New-York tribune., 1902-08-13
KITCHENER.

! South Africa has long been proverbially the
| graveyard of military regulations, and in the
/ late war it confirmed the justice Of that repu-
! tation. A number of names which had been
growing toward greatness were therein blasted
! beyond repair Yet others were dealt with ia
vorably, emerging from the storm and stress
with added and well merited luStre. One IN
| unique manner. the great demonstration in
London on Wednesday last reminded Us, at
tanned real greatness, transforming doubt into
assurance and obloquy into all but universal
praise.
There was in all the British army before the
Boer war no important officer so enigmatical as
Herbert Kitchener. Uncommunicative. unemo-
tfonal. infexible he was a sealed book alike to
friend and foe He had done much work in
Egypt. for which he equally commended
and condemned. His friends declared he had
achieved great success. yet even they were not
sure he had been more than q 'bullheaded
fighter" That he had been great tactican or
strategist, or even an exceptionally capable or
ganizer. or that he had manifested any quail
ties of craftsmanship or the higher attributes OF
humanity. they hestated TO affirm and would
have been Mt loss to prove. His enemies.
whose name was legion. did not hesitate to
deny absolutely his possession of such quail
ties and they added with confident voluoillty
that he was merely a wanton and ruthless
butcher.
To-day the worlds estimate of him is fixed,
and is all but unanimous Briton and BOer are
agreed. So are most competent observers on
the Continent. Even in Ireland not all dissent
from the otherwise general judgment. 1t Is
recognized that Lord Kitchener is not only "a
first class fighting man" He is also general
commander of the first rank, an unsurpassed
organizer and tactician and strategist Of un-
surpassed skill Nor are his qualities only mill
tary He has shown the possession of states
manshfp of a very high order. He has shown
himself rs conciliatory in council as ever he
was inexorable in battle, He has likewise ac-
cording to the testimony of his late foes, shown
himself not only humane. but exceptionally
merciful and tender. Indeed. If we were to
take literally some Boer accounts of him, we
should have to regard him as more nearly
without fear and without repro2ch' than al
most any other warrior Of his time. There can
be no doubt that his permanent status IN MS
tory. upon the basis Of his South African
achievements, will be that of a soldier-states
man, great alike in war and peace, magnani
nous, gentle and humane
We NAV perhaps best leave with his former
denunciators the solution Of the problem which
is inevitably suggested. How was this blood
thirsty monster so readily transformed into
gentle hearted philanthrOplst? How was the
ruthless conGuer0r changed into a generous
chamDfou of the vanquished? How has the
execrated "ghoul of Omdurman' been made
over into the hero of Vereeniging and Pre-
torIa? You cannot read the answer In that
cold, impassive face. But II you got behind
that classic mask you might find a wealth of
uuiet amusement at the frailtes Of human dis
cernment and of contempt for human criticism
For he knows what at least some others should
have known that there has really been no
change Kitchener OF the Vaal Is Just the same
as Kitchener Of Khartoum; or. rather. Kitch-
ener Of Khartoum was the same as Is Kitchener
of the Vaal