The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-16

l
rading of religion. All saw it in an act
of simple faith
TT is almost as hard to reconcile his
| gentleness and sympathy with the firm
sometimes stern-course which a gen
era SO supreme in command, and at the
head of so large an army, must often
have to follow I have asked many of
his friends how he can be both sorts of
men at once-how he can possess traits
which we imagine must war with one
another.
He does possess them that's ALL is
the best answer l have had; L don't
| know how, but he does ....
d" He is all things to all men, in the
best sense of the phrase said one who
knows him well. He has the royal gift
of remembering everybody, the supreme
quality of f1awless tact the superior, al
most superhuman, gift of justice. Good
men like him because he is good; kind
! ly men find a responsive chord In his
nature; and those who are stern feel
that he, too is stern upon occasion he
| has complimented a Tommy on his sol
dierliness in such way as to win the
| mans loyalty to the end and surrender
of his life, and on the very same day he
has ordered home a general, knowing
| that the order carried with it the ever
enduring disgrace Of a man who meant
as we'll as himself, but had not the ca
pacty to realize his ambition.
His army will do anything for him;
! march longer starve harder go with
| out tents, blankets and rum more days
and weeks and die in greater numbers
for him than for any other man alive.
And they will do all these things will
lingly and gladly where other armies
might protest and grumble and go
ahead with sullenness. He can get
more out of an army, from the Guards
down to the toughest scouting force las
he did between Modder river and
Bloemfontein), than any Russian or
German general could have extorted
with iron discipline and adamantine au-
thority. 1t was the so-called London
pets-the Guards-who broke all Euro
pean records In a three days march into
the Free State. Instead of grumbling
they made it matter for Boosting.
Whenever other privates would damn
another leader Roberts men say sim
ply: 'Bobs knows what 'e's about
'Bobs viii do the Job 1t sutiices the
majority merely to sum him up with
this phrase: sc is a man. He can
make no mistake that his army will rec
ognze Whatever he orders or does is
regarded as the reflection of superhu-
man inspiration.
Even if he fails he is certain to be
considered infallible at the end, There
may have been more than one Yelling
IN, NJ }1,O g Dr;+ t,,sr, TIL
the past. but there has never been a
previous Roberts-never in English his
tory has there been such idoatry, or
any such magnetic leader The men
feel that they know him and that he
knows them, | was told 1T IL a case
of love returned for love and admira-
ton exchanged for admiration He ,
scrupulously returns the salute of every |
Tommy he meets TIE speaks to hum
dreds about whatever he sees them do
ing, or whatever interests him or rouses
his curiosity He thanks whoever does
anything for him, and compliments all
who are smart or soldierlil1e in manner
and brave in service, He knows the
names of a multitude of men. He is
sharp on offenders, and can detect loot
ing, defect in dress, misbehavior of any
sort with so quick and keen an eye that
the men feel-in this as in his courtesy
that he Is one Of them They know
that he is to be reckoned with In every
way
I'VE have all been slightly rnisled by
the Boer word communicating 1t
makes stealing seem less offensive--in
fact under the new name of 'cumman-
deering,' stealing commends itself to
many of us. Lord Roberts has been
awfully down on it, He seems not to
have caught the spirit in which we who
would not steal a pin have been com
wandering Dutch Bibles horses and
any other portables in our path At u
certain point on the veldt one of Rob
erts' staff was riding ahead of the field
and saw a Canadian with two
fat fowls hanging from his saddle.
Here said the officer, where did
you get those fowls?"
Communicated EN- sir"
"Well, for goodness sake, hide them.
Here's Lord Roberts just behind us
He'll have you shot"
up cantered Lord Roberts with his
face troubled. What is that man doing
with those chckens?' he asked, sternly
Sir" replied the staff officer "he has
that you are on very short
rations and he desires to offer the fowls
for your dinner He got them off a I
farmer close by
why, how very kind said the field
pleased to the heart, and smi-
Ing warmly. what is your name. /
am very much obliged to you"
Nov, no more of that, do you hear?"
he officer whispered to the Canadian,
Who rode away, leaving his plumber, and
doubtless very glad to part with 1t as he
lid.
The officers are as anxious to please
he field marshal as the men, and one
lass thinks no less of his genius and
lis marvellous personality than the 9TH
sr These who are near to him say
hat when he Is talking to an officer
bout his work he makes you feel that
'ou have his entire confidence and that
lie believes you will do the business bet
er than anyone else could do it, But if
ou do 1t wrong, he will tell you frank
y and will point out the why and
wherefore of his dspleasure. And /
on't envy the feelings of man who
noWs he has displeased the chief.
In using men he is as broad as the