Herifv of Retleire, tO/i/06. 



Topics of the Month. 



375 



" An attitude of benevolent and sympathetic inde- 

 pendence. We rely not upon Government but upon 

 the people, and therefore upon ourselves." 



" But in nine cases out of ten you will be more 

 Liberal than the Liberals?" 



• No doubt, but we wish to keep the Liberals up 

 to the m;irk of their electioneering Liberalism. 

 There are more young men in the Liberal ranks of 

 good disposition with open minds than I have ever 

 seen before. Many of them will support us when 

 the time comes to liberalise the official Liberals." 



■' In the immediate future where are the rocks 

 ahead ?" 



■ We are hoping that the Trades Disputes Bill 

 will be such a measure as we can accept. But in 

 order to be prepared against disappointment we 

 have our own Trades Disputes Bill, which is put 

 down as the first order of the day on the first day 

 secured by our members balloting. If the Govern- 

 ment Bi.l is good, we shall merely pass ours on, 

 without debate, to be considered along with it in 

 Committee, and then we shall take up our second 

 order— the feeding of starving school children. ' 



" And what about Woman's Suffrage?" 



'■ Ah," said Mr. Hardie, " you have touched me 

 on a sore point. We ought to ha\e put that subject 



down. It was a sheer inadvertence, an oversight. 

 We entered into an inheritance from the past which 

 left us no option but to give the Trades Disputes 

 and Child Feeding Bills first place, and so they 

 were given precedence, and Woman's Suffrage lost 

 its day. It is a great misfortune, which no one re- 

 grets more than I. The case for Woman's Suffrage 

 is unanswerable. No one attempts to oppose it on 

 the merits. But there is a sluggish vis inertia: to be 

 overcome, and every effort is made not to defeat 

 but to cushion it." 



" How does the case stand insiile the Govern- 

 ment ?" 



" Those who are favourable wish to deal with the 

 question in the Bill on Registration Reform. Those 

 who wish to shelve it say that it would be prema- 

 ture to pledge the Government until there has been 

 a clear indication of the opinion of the House. But 

 those who sav this will do what they can to prevent 

 the House having any opportunity to express an 

 opinion." 



■■ The much-vaunted chivalry of the male does not 

 show very conspicuous in that proceeding. But 

 surely it ought not to be beyond the resources of 

 civilisation to take a plebiscite of the members if a 

 division is impossible?" 



"We shall see," said Mr. Keir Hardie. 



LXXIX.— THE BOERS AND THE EMPIRE: DR. ENGELENBURG. 



The last time I saw Dr. Engelenburg, since 1889 

 editor of the Volkstcm of Pretoria, I had the honour 

 of being entertained as the guest of the journalists 

 of Pretoria, t\vo years ago. It was with great plea- 

 sure I accepted the occasion of welcoming the jour- 

 nalistic mouthpiece of the Boers of the Transvaal in 

 the sanctum at Mowbray House. 



Dr. Engelenburg is as unlike our typical Boer as 

 you could find in a day s march. He is slim and 

 tall and fair, and much more like a young professor 

 from Holland than a son of the veldt. But Dr. 

 Engelenburg has been for years well known through- 

 out South .Africa as one of the stoutest, most uncom- 

 promising and consistent champions of .Afrikander- 

 dom in the whole sub-continent. 



He greeted me warmly, with a lively expression of 

 satisfaction that the political atmosphere was so 

 bright. " Alas," he went on, " that I cannot say the 

 same of your weather. I. have not seen the sun for 

 days. It is enough tO' make one suicidal, this cold 

 and damp. I went into the streets to see the King 

 go to open Parliament. What a spectacle ! Did 

 ever a nation take its pleasures so sadly ! Taciturn 

 crowds with pallid faces standing for hours in the 

 dispiriting drizzle. And oh, so cold ! so dull ! The 

 very dog that slipped between the line was a pic- 

 ture of despondency. When the King passed, they 

 all bared their heads as if it were the passing of a 

 funeral." 



•' We cannot hold our weather. But politically it 

 is high noon !" 



•■ Yes," said Dr. Engelenburg, " I am surprised, 

 not to say delighted, at the sentiment of your people. 

 Never had I ventured to hope for such frank, 

 generous recognition of the wrongs we suffered at 

 the hands of the late Government. I really believe 

 now that we shall get on very well together." 



" Under the British flag, of course?" 



■■ Under the British flag, of course. I am amazed 

 at the suspicions which are expressed in some quar- 

 ters. ■ You will seek revenge ?' I am told by the 

 men who made the war. ' You will seek an opportu- 

 nity to haul down the flag and wipe off old scores?' 

 It is nonsense. Those who talk so do not under- 

 stand the Boers." 



• It is all their guilty conscience," I explained. 

 " They know they desen'e what they say they ex- 

 pect." 



" Perhaps you are right. But if they treat us in 

 the spirit which I find everywhere among Liberals, 

 you need have no fear of any trouble from us. The 

 Boer recognises the result of the war as a manifesta- 

 tion of the will of Providence as to his destinies. 

 He made a stout fight as long as fighting was pos- 

 sible. When he laid down his arms, he made peace; 

 and if you keep your word, as you seem to have 

 every intention of doing, you will have no reason to 

 complain of anv awkwardness on our part." 



