Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-02-24
SOUTH AFRICA'S GATEWAY
CAPE TOWN AND ITS CURIOUS
MIXTURE OF INHABITANTS.
The Portal Which Leads to the Land
of Gold-The Noble Zulu ana
the Loathsome Hottentot

Wltu WOuurOuS lhleB OF endless forests,
Nations OF pigmies and other strange
things, as yet no explorer has given
an adequate report of what may Justly
be termed Brightest Africa. We have
heard much of cannibals and the fear
full rites INDUCED in by savages; but,
strange to say, writer's have been com
paratively silent upon the country
stretching from Cape Town north to
the Zambesi River. 1t is true that
trade papers and even magazines have
published statistics concerning this
land, but little or nothing has been
said of its characteristics, its inhabi-
tants and their idiosyncraces.
Yet that same Brightest Africa is
richer in legend, and far richer in the
gifts of nature than many country
better known to fame and history. 1t
has diamonds, gold. sheep and cattle,
iron, silver, coal, asbestos, magnif-
cent seaports, great wheat growing
districts, vineyards that groan under
the weight of their rfruit--everything,
almost, that can be desired, except
civilization and for that it has little
use until its resources are further de-
veloped.
Just why the discoverer of the point
OF land lying between Cape Town and
Simonstown christened it the Cape of
Good Hope is somewhat of a mystery,
unless it be hope for the ultimate re-
formation of that part OF the world.
As for Cape Town itself, it looks truly
beautiful ut distance, but closer
acquaintance dispels the illusion. 1t
is rather picturesquely situated at the
foot of Table Mountain-so called,
perhaps, because it does not resemble
table-and at a distance looks like
self-respecting town containing prop
er, church going people, with civil
lied instincts. The dominating fea-
ture in long distance view is the
| green effect, due to the number of
trees. The town stretches over dis.
| tance of about three miles and ends in
salt marshes toward the west. The
eastern end is lost somewhere in the
direction of the Indian Ocean, but no
one with any social aspirations lives
there. In one corner is the bay, which
affords good anchorage aud is splend-
idly protected by breakwater, built
by convict labor. At distance Cape
Town resembles nothing SO much as a
Swiss town, with its many cottages
built on the slope of Table Mountain.
The whole effect gives rise to feelings
of pleasant anticipation; the realiza-
tion is doubly bitter.
The closer one gets to Cape Town
the more completely is the illusion
dispelled. Intimacy with Cape Town
is only conducive to disgust, for n
great part of the town is so filthy and
vile as to be tit only for Malays and
Kaffirs.
Cape Town is subject to wind
storms, which blow in all directions
at once, and have an unpleasant habit
of gathering up dust and depositing
half street full in your ears and nos.
trils. These wind storms are often
accompanied by tremendous falls of
rain, and give the place very un-
pleasant climate. In fact. one can ge6
half n dozen climates day in Cape
Town.
You can find any Nationality in
Cape Town, for it is the Mecca to
which all sorts of adventurers, and the
scum of the earth generally are drift
ing from everywhere. You can find
every walk of life represented; but no
matter where you go you will find the
one predominating trait-the greed
for gold.
Human beings would not go to Cape
Town unless there was strong mag.
net to attract them. Gold is that
magnet; and as the gold is not to he
obtained in Cape Town itself there is
a constant migration through the
town northward-so that while the
! arrivals number hundred thousand
nd even more year. the population
never gets above 49, The greater
part of this population consists of
whites, but many are darker than our
octoroons, and many could not hon.
estly say that they are pure blooded
Caucasians. These are called Afri-
kanders, and are proud to be known
as such. They ere physically n fine
race, but mentally they are below par.
Next in point of numbers come the
Malaye. The men are under sized,
bilious looking and insignificant. The
women are superb. Their skin is OF a
velvety yellow, and their hair as black
as night and of texture fine as uu-
spun flax. Their features are of a
Caucasian cast, their figure supple,
graceful and we'll developed. The
men wear European clothes with tur-
bans on their heads. The women wear
loose flowing gowns, consisting Of
bright colored silks wound tightly
around their bodies.
Next to the Malay come the native
tribes. There are some 1900 of them,
and they are known by the generic
name of Kaffir. The Zulu is a gentle.
man by birth; his skin is brown, but
beneath it can be seen coursing the
red blood of n pure and noble race.
In his eyes shines tho intelligence OF
the child of nature-he is child in
more ways than one. The Zulu is one