Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-08-08
Sir Charles Hardinge Type of
Class That Once Ruled by
Right and Now Governs
by Capacity.
~IR CHARLES HARDINGE. the
. new viceroy of India. is the SUI

new VlcerOy or india, is the SUI
" preme type of an aristocracy
that has adapted itself to the
conditions of democracy. He repre-
sents a hereditary ruling class which
has beaten its swords into plow-
shares and which. having abandoned
its claim to rule by right. continues to
rule by sheer virtue of it's capacity for
government.
Sir Charles Hardinge is the perfect
diplomatist. His personal character
istics qualify him in an exceptional
degree for enunciatine policy in such
Il way as to reduce to a minimum the
possible occasions for opposition and
friction He is man whose culture
and refinement impress every one who
comes into contact with him. His man
ners are gracious and dignified.
Iron Hand Apparent.
His temper and his expression are
always thoroughly under control. He
never loses his temper, he never raises
his voice, and he never declaims
There Is about his manner, however
something that suggests calm and re-
sourceful strength. One feels that
there is an iron hand beneath the vel
vet glove. Not for moment, even
when he defers to others. does he give
an impression of weakness. There is
about him nothing of that sly. insinu
ating, unctuous manner which is ia
miliar among protested diplomatists.
After winning his spurs in diplo-
macy he was quickly withdrawn from
the task of being mere mouthpiece
TO that Of helping to frame the foreign
policy Of the British empire, and dur
ing the last four years. in which he
has acted as permanent undersecre-
tary of state for foreign affairs. his
Influence has become so powerful as
to cause uneasiness to many Liberals,
who dread dictatorship
1t frequently happens that the real
powers behind the throne are unknown
to the many. A remark by Sir Charles
Dixie upon the most powerful men in
the British empire today was recently
each of these men was that none of
them figured largely in the public eye.
Sir Charles Hardinge was one. and two
Others were the archbishop of Canter-
bury and Lord Esher. concerning whom
the kaiser is said to have made some
flippant remark in the famous unpub-
lished letter which brought about the
resignation of the Marquis of Tweed
dale.
Rapid Rise In Power.
Sir Charles Hardinge's career has
been one of lightning rapidity. After
his Harrow and Cambridge days were
over he proceeded ut once. at the age
of twenty-five, to COnstantinople as at
tache at the embassy. Thereafter In
rapid succession he passed through the
embassies at Berlin, Washington, So
fla, Bucharest, Paris, Teheran and ST.
Petersburg, in which he served in ca
pacities of ever increasing Importance,
until in 1898 he was appointed first sec
rotary to the embassy at st. Peters
burg.
His longest and most important serv-
lCcS were Ill tuc llcdl east, III Liz l)sti
kan states. in Persia and in Russia,
and he acquired a thorough proficiency
In the Turkish, Persian and Russian
languages. 1t was this experience, to-
gethcr with the avidity with which lie
made himself master of everything that
pertaincd to the policy of these coun-
tries, that gave him his opportunity.
For many years past the center of
gravity in world policy has been NOV
ing eastward. Britain had vast inter-
csts at stake in Asia and in the east
ern Mediterranean. Great events were
brewing in Macedonia, in Persia, in
India and in China, and there was need
of q man at the helm in the British for
eign office who knew the eastern ques-
ton in all its phases. In 1903 Sir
Charles Hardinge was recalled from
ST. Petersburg to be assistant under
secretary for foreign affairs at home.
Persona Grata at Court.
Once he was settled in London Sir
Charles Hardinges personal gifts soon