Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/324

 314 A British Officer Dr. Do_vle's work is the only popular narrative of the war which has any just claim to be regarded as history. It compresses within the pages of a handy volume the story of the whole campaign from start to finish. Whatever Conan Doyle writes has a swing and a sparkle of its own, but on this occasion he has aimed higher than merely to interest and amuse. He desired, as a good Englishman, to lay before his fellow-countrymen in a compact form a reliable narrative of the prolonged struggle. He lost no opportunity of collecting at first hand, and of insuring, so far as may be, accuracy in his statements. The results of his efforts may on the whole be said to be not unsatisfactory. The work was produced too soon to rank as a reliable historical authority. Its details are in places dis- tressingly inaccurate. Yet on the whole Conan Doyle paints a not untruthful general picture of the campaign, a picture which may be scanned with advantage by the reader who has not the time or inclination for more extensive study. Indeed even for the more earnest student it forms at present the only coherent and com- plete account of the last phase of the war which has yet been published. The Times History stands on a higher foundation and has a higher claim for respectful reception. The advantages enjoyed by the compilers are probably greater than any ever possessed by unoffi- cial writers undertaking such a task. The Times, it is true, can no longer be regarded as an infallible guide to changes in public opin- ion. The decision on the final appeal of the people at a general election lies now in the hands of the masses, to whom the Times is but a name. Yet as a source of information, as an organ to which the leaders of every school of thought address their observations on current affairs, the Times is indispensable for all who desire to keep themselves fully up to date in the development of thought in England. It is thus the one paper which all men regard with a certain reverence and even fear. The support of the Times is a factor which no public man can afiford to despise, be he statesman or soldier. Its influence is potent even on a campaign. A gen- eral who is attacked vehemently by this journal knows that it may become difficult for the government to retain him in command. The leader whom the Times belauds may snap his fingers at other criti- cism. The knowledge of this influence insures — although, be it said to the credit of the British officer, with some exceptions — that the representatives of the Times at the seat of war receive favorable treatment. Its correspondents in South Africa — and they were num- erous — enjoyed therefore as a rule the best facilities for acquiring