Native Races and the War

It is a social book. In the midst of the manifold utterances and discussions on the burning question of to-day, —the War in South Africa, —there is one side of the subject which, it seems to me, has not as yet been considered with the seriousness which it deserves, —and that is the question of Slavery, and of the treatment of the native races of South Africa. Though this question has not yet in England or on the Continent been cited as one of the direct causes of the war, I am convinced, —as are many others, —that it lies very near to the heart of the present trouble. The object of this paper is simply to bring witnesses together who will testify to the past and present condition of the native races under British, Dutch, and Transvaal rule. These witnesses shall not be all of one nation; they shall come from different countries, and among them there shall be representatives of the native peoples themselves. I shall add little of my own to the testimony of these witnesses.