Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/236

 and openly accosted ' and were required to give their names. If Government servants or persons in any way connected with the Government called upon him, they received warnings subsequently. It was a bare-faced piece of ' political Vendetta ' which had to be abandoned owing to the outbreak of the great European war in August 19 14.

A man who had been in goal for over seven years of his life and who had been persecuted in a variety of other ways, has every reason to be embittered. But Mr. Tilak — who combined in himself the qualities of the soldier and the philosopher — took these troubles quite lightly, almost as a matter of course. He was nothing if not chivalrous and high-minded ; so when the British Government commenced its mortal fight with Germany he made (27th August 19 14) his " declaration of loyalty " — a declaration which extorted admiration even from hostile quarters. He repudia- ted the nasty and totally unfounded charges against him, declared that he had never either directly or indirectly incited people to deeds of violence, denied that he had ever worked " with the object of sub- verting the British rule in India " and concluded by saying that " at such a crisis it is the duty of every Indian, be he great or small, rich or poor, to support and assist his Majesty's Government to the best of his ability."

One effect of this declaration was to clear up many of the cruel misunderstandings that hung like an ominous cloud upon his personality and career. Even the (nominal) Advocate of India recognized in Mr. Tilak *' one of our loyalest and truest friends " and called