Rev^iew of lifvieus, 1/7/06. 



♦ . ♦ After Sixteen Years . ♦ ♦ 



[In the English " Review of Reviews" the following inspiring letter was printed by Mr. W. T. Stead. Readers 

 of our own "Review of Reviews" will find the message echoed in the two pages following tliis. — Editor.] 



The crowning victory which has just been achieved at the polls encourages me to hope that I may 

 appeal with some ponfidence to my readers, to whose enthusiasm and steadfastnes.s some small part of 

 the victory of 1906 may justly be ascribed. 



I appeal to those veterans, trusty and tried, who have been faithful in good report and in ill during 

 all these years, to help me in seizing the present auspicious moment in order to enable me to realise the 

 original ideal of " The Review of Reviews." 



Sixteen years ago, when I published my first number, I wrote; — 



The great word which has now to be spoken in the ears of the world is that tbe time has come when men 

 and women must work for the salvation of the Stat© witli as much zeal and self-sacrifice as the.v now work for the 

 salvation of the individual. At elections there is a little canvassing and excitement; but excepting at those times 

 the idea that the State needs saving, that the democracy needs educating, and tbat the problems of Government and 

 reform need careful and laborious study, is foreign to tbe ideas of our people. What is wanted is a revival of civic 

 faith, a quickening of spiritual life in the political sphere, the inspiring of men and women with the conception of 

 what may be done towards the salvation of the world if they will but bring to bear upon public affairs the same 

 spirit of self-sacrificing labour that so many thousands manifest in the ordinary drudgery of parochial and 

 evangelistic work. 



I went on to explain that what I hoped for was to " found a periodical circulating throughout the 

 English-speaking world, with its affiliates or associates in every town, and its correspondents in every 

 village, read as men used to read their Bibles, not to waste an idle hour, but to discover the will of 

 God and their duty to man — whose staff and readers alike are bound together by a common faith, and 

 a readiness to do common service for a common end." 



To that faith " The Review of Reviews " has adhered through good report and ill, and now that 

 its confident prediction as to the certainty of decisive victory has been more than fulfilled, the pro- 

 pitious moment has arrived for attempting to carry out its original ideal. 



The experience of a lifetime spent in active political, social and religious work has taught me 

 that no agency has yet been devised that is more useful as an instrument of progress than a peri- 

 odical publication with a definite creed, if its editor can inspire his readers with his own enthusiasm, and 

 can secure at least one subscriber, man or woman, old or young, rich or poor, in each district who 

 will zealously endeavour to realise the editorial ideals in the community in which he lives. 



What are those ideals? I do not expect any reader, no matter how faithfully he has read the 

 ^.Review " since 1890, to accept them all. But wherever there is anyone who feels impelled by a sense 

 of his duty to his fellow-creatures to help to the uttermost of his power in attempting to realise even 

 one of them, let him or her join themselves unto me and work with me for that especial end. If there 

 was not one county or one town in the Kingdom or one province in the Empire without .some one 

 person who had pledged him or herself to do what can be done to secure the achievement of the 

 social, political, and religious ideals of the " Review," the pace of progress would be quickened, and 

 we need not fear that we should fall back from the high-water mark of 1906. 



We must take the high-water mark of this victory as our starting-point for the advance that must 

 be made in the years that are to come. 



In years I am older than when I first appealed for the support of rry readers in this co-operative 

 emprise, but my heart is younger and my faith is stronger than it was sixteen years ago. Never did 

 Blake's noble verses ring more true to my ear than they are to-day: — 



Bring me my bow of burning gold! 1 will not cease from mortal fight. 



Bring me my arrows of de.sire! Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand. 



Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Till we have built Jerusalem 



Bring me my chariot of Fire! In England's green and pleasant land. 



