The National tribune., 1907-04-25

Lord Cromer. the distinguished Eng
lishman, who for "a years has been
Consul-General and British Minister for
Egypt, has rather Unexpectedly resign
ed his Office on the plea of i'll health,
and Sir Eldon Gorst, late Assistant I'm
der Secretary of the Foreign Office in
London. has been appointed to succeed
| him. Lord Cromer, now sc years of
| age, went to the Land of the Sphinx in
1888. and his magnificent work done
there has won for him the title of
country was in. deplorable condition.
it's administration frightfully corrupt.
| its industries AM trade almost at a
standstill, and the .Jor peasantry help
! less and miserable. Lord Cromer went
| to work with IL determination to inn
prove conditions, and soon had the
country on fair financial footing, re-
| formed the army, turned out corrup.
| officials and replaced them with honest
and efficient officers, vastly improved
| the condition of the peasants, extended
| the railway, postal and other facilities,
and increased the wealth of the coun-
| try by making the land more produc-
| tive thru system of irrigation. Lord
| Cromer was greatly assisted in his work
! by his wife, Lady Cromer, who took the
! liveliest interest in all his reforms, aid
| ing him frequently by her excellent sug-
| gestions and always by her sympathy.
| Her health became SO impaired by the
| climate that he was obliged to take her
| to England, where he was informed by
the ablest physicians that she had Il
mortal malady and her life but a ques-
ton of a short time. Just then crisis
arose in Egypts affairs. and Lord Gro
mers presence there became almost i'm
| perative, but he firmly refused to leave
his i'll wife. Lady Cromer, who under
stood perfectly the whole situation. and
| who thought only of the good of Egypt,
insisted upon his immediate return, and
announced her determination to accom-
pany him, knowing full well that under
| no other conditions could he be induced
to leave England at that time. This
brave, unselfsh lady. who was in dy-
ing condition, started on the long jour-
| ney, but expired before reaching her
destination. There are various rumors
as to the real cause Of Lord Cromer's
| resignation. One is that the relations
between him and the Khedive had
reached the breaking point, and that
the latter complained bitterly to the
Duke of Connaught, upon his recent
visit to Egypt, of the Viceroy's auto
cratic ways. Things were becoming so
unpleasant in Egypt on account of the
Khedive that it is thought Lord Cromer
wanted to get out of it. At all events
the Dukes visit. Another reason Is
ascribed to Lord Cromer's sensitiveness
over the bitter attack made upon him
by his former friend, Edward Dicey, in
his recent book. CDicey is considered
an authority ON Egyptian affairs in
England, and his book is one long and
bitter criticism of Lord Cromer's adj
ministration in Egypt. AS Dicey had
been his friend for 80 years, a frequent
visitor under his roof, and for whom he
had obtained the Order of the Bath,
his unfriendly attitude is said to have
so panied Lord Cromer as to have af-
fected his health. and to have been a
large factor in causing his resignation.
On March 13, 1904, on peak of the
lofty Andes, 14.450 feet above sea level.
occurred scene which for solemn i'm
pressiveness has never been eQualed in
the history of the world. For over 20
years the South American countries of
Chile and Argentina had been off and
on at war over the question Of the true
boundary lines which separated their
respective domains, but in 1898 Queen
Victoria, thru her mediation. succeeded
in establishing peace. Only half salts
fed with this, however. in 1900 both
countries again armed and prepared to
renew the contest. About this time a
Bishop of Argentina suggested that a
statue of Christ be made and placed on
the snowy borderland between the two
countries, where it could be seen by
ALL and that the ancient quarrels of
Chile and Argentina be settled forever.
This idea took root in the hearts of the
Chileans, and a young Argentine sculp-
tor, Senior Mateo Alfonso, was selected
for the work. The statue was made of
the brass cannon which Argentina took
from Spain at the time she was fighting
f1r l.1r ;,I 4
the arsenal at Buenos Ayres. For near
ly two years. however, the statue re-
manned in the yard of the College of
Lacordaire, but was by no means for
gotten by the church and the women
of Chile and Argentina, who all the
time were working for the cause of
peace. At last the two nations agreed
matter, and Chile sent ship to Buenos
Ayres with delegates to decide upon a
treaty of peace. Escorted by the whole
Argentina fleet, gay with bunting, the
ship Of peace was Joined at Buenos
Ayres by 800 others, most Of which
were in gala array, and made its way
to the dock, where 1t was welcomed by
representatives of the sister nation. For
two weeks life was given up to mad
gaiety with round Of banquets, fire.
works and entertainments of all kinds,
and when the final result of the meet
ing of the delegates was known JOY
knew no bounds. But it was in the
brain of a woman that the idea was
born. little short Of an inspiration, which
! was to crown these rejoicings. Sonora
Angela de Costa invited the President
of Argentina, with the delegates and
representatives from the other coun-
| tries, to visit the College of Lacordaire
and inspect the great statue, and as they
stood at it's feet she pleaded that it
might be placed on a pinnacle of the
Andes between the two countries as
monument to the peace which had just
been declared. Her request was grant
ed and the great statue was trans
| ferred, with the immense granite blocks
which serve as its pedestal, partly by
rail and partly by gun carriages drawn
by mules and guarded by soldiers and
Sailors from the College of the Lacor-
daire to the plateaa of 10 acres which
| tops the mountain peak marking the
| boundary line between the two coun-
tries. During that perilous journey
over the mountain roads the soldiers
and sailors frequently drew the gun
carriages themselves. fearing the mules
might by a misstep, bring some disas-
| ter to the precious burden. Finally, on
March 13, amid the. eternal SHOWS, over
/ 1900 feet above the sea, the wonder
fully impressive ceremony of the IN
vailing took place. Think what a scene
4 it must have been! On that lofty peak,
among the Clouds stood a great crowd