পাতা:Reminiscences Speeches And Writings Of Sir Gooroo Dass Banerjee Reminiscences pt. 1.pdf/১৮২

EvenTs of His IIFE. 165 TO WW” HALL „MEETI.IMG. The great meeting at the Town Hall in Calcutta, on Friday evening last, was a magnificent and exhilarating event. It was magnificent in that all sections of the Indian community were represented thereat, and exhilarating because there was absolute unanimity throughout the proceedings. As regards mere numbers, the audience was an immense one, and immense is the only word we can well use. We have said, that the meeting was representative of all classes of the Indian community. The Zemindars were there iun force, we might say, irresistible force, since the most influential and the best educated annong them, headed by Raja Peary Mohun Mukerjee, voiced the agitation. Among the other speakers were lawyers and journalists. None of the speakers had his own irons to grind. That is, not one of them had any pecuniary interest in private schools and collegiate institutions which are threatened with destruction by the Universities Commission's Report and recommendations. The exclusion of this particular element from the discussion was desirable, for Government cannot now turn round and say, that the malcontents are interested parties, whose opposition is bred of selfishness. As a mattor of fact, all Indians are interested and even selfish parties in this case, for as a speaker, who led the debate, observed, it is a matter of life and death to us all. That it is so considered universally may be judged from the specches