Evening star., 1900-01-24

oIiciai circles TO serious consequences are
| expected to arise out of the action of the
| British cruisers. A power like Germany
| may herself soon be a bellgerent. and she
| probably does not desire for any temporary
purpose unduls to stretch the rights of
| neutrals- 1t will be found I believe that
| the government has given up the claim to
| seize food as contraband of war. With re-
| gard to the men on board the Bundesrath
/ II II is clearly established that they were
going to serve in the TranSvaal. they will
De brought home and handed over to Ger
many, to be dealt with for breach of neu-
| trality.
There is probably nobody better pleased
| with the seizure of the German ships at
| Aden and Delagoa bay than the German
| emperor. His new navy bill is before the
| reichstaS, and its passage is or was by no
| means certainty. But now the semi-ofIi-
ctal press Is rubbing in the supposed moral
| oL the incident and the German public is
| pelng assured that such an occurrence
| would have been impossible if our navy
| nad peen strengthened during the past few
| ueca1es 10 the same extent that our army
| mas been. If there Is anything in internl-
| tlehal law. naval strength has nothing to
| do with the matter. If. for example France
ana Germany We're at war, Germany would
| NOT pS the predominant naval strength Of
| inns country, be precluded from seizing a
| Brltish ship carrying contraband of war to
| france. The matter will doubtless apnear
| otherWlse to the German public. and the
| anger OF impotence will not be aroused in
| vain.
Hold Opposite Opinions.
| 1here Is nothing more amazing in con-
| nection with the war than the utter oppo-
sition of standpoint assumed by people pre-
sumably equally acquainted with the facts
! and circumstances of South African life.
| Olive Schreiner is a passionate advocate
| OF the Boer; her sister, Mrs. Lewis is
| an equally passionate antagonist 1t is
| characteristic of the Schreiner family that
they mad moral and religious justification
| Tor their views. They have the most abso-
| lutte and unshakable assurance that God
| is on their side. Olive Schreiner is as GER
tain as of her existence that the cause of
President Kruger is the cause of Heaven.
| MRS. Lewis is equally assured that Britain
| is the chosen instrument of Heaven raised
| up TO scourge the Beers for two centuries
| OK wrongs inflicted on the natives; for
pracllsing barbarities, in peace well as
| war, which put TO shame the records of
what the savages have inflicted even in
war time, upon white races" Many find
| their justification for the war on The same
ground as Mrs. Lewis. The Boer has all
| through his history acted on what he csn-
| celFeS to be 'Scripturar' views of the no.
sltion Of black men. They are the chill
| ofeh OF Ham, accursed, outcasts, ordained
| 10 DC beasts of burden. The Boer has al
| ways opposed and done his best 20 frus-
lfate missionary work among the blacks
| win that fact readers of the lives of
| Livingstone, Moffat and Mackenzie are ia
|
| cape Colony governors We're popular or un-
| popular chiefly they took or did not
| take upon themselves the duty of protect
ing the natives
Unsheathing the War sword.
There was scene for the pen of Sir Wal
ter Scott among the Welsh hills on Satur-
| day last. In roaring storm company of
| bards, bareheaded, in their robes, un-
| sheathed the war sword with a solemn
| ceremony, and the sword will not be re-
stored to the scabbard until there is peace
| wales is poor ground for the recruiting
sergeant, and many blame its eisteddfodau
| Tor some national effeminacy But the
bards of Saturdays high patriotic ritual
| hold no eisteddfod. They are a cult apart,
esoteric and more ancient than all others.
| Not an archdruid. but the chief bard posi-
i've drew the sword and aourished it, look
! ing toward the TranSYaal, and so made
Proclamation: The truth against the
| world. The sword of the Lord and Vic
| toria: Be it known to all the loyal bards
| OF Wales and the arm bearers of right
| eousness throughout the earth, that the
| mystic sword of truth, peace and justice is
| unsheathed in the eternal Gorsedd of Gair
| lonydd." Echoes out of the mist replied
| from the hills to three high blasts of the
Gorsedd herald, and then the bards left
| thelf circle, where alone the peace remains
| unbroken. They made a procession about
| 1t, and at every stone the earth was smit-
ten thrice with the Gorsedd brain-biter "A
naken blade the chief bard cried against
| an talsehood, lniquity and error throughout
| the whole earth. God and all goodness"
| The chief bard is positive in regarding this
war as Arma ageddon, and President Kruger
as the Great Dragon. A great crowd gath
cred to witness the ancient ceremony
which will not be as ridiculous as ii seems
| If it should rouse the race of Owen GIyndwr
| to send out ten more volunteers or nav
for tens equipment.
To Go to the Front.
The caring in of the enlisted men for
the City Imperial Regiment has added an
other element to the military picturesque
ness of the London streets. The enlisted
volunteers, being now soldiers of the queen.
swagger about the streets with a short
cane, la Tommy Atkins, and are evil
IDENTIFY proud Of having been chosen to go
to the front. They wear their own uni
form, and the khaki will not be served
out until they start. There are one or two
corps, such as the Artists, the London
Scottish and the Queens Westminsters
whose uniform might very well serve in
stead Of khaki. The enlisted volunteers
are eager to pal in With the regulars
but l fancy the feeling is not always re-
ciprocated. A little jealousy is inevitable
on the part of the regulars who have to
stay at home while volunteers taken from
counter and desk have been sent to the
front.
HustlinE for Recruits
l have never before seen the recruiting
sergeant and his assistants SO busy as now.
Around the National Gallery in Trafalgar
Square, about Nelson's monument in front
of the Admiralty and Horse Guards and at
various other places in Lonodn are numer-
Gus swell-looking non-coms on the lookout
for possible candidates for the army No
likely looking youth is allowed to pass un-
challenged, but is buttonholed and eXpa-
tiated to on the glories ot the service and
the probabilities of getting the Victoria
Cross. L would not like to call this gor-
geously relocated and gold-laced gentry a
press gang, but they are most pressing in
their invitations, and at all times during
the day 1t Is possible to see them talking
to a group of young men and marching
them off to get tie queens shilling or else
being duly admired by crowds OF small
boys, for whose immaturity the recruiting
sergeant has the utmost diSdain.
1t Is as difficult to do anything but talk
var in London now as 1t was to avoid the
subject in America WHEN We were busy
wiping up the Spaniards.
Winter in the Alps.
Not for at least twenty years has such