Sir Stafford
The death of Sir Stafford Cripps in the circumstances in which it has occurred has moved men of all parties. An appreciation of him appears on another page. In say- ing that he has died because he never spared himself in working for his country and the causes he believed in, Mr. Gaitskell, his successor as Chancellor of the Exchequer, was speaking the literal truth. The end is the more poignant for the gallantry of the struggle for life, the completeness of submission to prolonged and exacting treatment and the strong hope at one time encouraged, only to be later frustrated, that full recovery might be looked for. Sir Stafford was a remark- able personality, embodying many apparently incompatible qualities. He could at one time in his career combine out- standing brilliance as a lawyer with political views so extreme as to cause his expulsion from the Labour Party. An outstand- ing success as a Minister where pure administration was con- cerned, he failed conspicuously, largely through lack of flexibility and human touch, when for a short time Leader of the House of Commons. Vigorous to the point of occasional violence of language in his political pronouncements, he was the author of a volume almost devotional in its spirituality. Such men are rare indeed, and in a sense their defects combine with their virtues to ensure them their place in history. But in the case of Sir Stafford Cripps the judgement of history may be imperfect, for he did not lightly reveal his inner self to the common eye.
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