A Century of Wrong
F W Reitz and W T Stead
London: Review of Reviews, undated (1900?)
Name and inscription of the previous owner in front.
At the advent of the South African War, F.W. Reitz, in his capacity of State Secretary of the South African Republic, published an overview of Anglo-Boer relations in the nineteenth century in Dutch, under the title: Eene eeuw van onrecht. The book was an important propaganda document in the war. The actual authorship of the book is unclear. The second Dutch edition of the book carried the text 'Op last van den staatssekretaris der Z.A.R., F.W. Reitz' ('By order of the State Secretary of the S.A.R., F.W. Reitz'). J.C. Smuts is indicated as author, but probably only edited the introduction and the end of the book, in co-operation with E. J. P. Jorissen. The rest of the text was probably prepared by J. de Villiers Roos. In 1900, translations appeared in German and English. The English translation only carried the name of Reitz, and has a preface by W.T. Stead. The English edition contained more material than the original Dutch edition.
Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography volume 2 page 208: The case for the Boers could hardly have been placed in more zealous hands than those of the past President of the Orange Free State and Mr. W. T. Stead. The latter avers that for nearly a quarter of a century he had been on the other side, and would " in the last resort " have supported " legitimate insurrection " to bring about " a progressive Liberal administration in Pretoria." His conversion appears to have been caused by the conviction that a plot had been made to add the territory of the Transvaal to the Empire. Nevertheless, Mr. Stead is careful to disavow any responsibility for all or any of the statements in "A Century of Wrong," but he maintains that the volume is an authentic exposition " of what . . . the Boers think of the way we have dealt with them for the last hundred years.'' Mr. Reitz reviews the " oppression and persecution endured by the Boers for the past century, and by the collection of everything detrimental to the character of the British policy in South Africa, and the careful elimination of anything that could be advanced in its favour he makes out a case which would strongly appeal to the uninitiated. It was evidently with little fear of the ultimate result of the struggle, to the consummation of which he had so greatty contributed, that he prophesied that eventually " from the Zambesi to Simon's Bay it will be ' Africa for the Afrikander.'
A South African Bibliography vol. 2 page 167: Een Eeuw van Onrecht was originally compiled by Genl. J.C. Smuts from a draft by J. de V. Roos with the addition of the introductory and end chapters by Gen. Smuts. In later editions the name of F.W. Reitz, State General Secretary of the South African republic was attached to the anonymous publication to give it more weight.
Wear and tear, some pencil marginalia. PLEASE CHECK IMAGES FOR CONDITION.
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