EDWARD HENRY STROBEL. 865 



rights and wrongs would do more harm than good. ^Vhat was needed 

 was a practical solution of problems, some of which had been pending 

 for years. The amount of work that came into the office of the Gen- 

 eral Adviser was overwhelming. But Strobel's mind quickly grasped 

 the questions at issue, and — what was at least as important — he 

 understood the men with whom he had to deal. These men were of 

 many nations and races, they came from all the countries of Western 

 Europe and of Eastern Asia. In addition to foreign relations, he was 

 confronted with many questions of internal administration, and to 

 them he brought the same intelligence and skill. 



In December, 1905, Strobel went home on leave. He stopped in 

 Egypt on the way, and there was stricken with blood-poisoning, from 

 which he never fully recovered. After fifteen months' absence, during 

 most of which he suffered greatly, he was able to return to Siam, and 

 immediately resumed his many activities; but he was not to be long 

 spared, for on January 15, 1908, he died in the midst of his labors. 



While the time he actually spent in Siam amounted to only about 

 two and a half years, he left behind him a memory which is seldom, if 

 ever, the crown of even a lifetime of work in the Far East. From the 

 beginning, he inspired the confidence both of the Government which he 

 served and of all with whom he came in touch. Before his arrival, 

 perhaps not all persons in Siam looked forward with pleasure to the 

 coming of an American to fill the highest post there open to a Euro- 

 pean. But Strobel speedily made it clear that he felt he could best 

 serve the Siamese Government by dealing fairly and justly with every 

 matter laid before him. Once that reputation was established, the 

 rest was easy. 



Samuel Williston. 



