Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-06

ener had already won wide and last
ing fame by his many campaigns in
Egypt, South Africa and in India.
He was born June "a, 1850, in Coun-
ty Kerry, Ireland, fact that gave rise
to the general belief that he was of
Irish blood, but his parents were of
French and English descent. His
father was a soldier, but of no very
high rank. He had managed to climb
to the lieutenant colonelcy of a
dragon regiment, when he returned
to the estate in Ireland, where Hora-
ito Herbert Kitchener, the to-be-dis-
tinguished son, was born Young
Kitchener received his fundamental
military education at Woolwich, where
he displayed only ordinary brilliancy.
with the exception of his liking for
mathematics. On graduation he re-
ceived a commission in the Royal En-
gineers, but when not yet q years of
age he attached himself to French
army in the Franco-Prussian war He
had been in the service only short
time when he contracted pneumonia
during a balloon flight, and had such
a prolonged and serious illness that
he had to give up further service in
France kitchener's experience in
European warfare-prior to his direc-
ton of the great war of 1914-there-
fore, had been limited only to a few
balloon flights in France.
In 1874 when a British expedition
was sent out to survey western Pales-
tine, Kitchener was one of the eager
volunteers accepted for this service.
For months he travelled over the hills
and valleys of the peaceable bible
land with his theodolite and survey
ing tape, and with this life in the open
he grew to be a tall, gaunt subaltern
with hard face well burned. His
contribution to the Typographical
knowledge of the Holy Land complet-
ed, young Kitchener was sent to Cy-
prus, which Great Britain had just
acquired, to organize system of
courts, a work in which he displayed
administrative ability and tact. 1t was
while there, in 1882, that he took the
first step on the path that was to lead
him eventually to Khartum Trouble
was already brewing in the Sudan.
Hearing that the Egyptian army was
being organized by Sir Evelyn Wood,
young Kitchener saw his opportunity
with unerring instinct and lost no
time in offering his services The mil
itary authorities, recognizing at once
his insight into the native character,
put him in the intelligence depart
ment, and from the very outset of his
Egyptian career negotiations of the
utmost importance were entrusted to
him and carried out with invariable
success. AS an intelligence officer
Kitchener accompanied Sir Herbert
Stewards desert column on that heroic
but disastrous enterprise known as
the Gordon relief eXpedition-the re-
lief of General Gordon from Khartum,
where he had been entangled during
the evacuation of the Sudan. Kitch-
ener deeply took to heart the lessons
OF this fiaSco,r with its failure of trans
port and intelligence departments, and
avoided these troubles in the expedi-
ton which he himself led some years
later. In the meantime Kitchener was
employed in innumerable fights and
raids against the dervishes or Nah
dists Of southern Egypt In 1886 he
became governor of the Red sea ter
ritories and set in motion a series of
raids on the notorious Osman Digna,
the dervish leader In one of these
raids kitchener's men were fanked
and put to flight, during which he re-
ceiVed bullet which broke his jaw.
Received by Queen.
BY this time much was heard in
England of Kitchener's work in Egypt
and when he returned there for a
short rest he was received with honor
and nominated aide-de-camp of Queen
Victoria. With his health recruited,
he went back to Egypt. where, on the
resignation of Sir Francis Grenfell, he
was appointed sirdar (commander) of
the Egyptian army His really great
career dates from that time.
AS an instance of the sef-confidence
with which Kitchener undertook his
tasks in Egypt is recalled how he dealt
with the war Office as few generals
before him ever dared. On one occa-
sion he sent home for a special kind
OF gun. The war Office suggested an
other kind. The sirdar repeated his
orders. Next he was informed that
the war Office guns had been forward
ed, whereupon he dispatched a polite
ly insolent message home saying that
he was very grateful, but the war Of
fee could keep its gun. His message
read II can throw stones at the der
wishes myself" AS a consequence, the
guns he asked for were forwarded
without delay.
The Kitchener campaign that ended
with the recapture of Khartum was
considered by military experts as per-
fectly organized and fautlessly con
Quoted. The Egyptian army that
Kitchener had worked up to such re-
markable efficiency was. when he first
took charge of it. band of unpaid,
unfed and undermined iellaheeu. 1t