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Read Ebook: A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography Brief biographies of persons distinguished in the professional military and political life and the commerce and industry of Canada in the twentieth century by Charlesworth Hector Willoughby Editor
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Ebook has 54 lines and 297901 words, and 2 pages
"Out through the portals of death he passed To that ultimate, Unknown land; The chart of right and of deeds well done, Held in his cold, dead hand. For the words he traced to his latest breath Are unclouded by wrong or ruth; And stamped on all, as he met his death, Was the seal of love and truth."
Writing in the "World," W. F. Maclean, M.P., said "The late A. W. Wright was an able man who played a leading part in making the destiny of Canada. . . . He had wit, a beaming way, and a radiant kind of sociability." The "Hamilton Herald" said:--"Few Canadians of the last generation contributed more to the upbuilding of Canada than A. W. Wright. Much of the success of the Workmen's Compensation Act is due to his sagacity and clear, swift insight. As a newspaper writer Alex. Wright was one of the most forceful of his time. As a platform speaker, when dealing with a subject with which he was familiar, he was unsurpassed. He had bright, incisive style and a talent for keen analysis. He was at his best when heckled. He courted interruption, for no one could get the better of him in a clash of wits." In a review of his career, "Saturday Night" spoke of him as "a man of remarkable intellectual powers and charming personality," and of his youth, "he made a hobby of economics and by the time he was thirty was recognized as one of the ablest writers and speakers on such subjects in this country." When nickel was discovered in Ontario he urged on the government to establish a customs smelter to treat it, to sell at cost to actual users of it in Canada, and to place a heavy export duty on it, thereby giving Canadians a great advantage in manufacturing high-grade machinery of nickel steel, thus greatly stimulating industry here, and assuring Canada millions of dollars annually from export duty on nickel which outsiders must have at any cost. Instead of this a foreign concern was given a practical monopoly to refine Canadian nickel in the U.S. with the right to sell to Germany or any other enemy of Canada and the empire. Both as writer and speaker he was keenly analytical, logical, and constructive in his chosen style, but in dealing with an unfair opponent he was equally at home in using forceful denunciation, bitter irony, scorching sarcasm, or ludicrous burlesque, while in flashing and apt repartee he was unrivalled. He was widely read in prose and poetry, and, possessing a remarkable memory and facile power of expression, was a charming conversationalist, usually the centre of a group of appreciative auditors in any informal gathering. As raconteur he was inimitable. Continual optimism, constant cheerfulness, and unvarying kindliness were his outstanding characteristics, and won for him the friendship of all who knew him.
Punctuation and obvious type-setting errors have been corrected without note. Other corrections are as noted below.
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