9 2 How to Pay for the War 



had ventured either to make a statement or a prophecy. 

 Personally, he wished the author had drawn the picture 

 a little nearer those sanguine lines which he was sure in his 

 heart of hearts he thought was correct. The Congo was 

 offered by Stanley in succession to the United States, 

 England, France, and Germany — but they all refused it. 

 Belgium possessed a far-seeing king, who saw the 

 immense possibilities of the country ; he took an early 

 train to Marseilles, met Stanley on his arrival there, and 

 secured for his country what had been refused by the great 

 nations of the world. It was right, therefore, that Belgium 

 should enjoy the benefit of the foresight of its king. With 

 regard to the attitude taken by this country to native races, 

 whenever he went into English colonies he always found 

 an outcry against what was called " Exeter Hall." It was 

 a curious fact that in the House of Commons the same 

 people stamped, and stormed, and raved about the iniquity 

 of dukes, who held their land for their own comfort and 

 kudos and not for the service of their fellow-men, and it 

 was considered wise that statutes should be enacted to 

 compel dukes to use their broad acres for the general 

 benefit of the public. But the same men said in regard to 

 a black man, who might or might not be a prince, that this 

 country had no right to interfere with his land, and that 

 he must use it or not use it as he liked ; that there might 

 be countless millions in Europe starving for oils and fats 

 and for all the produce that generous Nature could pour 

 forth under tropical suns and tropical showers, but the 

 black man must not be interfered with. He did not 

 consider that that was good government. There were 

 good black men agd bad black men, and good white men 

 and bad white men ; but he did not see why we should 

 have a sentiment for a man because of his colour. Never- 

 theless, that was the case in British colonies all over the 

 world. In his opinion the world was meant for the use of 

 the people who were at present living in it, and the man 

 who could make use of the tools, whether the hammer, the 

 chisel, or the broad acres, for the benefit of the general 

 public had a right to them. The only title of every white 

 man or black man was to make the best use of them for 

 the public. He believed the black man could be spoiled 

 as much by sentiment as by brutality, and he understood 

 the latter better than the former. But neither of them 

 need enter into the question of the government of the black 

 man. The main thing was the education of the native, 

 and the Belgian Government were showing the English 



