DHARAMPAL • COLLECTED WRITINGS

ourselves, by the eye and ear, the forms of the letters being
presented to him in writing and their names pronounced in his
hearing, which he is required to repeat until he is able to
connect the names and the forms with each other in his mind.
The scholar is afterwards made to read the thirteenth section of
the Koran, the chapters of which are short, and are generally
used at the times of prayer and in the burial service. The words
are marked with the diacritical points in order that the
knowledge of letters, their junction and correct orthography and
their pronunciation from the appropriate organs may be
thoroughly acquired; but the sense is entirely unknown. The
next book put into his hands is the Pandanameh of Sadi, a
collection of moral sayings, many of which are above his
comprehension, but he is not taught or required to understand
any of them. The work is solely used for the purpose of
instructing him in the art of reading and of forming a correct
pronunciation, without any regard to the sense of the words
pronounced. It is generally after this that the scholar is taught to
write the letters, to join vowels and consonants, and to form
syllables. The next book is the Amadnameh, exhibiting the forms
of conjugating the Persian verbs which are read to the master
and by frequent repetition committed to memory. The first book
which is read for the purpose of being understood is the Gulistan
of Sadi, containing lessons on life and manners and this followed
or accompanied by the Bostan of the same author. Two or three
sections of each are read; and simultaneously short Persian
sentences relating to going and coming, sitting and standing,
and the common affairs of life, are read and explained. The pupil
is afterwards made to write Persian names, then Arabic names
and next Hindi names, especially such as contain letters to the
writing or pronunciation of which difficulty is supposed to
attach. Elegant penmanship is considered a great
accomplishment, and those who devote themselves to this art
employ from three to six hours every day in the exercise of it,
writing first single letters, then double or treble, then couplets,
quatrains, etc. They first write upon a board with a thick pen,
then with a finer pen on pieces of paper pasted together; and last
of all, when they have acquired considerable command of the
pen, they begin to write upon paper in single fold. This is
accompanied or followed by the perusal of some of the most
popular poetical productions such as Joseph and Zuleikha,
founded on a well-known incident in Hebrew history; the loves of
Leila and Majnun; the Secundar Nameh an account of the
exploits of Alexander the Great, etc., etc. The mode of computing
by the Abjad, or letters of the alphabet, is also taught,