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124 LIFE OF BABU SURENDRA KATH BANE RJ EE. . has been turned into a first-class College known as the "Ripon College," now teaching over 1700 boys in the College and School department. The success, this private College has achieved within the short space of seven years has been not only acknowledged by the highest officials in the land but reflects great credit on Babu Surendra Nath, its founder and Pro- prietor, and also on those who are connected with it. - His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor in distributing the Prizes of the Ripon College on the 31st March 1888 thus referred to Babu Surendra Nath Banerjee's efforts in this direction : — "Meanwhile wherever a fresh experiment like that of the Ripon College was successfully started, it deserved the warm- est encouragement on the part of the authorities, as it exempli- fied the wisdom of the policy -of Government that the further development of higher education could now he safely left to the people themselves. Turning to the annual report he was glad to see such a capital account of the progress of the institution. Ib had taken a largo leap in numbers both in the College and School Department which was very Instructive, and the success which it had met in all the examinations of the College and School, together with its branches, tended to show that the ins- titution was doing a highly useful work. He admired and con- gratulated the proprietor for his energy and perseverance in the amount of work he was doing for the institution. The super- vision of the Ripon Institution alone must be a heavy burthen but to that he has added the guidance of two branch schools at Kidderpore and Howrah, and this in addition to his numerous public duties and his labours as a journalist is a remarkable proof of energy and industry." (Vide Babu Raj Jogeshur Hit- ter's collection of speeches of Sir Steuart Bayley p.119.) In this connection it is necessary to mention that In 1886 Babu Surendra Nath Banerjee established a .Branch of the Ripon Collegiate School at Khidderpur,.