An extraordinary proposal

Annie Besant was once described by a friendly critic as a lady of surprises. There can be no doubt that a close study of her interesting and, in many ways, wonderful career does reveal the existence in her of a fairly strong tendency to spring surprises upon an unsuspecting world. Who could have imagined Besant in 1905 to be capable of playing the great part she did play in India’s political history in the memorable era, 1914 to 1917? Who again could have imagined that after having played that memorable part and been partly instrumental in forcing England to recognise the necessity of introducing reforms in India, and after having described the reforms actually conceded to this country as being equally unworthy of the giver and the receiver, she would have taken up a position that could scarcely have been different had she always been among their out-and-out advocates? Nor was the speedy disillusionment which her recent visit to England brought in its train, in its actual measure and intensity, and less a surprise. Others who had gone with her and worked with her had the same experience. But she was the first to make that experience the basis of a new idea, and to express that idea in a language of uncompromising fervour. The conviction she had brought back with her, she said, was that the political salvation of India depended absolutely upon her offering a united front, and that the thing that was necessary above everything else was for all political parties to sink their differences and formulate and present to England a united scheme of Indian self-government.