The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-25
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STRONG BY WILL POWER,
Many of EnGland's Heroes Were
Delicate Once.
From the London Express.

From the London Express
The soldier is so often looked upon as
beng the emit o linn mt OF strength health,
and activity that il may be something
rev to learn that many celebrated Gen
erals have as boys been anything but ro-
bust or noted for the virtues just men
toned.
Lord Roberts is the most signal exam
pie of this AS lad he was so delicate
that when he went out to India, on his
first voyage there as a soldier. it was
generally supposed by his most intimate
friends and relatives hat his life would
necessarily be short, so pale aud delicate
was he. We have several Independent ac-
counts of how the crew and some of his
messmales ritied the tender-lookns
young Anglo-Indian and prophesied that
an early grave would be his
But the Indian climate his native eli
mate. too. set him up, and worked won
ders in him. How have those prophets Of
evil be en- falsifled by what we in our time
see and know to-day,
The Duke Of Wellington was not a all
strong when lad. and his mother was
often much concerned about his health.
At Elton he got the reputation Of being
rather silent, taciturn. somewhat sui
len youth. But IL is generally believed
now that this was much due to his
! d=licate health as TO any Individual char
acteristics of his own temperament.
Arthur Wellesley could not stand the
knocking about and rough and-tumble
life that some CT his Elton friends enjoyed
at that time, and they were not slow to
make him aware of the fact.
Mr.. Rodceford Mcguire whose recent
adventures In Kimberley and help to the
garrison have made his name more known
than even before The siege. was almost
given up when bay, 50 poor was his
general health.
HIS destined career had to be changed
for no ether reason than that his health
would not stand it, and he had to go out
to the Cape in order to seek that health
which seemed to be denied him in Eng
/ land. Happily, he found it there and
found fortune, too, at the same time; so
re- at any rate, cannot row moan his
fate.
Mcguire found at the Cane a man still
more influential than he himself was to
become man who also had bad to lea We
England and the prospect of being q
clergyman. owing to his weak state Of
health. This man had once been intend
ed for parson, like his father, and would
have perhaps ended his DAYS as a conn
try vicar had not bad health stepped in
and made him give up that idea and set
out for Cape Colony Then his health te-
came renewed. and to-day the whole wor1 I
knows Cecil Rhodes almost as well as il
knows anybody
Rhodes may we'll be called a soldier"
as regards fighting, for though not a mil
itary man by profession. he was always
willing to take any share of fighting thar
came along his way. and his advice 10
doubtful Britons during the late crisis in
Kimberley. to be like me and sit tight :"
will not be readily forgotten 1t was said
that Kruger had such an opinion of Cecil
Rhodess lighting powers that he pro
fo I'm nj oh ,t,ba Z
berley was taken, but 1t may be also said
that Rhodes would have shown the Beers
no small amount of resistance first be-
fore he had thus allowed himself to be
taken. for he is by instinct a fighting
man TO the very bone.
Havelock was never very strong and
as boy was decidedly on the dark side
of health. Even when a man, his pale
face was a general subject for remark
among his followers. But they all knew
his worth and courage when the time of
trial came.
Perhaps no civilian in this century was
more a born fighter than was Lord Byron
had he been able to become a real sol
der, but he was kept back from that by
his deformity and by constant bad health.
Yet he went forth manfully to help the
Greeks in their struggles for indep endence
against the Turks. and persisted at Mlssol-
onghi.
The present Kaiser has never been a ro-
bust man. and MS a lad was still more del
icate. His deformed arm always gave
him much trouble In affecting his general
health, especially in. his younger years.
But he has by his splendid resolution
and care, grown out of this constant bad
health, and to-day he is a hghting man
with whom all Europe has to reckon-a
man not easily TO be beaten in what he
undertakes.
SO that there is much hope for delicate
boys after all, II they have the RICH sort
OF British pluck In them.
Health and strength are largely a mat
ter of will power. after all.