The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-06-15

powerful. When he took the Sacrament
at Dreifontein the other day, in the
Iace, one might say, of the whole army,
it was without hint of the parading
of religion. All saw in it an act of SIM
pie faith. It is almost as hard to recon-
cile his gentleness and sympathy with
the firm, sometimes stern, course which
a general so supreme in command, and
at the head of so large an army, must
often have to follow. Ihave 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 that I got; 81 don't
know how, but he does"
s'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
humane quality of the aawless tact; the
superior, almost superhuman, gift of
Justice. Good men like him, because
he is good; kindly men find responsive
chord in his nature, and those who are
stern feel that he, too, is stern upon oc-
casion."
He has complimented "Tommy" on
his soldierliness in such way as to win
the mans loyalty to the end and the sur
render of his life, and on the very same
day he has ordered home a general,
knowing that the order carried with it
the disgrace of a man who meant as
we'll as himself, but had not the capa-
city to realize his ambition. His army
will do anything for him; march longer.
starve harder, go without tents, blank
cts 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 willingly and gladly,
where other armies might protest and
grumble and 60 ahead with sullenness.
He can get more out of an army, from
the Guards down to the toughest scout
ing force las he did between Modder
River and Bloemfontein) than any Rus
sian or German general could have ex
torted with iron and discipline and ad
amantine authority. 1t was the so-called
'London pets''-the Guards-whc
broke all European records in a three
days march into the Free State. In
stead of grumbllng, they made it {
matter for boasting. Whenever othel
privates would damn another leader
Roberts men would say simply: "'Bob
knows what 'e's about; 'Bob's will d.
the job" 1t sufices the majorit.
lmerely to sum up Lord Roberts will
this phrase; "'E is man." He cal
mrke no mistakes that his army will
recognize. Whatever he orders O
does is regarded as the reflection
of superhuman inspiration.
Even if he fails, he is certain to b.
considered infallible at the end. Their
may have been more than one yelling
ton at the head of Britain's armies il
the past, but there has never been
previous Roberts in Englisl
history has there been such idolatry
lor any such magnetic leader.
i When he visited Modder River b
found Lord Methuen established in tn
hotel, and that General had been a
pains to clear out part of the buildin
and appoint it for the Field Marshal
lodgings. But Lord Roberts, thankin
him, remarked that he had ordered hi
tent to be set on the veidt, and tha
there he meaut to stay. When h
army is in motion, marching and figh
ing, he travels with a covered wagon an
tent, the first being his house and tn
= second his work-room. The wagon
a light four wheeled contrivance who's
> top is roomy and complete inclosur
and defense against rain and cold wint
On the sideboard is painted ''F. n
> 'ILord Roberts," so that we may a
know it when it comes along.