THE GREATEST AUSTRALIANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9037, 2 March 1908, Page 4

THE GREATEST AUSTRALIANS.

A West Australian paper—the Perth "Morning Herald"—has taken the trouble to secure a plebiscite of its readers in order to ascertain who in their opinion are the eleven greatest Australians. If the " Herald's" readers are representative of the people as a whole they have queer notions of "greatness." Sir John Forrest, who comes on top of the list, is physically great, and intellectually he is head and shoulders over the average West Australian of the preBayley days, and is superior to the best man in the public life in the State, but he has never shown himself to approach greatness in any phase of his official career. Our late Mr Seddon surpassed him as a statesman, as an original thinker, and in executive capacity. New Zealand, however, is n'>tr part of Australia. Mr Alfred Deakin, who has done infinitely more for Australia than Sir John Forrest, and who is one of the comparatively few men in that country entitled to be ranked as a statesman, ' is. placed second, and- Madame Melba is ranked third ! The latter may be classed among the great singers of the world, and she has through a providential gift of voice done something to advertise her country, while advertising herself still more; but that is a poor test of; greatness. Perhaps the'greatest man in Australia was the recently deceased Mr David Syme,. who for fifty years powerfully influenced the politics of Victoria, and shed the light of his marvellous influence upon the whole of the island continent. He was also greatest . journalist, the maker and unmaker of Cabinets, and an appreciator of and contributor to literature, arts and science.. The "Herald's" readers ignore him. But he is dead, and so it doesn't matter. Plebiscites of this kind are only valuable as showing how much ignorance may exist in a community supposed to be enlightened..