be about the most dangerous combination which could beset a modern leader. It is probable that the conjunction would not last long. The heir to the throne should be cautious in his language, and measured and dignified in style. This the Prince always was. He rarely, if ever, used a wrong word, or said too much or too little. He spoke to the point, with directness and precision, and had to deal in the course of a year with almost every conceivable variety of subject and occasion. He has been a wide reader in a sort of general way; and there are few new books of importance which are not looked over or read, and possibly discussed, at Sandringham. Mr. Chauncey M. Depew has somewhere stated his surprise at meeting there a thoughtful dignitary, filling to the brim the requirements of his exalted position-in fact, a practical as well as a theoretical student of the mighty forces which control the government of all great countries, and of their best history. Politically, King Edward has been an observant, impartial, and nonpartisan leader of the nation. No one really knows his party views, though he undoubtedly has opinions of his own, and perhaps very strong ones. His chief known principle is imperial unity; his chief practical work has been the promotion of popular knowledge and the alleviation of existing troubles among the working classes; his chief social aim seems to have been the removal of class animosities, the diffusion of good manners, and the cultivation of more rational habits than those of the day when hard drinking, intoxication, and blasphemy constituted the usual social code. His friendships have been of the most cosmopolitan order, so far as politics are concerned; and, if Lord Randolph Churchill was upon intimate terms with the Prince in days gone by, so also was Lord Rosebery. He attended the House of Lords during all important debates, but never voted upon party questions. One of the rare matters of a Parliamentary nature in which he shared was the prolonged agitation for legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sisUpon this subject the Prince took strong ground and even used his personal influence. His career as Prince of Wales can be summarized as in many ways a great one; while his character and life may be regarded as typical of a large English class, and as having made him a real leader of the people rather than of any parties or classes or divisions in their midst. He learned much from his father's teaching, much from his royal mother's example, much from his wife's co-operation and noble character. He has done much for the unity of the Empire, much for charity and the poor, much for industry and the workingman, much for society and sport. MR. A. MAURICE Low was born in London, and educated in London and Austria. Has been for several years the Washington correspondent of the Boston "Globe" and the London "Chronicle," and writes the monthly article on American affairs in "The National Review." MR. WALTER B. SCAIFE was born in 1858, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Received the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the University of Michigan in 1880, and of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Vienna, Austria, in 1887. Is the author of American Geographical History" and of "Florentine Life during the Renaissance." 66 MR. JACOB SCHOENHOF was born in Germany in 1839. Came to America in 1861, and was naturalized in 1866, following a commercial career up to 1885. His experience in trade and manufacturing soon brought him to recognize the antagonism of facts with the generally accepted economic views. As early as 1869 he published in German periodicals his views on the errors of economic theories. President Cleveland appointed him Consul to Tunstall, England, and gave him a commission to inquire into the state of technical education and the economy of production in Europe. Mr. Schoenhof is the author of "Wages and Trade" (1885); "The Economy of High Wages" (1892); "History of Money and Prices" (1896), etc. ALICE IRWIN THOMPSON received her early education in northern Indiana, and later entered the Indiana State Normal School. In 1895 returned to her profession. With the exception of two years spent in teaching stenography in a business school, her work has been exclusively with the little people. Has been an occasional contributor to periodical literature. MR. FELIX VOLKHOVSKY was one of the chief leaders of the revolutionary party in Russia, and is now among the most distinguished of Russia's political refugees. After having been several times imprisoned during the struggle which culminated in the assassination of Alexander II, he was finally banished for life to Siberia. Here he was seen by Mr. George Kennan, during his famous journey for investigating the exile system. Shortly afterward Mr. Volkhovsky made his escape, crossing Siberia eastward, and after many adventures succeeded in reaching Japan. He then crossed the Pacific, and after a brief stay in the United States and Canada settled down in London, where he became, after the death of Sergius Stepniak, the head of the Russian exile colony in London and editor of "Free Russia," the organ of the Society of Friends of Russian Freedom. Mr. Volkhovsky is a poet in his own language, and has done considerable writing in English. MR. HENRY Litchfield WesST, a native of New York, is one of the best-known and ablest writers on political subjects at the National capital. For a number of years he has occupied an editorial position on the Washington "Post," in charge of the Congressional and political work. The Forum APRIL, 1901. THE PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE ISTHMIAN CANAL COMMISSION. In view of the lack of definite information on the subject of the proposed Isthmian canal, the conflicting claims of rival routes, the vast expenditure proposed, and the importance of the subject to the people of the United States both in their internal and external relations, the appointment of the present Isthmian Canal Commission on June 10, 1899, met with general approbation. While there were then a few who felt that their knowledge of the subject was sufficient to entitle them to deal with the complicated questions presented without the necessity of further enlightenment, the public at large, including the great body of our public men, were unwilling that the United States should engage in the actual construction of an Isthmian canal until the subject had been further studied by a representative body of capable and independent experts. The appointment of a special commission for this purpose was authorized by four sections of the River and Harbor Bill, passed at the third session of the Fifty-fifth Congress. In these sections the President was authorized to make investigation of any and all practicable routes for a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, and particularly to investigate the two routes known respectively as the "Nicaragua Route" and the "Panama Route," with a view of determining the most practicable and feasible route for such canal, together with the approximate and probable cost of constructing a canal at two or more of said routes. He was further authorized to investigate and ascertain what rights, privileges and Permission to republish articles is reserved. |