Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/42

22 the "Natives" commanded some influence. At such a> time, therefore, the appearance of the Kesari (Marathi. weekly) and of the Mahratta (English weekly), with self-sacrificing and patriotic proprietors evoked the liveliest, appreciation in the mind of the public and considerable uneasiness in the mind of the Government. The appreciation of the public was shown by the rapid increase in the circulation of the Kesari—reaching nearly 4,350 within three years and the uneasiness of the Government stands mirrored in a remark in the Report {1882), on the Native Press which characterized the "prevailing tone" of the Kesari as "unfriendly to the Government." This left-handed compliment conclusively proves that even in its infancy, the Kesari had distinguished itself by its fearlessness. We do not however, find the rigorous editorial discipline which we have learnt to associate with the name of Mr. Tilak. This was but natural. The proprietors were, one and all, very young and had yet to form sound views on many of the social and religious questions of the day. The editorial eloquence of Agarkar was still in its dawn; the exuberant rhetorical style of Vishnushastri felt the limitations of a newspaper article; nor do we anywhere find the "parthian shots" of Mr. Tilak, his incisive logic and trenchant criticism. With all their-faults, the news-papers— especially the Kesari—supplied the wants of their readers and were everywhere praised with warmth and enthusiasm.

As editor of the Mahratta, Mr. Tilak always championed the people's cause and in criticising the policy of high officials made no distinction between white and black Bureaucrats. He watched with the greatest