DARKEST STAGE OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 102, 23 January 1918, Page 5

DARKEST STAGE OF THE WAR

GENERAL SMUTS SAYS THE DAWN CANNOT BE FAR.OFF

SOUTH AFRICA AS A WORLD IDEAL

After making a tour of the great armament works of Messrs. Vickers and Hadfield at Sheffield recently, General Smuts and Admiral Jellicoo were presented with the freedom of the city. General Smuts, replying to a toast at a luncheon at Messrs. Hadfield's works, advised them to keep their eyes on South Africa, where they would see very great developments. -'That is 'God's own country,' ". ho said. "We have been at war; we have- had disturbances and clashes of arms; we havo got over the teething troubles of a young nation, and we are playing a part equal to any other of the nations of the Mother Country. The miracle is that this tremendously important Work has been dono by men who fought you -to the last ditch 17 or 18 years ago. Tens of thousands of our stal-warts-of the veldt, men I love to the very soul, went with me and General Both 3to South-West Africa. We conquered that country. (Cheers.) Tens of thousands of tho same old stalwarts went with me to East Africa and cleared the country except for a small part. (Cheers.) You will havo to switch off after the war from munitions to ploughshares," General Smuts continued, "and I again say, 'keep your eye on South Africa!.' Darkness and the Dawn. "I see around me the flags of our 'Allies who are standing together in the epoch-making struggle which is • drawing to_ a close. Justice and freedom will triumph.. With a,new world before us and our Allies, in tho end Germany and Austria will say we fought a good fight for them and saved their own soul. Through our labours we shall go on until victory is achieved. I do not know how far it is off, and am not a pessimist like some people. I feel that in the darkest hour you should keep your eye open for the dawn.

■ "We are now in the darkest stage of the war. but what is dark for us is impenetrable blackness for the enemy. All these- peace kites that are flying about mean so manv indications which herald the dawn which cannot be far off." (Cheers.)

Speaking later at the ceremony of the presentation of the freedom of the city, General Smute again referred to South Africa. "Ten years ago, when you gave self-covernment to the Transvaal'and the Free State, it was looked upon as a hazardous experiment here. Five years after the war the British Government—the British people—conceded complete self-government to the people of the Transvaal. It was said fit the time, even by a portion of our fellow-citizens in South Africa, 'You are handing over your English '-people to the Boers; the Boers are a pig-head-ed, obstinate race, and you are handing over your people to' them.' "You over-ruled those who used that argument. You trusted to the ideals under which you yourselves had been living to the principles of your own l»litical faith, and those principles have seen you through. (Oheers.)\ "We are, confronted to-day with an absolutely identical,case in regard to the whole world, and if you have faith, that faith will pull you through."