The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-14

mers at the ends of long corridors
through the darkness, and Intellectual
ly strive to illumine the wide hotel
staircases, Baths are remembered as
luxury of by-gone days, and business
men in town are washing their hands,
before going into lunch, in saltwater
at shilling a bottle.
One extra clearly man of my ac-
quaintance is surrounding the bath
difficulty by having morning tub of
four bottles of saltwater carefully
dribbled over him by Kaffir boy, the
while he rubs it in with a sponge; but,
unfortunately, not all of us can afford
four shillings a day for a bath. So
badly off is the hotel for water that
heard the naughty proprietor praying
earnestly the happy owner of an ada
cent well to sell him two barrels full at
sovereign each, "to make the SOUP"
One of the first impressions upon en-
tering the town is wonder at the very
English" appearance of the buildings
and population. Pritchard street, the
Bond street of johannesburg, conveys
to the mind no feeling whatever of be-
ing in a foreign country; splendid
shops line it on either side, mostly of
the kind dear to the feminine soul;
beautiful garments fresh from Paris
are displayed in costly profusion in the
windows, and well turned out Victo-
rias, with coachmen and footmen in
elaborate liveries, throng the roadway.
There are restaurants, where any deli
cacy can be supplied; tea shops,
thronged at the fashionable hour in the
afternoon with ladies and children
beautifully dressed; huge jewelers.
windows, blazing with costly gems-in
short, everything that civilization can
supply or demand is to be found here
at a price.
In Commissioner street the sight, in
it's way, is just as marvellous; thou
sands of business men rush hurriedly
up or down the long street of stately
buildings, talking always of stocks and
shares, their faces betraying the inten-
sity of their thoughts on this, the sole
and all-absorbing topic of Johannes
burg. Between the chains
half way down the streets, on days
when the market is booming, fight
ing, yelling mass of humanity. each
trying to outshout his neighbor. This
place, being just outside the Stock Ex-
change, is the spot at which the out
side brokers and small fry generally
congregate 1t consists of a small
street, leading out of Commissioner
street, with posts and chains across
each end to prevent traffic From nine
in the morning until about six in the
evening this pandennonium reigns, and
kI,nv, la, ~ e,@,1 - l..
on pleasure bent vending their way to
one of the theaters or music halls.
The population is an exceedingly
mixed one. In the course of walk
through one of the streets there will
probably be encountered types of every
race under the sun; and there abides
here an enormous colony of the vilest
and most depraved specimens of hui
mainly possible to find; men who will
not hesitate to rob and murder at the
first opportunity-the riff-raff from
every cline, gathered together In the
noisome slums that abound on all
sides.
Robbery with violence is of terribly
frequent occurrence even at the pres
ent time, although the police are far
better organized than they used to be,
and there are very few men who do not
carry revolver in their pockets at
nighttime for protection. One gentle
man, the manager of mine just on the
outskirts of the town, has been Struck
up" as he terms it, no less than four
times within two years, and if he had
not been in the habit of carrying a re-
xyo1var 1a,o1Jd ce,rIrodru h q Wa haay ~ ,,,.
dered long ago
The absence of any means of lighting
the town at night, also. is certainly
conducive to acts of violence What
can be thought of those responsible for
such a state of affairs, when it is
known for an absolute fact that, with
the exception of the two principal
streets already mentioned, Johannes
burg, after nightfall, Is left in utter
darkness? Is not this putting a pre-
MUM upon crime?
A drive on a fine afternoon through
one Of the suburbs, in which the
wealthy people of johannesburg dwell,
is a delightful change from the dusty
and arid business center. On every
side, seen through bowers Of roses and
vivid green hedges of honeysuckle, rise
magnificent houses, some of them of
enormous size, with ball rooms and bill
lard rooms adjoining the main build
ing. Fountains play on the fresh green
lawns, beds of brilliant flowers and
sweet scents are everywhere, and, see
ing all this, it is almost impossible to
realize that, less than five years ago,
there existed barren and stony waste
of veldt on the very places upon which
these fairy palaces of to-day arise
Trees of all kinds grow with marvel
Gus rapidity. and it is owing to this
fact that the gardens and plantations
present the matured effect of many
years that is so astonishing.
Society as represented in johann
nesburg, is of a decidedly unique de-
scription. Without doubt there are
highly educated and altogether charm
ing people among the residents, both
men and women; but they belong, with
few exceptions, to the professional
classes-clergymen, physicians and
lawyers, who have left their native
lands and come here, attracted by the
prospect of a larger scope for the exer-
else of their various callings. The
elite. the mine-owners, and original
possessors of land-taking them collec-
lively. hardly display those qualities
which STAMP the rank of We're de
We're" The women are vulgar and il
literate, with dyed hair and artificial