lways remain after it," was never truer than
in the case of this eminent statesman.

It took some time for matters to be put on a sound footing, and before
this actually occurred many mistakes had been made, neither easy to
rectify nor possible to explain. Foremost among them was this question of
the Concentration Camps. Not even the protestations of the women who
subsequently went to the Cape and to the Transvaal to report officially on
the question were considered sufficient to dissipate the prejudices which
had arisen on this unfortunate question. The best reply that was made to
Miss Hobhouse, and to the lack of prudence which spoiled her good
intentions, was a letter which Mrs. Henry Fawcett addressed to the
_Westminster Gazette_. In clear, lucid diction this letter re-established
facts on their basis of reality, and explained with self-respect and
self-control the inner details of a situation which the malcontents had
not given themselves the trouble to examine.

"First," says this forceful document, "I would note Miss Hobhouse's
frequent acknowledgments that the various authorities were doing their
best to make the conditions of Camp life as little intolerable as
possible. The opening sentence of her report is, 'January 22.--I had a
splendid truck given me at Cape Town through the kind co-operation of Sir
Alfred Milner--a large double-covered one, capable of holding twelve
tons.' In other places she refers to the help given to her by various
officials. The commandant at Aliwal North had ordered L150 worth of
clothing, and had distributed it; she undertook to forward some of it. At
Springfontein 'the commandant was a kind man, and willing to help both the
people and me as far as possible.' Other similar quotations might be made.
Miss Hobhouse acknowledges that the Government recognise that they are
responsible for providing clothes, and she appears rather to deprecate the
making and sending of further supplies from England. I will quote her
exact words on this point. The italics are mine. 'The demand for clothing
is so huge that it is hopeless to think that the private charity of
England and Colonial working parties combined can effectually cope with
it. _The Government recognise that they must provide necessary clothes,_
and I think we all agree that, having brought these people into this
position, it is their duty to do so. _It is, of course, a question for
English folk to decide how long they like to go on makin