Last Saturday a statue of President Kruger was unveiled at
Pretoria. General Botha sent a message in which, according to a Reuter telegram, he said that when " his Dutch fellow- countrymen contemplated that simple patriot of extraordinary ability, iron will, and deep piety, a pioneer of civilization, the blood coursed quicker through their veins. His personality also compelled the admiration of their English fellow- countrymen. The thoughts of all turned to that other great man whose name was indelibly inscribed in South African history, that sombre form on the slopes of Table Mountain, Rhodes. They meditated on the conflicting ideals of the two races which these two men personified and on the enormous impact as they met in a life-and-death struggle. The ideals of neither had been realized in their entirety. They bad to be brought into harmony, and the necessary bond had been found in the love of both races for a common country." It would have been impossible to express the situation with more wisdom, dignity, and generosity. If General Botha can keep up to this standard he will bid fair to rival even John Bright as a public letter-writer.
