efore and during the war.
Never in the history of nations has an honourable foe been more abused
than the Boers. They have been misrepresented altogether to the world at
large, and to the public in England in particular.

The war-Press, the platform, and even the pulpit, were all arrayed in
martial order against them, and belched forth streams of abuse on two
small states. A warm glow comes over our faces, and the blood begins to
surge swiftly through our veins, as we recall some of the stinging
expressions by which the Boers were stigmatised, and through which the
mind of the English public was more and more inflamed, and all traces of
sympathy with the Boers removed. We do not wish to enumerate these
descriptive terms and phrases, for that would be raking up old scores.
We would rather forget than remember unpleasant words and deeds.

We must, however, direct our attention briefly to the platform and
pulpit, not to mention the Press, which were so successful in exercising
an influence calculated to intensify race-hatred and obstruct the way to
any peaceful settlement of political disputes.

When the Uitlanders in Johannesburg became dissatisfied with the
existing state of affairs, and began to ask for greater privileges, they
betook themselves to the platform. Now the Boers had no objection to
their forming political organizations, or holding public meetings in
which they could agitate for redress of grievances. But what they did
object to, and very strongly, was the blatant manner in which these
Uitlanders referred to their governments and themselves. Instead of
exercising the art of "gentle persuasion" by laying their grievances
before the Transvaal Government in the form of a polite request, and so
achieving their desired object, these Uitlanders resorted to the policy
of _fortiter in re_, the policy of intimidation, by threatening the
Boers with the right arm of the British Empire unless they granted their
requests instantly. When they adopted this method of procedure, they
naturally did not get what they wanted. So they agitated and cried for
redress of grievances until the unhappy war was brought about. Not only
in South Africa, but also in England thousands were misled by these
platform agitators, who were bent on placing the Dutch in a false light
before the civilized world.

And the pulpit, as represented by some ministers not only of the Church
of England, but also of the Nonconformist Churches, ministers