Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/85

Rh failed, how matters culminated in the unfortunate spUt at Surat, how the Congress dwindled into nothingness, and how Mr. Tilak's return (1916) to the Congress camp enhanced its prestige, power and popularity, until at last in the present moment it has been recognised as the non-official Parliament of the country.

Mr. Tilak joined the Congress in 1889,—only after his separation from the Deccan Education Society had become inevitable and imminent. "One thing at a time" was always his motto. If he sacrificed Social Reform to Politics, let us not forget that in the first ten years of his career he sacrificed Politics to Education. The principle of division of labour, introduced mainly by Mr. Tilak into our public life has at last been accepted and no man is now blamed for confining his attention to a particular branch of national activities.

The question is often asked "Why was not Mr. Tilak's name even proposed for the Presidentship of the Congress earlier?" His genius, learning, courage and sacrifices were generally admitted. What then came in his way? If Mr. Tilak was a junior, was not Mr. (Now Dr. Sir) Chandavarkar equally so in 1900? The answer is that the group of the politicians who held the Congress in leading strings was rather exclusive and would not agree to admit into the inner sanctuary an element of an alien type. The qualities that then were considered to belong to a statesman were eloquence of speech, suppleness of conduct, European habits and association (misnamed influence) with the Bureaucracy. Mr. Tilak had none of these 'rare' gifts. He possessed in a boundless