conceive to be his most prominent mental characteristic, I should unhesitatingly say, common sense. He never pretended to be profound and never sought to make a display of wisdom. Yet he had unbounded confidence in his ability to see the manifold bearings of a proposition, and even to gauge the motives of those who made it. He was fully justified, too, in that confidence. His ability, however, was not the result of training. It was inherent and instinctive. It had been enlarged and strengthened, to be sure, by constant exercise, and performed its operations in the clear light of a long and varied experience. However one might be in doubt as to what his ultimate judgment would be in a particular combination of circumstances, one thing could be determined beforehand with absolute certainty, he would not make a foolish judgment. Usually, too, it might be assumed, his conclusions would be in complete accord with the general opinions of mankind. He had that rare power which was so marked a feature in the character of Lincoln, of seeing things with the eye of the "plain people." This was what made him a safe and strong leader. Men felt that in following him they not only could not go far astray, but that

wherever they went they would be sure of the approval of those whom they sought to serve.

I should say, too, that he had great clearness of vision. There were no cobwebs in his mind. There was no fog in the landscape on which he looked. He could untangle any skein, however knotted and snarled. Nothing baffled his analytical power. He could detect the salient points of the most difficult argument. He could bring order out of seeming chaos. He could make his own meaning clear. Nobody could misunderstand or misinterpret the terms in which he sought to give expression to his ideas. His letters were models of conciseness and brevity, and yet he seemed to say all that was necessary for the elucidation of a subject. This no doubt was the secret of his wonderful power of turning off business, of settling the most complicated problems which the varied situations of trade presented, by a single word or a nod of the head. This was what made him a master in drafting constitutions and by-laws for the various organizations with which he was connected. I have known but one or two men who were his equals in quickness and clearness of perception. No matter how grave and delicate the matter might be, his decision

was almost instantaneous; and if he took the time to revise his reasonings it was only, in the end, to reaffirm his first impression.

I suppose you have all expected me to mention his fertility of resource. There seemed to be no limit to his ability for finding ways of doing things, and the harder and more desperate the situation with which he had to deal the more readily his mind seemed to respond to the demand. This is the explanation of his success, not only in looking after his own financial interests, but in dealing with the finances of parishes and other organizations with which he was connected, in securing and building up funds, and in originating policies of administration and work. In a denominational leader this quality is of the rarest order.

In this one particular we shall probably for a long time experience the greatest consciousness of our loss, for it is not probable that in this respect we shall see his like again for a whole generation.

Added to all these qualities was that of inflexible decisiveness of judgment. The German people are fond of characterizing the great statesman who brought together the scattered principalities and petty kingdoms of Germany and moulded them into an empire, as

the Iron Chancellor, because whatever he put his hand to, he accomplished. When he had once "set his face steadfastly" to go in a certain direction, nothing could turn him aside or cause him to retrace his steps. Indeed, it sometimes seemed as if all the iron of the marvellous race which he typified and served had been taken into the blood of that foremost political leader of modern times. But I am sure that all of you who knew Mr. Joy in the intimate relations of business or denominational activity, will agree with me that the great Chancellor of the German Empire, Iwith all the sturdiness of his intellect and the inflexibility of his purpose, was not more sturdy or inflexible than he. His judgments were iron. When after careful consideration he had once made up his mind upon an important subject you could no more move him to a different conclusion than you could pluck up a mountain by the roots and cast it into the sea. This was not always comfortable for those who saw things in a different light or who had other ends to gain. there was this advantage in the situation, you always knew where to find him. He was not two faced. He never sat on the fence. But he walked where his convictions led him,

But

though he walked alone. Usually, however, because of this very positiveness, the multitude flocked to his standard and followed where his footsteps pointed the way.

This, however, does not complete the sum of the singular combination of qualities which made him a most extraordinary personality. He had that poise of judgment which I have rarely seen matched. He could not be surprised or stampeded into a course of action which subsequently his reason would not approve. When he had delivered his ultimatum he could wait. Let the squirrel sit," was a frequent expression with him when he had made a business proposition which his correspondent had not seen fit to accept. He knew that if he failed in one line of effort he could take up another, and moreover he was persuaded that, if his judgment was well founded, men would come to it sooner or later. In the affairs of the Church he had none of that feverishness of spirit which always conveys the impression that it is now or never. If there is a dollar in hand it must be spent now or the chance of spending it to any profit will be gone. If there is a policy which seems to invite effort it must be put in force at once or it will be useless to imagine that it can ever