118 LIFE OF BABU SURENDRA KATH BANEBJEE. birth-day. We take the child to be as many years old as that which he will attain at his next birth-day. If he has for example completed his second birth-day and is in his third year, we say he is three years old. The European method is different The child is considered to be as many years old as many birth-days he has completed. Thus taking up the case which we have already cited,, the child who is three years old according to our system would be considered as being only two years accord- ing to the European method of computation. Babu Surendra Nath Banerjea was thus according to our me- thod of calculation 16 years of age at the time of his appearing at the Entrance Examination, although re- ally he was only fifteen according to the European way of counting the age. His age entered in the school roll* at the time of his admission when he was a boy of only seven years old shewed that he was fifteen when he appeared at the Entrance Examination, and was therefore quite within the limit of age (viz 20) when he appeared at the Open Competitive Examination. The Civil Service Commissioners did not sufficiently appre- hend the Hindoo method of counting the age, which however was conclusively proved by over-whelming testimony proceeding from such men as the late Moha- raja Roma Nath Tagore, the late Babu Kristo Das Pal, the venerable Pundit Iswara Chunder Vidyasagar, Mo- haraja Sir jotindra Mohun Tagore and others. Equally satisfactory was the evidence with regard to Babu Surety dra Nath Banerjea's age and the matter ended satisfact£. rily. It was after a year's hard contest.in February 1870, that Babu Surendra Nath Banerjea's name was restored to the list of selected candidates, and he was called upon to prepare himself for the Final Examination of 1871. He had lost a year and he was required to do two years' work in one year's time. But nothing daunted, he res- ponded to the call and his great power of work was of signal use to him on this occasion. Babu Surendra Nath's father did not live to hear of the good news of
