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Prataprai Lalloobhai Mehta.
16490OOOT
So young, so wise they say, never live long.
He claimed no title from descent of blood, But that which made him noble made him good, Warmed with more particles of Heavenly flame He winged his upward flight, and soared to fame; The rest remained below, a tribe without a name.
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Born of a good respectable family, though young, and scarcely thirteen years of age at his death, Mr. Prataprai was a congenial comrade to his school friends, an intelligent companion and help to his elders and superiors, and a willing and favourite helpful hand to those who were younger than himself and inferior to him in rank. Full of promise of a bright future career, he showed wonderful intellectual depth and surprising retentiveness of memory. It is reported✨-of him that he could reproduce a shloka only once spoken out to him, several months after the recital. Once a friend-a great personage-gave him a difficult book to read while he-the friendwas busy elsewhere. On the friend turning again his attention to him and asking him how he liked the book, he reproduced the summary of the subject matter-treated therein. He had a deep spiritual intuition and was fond of religious literature' and could remember and recite chapters and verses of most difficult readings. He was equally interested in, and was fond of Science. Astronomy was his favourite study. He beat his class friends easily in all sujects and carried off best prizes. A soul, so noble, so spiritual and of a scientific bent of mind carried but a fragile and weak physical body. Our young hero had congenital disease of the heart, which not only interfered with his study, but which brought about his early
