|
||
THE NEW EDUCATION 185
In my opinion, intelligent labour is for the time
being the only primary and adult education in this land of starving millions. . . . Literary education should follow the education of the hand—the one gift that visibly distinguishes man from beast. It is a superstition to think that the fullest development of man is impossible without a knowledge of the art of reading and writing. That knowledge undoubtedly adds grace to life, but it is in no way indispensable for man's moral, physical, or material growth. Harijan, 8-3-'35 I hold that true education of the intellect can only
come through a proper exercise and training of the bodily organs, e.g. hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, etc* In other words, an intelligent use of the bodily organs in a child provides the best and quickest way of developing his intellect. But unless the development of the mind and body goes hand in hand with a corresponding awakening of the soul, the former alone would prove to be a poor lopsided affair. By spiritual training I mean education of the heart. A proper and all-round development of the mind, therefore, can take place only when it pro- ceeds pari passu with the education of the physical and spiritual faculties of the child. They constitute an indi- visible whole. According to this theory, therefore, it would be a gross fallacy to suppose that they can be developed piecemeal or independently of one another. Harijan, 8-5-'37
The baneful effects of absence of proper co-ordina-
tion and harmony among the various faculties of body, mind and soul respectively are obvious. They are all around us; only we have lost perception of them owing to our present perverse associations. Harijan, 8-5-'37
|
||
|
||