Page:Vidyasagar, the Great Indian Educationist and Philanthropist.djvu/21

 the plates. It was amidst these unfavorable circumstances that he prosecuted his studies, sometimes banishing sleep altogether and often working far beyond his strength; yet so remarkable was the progress he made that he was regarded a prodigy both by the classmates and the teachers. Add to these a disposition naturally charitable. Forgoing every personal comfort he spent almost the whole of his college stipend in charity. His tender heart was pervious to the sufferings of others and when he was out of cash he would contract a debt to meet their wants and mitigate their woes. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" may be a good rule for conventional people. The great have their own ways in most things and often conceive a marked dislike to cold and clear-cut maxims. Whenever Isvar Chandra heard of any cases of illness, he was promptly by the bed of pain. Even contagious diseases, of which everybody fought shy, could not daunt his courage nor chill his