The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-09
IMPORTANT HINTS As. TO THE
AFRICAN WAR.

There ave appeared within a year
aOr two perhaps twenty books on South
Africa. Some of these are instructive
and important. They can not we'll be
overlooked by any person who would
make a careful, ~ccurate study of the
BOer and the Briton in the very disas-
trouS war being waged now in that
distant part of the world. Africa is
believed by biologists to be the oldest
of the continents. In all of it's long and
varied history it has been a long time
indeed since it witnessed such a terrific
war as that waging now, and that
other war by the British under Genera
Kitchener a year or two ago against
the Mahdis. The best writer's, of
English birth, who have written of
South Africa have not written in adj
miration of the management. 1t is as
serted that, SO far from success at
tending Britain's government Of alien,
clashing peoples of Africa that it is
bringing trouble and sufferings and
death and sorrows and ruin as it
brought upon India. That is the frank
admission of British writers in books
and periodicals and otherwise.
An able writer in 1.-THE Dial" makes
a suggestive, informing remark when
he says:
9TH Dutch in the Transvaal are the
Dutch of the New Netherland, and the
French of the Transvaal are the HUI
guenots of the Jerseys; their religion Is
the Puritanism of New England and of
the Dutch Reformed Churches of New
York; their government is avowedly
based upon the constitution of the
United States; even the war of ITS, in
which the Dutch lost their title to the
Cape, was brought OF largely by the
treaty of amity entered into between
Amsterdam and the revoltec provinces
of North America, and the British oc-
cupation of Natal in 1872 was in part
due to the rumored occupation of the
port of Durham by the Americans"
AS we recently said the Dutch have
been wise builders and good fighters
all through the past two or three CEN
turtles. 1t is sad to know that they are
now being warred upon by a great en-
pire with so much of fierceness and
yigor and determination to q or
extinguish. The same writer we quote
from. for his views are the views of a
great majority of the most Intelligent
and most faithful to the underlying
principles of our own once wise and
Just government writes:
1.-The third reflection is the sorrowful
OHc lIdI IASAoAo
table when the. potentialities OF the
two republics and the great empire are
considered, is to be brougnt ABOUT
through a wal which was the sole re-
suit of greed and criminal aggression,
and when attained will be such a blow
TO the civilization which demands
Christian morality and r~ight-deallng
between nations as between 1ndlvlo-
uals, such a striking down OF govern
ment by consent and the rearing in its
stead of government by force, as the
modern world has not seen since the
partition of Poland. And, finally, since
the Dutch are in the great majority In
South Africa and are increasing rela-
lively, while the British are in the MI
nority and are decreasing, when VIC
tory is att asst attained it must stand
for one or two things: either Great
BRITAIN must grant constitutional gov
eminent to countries in which the
Dutch are dominant, which means that
her victory is fruitless; or Great Brf-
tain. the exponent OF popular freedom
must rule an unwilling white majority
by force, with the object lesson Of Ire
land before her eyes. In either event
civilization suffers, as Anglo-Saxons
ought to understand n word
Mr.. c. P. Lucas, B. A, is an English
man. He has recently published vol
ume " of "A Historical Geography or
the British Colonies a very instruc-
tive and much needed work. Writing
before the present unfortunate and un-
happy wal -began-some three years
ago in fact. he showed his wisdom fore
sight n common sense in the follow
ing:
ITO students of military history,
South Africa has something to tell.
The moral to be drawn from the record
of South African fighting is that it is
not well to go out in all the approved
uanoply of European warfare against
those who are armed with simple or
with savage weapons We read anew
in south Africa the story of David and
Goliath. and learn that if Goliath had
gone out with something akin to the
sling and the stone, ne wouid nave
done better than wnen ciao IN ms iul
suit OF armour"
1t is a pity Lord Salisbury and his