we realize its grand
possibilities. We belong both of us to a home-loving stock, and the
peace and prosperity of every home in the land is at stake. On our
action now depends the question whether our children shall curse or
bless us; whether we shall live in their memory as promoters of civil
strife, with all its miserable consequences, or as joint architects of
a happy, prosperous and united state. Each of us looks back to a noble
past. United, we may ensure to our descendants a not unworthy future.
Disunited, we can hope for nothing but stagnation, misery and ruin. Is
this a light thing?"

It is probable that many Englishmen reading Mr Leonard's manifesto at
the time regarded it as unduly alarming, but subsequent events proved
the soundness of the views it expressed. The fact is that, from 1881
onwards, two great rival ideas came into being, each strongly opposed to
the other. One was that of Imperialism--full civil rights for every
civilized man, whatever his race might be, under the supremacy and
protection of Great Britain. The other was nominally republican, but in
fact exclusively oligarchical and Dutch. The policy of the extremists of
this last party was summed up in the appeal which President Kruger made
to the Free State in February 1881, when he bade them "Come and help us.
God is with us. It is his will to unite us as a people"--"to make a
united South Africa free from British authority." The two actual
founders of the Bond party were Mr Borckenhagen, a German who was
residing in Bloemfontein, and Mr Reitz, afterwards state secretary of
the Transvaal. Two interviews have been recorded which show the true
aims of these two promoters of the Bond at the outset. One occurred
between Mr Borckenhagen and Cecil Rhodes, the other between Mr Reitz and
Mr T. Schreiner, whose brother became, at a later date, prime minister
of Cape Colony. In the first interview Mr Borckenhagen remarked to
Rhodes: "We want a united Africa," and Rhodes replied: "So do I." Mr
Borckenhagen then continued: "There is nothing in the way; we will take
you as our leader. There is only one small thing: we must, of caurse, be
independent of the rest of the world." Rhodes replied: "You take me
either for a rogue or a fool. I should be a rogue to forfeit all my
history and my traditions; and I should be a fool, because I should be
hated by my own countrymen and mistrusted by yours." But as Rhodes truly
said at Cape Town in 1898, "