The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-12-27
Wa*toman L auurnaI
AerHUR ROPES. General Baitor.
England's Best Hope.


There are cheers ior General Lord
Roberts on his departure from Eng
land fox South Africa, and ecstatic
demonstrations that are almost hys
teric. But Eueland's best hope must
abide with the ship that is speeding
through the Mediterranean to Gbral-
tar, carrying General Lord Kitchener
to join bis chief on their voyage TO the
scene Of the recent British disas ers.
Kipling adds TO The acclaim for "Our
Bob >" and celebrates his exploits in
India and Afghanistan. All this is
dramatic, and it helps London to keep
its courage up, but it is not war, ard
such war as must be waged to subdue
the antagonist that has already hived
up in towns, or beaten in battle and
rendered powerless, far larger armies
than Great B ritain for half a century
has put in the field. These crippled
and beleagured armies comprise the
bulk of the seasoned soldlery of Eng
laud. The reinforcemelt3 they will
receive will be in large part volunteers,
unused to military service. A period
of organizing, drill and preparation
must ensue, and weeks must elapse
before the advance checked at the
Modder and the Tugela is resumed.
Gen. Roberts is well on toward three
and 10 haa n haap
in active service for a long period.
The relief of Candaha, at the head of
some 5000 troops, a score of years ago,
was holiday parade compared with
the forces, aggregating some 200, 900
men of all arms, he is called to com
msnd in South Africa. His foe is not
the rude tribesmen of the hills. What
the foe is Modder and Tugela rivers
and lesser actions have disclosed. Ex-
perience in war and time for planniny
for defense have not made him less
formidable. The troops the new com
mander will lead are not more formid-
able than those whom White, Methuen,
Gatacre and Butler have led to little
purpose. All the conditions of warfare
have radically changed since Roberts
led an English army. The deadly and
far.reaching arms and ammunition are
practically new to Roberts. He is
more of an anachronism in South AT
RIGA at the present time than was Gen
eral Scott at the head of the Union
army in the early days of the Civil
War in the United States. So i, is no;
quite clear that General Roberts can JUS
tfy the high hopes his despatch to the
seat of war has raised in England
A ge, lack of recent military experience,
or any experience at all commensurate
with the task that confronts him in
South Africa, and the revolution in the
conditions OF battle r " 81 81 rsn' ~
count against General Lord ROBERTS.
"Bobs" must apparently be figure
head imparting state aud digni y to the
chief command and Kitchener the active
controlling spirit and genius of the new
stage of the war with the Beers. He
has never fought European enemy.
His antagonists have been the bar
barians of the upper Nile, but in pre-
pairing to meet them, and in vanquish-
ing them when he was ready and
where all his predecessors had signally
failed, he has diclosed military
genius of high rank. He is young,
fresh from his brilliant achievements
in the north of Africa. VIII his
laurels wither in the hercer heat of the
aTpro lching encounter in the South Of
the Dark Continent?