LORD KITCHENER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 11

LORD KITCHENER

AT THE GUILDHALL

HIS TRIBUTE TO WOMEN'S WORK

In some ways Lord Kitchener's visit to ,tho Guildhall at the end of the week, stands out alone, states the "Queen" of July 17. Probably few-people guessed .- .what a remarkable demonstration of en- . thusiasm it would occasion—certainly not the recipient, of it, who casually ar-. , ranged-at trst to allow just time enough ■ for his car.to get at top speed.from the iWar Office to the city. Luckily, wiser , counsels prevailed, or the people . who ■ liad&tood patiently for - an.. hour in tho Guildhall; and, for . many more outside, .would have had much longer to- wait; . for beforo the car got off in Parliament Street it was surrounded by a cheering i crowd, who Jiad l to bo cleared away bofore it could start. i Inside' the fine old hall the scemvwas : ouo'wliioli will not;rcadily':be'forgotten,, with- its crowd of men and; comparatively few women standing paoked together as closely as -possible,'-., tho fow seats- in front occupied /-by lucky -. individuals, amongst whom: a group of officers, including several: wounded,, rightly had a ■ ■ nlaco.-. Tho'intimation-that;the timo of waiting had passed came in the form of - a distant murmur,: becoming a roar, and growing louder- and louder; lintol the Wand in the courtyard, heard'above.a Voritable thunder of cheering, told that the hero of tho occasion had .arrived. iVery soon a tumult of cheers, a sea of waving hats greeted-the appearance of a tall figure following tlio Lord Mayor and his gorgeous entourage ,on to tho platform, a figure looking by comparison all the more simple in plain undress blue ■ . uniform, with only tho long lines orrib•'bons oh-thel' tunic-to tell their..- own tale. Lbrd Kitchener appeared in a new aspect. He was frankly, almost boyishly ••••V .'awkward::-Ho sat i down ..placing cap ' .•and gloves oil the vacant , chair beside only to - shift {hem-, to'the floor-be-..neath; then, realising that .ho alone was ■ ' seated, ho stood, up quickly and ,ac-. ■ knowledsediwith a. jerky-little bow,,the greeting of the people, who. from- platform and hall and ; gallery ; were, filling tho air-with their welcome.' Tho band ... struck up the. National Anthom, arid . lie • joined' in the- , universal , singing,, ■: majkirig the time .with faint inclinations ■ of , the head; obviously very relieved to . find this ivay out of his cheerful embar- ' rassment. . A few introductory words from tho,L<frd Mayor, and he stepped - quickly to the reading-stand." But it was the familiar Kitchener then—somewhat cold and rigid, with all tracoof exnressibn! let alone of'feeling, banished— who.checked tho. further- 'outburst of cheering with an imperative gesture, so 1 slight: 'as' to bo unseen . save, by thoso: quite ■'close,' on vthW;:platform;'which l'yet- ' enforced instant obedience •to its com- .'. mand through' the ■ crowdedrhall. So . auiet. reiened as he beganhis speech in /somewhat harsh, -clcar tones, still fur- ' ther emphasising that curtain of aloof-.-:ness .witli':which. on/ official occasions. he. . is wont, unconsciously, to surround himself. Ho looked older then', ' but still incredibly young for tho tale which the ; 'Annv. List and history tell, though the 1 grey tinge oil the temple has spread further up since the autumn, and the slim, /'upright figure.seems oven slimmer; or,; rather, one was reminded of the old description of him as having "no.ago but ' tho prime of life, no: body .Unit one to if. carw-his mind;-no face -but one jto keep ' ihis / brain "behind. The 'brain and ■ the.. will ore - the "essence /./and /the. whole'of'..the man—a : ; brain, and a will/so perfect ,in 'their- workings that,' ' ./ in the' face- of extremest. difficulty, they never "seem' to know what struggle is." •But. as ...the speech proceeded another ' chaige imanifestedUitself j .th'O', "official" • voice dropped to the pleasant low tones his 1 friends: know, grave and earnest as ' the words he spoke,' words'.which surely ■ gave, even, to,the least .imaginative, of- ■ his heaTers, isome clue to the man him-1 : self,' superbly- unconscious, of any call save the highest, indifferent.alike, to ■ praise and' blame, to influence and . intrigue. " And one realised v the; secret of his wonderful 1 power on'those who come under, the. magic-'of ■ personality..' 'Excuses aro of ten v ery plausible and very arguable, ' and seem quite good until wo examine them in, .tho. light of' duty 'before the tribunal of . conscience.,'!: : "It /- is - not., for' me to tell you your duty; / /?' that' is . a- matter for: yoiir conscience. •■■■■-.• But make up' your minds,- and do so quickly. Don't .delay: to/take your decision, and having taken itj to act upon it r at'once. • Be-:-.-honest- with yourself. ' Bo certain,that your so-called reason is. .not a/selfish excuse..' .Be: sure that here-after-iyou do not have cause—perhaps •••• bitter'cause—^to confess .to,'your .con-. ' ■ science that you shirked your duty.; to ■your country and sheltered, yourself ; under- a mere excuse." "For every; in- • dividual Briton—as well as for our. na-

tional solemn .hour (of decision); is now striking.. Let us take heed of the great/opportunity it offers, which assuredly we must grasp now and at once, or never. Let each man of us see. that we: spare nothing,":shirk nothing, shrink from nothing, if only we may lend our full weight ,to the impetus which shall carry to victory tho cause'of our'honour and of our freedom." Everyone has read tho speech; many have been' stniclc by ; different notes in it, amongst others by the generous , recognition, somcwliat unexpected, of tho" part which women have played and' are willing to play-in the service of England; hut' those who heard it gained, fuller knowledge of its influence, and; those who were lucky enough to be quite, close to tho speaker probably had. an almost unique time of interest.. ' //;■ .; The'speeohes ywhich followed were fascinating studies' in contrast. Sir Ed■wiid Carson.-with his.perfect command of language, his scholarly diction, his full value of every trick of voice, every scintillation of pause; Mr. Churchill, true parliamentarian, alike' in phrase and gesture; Lord! Derby, the typical popular landowner, unfettered alike. by office or responsibility, sure from inborn knowledge/of his hearers' sympathy. Lord ■ Kitohener . listened- attentively to all, after having resoiied his cap with its heavy gold-embroidered, peak and crimson-band/from' the, floor, where the pristine freshness of its summer . cover seeined. in -perilous,- plight, patting his knee in approbation of certain passages. But it was left for Sir George Reid, after;' he - had' earnedl a tornado of applause by. stating that every man in the Overseas Dominions ''swore by Kirchener," to' make the War laugh heartily 'by. his, ;declarfttion that / the Australians" at. Gallipoli did not ' wait to form fours" before,'getting to work.