Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-02-07
E'hc Hero of the SOv,dan.

ADVENTUROUS LIFE OF GEN GORDON.
charles George Gordon was born at Woolwich,
January S 1893, MS father being lieutenant in the
Royal Artillery. Born of race of soldiers his PRO-
! 1esSion was practically marked Out for him from
childhood. He got his first experience of actual
warfare in the Crimea, taxing prominent part, as
an engineer, in the siege OF SevaStonOl 1t was the
experience gained in the Crimean war, together
with his great theoretical knowledge OF mi itary
affairs. ana especially to all that related to engi-
hceflhg, th2t was 10 stand him in such good stead
a Few years later when he 10 lead the sever
enact the chief part in one OF the most thrilling
episodes OF modern warfare.
The Fai-P.ng rebellion had been in progress for
some ten years, and when the allies took hand in
H. on oehaiT OF the imperial government, Gordon
was on the spot, and gained tlat minute knowl-
edge OF the c0uatry about the mouth OF the Yang
t2e oil which he was TO make such effective use a
rev months later. AT this time he made the
pfopAe5y that two years would see the end of the
revolt, little dreaming that ne himself would be
me neahr Whereby IL would come 10 ina grief
Inc "eVtr-Victol1ous army" was organized by the
private enterprise OF some wealthy merchants OF
shanghai Under its first leaders, Ward and
Burg vine. 1t had already achieved certain rep
utatiOn. when the death of the former and the
dismissal! of the latter LETT it without a comman-
Der; 10 this command Gordon appointed,
ana from mat time Onward. in The face OF enOr-
nous obstacles, both external and Internal kept it
under his control. and led IL from victory to vic
Tory. He TOOK command In March, 1863 In Nav
lSdj, Chanchutu. the last OF the rebel Strongholds
Was captured and the rebellion was at an end
! he force which, under GOrdOnS leadership, ac-
c0lapllNhed his numbered from TO five thOuS-
ana native soldiers, Of1icered by Europeans. The
gratis ude OF the Chinese government for Gordon's
wees knew no bounds The large sums OF
money which were offered him were refused but
he accepted the decorations which represented the
highest hoh0rS within the imperial gift. The Eng
ii>h government was hardly less slow in cog
nzing his splendid achievements. and upon his re-
turn made hHn c. b., ana intrllsted 10 him the
important work of experimenting The defense of
the Thames
The mkt six years OF his life were spent at
GraveSend, In quiet peace and beneficent happi-
hess; HE lived wholly for Others says Mr.. Hake
land he gives tender and beautiful deScr ption of
his benefact1ons. His house became school, hos
pltal and altnshOuse. He rescu IA ged boys from
with the SICK and dying; he took charge of the
religious meetings. he taught in the Ragged
school; he spent all that he had on the poor
Wh tever was ven him in the way of decorations
he desplsed saying that 'all wearing OF medals,
adornin, the body. any form OF Sef-glorificaton
was quite out OF p ce, and gifts of food fruit or
flowers he promptly distributed among the hos
pltaIs. Praise was an affront; invitations an
ofcnSe; pubic spec hifyin , especially where
complimentary speeches. were made in his honor,
he I0aGhed."
After this period ne was sent to the East as a
member or the Dlnublan commtsS on to superin-
tend the Improvement OF navigation. In 1874 he
arrived at Cairo TO enter into the service of the
hledlVe as governor general OF the Equatorial
lakes. during the following TWO years he traced
the White Nile rom XII rtOum to within short
distance OF the Victoria Nyanza, and had given the
slave trade de dly blow. lie restored confidence
anu peace alOAg the tribes or the Nile valley and
without oppfc5oion had contributed a revenue TO
the rXchequer OF the Khedive. His labor of five
years IN The soudan was unfortunately undone too
quickly. No sooner had Egyptian intrigue sue
ceeded In getting rid OF him Than the old order of
things was restored, slavery and slave-huntfnp he
came the Chief institutions OF the country, inse-
curly TOOK the place OF the safety which had OBJ
tanned under GordOnS rule the order he had estab-
lShed gave way 10 anarchy. The Mahdi arose.
Opt sSed NATIVES Ives, Hooked to his standards, feeling
that nothing could well be worse than their pres
ent condition, ana tally, when affairs were at
their worst IN the winter OF 1888, the eyes OF the
En- .liSh government became opened to the fact
that there IS one man in the world capable OF
doing all that human power could possibly
av9ll to do toward restoration OF something like
order in the SOudan, and at the last moment when
days further delay would have made IL too late
he was seized upon and persuaded to abandon the
plans which he had In hand, I'm order to visit Cen
tTal Africa Tor third time In consequence OF the
terrible events IN the Soudan, which everybody re-
MEMBERSHIP advance OF ''El Mahdi," the desfruc-
tOn OF Hicks PachaS army and the helplessne,s or
kgypt-on the 6th Of January, 1884 being in I on
don on short visit, he was suddenly commissioner
to go to the assistance OF the Soudan "to cft the
dog tail off, as he expressed it, Such was the
haste 10 get him off that 1t Tn" station Lord VOL
seiey carried his pOrtmanteau Lord Grenvtlle took
ms ticket for him and the Duke OF Cambridge hus-
tied nm into the carriage. The army OF which he
assumed command numbered eighteen hundred
men, or whom onc-thlrd were Africans. He ad-
yanced 10 beard the lion in his den and now after
having been shut up In Khartoun since February
last by the fanatlcai followers OF the False Prophef
comes the report that he has alien a victim
through the injection OF the British government I'm
not more promptly sending an expedition for his
relief
Mr. Archibald Forbes, in biography of Gordon.
char cterized him as perfectly unseIlsh devoted
ever TO high 1mpeTSonal aims modest to a fault
careless OF glory and reputation for their own sake
answering in his love for mankind, unrailinp I'm
his readiness TO make any sacrifices OF fortune or
LIE whereby he may contribute to the advancement
OF his felloW-men; deeply religious, but in no mar
row sense; bearing life which he feels to he A.
well-nlgh intolerably heavy burden because upheld
by solemn sense or its responsibilities man truly
chvalrous OF the knights of old seen In the light Of
the mos; Iervid poets Imagination, Charles Gordon
appears 10 US as man wholly by himself and
strangely out OF place in this practical nineteenth
century. His slngle-hearted devotion to humanity
has caused those who have known him to regard
him with something OF that reverence that men
Christianity himself, whose ideal OF life has been
SO fully realized by these men"