SPEAKER WILLIS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 35, 26 September 1911, Page 6

SPEAKER WILLIS.

STEEL HAND UNDER KID GLOVE. The Sydney correspondent of the Wellington “Post” writes as fellows: As Mr\ Speaker Willis continues to be the man of the hour, if not the man of destiny, it is worth while reproducing some points in a character sketch contributed to the daily press this week by one who knows him well: “Picture to yourself a clean-shaven, round-faced man of gentle expression and suave demeanor; a man whoso features always wear a faint smile, whose voice is soft, gentle, and melodious; whose manner is courtesy itself under all conditions; :;j man whoso serene urbanity nothing-—not even the turmoil of the most excited “scone” in Parliament; not even the bitterest imaginable denunciations of himself by the most sharp-tongued debaters in the House—can ruffle. Imagine such ii man suddenly elevated to tbe Spekakeivihip of a Parliament of which ho lias only been a- member for a few months, and of the laws and practice of which he can have but slight experience, reducing it in a fortnight from a state of unprecedented turbulence to one not only of good order, but almost holy calm. Mr Willis is one of those productions of Nature which are not entirely what they seem. He is gentle only in his exterior. His smile is not the smile of easy* indulg'nco. His serenity is I the outward evidence of a marvellous self-control, rather than of complacency. Under the guise of perfect peace ho harbours the spirit of the warrior. He takes delight in strife. But it is not the physical joy of the wrestler, it is rather the mental exhilaration of a scientist contemplating, through a powerful lens, a battle of mieromotric

monsters. He may he engaged in the strife himself. But he is the fortunate possessor of a supreme solfcnnfidonce and composure; which make • him regard opponents as weaklings, and raises him clear above any clement of anxiety as to the outcome. Picture such a man, clothed with powers which Uro sufficient, should be so desire, to constitute him almost an autocrat, and you have a fair idea of jivhat Mr Wade and his party, to use a popular amd expressive phrase, are “up against,” in Mr Speaker. The hopelessness of their plight is still more apparent when one recollects that they can only dispute his actions by inviting a vote of the House, in which the majority, small, hnt none the less effective, is always against them.” Mr Willis hails from South. Australia, having been horn at Port Adelaide fifty-one years ago. We read that in his eatrlier life his nerves became affected, and he visited New South Wales for rest and change. Further, we are told that as a young man ho was a clever amateur hypnotist. Whether the hypnotism was a strain on the nerves is not clear, but there may be people in the New South Wales Assembly who still find a mesmeric influence in the Speaker s eye. He served a long apprenticeship on local bodies, where he for years said horribly cutting things with a seraphic smile, and then when the Commonwealth came along, entered Federal politics. After representing Robinson m three Parliaments, Mr Willis was defeated last year, by reason, lie declared, of the over-confidence of his supporters, who thought it unneces-

sary to vote., In this eona-* ai ».n !;< tin' remarks o" Sir IT.- u Parkes, when defeated, through apathy of the kind described; 1 it seems to me, gentlemen, that you expect, me to get in—without votes.” Not the j least remarkable thing about Mr Willis is bis isolated, castle-like homo at lunisfallen, Sugarloaf May, Middle Harbour, Sydney. It. is a magnificent stone residence, built in the TudorGothic style, and is really a smaller copy of Federal Government House, Sydney. The house is surrounded by fifty acres of ground, planted as orchards, orangery, gardens, grazing paddocks, etc. The walls are of great thickness, and the foundations go to a depth of from IGft to 20ft.. In the design are some fine Tudor a relics, copied from those in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor—the finest example of Tudor-Gothic architecture in Great Britain. • The water supply is from a private reservoir, holding 2,000,000 gallons, and is carried by reticulation to all parts of the house and grounds. Tho Speaker has estates in various parts of the country —including the Werribcrri estate, at Picton, and the Wollondilly estate, Burangorang. It is said that his marriage brought him his wealth.