William Thomas Stead. Ixv. 



the expansion of the Gernuii navy; aial vei thtrie waj> no truer friend to Germany than he, and 

 no greater opponent of the anti-Gemian sentiment, so frequently, so obstinately, and so wickedly 

 engineered by J'ingo journalists. His " Truth About the Navy " created a great sensation. It was 

 the calm statement of a rruui who knew the facts, .md uh^i exposed a national weakness in order that 

 efficiency might come. 



No oit|>ressed [jeople or race ap|iealed to him in wiiii. He was i)rc-fminently a sufferer's friend. 

 Readers of the '" Re\iew of Re\iews '' will remember how mercilessly he stripj^ed the veil from the 

 Congo horrors, and endeavoured to get justice for the natives. To enumerate all his high deeds would 

 tx? to write his history, which could not lie done here. That w-yi l>e done, for no man has left a 

 deeper stamp, and Th-at for good, on his country's records.- His loss is a national one, and the natioit 

 will rememhier him. His works will follow him. 



He provoked antagonisms, as every reformer who deser\es the name will do; but they were the 

 antagonisms of those who O[>posed reform and progress, and who could not understand a man who 

 sought the people's good with all his heart. Vet. with it all. he had no ill-will towards his antagonists 

 f>ersonally. He i)itied the man who was on the wrong track, and sorrowed for him, while he pursued 

 the e\il the man was engaged in, relentlessly. Even men who had wronged him personally, he enter- 

 tained no bitterness for. To quote his own words, " Even to a man who has injured me, I ne\er 

 wish txj do anything that I would regret in my la.-il hour." 



Had lie Ijeen prepared to keeji has voice silent towards some gigantic evils, and truckled to public 

 sentiments, he would have been a wealthy man many times over ; but if he had so truckled, or kept 

 ffllent, he would not have been \\'. T. Stead. N'o one but those in his inner circle knew what financial 

 sacrifices he e\er\ year made to keep liefore the jieople certain ideiils which he profoundly belie\'ed to 

 lie for the people's goixl, or to maintain projects for their advancement and education. 



Of his personal qualities too much cannot lie said. The very fact that wliat has been written 

 liefore could be written presupi>oses philanthropy, gtwdness, gentleness, and all those qualities that 

 make up the lo\-able in man. Of these I have had ajnple piX)of since I was appointed to the editor- 

 ship of the " Review of Re\iews " for Australasia. It was not my good fortune to meet him. but 

 nn man could ever ask for or exiiect to have a fnuT chief, or ,i truer friend. 



He was intensely sjnritual. To him the imm.iterial was as real as tlie material, and the veil 

 that hides fr<jm ,s<i m,m\ the things that are iii\isil>le did not exist for him. In this, as in everv 

 other thing, he w.is crmstantly on the look-out for develoimif-nts :m(\ in<Tea.se(l knowledge. 



.\ni\ he h.is gone cut dr>wn as a husbandm.iii might be in the held, , with his h.TJld upon the 

 ,uough, antl his e\e on the end of the furrow. .As t^w men h.ue d<»ne. he has sensed his dav and 

 generation. .And iH)w he has " fallen on sleep." What h'.q)|KTied in that terrible hour of tragedy we 

 shall never lie really able to grasp. One thing wi- are i-ert-iin of. ,iiwl that Ls that he would sfiuid 

 asideth.it .in(*li<-r might p.-vis ^> >afet\. and that ileath to Ivim would h,i\e no fe.irs. He would nu^t 

 it with cahntM-Ns .ind (|uirt in the midst of the awful chaos. 



There is no one who cm take just the s.nn<- high plao- in journ.ili.sjii tli.it he ilid. Nature is not 

 prodigal in her gifts of such r.ire characters, and in each generation they can be found only in 

 ones and twos. He was a.s trul\ a proi>het as any of those of olden tim«"s. and the world will miss 

 luis righteous (ietiunriatioiis and his warning noti-. always directed to the nobU^it things. Over tlie world 

 there are thoiLS,inds who were proud to U- cilltd hi^ " Heljiers," who tretl to carry out in their small 

 way the great tilings he stooil f<->r. In has n.mii- I .i|)peal to rliem to carry on his wr>rk. and to try to 

 ftil-fil his id<-al-s 



