29 JUNE 1912, Page 19

We note with great pleasure that a knighthood has been

bestowed on Mr. E. T. Cook. Mr. Cook has a very distin- guished and honourable record as a journalist. His associa- tion with the Pail Mall Gazette and the Westminster Gazette, of which he was the first editor, and with the Daily News, which lie edited from 1896 to 1901, proved him to be a fearless and independent critic who set patriotism above party and sub- ordinated interest to conviction. But, even if he had never written a word in the Press, his honour would have been richly deserved by his magnificent edition of Ruskin's works, which is at once a monument to the genius of the author and the industry of the editor.