Page:Ramtanu Lahiri, Brahman and Reformer - A History of the Renaissance in Bengal.djvu/197

 man were as conspicuous now as they had ever been before. He threw his heart and soul into his work. His great aim was to awaken in the minds of his pupils an earnest desire for knowledge, to help to the formation of good principles in them, and to excite in them a love of virtue. As for himself, he never spent a moment unprofitably. When free from school work he devoted himself to pursuits calculated to develop more fully his intellectual and moral faculties, among which were the study of botany in the flower garden and the laying-out of a piece of ground for horticultural purposes.

From Baraset Mr Lahiri was again sent to Krishnagar College in 1858. But he had another change of place soon. In 1859 he was appointed second master of the English School at Rassapagla, near Calcutta, established by the Government for the education of Tipu Sultan’s descendants. While here he could very frequently call on his friend Ram Gopal, and others, and take part in their pursuits and enjoyments. He joined them in their literary labours, political agitations, and festive meetings.

Drinking wine, as we have said before, was the fashion of the day, and he relished this pleasure, though he was never known to go beyond the limits of moderation. Many a convivial gathering would have turned into a drinking-bout but for his presence. We have heard from his own lips that a circumstance happened at the time of which we are speaking which induced him to live as a teetotaller for years, till his health gave way, and he was, at the advice of doctors and friends, obliged to return to his former habit of drinking a glass or two of wine in the evening. One day a young relative of Ram Gopal, having drunk too much, lost all control over his own conduct and speech. This caused Ramtanu Babu to reflect on the bad and dangerous examples his friends