It is considered so necessary in Bengal to marry girls
young that bridegrooms are often tempted with a dower. The price varies according to qualifications, and the correspondent of a native paper received by last mail has lately revealed the curious fact that the highest of these is a University degree. The lad who would have accepted 100/., if he has a degree demands 250/., and always gets it. Fathers in fact compete with one another, and the lucky holder of a diploma is as it were put up to auction. Of course the bidders are regood deal influ- enced by an idea that a candidate for office with a diploma will be favoured by Government, bat there is something else. Ben- galees respect intelligence above everything but pedigree, and they see in the diploma an honest and thorough test of it,—an opinion extremely creditable to the University examiners.
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