e or of a Milton, the science of a Newton or of a
Lister, his figure seems a small one indeed, and it is absurd to raise him
to the same level as these truly wonderful men. The fact that the activity
of Cecil Rhodes lay in quite a different direction does not, however,
diminish the real importance of the work which he did, nor of the services
which he rendered to his country. The mistake is to judge him as a
universal genius. His genius had a particular bent; it was always directed
toward one point and one only, that of material advantages to be acquired
for the nation to which he belonged and of which he was so proud to be the
son. Without him South Africa would possibly have been lost for the
British Empire, which owes him most certainly a great debt in that
respect.

The years which have gone by since his death have proved that in many
things Rhodes had been absolutely mistaken. Always he was an attractive,
and at times even a lovable, personality; a noble character marred by
small acts, a generous man and an unscrupulous foe; violent in temper,
unjust in his view of facts that displeased him, understanding chiefly his
personal interests, true to those whom he considered his friends, but
implacable toward the people whom he himself had wronged. He was a living
enigma to which no one had ever found a solution; because he presented
constantly new and unexpected sides that appeared suddenly and shattered
the conclusion to which one had previously arrived.

In Europe Rhodes would not only have been impossible, but he would never
have found the opportunity to give full rein to his faculties of
organisation and of conquest. He knew no obstacles and would admit none in
his way; he was of the type of Pizarro and of Fernando Cortez, with fewer
prejudices, far more knowledge, and that clear sense of civilisation which
only an Englishman born and bred amid the traditions of liberty can
possess. But he was lacking in the fine political conception of government
which Sir Alfred Milner possessed, and whilst refusing to admit the
thought of compromise in matters where a little yielding to the wishes and
desires of others might have secured him considerable advantage, he yet
allowed himself to become entangled in intrigues which he denied as soon
as he perceived that they could not be successful, but for which the world
always condemned and never forgave, and even in some cases despised him.

Notwithstanding the great brilliance of