1 PREFACE. xv
2 the numerous ociaritable institutions that have been established—
3 schools, colleges and hospitals. Witness the blessings of religious
4 toleration ard of freedom enjoyed by the meanest subject, a state
5 of things vparalleled in any other country under the sun, the liberty
6 of the przss, the efforts of the Government to prevent pestilential
7 diseases, to check famines and to improve conservancy in towns
8 and villages. Witness the unexampled generosity which has placed
9 within the reach of the humblest enquirer after truth the accumu-
10 lated treasures of Western learning. Witness the great improve-
11 ments our country has made in her municipal institutions. Wit-
12 ness the mighty undertakings for the defence of the empire, which,
13 in reality, means the defence of your liberty and honour, and the pro-
14 tection of your lives and property.
15 Remember that we are living in the Victorian age, an age un-
16 rivalled in history for the blessings of peace. We have the honour
17 and satisfaction of being the subjects of the Lady Queen, that Great
18 Empress, than whom a more gracious sovereign, a more pious lady,
19 a kinder mother, a more beloved ruler, or a more magnanimous
20 person, the world hasnot seen. It is she, the ruler of the nation whose
21 flag floats in every quarter of the globe, whose power extends to remo-
22 test seas, whose language is spoken over the whole surface of the civi-
23 lized world, whose possessions comprise a seventh part of the earth’s
24 surface, and on whose empire the sun never sets; it is she who has
25 ever the prosperity of her Indian subjects at heart, of whom the
26 late Viceroy said, from his personal knowledge, that, “among her
27 many pre-occupations and anxieties, there is no section of her sub-
28 jects whose interest she watches with more loving or affectionate
29 solicitude than that of her Indian subjects.’’ The Christian, the
30 Jain, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Mahomedan and the Sikh share
31 alike the bounty of her reign, and are equally protected by the laws
32 instituted under her beneficent rule. Posterity will glory in the
33 reign of Victoria! Future generations will take pride in her great
34 name, Piety, duty, justice, generosity—these are characteristic of
35 our Great Queen! Long after we shall have sunk into oblivion, that
36 name shall yet be living in the hearts of the people! It shall live as
37 long as the cultivator yokes his oxen to the plough on Indian soil,
38 as long as the weary traveller refreshes himself under the shade of
39 a tree, to protect himself from the burning Indian sun. It has be-
40 come a watchword with the people. Verily, it is the pride of the
41 brave, the staff of the weak ( 43 +tae ), the dread of evil doers. It
42 is loved ; it is respected ; it is honoured.
43 Having explained to you the object and scope of my work, let
44 me hope you will follow the example of those whose names shine
45 in history as benefactors of ‘their race, and that you will tread in
46 the path of those who have tried to raise nations in the scale of civi-
47 lization. Above all, let me hope that you will do your duty to your
48 sovereign. Respect the rulers, the benefactors of your country, and
49 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com