party, who took as their motto “neither God nor master,” rapidly decreased in number; their leader, discouraged by his lack of success in 1898, withdrew finally from the political arena; and the Socialist Bond was dissolved.  This gave an accession of strength to the “Social-Democratic Workmen’s Party,” which has since the beginning of the present century gradually acquired an increasing hold upon the electorate.

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CHAPTER XXXV

THE REIGN OF QUEEN WILHELMINA, 1898-1917

THE Pierson-Borgesius ministry had not been long in office when Queen Wilhelmina attained her majority (August 31, 1898) amidst public enthusiasm.  At the same time the Queen-Mother received many expressions of high appreciation for the admirable manner in which for eight years she had discharged her constitutional duties.  The measures passed by this administration dealt with many subjects of importance.  Personal military service was at last, after years of controversy, enforced by law, ecclesiastics and students alone being excepted.  Attendance at school up to the age of 13 was made obligatory, and the subsidies for the upkeep of the schools and the payment of teachers were substantially increased.  The year 1899 was memorable for the meeting of the first Peace Congress (on the initiative of the Tsar Nicholas II) at the Huis in’t Bosch.  The deliberations and discussions began on May 18 and lasted until June 29.  By the irony of events, a few months later (October 10) a war broke out, in which the Dutch people felt a great and sympathetic interest, between the two Boer republics of South Africa and Great Britain.  Bitter feelings were aroused, and the queen did but reflect the national sentiment when she personally received in the most friendly manner President Krueger, who arrived in Holland as a fugitive on board a Dutch man-of-war in the summer of 1900.  The official attitude of the government was however perfectly correct, and there was never any breach in the relations between Great Britain and the Netherlands.

The marriage of Queen Wilhelmina, on February 7, 1901, with Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was welcomed by the people, as affording hopes, for some years to be disappointed, of the birth of an heir to the throne.

The elections of 1901 found the liberal ministry out of favour through the laws enforcing military service and obligatory attendance at school.  Against them the indefatigable Dr Kuyper, who had returned to active politics in 1897, had succeeded in uniting the three “Church” groups—­the democratic anti-revolutionaries, the aristocratic Historical Christians (both orthodox Calvinists) and the Catholics of all sections—­into a “Christian Coalition” in support of religious teaching in the schools.  The victory lay with the coalition, and Dr Kuyper became first minister.  The new administration introduced a measure on Higher Education,