Mr. Justice Chandavarkar is a Hindu Judge of the highest reputation, and the effect of this judgment is extremely damaging to Tilak’s private reputation as a man of honour, or even of common honesty.

NOTE 6

KHUDIRAM BOSE’S CONFESSION.

A similar confession was made by Khudiram Bose, the author of the fatal bomb outrage at Muzafferpur.  When he was brought before the District Magistrate on May 1, 1908, within twenty-four hours of the crime, he stated:  I came to Muzafferpur five or six days ago from Calcutta to kill Mr. Kingsford.  I came of my own initiative, having read in various papers things which incited me to come to this determination.  These papers were the Sandhya, Hitabadi, Jugantar and many others.  They wrote of great Zoolum done to India by the English Government.  Mr. Kingsford’s name was not specially mentioned, but I determined to kill him because he put several men in gaol.  Besides reading the papers I heard the lectures of Bpin Pal, Surendranath Banerjee, Gisputty Kabyatirtha, and others.  There were lectures in Beadon-square and College-square [in the student quarter of Calcutta], and they inspired me to do this.  There is also a Sanyasi who lectures in Beadon-square, who is very strong.

NOTE 7

RELIGION AND POLITICS

On this point a very important piece of evidence has been recently produced in Court in the course of the Dacca Conspiracy trial.  It is a letter, of which the authenticity is beyond dispute, written by Mr. Surendranath Banerjee to one of the extremist leaders, in which he suggests means for carrying out the proposed celebration of the “boycott” anniversary on August 7 in spite of the prohibition of public meetings under the Seditious Meetings Act.  “My suggestion,” writes this distinguished politician, who is also the head of Ripon College, one of the most popular colleges in Calcutta, “is that you should organize a religious ceremony on the 7th of August such as Shakti-puja and Kali-puja, and have Swadeshi kalka or jatra and Swadeshi conversation by having a sort of conference.  Give a religious turn to the movement.  As for the Muhammedans, if you can get them to your side, why not have a wuz followed by Swadeshi preaching?  Kindly let me know what you do.  But something must be done.” Shakti rites and the worship of Kali are associated with some of the most libidinous and cruel of Hindu superstitions.  The simultaneous attempt to attract Mahomedans by grafting “Swadeshi preaching” on to one of their accustomed religious services betrays Mr. Surendranath Banerjee’s cynical indifference to any and every form of religious creed so long as it can be exploited in the interest of his political creed.

NOTE 8