Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/454

Rh "I think it would be highly advantageous to the wards, if their term of minority extended to 21 years instead of 18 years, as at present; as in that case, they will have longer time for improving themselves, and they will enter upon the possession of their respective estates at an age, when men's characters are formed in a manner. This extension, I believe, will not be unacceptable to the class of Zemindars, as I find that the British Indian Association, sometime ago, moved the Legislature on the subject.

(Sd.) "I. SARMA "29th August 1865."

Most of the reforms and revisions suggested by Vidyasagar for the improvement of the Wards' Institution were carried into effect, except the prohibition of corporal punishment. Dr. Rajendra Lala raised arguments in favour of the punishment. A Committee was set on foot to investigate into the matter. The Committee approved of Dr. Rajendra Lala's scheme of corporal punishment for the Wards. This was the origin of the difference between the Doctor and Vidyasagar, which by degrees grew so serious as to ultimately induce Vidyasagar to resign his visitorship.

Babu Bihari Lal Sarkar, in his biography of Vidyasagar says:—'It is not easy to ascertain the true reason why he (Vidyasagar) resigned his visitorship. I tried my best to find it out, but failed. I enquired into the matter of Babu Nanda Krishna Basu, one of the Secretaries to the Board of Revenue; but he also failed to find it out. So far it has been ascertained that his last visit paid