A MEMORABLE MONTH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12394, 2 July 1902, Page 4

A MEMORABLE MONTH.

The month of i:-- ( no, 1W.2, takes 11 place of its own in tho history of the Empire. It is not the month in which peace was declared—it just .missed that; nor is it the month iu which the King was crowned—that,, too, it missed by an accident; but it is • a month whose history affords much food for reflection. Two years since Lord Roberts auUved Pretoria, creating o fc r!\er;vl fa- •

pvessipn that the wur was over. Had it ended then wo should havo found ourselves masters of a beaten but not a crushed enemy. There is some compensation for the prolongation of the war in tho fact that it was fought to a finish, and left no' illusions as to who was master of South Africa. Tho most satisfactory featuvo of the whole affair is that the Boers completely acknowledge this. At tlio same time the Boers have secured an honourable peace. Making duo allowance for their backward civilisation, they have secured it in an honourable way. AVe hnve fought until wo have conqunred, and they have fought until, they, have enforced a duo respect for themselves. The astounding feature of the- whole case, however, is this:.. The Boers wore in.every way encouraged by tho lying press of the Continent, including tho "respectable" German journals and the less respectable organs of France and Belgium. Almost every cliargo tlieso vile publications have made'.has been refuted'by the Boers who fought against us. The only proved case of of the Bush Veldt' Carabineers—was wiped out by the military execution of two officers. Now, the wqr" wasj over on May 31, and before June was past the two newlyannexed colonies possessed Crowncolony Constitution;;—i ; representative institutions such' as all the minor British colonies possess. It is safe to assert tbati, under suchiii Constitution, a British subject possesses more liberty than Qorinans havo ever possessed in tho course of their history, and more than Frenchmen possess at this date. The people within less than a montli wero' rendered absolutely free, and placed in tho,oiyoyment of security for their rights such as they never had under ICruger. The only thing wanting is complete representative institutions such'as- we and the Cape Colony and Nntnl possess'/ ' These they will have when; they'show that they desire them.' More.: fhap. t}jnt, .witjuu that same montfy of June the Imperial Government commenced 'ft series of inquiries with a, yiaw .of -determining what civil posts should be assigned to the Boer leaders who, up. to' May 31, had been fighting against us. /We commend this to thq attention of the Prussian Governi m.ent, Tvhioh. jtfter 110 years of its benign rule iu\Prussian Poland, finds it necessary to contemplate the expenditure of $12,000,000 iii buying out Polish landowners in ; order to 'replace* them with Gonpans, while . the disgraceful stories about flogging school children for speaking own language I'emain uurof\itefl..' The' montli of June will always be remembered on account of the King's illness.; The rejoicings of his j people over his rapid recovery will not compensate thoso who will suffer losses; but, 'makipg i,t;hfi. ; best of what even in its mitigatec}/fqrti} is,something like a disaster, fhe hundreds of millions of British will' rejoice that, the King is illive and well.. But there, is a good deal more than that in the shape of coin: peiisatpry,', results. .Those who will remember the King's recovery from his former, illness. 30. years ago will hear in mind ( that, that"was i a turning point in his perjonal .histclry, 'sinco which' his popularity has never waned ; but nobody can say tllftt this is due to a »y l?!'t legitimate causes. Sympathy witli su'fferagis a'thing which occasionally nflfpets iiujiong very deeply, and this is one/of those occasions on which tho bbdily of tho King, bravely borne, an# the'mental, sufferings of the Queep, with more than equal bravery, lihve- endeared them to' their peojpleA,.M6rg-'thjin;thfe, the incident, comipgjn'tliQ midst of ' the moving spectacle'i fec'bhoiliation with South Africa, ■ has .evideiiitly' profoundly affected Continental opinion.' The good result produced by this acoidental concurrence of events ip greater than can bo estimated. ! .;These. are : .the"fruits of : the memorable, mpnth'o'jj. June, 1002. '