Gascoyne, and he has uniformly brought to bear in the public interests the qualities of shrewdness, caution, and careful calculation which have made him a prosperous man in private life. If ever a day of reckoning could come for Western Australia, Mr. R. F. Sholl will be able to point to the pages of Hansard to show that if his advice had been taken there would have been no approach to recklessness either in national borrowing or national spending, and that "look before you leap" has invariably been his safe and careful axiom. At the same time, Mr. Sholl is by no means timorous or indecisive in action when he is satisfied that a certain course is the right one to follow. The mining industry has had few more bold or enterprising supporters, as may be judged from the fact that he was one of the first to spend his money in equipping prospecting parties to search for gold, and in his case has been shown that fortune favours the brave. He was one of the syndicate which sent out Mr. L. R. Menzies, the discoverer of the Menzies goldfield, and he (Mr. Sholl) is a director of the Lady Shenton mine and of the Fraser's mine, Southern Cross. In what may be called legitimate industrial works requiring both brains and capital he has been equally on the alert to meet the public wants and find a profitable outlet for means. He was one of the leading promoters of the Perth Iceworks Company and of the Perth Brickworks Company, and he sits upon the directorate of both these corporations.
In 1878 Mr. Shell married Miss Elizabeth Cosgrove, eldest daughter of Mr. Thos. Cosgrove, of St. Leonard's, North Sydney. Four children have been born of the marriage, and the eldest of the two sons is now in England. Mr. Sholl lives in much comfort, as befits his rank as one of the leading men of the city, in one of the most spacious and handsome mansions that adorn St. George's Terrace. The property, which bears the name "Condurra," was built for Mr. Sholl according to his own tasteful plans, and is replete with every luxury that is the fruit of wealth and discernment.
As a public speaker Mr. Sholl's utterances are marked by boldness and force. He is always sure of his point before he rises to address himself to the question under debate, and he goes direct to the kernel of his subject without verbiage or circumlocution. A man of commanding presence and powerful physique, his voice never fails to make itself heard to the farthest limits of the largest hall, and he is always listened to with attention. Nor does he flinch oratorical combat from grappling the strongest adversary. He can give hard blows in the warfare of the tongue, and is always equable and good humoured when his antagonist endeavours to return his telling thrusts.
JOHN WINTHROP HACKETT, M.A., J.P., M.L.C.
EDITOR, MANAGER, AND PART PROPRIETOR OF THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
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Photo by J.W. HACKETT, M.A., J.P., M.L.C. Greenham & Evans. |
SINCE the days of Junius, the newspaper press bas been "a power behind the Throne." To speak of its puissant influence in moulding the destinies of nations is to utter truisms or to "gild refined gold." To say that it is a popular educator, the champion of the liberties of a free people, an impregnable bulwark of right against wrong, the diffuser of the intelligence of the world, and one the most indispensable possessions of civilised life, does not nearly describe the extent of its dominion as one of the most omnipotent moral forces of the universe. The mirror of the newspaper reflects in its pages every relationship of life, from the cradle to the grave. No other literature is so rapidly produced, so omnipresent its circulation, or is so potent in its possibilities for good or evil; for comparatively few men read books, but everyone eagerly peruses his newspaper. It preserves the purity of public life and disarms oppression, inspires the spirit of patriotism, does homage to the brave, the good, the true, and makes vice ashamed. No other institution has so many functions; none performs its work with greater fidelity or zeal; no agency is better organised, or is directed with a larger share of intellectual power.
From the days when The Times attained the zenith of its fame, in the able hands of Delane and Barnes, there has been much curiosity on the part of the public to learn all that can be gleaned of the personality of successful editors of leading newspapers; for it must be confessed the world is full of newspaper failures. The successful editor is born, not made; and does not court the garish light of personal publicity. He wields he sceptre from behind the mask of anonymity; he is the unseen controller of enterprises of great pith and moment. Such a man is often fine dictator of cabinets, the master-mind of political combinations, upon which fate of parties if, not the welfare of the country, is bound up. He guides the course of legislation, and often fashions history. He has his finger upon the pulse of all the social movements of the day, pleads the cause of justice and humanity, and trumpet-tongued upholds the honour of the crowd. The successful editor is protean
