BRITON AND BOER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 23 October 1914, Page 3

BRITON AND BOER.

HOW ENGLAND HAS "FLAYMD

- THE GAME."

The. following is taken from a note- ■ worthy letter in the Ladybrand Caur,ant ; .South Africa, written by Theodore .JTerreira, wliose name is well reinemibered :in connection with the Boer war:

"Commonso:is3, if nothing else, .should ti>eacli Englishmen that 'ibey cannot expect us Boers to be like themselves. Our aspirations and ideals differ from them. We speak a different lajpguage, and are animated by a different spirit altogether. We slv,q really an-d truly Soijth Africans. England is not our Motherland, therefore the same enthusiasm cannot b& expected from us as fjrom those who eaS Great Britain their 'Home,' who refer to it as J- their 'Old. Country,' the-ir 'Motherland.' England was our enemy through Jthe course of centuries. In I "the, course of a decade that enmity, which saw its culmination in the terrible struggle between Boer and Briton during 1899-1902, has been superseded by loyal'-friendship. But the Boer, naturally slow in thought and action; must be given time to adjust himself to the new of things. The prejudice, of. centuries must be overcome, • 'After forty -years we have come to undertake a-work of revenge.' So said the French "vrhen they invaded AlsaceLorraine, and the British applauded them. Only "twelve years have passed since the Boers lost their independence. Notwithstanding, there is not a in an amongst them to-day who would wish to see 'the "Union Jack trailing :in the dust. "We have to do with "facts, and we 'must face those facts. Tlf the average "Boer were given the -choice torday, 'he would, prefer absp'iute independence—-in other words, a republican Government. He, however, T-ecognises the rfcremendous advantage •of having Englasfd -as an ally^ and the "Boer would ratker i-bo'the ally of England than of any-other nation on the -earth. For therein lies our safety, our integrity, otiT ifufcu-re.

•'There are aiwjys two or more ; poinis of view to any (question. England 'has given "us, ss..,'the people of .■South Africa, independence. She has made-tis the sole arbiters Of. our own -destiny. We, and -w« slone, are reiSponsib*lß for our deeti-Ky. "We. and we alone, are resj)onsi|)fe 'for our actions. 'Even in *he pi^esent .crisis Englantl -would not foist on any governing •Dominion the <n«ar -that ifc was bound to take part ia ihe war. If the ©onfiMioris Lad stood -ailoof, if they had declared themselves to ba neutral in th'is. war, it might 'have broken En-glands great heart, tttt would riot 'have aised ..coercion in any form whatsoever. But, thank G&i, we knew all along that it was impossible for the ©ooHnions- to~be lift..armed spectators -vflMlst the strength." «f England was %eing,drained, and her W« blood ebbed aw-ay. Again, thank GoS that things have not .come to such a pass, and I pray that they never will. But af the Dominions had acted thus \ they"-would have covered ,4emselves < with undying shame, and would have •deserved ■ to-be blotted from the face of the earili. "The call has come, mid at the same time ifc provides a" sijy.reme test. England has, asked iov our ; aid-. :Generar'Botha has made -it; cksr' that. the. JJnion government wflg '

not acting on its own; the British Government had requested thsm to -undertake certain military operations •in .German Soutn-West Africa." If the Union Government had refused to icomply with the request o£ the British vGrovernment they would have deserved •to !he :k:cked out unceremoniously. Under the.circumstances I feel it my duty ;approve of the action of the Government. lam broad-minded' enough 1;o of,South Africa sacrificing even her own interests in the larger i-irterests of the Empire and civilisation, and particularly to prove cur loyal friendship to England, who, after all is -said and done, lias 'played the game' :in a way we could never have ■dreantt \nQr.ltrelieved." ■ ■