The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-02-13
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1900.
ENGLISH CHARACTER,

Lord Roscbery communicates an inter
esting article to the Philadelphia Tim es
on .icnElands Balance-Sheet in the Boer
ling statement that the war in South Az
RIGA Is the most formidable in which
England has ever engaged, In point of
the number of British troops arrayed in
! the fleld. 'No such army has ever been
sent from our shores before says he.
land in that respect alone this war takes
a primary place" Yet when war be-
tween Great Britain and the Beers was
declared, most people looked upon 1t as
a triuing affair. something like an Indian
i uprising on our Western plains.
lord Rosebery admits that England
4 has .-had her bad moments" since The
war began; admits that the sympathy
OF the European powers is against her;
admits that England has lost prestige
ny her repeated adverses, but he thinks
that in the end the war will have been
OF much service to his country. AS for
!. the rcverses he says that England has
Always begun badly on land as land is
not primarily the natural element 4of the
33rlton. therefore it has been the fate Of
t1ng.e,u,d> in almost every great campaign
that he can recall to have begun with a
considerable amount Of disaster and mis-
fortune. But he thinks it no mean
achievement for England to have sent
10000 men to fight seven thousand miles
away from its base! He is not aware
that any other nation has done such a
thing. As for the censure Of others. he
says that 1t is understood, and as for
lost prestige, that Will be regained and
England will be the better for the lesson
that she has learned. de intimates that
1t was needful for England TO have had
some Of the pride taken out of her. He
Is quite certain that it is to England's
benefit TO have learned where her weak
points are when the war is finished,
ne adds, ..if we set ourselves earnestly
to do the work of recovering the reputa-
ton which, undoubtedly. we have lost
ny our military operations in South At
RIGA, we s.,a'l be Infinitely more powerful,
antlnreiy more formidable, than at any
time In our history Lord Rosebery has
no fear as to the final outcome. lie re-
1ers TO the two great assets Of England
her navy and her capItal-and with these
TO start with the nation should not be
long in regalning her lost prestige.
But l1ngland's greatest asset, he says,
is her national character. and that has
been put TO supreme test. In this con-
nection he says:
] think that many Of us OF late years,
in watching the march of prosperity, the
march of luxury. the march of ease the
fleeniessness with which England was
assuming enormous responsibilities abroad
without thinking sufficiently Of how she
was 10 sustain these responsibilities.
muss have begun TO fear that the nation
anls,n be suffering from fatty degenera-
rion of the heart-that the natson might
prove itself unworthy CT its high destiny.
thst II had too easy a time, and that it
required to be hraced up and tested by
adversely
Well. we have been fbraced and tested
by university. ] venture to think that IL
that week which ended with tho battle of
The 1ugeka had been passed in soma coun-
tries. and among some peoples. 1t would
nave ended. perhaps. not in revolution.
1fpclff,n3 tilaii-i3S =5ln1pSSSiple. -Dut III
such d,squiet. such modification. such
accusarions ofbe;rayal. treachery against
aheir chiefs that the end of the nation
might have been visible !. for my part,
was never 50 proud of my country as at
the end OF thar week. There was no
ncncency ITO accuse any one; politics dis
appeared absolutely. there was little or
no CRITICISM. none certainiysof party
character. There Was. prsthe other hand.
q passionate resolve to pour out the last
shilling. and the last man. to assist the
country IN her hour OF need. We saw
she ready offcr TO serve in the ranks as
prtyate soldiers. We saw all classes Of the
o,uinnlant1S thinking In what way they,
could hes, serve the country. The spirit
= was rt,ere, and tf more reSe4es should
comc, which God forbid, there viii be
more money and more men still FORTH
coming.
Whatever other ma sons may think. they
f.asse not got TO the bottom Of old Eng
tand yef.. could say that the test Of the
I CHARACTER q; our people Wal a.one coun.
,1e1balance the losses ne haYe undergone
s,.,r readers Ha,l recall that soon2after.
ssaiars arst $1,000 ~ saaas - .aeA tho