rival flourished exceedingly, but a daily loss of L200 is too severe a tax on the pertinacity of a Jew, or indeed of anybody, so the rival tariffs were arranged on similar lines, and the sentry sloped rifle and walked off.  The mission workers at De Aar—­some excellent people—­dwelt in two railway carriages on a siding.  There were, I think, two ladies and a gentleman.  They worked exceedingly hard and their mission tent was generally well filled.  It is astonishing what keenness is evoked by evangelical services with “gospel hymns”.  We all sang a hymn like “I do believe, I will believe,” with an emphasis which seemed to imply that the effort was considerable, but that nobody, not even a Boer commando, could alter our conviction.  Many of the hymns—­poor doggerel from a literary point of view—­were sung to pleasing tunes wonderfully well harmonised by the men’s voices.  Then there was a brief address by a young man with a serious and kindly face, and this was succeeded by a series of ejaculatory prayers taken up here and there by the men.  It was a strange and impressive spectacle to see a soldier rise to his feet, his beard rough and unkempt, his khaki uniform all soiled and bedraggled, and forthwith proceed to utter a long prayer.  Such prayers were largely composed of supplications on behalf of wives and families at home, and one forgot the bad grammar, the rough accent and the monotonous repetition in one’s sympathy for these honest fellows who were not ashamed to pray.

Would we Churchmen had more enthusiasm and courage in our teaching and our methods!  This was the quality that enabled the infant church to emerge from its obscure dwelling in a Syrian town and spread all the world over.  It is this warmth of conviction which lent fortitude to the martyrs of old time, and at this moment breathes valour into our brave enemies.  But where is such vital enthusiasm to be found in the Church of England?  In one of our cathedrals we read the epitaph of a certain ecclesiastic:  “He was noticeable for many virtues, and sternly repressed all forms of religious enthusiasm”.  History repeats itself, and for manly outspeaking on great questions of social and political importance the laity are learning to look elsewhere than to the pulpit.  Oh! for one day in our National Church of Paul and Athanasius and Luther, men who spoke what they felt, unchecked by thoughts about promotion and popularity and respectability.  Enthusiastic independence is as unpopular in religion as it is in politics; and the fight against prejudice and unfairness is often exceeding bitter to the man who dares to run his tilt against the opinion of the many.  The struggle sometimes robs life of much that renders it sweet; nevertheless it may help to make history and will bring a man peace at the last, for he will have done what he could to leave the world a little better than he found it.  These good mission-folk looked after our physical as well as our spiritual