The Washington herald., 1910-12-09
LORD KITCHENER
SHUNS LIMELiGHT

some OF MS lesS Bbteo coiiiSiSs up
and explaining n pathetic tones that old
England is bound to 90 to the bow-wows
unless 1t takes his advice. Lord Kitchener
will go mile out of his way 10 avoid an
inquisitive reporter or interviewer. and
when he is suddenly confronted with the
photographers camera he pleads for
mercy on account of his ''inexperience
or some such naive words.
There is one thing-Lord Kitchener
never gives advice until he is asked TO do
so. He believes that it is the business OF
an officer 20 command and not 20 advise.
and what is more, he believes in sticking
to what he conceives to be his duty, just
as cobbler sticks 10 his last.
Lord Kitchener for some time past
practically has bsen out of a job. 1t is
| one of the drawbacks OF the military pro-
/ fession that as soon as you have served
/ your time as journeyman, as it were,
| you are debarred from setting up in bust
/ ness for yourself, as other journeymen
/ may do. Lord Kitchener now is an ex-
/ pert az commanding armies, but were he
/ 10 start an army OF his own and 20 on
/ the warpath there certainly would be a
/ protest raised In one quarter or another.
| owing 10 the great popular prejudice
against that sort Of thing.
Kitcheners success primarily is due 10
the fact that he always has taken his
profession seriously. He recognizes that
an army must have brain as well as
muscle, and he has done his best to sup
ply his share of the goods. The average
British officer, as a rule. is more re-
markable for pluck than intelligence
You have only 10 so 10 any gathering.
either public or private, and hear a
half-pay retired major or colonel airing
his views on life in order 10 learn what
nonsense really is,
As a young man Lord Kitchener did
not bother much about lawn tennis parties
or polo matches. and If he had to choose
between the study of tactics and an in
vitation to a picnic from a 1uffy-haired
girl, the tactics got it every time. 1t is
said that the great Napoleon spent all
his spare time with his nose on the
map" Kitchener did the same thing
He not only learned how to down the
foeman vita straight thrust. but he
also learned how 10 build a railway SC
that you could chase the foe for days in
case the thrust had not quite done
him up.
Most Of Lord Kitchener's work has
been done in the East. chiefly owing tC
the fact that there has been no wal
worth mentioning in any other quarter
OF the world belonging 10 the British fol
some time. And. though all England ad
nires its valiant field marshal. il cannot
be expected 10 get UP a war just 10 keeI
| Kitchener busy at his trade. As a young
I
work himself into the outside edge OF The
Fraaco-P russian war. but. just as he wa,
beginning 10 enjoy the fight hostilitie.
were suspended and the palavering be
gan that cost Napoleon his throne. Bu
as Kitchener was no taIker. even then
he had to look for another job.
Kitchener's great achievement, as w
ali know. was the recovery Of the Sudal
p for Egypt. When he was given the jol
. he did not at once rush out OF his ten
, with a ringing battle cry and wave hi
sword eXcitedly He just sat down an
began to figure out how much il woul
cost TO build a railroad along the line 0
the route. aud how long il would take [
; do il. Had he been an officer OF tn
, average type, probably he would hav
voted that sort of warfare horrid bore
and he would at once have started I
climb over the trouble instead of walk
2 ing around il
II he had done as some of the BIRTHS
officers did in the Boer war he wOul
: have just trusted 10 British luck an
= British pluck. and he would have gon
] down in the firso rush. Ii would hay
been. perhaps, magnificent and the Worl
would have applauded. but Englan
! would have lost the Sudan and It's onl
field marshal as well. So It would az
pear that Kitchener is right and that a
= officer IS paid for something else than h
readiness to commit a picturesque suicid
when in a tight corner.
From his long residence in the Ea.
{ Kitchener has come to understand some
p thing OF that very difficult probiem-th
D Oriental mind. When you are dealing wit
gentlemanly Arab. who believes tha
II he dies fighting for Islam he will hol
I superior rank in Paradise. it is no u.
threatening 10 Kill him If he does NJ
o behave. The whole business OF his iii
q is waiting for death. and he would ia
J rather die from a Christian bullet tina
+ from internal cramps in his desert hom
one of the things that many people OF
: ject 10 is the fact that during the Suda
: campaign Kitchener shelled the Mahdi
: tomb. AS matter of fact this simp
method Of demonstrating to the sons
= the desert that their dead chief coul
not work the miracles for which the
were waiting patiently undoubtedl
r lessened the death roll on both sides {
Z the scufle.
\ Lord Kitchener never took the troubl
;. TO explain to his critics IL would haV
! taken too long and too much valuabl
Il time, and he had no guarantee before
+ hand that they possessed the necessar
e intelligence 10 understand the question
5 az issue. War, after all. is not quie
y social game in the parlor- 1t is rous
d enough sport. in which two peoples sc
y out with the idea of being very rude {
= each other.
Kitchener's great speciality is the sam
as that of "Bre'r Fox which as 70
Il all remember. was to LAY low an sa
: muffin" When he speaks it Is only o
= matters that are within his own immed
: ate experience If he has framed
u scheme for running the government c
u Great Britain, he has so far never a
e lowed that fact TO leak out. He Is
the military department. not IN politics
s and he sticks closely 10 his own countr.
II the truth were fully known. it
!, Just because he sticks so very closely
:, his own counter that he is not as popula
= as he might be in official circles. TheI
= was talk recently of putting him at II
head of the war office, but there are 5
many "slackers Sthere who in that cas-
!, would be sent out to find another job
u Kitchener had the running of that d.
partment that the great aim of all pa
ties ever since has been centered in II
q effort 10 keep Kitchener out of Office q
long as possible.
Il When he was commander-in-chief
India he was on several occasions know