Madhusudan_Das

His Life and Achievements 157
public want an honorary Minister of Local Self-Government."
The Governor and the other Minister did not agree to accept the
offer of Das, so he said:
I was obliged to accept the proposal of a reduced pay because I
found that my brother Minister was willing to accept the proposal
and he felt that I was an impediment in his way. In order to
improve his position. I agreed to accept the proposal. My brother's
position being now secure. I beg to resign my office as Minister
of Local Self-Government. I still believe that the office ought to
be honorary but as your Excellency rejected my proposal on the
subject. I do not think. 1 should continue in this office. 20
He never coveted any honour and when it came unasked, he felt
uncomfortable. When the title of C.L.E. was conferred on him in 1904, he
was not very happy as he wrote to the Governor of Bihar in 1921, "When
I received CLE., it was preceded by a long personal telegram from Lord
Curzon. I saw the Bengal Chief Secretary of the time and begged to be
relieved of an honour which would not sit kindly on me". 21
Next to industrialism, another glowing passion with him was
women's education. He established a girl's school at Cuttack in 1908 and
sent one of his dead friend's daughter to England to receive higher
education there and take charge of the school on return. This school is
now a Degree College located in his own residential house. He also had
made another daughter of this dead friend an Advocate and as women
were not then allowed to practice at the Bar. he fought for her enrolment.
The Privy Council ultimately rejected her application. Das persuaded the
Viceroy and Sir Hari Singh Gour. an eminent legislator to amend the
Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 in the Central Assembly on August 8.1923
. Even Calcutta University did not allow this woman, Miss Sudhansubala
Hazra to join the Law College but Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee. the Vice-
Chancellor and one time pupil of Das. made an exception in her case.
Thus he was always a crusader for noble causes.
On women's education, Madhusudan writes —
A nation cannot develop without the education of her women.
We take pride in our past but the nation then meant both men and.
women. Now the nation means men only. The women do not take
part in any activity of the nation and we also do not want to give
them this part.
Wealth and learning are two valuable instruments of life.
Man marches forward on the path of progress surmounting all