The Irish standard., 1899-11-18
The Defeat of the Dutch Not a
Foregone Conclusion
As CHAMBERLAIN FONDLY IMAGINED
Great Majority of Americans in
Sympathy With Kruger.

The following article on the war in
South Africa has been contributed to
the Irish World by Prof. Robert Ellis
Thompson, OF the University OF Penn
sylvania:
The race is not always to the swift,
nor the battle to the strong" The sub
iugation OF South Africa is not the fore
gone conclusion which the friends OF
England, and even many OF the un-
friendly OF England, thought it was.
The Boers are good fighting stuff.
They come OF the stock which with
stood Spain in war OF forty-thrcc
years, and prevailed at last. At the be-
ginning OF that war Spain had far
greater advantages over them than Eng
land has over their two Dutch republics.
She was the first military power in
Europe. In population she had four
times that OF England, and probably
eight times that OF Holland She had
the magnificent fighting record OF her
centuries OF warfare with the Moslems
She had the prestige and the wealth
which resulted from the discovery oil
tAhcrsca, and her nccupatio11-ef the
richest Kingdoms OF the New World
She had the finest and most dreaded
army in Christendom, and it was COM
manded by generals OF the highest abl-
ity and sllill-boti Spaniards and 1ta1-
ians. She had in Belgium a base OF
operations as valuable as Natal or Cape
Colony is to England.
The Dutch were few, not heartily
united. unmilitary in their habits, un-
accustomed to cooperation, jealous o
provincial independence They had nc
native leaders of commanding ability
and it was long before they came to
trust the general whose very title ol
Orange ge-Nassau showed that he was hal
French, half German, and bit OF All
adventurcr. The public opinion OF Eu-
rope condemned their course as rush
ing upon utter destruction, and counted
the days to the expected triumph oil
Philip II. over their ill-defended coun-
try and its leadstrong people. But il
counted nearly half a century and ther
saw Spain consent to twelve years
truce, which was meant to be, and
proved to be, a century-long peace
And at the end 1t was Spain, not Hol.
land, that was most anxious for a
cessation of the war. The party of the
Elector Maurice wanted to continue i,
until Belgium had been liberated from
Spain.
The Beers to-day are better situated
for great resistance than were thei,
ancestors. They are a more warlike
people, by long training. They have
made good use Of their time and theil
surplus revenues in trying the bcst
weapons, fortifying their capital and
drilling their force. They have not beer
advertising their proceedings in this
direction to any notable extent. Wis.
itors have not been shown through thci,
arsenals, or asked to advise their pur.
chases of Krupp cannon, or introduced
to their German drillmasters. Even tho
friendly correspondent OF the Londor
Chronicle declared he was "dismayed'
by their apparent want OF preparation
He probably has revised his opinion
since the capture OF Dundee and tho
investment OF Ladysmith. But no prep
aration would avail much if made by &
people not pcrvadcd by an inspiring
idea and endowed with the courage tc
die for it. These Dutch republicans are
no flock OF sheep, appointed to passive
slaughter, like the Armcnians undc,
their Kurdish and Turkish butchers
They are born soldiers, with heroic
memories o! men who died for thcil
liberty, and filled with that spirit o.
independence which drove their father:
from the flesh pots OF the Cape Colony
into the wilderness OF the Transvaa
They have set their backs to the wal
now They can so no further, and they
will make their stand, whatever the cost
England may subduc them. The slcc,
force OF wealth and numbers may be
too much for them. Her vast system
OF manufactures gives her an immense
advantage in fighting a merely agri,
cultural community, as it did in her wa,
will, the American colonies. By seizine
Dclagoa Bay she may be able to cut
them off from Europe and every othe,
base OF supplies, and drive them to sub.