SISTER NIVEDITA'S LECTURES AND WRITINGS Hitherto unpublished collection of lectures and writings of Sister Nivedita on Education, Hindu Life, Thought and so on Volume V SISTER NIVEDITA GIRLS' SCHOOL 5 Nivedita Lane, Calcutta 700003 Published by The Secretary, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita Girls' School, S Nivedita Lane, Calcutta 700003 First Edition October, 1955 Printed at Printaid, New Delhi CONTENTS Page Editor's Preface ... vii ON EDUCATION Teaching the Three R's on Modern Principles ... 1 Note on Indian Historic Pageants ... 20 The Education of Woman 24 ... The Education ofWomen 28 ... Fineness ofCharacter ... 31 Modern Education ofthe Oriental Woman ... 34 Women and the Arts 37 ... Hints on Practical Education ... 41 The Educational Method ... 51 Child-Garden Schools for India ... 54 The Sociological Method in History ... 57 Occasional Notes : Creative Knowledge 64 ... From the Concrete to the Abstract ... 65 From the National to the International 68 ... The Education ofIndian Women ... 71 ON HINDU LTFE, THOUGHT AND RELIGION Interview with Swami Vivekananda on the Bounds of Hinduism 79 » ... Revival or Reform 82 ... Brahmin and Kshatriya 89 ... Indian Thought 90 ... The Laws ofThought ... 95 Occasional Notes: On Love and Charity 98 ... Work Is Workship ... 101 Thirst for Higher Life ... 105 Saints and Scriptures ... 108 Obedience and Discipline ... 110 IV Page Thinking and Living 115 Religion as a Living Force 116 Self-Development 118 The Real and the Ideal 120 Being and Becoming 122 Towards the Supreme Goal 123 Gurubhakti 126 A New Sect ? 128 Passing Thoughts I : Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 129 Passing Thoughts II Religion versus Spirituality 133 : Conversations of the Dead I : Gandhari and Dhritarashtra 137 Conversations of the Dead II : Two Souls in Pitri-loka 140 Conversations of the Dead III Guru and Chelas ; in Pitri-loka 142 ON POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS Has British Rule Been Beneficial to India or Not? 147 Nationality 150 The Highest Ideal ofTruth 154 Our Unity in Diversity 158 The Recent Congress 160 Democratic Feeling in England 163 The Vajra as a National Flag 166 Passing Thoughts I : Indian Regeneration 171 A Passing Thoughts II Nation of Students 175 : Passing Thoughts III The Signs ofa New Age 178 : What Is a Backward Race ? 181 The Relation between Famine and Population 185 Lord Curzon on Famines in India 201 To Colonize the Himalayas 206 The Plague in Calcutta 211 The Cleansing ofCalcutta 214 Plague and the Duty ofStudents 217 Woman in Modern India 221 A Talk about Clean Roads 224 : V Page The Cry ofthe Mother to Indian Youth ... 227 Child-Heart 229 ... The Charging ofthe New-Born by the Dead 231 ... Earth and Water 233 ... Two Poems 235 ... Notes and Observations Our Calcutta Letter 236 ... Mr. Tata's Scheme 237 ... The Ramakrishna Mission on Plague Service ... 238 Civic Creed 240 ... A Comilla Lesson ... 241 Japan and Korea 242 ... Indian National Ideals ... 243 Conversation at Chinladripet Literary Society, Madras ... 245 Chicago Notes 247 ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND REVIEWS In Memoriam: Pavhari Baba ofGhazipur ... 255 In Memoriam : Swami Swarupananda ... 256 The First Citizen of Bengal ... 258 Romesh Chandra Dutt ... 261 The Hindu Mind in Modern Science ... 266 In Memoriam: Sara Chapman Bull ... 269 What an American Woman Is Doing in India ... 276 Introduction to Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ... 284 Review on IsMatter Alive ? by J.C. Bose ... 289 Review on MutualAid by Peter, Prince Kropotkin ... 299 Review on Essays in National Idealism by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy 302 ... Review on Primitive Traditional History by I.F. Hewitt ... 306 Review on Youth's Noble Path by F.F. Gould ... 312 NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS Letter to the Editor ofBrahmavadin ... 317 On Asia and Europe by Meredith Townsend ... 318 VI Page The Hindu Mind in Modern Science 320 Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar 323 The Hindu Mind in Western Science 324 The Duties ofa Hindu 325 The Unity oi* India 326 Sister Nivedita in Madras An Interview 331 : The Duties of Students 333 The Educational Problem in India 336 Dynamic Religion 341 Bodh-Gaya : Its Place in Hinduism 344 The Pioneer and the Tata Scheme 348 The Tata Research Institute 352 A Visit to East Bengal 353 A Conversational Meeting at the Gita Society 354 Interview with The Empire 355 The Tragedy ofJute 356 New Vedanta Society in London 360 A Chat with a Russian about Russia 361 Sister Nivedita in London 365 In Bodh Gaya 367 MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES WRITTEN BEFORE MEETING SWAMI VIVEKANANDA The Christ Child 371 Hag-Ridden 374 A Visit to a Coal Mine 379 Papers on Women's Rights—No. 386 I Papers on Women's Rights—No. 2 390 Papers on Women's Rights—No. 3 395 Papers on Women's Rights—No. 4 399 Papers on Women's Rights—No. 5 404 Papers on Women's Rights—No. 6 408 Phrenology and Physiognomy 412 The Wrexham Free Library 416 A Page from Wrexham Life 420 Ambulance Work 425 Index 427 ON EDUCATfON SISTER NIVEDITA