Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/391

 studious, copious and methodical, Mr. Tilak, versatile, profound and original. Both took to journalism in the early nineties. Mr. Tilak remained an editor till the end of his life. Mr. Gokhale gave up journalism after less than half a dozen years' apprenticeship, laboured at Statistics and became an enthusiastic student of Economics and Politics. Mr. Gokhale's training and equipment led him to the Councils and he attained reputation as the first Councillor in India. Mr. Tilak devoted his energy to the cause of journaUsm and became the premier editor in the country. Mr. Gokhale came to be a great favourite with the Moderate leaders. Mr. Tilak founded a new school of poHtical thought of ivhich he was the undisputed and most influential leader. Mr. Gokhale's politics and opportunities made him a persona grata with the Indian Bureaucracy and the English politicians. Mr. Tilak's methods or fate led him into bitter opposition with the Bureaucracy and landed him into trouble and jail. Mr. Gokhale's path was swept clean even by highly-placed officials. Mr. Tilak's course, on the contrary, was often rendered thorny by Bureaucratic ire. Mr. Gokhale's mission in life was to be the awakener of the Bureaucratic conscience; Mr. Tilak's was to rouse the soul of his countrymen.

Till the end of his brilliant career, Mr.Gokhale:could never overcome the struggle between his inborn enthu- siasm and innate caution. His enthusiasm landed him into difficulties from which his caution hardly extricated him ; on the contrary, his caution sometimes got the better of his enthusiasm and made him take positions, his better nature would never have allowed him to do.