Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/102

HIS CHARACTER, 9$ singleness which he believed was deep seated and un- wavering. * * * * * All his time was taken up in writing petitions and calling upon his wealthy friends to advocate the cause of the poor. That was a bright trait in his character. Now that he was gone, it behoved them to do something to perpetuate his memory. In a country like this, and under a Government such as they had, it was impossible to expect native talent and. native ge- nius to be appreciated and promoted. They were not living in a free country ; or under a representative government. He did not find fault with the existing rule ; perhaps it was the best they could have under present circumstances ; but with an exclusive Civil Service and no outlet for career there was no stimulus to exertion. It was therefore extraordinary, that a man of Hurish Chunder's circumstances, could have done so much as he did. On one occasion it was proposed that they should depute a special native agent to England. Hurish was consulted, and they all thought he was the best person whom they could depute. He did make up his mind and he would have gone, had not, as they were all aware, social ties and social customs prevented his doing so. That ponderous machinery — caste — has unfortunately been a bar to their improvement and advancement, and owing to that mischievous clog he was obliged to forego a career which would have led him on to fame and fortune. The good government of his country was always uppermost in his thoughts, and he made the promotion of it his life work. He could not find words to describe how thoroughly devoted was Hurish to make himself useful to his country. His pecuniary circumstances were not of a veiy cheering character. Though an unprofessional man and not a Regulation lawyer, his intelligence and his remarkable pene- tration would have made him a first rate pleader in the Sudder Court He (the speaker) had once urged him to follow the line of business, he' himself had been engaged in for the last