The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-06-12
THE DUTCH OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Life Made as Beautiful the Brightest
of Poets Dreams.

Life Made as Beautiful as the Brightest
of Poets Dreams.
From the Springfield Republican,
Stellenbosch deserves a chapter by
itself. The beautiful old Dutch town,
the Oldest but one of the colony, has
some of the finest scenery, and proba-
bly, the best society and educational ad-
vantages in South Africa. 1t has a pc
culiar beauty all its own. The streets
in every direction are lined by avenues
of noble oak trees and watered by CUR
Cling streams, conducted through tiny
the mountains. There is broad prom
enade along the bank of the Erste (pro-
nounced erst, meaning FirsD River,
which is, par excellence, the avenue.
The SUMS rays are completely shut out,
and the green and golden light is soft
ened to twilight, and the heat tempered
to delicious GOODNESS. | walked there
one very hot day, and it seemed like
stepping into tho stiffness and seclusion
of some great cathedral aisle. The fin
est oaks are in front of the old guber-
material mansion, now occupied by the
theological seminary. They we're plant
ed by Gov. Van der Stell himself, and
guarded by soldiers detailed for that
purpose. Pearl, another old Dutch
town, between Wellington and Stellen-
bosch, consists of one street seven miles
in length, likewise shaded by oaks, and
encompassed on both sides by noun
tains. The SUBMITS of these mountains
are rounded powders, which glisten with
the silvery streams trickling down their
sides. On our way to Stellenbosch, in
the midst Of the vineyards and wheat
fields, we Unexpectedly came through a
and learned that it was planted by an
ostrich farmer. 1t was the first and
only forest we've seen in Africa, and
was revelation of what this land might
become.
At Stellenbosch we were invited out
with the Bloemhof teachers, and saw
some of the large families so common
to Cape Colony. At the Rev. Mr.. Ms
there are II children, and at Prof. II. s
Is, l think. Besides his own family
Mr.. N. has four nephews in his house,
who are attending school. We were
invited there to tea. The parsonage
stands at the head of Dorp Street, one
of the Oldest and finest in the town, and
near the old Van der Stell place. The
house is large and deep and wide, in
the midst of a large garden and sur
rounded by an orchard of fig and april
cot trees. The hospitality is as ample
as the house. The Bloemhof teachers
are always invited to tea on Wednesday
evening.
Last Wednesday morning carts were
sent to take the teachers to an orange
farm several miles away on the other
side of the Groenberg. The carts were
as nice as American carriages, only
instead of having four wheels they had
but two. They ere covered with white,
as being cooler than black, and lined
with green cloth with russell leather
trimmings, and were comfortable and
easy. The place we visited was
the Bowen Wei, or upper val
ley, delightful spot between the
Groenberg and Snow Cap. The farm
is owned by a wealthy Huguenot, and
is real bit of French African Arcadia.
On our way there we passed many
groves of orange, apricot and fig trees,
vineyards~and gardens loaded with fruit,
and drove through lanes b; rdered by
hedges of climbing roses and black berry
vines from six to ten feet in height, Gov
cred with purple blossoms. All the
blackberry blossoms are purple. AT
last we came out to little plateau on
the mountain side and there, sheltered
by majestic hills on every side, and still
further protected from the fierce south
casters by hedges of magnificent oaks,
lay the sunny vineyards and the orchards.
We first went into the house, and though
the afternoon was very warm, yet the
dense foliage of the oak trees SO tenn
pered the heat that the room seemed
cool even to chilliness when we first en-
tered. People shut their houses early
in the day and keep them closed until
sunset. The floor of the drawing room
was polished oak, and overhead the
heavy beams and floor were visible
The wood is usually teak, which has q
dark rich color, and the rooms are very
high. On the floor were rugs made Of
the skins of wild animals, dressed with
the hair on, beautifully striped or mot.
tied.
Presently we were invited to visit one
of the orange groves, the one nearest
the house, passing through the garden
on our way, where were multitudes Of
choice roses, fuchsias, honeysuckles,
jessamines, and many more, that 1 must
not stop to mention. These are all ir.
rigated from the clear little mountain
stream which dances along its arti.
ficially pebbled bed, a tiny canal which
causes this spot to be an Eden. The
orange groves are surrounded by a wal
Of oak trees, very ancient and venera
BILE, their massive, moss-grown trunks
almost, and in some places quite, touch.
ing each other, and with the dense foil.
age affording an effectual shelter from
the winds and the too fierce heat of the
sun. We found that some were - feet
in circumference. In many of them
swarms of bees had taken up their
abode and were busy bringing home
their stores of nectar. Think Of honey
distilled from orange blossoms!
We returned by another path over q
large stream which we crossed on fall
len log, and here, beyond the orange