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The Psychology of Jingoism

must be borne in mind that the entire body of the Boer army is 'without uniform,' with the exception of such as have taken khaki uniform from captured British soldiers. The finishing touch of brutality is therefore set upon our policy by an order, issued by Lord Roberts just before his departure from South Africa, to the effect that all Boer prisoners wearing khaki were to be shot at once.

If the Standard may be taken to represent the mob-mind of the well-to-do Conservative classes, the following passage from the Daily Telegraph of October 17th may be taken to set forth the cruder brutality of the commercial classes of the metropolis: –

It will probably be found that these sullen malcontents will go on fighting so long as they have a bullet in their bandoliers, on the off-chance of slaying one of their conquerors, unless the British authorities make it clear that all caught with arms in their hands will be shot without mercy. The Germans had no compunction in so dealing with the Francs-Tireurs, and their severity did much to shorten the war. We shall hope to see the same measures adopted in South Africa unless the various forces now patrolling the two conquered territories meet with immediate success. A few such engagements as that which is reported near Vryheid, in which Bethune's Mounted Infantry are said to have killed sixty of the enemy, would speedily dishearten the marauders, and the proclamation of a specific date after which every armed