Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-12
Christmas Was Not a Merry One in
England This Year.
PATRIOTISM IN time OF need
Rough Weather Ahead for the Men
Who Are Running the War.
BOXING DAY IN LONDON


Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
LONDON, December So 1899.
The present is the only occasion within
living memory upon which the British gov
eminent has appealed for volunteers to
fight side by side with the regular army.
But when Napoleon, a hundred years ago.
threatened to land $1,000 men on English
soil and march to London, a volunteer
army was raised in England and sacrifices
were made by all classes of society in the
realm which will bear comparison with the
outburst of loyalty of the present time
The cases are somewhat different, of
course. The threatened invasion of Britain
was a very real personal danger Nobody
knew where it might be attempted. Lon
don might be reached by way of the Hum
Der or the Thames; French forces were just
as likely to step ashore in Lancashire or in
Yorkshire in Kent. The uncertainty
threw the whole country into alarm, and
when the king sent a message to the house
of lords proposing that the militia should
be augmented. drawn out and embodied
there was no need to ask twice for help.
The house of lords passed a resolution
unanimously assuring his majesty of firm
and Jealous support in any measures that
might be necessary for the defense of the
kingdom, and the country supported them.
England from end to end was afiame with
excitement. and money was subscribed and
corps were raised in every parish in the
land. 1t was said the king himself sub
scribed f2O00OO. A lady of title gave up
her entire income for one year. amounting
to 100000. The corporation of Doncaster
subscribed II 900. The Sheffield Cutters
Company did not hold their annual feast
in lbs. but instead sent 1900 to the war
fund. A captain in the army offered his
half pay. amounting to $50 a year. A Brad
ford chimney sweep subscribed 1 shilling,
which, owing to family matters, he could
inYJc to Cn
something, precisely as they are today.
Splendid Patriotism.
Certainly Englands bright spot in the
lies in the spontaneous and splendid dis
play of patriotism and willingness with
which the people generally have met the
call to arms. 1t is on par with our own
magnificent outpourng of men and money
in the war with Spain. and is a direct re-
Duke in both the United States and Eng
land to those who would advocate con-
scription like that of European nations.
The period of depression is nearly past
and the energies of he country are alive
to the exigencies of the crisis. If only one
could believe that the government and the
var Office We're equally alive! Red tape
and Anticipated methods are slow to be
overcome and the hidebound feeling of we
never have done this or that blocks the
way.
Idle RumOrs.
We see every day in the papers reports
that the Beers, especially the Free Staters
are disconnected and are tired of the war
and with these childish reports a certain
class of the British deceive and amuse
themselves. People like the Beers do not
get discontinued when they have gained a
series of victories. If anything could dispel
such foolish notions regarding an enemy
victorious. for the time being at any rate, it
would probably be the Boer terms of peace
suggested this morning by Winston Church
i'll, who has just made his escape from Pre-
toria. The terms offered unofticially by
Presidents Kruger and Steyn do not SAVIOR
Of faintheartedneSs certainly.
Churchills statement that a wcll-mOunt-
ed Boer is equal to six British infantry
men. too, ought in some degree to unde-
CeiVe his count rymen regarding the enemy.
1t was only the other day that q British
army captain assured me that one Eng
liSEman was equal to ten Beers. and when
/ suggested that the one EnglShman had
rot thus far given evidence of such prov :
ess, nv captain responded, no whit daunt-
ed. Wait till Butler gets at them" This
was before Buffers defeat. and / am some
what anxious TO see my valiant warrior
again. Probably, though, his opinion has
not changed, for the spirit of not knowing
when she Is beaten has carried England
through many worse crisis than the pres
ent.
1t is a good quality in the abstract. but
not an agreeable one to live in daily con-
tact with
Rough Weather Ahead.
The military authorities will have a
rough time of it when parliament meets.
The Times continues its attacks on the war
office. and / hear that motion will be
made for a select committee to inquire into
the conduct of the military authorities
with reference to the preparations for war.
The facts undoubtedly prove that they We're
culpably ignorant of the Boer resources,
and that they did not appreciate the neces-
sary conditions for a successful campaign
against the Beers. The government may be
able to defeat an inquiry which would, in
fact, be tantamount to a vote of ceuSure
on the war office, but they will hardly be
able to prevent great changes in Pail Mall,
II not in the government itself. There IS
much reason to believe that there is a
great deal of friction inside the war Of
fee A strong head would put a stop to all
that sort of thing, but Lord Lansdowne,
though a careful, is not a great admins
traitor. 1t seems certain that the military
authorities will attempt to shift some of
the blame off their own shoulders on to
that of the chancellor of the excheduer,
who, it is alleged, refused them money that
they wanted.
not possessing in times of profound peace
what certain of its critics deemed sutfi-
cient supply of small arms ammuniti ton.
1t is not an impossible thing that the pres
ent administration may come to grief on a
similar ground of complaint far better
based. When the tories returned to power
on cordfte they set about manufacturing
plenty of it. but neglected many things of
equal Importance. Now, their special
friends in the press are asking angrily,
Why was there not plenty Of this and
plenty Of that?
Feeling in Spain.
The Spanish press is taking much comfort
out of British reverses. and compares the
Trarsvaal war with SPANS war with the
United States. A strong article has ap-
peared this week in the impartial of Mad
rid. by far the ablest organ there. which
accuses the British of going beyond their
Judgment. The impartial states that the
war In South Africa is exercising an eff
feet on the mind Of the British people
which is SO unusual as to merit particular
notice
It has been declared time after time. it
points out, that all British warlike enter
prises are matters of calculation The
present war, however, is being made mat
ter Of passion.
THE language employed by the news
papers and even the politicians of Albion, -
the Impartial continues, lis similar to that
which we used during the war in Cuba