Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/205

 in this matter, I am to blame in the least. Dr. Mouat was highly pleased at Vidyasagar's keen sense of self-respect and manly spirit. He requested Mr. Karr to have an interview with Vidyasagar, and settle the matter amicably, which the former did not fail to do. This manly spirit and fearless conduct of Vidyasagar gained him the victory almost everywhere.

Vidyasagar was always a great appreciator of merits. While he was still Assistant Secretary to the Sanskrit College, the post of the professor of Belles-lettres fell vacant. Babu Rassomoy Dutt, Secretary to the College, and Dr. Mouat, Secretary to the Education Council, both urged Vidyasagar to accept the post. Though the pay of this office was higher than what he was then getting, he declined the offer. His idea was, that if he accepted the post, he would lose his influence, and would thus be deprived of all opportunities of introducing reforms into the College. He secured the post to Madan Mohan Tarkalankar, one of his class-friends, whom he knew to be fully qualified for the office, in the manner already stated in a former chapter. It is said, that before the vacancy was filled up permanently, one Sarvananda Vidyavagis, an old man, had been acting as officiating professor of Belles-lettres. Some expressed their desire to see the old man made permanent. But Vidyasagar was quite against the idea. There were two reasons for it. The first