The age-herald., 1898-11-15
A TRICK IN COLONIZATION
pm the Chicago Times-Herald.

From the Chicago Times-Herald..
 Whether war results or not between France and Great Britain from the form CTS occupation of Fashoda and the re-open- ing of the whole Egyptian question-which, like the so-called. eastern question, is chron- ically a source of irritation the nations Of Europe-the world at large since early last spring has learned more of the Sudan, the topography of the Nile country, the khalifa, dervishes, etc., than 1t probably
 ever did before. But in the flood of news
 which came in daily over the wires there
 was a constant reference, an iteration and
 reitsration of one word. which, while per-
 sons who read might surmise it referred
 probably to title, yet had no positive
 proof of exactly what 1t meant. That one. word was invariably prefixed to Sir Her bert Kitchener's name: The sirdar. Now, what meant this word srdar?
 A quarter of century ago or there abouts at the time when Great Britain by right of might and not for any other req son occupied Egypt and took the sutan's khedive under it's tuteage. one of it's first acts was to reorganize the Egyptian army. The reorganization of the native troops in it's various possessions is invariably the | first step which Great Britain always takes toward civillzing a new province. And this it is, too, which has made England so suc-
 cessful as a colonizing nation. British off, 1 cers then were sent to Egypt and placed. at the head of the native troops. These. officers drilled the troops, taught them the manual of arms and gradually instilled in them that same esprit do corps and enthu- prit itself such a compact and formidable body. The native troops were allowed to retain their
 colors their flags and insignia, and all the paraphernalia of war distinctively the at
 tribute of an unconquered people. British statesmen went further. They even allow ed the same military titles to remain It | was a tactful thing to do; Britain lost noth- l ing thereby and the Egyptian warriors re- tained all that was sentimentally sacred 10 | them.
 | Thus. therefore, the very ancient words, | sirdar, bimbashi, jougoul, etc., remained Tn | the army The srdar of the Egyptian army is the general-in-chief. The bimbashi | Is a major, the jougol, captain. Sirdar- | literally 1t means off1cer-is as old an ex- l pression almost as the country or the l Pharaohs itself In Arabic the word means "head man." There needs be little stretch | of the imagination to see how the term | came to be given to the commandant or | the Egyptian forces.
 | Sir Herbert Kitchener is the second sir | dar of Egypt, the first to bear that name being Major-General Sir Francis Wallace | Grenfell. Now the military forces occupy | ing Egypt are of two classes: The British | army whose commander Is General Gren- | fell, and the native army, commanded by | Sir Kitchener the sirdar. Each works n- dependently of the other. General Gren- | fell's forces are under direct control of the war office in London; Sirdar Kitchener s troops are controlled by the khediye, Abbas | Fasha's war minister until Abani Pasha. | That is, the sirdar is nominally under con- | trol of the lshedive's government, for those | amiliar with Egyptian politics know very | well that Abbas Pasha Is but the servant
 of Lord Cromer. Great Britains agent in Cairo. Several times in recent years the | khedive, chafing under British so-called | protection, has sought to dismiss the sir | dar, but British bonds were too strong to be shaken off. It is scarcely more than a | year and a half ago that Abani Pasha | sought to get rid of Sir Herbert Kitchener. | And how near he came succeeding French | diplomats, and particularly M. Hanotaux, | well know. It was at this juncture that | Lord Cromer's powerful diplomacy came | into good use. This strong man of Egypts | land, whom England has just sent back to | Cairo at an immeasurable personal sacri- | fice-a sacrifice which cost him the life of | his devoted wife-plainly told the khedive | he wouldn't have it. 'It is absolutely nec-
 essary for your own safety and that of the
 army and the land," he is reported to have | said that Sir Kitchener should remain. '' And the khedive bowed to the dictum, and | Abani PaSha, was dismissed from office.
 And events have fully justified this de-
 cision, said a British diplomat in this city | yesterday.
 Sir Herbert Kitchener became sirdar in
 1S97 It is not a generally known fact that
 he was fellow student of the late prince
 imperial at Woolwich Military academy
 Born in 1850, he was, so to say, brought
 up in a barracks. His father, Colone
 Horatio Kitchener, was soldier, and tho
 future hero of Omdurman dreamed of sol
 diering in earliest boyhood. County Kerry
 Ireland, was his birthplace. and on the
 downs near Crotta House, his home when | a lad fine old mansion on the road to
 Tralee, the battle of Omdurman was
 really fought.
 | He thus possesses British tenacity ani | Irish pugnacity. And only AS! What great
 enlinence may he not then reach?