EGYPT AXD THE SOUDAN 475 



children," because in the days of Mahdism it was the 

 hteral triitli that in a very hirge proportion of the 

 coninnniities every child was either killed or died of 

 starvation and hardship, wliereas under the peace 

 brought by British rule families are floin-ishing, men 

 and women are no longer lunited to death, and the 

 children are brouglit up luuler more favourable circum- 

 stances, for soul and bod}', tlian have ever previously 

 obtained in tlie entire history of the Soudan. In 

 administration, in education, in police work, the Sirdar 

 and his lieutenants, great and small, have performed to 

 perfection a task equally important and difficult. The 

 Government officials, civil and military, who are respon- 

 sible for this task, and the Egyptian and Soudanese 

 who have worked with and under them, and as directed 

 by them, have a claim upon all civilized mankind which 

 should be heartily admitted. It would be a crime not 

 to go on with the work — a work which the inhabitants 

 themselves are helpless to perform, unless under firm 

 and outside wise guidance. I have met people who 

 had some doubt as to whether the Soudan would pay. 

 Personally, I think it probably will. But I may add 

 that, in my judgment, this fact does not alter the duty 

 of l^ritain to stay there. It is not worth while belong- 

 ing to a big nation imless the big nation is willing 

 when the necessity arises to undertake a big task. I 

 feel about you in the Soudan just as I felt about us in 

 Panama. \Mien we acquired the right to build the 

 Panama Canal, and entered on the task, there were 

 worthy people who came to me and said they wondered 

 whether it would pay. I always answered that it was 

 one of the great world works which had to be done ; 

 that it was our business as a nation to do it, if we were 

 ready to make good our claim to be treated as a great 



