Page:Rabindranath Tagore - A Biographical Study.djvu/172

 "But to my mind there is something more natural and delightful, more truly wise, in this new school of Mr. Tagore's than in anything that has yet been done. It will be most interesting for us all to watch the results. There is no doubt that the genius of Shanti Niketan is one of originality, enthusiasm, and freshness of experiment."

As for the poet's more intimate religious influence over his boys, let me quote from Mr. Bose: "His great personality silently permeates the whole atmosphere of the school and inspires every member of the Institution with the divinity and nobility of his character. When he is in the school he meets the boys twice a week regularly in the or temple, and speaks to them simply and in his own homely way on the great ideals of life." The boys look forward eagerly to these meetings with their founder. Besides such regular occasions there are other special days in the year—the anniversary of the founding of the school, New Year's Day, the festivals associated with the birth or death of the great spiritual teachers of mankind, when services are held in the. These services are always conducted by Rabindranath