History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. VI.| ENGLISH EXAMPLE. 281

after they came to India it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty, they adhered to and used their own language, viz. Persian; but as time rolled on they gave it up for Gujarati, the language of the Hindus among whom they dwelt. The education which they subsequently received was imparted to them in that language, and the study of Persian was only followed by a few who obtained the consideration due to scholars from a knowledge of the original tongue of their race. Hven in Gujarati the ordinary education among them extended to little beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic.

From the presence and example of Europeans the Parsis derived the first desire for increased knowledge. After they came into contact with Europeans at Surat they commenced to acquire a smattering of English, chiefly because 1t was necessary to enable them to carry on their business. They seldom attained any great proficiency, and none of them could be said to be tolerably conversant with the English language until the commencement of the present century, when two or three English schools were conducted in Bombay by Eurasians, or soldiers whose time of service in the army had expired. These schools were chiefly attended by Parsis, and this step formed the first educational movement among them. ‘The higher education of the Parsis may be said to date not further back than seventy-five years ago. In