Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-07
KITCHENER,
WHO WAS Hk,
The Englishman Who Saw y.
Opportunity When It Came
and Did Not Let II
Escape

WHEN the startling news was As.s..
w across the ocean that Kitchebos e.
gone down with British cruiser ~
who was looking at the LEDGER bun1,,ssaa /
read the announcement and refnarkex1
'Kitchener2 Who in thunder q tstss.
ener?" 's'f
And that is fame, after achieving -.
some have thought Worldwide rs,.ls. 4
ton, to have the man in the street ~
aware of your identity.
Well, who was Kitchener, anyva,S
There are various ways Of answetu.
this question. In the first place. It nlss,
be said that he was an Englisl1nan ~"
in Ireland, educated at the Roya, Ma
tary Academy at Woolwich for service \.
the engineer corps Of the British arms
and served his country In various MN
tary campaigns. For his SUCCESS In ~.
campaign he was made baron and =
ceived a parliamentary grant Of s1soons
so that he might maintain the title win.
proper dignity. For his SUCCESS IN !.
other campaign he was made viscous.
and received another parliamentary grant
OF $25O,000, in order that he might uvs
in greater state. When we learn tina, hls
country thought enough Of him to an
propriate from public funds 100000 "a
reward him, those Of us who measuts
greatness in dollars and cents are n,r
suaded that Kitchener was a great man
A Physical Giant r.
Then 1t might be said that he was CIV
feet three in his stockings II It ware
proper to mention stockings in a new.
paper read by all the family around tina
evening lamp, and that he stood a,
straight as a poker and resembled ons
in everything but its warmth; that hIa
steel blue eyes looked right in front
over the heads of all littler men; that they
were shaded by straight, heavy browE
that his cheeks were brick red, colorod
by tropic suns; that his long mustachs
covered an immovable mouth which
seemed to be held shut like the Jaws az
a steel trap after it is sprung, and that
the motto on the coat OF arms which he
constructed for himself after he becarns
a lord is Thorough"
to be nearly &C years old without marry.
ing, either because he was too busy Or
too bashful to court woman, or be-
cause he believed in celibacy for soders
We have absolute freedom of speculation
here, for he never told any one why he
aid not yield to the charm OF women.
The formal biographical sketches which
have appeared in the news columns have
told the story of his life, and from them
those not satisfied with the answer to
the question of the man in the street con.
tanned in the preceding paragraphs can
find what they seek.
Why was Kitchener is more interest
Ing question.
Other 17-year.old boys entered the mill
.ary academy at Woolwich when he did
out they remain unknown. This enginehr M
ng school does not turn out great com
officers, or great administrators.
ts graduates are bridge builders and
he like. There must have been In The q
mind of this British youth a determlna'
ion to be something different; but to the
spectator the beginnings of his career did {
lot promise much. There was little need
or him in the army when he was grad.
lated, so after time he secured appoint
pent with the Palestine Exploration Com
mission and went to the Near East to sur.
'ey and map the Holy Land. He learned
Arabic there, He came to understand
he Mohammedans and their ways Of
hought. While he was laboring over hls
maps with compass and drafting penhs
must have been thinking of the problem
f the Mohammedan countries and the
'ay to solve it. And he thought to soma
purpose.