Page:Ramtanu Lahiri, Brahman and Reformer - A History of the Renaissance in Bengal.djvu/166



this world there is often a mixture of good and evil. A drop of honey may hide a sting; a cup of nectar may contain a drop of poison. This may be said of Derozio’s influence on the minds of the young generation of his time. We have seen how liberal they became in their views, and how the noble principles of their natures were developed, and how, on the other hand, they imbibed the evil habit of drinking, which was wrongly regarded by them as one of the signs of civilisation. This habit in time became so general, and so overleaped the bounds of moderation, that English education progressed hand-in-hand with a morbid love for the bottle. Even students in their teens were known to be tipplers. According to them. Bacchanalian meetings in broad daylight, attended with feasting on meat cooked in Muhammadan shops, was thought to be the unmistakable sign of moral courage; and one’s credit as a reformer depended on the degree in which one could indulge in these revelries. But you cannot safely play with a venomous reptile; and alcohol, which had as a reptile crept into the Bengali community, soon showed itself in its destructive character. The bodies and minds of many became injured, while the angel of death untimely cut short the career of some.

But Derozio is not solely to be blamed for the Bengalis’ hostile attitude towards Hindu conservatism, or their predilection for everything English, including the vice of drinking. Another influence was at work — that of Captain