India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947; India -- Politics and government -- 1765-1947
As to the duty of the educated leaders in the matter of suppressing the
growth of the revolutionary movement in future, we beg to point out that
all depends on how much faith the governing classes place in the
professions of the popular leaders. Open public speeches and meetings
appealing to racial or religious animosities have not played any
important part in the development of the revolutionary spirit. It is not
likely that the educated leaders will in any way consciously and
voluntarily digress from the limits of reasonable criticism of
Government policy, nor have they very often done so in the past. What
has so far prevented the educated leaders from exercising an effective
check on the growth of the revolutionary movement is their inability to
associate on terms of friendship with the younger generation. This has
been due partly to a false idea of dignity and partly to the fear that
any association with hot-headed young men might bring discredit on them
or might land them in hot water if, sometime or other, any one of their
friends might do anything violent. Public speeches denouncing the
revolutionary propaganda and the revolutionary activities or public
condemnation of the latter in the press are good in their own way, but
they are not quite effective. The revolutionist may ascribe it to fear,
timidity, or hypocrisy. What is needed is that educated leaders of
influence should be free to mix, socially and otherwise, with the
younger generation so as to acquire an intimate knowledge of their trend
of thought and bent of mind. It is in these intimate exchanges of views
that they can most effectively exercise their powers of argument and
persuasion and use their influence effectively. They will not succeed
always, but in a good many cases they will. This cannot be done,
however, unless the Executives and the Police relax their attentions
toward them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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