Evening star., 1914-09-27
HUMANITY OF KITCHENER.
Great Britain's MAN of Iron" II
Not q Machine.

T. P. O'Connor In Golfers.
In studying Lord Kitchener one has
to get rid of the legendary Kitchener
and try to reconstruct the real man
The silent sphinx: the emotionless MAJ
chine; the harsh and heartless com<
mander: all these picturesque phrases
which have been applied to Lord Kitch<
ener, sometimes by graphic friends and
sometimes by virulent foes, are abso>
lutely misleading.
Lord Kitchener doubtless, like all
great men of action, can keep his own
counsel. but the silent sphinx when rnet
at dinner party is eager to talk, and
talks admirably. with certain direct-
ness and terseness as of a man of ac-
tfon. but not without imagination and
with great insight. When he is in tho
intimacy of his own room at night
and with only a friend or two he can
talk the whole evening through, and
nobody thinks of interrupting the
stream of interesting "reminiscences and
The emotionless machine has, as Q
matter of fact, plenty of emotion,
though well under restraint, and the
harsh and heartless commander is con-
siderate to ubordinates-scarcely
says a harsh word-never utters .
harsh comment behind anybodys back.
and often has distinguished himself
from more excited subordinates, not
manity, of his judgment and action.
This man without emotion has in real-
ity keen and abiding sympathy with
those eastern people among whom his
life has been mainly spent; he has had
to slay many of them, but they were
the oppressors, and it was to save the
oppressed. He speaks their language,
understands their nature, sympathizes
with their wrongs. is indulgent to their
weaknesses and works necessarily for
their spiritual and material elevation.
This man, who has fought such tire.
mendous and historic battles and con-
fronted great odds. is yet man who
prefers a deal to a struggle; and,
though he can be so stern, has yet .
diplomatic tact that gets him and his
country out of difficult hours. The ma
ture, doubtless, is complex, and stern
determination and tenacity are part OF
it. but there is also the other side.
which is much forgotten, especially By
that class of writers who have to des
scribe human character as rig1dly eyrnS
metrical and unnaturally harmonious.
That cold and penetrating eye Of hio
makes 1t impossible to imagine any
body taking any liberties with Lord
Kitchener. yet one OF his greatest quail
tiles. at once useful and charming. 10
anything to say to him can approach
him: anybody who has anything to
teach him will find ready and grate-
full learner. This is one OF the secrets
VI 0uSSSoo 6aio oAA~
versal popularity in Egypt. Lord Cro-
mer was a great Egyptian ruler. ana
his services are imperishable and gle
gantic. but Lord Cromer was the eterns
solitary and inaccessible bureaucrae
who worked innumerable hours every
day at his desk. never Termed tho Arabic
language and possibly never quite
grasped Arab nature. Lord Kitchener 10
the cadi under the tree. The mayor or the
citizens Of the little Arab village can
come to him, and the old soldier. ana
even the fellah, alone; and they will
find Lord Kitchener ready to listen
and to talk to them in their own
tongue. to enter with gusto into the
pettiest details of their daily and sQua-
lid lives, and ready also to apply the
remedy to such grievances or to sup
ply such wants as commend themselves
to his judgment.