DR. HAROLD WILLIAMS.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13975, 12 September 1917, Page 3

DR. HAROLD WILLIAMS.

AN APPRECIATION.

The. following tnbute to tlic I'ctro :;rad 10111'sjionilont oi tlic London iJhronii k 1 (Hid Now Yoik Times is |iaiil In the, Re\ (i.'M. Roue, lector of' St. Thomas' Chunk Nu Wnidsoi on-ltudson, in a k'lrti'i to tin 1 New York iionsp ipi'i FliW Ot \OIII KMllt'ls, l ( IllUgllll know anything about, your special Petvogttul correspondent, llai'oltl Williams. And vet 'there is no oiie. in Russia who writes with greater knoivledge and, hence, with greater, authority.' lie is a correspondi'iit whose word ean be absolutely trusted. Lei mo tell you something about him.

He was bom in .N'owfZoalaud about forty years ago, His father is a Wesleyan minister, ami he himself, after a distinguished college .-areer, was ordnintd to the same ministry. He was unable, however, to take any charge, owing to a sudden failure of his voice, and he turned about to prepare himself for the work of a teacher. With his natural disposition to thoroughness, he went to Germany and entered'the,. University of Munich as a student for a doctor's degree in the science of philology, He remained there two years, jind received the highest degree the university could confer.

It was during his student life in Munich that I came to know him. As the rector of the American Church In Munich I had provided a reading room for all English-speaking people, but especially for American and English students. Munich is not only the sea; of a great university, but is also the chief centre of German art, and hardly less of German music, This reading room was therefore a general rondo/.vous for all these students. 1 visited this place at least onee every day, and Harold Williams was ono of the many interesting young people I met under these circumstances. The fact that he had been ordained to the Christian ministry established at once sympathetic relations between us and he became a frequent visitor at my house. Never' have I come in close personal contact' with a liner mind ov a nobler spirit.

Just bofove Iris graduation lie was offered a post in a great American university, lie came to mo with the letter, containing the offer, and wo talked it over. The post would give him nn assured income and enable him to study and write at his leisure "Just the thing you want," I suggested. "Yes, it is just the tiring I thought I wanted but 1 think I wa'nt something else now." And then he told mo he believed that journalism, intelligent,' honest, fearless, offered the greatest opportunity for service.

And so this young man without monoy or iiilluence, turned his back upon a dignified academic profession, for which he was especially fitted, to .take his chances in an unknown field; for he was, so far as I remember, without any journalistic experience, and his doctor's degree would be of little or no avail in such a venture. But venture he would, and venture he did. I may say in passing that young Williams, while a student at Munich had written a Filipino grammar, co-ordinating all the various dialects. He had also mastered the German, Russian aiid about a dozen other languages, and this marvellous linguistic knowledge gave him his

Li 1002 the correspondent of Tho London Times in Russia was expelled for reporting too truthfully one of tho many organised persecutions of the Jews, lie came to Munich on his way to London. 1 saw him and he asked me if I knew of any educated Englishman or American who knew Russian. I told him of "Williams, and their meeting resulted in Williams becoming the Russian correspondent '.if The London Times. That is how he started in journalism, lint he was not permitted to enter Russian territary, and his resourcefulness was brought to the test at once. In a short time he found that there was a Russian colony composed of the most intelligent exiles at Stuttgart. He soon established relations with this community, ami finally took up his residence there. This put him in direct and rjuifk touch with tilings Russian. Six months after the ban was removed he went to Tetrogrnd, where he has since resided, but not always ns the corespondent of The Times. He prefers a free pen, and has become an authority on the life and character. His letters are published all over the world, in all languages, and no name carries greater weight or inspires greater confidence than Harold Williams. (Dr Williams is a son of tho Rev. W. J. Williams of Sumner, Christchureh, and late of Oanmru.)