kewarms," he once wrote to Mr. Wright, the Honorary
Secretary of the Church Missionary Society; and one of the first things
he did at Gravesend was to support the Moravian Missions by becoming
their local treasurer. Later on in Africa he writes, "How refreshing it
is to hear of the missionary efforts made in these countries."

We may not quite agree with all that Gordon said on the subject of
foreign missions, and some may think that the standard he set up was
too high for frail human nature to aim at. Moreover, recent events in
Uganda, and elsewhere, may have shown us that good work can be done by
men who fall far short of Gordon's standard. Nevertheless, we cannot
but feel that he was himself, in the truest sense of the word, a
missionary, and that the Earl of Harrowby did not at all exaggerate the
truth when he said about Gordon, after his death:--

"I believe that one effect of that man's example was to lift up a
noble standard for the cross in a way that no professional
missionary could have lifted it up, and to oblige devotees of
pleasure and people who had thought but little of such things to
acknowledge the power of the Gospel. Many who saw him and spoke to
him could not understand him. It was to them a marvellous sight to
witness, and I feel that we can hardly be grateful enough to that
great man for the infinite benefits which he has bestowed upon us
as friends of missions."

Apart from any direct work that he did to advance the cause of
missions, an illustration has recently been given us in _The Jewish
Intelligencer_, showing what an influence his life had on Mohammedans
and others with whom he came in contact. The writer describes a
conversation he had with a shereef from Mecca, a man who was held in
the greatest veneration by all loyal Mohammedans. He was a
well-informed man, and had travelled much. In speaking of Gordon, he
said: "Oh! the English lost a great man, it is true, but the unhappy
Mussulmans have lost in him a benefactor, a father, and a servant of
the true God. Before I knew him I hated the Christians, but Gordon has
taught me to love them; and I see more clearly every day that a
religion which makes such heroic, faithful, and disinterested men, can
only be a religion coming from the true God." And, believe me, the
whole Mohammedan world has felt, and still feels every day, the loss of
the noble defender of Khartoum.

CHAPTER IX

HIS CATHOLICITY