Memoirs of Henry Richard, the Apostle of Peace

to the many public channels of information, to those publications, such as the Herald of Peace, the organ of the Peace Society, and which he edited for the greater part of his public life; the Nonconformist, the organ of Nonconformity; Hansard, the reliable mirror of Parliamentary debates; to his many public writings, and to the press of England and Wales, and not less to my own personal recollections and reminiscences, as his colleague in the service of the Peace Society, from 1866 to 1880.

From these, and many other varied sources of information, from which I have gleaned, in order to illustrate the life and labours of our lamented friend, it must not be supposed that these pages, or indeed that any record that may be written, can adequately set forth the wide range of his prodigious labours in the cause of peace and freedom.

His public utterances, replete with eloquence, pathos, and valuable facts, delivered, not alone in England and Wales, in Scotland and Ireland, but throughout the Continent of Europe, in its capitals and cities; the vast number of valuable articles in the columns of the Herald of Peace, the Nonconformist, and other journals, as well as his correspondence in the public press throughout the kingdom; his intimate relations and communications with eminent statesmen of his own country and of foreign lands; these, and many other public and private labours, would swell into a portentous volume, alike valuable to the student and lover of historical political records, and recollections, as they are a noble testimony to his ceaseless efforts, and useful public services.

In the political career of Mr. Richard, his triumphant

election for Merthyr Tydvil in 1868, was one, if not the most important event in his life, for he gained thereby considerable accession of political strength, and as representing the aspirations of the Welsh people, and possessing the confidence of his countrymen, he was hailed as the trusted leader and champion of their civil and religious liberties; and, as has been truly said, "amid all his manifold duties, his varied aims and labours, he always kept his right hand stretched out to the ancient land of his fathers."

As the leader and Apostle of the Peace party in Parliament, his motive power was inspired by the loftiest and purest of principles, that of morality and religion; and it was under the influence of these principles, that his conduct as a public man was recognised, acting upon Christian ethics, in direc opposition to the policy of expediency, and built on this foundation, he faltered not, nor flinched, for the realisation of a better, because a freer and more pacific policy in the relations of nations.

In considering the personal characteristics of Mr. Richard, the secret of his successful career in public life, and his many achievements, much might be written, for it is an interesting and an instructive study. Close acquaintance with him for many years, and under varied circumstances, both private. and public, enabled me to arrive at one decided conclusion-he never changed; he was always the same in temper, in disposition, in conviction, in power, and in energy; and if ever the motto sans changè can be appropriately applied to any man, most certainly he was deserving of this distinction.

He was the happy possessor of an equable disposition not easily ruffled, his honesty and tenacity of conviction not to be shaken, loyal and firm in personal friendships, and

with a purpose and aim in his every thought and action, that was direct and resolute.

As an orator, whether in Parliament or on the platform, he had few superiors, and upon the questions of peace and religious freedom, without exaggeration, it may be said, he was unrivalled, capable of moving alike the vast audience, or the select circle, by his varied gifts of pathos, dramatic energy, power of declamation and massive eloquence, for whenever and wherever he spoke he carried conviction to his hearers.

He wielded the pen of a ready writer in a marvellous degree, for it was with him his tour de force, and the mainspring of his great achievements and of his formidable power, which he wisely and effectively exercised against the citadels of monopoly, corruption, and despotism, and he spared them not, and when he thundered against them, they tottered and fell.

Truly his death has left a void that few can fill; and to the young men, and the strong men of this generation—aye! and of coming generations too, he has left a noble legacy of devotion to duty, of loyalty to principle, and of brave and noble deeds in the sacred cause of humanity, of civilisation, and of freedom.

May it be ours to follow him in the path which he trod; for assuredly, in the language of Longfellow,—

“Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.”

ERRATA.

13 for "22nd August, 1849," read "22nd August, 1850."