The Dominion. THURSDAY, JUNE' 8, 1916. EARL KITCHENER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2791, 8 June 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JUNE' 8, 1916. EARL KITCHENER

■ ■■'' • *... v ■■■■> ■ In the death of' Earl Kitchener, the tragic news of which' wo publish to : day, the Empire has lost something moro than a great soldier. It has lost a guiding spirit whose influence in its time of greatest crisis has spread to the uttermost limits of the British Dominions, stimulating our energies, our confidence, and strengthening our resolve to win through to that victory which alone will make recompense for what wo have .endured. For nearly half a century -Kitchener served the Empire faithfully, and now he has died in its service. The thrill of emotion which the news of his death sept throughout the British Dominions is a tribute to the dominant place ho held in the minds and in the hearts of those for whom ho has laboured so ably for so long. Kitchener's death will leave a vacancy that it will be difficult indeed to fill. He enjoyed the confidence of the Empiro in a unique degree. As soon as war was declared it was taken for granted that a supremely important role would be allotted to him, and the announcement of his appointment as Secretary of State for War was received with general approval. He gave no encouragement to the idea that the Allies were going to win an easy and early victory. He" never belittled the strength of our enemies, their determination, or their powers of endurance. But he was not a pessimist. He was convinced that the Allies could win if they were prepared to pay the full price of , victory. Ho held out no hopes of a cheap- triumph, yet ho never wavered in his confidence in full final success, find his confidence inspired confidence throughout the Empire. Speaking at the GuildHall towards the. end of 1914, he used these memorable words:

. Tho British Empire is now'fighting for its existence. I want every citizen to understand this cardinal fact, for only from a clear conception of tbe vast importance of the issue at stake can come the great national and moral impulse without which Governments, War Ministers, and even navies and armies can do but little. We have enormous advantages in our resources of men and material, and in that wonderful 6pirit of ours which has never understood the meaning of defeat. All these are great ■ assets, but they must be used judiciously and effectively. Kitchener exorcised an enormous influence on public opinion. On military questions his word was law. Whatever he said must be done to win this war tho nation was prepared to do. His authority was unrivalled. Tho great majority of Britishers recognised his decisions on matters relating to tho organisation c£ our military resources as final. There was no higher authority to whom appeal could be made. He realised that the Empire's implicit trust in his integrity and Judgment threw atrem , endous > responsibility on his shoulders. Action was more congenial to him than speech, and when ne spoke be carofully weighed his words. To say that lie maclo no mistakes would imply that he was movo than human. But Kitchener made a vast army of over live million men out of a civilian population, and this stupendous task was accomplished while the Empire was engaged in th® greatest struggle in tho world's history. Kitchener's Army is Kitchener's monument.. It is one of tho miracles of the war.

We have spoken of Kitchener's "uncompleted task," yet in one sense his work has been brought to completion. Tho wonderful military machine which he undertook to build is now; in good working order, His

scheme for bringing new armies into being and placing them on the battlefields is in full operation, and has produced f .results which havo won thtf enthusiastic admiration of our friends, and filled tho hearts of our enemies with dire misgivings. Having created and set the machine in full motion,_ its immediate control had passed in a large measure into other hands. This ended the first phase of his work as far as tho present war is concerned. For somo time past his energies wero largely devoted to the highly-important mission of securing more porfect coordination of policy, purpose, and effort on the part of tho Allies. For some months he had been acting aa a war ambassador. His famous interview with the King op Greece is still fresh in our memories, though wo are not likely to know exactly what took place until tho full history of the war is written. He visited Italy, kept in constant touch with the civil and military authorities of France. He took part in tho historic conference of the Allied Powers which was held in Paris in March last, and the Hampshire was carrying him on a mission to tho Tsar when sho was overtaken by tho catastrophe which resulted in his death. No one was in a better position to see the war as a whole than , ho was, and Tils first-hand his extensive military experience, and great organising capacity, his clearness of vision, and strong personality, marked him out for the work of solidifying the forces and resources of Great Britain and her Allies. Ho was in a position to interpret authoritatively the mind of the British Government regarding various aspects of the conflict, and also to ascertain by personal inquiry and' observation the needs and resources, the desires and suggestions of the nation's fighting with us against the Central Powers. Ho won the full confidence of our Allies. The death of such a man at tho present juncture is undoubtedly a grievous loss to the Empire. The dramatic suddenness of the blow has added to its intensity. But great as js tho loss, the work which he has so ably organised will he maintained with unabated vigour. AVhat ho has left unfinished will.be finished .by others, who will build on the sound foundations ho has laid. The death of Earl Kitchener will leave us unshaken in our determination to continue the ■ struggle until that final victory for which he has' done so much to pavfe the way is achieved. In paying our tribute to this distinguished Imperialist, the Empire renews its vow to make whatever sacrifices may be necessary to gain the end which lie so confidently predicted The nation is stricken with sorrow at the loss of one to whom it owes so much, and its grief is not merely a selfish one. It is not merely the loss of Earl Kitchener's services that wo deplore, great as that loss is, but tho fact that ho should not have been spared to witness the full triumph of his gigantic effort—-" tho crowning achievement of a career marked by a long series of distinguished services without parallel in tho modern history of our race.