GORDON AT KHARTOUM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6495, 15 April 1908, Page 9

GORDON AT KHARTOUM

LOUD I'KOMFiI'S THCTn.'lvSqrfi <!ii.M;.:i'.Ti-;ii kkkti'm. Tire ir,u:eroNii <>r iiomance. (Krom Our Kp.-.-(-1,.l C'Mr, W><>"<!i-.i!.) LONDON. Mar'-li 0. M-11-ll Hi', M.0.-I it|lM|T,,t.ll.r.' !""'."IV f., >,-,m Cromer's ■■. Modem l-X."!' l . I'""-lish'.-d I hi- »,■,■::. i.. r.;,<-1,;,ra.-1.-r sfc.L-h ~;■ (fi.n-ral Cordon. Lord rron.i-r niu' 'onlo't inliir.il.lv. .....I played a ' '" i,v - I: in tl>» tragic d,,„„a which ru1|,.',,|,..|,j„ |,.',,|,..|,j„ a-. Mr Wilfrid Sou wen dun I lonian is a1.1.V and 'l'll'- l"ir .V < l ''" '- '■■ I ,„„!, i.,,1,,.,1. i|„- ~rray ol pr.vi.i.- 10tt0,,, ami lijU.erlo ~u„nl,li-'.;-.1. r.-.c-m.v rand.. I.wn h.m.ghL !->■ is alo.io s.llliri-llt lo .-or.orl many popular lul ~,-roiiWU!. inn.. ""I-; con-cm, ng tho l,c„, of Khartoum, (icn-ral uorJ'.'i ™,ii:i'i'.i'.' 'lias 'l'lin.'vn iis glamour. In „,„■ r ,.|,0.»l -Invs we gave him -.11 the. ox-ti-.iv.K'.inr. lio.-o-woi-.liip of which boys ,r„ so prodigal. Ik. was e-ur b -;,n-Uh;d of a ■-■oldii-r. .-. VCV p.-rp-ot knight. An«l wo »rn,v on lo fit'-d Hint romance, anuiftl. h,.,-, lm. hiding the real fr-.lui«, i>f tho mini behind a beau! idil mat; of ilWion. I--oi-ti.iia.trlv there still imains n.Poh lo admire .i.i.l r.-sp-ct in the real Gordon. Willi Jill i!s imp'-i----l.elions noiv laid bare. Lis ''.-..- ... nnbln rbarartor. »s Lord Cromer fi-ely liv.ii"ll, mav lie llml. Hi.' Gordon o/ real life dill i'io-1- always a.i quite »l> '" fllt ' r.laudard of Iho id. al.Vcd hero who was ~,,-„•,.( to Hi- r.nl.'i- n.il.d: 1011. niter ~||, |hi, J., ~,0,.,.1v |c, say thai ho was human .-..id faMild,-. More Inim lhi«, whai-vn- ii.av have 1..-.. General. Cordon'., d-iorls. 11... ........ l.m-s or ins l-11.-.-.-.K-I.T v.-.-ro irally woilll.v oi adlull-a-l.'i'.'h' .■.|iii'.'iW U -i..d ! 'V..')-lility 'i'h mililHi-y r-'-oun-. Ihoi.-h in Hi.-., .-.-..p001s hiwas r.Mi.arl.al.lo lull, of ms moral (fiiah- (..<-;. Ilii ...|i(ii<i.i« ..mM.-liotis. tli.).i:- ; . : I'lo'ol',' ''l-iVo Holmrkahic' p-.miy ... 'l.io |>riV 1.;.„ 111'... a;- I.i:-. 1.1i.V ll!,„ : .|lo.T'.|OcJllOS. i /, f . iY-;;a.-,!s old.-rls. ywli as i.a.iioy and ~..,ik, v.1.i.-l, iisnallv ..-:.-ilo Iho a..,lii(o,ii of riM.iliind. His aims in lifo woio uri-l)ii.-..lion;dilv lilt; 1 , an.i nu!)l.'." 11,i., throo uora ~.,-■»..•.- i„,.ooriV.fioi,K whioh ,-,.||..1. rod lia.-lo.a ,|,i,,0 iiiuiiu-d 1W l-1... ,ro,-io., om n 1,.,], l.,i,Hlsf<>Lio , .i <;<iv-ori.mi-nl. (l;.-|.,- t ir!n-l him lo ilo- Soudan. 'l'o Olio.,- „.,-ai„ hoi,, l.onl C.wiior's i,;linial.- of llu> ....in : "110 was |,v|,-cmoly Ho was hoMioa.lod, i.npiilr-ivo. an<l swavMl l>v his .-mol.in.i.s. It is n true Kivmi; that, 'lh- that i.-oul.l ','«v.in> oLIu-rs. iii-.si, should ho I lit- liiastm- of lumsc-lf.' Duo ■:it' Iho hMilintf Iralni-os of (Imicral CJ«I<- . don's «t,-an, : o ohai-aflrl- wao his total i'.lmii.co of s,-!f-ooiili-01. Ik' was liable lo tits of >rm;ovoj-m,l>!o mid ot'tou of n.ost uiiri';iHun.:i.l)lo passion, ho fornK-d ruoid npiiiions wil.-hoiifc cli'lilK'i-alion, ;m<l rarely hold to om. ojriiiiou Cor loiik. . . If'e unpenra to liavo Ixon devoid of tlio liilcnt. so vnhiiiblo to n public Kervtmt in d distant c»iinti-y. of transpoi-l inj,- himBtflf in spiriL ols.ovhoio. ilis in,agination, in<locd. run riol, but wlnriovci- ho cuilwivourwl to picturu to hiniwlf what vas pstt.'siii}; in Uiuiio or J<omlon lip arrivod at couohisioius ivhioh acre not- only unworthy of hinyself, biit i (,'rol.e.sqtio, as, for instarico, when Uo likriiod liimwelt' to Uriu.li Iho Kittitc, and insim.afccd Hint tho llribwh Uovorruue.it hoprd that he (in<l Ilia comiia.irio.K-, would bo killed or taken prisoners by tl.o Malidi. In fact, oxocvt pe-i-MMial conraxo, Krcai fertility in military iwoin-a'. a lively though w/niolimos ill-<liro««l repHffiianco to inj iiril ico, and. meniuioss of every tltiscription, and a erm<--,iderablo iwur of ac.iuii-i.Mjf inllucrK'o over those, uccessai-ily linii.l«l i.i numbers, with whom lie was brous'liit in personal eonlaot, Oonorn-1 Ciordon dors not appear to have iKiMsesswl miv of the qualities which would hav-o fitted him to nndeitako tho diflicuit tusk ho had in .hand." .In tl.o li«|ir. of eMuhs. it ia abundantlv r.iear that, dm <lovoiih„™i. made a fatal blunder ... .seh-cti.ifr a, ntnn like Cordon lo carry out the cvacnntkin of tho Soudan. That Mr Gladstone renLised -this iiftorwivrds, ainl freely adinitted it, Sir Morley's "l.ifi) of Gladstone" shows. Uordon flatly disobeyed his instructiona without in tho least knowbi;* hi« own tntj.d. Cromer, at Caiuo, soon discovered how variable (lordmi was:— "impulsive HiKhtiiires was, in fact, tlio nwiii dr-fect of Ueneral tiordon's charRotor, and it was olio which, in, jny opinion, rendered liini unfit lo carry out a work which pre-eiui.iejiily recp.jred a Pool and slowly head. .1 used to receive Kxtno twenty or thirty telegrams from General liordon in tho course of tlio day when ho was in Khartoum, tiioso in tho ovrautig often f,-ivin- opinione which it was impossible to roconoilo with others dspatoh«l tho same morning." Tho story of Cordon's mission is a sad rocortl of blunders. The Clovornment l.lniidered in eelectint; Gordon; tkey blundered again in doluving to send aii uxpoiUtion to lii« relief; imd Gordon himBolf blundoivd into tlio difficulties which rosuUed in his death. Hut it is so easy to bo wino alter tho event. itoro, iu conclusion, is Lord Cromer's epitaph on Ooiuoii:—

"When all this Irtis boon said, how grandly tho character of tho man comes out in the final scono of tho Soudan tragedy. History has recorded few incidents more calculated to strike tho imusriirution than that presented by this bravo man, who, stronsr in tho faith which Bustained him, stood undismayed nniidet dangers which might well have nppallcd tno stoutest hcjirt. .1-rordns of rtivnKO fanatics surged around him. Shot mid shell poured into tho town which he was defending nfrainst fearful odds, rftarviition stared him in tho face. . . Many a man before Genertil Gordon has laid down his life at the call of duty. Many a man, too, has striven to regard death «w a glad relief from pain, sorrow, mid Sufferin;r. Hut no soldier about to lead a forlorn hope, no Christian martyr tied to the stake or thrown to tho wild beasts of nneiont Homo, over faced death with raoro unconcern tlfltn General Gordon."