Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/206

 unity in the National Congress. Another resolution advocated the Swadeshi and Boycott movement ; an attempt was made to substitute the words " boycott of foreign goods ** for the words ** the Boycott movement" but it met with a miserable failure. A resolution on National Education was also passed and a strong Com- mittee was appointed to work it out. Most of the resolutions were mandates to the people and not appeals to the Government. " Self-reliance, no mendicancy ** was the watch- word of this Conference. It was resol- ved to take steps to encourage sugar mdustry in Poona;. to make an industrial survey of the district, to start at least 25 primary schools during the course of one year, to encourage arbitration and discourage liquor. Alto- gether a nice programme of work, unluckily required to be totally shelved by the coming of the bomb.

It was a nice and most inspiring speech that Mr. Tilak delivered in the District Conference on the " Evils of Drink." He ridiculed the idea of carrying on "a Temperance propaganda " by means of magic lantern performances and like otlier methods. These methods according to him, were «!dl right in countries having the hereditary poison of drink in their blood. But where^ as in India, morality, religion, social opinion, instinct and heredity were strongly against the use of liquor, picketing was the only way to rouse individual, social as well as the Abkari conscience. ^ He wound up his speech with an impassioned appeal to the young men sitting opposite in the gallery. The effect was electric. A band of youths formed themselves into a Volunteer corps and spontaneously started peaceful picketing before the principle liquor-shops of Poona. It