New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-09

rc-en ard advocated a scheme OF gradual eman-
c,D,tion. But those were days when the puoic
conscience In England was very sensitive on the
suhiec, @. men and brethren in harsh bondage
The remedy that found most favor was the
| putting Of the slave on an equality With the
master, and the naturalization OF the latter ,or
the loss Of his property The Dutch n South
Africa found the indcmn,fylng process a dclu-
sion Many reduced to Indulgence by the
loss of slaves for whom they got ro'ning'
Claims for indemnity were bought up ny agents
AT .rine and practically the whole of the
parliamentary grant went into the pockets OF
spectators I'm the state OF the pubic mini n
England the Bocrs could he accused safely OF
almos, any crime. They were described not only
as brutal toward their slaves but as relentless
ly cruel to their uncivil,zcd ncighbors The wars
against the Kaffrs and the Bantu. the Bush
men and the Hotten;ots. which they deemed
necessary for their own safety. were spoken of
as wars Of determination. They sometimes
constrained to inacton by the Government,
when the depredations Of savages the bor-
dcrs equal to anything in the pioneer
records of the United States To this day. doubt
less. they cherish bitter luminosity for the
London Missionary Society. the officers Of which
favored the natives at the expense Of the colo
nists. Mr.. Theal plainly shows that in his opin- i
ion early English methods in native politics
were attended with disastrous results. lie
holds that the colonists were untusty accused
and that even Livingstone was wrong in his
advocacy Of the Bantu
II useless for tho Beers TO rebel But they
were used to their tented wagons Many had no
other dwelling. For generations they had led a
lie which was rough ami wild but which hal
oh all 1.l1 -lxsI
dren Of Dutch gardeners. German mechanics and
Huguenot tradesmen h d returned by the force
Of circumstances to the habits of semi-nomads.
and now, when his liberties seemed to be in
danger, the steadies, ncishbor OF the trekboeren
or wandering farmers was as ready 10 roam as
they were. Accustomed TO subsist on game none
considered an advance into the unknown con-
tinent evil in itself. But 20 the people OF Eng
land this abandonment of their homes by thou
sands Of Cape colonists seemed one OF the siran-
gest things in history. Vain efforts We're made 70
INDUCE them 10 return. And 1t sought 10 ex-
tend over them wherever they might settle the
authority Of a government over It's subjects. But
they were not to be turned from their purpose
by such means nor even by the massacre Of many |
OF their number by the savages among whom
they sought home. In all the frontier districts |
the great wagons laden with household |
goods and provisions and ammunition and bands |
OF people set out 10 make new home In the |
north Each party usually made up of fam |
flies related to each other. and the OF great
est influence In It elected It's leader with the
title Of commandant. The cattle horses. sheep |
and goats were driven forward slowly: and when |
the pasture good the caravans would often |
rest for weeks together. They went up from the |
grass-covered hills along the coast and the bare ,
other OF the steep passes into the elevated basin
drained by the Orange River. With twenty to !
thirty oxen before each wagon they struggled up.
and then went on withou, difficulty down the
long slope TO the river and across the wide plains
OF the present Orange Free State When they ,
were In danger Of an attack from the savagcs
they made a lager by wheeling the wagons
into a circle hilltop. II possible and filing up
the spaces between the wheels with thorn trees
Mr. Theal mentions no instance in which one OF
these temporary forts was captured by the
uves. The rifle was too potent a weapon in the
hands Of the Dutch wanderers. The massacres
that occurred-and some Of them rvnlled that
Of Wyoming-were partly due TO ignorance or
lack OF caution on the part Of the victims them
selves But the survivors were such stuff
went well to the making OF free states which
are now prosperous and may yet be great.
When the history Of the natives as given by
Mr. Theal. is studied. Il IL easy 10 frame ex-
cuses for all the alleged nhumanity OF the
Beers II Is possible for civilized man. no
matter how insane he may be in his thirst for
blood, TO become weary Of slaughter: but the
African tribes. particularly the more Intelligent OF
them like the zuus and the Kosas
the work Of slaughter long as any human
creatures left to kill. 1t is not merely n de-
light 10 them TO brain an enemy; II is a matter Of
cold policy 10 surround themselves with desert,
In which everybody but themselves Is dead. Ac-
cording TO Mr.. Theal's narrative the aim OF the
Beers, like that OF American pioneers. was not
to destroy the natives but 10 render them harm
less Apparently their record In warfare with
savages compares favorably on the score Of
mercy with that Of American Indian slayers.
But British statesmen had a theory that the ma
tives could be managed IN such a way that they
could be made defence against each other and
against hordes from the unknown north. This
theory fitted with machine-like accuracy into
the notions which the natives had OF govern
ment but the results were far different from
what the English statesman expected. The ideal
Of European State is order and peace. The
ideal Of an African State is blind obedience to an
idolized chieftain social anarchy and perpetual
war. Consequently the history Of the so-called
native States in South Africa is comprised In the
fragmentary biography Of the successive chief
tains. The English policy to build up the
power Of chosen chief but the outcome invari-
ably was that blood and treasure soon had to be
wasted in tearing down the whole structure. One
is forced to admire the diplomatic acuteness and
the military skill of rulers like DngIswayo
Tshaka and Dingan and Panda and Cetywayo
But they could not be made useful to civilization |
The genius Of Dingiswayo such that the mere
hint Of the manner in which the armies Of white
men were organized enabled him 10 divide his
wild hordes into regiments and to subject
them to a drill which rendered them Indifferent