Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 3.djvu/38

 had vritnessed the bestowal of the Kaisern* Hind Gold Medal among its New Year’s Honours, so the year happily rung out this day along the Master’s ‘ pilgrimage' brought, on the King-Emperor’s Birth-day, the royal recognition of a Knighthood for the first time, all the country over, unto a non-of&cial educationist pure and simple, himself a very primrose for modesty self -screened from public gaze. The unique distinction, only re-affirmatory as regards Nature’s own ‘ born knight ’ in the higher, fuller signification of the term, was, at the time, doubly commended in The Madras Mail with the fitting reference, “ In the Maharajah of Pithapuram he met with an enthusiastic patron who seconded his efforts especially where work connected with Social Reform was concerned, so that it might in one sense be said that the further recognition now of his work is shared to some extent by the Maharajah of Pithapuram as well.” It naturally evoked a cordial expression of general satisfaction that the right had come to the right, from Maharajahs and Rajahs, Governors