Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/721

674 distress of Hindu widows. To remove the ostensible miseries of Kulin women, he petitioned the alien Government for legislation preventing the old practice of polygamy. But alas! he did not stop for a moment to reflect that Hindu marriage was not a legal contract but a religious alliance or what was the ultimate end of Brahmacharyya or from what source and with what view it was prescribed, or how his innovation would hinder the fulfilment of that end and materially undermine the basis of the Hindu Society; his infinite natural tenderness of heart would allow him no time to reflect on these points. It was this tenderness and kindness that made him forget the true import of the holy Sastras and the religion of his fathers. So it is unmistakably clear, that excessive kindness and self-reliance were the principal elements of his character; everything else vanished before them. Vidyasagar was a man of the Age; he followed the course indicated by it. No doubt, this course has brought on a great mischief to the real Hindu, has materially injured the Hindu religion, has propelled the Hindu Society with great force in the direction of disorganisation; but Vidyasagar ought not to be blamed for it. God alone, Who made him with such materials, knows why he did so.

This is the essence of Vidyasagar's character. Sincerity and earnestness were the fundamental bases of that character. We would earnestly