The Boer War by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 5, 1902

The Boer War.

By Editor

It is declared just as we are closing our forms that there is a prospect of the close of the greatly prolonged and seemingly needless Boer war. It is a strange thing that the Boers would be so blinded to their own interests as to keep it up as long as they have; and we do not believe that this would have been done if those far from the seat of danger had not cheered them on in the hopeless struggle. A level-headed missionary on the ground, who we are sure is in no wise prejudiced either way, writes us in a private letter, not designed for publication, that many of the Boers are heartily sick of the war. Some, indeed, of those who have surrendered, have thrown their interests on the British side, and are acting as scouts and guides; and some are organized into companies fighting for British supremacy. Some of them feel that “Uncle Paul” has acted the part of a hypocrite in stirring them up to continue the war by his applications of Scripture having no reference to the Boers, and then in the crisis, leaving them with plenty of good gold sent on before. Many of the Boers seem utterly indifferent. Mention is made of one family as an illustration. The father is a prisoner of war in Ceylon, three of the sons are among the guerrilla bands fighting Britain, the mother is in one of the refugee camps with three or four children, while another son has surrendered, and with his sister gone to work for one of the missionary’s flock. Our correspondent says: “They seem to be less concerned about their situation than any people I have ever seen under similar circumstances. Very few families are in touch with each other by correspondence.” The Scripture chiefly used by Kruger is Ezekiel 39. We are sorry that the war ever came. We are not saying in this where the wrong lies, either on one or both sides, probably both. But we do believe that it would have ended long ago, to the betterment of both parties to the conflict, had it not been for the influence of spectators who were themselves in no danger.