LORD KITCHENER AND THE INDIAN ARMY.
[To THE EDITOR OF Telt .'sesarAxofo] Si,—May I, as an officer of the Indian Army, protest most strongly against your correspondent "India's" letter on "Lord Kitchener and the Indian Army" which appeared in your issue of the 9th inst.? I must acknowledge to not being a member of a mess where the praise by the "lay Press of Lord Kitchener's " administration " is received with "roars of open and ribald laughter." But I do not know that I am debarred from protesting by this fact, or even by the fact that I know no mess in India about which such a statement could be made. Tour correspondent affirms that "Lord -Kitchener has not 'hit it off' with either officers or men of the Indian Army." This is rather a sweeping assertion, which I for one, Sir, from what experience -I possees, firmly believe to be untrue. During the earlier time of Lord Kitchener's command. there indeed seemed to exist in the Indian Army generally the feeling that Lord Kitchener was out of touch with it. The very reverse, I maintain, is the case now. For the existence of this feeling at first we have, to my mind, largely to thank the "lay Press" in India, which, before Lord Kitchener had even set foot in the country, did its best to prejudice opinion against him. Latterly the leading India$ journals have recognised and have praised the excellent work that Lord Kitchener has done for the Indian Army, and especially for the native ranks ; and I do not think that such praise can be scoffed at, since the leading Indian journals are well in a position to view reforms from the soldier's standpoint. .Con- sidering their hostile attitude at first, this latter-day commenda- tion is all the more to be noted. I in no way wish to enter upon a defence of the work of Lord Kitchener and his Staff in India. As you can understand, Sir, that is not for one in my position to do.. But after reading your correspondent's letter I felt that I could not let it pass without doing what I could to let your readers know that there are others—and I believe them to be greatly in the majority—who would as emphatically as I do deny in tote the statements which your
correspondent has put forward.—I am, Sir, Sze., L A.
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