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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 4 (July 1, 1935.)

The Call of Empire

The Call of Empire.

Seddon's popularity was at its pinnacle, perhaps, just at the beginning of the present century when the Boer War was attracting all the foot-loose young and adventurous from New Zealand, as from Australia and Canada. That period was marked by an enthusiastic wave of military life. Not even the Great War in its early stages aroused more eagerness to enlist for foreign parts than the Boer War did. A perfect war for these oversea countries; we had the kind of men that the conditions of South Africa needed most. And Mr. Seddon made the very most of it. He leathered the big drum of Imperialism for all it was worth; he was the perfect recruiting page 20 sergeant. General rather; as Minister of Defence he saw to it that our Contingents were sent away thoroughly well equipped; and he followed it all up by a visit to South Africa where he was greeted by another big figure after his own heart—Lord Kitchener—and he was a quite impressive figure at the final peace-signing. Alas! If all warfare were only like that! Kitchener himself had not dreamed then of the hideous thing modern scientific war could become.