Page:Sketches of some distinguished Indian women.djvu/140

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SOME DISTINGUISHED INDIAN WOMEN.

another devotes herself to teaching in the kindergarten; in addition to which one daughter, who holds an appointment under Government, but who lives at home, devotes all her spare hours to the work of the schools. Two of these girls served an apprenticeship for some time as assistant teachers under Miss Collett in the Female Normal School at Ahmedahad, so that there is ample justification for the generous pride with which Cornelia Sorabji speaks of her mother and sisters as having done much for the cause of education in Western India, and as having been the means of bringing knowledge and enlightenment to many dark and ignorant minds.

We must return, however, to Cornelia herself. She was only nine years old when the Victoria High School was started, and she immediately took her place as one of its pupils. Three years later she began to help in the teaching, though continuing her own studies at the same time, and later on she passed through a course in the training school established by her mother. The sister next above her was her special instructress, and it was to her teaching that she ascribed her success, when, at sixteen, she went up for matriculation at Bombay. Having passed this examination, she was not content, like many other students, with what she had already achieved ; success only increased her desire to learn more and to continue her course up to the degree. In order to do