up prayerfully to God, Who decides
the destinies of men and nations, and became convinced that it was the
right time to make peace, and that we were on the right road by
concluding the Treaty of Vereeniging. My closing words at Vereeniging
were: "Comrades, we stand beside the grave of both Republics, but not
at the grave of our People. We have laid down our arms and concluded
the struggle which has brought death, misery, and destruction. But now
we have to enter upon another struggle, much greater and much nobler.
It will be our duty to labour with vigour and sacrifice at the
rebuilding of our nation. Therein lies a great work before us.
Although our former functions have now lapsed, our calling and duty
still remain. The People who have looked up to us and remained so
faithful to the end will continue to look up to us, and rightly expect
assistance and advice under the altered circumstances. Let it always
be our aim to serve our People."

Have subsequent events not proved that our view was correct?

Peace! How was it received?

I think the answer must be: "With deep disappointment." The victors
did not exult. Was it perhaps because they involuntarily felt that
from the time when they, principally upon distorted representations,
unjustifiably interfered with the affairs of the South African
Republic, up to the Conference at Vereeniging, they had achieved no
honour? Our People, especially the women and daughters in the
Concentration Camps, were deeply dismayed. I have never seen a more
impressive and sadder scene than the sight of the 4,000 women and
children in the Merebank Concentration Camp, Natal, when I informed
them that we had concluded peace, by which we had had to sacrifice our
country. The question: "Is it for _this_ that I sacrificed my husband,
my son, my child?"--which resounded in my ears from the lips of the
weeping women made the discharge of this, my last duty, also the most
painful one. The deep conviction was there wrought in me that it was
only their faith in God that enabled these women and children to
endure what they had had to endure. May their patience, their courage,
their faith, be transmitted to their descendants!

I would further like to say that it was hard for us all, especially
for me, to be deprived, during the Negotiations at Vereeniging, of
the advice and support of President Steyn, who was forced by illness
to leave us during the early days of the negotiations. The absence of
his