THE STUDY OF SANSKRIT.

The study of SanskritThe ancient liturgical and classical language of India, belonging to the same language family as Greek, Latin, and English., the scientific study of the ancient history and culture of India, is about a century old. It was in the year 1784 that a group of men serving in Calcutta as judges or administrative officers for the East India Company formed themselves into a scientific organization called the Asiatic Society. We may say that the founding of the Asiatic Society happened at the same time as the birth of a new branch of historical research—a field that earlier generations had hardly, if ever, considered possible.

The English began this work, but it was soon taken up by other nations. Over time—and to a much greater degree than the study of Egyptian hieroglyphs or Mesopotamian cuneiformAncient wedge-shaped writing used in the Middle East. inscriptions—it has increasingly become a branch of research that is distinctly German.

The small group of researchers who are busy in the "workshops" of this scientific field have not been used to having the public watch their progress, successes, or failures. But, in spite of this—or rather because of it—it is appropriate that an attempt should be made to invite even the most casual observers to inspect these places of industry. We should point out, piece by piece, the work—or at least a portion of the work—that has been accomplished there.