O righteous soul, magnanimous and just!

W. BRAUNSTON JONES.

Sir William Barrett, one of Wallace's oldest friends, visited him during
the last year of his life, and thus describes the visit:

In the early summer of 1913, some six months before his death, I
had the pleasure of paying another visit and spending a delightful
afternoon with my old friend. His health was failing, and he sat
wrapped up before a fire in his study, though it was a warm day.
He could not walk round his garden with me as before, but pointed
to the little plot of ground in front of the French windows of his
study--where he had moved some of his rarer primulas and other
plants he was engaged in hybridising--and which he could just
manage to visit. His eyesight and hearing seemed as good as ever,
and his intellectual power was undimmed....

Dr. Wallace then, pointing to the beautiful expanse of garden,
woodland and sea which was visible from the large study windows,
burst forth with vigorous gesticulation and flashing eyes: "Just
think! All this wonderful beauty and diversity of nature results
from the operation of a few simple laws. In my early unregenerate
days I used to think that only material forces and natural laws
were operative throughout the world. But these I now see are
hopelessly inadequate to explain this mystery and wonder and
variety of life. I am, as you know, absolutely convinced that
behind and beyond all elementary processes there is a guiding and
directive force; a Divine power or hierarchy of powers, ever
controlling these processes so that they are tending to more
abundant and to higher types of life."

This led Dr. Wallace to refer to my published lecture on "Creative
Thought" and express his hearty concurrence with the line of
argument therein; in fact he had already sent me his views, which,
with his consent, I published as a postscript to that lecture.

Then our conversation turned upon recent political events, and it
was remarkable how closely he had followed, and how heartily he
approved, the legislation of the Liberal Government of the day.
His admiration for Mr. Lloyd George was unfeigned. "To think that
I should have lived to see so earnest and democratic a Chancellor
of the Exchequer!" he exclaimed, and he confidently awaited still
larger measures which would raise th