FAMOUS JOURNALIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19727, 29 August 1927, Page 9

FAMOUS JOURNALIST.

UH. J. ST. L. STRACHEY DEAD. FORMER EDITOR OF SPECTATOR. (Received August 28, 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z.-Sun. LONDON. Aug. 27. The death occurred yesterday ot Mr. John St. Loe Strachev. formerly editor of the Spectator, aged 67. Tlift late Mr. John St. Loe Strachev, formerly editor of the Spectator, was born atfSatton Court, Somerset, in February. iB6O. His father was Sir E. Strachev and his mother a daughter of Mr. J. Addington Symonds. Educated at Balliol College. Oxford, where he took a first in modern history, Mr. Strachev was called to the Bar, "but discarded the law for journalism. In 18S6 he became assistant ""editor of the Spectator and, after the death of Mr. R. H. Hulton and the retirement of Mr. Meredith Townsend in 1597. its proprietor. Under the editorship of Mr. Strachey the Spectator increased its high reputation for sober political criticism and wellinformed 1 appreciations of art and literature. After 1903 it was the leading organ of the Unionist Free Traders, but the progress of Socialism and the Lloyd George Budget of 1909 caused Mr. Strachey 0 to accept the full Unionist programme in view of his fears of Socialistic radicalism. The paper exercised a great in Science on a section of English opinion. Mr. Strachev also edited the Cornhili Magazine in 18S6-7. He was specially interested in rural housing, pauperism and local government generally. The idea of exhibitions of cottages was originated by him to encourage "the designing and building of cheap, but good and convenient cottages, especially in the country. In 1525 he relinquished the editorship of the Spectator, but did not cease to contribute to it. Next year the paper passed to a company in which he held a large interest. His political opponents described him as "the self-satisfied prophet of the comfortably off" and as "the arch-enemy of social reforms" relating to old age pensions, insurance, small holdings, minimum wages and housing, which he held must be left to private enterprise. They complained that, if he failed to prove their views wrong, he fell back on the charge that they belonged to an "organised hypocrisy." For years before the war he was a strong anti-German, but he felt that the answer to democracy was militarism. His book, "A New Way of Life" (1909). advocated conscription or national service and he worked hard at the formation of the National Reserve. During the war he did much recruiting.

In 1925 Mr. Strachey visited America and published his first novel, "The Madonna of the Barricades." Nest year appeared "American Soundings." Among his other works are "The Manufacture of Paupers" (1907), "The Adventure of Living." "Economics of the Hour" (1923), "The Referendum" (1923). "The River of Life," "The Practical Wisdom of the Bible" and "The Problems and Perils of Socialism." By an irony of fate Mr. Straehevs daughter is a Socialist.