Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/168

 Many an admirer of Mr. Tilak has deplored his lack of the gift of the gab. Persons are not wanting who say "Had Mr. Tilak been an orator, he would have vanquished the Moderate party long before he actually did.". .Though not an eloquent speaker, Mr. Tilak was always an effective one. Even so fastidious a critic as the Hon'ble Mr. Chintamani has recorded his praise of Mr. Tilak's speech (at the Calcutta Congress of 1896) on Quinquinnial Provincial Contracts. Another Congress speech of Mr. Tilak was pronounced, by a high authority to have had "a genuine Maratha ring about it." Mr. Tilak's platform speeches, English or Marathi, always produced profound impression on his hearers; for, as Lord Morley says "Political oratory is action not words; action, character, will, conviction, purpose and personality." Mr. Tilak, deficient in words, had enough of character and personality. These made him quite irresistible.

The Indian Patriot describes Mr. Tilak's political oratory in the following judicious words:—

"Of all political thinkers in India, Mr. Tilak has the invaluable gift of shedding dry light on the subject of his discourse, without converting his address into an appeal to our emotions merely. Nor does he desire to reiterate commonplace observations and stale and superficial sentiments. On the other hand, it has been his aim whenever he comes forward to make a public pronouncement, to convince the intellect of his hearers, to overcome the doubts and difficulties of his audience, and to take up the strongest position of his opponents^ and establish his own, in the light of reason and logic, as the more sustainable ground. ... He does not give