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ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPUCHIN ORDER IN INDIA 207 Fr General approved the Formation Programme proffered by Mgr Jacopi and excused himself for his diffidence towards the plan of erec– ting a Study in India. It had been the practical impossibility of getting for India Lectors of philosophy. and theology from Europe that had driven him to think of sending the students to England. He would moreover plead with the Provincial of England to somehow find out Lectors for the Study in India. Mgr Jacopi had begged that at least the Novitiate be allowed to stay the course as it had already been provided with "a good Master" 35 • 4. First suspension of Novitiate - 1881 The Capuchins in the other ecclesiastical jurisdictions in India did not fully share Mgr Jacopi's optimism about the outcome of his venture precisely because its prospects did not appear all that rosy. Lack of personnel, unsuitableness of the place chosen, financial stringency etc. were expected to pose serious problems for the workability of the Novi– tiate. Even though he had already foresightedly provided for maintain– ing the Novitiate community's canonicity on the practical level, there was no guarantee that the institution would for long capably survive all the growing pains that would necessarily come on its way. Mgr Tosi believed that the Capuchin authorities in India had instead to look for their Indian Missions a common Novitiate and a seminary in England. The three of them - the Apostolic Vicars of Agra, Patna / secondo i bisogni delle scuole. 4. In giorni ed ore stabilite, devono prendere loro stessi una lezione dai presenti Maestri delle scuole di Matematica e di lingua Vernacula, Ordu, per cos{ rendersi poco a poco, abili ad insegnare quelle scienze, che si richiedono per lo Stendardo degl'Esami publici sopra menzionati". 35 AAAgra A.B.D. 8 n.5: Mgr Jacopi's report of June 1886 cites the General's letter of 1 December 1882: "V.E. poi si sgomenta, perche siasi avuta, o abbiasi idea di togliere da Agra ii Noviziato. Monsignore niuno vi ha pur pensato, solo si vuole che esso faccia buona prova, e i giovani, che vi sono ammessi, .siano educati secondo ii vero spirito di S. Francesco, avuto, gia s'intende, riguardo i luoghi, tempi, e freddi paesi etc. Stia dunque tranquillo, e concentri una buona parte della sua attivita in formare alla Missione elementi nuovi nazionali, capaci di farla progredire meglio assai che con altri elementi; specialmente ora, che l'Ordine in molte Provincie, e in grande distrette, e rarissime sono le vocazioni per le Missioni; mentre mi pare che tutto ii mondo vada divenendo una Missione, e da per ogni dove domandi operai per convertire i nuovi barbari, peggiori dei pagani".