ,inute on the su#Cect3I4 ,acaulay argued that support for the pu#lication of #ooks in /anskrit and Ara#ic should #e withdrawn, support for traditional education should #e reduced to funding for the ,adrassa at &elhi and the -indu !ollege at $enares, #ut students should no longer #e paid to study at these esta#lishments+384 The money released #y these steps should instead go to fund education in Western su#Cects, with English as the language of instruction+ -e summarised his argumentD To sum up what " ha e said, " think it is clear that we are not fettered #y the Act of 'arliament of 18131 that we are not fettered #y any pledge eBpressed or implied1 that we

are free to employ our funds as we choose1 that we ought to employ them in teaching what is #est worth knowing1 that English is #etter worth knowing than /anskrit or Ara#ic1 that the nati es are desirous to #e taught English, and are not desirous to #e taught /anskrit or Ara#ic1 that neither as the languages of law, nor as the languages of religion, ha e the /anskrit and Ara#ic any peculiar claim to our engagement1 that it is possi#le to make nati es of this country thoroughly good English scholars, and that to this end our efforts ought to #e directed+3J4 ,acaulayAs comparison of Ara#ic and /anskrit literature to what was a aila#le in English is forceful, colourful, and nowadays often *uoted against him+ " ha e con ersed #oth here and at home with men distinguished #y their proficiency in the Eastern tongues+ ++++ " ha e ne er found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European li#rary was worth the whole nati e literature of "ndia and Ara#ia+3J431>4 -onours might #e roughly e en in works of the imagination, such as poetry, #ut when we pass from works of imagination to works in which facts are recorded, and general principles in estigated, the superiority of the Europeans #ecomes a#solutely immeasura#le+K3J4 -e returned to the comparison laterD Whoe er knows 3English4 has ready access to all the ast intellectual wealth, which all the wisest nations of the earth ha e created and hoarded in the course of ninety generations+ "t may #e safely said, that the literature now eBtant in that language is of far greater alue than all the literature which three hundred years ago was eBtant in all the languages of the world together+ The *uestion now #efore us is simply whether, when it is in our power to teach this language, we shall teach languages, #y which, #y uni ersal confession, there are not #ooks on any su#Cect which deser e to #e compared to our own1 whether, when we can teach European science, we shall teach systems which, #y uni ersal confession, whene er they differ from those of Europe, differ for the worse1 and whether, when we can patronise sound 'hilosophy and true -istory, we shall countenance, at the pu#lic eBpense, medical doctrines, which would disgrace an English farrier, ))Astronomy, which would mo e laughter in girls at an English #oarding school,)) -istory, a#ounding with kings thirty feet high, and reigns thirty thousand years long,))and (eography, made up of seas of treacle and seas of #utter+3J4 ,ass education would #e .in the fullness of time0 #y the class of Anglicised "ndians the new policy should produce, and #y the means of ernacular dialectsD "n one point " fully agree with the gentlemen to whose general iews " am opposed+ " feel with them, that it is impossi#le for us, with our limited means, to attempt to educate the #ody of the people+ We must at present do our #est to form a class who may #e interpreters #etween us and the millions whom we go ern1 a class of persons, "ndian in #lood and colour, #ut English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect+ To that class we may lea e it to refine the ernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science #orrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render

them #y degrees fit ehicles for con eying knowledge to the great mass of the population+3J4 The Act3edit source4

$entinck endorsed the ,inute, writing that he was in full agreement with the sentiments eBpressed+3114 -owe er, students at the !alcutta ,adrassa raised a petition against its closure1 this *uickly got considera#le support and the ,adrassa and its -indu e*ui alent were therefore retained+ :therwise the Act endorsed and implemented the policy ,acaulay had argued for+ The (o ernor)(eneral of "ndia in !ouncil has attenti ely considered the two letters from the /ecretary to the !ommittee of 'u#lic "nstruction,3154 dated the 51st and 55nd ?anuary last, and the papers referred to in them+ First, -is ;ordship in !ouncil is of opinion that the great o#Cect of the $ritish (o ernment ought to #e the promotion of European literature and science among the nati es of "ndia1 and that all the funds appropriated for the purpose of education would #e #est employed on English education alone+ /econd, $ut it is not the intention of -is ;ordship in !ouncil to a#olish any !ollege or /chool of nati e learning, while the nati e population shall appear to #e inclined to a ail themsel es of the ad antages which it affords, and -is ;ordship in !ouncil directs that all the eBisting professors and students at all the institutions under the superintendence of the !ommittee shall continue to recei e their stipends+ $ut his lordship in !ouncil decidedly o#Cects to the practice which has hitherto pre ailed of supporting the students during the period of their education+ -e concei es that the only effect of such a system can #e to gi e artificial encouragement to #ranches of learning which, in the natural course of things, would #e superseded #y more useful studies and he directs that no stipend shall #e gi en to any student that may hereafter enter at any of these institutions1 and that when any professor of :riental learning shall acate his situation, the !ommittee shall report to the (o ernment the num#er and state of the class in order that the (o ernment may #e a#le to decide upon the eBpediency of appointing a successor+ Third, "t has come to the knowledge of the (o ernor)(eneral in !ouncil that a large sum has #een eBpended #y the !ommittee on the printing of :riental works1 his ;ordship in !ouncil directs that no portion of the funds shall hereafter #e so employed+ Fourth, -is ;ordship in !ouncil directs that all the funds which these reforms will lea e at the disposal of the !ommittee #e henceforth employed in imparting to the nati e population a knowledge of English literature and science through the medium of the English language1 and -is ;ordship in !ouncil re*uests the !ommittee to su#mit to (o ernment, with all eBpedition, a plan for the accomplishment of this purpose+3J4 :pposition in ;ondon suppressed3edit source4

:n the news of the Act reaching England, a despatch gi ing the official response of the !ompany6s !ourt of &irectors was drafted within the "ndia -ouse .the !ompany6s ;ondon office0+ ?ames ,ill was a leading figure within the "ndia -ouse .as well as #eing a leading utilitarian philosopher0 + Although he was known to fa our education in the ernacular languages of "ndia, otherwise he might ha e #een eBpected to #e #roadly in fa our of the Act+ -owe er, he was #y now a dying man, and the task of drafting the response fell to his son ?ohn /tuart ,ill+ The younger ,ill was thought to hold similar iews to his father, #ut his draft despatch turned out to #e *uite critical of the Act+ ,ill argued that students seeking an 6English education6 in order to prosper could simply ac*uire enough of the re*uisite practical accomplishments .facility in English etc+0 to prosper without #othering to ac*uire the cultural attitudes1 for eBample it did not follow that at the same time they would also free themsel es from superstition+ E en if they did the current learned classes of "ndia commanded widespread respect in "ndian culture, and that one of the reasons they did so was the lack of practical uses for their learning1 they were pursuing learning as an end in itself, rather than as a means to ad ancement+ The same could not relia#ly said of those seeking an 6English education6, and therefore it was dou#tful how they would #e regarded #y "ndian society and therefore how far they would #e a#le to influence it for the #etter+ "t would ha e #een a #etter policy to continue to conciliate the eBisting learned classes, and to attempt to introduce European knowledge and disciplines into their studies and thus make them the desired interpreter class+ This analysis was accepta#le to East "ndia !ompany6s !ourt of &irectors #ut unaccepta#le to their political masters .#ecause it effecti ely endorsed the pre ious policy of 6engraftment60 and ?ohn !am -o#house insisted on the despatch #eing redrafted to #e a mere holding statement noting the Act #ut enturing no opinion upon it+ After the Act3edit source4

<e ersion to fa ouring traditional colleges3edit source4 $y 183J ;ord Auckland had succeeded $entinck as (o ernor)(eneral, and ,acaulay had returned to England+ Auckland contri ed to find sufficient funds to support the English !olleges set up #y $entinck6s Act without continuing to run down the traditional :riental colleges+ -e wrote a ,inute .of 5% Lo em#er 183J0 gi ing effect to this1 #oth :riental and English colleges were to #e ade*uately funded+ The East "ndia !ompany directors responded with a despatch in 18%1 endorsing the twin)track approach and suggesting a thirdD We for#ear at present from eBpressing an opinion regarding the most efficient mode of communicating and disseminating European Mnowledge+ EBperience does not yet warrant the adoption of any eBclusi e system+ We wish a fair trial to #e gi en to the eBperiment of engrafting European Mnowledge on the studies of the eBisting learned !lasses, encouraged as it will #e #y gi ing to the /eminaries in which those studies are prosecuted,the aid of a#le and efficient European /uperintendence+ At the same time we

authorise you to gi e all suita#le encouragement to translators of European works into the ernacular languages and also to pro ide for the compilation of a proper series of 2ernacular !lass #ooks according to the plan which ;ord Auckland has proposed+ The East "ndia !ompany also resumed su#sidising the pu#lication of /anscrit and Ara#ic works, #ut now #y a grant to the Asiatic /ociety rather than #y undertaking pu#lication under their own auspices+3134 ,ill6s later iews3edit source4 "n 18=1, ,ill in the last chapter .6:n the (o ernment of &ependencies60 of his 6!onsiderations on <epresentati e (o ernment6 restated the doctrine ,acaulay had ad anced a *uarter of a century earlier N the moral imperati e to impro e su#Cect peoples, which Custified reforms #y the rulers of which the ruled were as yet unaware of the need for, KThere are +++ 3conditions of society4 in which, there #eing no spring of spontaneous impro ement in the people themsel es, their almost only hope of making any steps in ad ance 3to 6a higher ci ilisation64 depends on the chances of a good despot+ 8nder a nati e despotism, a good despot is a rare and transitory accidentD #ut when the dominion they are under is that of a more ci ilised people, that people ought to #e a#le to supply it constantly+ The ruling country ought to #e a#le to do for its su#Cects all that could #e done #y a succession of a#solute monarchs guaranteed #y irresisti#le force against the precariousness of tenure attendant on #ar#arous despotisms, and *ualified #y their genius to anticipate all that eBperience has taught to the more ad anced nation+ /uch is the ideal rule of a free people o er a #ar#arous or semi)#ar#arous one+ We need not eBpect to see that ideal realised1 #ut unless some approach to it is, the rulers are guilty of a dereliction of the highest moral trust which can de ol e upon a nationD and if they do not e en aim at it, they are selfish usurpers, on a par in criminality with any of those whose am#ition and rapacity ha e sported from age to age with the destiny of masses of mankindK #ut ,ill went on to warn of the difficulties this posed in practice1 difficulties which whate er the merits of the Act of 1835 do not seem to ha e suggested themsel es to ,acaulayD31%4 "t is always under great difficulties, and ery imperfectly, that a country can #e go erned #y foreigners1 e en when there is no disparity, in ha#its and ideas, #etween the rulers and the ruled+ Foreigners do not feel with the people+ They cannot Cudge, #y the light in which a thing appears to their own minds, or the manner in which it affects their feelings, how it will affect the feelings or appear to the minds of the su#Cect population+ What a nati e of the country, of a erage practical a#ility, knows as it were #y instinct,they ha e to learn slowly, and after all imperfectly, #y study and eBperience+ The laws, the customs, the social relations, for which they ha e to legislate, instead of #eing familiar to them from childhood, are all strange to them+ For most of their detailed knowledge they must depend on the information of nati es1 and it is difficult for them to know who to trust+

They are feared, suspected, pro#a#ly disliked #y the population1 seldom sought #y them eBcept for interested purposes1 and they are prone to think the ser ilely su#missi e are the trustworthy+ Their danger is of despising the nati es1 that of the nati es is of dis#elie ing that anything the strangers do can #e intended for their good+3154 <eferences Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay, 1st $aron ,acaulay From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .<edirected from Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay0 K$aron ,acaulayK redirects here+ For the $ritish ;a#our politician, see &onald ,acaulay, $aron ,acaulay of $ragar+ For other people named Thomas ,acaulay, see Thomas ,acaulay .disam#iguation0+ The <ight -onoura#le The ;ord ,acaulay '! Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay, $aron ,acaulay+Cpg /ecretary at War "n office 5I /eptem#er 183J N 3> August 18%1 ,onarch 2ictoria

'rime ,inister The 2iscount ,el#ourne 'receded #y 2iscount -owick /ucceeded #y /ir -enry -ardinge 'aymaster)(eneral "n office I ?uly 18%= N 8 ,ay 18%8 ,onarch 2ictoria

'rime ,inister ;ord ?ohn <ussell 'receded #y -on+ $ingham $aring

/ucceeded #y The Earl (ran ille 'ersonal details $orn 55 :cto#er 18>>

;eicestershire, England &ied 58 &ecem#er 185J .aged 5J0

;ondon, England Lationality $ritish

'olitical party Whig /pouse.s0 Alma mater /ignature Thomas $a#ington ,acaulay, 1st $aron ,acaulay '! .55 :cto#er 18>> N 58 &ecem#er 185J0 was a $ritish historian and Whig politician+ -e wrote eBtensi ely as an essayist and re iewer1 his #ooks on $ritish history were hailed as literary masterpieces+ -e held political office as /ecretary at War #etween 183J and 18%1 and 'aymaster)(eneral #etween 18%= and 18%8+ -e played a maCor role in introducing English and western concepts to education in "ndia+ -e supported the replacement of 'ersian #y English as the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction in all schools, and the training of English)speaking "ndians as teachers+ "n his iew, ,acaulay di ided the world into ci ilised nations and #ar#arism, with $ritain representing the high point of ci ilisation+ -e was wedded to the K"dea of 'rogress, especially in terms of the li#eral freedoms+ -e opposed radicalism while idealising historic $ritish culture and traditions+ 314 !ontents 3hide4 1 Early life 5 'olitical career 5+1 "ndia 5+5 (o ernment minister 3 ;iterary works % -istorian 5 'olitical writing 8nmarried Trinity !ollege, !am#ridge

= ;ater life I ;egacy as a historian 8 Works J Arms 1> /ee also 11 Lotes 15 <eferences and #i#liography 13 EBternal links Early life3edit source4

The son and eldest child of Oachary ,acaulay, a /cottish -ighlander who #ecame a colonial go ernor and a#olitionist, Thomas ,acaulay was #orn in ;eicestershire, England+ -e was noted as a child prodigy+ As a toddler, gaEing out of the window from his cot at the chimneys of a local factory, he is reputed to ha e put the *uestion to his motherD K&oes the smoke from those chimneys come from the fires of hellHK3citation needed4 -e was educated at a pri ate school in -ertfordshire and at Trinity !ollege, !am#ridge+354 Whilst at !am#ridge he wrote much poetry and won se eral priEes, including the !hancellor6s (old ,edal in ?une 1851+334 "n 1855 he pu#lished a prominent essay on ,ilton in the Edin#urgh <e iew+ "n 185= he was called to the #ar #ut showed more interest in a political than a legal career+ "t was once rumoured3%4 that ,acaulay had fallen for ,aria Minnaird, the wealthy ward of K!on ersationK /harp, #ut in fact he ne er married and had no children+ -is strongest emotional ties were to his youngest sisters, -annah and ,argaret, who died while he was in "ndia+ As -annah grew older, he formed the same close attachment to -annah6s daughter ,argaret, whom he called K$a#aK+354 ,acaulay retained a passionate interest in classical literature throughout his life, and prided himself on his knowledge of (reek literature+ While in "ndia, he read e ery ancient (reek and <oman work that was a aila#le to him+ "n his letters, he descri#es reading the Aeneid whilst on acation in ,al ern in 1851, and #eing mo ed to tears #y the #eauty of -omer6s poetry+ -e also taught himself (erman, &utch, and /panish, and remained fluent in French+3=4 'olitical career3edit source4

"n 183> the ,ar*uess of ;ansdowne in ited ,acaulay to #ecome ,em#er of 'arliament

for the pocket #orough of !alne+ -is maiden speech was in fa our of a#olishing the ci il disa#ilities of the ?ews+ -owe er, ,acaulay made his name with a series of speeches in fa our of parliamentary reform+334 After the (reat <eform Act of 1835 was passed, he #ecame ,' for ;eeds+334 "n the <eform, !alne6s representation was reduced from two to one1 ;eeds had ne er #een represented #efore, #ut now had two mem#ers+ Though proud to ha e helped pass the <eform $ill, ,acaulay ne er ceased to #e grateful to his former patron, ;ansdowne, who remained a great friend and political ally+ "ndia3edit source4

,acaulay #y ?ohn 'artridge+ ,acaulay was /ecretary to the $oard of !ontrol under ;ord (rey from 1835 until 1833+ After the passing of the (o ernment of "ndia Act 1833, he was appointed as the first ;aw ,em#er of the (o ernor)(eneral6s !ouncil+ -e went to "ndia in 183%, and ser ed on the /upreme !ouncil of "ndia #etween 183% and 1838+ ;ater on he introduced English) medium education in "ndia through his famous ,inute on "ndian Education of Fe#ruary 1835, which called for an educational system to create a class of anglicised "ndians who would ser e as cultural intermediaries #etween the $ritish and the "ndians, and #rought to an end a li ely de#ate on the appropriate language for education and administration+ 3I4384 ,acaulay there#y succeeded in implementing ideas pre iously put forward #y ;ord William $entinck, the go ernor)general from 185J, who, inspired #y utilitarian ideas and calling for Kuseful learning,K had fa oured the replacement of 'ersian with English as the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction, and the training of English)speaking "ndians as teachers+3J4 ,acaulay con inced the (o ernor)(eneral to adopt English as the medium of instruction in secondary education, from the siBth year of schooling onwards, rather than the /anskrit or 'ersian then used in the institutions supported #y the East "ndia !ompany+ ,acaulay6s argued that /anskrit and Ara#ic were wholly inade*uate for students studying history, science and technology+ -e argued, KWe ha e to educate a people who cannot at present #e educated #y means of their mother) tongue+ We must teach them some foreign language+K The solution was to teach English+31>4 -is final years in "ndia were de oted to the creation of a 'enal !ode, as the leading mem#er of the ;aw !ommission+ "n the aftermath of the "ndian ,utiny of 185I, ,acaulay6s criminal law proposal was enacted+ The "ndian 'enal !ode in 18=> was followed #y the !riminal 'rocedure !ode in 18I5 and the !i il 'rocedure !ode in 1J>J+ The "ndian 'enal !ode inspired counterparts in most other $ritish colonies, and to date many of these laws are still in effect in places as far apart as 'akistan, /ingapore, $angladesh, /ri ;anka, Ligeria and Oim#a#we, as well as in "ndia itself+ The term K,acaulay6s !hildrenK is sometimes used to refer to people #orn of "ndian

ancestry who adopt Western culture as a lifestyle, or display attitudes influenced #y colonisers .K,acaulayismK03114 N eBpressions used disparagingly, and with the implication of disloyalty to one6s country and one6s heritage+ ,acaulay6s ,inute formed the #asis for the reforms introduced in the English Education Act of 1835+ "n 183=, a school named ;a ,artiniPre, founded #y ,aCor (eneral !laude ,artin, had one of its houses named after him+ "n independent "ndia, ,acaulay6s idea of the ci ilising mission has #een used #y &alitists, in particular #y neoli#eralist !handra $han 'rasad, as a Kcreati e appropriation for self)empowermentK, #ased on the iew that &alit folk are empowered #y ,acaulay6s deprecation of -indu !i iliEation and an English education+3154 (o ernment minister3edit source4 <eturning to $ritain in 1838, he #ecame ,' for Edin#urgh+ -e was made /ecretary at War in 183J #y ;ord ,el#ourne and was sworn of the 'ri y !ouncil the same year+3134 "n 18%1 ,acaulay addressed the issue of copyright law+ ,acaulay6s position, slightly modified, #ecame the #asis of copyright law in the English)speaking world for many decades+31%4 ,acaulay argued that copyright is a monopoly and as such has generally negati e effects on society+31%4 After the fall of ,el#ourne6s go ernment in 18%1 ,acaulay de oted more time to literary work, #ut returned to office as 'aymaster) (eneral in 18%= in ;ord ?ohn <ussell6s administration+ "n the election of 18%I he lost his seat in Edin#urgh+ -e attri#uted the loss to the anger of religious Eealots o er his speech in fa our of eBpanding the annual go ernment grant to ,aynooth !ollege in "reland, which trained young men for the !atholic priesthood1 some o#ser ers also attri#uted his loss to his neglect of local issues+ "n 18%J he was elected <ector of the 8ni ersity of (lasgow, a position with no administrati e duties, often awarded #y the students to men of political or literary fame1 he also recei ed the freedom of the city+ "n 1855, the oters of Edin#urgh offered to re)elect him to 'arliament+ -e accepted on the eBpress condition that he need not campaign and would not pledge himself to a position on any political issue+ <emarka#ly, he was elected on those terms+ -owe er, he seldom attended the -ouse, due to ill health1 indeed his weakness after suffering a heart attack caused him to postpone for se eral months making his speech of thanks to the Edin#urgh oters+ -e resigned his seat in ?anuary 185=+ "n 185I he was raised to the peerage as $aron ,acaulay, of <othley in the !ounty of ;eicester,3154 #ut seldom attended the -ouse of ;ords+

,acaulay #y /ir Francis (rant+ ;iterary works3edit source4

As a young man he composed the #allads " ry and The Armada, which he later included as part of ;ays of Ancient <ome, a series of ery popular poems a#out heroic episodes in <oman history which he composed in "ndia and pu#lished in 18%5+ The most famous of them, -oratius, concerns the heroism of -oratius !ocles+ "t contains the oft)*uoted linesD KThen out spake #ra e -oratius, The !aptain of the (ateD KTo e ery man upon this earth &eath cometh soon or late+ And how can man die #etter Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his godsHK -is essays, originally pu#lished in the Edin#urgh <e iew, were collected as !ritical and -istorical Essays in 18%3+ -istorian3edit source4

&uring the 18%>s he #egan work on his most famous work, The -istory of England from the Accession of ?ames the /econd, pu#lishing the first two olumes in 18%8+ At first, he had planned to #ring his history down to the reign of (eorge """+ After pu#lication of his first two olumes, his hope was to complete his work with the death of Queen Anne in 1I1%+ The third and fourth olumes, #ringing the history to the 'eace of <yswick, were pu#lished in 1855+ -owe er, at his death in 185J, he was working on the fifth olume+ This, #ringing the -istory down to the death of William """, was prepared for pu#lication #y his sister, ;ady Tre elyan, after his death+31=4 'olitical writing3edit source4

,acaulay6s political writings are famous for their ringing prose and for their confident, sometimes dogmatic, emphasis on a progressi e model of $ritish history, according to which the country threw off superstition, autocracy and confusion to create a #alanced constitution and a forward)looking culture com#ined with freedom of #elief and eBpression+ This model of human progress has #een called the Whig interpretation of

history+ This philosophy appears most clearly in the essays ,acaulay wrote for the Edin#urgh <e iew and other pu#lications, which were collected in #ook form and a steady #est)seller throughout the 1Jth century+ $ut it is also reflected in the -istory1 the most stirring passages in the work are those that descri#e the K(lorious <e olutionK of 1=88+ ,acaulay6s approach has #een criticised #y later historians for its one)sidedness and its complacency+ Marl ,arB referred to him as a 6systematic falsifier of history6+31I4 -is tendency to see history as a drama led him to treat figures whose iews he opposed as if they were illains, while characters he appro ed of were presented as heroes+ ,acaulay goes to considera#le length, for eBample, to a#sol e his main hero William """ of any responsi#ility for the (lencoe massacre+ Winston !hurchill de oted a four olume #iography of the &uke of ,arl#orough to re#utting ,acaulay6s slights of his ancestor, eBpressing hope 6to fasten the la#el K;iarK to his genteel coat)tails+63184 :n the other hand, this outlook, together with his o# ious lo e of his su#Cect matter and of English ci ilisation, helps to place the reader within the age #eing descri#ed in a personal way that no cold neutrality could, and ,acaulay6s -istory is generally recognised as one of the masterpieces of historical writing and a magisterial literary triumph only compara#le as such to (i##on and ,ichelet+ ;ater life3edit source4

,acaulay sat on the committee to decide on the historical su#Cects to #e painted in the new 'alace of Westminster+ The need to collect relia#le portraits of nota#le figures from history for this proCect led to the foundation of the Lational 'ortrait (allery, which was formally esta#lished on 5 &ecem#er 185=+ ,acaulay was amongst its founding trustees and is honoured with one of only three #usts a#o e the main entrance+ &uring his later years his health made work increasingly difficult for him+ -e died of a heart attack on 58 &ecem#er 185J, aged 5J, lea ing his maCor work, The -istory of England from the Accession of ?ames the /econd incomplete+ :n J ?anuary 18=> he was #uried in Westminster A##ey, in 'oets6 !orner, near a statue of Addison+334 As he had no children, his peerage #ecame eBtinct on his death+ ,acaulay6s nephew, /ir (eorge Tre elyan, $t, wrote a #est)selling K;ife and ;ettersK of his famous uncle, which is still the #est complete life of ,acaulay+ -is great)nephew was the !am#ridge historian (+ ,+ Tre elyan+ ;egacy as a historian3edit source4

The ;i#eral historian ;ord Acton read ,acaulay6s -istory of England four times and later descri#ed himself as Ka raw English school#oy, primed to the #rim with Whig politicsK #ut Knot Whiggism only, #ut ,acaulay in particular that " was so full ofK+ -owe er after

coming under (erman influence Acton would later find fault in ,acaulay+31J4 "n 188> Acton classed ,acaulay .with $urke and (ladstone0 as one Kof the three greatest ;i#eralsK+35>4 "n 1883 he ad ised ,ary (ladstone Kthat the Essays are really flashy and superficial+ -e was not a#o e par in literary criticism1 his "ndian articles will not hold water1 and his two most famous re iews, on $acon and <anke, show his incompetence+ The essays are only pleasant reading, and a key to half the preCudices of our age+ "t is the -istory .with one or two speeches0 that is wonderful+ -e knew nothing respecta#ly #efore the se enteenth century, he knew nothing of foreign history, of religion, philosophy, science, or art+ -is account of de#ates has #een thrown into the shade #y <anke, his account of diplomatic affairs, #y Mlopp+ -e is, " am persuaded, grossly, #asely unfair+ <ead him therefore to find out how it comes that the most unsympathetic of critics can think him ery nearly the greatest of English writersK+3514 "n 1885 Acton asserted thatD KWe must ne er Cudge the *uality of a teaching #y the *uality of the Teacher, or allow the spots to shut out the sun+ "t would #e unCust, and it would depri e us of nearly all that is great and good in this world+ ;et me remind you of ,acaulay+ -e remains to me one of the greatest of all writers and masters, although " think him utterly #ase, contempti#le and odious for certain reasons which you knowK+3554 "n 1888 he wrote that ,acaulay Khad done more than any writer in the literature of the world for the propagation of the ;i#eral faith, and he was not only the greatest, #ut the most representati e, Englishman then 3185=4 li ingK+3534 -er#ert $utterfield6s The Whig "nterpretation of -istory .1J310 attacked Whig history+ The &utch historian 'ieter (eyl, writing in 1J55, considered ,acaulay6s Essays as KeBclusi ely and intolerantly EnglishK+35%4 :n I Fe#ruary 1J5% ;ord ,oran, doctor to the 'rime ,inister, /ir Winston !hurchill, recorded in his diaryD K<andolph, who is writing a life of the late ;ord &er#y for ;ongman6s, #rought to luncheon a young man of that name+ -is talk interested the '+,+ +++ ,acaulay, ;ongman went on, was not read now1 there was no demand for his #ooks+ The '+,+ grunted that he was ery sorry to hear this+ ,acaulay had #een a great influence in his young daysK+3554 (eorge <ichard 'otter, 'rofessor and -ead of the &epartment of -istory at the 8ni ersity of /heffield from 1J31 to 1J=5, claimed K"n an age of long letters+++,acaulay6s hold their own with the #estK+35=4 -owe er 'otter also claimedD KFor all his linguistic a#ilities he seems ne er to ha e tried to enter into sympathetic mental contact with the classical world or with the Europe of his day+ "t was an insularity that was impregna#le+++"f his outlook was insular, howe er, it was surely $ritish rather than EnglishK+35I4 -e said this a#out ,acaulay6s determination to inspect physically the places mentioned in his -istoryD K,uch of the success of the famous third chapter of the -istory which may #e said to ha e introduced the study of social history, and e en+++local history, was due to the intense local knowledge ac*uired on the spot+ As a result it is a super#, li ing picture of (reat $ritain in the latter half of the se enteenth century+++Lo description of the relief of ;ondonderry in a maCor history of England eBisted #efore 185>1 after his isit there and the narrati e written round it no other account has #een

needed+++/cotland came fully into its own and from then until now it has #een a commonplace that English history is incomprehensi#le without /cotlandK+3584 'otter noted that ,acaulay has had many critics, some of whom put forward some salient points a#out the deficiency of ,acaulay6s -istory #ut addedD KThe se erity and the minuteness of the criticism to which the -istory of England has #een su#Cected is a measure of its permanent alue+ "t is worth ery ounce of powder and shot that is fired again itK+ 'otter concluded that Kin the long roll of English historical writing from !larendon to Tre elyan only (i##on has surpassed him in security of reputation and certainty of immortalityK+35J4 "n 1JI5 ?+ <+ Western wrote thatD K&espite its age and #lemishes, ,acaulay6s -istory of England has still to #e superseded #y a full)scale modern history of the periodK+33>4 "n 1JI% ?+ '+ Menyon stated thatD KAs is often the case, ,acaulay had it eBactly rightK+3314 W+ A+ /peck wrote in 1J8> that a reason ,acaulay6s -istory of England Kstill commands respect is that it was #ased upon a prodigious amount of researchK+3354 /peck claims that K,acaulay6s reputation as an historian has ne er fully reco ered from the condemnation it implicitly recei ed in -er#ert $utterfield6s de astating attack on The Whig "nterpretation of -istory+ Though he was ne er cited #y name, there can #e no dou#t that ,acaulay answers to the charges #rought against Whig historians, particularly that they study the past with reference to the present, class people in the past as those who furthered progress and those who hindered it, and Cudge them accordinglyK+3334 /peck also said that ,acaulay too often Kdenies the past has its own alidity, treating it as #eing merely a prelude to his own age+ This is especially noticea#le in the third chapter of his -istory of England, when again and again he contrasts the #ackwardness of 1=85 with the ad ances achie ed #y 18%8+ Lot only does this misuse the past, it also leads him to eBaggerate the differencesK+3334 :n the other hand, /peck also wrote that ,acaulay Ktook pains to present the irtues e en of a rogue, and he painted the irtuous warts and allK,33%4 and that Khe was ne er guilty of suppressing or distorting e idence to make it support a proposition which he knew to #e untrueK+3354 /peck concludedD KWhat is in fact striking is the eBtent to which his -istory of England at least has sur i ed su#se*uent research+ Although it is often dismissed as inaccurate, it is hard to pinpoint a passage where he is categorically in error+++his account of e ents has stood up remarka#ly well+++-is interpretation of the (lorious <e olution also remains the essential starting point for any discussion of that episode+++What has not sur i ed, or has #ecome su#dued, is ,acaulay6s confident #elief in progress+ "t was a dominant creed in the era of the (reat EBhi#ition+ $ut AuschwitE and -iroshima destroyed this century6s claim to moral superiority o er its predecessors, while the eBhaustion of natural resources raises serious dou#ts a#out the continuation e en of material progress into the neBt+K3354 "n 1J81 ?+ W+ $urrow argued that ,acaulay6s -istory of EnglandD +++is not simply partisan1 a Cudgement, like that of Firth, that ,acaulay was always the Whig politician could hardly #e more inapposite+ :f course ,acaulay thought that the Whigs of the se enteenth century were correct in their fundamental ideas, #ut the hero

of the -istory was William, who, as ,acaulay says, was certainly no Whig+++"f this was Whiggism it was so only, #y the mid)nineteenth century, in the most eBtended and inclusi e sense, re*uiring only an acceptance of parliamentary go ernment and a sense of gra ity of precedent+ $utterfield says, rightly, that in the nineteenth century the Whig iew of history #ecame the English iew+ The chief agent of that transformation was surely ,acaulay, aided, of course, #y the receding rele ance of se enteenth)century conflicts to contemporary politics, as the power of the crown waned further, and the ci il disa#ilities of !atholics and &issenters were remo ed #y legislation+ The -istory is much more than the indication of a party1 it is an attempt to insinuate a iew of politics, pragmatic, re erent, essentially $urkean, informed #y a high, e en tumid sense of the worth of pu#lic life, yet fully conscious of its interrelations with the wider progress of society1 it em#odies what -allam had merely asserted, a sense of the pri ileged possession #y Englishmen of their history, as well as of the epic dignity of go ernment #y discussion+ "f this was sectarian it was hardly, in any useful contemporary sense, polemically Whig1 it is more like the sectarianism of English respecta#ility+33=4 "n 1J85 (ertrude -immelfar# wrote that Kmost professional historians ha e long since gi en up reading ,acaulay, as they ha e gi en up writing the kind of history he wrote and thinking a#out history as he did+ Fet there was a time when anyone with any pretension to culti ation read ,acaulayK+33I4 -immelfar# also laments that Kthe history of the -istory is a sad testimonial to the cultural regression of our timesK+3384 ,ore recently, <onald -amowy, the li#ertarian historian, has argued for the pre) eminence of ,acaulay as a $ritish classical li#eral+33J4 Works