The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-06

the shop or a Dublin bookseller and
from this arose the legend that he had
been apprenticed to a bookseller. The
young ensign became Sir Garnet and
afterwards Lord Wolseley by sheer merit.
He became an ensign in the Cheshire
regiment In 1857, serving with distinction
In numerous campaigns, from the Cri-
mean war, wherein he lost an eye through
pebble cast up by shell fire. In 1868
he became captain in the Staffordshire
regiment by purchase, but did not long
remain in that position. His death last
week recalls several stories.
Once he was talking to Queen Victoria
and the talk drifted to the Bacon-Shake-
speare controversy. Wolseley remarked
that some people doubted whether Shake
speare had written his own plays. "Oh,
don't talk to me about that" she re-
piled; that was Lord Palmerston's nom
sense!"
Lord Wolseley's name has to be added
to the list of great fighting men who
have denounced war. In an article in the
North American Review % years ago
he wrote: Without any doubt, the states
man or the soldier who would not de-
vote all his energies to have his country
from what all must regard as the appall-
ing calamity of civil war, or indeed from
any war, would be an unprincipled vii
lain
AS became soldier. Lord Wolseley
knew how to stand still when occasion
required and was apt to be impatient
with anyone less proficient than himself
in the art of impassivlty. Once, when
a n M uar
being photographed together the inter
viewer took up an unfortunate position
in front of lighted asbestos stove. A
smell of burning cloth began to pervade
the room, and, somewhat excitedly, the
interviewer shouted to the operator to put
the cameras cap on Dear me-" said
Lord Wolseley severely, "cant you stand
still for half minue?" NO. said the
interviewer, pointing to the stove. Il get
uneasy under fire.
Nothing is more trying than the loss
of purse or household goods, often with
a personal history. Probably Wolseley
felt such things far more than the dan
gers of war. In these and kindred ways
he suffered much: On his first journey to
the east his boat. the Transit" was
wrecked in the Malay Straits, and the
whole of his kit went to the bottom A
second kit, secured In Calcutta, was lost
at Cawnpore, and his Legion of Honor
and Crimean medals disappeared, to be
recovered later from the corpse of a mutt
neer. Cashmere shawl, given him by
a brother officer, was stolen, and so we're
two silver bowls, present from his COM
pany. AT the same time his household
goods in London, warehoused in the Pant
echnicon, were burned in the fire that
reduced the building to ashes When, in
1860 he went out to China, he was wreck
aH off In 90 Aara md bo
dered out to Canada, In 1861, it took his
ship a month 10 cross the Atlantic.
Natural aptitude no less than heredi-
tary associations this father being a ma
ior) determined young Wolseley's career
His first feat of arms was the storming
of a Burmese fort While leading his
men he suddenly disappeared in a deep
hole, in the midst of which stake was
fixed to impale the unwary, the trap be-
ing concealed with brushwood. His men
We're repulsed, and when he scrambled
out he found himself alone, and had to
run for his life. Reforming his men, he
returned to the charge, and this time
reached the parapet, where shot tore his
thigh open and nearly put an end to
mis- career.
Concerning this same engagement
Wolseley himself told story: AT day.
break. when the fog cleared. I was told
off, with four men, to certain point to
skirmish. l had never been drilled, NV
four men-or rather boys-had never
been drilled, nor even fired off a musket
tell you this to illustrate the great
nonsense of some peoples ideas, who
state that the army today is inferior to
that of 81 years ago. Though had not
been drilled. j was we'll up in strategy
and tactics, OF which I had been stu
dent from my earliest days. We started
and suddenly came upon the enemy. The
enemy heard us and opened a heavy fire.
killing my four men, More men now
came up, and we were ordered to 60 on
ana charge. There was a native regiment
OF infantry extended in skirmishing order
and we'll remember kicking a fat old
native officer because he wouldn't go on"
He has often advised the cadets of
sandhurst and other inquirers. There
s only one way for young man to get
on in the army. He must try to gef
Killed in every way he possibly can, He
must be absolutely Indifferent to life If
he does not succeed in getting killed
he is bound to get on-that is. always
assuming he has intelligence and the
instincts of a soldier"
Throughout his career Lord Wolse,es
waged endless war against strong drink
though he did not set up teetotal stand
ard On his Canadian campaign his men
and officers had to do their hard work
on tea, for no spirits were taken. exces;
in the medicine chest He himself wa.
an enormous smoker. but he used from
time to time to abstain from smoking To
prove to himself that he was no slave Of
tobacco.
Some of US remember the wordy WAY
between DR.. Russell. war correspondent