The next day I received the following from M. Brunetiere: 

       PARIS,
     April 14th, 1900.

     SIR,

You ask me for the authorisation to publish in a pamphlet Dr. Kuyper’s article which appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes, under the title of “La Crise Sud-Africaine.”  I hasten to refuse you the authorisation.

     I am, Sir, etc.,
       F. BRUNETIERE.

In this reply I trace M. Brunetiere’s habitual courtesy.  If I do not thank him for his refusal, I yet thank him for the promptness with which it was signified by him.

It had been my desire to enable the reading public to judge for themselves the value of the arguments put forward by Dr. Kuyper and myself; but it was evidently M. Brunetiere’s wish that Dr. Kuyper’s article should be known only to the readers of the Revue des Deux Mondes, and that they should remain ignorant of my reply.  This is in itself a confession; for undoubtedly had Dr. Kuyper been convinced that it was impossible for me to refute his arguments he would have requested M. Brunetiere to give me the authorisation to reproduce his article.

V.

On April 26th a telegram from the Havas Agency announced that the Queen of Holland had received the journalists of Amsterdam, of whom Dr. Kuyper is President.

I therefore wrote the following letter to Mr. W.H. de Beaufort, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs: 

       PARIS,
     April 27th, 1900.

     TO H.E.  THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

     SIR,

     The Havas Agency, in a telegram, April 26, gives the following
     information: 

“Replying to a speech made by Dr. Kuyper, President of the Society of Journalists, the Queen said she had read with interest his article on the South African crisis, published in a Paris review.  The Queen expressed the hope that the article would be circulated abroad, adding that she considered it important that it should be widely distributed in America.”

That the Queen of a constitutional government, such as that of Holland, should have spoken in this way, proves that the Cabinet is of the same mind.  I trust, therefore, that I am not too bold in asking your assistance to carry out Her Majesty’s intentions.

I had asked Dr. Kuyper’s authorisation to reproduce his article at the beginning of a pamphlet; he referred me to M. Brunetiere, who with the courtesy of which he has given me so many proofs, replied:  “I hasten to refuse your request.”

     M. Brunetiere’s views are evidently opposed to those of the Queen
     of the Netherlands.

It is true that the article would have been followed by my criticism, but if the arguments therein contained are irrefutable, why fear the proximity of my refutation?  I beg you, therefore, to be kind enough to ask M. Brunetiere to give me permission to second the views of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands by assisting to circulate Dr. Kuyper’s article.

     YVES GUYOT.