Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/493

450 train up students for the First Examination in Arts. But Vidyasagar was now beset with difficulties and obstacles. Even his friends doubted the efficiency of the Institution to impart college instruction properly, and they tried to dissuade him from what they thought his fruitless attempts. These rumours tended to dishearten the students, who became fearful of their success. Sometimes their guardians called on Vidyasagar and vexed him with various questions on the subject. It is said, that continued vexations of this kind perplexed him very much. At last, unable to bear them, he appeared one day in the Institution, and told the students of the First Arts Class, that they were free to go away to some other college, if they were afraid of their success. But the boys one and all declared that they would never quit the Institution, come what might. Vidyasagar was very pleased, and assured them that he was anxious for the success of his school, and that he would take every means to make the Institution as efficient as any other college in Bengal. In fact, he did as he said. He engaged the most distinguished native scholars of the time as professors to his college, It must be admitted, to his great credit, that he never employed European teachers in his school.

At the First Arts Examination of 1874, the Metropolitan Institution stood second in order of merit. Every one was amazed at the brilliant success of the native college at its first appearance,