Mr. Ralph, Mr. Scull, of Chicago, Mr. Buxton, of _The Friend_ are the 3 men behind the Censor. Mr. Pearse, _Morning Post_. Mr. Bennett Burleigh, _Daily Telegraph_. W. B. Wollen, R.I. Mr. Maxwell, of the _Standard_. Mr. Melton Prior. Mr. Rennet, of "Laffan's Bureau." _Lord Stanley Censoring Reports of a Battle. Photographed by Mr. H. Mackern, of "Scribner's Magazine."_] Perhaps the reader will see at this date and stage of the discussion over the lessons of the war that the practical, and with him wholly original, words spoken by Lord Dundonald in London on December 15th, were in some measure anticipated by Lord Stanley in this editorial. Both these noblemen set the same high value upon the services of the men of England without regard to class. Lord Dundonald said they would fight when called upon, but the best of them would not willingly or comfortably undergo the exactions of long-sustained military discipline. Our Censor was, at that time, for making their service an instantly ready organised source of strength to the Empire. Though there is little to republish from the columns of THE FRIEND of that day, the newspaper was a very complete and excellent collation of news of South Africa, the war, and the world. On this particular day, April 3rd, we published one of Mr. G. W. Steevens's artistic letters from the Natal front, taken from the _Daily Mail_; we copied an important article on the lessons of the war written by Mr. Amery for the _Times_, and altogether the army found the number very readable. * * * * * THE FRIEND. (_Edited by the War Correspondents with Lord Roberts' Force._) No. 15.] BLOEMFONTEIN, TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1900. [Price One Penny. A LESSON LEARNED. BY LORD STANLEY. This war, with the opportunity it has offered to all branches of the service to see how the military machinery works when running at high pressure, must teach not only those who are out here superintending and running the machine, but also those at home who are paying for its running, many a useful lesson. That the machine has worked smoothly nobody for one minute will assert--but it certainly has run sufficiently smoothly to show that, with some alteration which experience alone could suggest to be desirable, our military engine may very easily be made as perfect as those of the Continental Powers are popularly supposed to be. But it is not our intention to show what failings have been discovered, and what lessons in manoeuvring--in transport--in equipment--are required to be learned. Our object to-day is to congratulate ourselves that one lesson at least which had to be learned has been partially learned--and that is that England must look not to one class or two classes of men for her soldiers and sailors, but must be able to draw upon all sorts and conditions of men, the rich alike with the poor, when she has to defend her honour at home or abroad.