Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/416

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THE SOMA PRAKASA.
373

no doubt that he will be its staunch friend and champion.

(Sd.) "Isvar Chandra Sarma.

"To The Hon'ble J. P. Grant."

To revert. When the Soma-Prakasa was first started, Vidyasagar used to write most of its articles. Madan Mohan Tarkalankar also contributed some articles now and then. The paper was issued every Monday, whence its name. By and by, Vidyasagar found it difficult to issue the paper regularly and punctually every week on the appointed day. He could not make time to attend to it with proper care. He was often heard to declare that he was very short of time and the regular publication of the weekly newspaper was harder than another's service. He was, therefore, on the look-out for a competent editor, and he set his eyes on Dvaraka Nath Vidyabhushan, whom he charged with the edition of the paper. Vidyabhushan was made not only editor, but also proprietor of the Soma-Prakasa.

The system, under which newspapers are conducted now-a-days, was first introduced into vernacular journalism by Vidyabhushan. He soon made his paper successful, which reflected great credit on Vidyasagar for his judicious selection. The Bengali papers started prior to the Soma Prakasa discussed mostly social and religious matters. Political subjects appeared in them few and far between, and even then they were not dealt with