PEACE WITH HONOR. J. Bull and Sons' First Joint Contract.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 101, 7 June 1902, Page 8

PEACE WITH HONOR. J. Bull and Sons' First Joint Contract.

THE war is over afc last. For the long period of 21 months it has been waged with resolute vigor. And it has ended, as all Britons full well knew it must end, in the complete success of the Imperial arms. When the Boers struck the first blow in October, 1899, and Paul Kruger declared that this was a struggle which would stagger humanity he spoke prophetically. But by no means in the sense he wished to convey. It has certainly staggered the outer world m a variety of ways that it had never contemplated. # * * In the first place, ie was quite unprepared for the outburst of martial spirit and patriotic feeling which ran like wildfire over "this nation of shopkeepers." No sooner was the gauntlet down than the whole Empire sprang to arms as by a common impulse. It was an entirely spontaneous movement on the part of the colonies. For many years pa&t it has been the custom with foreign writers and the foreign press to sneer at Britain's Colonial Empire as a source of weakness rather than of strength. They were never tired of asserting that directly the Mother Country became embroiled in war her Colonies would cut the painter and set up as independent republics. Well, the event has happened and the effect on the component parts of the Empire has been centripetal, not centrifugal. National federation was looked upon as a kind of poetic dream. Since the war broke out it has taken practical form and the day is at hand when it must be a living reality. • ♦ • In the next place, it was the pet delusion of her envious neighbours that Britain's sole strength lay in her naval arm and that as a military Power she was of no consequence, Well, she has staggered foreign humanity a trifle by the ease with which she shattered that cherished belief. No nation has ever before transported an army of a quarter of a million to a country thousands of miles distant, and at such remoteness from its base has carried on a successful campaign extending over two and a half years and ending in complete conquest of the enemy. It is a perfect eye-opener to ths Great Powers of Europe. Britain fought the two Dutch republics with her right arm strapped to her side and the contest never distressed her. They are able to measure her vast strength rather better now than before. * # # This struggle will figure largely on the page of history for enduring results. It brings the whole of South Africa under the Union Jack and makes it predominant over that great continent. It has cemented the Empire in the bonds of brotherhood. It has trained the British army to effective service, revolutionised modern warfare in some of its methods, and marred some cheap reputations. Abo^e all, it marks an «poch in the house of John Bull. Hitherto he has been running the whole show by himself. This is the first great enterprise in which he has been actively assisted by the younger members of the family. Their fair reward must be admission as junior partners in the business, and in good time the old signboard will be changed to "John Bull and Sons."

Moreover, the Colonies ha\e learnt some lessons that they will lay to heait. They ha-ve realised their own strength. They have trained theuisehes to raise and equip troops at short notice. Their raw levies ha\e sened in the lield, and in the sharp school of modern warfare ha\e acquired the soldiers' steadiness and discipline. New Zealand may look back with pardonable pride upon the part she has played in this memorable war. Through the bold and spirited initiathe of her Premier she ga\e a lead to the other Colonies, and in the storm and stress of battle her sons did honour to the stock from which they sprung. * » • The Boers fought a losing game with indomitable courage. As Britons we are willing to forget th^ir acts of treachery in remembering their deeds of heroism and chivalry. And now that the strife is o\er we are ready to shake hands and welcome them into the Empire as comrades and partners in its fr\e institutions and glorious traditions. Some people, with whom the wish may be father to the thought, assert that the Boers will never be contented British subjects. The joy with which those Boer prisoners in the far Bermudas hailed the news of peace and the gusto with which they sang "God Save the King" atid "Rule Britannia" tell a different tale. And when they ha\e had time to compare a strong, ju&t and liberal administration with their own corrupt Go\ernment their comersion will be complete. So mote it be.