CHAPTER II 



COLLEGE DAYS AT CALCUTTA AND IN ENGLAND 



AT sixteen Jagadis passed from school to St. Xavier's College ; 

 and there while doing the ordinary work, in - a more or 

 less ordinarily respectable way, but as yet without marked 

 interest or distinction he fell under the influence which 

 plainly determined his turning to Physics, rather than 

 to the natural history of his own more prominent tastes. 

 All the pupils of Father Lafont, so long Professor of 

 Physics in that college, recall his teaching and influence 

 as truly educative. His wealth of experiments and vivid 

 clearness of exposition of them, made his class the most 

 interesting in the whole college ; and his patient skill, 

 his subtlety, as well as brilliance of experimentation, were 

 appreciated by this young student above all. Here was 

 Bose's first discipline towards that combination of intellectual 

 lucidity with wealth of experimental device and resource by 

 which he has all the more fully represented and honoured 

 his old master by surpassing him. 



But, as is common to youth, with its vague ferment of 

 ideas, its perplexity among ambitions, his career was not 

 at all clearly in sight. Finding that he could pass 

 examinations, and not without distinction, his first idea, 

 beyond taking his B.A., was to visit England for higher 

 training. At this time, as indicated in the preceding 

 chapter, Mr. Bose's schemes and investments had not only 

 mostly failed, but had burdened him with debts, of which the 

 high interests were swallowing all he could spare and save. 



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