The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-25

| aud TOyaf family does not AFFECT the mai
| ter They are of no especial. influence.
lhey have their place as ornamental fig
| ures on our governmental tables. but they
| affect the feast no more than the bouquets
| with which you ornament your tables at
| home. They are merely detail. and they
| have little to do with the government"
The conversation here turned to news
| papers. Mr.. Stead is one of the greatest
| interyiewers OF the world. lie knows how
| to make aman think as well as talk, and
| he gets out of every man he interviews the
| best that is in him. and expresses it more
| clearly and fully than the man himself
''Ihe field OF the interviewer" said Mr.
| Stead, lis one OF the most attractive in
| journalism. The newspaper is for the COM
| Munication of thought. The interview is
! one OF the best methods OF such communi-
| cation. Ii brings the reader and thinker
| close together. and such talks sometimes
| change the face Of history"
How about your talk with General
| Chinese Gordon just befoIe he went to
Egypt That affected history, did it not?"
l asked.
YES" was the reply. "That was per-
| haps one of the most important interviews
ever taken. 1t resulted in the loss Of more
| than $4,000 lives, and it cost England mill
| lions OF pounds. Ii was at the time of our
trouble with Egypt The Government had
! decided TO give up the S0udan, and General
| Gordon was at Southampton, about to pro-
coed to Egypt. BE had, knew. positive
orders as TO what was to be done, and l
| wanted an interview with him upon the
| situation. | wrote him at southampton,
| telling him / would like to see him and ask
| Ing him wheE he could receive me. lie re-
| piled at once, saying that it would be i'm
! possible for him to talk to me and that
! ne had nothing to say. l thereupon tee-
| graphcd him that l must see him and that
| / would leave for Southampton on the
next train. l have been told that he spent
| the rest OF that day walking up and down
| ana debating whether ne would see me
| when | came or not. When L got off the
| train | went at once TO his house and rang
| the bell. In moment the door opened and
a little fellow, whom took for General Cor
| dou's butler, asked me in and helped me
| eff with my ton coat and hung I'D my hat. /
| asked him ii General Gordon was in, and
| he replied that he was and motioned me to
| go into the next room. L went In and the
| little man followed me. ! took seat and
| then told the little man to pieise tell Cen
| eral Gordon that Mr.. Stead OF the Pail Mall
| Gazette was there and would like 10 see
! him. WhereuD0n the little man said, i am
| General Gordon, and he reached me his
| hand and then took a chair ana sat down
| beside me. We then went over the whole
| situation together, and his ideas were such
! that they resulted in an entire change of
| Government policy. L listened to them.
| and when L went back to London | laid
| them before the Government Ministers, and
| they decided TO accept them and to send
| him to the Soudan. urged them TO let him
| they done so in all probability the war
( would have been speedily closed. Ii was
bis idea to have taken camel and TO have
| gone alone 10 The camp of the Mahdi aud 20
! have discussed matters with him. But no.
| The Government would have its own way,
| and the result was the death of Gordon.
| The best interviews L have ever had"
| continued Mr. Stead, ''are some which have
never been published. One OF the most re-
! markable | nave ever had was with the
I 20
\ no mention OF 1t should be made in print
and though wrote long series OF letters
| on Russia for the English aud American
| newspapers and published book on Rus
| STA, the public DO not know to this day that
| L met the Emperor ana talked with him."
| please describe the interview" said /.
"and tell me how the Gar impressed you"
THE Countess NovikOff arranged the
meeting" replied Mr.. Stead. land the au-
| dieDce was given me, much TO the surprise
Of the English Minister at 81. Petersburg
| Sir Robert Morier. and the other diplomats.
| 1t is, You know, not considered proper for
/ Minister To present one Of his c0nntrymen
/ TO monarch unless he has been presented
at court at home. / have never been pre-
/ sented 20 the Queen and have never consid-
cred IL worth the trouble and expense of
/ buying court dress, and il seemed
| 10 me at ST. Petersburg that our
1 Minister did not want me TO meet
| the Gar. / did meet him, however,
| and he received me in one Of the rooms of
| his palace at CATCHING. He sat at one side
| Of table during our conversation and l sat
ut the other, facing him, and the converse
| tion was free and open and there was an
| entire absence of red tape about my reeep-
/ ton. The Gar smoked cigarette during
| the talk, though, by the way, / remember
he failed to offer me one. lie knew of me,
| for / had been writing in favor Of Russia
for the past twenty years, and | began my
| conversation by saying:
Your Majesty, / am accredited In Eng
! land with being your agent. ] am said to
| have been fighting your battles for years,
and II this is so want a supply of cartridges
| from headquarters You know / am pre-
| disposed in favor OF Russia, and think /
| ought 10 understand the situation and |
/ want you to give il TO me as il really is. |
am willing To work but l want the straight
tip from you.' / then went on TO explain to
| him that was looked upon in England as his
friend, that was Russia's friend and that
ought to know just how Russia felt and what
she intended TO do. The Gar then began to
talk. and he went over the whole situation
with me. aud without reserve gave me bis
| ideas. l found him a broad man and an
! honest man, and | left him believing that
| he would do right In every case as his own
/ Judgment dictated. i chatted with him for
! quite long time; so long, indeed, that he
| kept the Empress waiting for some time for
! her lunch 10 consequence Of II, and his Ut
terances were of such moment that pre-
| sented them TO our Cabinet Ministers here
In London upon my return"
Tell me something about your inter-
| view with the King Of Belgium. Nh. Stead"
| said L
THAT was a very curious experience"
! was the reply. 81 went to Belgium espe-
cialiy TO see the King aud he came in to mis-
| capital to meet me- He Is, you know. n very
tall man and a very pompous one. When
was presented to him he stood up very stiff
and straight, and said. In labored English:
i do not speak the English, so we will
have our conversation IN French
But. your Majesty said |. L do not
| speak French
Then | do not see low we can talk TO-
getber.' said he.
well. your Majesty said i, Il am sure II
you cannot speak English. you know
| enough for me to make you understand
what want to say, and l will speak it in
! English
"He could not object to this. and though
he was very angry at me he listened He
did net ask me TO sit down, and we both
remained standing throughout the talk.
| After while he began to speak English in
| English as well as / could. / have since
| understood that he was not at all pleased at
my actions. but they served my purpose. l
said what wanted TO say, and lie gave me
| In reply just what wanted TO get He
came, as say, into the city TO give me the
interview. and / have often wondered why
be was not more gracious during it,"
In referring to the English newspapers
| M. oLtdu VtpItCdteu tiltlI idck oI enterprise
and push. and said that they badly needed
independence and spice. | asked him to
tell me the story of the "Maiden's Tribute
to Modern Babylon" and he replied that
the sensation was not sprung as a news
| paper sensation and that every word of the
story OF vice told in Il was true. 1t was
written TO Influence Parliament to correct
one OF the most horrible evils of London.
which Parliament would not touch because
its participants were largely among the
members of Parliament Its publication
secured this result, and though the social
evil still prevails in London TO a greater