´All things must come to an end some time,´ said the man in the street hopefully; ´- except the War,´ added the cynical. But this, in truth, is the case with most wars. No man could at any time write with certainty, ´The Boer War is ended,´ for the end of war is peace, security, and prosperity. No war is at an end, strictly speaking, until the sword is turned into a ploughshare, till private property is secure, till the land may be cultivated in safety. And in 1901 South Africa was a desert."