The Washington herald., 1908-02-02

abroad, yet he has found himself not
only an object of distrust bat has even
been superseded Of late BY native digni-
taries.
He, too. is returning home. like Henry
Dennison, probably asking himself
whether his many years of exile spent
IN serving a foreign and Oriental gov
ernment have not. after all been in
measure wasted. since the one anxiety on
the part of those to whom he has devoted
the best years Of his life is that his
memory should pass into oblivion He
viii be succeeded though with sadly
shorn powers. rs inspector of customs by
his brother-in-law, Sir Robert Bredon.
like himself an irishman, born of Ca
madam mother. and married TO IA Ameri-
can wife-namely, to the daughter OF
Thomas Crane Banks, of san Francisco.
The treatment which Sir Robert Hart
has however received at the hands of
the Chinese during the last ten years is
calculated to destroy any illusions which
even So great an optimlst as Sir Robert
BredOn may entertain as 10 his hopes Of
ever winning any real gratitude on the
part of his Oriental paymasters.
While Alan BuTliugame occupies an
hOuOred place i'm American, and even Eu-
ropean, history, it is doubtful whether
even the most highly elucated OF the Chi
nese of the present generation have ever
heard of the name OF the American
statesman who after quitting the post
of envoy of the United States az Pekin,
i'm order 10 help them To secure for the
first time proper treatment and due con-
sidcrati0n by Western nations. sacrificed
his life i'm their service while engaged i'm
establishing for the first time diplomatic
intercourse between what is known rs the
Middle Kingdom and the civilized world
Equally forgotten is the name of Gen
Williams. of New York, to whom the or
ganiZltion Of the economic system OF
Japan ON "a civilized financial basis Is
almost wholly due and who succeededI -
without pecuniarv benefit for himself. In
negotiating abroad q per cent loan
for the Toxic government AT time when
the prejudice against the Land of the
Rising sun. and the disbelief in the per-
mauency or seriousness of It's Western
innovations were general.
Nor must 7 omit the name Of Sir Halli-
day Mccartney, who resigned his COM
mission i'm the English army % enter
the Chinese service about the same time
as Sir Robert Hart. in 1863. and after
acting as director Of the great arsenal
Mt Nanking, figured for thirty years as
counselor Of the Chinese embassies ia
Europe. winning for them "a degree of
confidence and consideration Justly with
held from the missions OF most other
Oriental powers. I'm spite Of this, and of
the fact that his first wife, who lies en-
tombed according 70 Chinese rites at Nan
king, was the daughter Of one of the
principal mandarins of that city. he was
fH.r his
services were no longer required. and
died not long afJerward. a prey a. cha
grin. and % enforced idleuess-
Mr.. f. IT. StrCbaL the principal legal
adviser and counselor of the King oi
SIAM died the other day at Bangkok, be-
fore his royal employer had wearied of
hts services and seems 90 have been
really mOurncd But there is no doubt
that if ne had lived a few years longer
ne would have shared the fate of s1
many other faithful servants Of Oriental
governments and potentates and would
have been sent about his business. feel
ing that he had wasted his energies ami
his devotion upon people who were i'm
capable Of any sentiments of disiuter-
ested loyalty. affection. or gratitude
where "a white man was concerned.
Scores of Americans were formerly em-
ployed iu Egypt 10y old Ehedive Ismail
and by his successor. TeWnk, until the
British occupation Of the Land of the
Nile But even some time before the
bombardment of Alexandria, most of
them had been dismissed. or else lad
been led To resign by the lack of ap-
probation shown Of the good work which
they had done, not only In organizing the
Egyptian army and navy, but also in
the exploration, and iu the establishment
of Egyptian rule I'M the Sudan One
alone Of them declined 10 allow himself
TO ba discouraged. and remained ou in the
EhediviaI service after the English had
assumed control OF Egypt and that was
Col Alexander Macnmh Mason. grandson
of that Gen Maromh who died as gen
eraJ-in-chjef of the United States army
Mason was one of the finest types of
the soldier Of fortune that it has ever
been my lot 30 meet After taking BART
as a naval officer i'm the civil war. De-
saw active service in Chile and iu Cubl
before entering the employ OF Khcdtve
Ismail where after a time. hc was Js-
signed 10 assist Gen. China" Gordon. Of
whom be became the closest friend What
especially euGeaTed him 10 Gordon was
his singular m0desty. bis discretion, and
above all his ability TO hold his tongue,
Mason was the most quiet and uuas-
Stunning Of men. People knew him for
months and years. and We're In almost
daily intercourse with him before learn
ing. only through others, of his splendid
record in the Sudan where De made the
first survey of the Albert Nyanza. Cor
don was most difficult - get along with.
There were days when be was 50 excita-
bic and irritable as to be absolutely unfit
for human intercourse No one realized
this better than he did himself. and be-
ing very fond OF Mason and unwilling
10 quarrel with him. he made when they
were at khartOum together. an arrange
ment which was as characteristic of one
man as it was of the other.
ii was agreed that whenever Gordon
felt his fits of iTritabilty and eXaspara-
tion coming ou, he should hang out OF
his window or above his door. "a huge
batue-aX which ne picked up iu the
Sudan. and thgJ whenever this danger
Gus signal should be put out Mason
should give him q wide birth. The
agreement worked splendidly Mason
never betook himself To Gordon's resi-
deuce without looking out for the bat
tIe-ax. and if the latter were in sight