John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune
Encyclopedia
John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801 – 1851), previously John Elliot Drinkwater, a barrister
and law member of the Governor-General's Council, was an Anglo-Indian lawyer and a pioneer in promoting women's education in 19th-century India
.
When his father added 'Bethune' to his name, he did likewise.
In 1849, Bethune founded an institution for women's education in Calcutta (now Kolkata), then the capital of British India
. The institute later bore his name and became famous as Bethune College
.
, son of Col. John Drinkwater Bethune
of Salford, who had earned fame as the author of History of the Siege of Gibraltar. A brilliant student, young John was educated at Westminster School
, graduated as a wrangler from Trinity College
, University of Cambridge
, and later qualified for the Bar
to secure an administrative position in Parliament. He was proficient in Greek
, Latin
, German
, French
and Italian
and also earned fame as a poet. In 1848, he was sent to India as Law Member of the Governor General’s Council.
in 1819, by the Calcutta Female Juvenile Society, organised by Calcutta Baptist Mission Society
. In 1820, Mrs. Gogerly opened a school under the auspices of London Missionary Society
. In addition to reading and writing in Bengali
, the girls were instructed in geography, needlework and the Bible. The students were from the lower orders of Hindu
society and some were adult.
Ever since the School Society was established in 1818 by David Hare
at Kolkata, the question of whether girls should be provided the same education as boys had been debated. Radhakanta Deb, one of the secretaries of the society and a leader of the conservative section of Hindu society, had opined in favour of girls’ education and wanted girls to go to school along with boys. However, his views were not shared by others in society. In 1821, British and Foreign School Society sent Mary Ann Cooke to India to initiate women’s education. When the differences of opinion amongst the members of the School Society prevented Miss Cooke from taking up her task, she started working with the Church Missionary Society
. With her efforts at least 277 girls had the opportunity of education in ten schools.
Subsequently, at the initiative of Lady Amherst, wife of the Governor General, Lord Amherst
, Bengal Ladies Society was set up. An official report in 1838 mentions nineteen girls’ schools with around 450 students in different parts of Bengal
. Most of those schools were set up by Christian women and were part of the efforts for propagating Christianity. The Bengali elite was still not ready to send their girls to school.
group had been persistent in its advocacy of the cause of Indian women. Peary Charan Sarkar
, a former student of Hindu College, then posted as headmaster of Barasat Government School
took a leading part in setting up a free school for girls in 1847 in Barasat
, a suburb of Calcutta (later the school was named Kalikrishna Girls' High School
). Most possibly, Bethune took a cue from this school, when he went there for inspection as President of the Council of Education.
With the support of such people as Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee
, Ramgopal Ghosh
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Madan Mohan Tarkalankar
, Bethune set up the secular Native Female School in 1849. It was the first such effort in Kolkata and had a major impact on society. The government took it over in 1856 and renamed it Bethune School in 1862–63. Bethune donated all his movable and immovable property to the school.
Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan
and other liberals supported the school for twenty years but the institution did not receive wide public support. In 1868, Miss Piggot, the headmistress was forced to resign because she had brought in Christianity, considered a dreaded alien faith in India at that time, into the teaching programme.
(the age of darkness) has come! Once the girls get hold of the books nothing will be left.’
The noted Bengali poet of the period, Ishwar Chandra Gupta
well focussed the spirit of public indignation:
The school went through a rough time until it was amalagated with Banga Mahila Vidyalaya
, initially established as Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya
by Annette Akroyd, and some Brahmo
gentlemen, including Dwarkanath Ganguly
. A number of bright students joined the institution – Kadambini Bose
, Sarala Das
, Abala Das
, and Subarnaprabha Basu, all of whom were prominent figures later. Bethune School was an eye-opener for the Bengali bhadralok (gentleman). It led to the opening of other such schools. Remarkably, with the opening of secular schools the earlier schools disappeared.
In the nineteenth century, people from orthodox Hindu families considered education of
women almost a sin. They believed that a literate wife would lose her husband sooner than an illiterate one. Even in the eighties of the century the opposition to women’s education continued to be strong. Over the decade the number of girl students in Bethune School remained almost the same. A majority of the students were from Brahmo families. In 1888, out of 136 students in Bethune School, 87 were Brahmos, 44 Hindus and 5 Christians. In 1886, Victoria College was revived and reconstituted as a Secondary School (it was started in 1882). Brahmo Girls School was set up in 1890 and Christ Church School started sending up girls for Entrance examinations in 1890. This meant that large number of girls from Brahmo and Christian families opted for institutions other than Bethune School. In 1894, out of 138 students in Bethune School, 70 were Hindus, 55 Brahmos and 13 Christians. It was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that prejudice against women’s education had almost gone.
In 1849, soon after his joining as Law Member of the Governor General’s Council, Bethune prepared a draft to bring the British-born subjects of the crown under the jurisdiction of the courts and laws of the British East India Company
. A powerful agitation by the Europeans scuttled the move.
In the same year, when Michael Madhusudan Dutt
published his English book of poems, Captive Lady, Bethune opined that it was a folly for foreigners to attempt establishment as English poets, but if such talent was dedicated to the local languages, the country could greatly benefit.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and law member of the Governor-General's Council, was an Anglo-Indian lawyer and a pioneer in promoting women's education in 19th-century India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
When his father added 'Bethune' to his name, he did likewise.
In 1849, Bethune founded an institution for women's education in Calcutta (now Kolkata), then the capital of British India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. The institute later bore his name and became famous as Bethune College
Bethune College
Bethune College is a women's college in India. It was founded as a school in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune and in 1879 developed as the first women's college in India. It is located at 181, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata -700006, just opposite the current campus of Scottish Church College,...
.
Early life
He was born in EalingEaling
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, son of Col. John Drinkwater Bethune
John Drinkwater Bethune
Colonel John Drinkwater Bethune , born John Drinkwater, was an English army officer and military historian, and was well known for his journal, which he kept during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.- Life and career :...
of Salford, who had earned fame as the author of History of the Siege of Gibraltar. A brilliant student, young John was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, graduated as a wrangler from Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and later qualified for the Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
to secure an administrative position in Parliament. He was proficient in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and also earned fame as a poet. In 1848, he was sent to India as Law Member of the Governor General’s Council.
Background
The earliest schools for Indian girls were opened at Gouribari in north KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in 1819, by the Calcutta Female Juvenile Society, organised by Calcutta Baptist Mission Society
Baptist Missionary Society
rightBMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as the Baptist Missionary Society...
. In 1820, Mrs. Gogerly opened a school under the auspices of London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
. In addition to reading and writing in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, the girls were instructed in geography, needlework and the Bible. The students were from the lower orders of Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
society and some were adult.
Ever since the School Society was established in 1818 by David Hare
David Hare (philanthropist)
David Hare was a Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist in Bengal. He founded many important and prestigious educational institutions in Kolkata, such as the Hindu School, and Hare School and helped in founding Presidency College.-Early life:...
at Kolkata, the question of whether girls should be provided the same education as boys had been debated. Radhakanta Deb, one of the secretaries of the society and a leader of the conservative section of Hindu society, had opined in favour of girls’ education and wanted girls to go to school along with boys. However, his views were not shared by others in society. In 1821, British and Foreign School Society sent Mary Ann Cooke to India to initiate women’s education. When the differences of opinion amongst the members of the School Society prevented Miss Cooke from taking up her task, she started working with the Church Missionary Society
Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society, also known as the Church Missionary Society, is a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Communion and Protestant Christians around the world...
. With her efforts at least 277 girls had the opportunity of education in ten schools.
Subsequently, at the initiative of Lady Amherst, wife of the Governor General, Lord Amherst
William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst
William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst, GCH, PC was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828.-Background and education:...
, Bengal Ladies Society was set up. An official report in 1838 mentions nineteen girls’ schools with around 450 students in different parts of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Most of those schools were set up by Christian women and were part of the efforts for propagating Christianity. The Bengali elite was still not ready to send their girls to school.
Secular schools
The Young BengalYoung Bengal
The Young Bengal movement was a group of radical Bengali free thinkers emerging from Hindu College, Calcutta in the early 19th century. They were also known as Derozians, after their firebrand teacher at Hindu College, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio....
group had been persistent in its advocacy of the cause of Indian women. Peary Charan Sarkar
Peary Charan Sarkar
Peary Charan Sarkar , spelled Pyari Churn Sircar or Pyari Charan Sarkar in contemporary documents, was an educationist and textbook writer in nineteenth century Bengal. His series of Reading Books introduced a whole generation of Bengalis to the English language, sold in the millions and were...
, a former student of Hindu College, then posted as headmaster of Barasat Government School
Barasat Peary Charan Sarkar Government High School
Barasat Peary Charan Sarkar Government High School in Barasat is a boys school. The school was established in 1846 by the efforts of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Peary Charan Sarkar, and others...
took a leading part in setting up a free school for girls in 1847 in Barasat
Barasat
Barasat is a city in the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal India and is the district head quarter of the district North 24 Parganas. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The town is an important railway and roadway junction...
, a suburb of Calcutta (later the school was named Kalikrishna Girls' High School
Kalikrishna Girls' High School
Kalikrishna Girls' High School, is a high school for girls on the town of Barasat near Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The school has class I to XII. It is one of the oldest girls' school in India...
). Most possibly, Bethune took a cue from this school, when he went there for inspection as President of the Council of Education.
With the support of such people as Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee
Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee
Raja Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee Taluqdar of the formerly confiscated taluq of Shankarpur in the United Provinces was one of the leaders of the Young Bengal group in 19th-century India...
, Ramgopal Ghosh
Ramgopal Ghosh
Ramgopal Ghosh was an Indian businessman, social reformer, orator and one of the leaders of the Young Bengal group. He was called the Indian Demosthenes. Ghosh was one of the persons who helped John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune to establish his girls school.-Early life:The family hailed from Bagati,...
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Madan Mohan Tarkalankar
Madan Mohan Tarkalankar
Madan Mohan Tarkalankar was a Bengali poet and Sanskrit scholar. He also developed Bengali text-books for children. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Akshay Kumar Datta and Tarkalankar were the first “to envisage texts that would build the character of the new generation without sacrificing literary...
, Bethune set up the secular Native Female School in 1849. It was the first such effort in Kolkata and had a major impact on society. The government took it over in 1856 and renamed it Bethune School in 1862–63. Bethune donated all his movable and immovable property to the school.
Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan
Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan
Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan was an Indian scholar, editor and publisher of the trend-setting weekly Bengali newspaper Somprakash.-Father:His father, Harachandra Bhattacharya was a scholar...
and other liberals supported the school for twenty years but the institution did not receive wide public support. In 1868, Miss Piggot, the headmistress was forced to resign because she had brought in Christianity, considered a dreaded alien faith in India at that time, into the teaching programme.
Reaction
As soon as the school was established the orthodox society of the day reacted sharply against the development. When the totally covered carriages of the newly established school clattered though the cobbled thoroughfares, people stared in awe and swore at the girls. It was common for people to say, ‘Whatever was left of Kali YugaKali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
(the age of darkness) has come! Once the girls get hold of the books nothing will be left.’
The noted Bengali poet of the period, Ishwar Chandra Gupta
Ishwar Chandra Gupta
Ishwar Chandra Gupta was an Indian Bengali poet and writer. Gupta was born in the village Kanchanpalli or Kanchrapara, 24 Parganas district .- Early life :...
well focussed the spirit of public indignation:
-
- Jato chhunrigulo turi mere ketab hatey nichhey jabey,
- A B sikhey, bibi sejey, bilati bol kabei kabey;
- Aar kichhu din thakrey bhai! pabei pabe dekhte pabe,
- Apon hatey hankiye bogey, gorer maathey haoa khabey.
The school went through a rough time until it was amalagated with Banga Mahila Vidyalaya
Banga Mahila Vidyalaya
Banga Mahila Vidyalaya was the first women’s liberal arts college in India. Established at Kolkata on 1 June 1876, by the liberal section of the Brahmo Samaj, it was successor of Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya set up on 18 September 1873 by Annette Akroyd...
, initially established as Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya
Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya
Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya was a boarding school located at 22 Beniapukur Lane, Entally, Kolkata, India, founded by Annette Akroyd The school made a break with the idea of a less taxing curricula for girls, and provided the same kind of learning for its students as was available for boys. Sources...
by Annette Akroyd, and some Brahmo
Brahmo Samaj
Brahmo Samaj is the societal component of the Brahmo religion which is mainly practiced today as the Adi Dharm after its eclipse in Bengal consequent to the exit of the Tattwabodini Sabha from its ranks in 1859. It was one of the most influential religious movements responsible for the making of...
gentlemen, including Dwarkanath Ganguly
Dwarkanath Ganguly
Dwarkanath Ganguly was a Brahmo reformer in Bengal of British India. He contributed substantially towards the enlightenment of society and the emancipation of women.-Early life:...
. A number of bright students joined the institution – Kadambini Bose
Kadambini Ganguly
Kadambini Ganguly was one of the first female graduates of the British Empire along with Chandramukhi Basu. She was one of the first female physicians of South Asia to be trained in European medicine.-Early life:...
, Sarala Das
Sarala Roy
Sarala Roy was an educationist and is remembered as founder of the Gokhale Memorial School at Kolkata , at present the capital of the east Indian state of West Bengal.-Life:...
, Abala Das
Abala Bose
Abala, Lady Bose was a social worker well-known for her efforts in the field of women’s education and her contribution towards the alleviation of the condition of widows.-Family:...
, and Subarnaprabha Basu, all of whom were prominent figures later. Bethune School was an eye-opener for the Bengali bhadralok (gentleman). It led to the opening of other such schools. Remarkably, with the opening of secular schools the earlier schools disappeared.
In the nineteenth century, people from orthodox Hindu families considered education of
women almost a sin. They believed that a literate wife would lose her husband sooner than an illiterate one. Even in the eighties of the century the opposition to women’s education continued to be strong. Over the decade the number of girl students in Bethune School remained almost the same. A majority of the students were from Brahmo families. In 1888, out of 136 students in Bethune School, 87 were Brahmos, 44 Hindus and 5 Christians. In 1886, Victoria College was revived and reconstituted as a Secondary School (it was started in 1882). Brahmo Girls School was set up in 1890 and Christ Church School started sending up girls for Entrance examinations in 1890. This meant that large number of girls from Brahmo and Christian families opted for institutions other than Bethune School. In 1894, out of 138 students in Bethune School, 70 were Hindus, 55 Brahmos and 13 Christians. It was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that prejudice against women’s education had almost gone.
Other activities
Bethune was closely associated with the Calcutta Public Library and translation activities into Bengali. He published a treatise on women’s education by Pandit Gour Mohan Vidyalankar and distributed it at his own cost.In 1849, soon after his joining as Law Member of the Governor General’s Council, Bethune prepared a draft to bring the British-born subjects of the crown under the jurisdiction of the courts and laws of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. A powerful agitation by the Europeans scuttled the move.
In the same year, when Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagardari , on the bank of Kopotaksho [কপোতাক্ষ] River, a village in Keshobpur Upozila, Jessore District, East Bengal . His father was Rajnarayan Dutt, an eminent lawyer, and...
published his English book of poems, Captive Lady, Bethune opined that it was a folly for foreigners to attempt establishment as English poets, but if such talent was dedicated to the local languages, the country could greatly benefit.
See also
- Speech on Female Education in India by Keshub Chunder Sen.