it's not even remotely progressive; it's the standard "white man's burden" horseshit that was prevalent at the time, positing that englishness was a higher state of civilisation that indians needed to be educated to attain.
In 1835, England already had inter-city railways and most textile mills were using steam engines. If you were an Englishmen in 1835, you'd absolutely look out at India and see English civilization as being from a higher state. And, based on the empirical evidence before your eyes, it would be extremely progressive of you to posit that the difference between you and those Indians was something that could be bridged by education.
