The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-11-13
KITCHNER UPHELD
BY FIELD MARSHAL
Denies War Leader Had
Outlived Usefulness
Before 1915
KNEW REAL CHARACTER
Prejudice Of English Arose
Because Former Marshal
Was Not a Politician

lONDON-Ficld Marshal Sir Will
lam Robertson, IN a recent inter-
view printed "a the London Express,
added tlg weight of his personal
t,ovl.dea to the defense Of the late
Lord NtJhner's reputation as sol
der. which has been vigorously up
held Iy the newspaper
Il believe that when Lord Kitch-
ercr died he was as good a man as
r, had ever been I'm his life; as use
rI "a suiaIer and as capable a pub
ue servant said Field Marshal
Robertson. II do not deny that in
1915 Kitchener was tircd--vory
fired Think Of what ne had aC-
complIsHod But to assert he was
payrd out is ridiculous. Kitchener
t0 my mind. made one mistake ia
his ufo-the absurd pose hc was 80
fond uf striking, Of camoutlagiug his
real nature for one that was cold,
aloof and unapproachable. The rca-
son fof this pose 1 caDnot imagine.
The result was a misunderstanding
of the real man. the misrcadng of
many fine characteristics and
reputation for hardness which in
actudlity was noneNistent
\ Sense of IIumor.
Many of those who worked side
by side with him knew little of his
real character, Il will be realized.
therefore, how little it was known
To the public. Kitchener was a man
who above an things, did not wear
his heart on his sleeve. And yet
there were those in whose presence
he readily threw aside his reserve
snd adopted the friCndiicst manner.
Ther, were those with whom he was
no, merely on the happicst terms Of
friendship, but in whose company he
revealed the fact that he was far
from lacking in sense of humOT.
r. uf r. could not merely enjoy a
Joke. He could make one. The idea
ut this great soldier being "a cold,
auru.ue sphinx is wholly mis-
taken.
with regard to the controversy
which has ragged round KitCheuer's
name, it must be remembered that
the soldier and the politician are
different individuals, differing IN
rainins, in perspective ana in meth
0d A soldier IS seldom "A great de-
batter, and allowances must be made
on both SIDES. Tho politicians did
not always realize the difficulties of
the war from the military stand
point The soldiers at the council
board may have failed sufficiently
20 consider the war in all it's ma
tloual bearings.
This difference OF outlook was
The natural outcome of cirCum-
stances then obtaining. Not only
was the war colossal and without
precedent In Ito. magnitude, but it's
various phases were colossal, while
at the outset the situation was ag-
gravated 10y lack of preparedness.
Facing His Critic~.
Kitchener being in the lords. his
critics I'm the commons during the
war found II difficult sometimes to
? obtain the information they sought.
! shall never forget the time, how
ever, when at last he faced these
critics. ! was with him on that oc-
'asion and must say that, despite
the somewhat uusympathetic atti-
tude Of some OF the members at the
beginning of the meeting, long be-
Tore It was over those present had
come round To the opinion that Lord
Kitchener was the right man in the
nght place. The questions that
were put TO him on that occasion
were not numerous, and the answers
were such as 10 dissipate once and
ior an the false notion that hitCh-
engr mad failed to grasp the magni-
lude Of his task and the intricacies
OF the problem he was engaged In
solving
Unfortunately, no sooner had he
succeeding in rc-cstablish.nE his
reputation than the end came when
people talk of the trag dy of kitch-
eners life it Is not always apparent
q what they are speaking, but this
think, ia the real tragedy--that he
uled at the moment when his repu'
iatlon had been cleared OF the mis-
conceptions about his work under
winch 10 labured all too lone, and
mat his help was not available at
the peace conference"