Sri Aurobindo

Bande Mataram

Calcutta, August 27^th, 1906

Part Two. Bande Mataram under the Editorship of Bipin Chandra Pal (6 August – 15 October 1906)

Schools for Slaves

Mr. John Morley from his seat in Parliament professes Liberal principles as the guiding star of the Government of India; in India itself the various Governments openly and deliberately enforce reaction. The head master of the Thana High School punished certain students for forming a Debating Club in which they discussed Swadeshi. Several of the guardians insisted on their boys vindicating their natural rights, whereupon the head master promptly suspended them. The guardians, following strict constitutionalist principles, appealed to the Bombay Government; but as was to be expected the Government upheld the head master’s decision. In the course of its judgment the Government lays down the principle that in all Government and Government-aided schools the head master (in other words the Government) is to have full control over the conduct of the pupils out of as well as in the school premises and school hours. Conduct, be it remembered, includes political talk and opinions. A more nakedly tyrannical usurpation of authority it would be difficult to imagine. One thing is clear; that there is no longer any room in the Government schools for any but slaves and the sons of slaves.

This work was not included in SABCL, vol.1 and it was not compared with other editions.