Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1926 A GREAT JOURNALIST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 26 June 1926, Page 6

Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1926 A GREAT JOURNALIST

SOME two years In-fore the outbreak of the Great. War, the Titanic, one of the .superb Atlantic liners, struck nn iceberg in the mid-ocean and in a few minutes went to the bottom. Among the lost was William Thomas Stead, peri:aps the most outstanding personality who base ever taken part, in the public life of the United Kingdom. Not that in' was the inns! brilliant, or the most, wise : bu! he: stood in a class by himself; lie was certain that he knew the way tu set right all the world's wrong and lie was as cheerfully ready to set. ,*.hout i! as tu sit down to the morning meal, lie was vigorous of body and mind, fearless physically anil morally and hofICSI to the last ojt and tittle. Since Ins passing his daughter. Eslelle Stead, has written a biography, a work which, disappointing in many ways, is vet valuable by reason of the intimate glimpses it gives of the beginnings of ..nine of the most important undertakings if one whose whole life was hut a series oi elforl after effort. Unfortunately the bulk of Miss Stead's work is taken up with her father's connect inn with spiritualism, but of that mure anon. The son of a Congregational minister, young Stead was educated at home till he had leached 'ln- age of twelve, when lie was ,'cnl in "Silcoates," a private .school lor the siui.s of Congregational ministers, Here he remained two years bring then apprenticed as office-boy in a merchant's '..'(Hinting House. The strange thing is that the future eminent journalist had no idea of taking up writing as n profession ; he simply drifted

into it. Beginning by sending letters ',n projects in which he was interested in (lie press in' wcnl nn to conlrihiite (icciisionnl articles and leaders, when quilo unexpectedly there came an offer of the editorship of the "Northern Echo." He whs then only 21 and he did not jump at the offer. He consulted his parents who were rather averse iv his accepting, but he finally made his own decision. "It was the same all though his life." writes his daughter; ' he ctinsiilled everybody from Cabinet Ministers down In nflicu-boys, hut invariably ended by doing exactly as he pleased." There we see the man. II was his supreme confidence in himself Hint carried hiur through many a difficult situation where lesser faith would have meant, failure. From the first, journalism meant much more to Stead than the mere purveying of news. It meant tilt* opportunity for the reform of abuses, for the carrying out of prelects tending to the betterment of the race, for the bringing in, and that c.nickly, of a millenial reign on earth. A magnificent ideal, and a few score .nen like W. T. Stead could doubtless bring it to pass provided—and here appears the little rift within the- lute—ihat they could agree among themselves as to the means by which so desirable an end "Aas to be brought about. And herein lies a weakness in world-reform-ers; they are not adapted to work on committees. This was abundantly verified in Sir-ad'* relations with Cecil ft h odes mi his Smith African Parly. Rhodes and Stead were both Imperialists. Both were keenly interested in tin- extension of British power in South Africa. "1 have- never met a man," wrote Stead after their first h.eelting, "who, upon tbenad Imperial matters, was so entirely of my way of thinking." The two elaborated wonderful schemes for strengthening and extending the Empire. Rhodes' milbong were to be freely used to that end. A great brotherhood, a sort of secular Jesuit. Socity, was to be formed whoso one inject was to be unceasing work m the interest of the Empire and, through the Empire, in the interest of ;he world. Then came the trouble that led to the Boer War and on that rock the partnership came to grief. Rhodes was ready to follow Lord Milner whether it ni"ant peace or war; Stead would only support vhe man for whose nomination as High Commissioner he had been chiefly responsible, in a- peace policy. Cecil Rhodes was a masterful man; William T. Stead was more so; hence these two who, but a little while before, had been so keenly enthusiastic about Empire building were soon in direct opposition to each other on an imperial matter.

Mention has been made of Stead's interest in spiritualism. Here, as in other things his--methods were original, forceful, and perhaps just a little headlong His daughter gives us a minute account of tho famous "Bureau" established as a sort of public telephone office between ihis world and the next. Everything was splendidly organised. A supply of mediums was arranged for, secretaries and stenographers appointed, rules drawn up and forms, running from "A" holfway through the alphabet, struck off. Unfortunately, relying on "spiritual" advice, no fees were charged to clients; faith was to bo placed in their generosity. The first year's operations cost Stead about £IOOO. Tho spirit guide still counselled faith but she * evidently an incompetent financial guide. Things grew worse and retrenchment lnd lo follow retrenchment. Where is 'hat Bureau now?

There is not the slightest doubt thai William Stead was absolutely honest in his belief in spiritualism. He thought he had unmistakable evidence of communication with (he dead and seme of the things which Miss Stead (ells us are very remarkable. But they lose, much in force when it. is remembered that at least two of the mediums in which Mr Stead placed the gieatest reliance have since been exposed as common cheats. Mrs Mellon he described as a 'person of undoubted materialising faculty and undoubted character." Mrs Mellon went to Australia and during a pitting at her house in Sydney an ungentlemanly looker-on grappled with the supposed ghost which on the appearance of lights turned out to be the lady herself in mask and muslin. Mrs Ebba Wrcidt was another medium with whom Stead was deeply impressed. After his death this lady reciprocated by being i'm- medium of his messages, viva voce, in the assembled faithful. But Mrs \Yieidt was afterwards completely cxpused in Norway by Professor Birke:aiiil ulki caught her in the act of using potassium in order to produce certain ghostly manifestations' in the dark, ft s very doubtful if William Stead's faith in spiritualism would have survived the many exposures of fraudulent mediums which have occurred during recent years. For he was above all things an 1.0/iftSl man and when the "Titanic" went down she carried with her not only a brilliant journalist, but as sincere and well uieaniru.'; a spirit as ever trod ;h<« earth.