PREFACE THREE stories of great educational importance are well known to the literary world, One of them is “Hithopadesa” by Vishnusarma. The second is “Adventures of Telemachus” by the French writer Fenelon. The third is “ The History of Sandford and Merton" by Thomas Day. It is not necessary to discuss the respective merits of the three great works. Certain facts and tradition supported by the internal evidence in the works themselves, go to show that the first two works were intended for the training of princes. These works coupled with the personal influence of these writers themselves, probably fulfilled the object for which they were intended. But · Hithopadesa’ or its expanded form called 'Panchatantra' is all fable, where dumb animals are invested with the power of speech. • Adventures of Tele. machus' which is classed by some writers of the eighteenth century among epic poems, has the drawback of the intervention of supernatural agency. “ Why do not birds and jackals speak now ?" " Why do not Gods come to the earth now ?” are questions guilelessly and spontaneously asked by the little ones and are quite within the experience of men familiarly conversant with young minds during their plastic period. The third work viz., Day's • History of Sandford and Merton’ was written in the eighteenth century. It is free from the above drawbacks. It narrates in an impressive manner only what transpires in our every day life and imperceptibly educates young minds to higher ideals. It is this last work that I took for my model in writing the present treatise. Though the entire story is essentially
