Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/155

114 charged with the examination of the new teachers in preference to them, who were far superior to him both in age and experience. The other Pandits were highly displeased with him, because merit, and no favour, was his maxim. He gave away the posts to the more worthy candidates. He showed neither favour nor bias. No consideration of any kind, either of friendship, relationship, or recommendation, found place in his conscientious heart. The disappointed Pandits began to indulge in vile slanders of Vidyasagar. But the just and heroic Vidyasagar, who had not shown the slightest favour to the civilians even at the recommendation of Mr. Marshall, his official superior and patron, was not a man to be intimidated, and to lose heart, by such mean slanders and envy. He acted up to the dictates of his own conscience. It was quite against his nature to do any thing which in his judgment, was not right and proper.

Immediately after his appointment in the Fort William College, Vidyasagar's first impulse was to relieve his father from the troubles of his toilsome servitude. Some say, that shortly after he had got his first appointment, his father had an accident on his way to office, and that this led Vidyasagar to urge him to give up his office. But we have no authority on that point. However that might be, Vidyasagar said to his father one day:—'You see, father, I now earn 50 rupees a month, and this wouid be quite sufficient to cover