SIR HERBERT KITCHENER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXI, Issue XII, 17 September 1898, Page 375

SIR HERBERT KITCHENER.

THE HERO OF THE DAY. The man, who, at the present moment, stands most prominently forth before the eyes of men is certainly Sir Herbert Kitchener, the Sirdar of the Egyptian Army, whose portrait is on page 364. Consequently, everyone will be interested in hearing details concerning the personal character and career of the this now famous man, which may not be generally known; and, though it would seem that we here in New Zealand are not likely from our isolated position to become so quickly acquainted with these details as the rest of the world, this is far from being the case, for some of the Kitchener family had their home in New Zealand, and we have a valuable and reliable source of information on the subject in the colony in the person of Mrs Parker, of Waimate, the Sirdar’s only sister. The loud applause with which the world has greeted the victory and the victor of Omdurman has been echoed not faintly on our remote shores, and, as it could have been foreseen, the inevitable interviewer has already sought out Mrs Parker, who is, at present, on a visit to Wellington, and elicited from that bright and charming English lady some particulars concerning her brother. It appears that in his early youth he was a quiet, dreamy, but determined boy, and he has grown up into a calm, reserved, quiet-man-nered man who has e distaste for friv-

olous amusements and shuns interviewers. His chief hobby is his Egyptian Army, of whom the greater number are natives of the country, converted by Sergeant Whatisname’s marvellous charm out of timid, incapable humanity into excellent fighting men. Sir Herbert has also always entertained a great idea of enlisting the services of the friendly tribes of the Soudan and making soldiers of them for the English and Egyptian causes. When he was Governor of the Red Sea Littoral, Mrs Parker spent a delightful winter with her brother at Suakim, and is therefore quite familiar with the scenes in which he laid the foundation of his reputation. Though he was absolute autocrat in the land he governed he worked very hard, doing a great deal of heavy office work, and work in connection with administration and trade of the country, besides reviewing the troops daily and chasing and capturing slave dhows in the Red Sea.

Sir Herbert Kitchener was born at Kerry, in Ireland—though in manner and disposition he much more resembles an Englishman than an Irishman —where his father lived after his retirement from the army. He was educated first in Kerry and then in Geneva, Switzerland, and lastly at Woolwich, having passed for the Royal Engineers. His duties as an engineer first took him to Cyprus, and afterwards he was at the bombardment of Alexandria on Major Tulloch’s stall', and later on he became second in command of the Egyptian Cavalry; but it seems dear that whatever he did his energy and ability showed him to be a man bound to make his mark. He first saw active service when commanding the friendly Arabs, and immediately after was put. in command of the frontier, where he proved himself of the utmost service, gaining great influence with the Arabs and acquiring a marvellous knowledge of the language, the customs, the manners and the character of the people, which, it may be safe to assert, he has been able to turn to good account in these later days.