The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-08-04
Sir Charles Hardinge Type Of
Glass That Once Ruled by
Right and Now Governs
by Capacity.

~IR CHARLES HARDINGE, the
new viceroy Of 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 it's swords into plow-
shares and which, having abandoned
it's 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
1stics qualify him in an exceptional
degree for enunciating policy in such
a way as to reduce to a minimum the
possible occasions for opposition and
friction. He is a 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 a 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 professed diplomatists.
After winning his spurs in diplo-
macy he was quickly withdrawn from
the task Of being a 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 a 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
quoted. The remarkable thing about
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
f1ippant remark in the famous unpub
lished letter which brought about thu
resignation of the Marquis of Tweed
dale.
Rapid Rise In Power.
Sir Charles Hardinge's career ha:
been one of lightning rapidity. Afte
his Harrow and Cambridge days were
over he proceeded at once at the agt
of twenty-five, to Constantinople as at
tache at the embassy. Thereafter II
rapid succession he passed through tn,
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
ices were in the near east, in the Bal
kan states, in Persia and in Russia
and he acquired thorough profcienc,
in the Turkish, Persian and Russian
languages. 1t was this experience, to
gether with the avidity with which b
made himself master Of everything tina
pertained to the policy of these cour
tries, that gave him his opportunity.
For many years past the center Q
gravity in world policy has been mo'
ing eastward. Britain had vast intel
.ests at stake in Asia and in the cas-
sern Mediterranean. Great events wer
brewing in Macedonia, in Persia,
India and in China, and there was nee
of a man at the helm in the British TO
,eign Office who knew the eastern que
ton in all it's phases. In 1908 S.
Charles Hardinge was recalled frol
st. Petersburg to be assistant unde
secretary for foreign affairs at home.
Persona Grata at Court.
Once he was settled in London S
Charles Hardinge's personal gifts sol