The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-20
MISS ELDERS LECTURE.
Brilliant Series of Word Paintings by a
New England Teacher.


Miss Alma Elden spoke at the Seoor
Advent church last evening on South
Africa. She was introduced by Mrs.
Mary Bishop. and spoke first of the once
Dark Contineut," and paid high tri
butte to Livingston and Stanley. OF the
country itself she said: cit is the most
delightful country it was ever my good
fortune to see.'' She traced the history
OF the Cape setJlement The colony was
founded about the time of the settlement
OF New England, but the repressive form
OF government stood. in the way of rapid
advancement. The voyage from England
to South Africa is a pleasure trip of IS
days, and there is an outgoing and in
coming steamer every week. She traced
in rapid but very interesting way tho
voyage, and described the beautiful har-
Dor of Cape Town, and the city itself In
the hot summer months the appearance
is somewhat dry and sunburnt, but at
other seasons the scene is beautifully
picturesque.
She gave series of vivid word pictures
of the city and surrounding country.
The city has so, 600 inhabitants. She de-
scribed the varied classes of people from
the pure negro, content with fish and
fruit, to the higher circles. English life
and habits prevail, and the institutions
of. England are closely copied. Papers
are issued in both Dutch and English,
and the country is thoroughly cosmopoli-
tan. The hot east wind blows from Sep
TENDER to March, but the country is one
of the most healthy in the world. The
Gray library named for Sir George Gray.
former governor of the colony, contains
30, 600 books and is open to all. The pub
lie buildings are very fine.
Miss Eden was for three years sta
toned at the town of Stellarbosch, 20
miles from Cape Town, an old place of
some Importance, settled 200 years ago,
and known as "the Oxford of South
Africa" To some degrees her works
might be CALLED missionary in it's charac-
ter, although she was teacher in gov
ernment school, conducted on the Mount
Holyoke plan, that is the girls learn to
do all manner of Homework, something,
necessary, as the Dutch people do not
live after the English manner. She spoke
of the civilizing work of the Dutch girls
educated in the schools, among their own
people, and it is found that New Eng
land teachers succeed much better with
them than English or Scotch teachers-
she described one of the great wine
farms of the colony where thousands of
gallons of wine is made by black men
who tread out the harvest, and gave
highly interesting description of o
Thanksgiving dinner attended by all the
New England people of the colony whera
Old Glory, and the Dutch and English
flags were entwined.
A large screen was covered with pressed
ferns and flowers of South Africa to
which she called attention. She de-
scribed the great carts in which people
travel during the hot summer season,
where the women sleep in the great wag-
ons and the men on the ground under
the hot and cloudless SKY.
Miss Eden predicted the rapid settle
ment of rich and delightful country.
Already land of railroads, it promises
| much for the future.
81 hope yet to return to that delightful
land, +" she said.
FAT the close of the lecture, all present
were given an opportunity for examin-
ing her fine collection of ferns and photo
graphs. Among the FERNS were several
from the prison island of ST. Helena,
and especially from Longwood, where
Napoleon died, and the tomb where his
body rested until it was removed to
France.
Miss Elden is good speaker, and has
the uncommon. ability to make others
see lands as she sees them, with keen ap-
probation of all that is noval, and with
New England shrewdness when it comes
to striking balance between the real
and tho apparent