SIR WILFRED LAURIER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1740, 13 October 1917, Page 4

SIR WILFRED LAURIER.

Sir Wilfred Laurier, whose resignation of- the Leadership of the Canadian Liberal Party is announced in a recent cable, has long been a striking figure in the politics of the great Dominion. Writing in the Toronto Globe, Lindsay Crawford says of the late Leader after a strenuous debate in the Canadian House:—-In an assembly of jaded men he did not exhibit the slightest sign of the nervous strain that much younger members displayed after the recent naval debates. His clear eye, stately carriage, firmly-com-pressed lips, and general demeanour revealed the born leader of men, and in any gathering he would stand out in picturesque relief from those around him like a Saul among his fellows. His dignified and courtly bearing as he walks to his seat is that of the French Empire period. He looks every inch the type of a statesman and a leader that appeals to the imagination of a people. His great strength as a leader lies in his personal charm of manner. Like the late Sir Henry CampbellBannerman, the Liberal Premier who preceded Mr Asquith in office, between Sir Wilfred and his follower’s there subsist the most intimate relations. To see him flit from •seat to scat for a quiet chat with some Liberal member is to discover one source of his marvellous hold on the affection of the Liberal rank and file. When not engaged in debate or in conversation with his colleagues, Sir Wilfred generally spends his time reading. There are three books that have a singular fascination for him. These are the Authorised Version of the Bible, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Encyclopedia. Like all great orators, Sir Wilfred draws freely from the Bible for illustrations, and his speeches are replete with passages whose imagery suggests the sublime source of their inspiration. lie stands in a class by himself as a Parliamentarian. His catholicity of outlook and abounding charity, his firm hand and clear eye, his ability to measure and to seize the psychological moment to press home the attack, as well as his consummate skill as a tactician, were never seen to greater advantage than during the recent naval controversy. There is no figure in public life in Canada to-day that stirs the imagination of the people as that of the Leader of the Opposition at Ottawa.