Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-08
THE GORDON COLLEGE.
Nearing Completion at Khartoum-
Education in the Soudan.

GOucaIon IN the Soudan.
From the London Standard.
The Gordon College is rapidly approach
ing completion. By October next 1t is ex-
pected that for the present It will be out
of the hands of the builders. 1t is a hand
some structure of native red brick, built In
the Moorish style. forming two sides of a
square, one of which faces on the river
with tower above the central entrance.
Along the inside runs a cool and airy clois-
ter, with winding stairs leading to the up
per story; the class rooms are spaciously
designed. Its commanding position at the
east end of the town makes II a conspicu-
Gus landmark for many miles round From
no point Is this so remarkable as from the
hill of Surgham. which overlooks the bat
tlefield of Kerreri. Here is summed up
much of the past and the future of the
Soudan.
On the one hand is the scene of the final
overthrow of the forces of darkness and
ignorance by war, on the other the symbols
of that longer contest for the conquest of
the Soudan by the peaceful arts of science
and learning. With the eye o. faith IT is
easy to look forward into the future, and
to imagine the time, generations hence,
when the Gordon College will be a true
center of learning for all these vast terri
tories. Then it will stand, a completed
quadrangle, in the middle of large gardens,
its own territory, as green and cultivated
as they are now arid and dusty. Its halls
students from all the provincial centers,
not vainly pursuing a dry and vain scho-
lasticism, as in the other degenerate uni
versities of the Mahometan east but eager
ly following in the paths of living science
and learning by practical teaching in the
laboratory and workshop to wrest from
nature her secrets and to absorb the prin
ciples underlying practice in the depart
ments of chemistry and medicine mechan-
les, agriculture and the arts. Perhaps once
more, in years to come the culture and
science of the Arabs will be as famous as
they were in the great days of Arab do
minion.
1t is a long way to travel from such
stimulating forecasts to the actual state of
learning and education in the Soudan to-
day. Never was a country more absolutely
and wholly illiterate. Writing IS practical
ly an unknown art and reading hardly
less so. 1t is perfectly useless to post
government proclamat ton unless compe-
tent person Is stationed by ii to read Ii out
to any passerby. At the same time there
f1ourishes the most exaggerated respect for
a written document. which is regarded as a
kind OF magic book and cases have been
known IN which SwindlerS have extorted
large sums of money by going round ex-
hibiting a paper processing to be an order
to pay issued by the government. Obvious
ly. education has had to be on very humble
lines at first and must continue so for
some time. Was, then, the Gordon College
a too ambitious attempt to anticipate the
future? Is 1t a mere white elephant,
doomed TO be vain monument or an Ill
directed wave of enthusiasm? Such view
is far from the truth 1t would be strange.
indeed. If a project dear to the heart of
Lord Kitchener was of such a nature.
Certainly, 1t is impossible to start a COM
plete university right away with building
and an endowment of some $4,000 a year.
Time is of the essence of the question. 1t
is possible to argue that the money used
In the building might have been more ad-
vantageously expended in other ways. But
apart from the fact that the subscribers
doubtless wished to see some immediat tie
result for their munficence. am sure that
it was the right policy to build at once