ABSTRACT
Thosewhohavetheireyesopen,andarecapableofobserving whatisgoingonaroundus,cannotfailtobepainfullyimpressed withafact,whichwewouldalldowellseriouslytoponderover. Wehaveamongstuswritersinalmostallthevariedbranches ofhumanknowledgeWehavepoets,novelists,critics,translators,writersonlaw,mathematics,philosophy,andevenonsome oftheabstrusebranchesofphysicalscience.Butthereisone greatdepartmentofhumanknowledgewhichremainsalmost whollyunexploredbyus,yetitisadepartmentwhichwould yieldtreasuresofpricelessvaluetotheardentinquirer,where wewouldroamamongsttherelicsofourformergreatness, wherewewouldholdcommunionwiththemastermindsof ancientIndia,withValmikiandVyasa,PaniniandPatanjali, GautamaandSankaracharya.Ipurposethisevening,gentlemen, todrawyourattentiontothisnoblestudy,thestudyofthe historyofourowncountry.Ipurposetopointoutitsmultifariousadvantages.Ipurposetoshowthatthestudyofthehistory ofourowncountry,while,perhaps,itcannotbesaidtopossess
that fascinating interest which belongs to those branches of human knowledge which have reference to the amelioration of the miseries, or the promotion of the happiness of our race, nevertheless, presents topics of deep and living interest, and round which the heart of the truly genuine patriot might cling with devout and reverential affection. The study of the history of our own country illustrates in a striking manner the great truth, that miserable and degraded as we are, our degradation has followed upon a chain of sequences, every link of which is explicable, that the iron hand of fate has not been upon us, that we have not been made the hopeless victims of unprecedented calamities, and that whereas circumstances have wholly controlled our destinies, we might, if we chose, have partially controlled those circumstances and thus have changed the face of India, and perhaps of the world at large. Such an assurance is calculated to fill us with hope, to inspire us with enthusiasm and to add stimulus to those noble and patriotic efforts which are being made on all sides around and which I fervently hope, we are now about to enter.
