The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 56, December 2, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls

In Short

This issue of The Great Round World serves as a weekly news digest designed to introduce young readers of 1897 to global current events. Written primarily by G.H. Rosenfeld, the issue covers British military campaigns in India, diplomatic tensions between Germany and Haiti, Fridtjof Nansen’s Arctic voyage, and the Cuban struggle for independence. The publication has endured as a captivating historical time capsule that reflects Victorian imperial perspectives, early modern educational philosophy, and the emerging international order at the dawn of the twentieth century.

The Story

The issue opens on the North-West Frontier of India, where British troops face fierce resistance from native tribesmen. Following a dangerous reconnaissance up the mountain of Saran Sar, General Westmacott’s forces execute a difficult retreat under heavy fire from the Afridis. A small detachment under Lieutenant McIntyre becomes isolated while protecting wounded comrades; refusing to abandon them, the entire party dies fighting. Meanwhile, the Orakzais send a deputation seeking peace terms from General Sir William Lockhart. Lockhart demands the surrender of captured weapons, a heavy fine, and formal submission to Queen Victoria at a full durbar. The Orakzais hesitate, while the Afridis continue guerrilla tactics, cutting telegraph wires and ambushing convoys. Amidst the fighting, Piper Findlater of the Gordon Highlanders gains fame and a recommendation for the Victoria Cross after playing his bagpipes to encourage his comrades at Dargai Ridge despite being shot through both ankles.

The narrative shifts to the Caribbean, detailing an international dispute in Haiti. After a young German named Lueders is imprisoned following an altercation with Haitian police, the German consul intervenes under orders from Berlin, demanding his immediate release and steep financial damages. President Tiresias Simon Sam attempts to resolve the crisis by putting Lueders on a ship to New York, but Germany orders a warship to Port-au-Prince to demand reparation under threat of bombardment. The delay in sending the vessel sparks domestic debate in Germany over expanding its navy. The text notes that German residents envy the swift protection American citizens receive from U.S. cruisers, praising the direct diplomatic style of American ministers.

Attention then turns to Arctic exploration, highlighting Fridtjof Nansen’s visit to the United States and his belief that lost explorer Salomon Andrée remains alive. The text recounts Nansen’s 1893 expedition aboard the specially designed vessel Fram, built with a rounded hull to withstand ice pressure. Nansen drifted across the Polar Sea, eventually leaving the ship with dog-teams and kayaks to reach a record latitude before returning safely. His journey proved that the North Pole rests on a deep ocean rather than land, and demonstrated that polar expeditions could be conducted without loss of life.

The issue concludes with brief updates on international and domestic affairs. Spain releases five American prisoners from the Competitor case to preserve diplomatic goodwill. In Spain, General Weyler returns to a lukewarm reception, while General Blanco struggles in Cuba with starving peasants, ill-paid troops, and persistent rebel victories. Domestically, a Pennsylvania grand jury indicts a sheriff and his deputies for murder following a shooting of striking workers in Hazleton. The issue wraps up with book reviews, student correspondence, and a profile of a safety-locking pocket-knife.

How It Unfolds

The frontier skirmish British troops scale Saran Sar in India, discover an abandoned camp, and face a deadly ambush by Afridi tribesmen during their retreat. Lieutenant McIntyre and his men elect to stay with their wounded comrades, holding their position until every soldier is killed.

The peace demands and the piper General Lockhart offers harsh peace terms to the Orakzais, requiring fines and public submission to the British Crown, while the Afridis seek aid from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Piper Findlater receives praise and a Victoria Cross nomination for playing his bagpipes at Dargai Ridge despite severe gunshot wounds.

The Haitian gunboat crisis A legal dispute over the arrest of a German citizen in Port-au-Prince escalates into a diplomatic showdown between Germany and President Tiresias Simon Sam. As Germany prepares a warship to enforce its demands, domestic political factions in Berlin use the incident to argue for a larger navy.

Nansen’s polar triumph The magazine details Fridtjof Nansen’s groundbreaking Arctic journey aboard the Fram, explaining how his custom hull design allowed the ship to drift safely through frozen seas. The narrative highlights Nansen’s reliance on Eskimo survival techniques, dog-team management, and innovative shipboard electricity generated by wind power.

Imperial decay and domestic turmoil Spain unconditionally releases the American crew of the Competitor, while General Blanco struggles to restore order or institute reforms in war-torn Cuba. The issue closes with news of a Pennsylvania grand jury indicting law enforcement officers for firing upon coal strikers in Hazleton.

The People

• General Westmacott: A British commander who leads a risky withdrawal down Saran Sar mountain in India, managing his troops under heavy fire while attempting to protect the wounded.
• Lieutenant McIntyre: A young British officer who becomes surrounded by Afridi tribesmen; he chooses to remain with his wounded soldiers rather than save himself, dying alongside his men.
• Piper Findlater: A brave musician in the Gordon Highlanders who continues playing his bagpipes to cheer his advancing comrades at Dargai Ridge after suffering severe wounds to both ankles.
• General Sir William Lockhart: The British commander-in-chief in India who presents uncompromising terms of surrender, fines, and formal submission to the Orakzai tribesmen.
• Mr. Lueders: A young German resident in Haiti whose arrest by local police triggers a major international incident and a threat of naval bombardment from Germany.
• Tiresias Simon Sam: The President of Haiti, a colored leader who navigates political insurrections, foreign consular pressure, and the threat of German military action.
• Fridtjof Nansen: A Norwegian scientist and Arctic explorer who uses Eskimo techniques and innovative engineering aboard the Fram to prove the Polar Sea's immense depth and reach a record northern latitude.
• General Blanco: The Spanish governor-general in Cuba who finds himself trapped between a collapsing army, administrative fraud, and determined Cuban revolutionaries fighting for total independence.

In Its Own Voice

"The bodies of the lieutenant and his men were found grouped about the wounded comrades they had sacrificed their lives to save, and their attitude in death showed that each man had died doing his duty, his face to the foe."

The magazine describes the grim discovery made by British relief forces after the battle on Saran Sar mountain.

"The value of the Victoria Cross is practically nothing, but those men who have been happy enough to earn it value it above any riches or honors."

This comment contextualizes the prestige of Britain's highest military decoration awarded to soldiers like Piper Findlater.

"The story of the voyage reads like the journal of a quiet family at home, it is so peaceful and uneventful. It tells no tales of hardships and privations, no sickness or suffering from the isolation."

The author highlights the remarkable routine and order maintained aboard Nansen's ship Fram during its three-year Arctic drift.

What It's Really About

At its core, this issue explores the mechanics of late nineteenth-century power, progress, and moral duty. It examines how Western imperial nations project authority across the globe—whether through British military force in India, German gunboat diplomacy in the Caribbean, or American diplomatic influence. Beneath the current events runs an argument for civilizational discipline and technological mastery. Scientific innovation, as demonstrated by Nansen's Arctic success and electric-lit ship, is presented as humanity's triumph over environment, while military courage is framed as the ultimate expression of personal duty. The issue also grapples with the realities of human conflict, balancing romanticized heroism with candid reporting on labor violence in Hazleton and the economic starvation caused by war in Cuba.

Why Read It Today

This publication offers a compelling, unvarnished look at how late Victorian society viewed itself and the wider world. Readers interested in military history, historical journalism, and period culture will appreciate its vivid, immediate reporting. The prose carries a clear, instructive tone designed to educate young minds, yet it provides sophisticated coverage of complex geopolitical events, from the legal mechanics of a American grand jury to the logistics of sugar cultivation in revolutionary Cuba.

The text presents historical challenges that modern readers must navigate thoughtfully. It reflects standard late nineteenth-century attitudes, terminology, and colonial perspectives, particularly in its casual references to racial categories, imperial dominance, and Western cultural superiority. However, these period features make the work all the more valuable as a primary document. Reading it feels like flipping through a live broadcast from 1897, offering an engaging glimpse into the everyday news, technological marvels, and geopolitical anxieties that shaped the turn of the twentieth century.