Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/100

80 teous words, the representatives of the Bureaucracy hardly failed to be sarcastic and overbearing. Members like the Hon. Mr. Sayani, who read carefully prepared manuscript speeches were "respectfully" requested to save their "physical labour" of reading them, by submitting to the Council printed copies, which "might then be taken as read." The Hon. Messrs. Javerilal and Setalwad were blamed for turning the Council into a "Circus," in which annually they were "wont to trot out their hobby horses." With such limitation and environments, it was natural that the output of the work of the representatives of the people was dis-appointingly small. Equally with his University fellowship* or the Municipal Councillorship, Mr. Tilak's membership of the Legislative Council failed to add one inch to his worth or one grain to his usefulness. It was simply a trifling accident of his life.

In several respects, Mr. Tilak possessed many of the qualities that go to make a great legislator. He had in him that unique combination of the idealist and the realist which is the sine qua non of a successful law-giver. His grasp of general principles, his mastery over petty and intricate details, his patience in investigation, his breadth of vision, his legal acumen, ready wit and resourceful intellect—all these qualities would have taken his name down to posterity as the maker of