The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29

Mr.. Trail expresses the opinion that, In more
favorable circumstances, Gordon might have
boon the man for both. With full power to
choose his own agents and his own methods.
and with carte blanche in the matter Of men.
material, and money. it is pronounced possible.
though scarcely probable, that Gordon, at that
particular stage of Mahdism. might havo suo-
ceeded in pacifying the Soudan. Mr.. Trail is no
friend Of the Gladstone Government, yet, In JUS
tice TO II, he admits that, had Gordon accom-
plished the feat. he could only have done so by n
complete abandonment OF all the assumptions
with which he set out, and an entire reversal of
the policy which he contemplated on his 40
ceptance OF his mission. In other words. there
Is no doubt that when Gordon undertook to re-
tire the Egyptian garrisons from tho Soudan
and to rescue It's civil populations, or such por-
tion Of them as wished to quit the country, he
imagined that he would be able to effect his
purpose by means of negotiation. He fancied
that the influence of his name and the
prestige of the authority formerly welded
by him In those regions would enable
him to pacify them, at any ratio for tho period
necessary to complete the operation OF with
drawal. Hence. the language used by him before
he reached his destination and discovered the
true conditions Of his undertaking lent itself
readily enough to quotation by those who con-
tended at a later date for tho policy OF leaving
inc SOuuan 10 bUeW IN us own juice. Durango
as 1t may seem that a man SO familiar as was
Gordon with barbarism and it's
susceptibility to f%anatical impulse should never
have suspected the true state Of things until he
came into actual contact with them. such. new
ertheless, appears to be Individually the fact. 1t
was probably not due wholly to a misconception
Of racial temperament, such as could hardly be
ascribed to a man of Gordon's antecedents, but
arose, in part at least. from a moro Ineligible
misjudgmcnt of individual character. II do
not" he wrote. believe in the advance Of the
Mahdi. who is a nephew Of my old guide in OAR
four. who. for his part. was a very good fellow"
Mr.. Trail points out the resemblance between
Gordon's reasoning about the Soudanese false
prophet and those of the Galileeans about a GER
tain true Messiah: Is not this the brother OF
James. and of Juda. and of Simonf 1t is evil
dent that Gordon started with the confidence
that he should find plenty Of very good fellows"
in the Soudan with whom he could arrange
for the peaceful execution Of his mission.
Had he been right in his calculations, no doubt
it would have been possible not only to carry
out the Ministerial policy of retirement without
serious cost or bloodshed, but even advisable. it
may be, to leave the Soudan severely alone for
the future. 1t is admitted to be only fair to re-
member this, in justification Of the English Gov
ernment's choice Of their agent, which was sub
sequently so much criticised. The gravamen of
the Governments error lay not in sending Cor
don on a quasi-diplomatic mission into 4 dis
tracted region. which could not possibly be dealt
with bv diplomatic methods; for they might be-
excused for believing what their experienced
emissary believed himself; it lay in their obsti-
nate refusal to recognize the rapid development
of that quasi-diplomatic mission into q war,ike
operation; to acknowledge. what was plain to
all the world. that their ambassador had become
a nero beleaaured soldier, fighting for his life
against an overwhelming swarm of enemies;
and to undertake. until too late. the plain duties
of support and relief which the change in tho
circumstances entailed upon them.