The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-22
DIR Nlessengm.


GREAT HISTORIANS VIEW.
We have sung the praises of Profess
sor Goodwin Smith, a native or Eng
land, and one OF its foremost men Of
letters in the last half Of the nineteenth
century. He Is a mastery writer, and
his last work, historical, and on Eng
land, is pronounced by h most judi
-cious and careful critics as of very high
merit. one of the ablest OF historical
productions in an hundred years. He Is
indeed an exceptionally gifted writer
with a style distinguished for clarity,
excellence, purity, vigor and scholarly
legance We are for the present con-
cerned only with his opinion as to the
South African war. He has been inter
viewed by a New York Sun represen-
tatfye, and what Is said by the very
gifted. distinguished Engiishman is
most interesting. 1t is far too long for
reproduction here. but coming from the
very ablest living British historian, it
Is too engaging to be overlooked alto
gether. We select a few paragraphs,
but not in connection:
None Of my English friends and
correspondents" said Mr.. Smith, has
ever doubted what would be the issue
of a war in which the entire forces of
the British empire were opposed to
those of a population not half as large
as the population of Liverpool. The
Beers have put into the field decrepi-
tude and childhood. They have no re-
serves. We shall win; and, having
won, we shall, too, probably, reap in
fha ildOmont Of nnStaritv a maa ClIro
of the same glory which We reaped by
the burning of Joan of Arc. The
generals were distinguished men.
The British soldier has shown his
wonted valor. Canadian n Austria
liam have fought valiantly at his side.
Our military administration seems also
to have really lone well and put into
the field with striking rapidity an un-
expected amount of force. But besides
the difficulties of the country, We have
in our enemy a moral
force on which we did not reckon, and
which escaped the ~discernment of Mr..
Cecil Rhodes. We have encountered,
in it's greatest intensity, that enthusi-
aStic patriotism which turns the slug
CARDS blood to flame. Can history
show a more memorable fight for indie
pendence than that which is being
made by the Boer? Does it yield to
that made by Switzerland against
Austria and Burgundy, or to that made
by the Tyrolese under Hofer? The
Boer gets no pay; no comforts and lux
uries are provided for him by fashion
able socity; he can look onward to no
medals or pensions; he voluntarily en-
dures the utmost hardships of war;; his
discipline, though enforced, seems
never to fail. Boys Of ia cor
respondent at the Cape tells me, even
of 11-take the rifle from the hand OF
the mother, who remains to pray for
- t. l~- ~-@Iy I@1~ ~ -ton1 a
side their grandSireS to face the muir
derous artillery of modern war. A
newspaper correspondent the other
day saw a boy of 16 lying mangled on
the field and saying: 1T does not
hurt much; only I am so thirsty
Rude, narrow-minded, fanatical in
their religion, these men may be; so
were the old Scotch Calvinists; so
have been some of the noblest wild
stocks of humanity; but surely they
are not unworthy to guard a nation
He sees that the whole world out
side of England are in full sympathy
with the brave Beers. E~nglishman of
conscience and great abilities he does
not blin the truth or shut his eyes to
facts. He understands perfectly, as
but few understand it, all the historic
facts of the past in connection with
the Transvaal. He knows all about
causes and why his nation is now
seeking to destroy the two republics.
He asks and no man can answer:
AXE on shoulder, the Beers twice
went out to make for themselves a
home in the wilderness where they
might live their own life. Who had a
right to take it from them? Her Bri-
fannie majesty did not create Africa.
$ The Transvaal franchise needed
reform; so did that of England, within
win memory and a still greater
degree. But reform was not the OBJ
.ject of Mr.. Cecil Rhodes and his po-
litica1 allies. What they wanted was
to give the ballot to people who they
knew would use it to vote away the
independence of the state"