Evening star., 1921-10-09

George. The politician had come
urge the appointment Of. denom-
ational chaplains for all the varf-
hs sects represented in the British
my.
Lord Kitchener was opposed to the
"a. which seemed to him irregular.
necessary and expensive. involving
waste to transport, rations ana
erks' labor. But Lloyd George stuck
his sectarian guns and was so In
stent, especially in respect OF
resbyterains, that at last the Sec
tary ,of state for war yielded in this
he case He took up his pen rather
Fudgingly and growled out, 'Very
ell, you shall have a Presbyterian
hen one of his awkward smiles
toke up the grimness of his bucolic
zee. Lets see," he asked "Presby-
Erian. How do you spell it?"
This was one of his earliest adven-
hres with politicians, and he ended
with sly cut at unorthodoxy. A
title later came another political ex-
eriehce which afforded him real in
ght into this new world of party
kction. one of those experiences not
be lightly dismissed with a jest.
He discovered at the war Office that
separations had been made for Just
uch an emergency as had now oc-
urred The thoughtfulness and thor
hghness of this work struck hip
ith surprise, and he inquired the
anne Of its authof. He was told
hat Lord Haldane had made these
eeparations. 'Haldane" he exclaim-
d, "but isn't he the man who is be-
hg attacked by the newspapers"
A chivalrous feeling which does not
eems to have visited the bosoms of
ny of Lord Haldane's colleagues Wis
led the bosom of this honest soldier.
pine one about him who had enjoyed
ersonal relations with various ed
|ors was dispatched to one of the
lost offending editors conducting the
Ampaign against Lord Haldane with
he object of stopping this infamous
endetta.
Il know what you say Is true" re-
lied this editor, land I regret the
tack as much as Lord Kitchener
pes; but I have received my orders
nd they come from so important
barter that dare not disobey them"
e gave Lord Kitchener's emfssary
he name of a much respected leader
{ the unionist party.
THUS early in his career At the
war office Lord Kitchener learned
nat the spirit Of the public school does
OF operate In Westminster and that
olitics are dirty business.
At no time in his life was Lord Kitch-
ner "a race horse among cows" as the
reeks put it, being, even in his greatest
eriod, of a slow, heavy and laborious
Urn Of mind; but when he entered Mr..
onest man among lawyers. He was
great man; wherever he sat-. to. bor-
|ow a useful phrase, was the head of
he table; but this greatness of his,
OF being the full greatness of a COM
lete man, and having neither the
.upport of keen intellect nor the
|oundations of a strong moral char
cter, wilted in the atmosphere of
olitics, and in the end left him with
title but the frayed coat Of his for
|her reputation.
There is no doubt that his admin
etration of the war office was not a
|uccess. In all important matters Of
|trategy he shifted his ground from
bstinacy to sulkiness, yielding where
should not have yielded at all.
nd yielding grudgingly where to
feld without the whole heart was
|atal to success: in the end he was
mong the drifters, something be-
ween hindrance and a help" and
he efforts to get rid of him were
erhaps justified, although Mr.. AS
lacy on the occasions when he was
broad had the greater wisdom.
shall not trouble to correct tho
opular idea of Lord Kitchener's char
|cter beyond saying that he was the
ast man in the world to be called a
hachine. and that he solemnly dis
rusted the mechanism of all organ
Eations. He was first and last an
Iut-and-out fndividualist. a believer
b men. hater of all systems. As
|ir Ian Hamilton has said, wherever
.e saw organization his first instinct
Fas to smash 1t. I think his autoc-
acy at the war Office might have
cen of greater service to the coun-
Fy If all the trained thinkers of the
|rmy,, that small body Of brilliant
ben, had not been in France. Even
b his prime Lord Kitchener was the
host helpless of men without lieu
enants he could trust to do his bid
ling or improve upon 1t in the doing.
Lord Kitchener's greatness was the
hdef1nable greatness of personality.
Fe was not clever man. He had no
fifts of any kind. In the society of
3cholarS he was mum and among the
bvers of the beautiful he cut an
|wkward figure. At certain moments
|e had curious flashes of Inspiration,
|ut they came at long intervals and
kere seldom to be had in the day of
|rudgery, when his mind was not
{xcited. On the whole his intelligence
Fas of a dull order, plodding heavily
lhrough experience, mapping the sur
ny of its mysteries. making slowly
lutte sure of one or two things rather
Ian Rrasping the whole problem at q
|troke.
But there was one movement in his
|haracter which developed greatness
md by it's power brought him a won
|erful success and great honor; this
fgious sense of duty.
He started life with stubborn am
(ition: AS he went along he felt
he rightness of duty. and married
Is ambition in this Spartan virtue.
He remained in most respects as sell
sh man as ever lived, as selfish as
greedy schoolboy; nevertheless by
|he power of his single virtue, to
Fhich he was faithful up to hfs last
noments on this earth. he was able
70 sacrifice his absorbing self inter-
|st to the national welfare, even in a
|olftical atmosphere which sickened
i'm at every turn.
i r \
you may see what mean by con-
+ sidering that while he longed for
|othing SO much in later life as the
kossession of Broome Park, and that