The Portland daily press., 1897-03-26
ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA.
A Young Mans Chances in That Far
off lei Dorado.

| Vli HI DOI duUs
he should Have Money or BE a Master O,
burg and Its Pitfalls.
Newark Sunday CALI
10 the Editor of the Sunday Call:
what chances of success has young
man In going to South Africa 10 make
nas HVlngY He has been doing general
once wosk and bookkeeping.
CONSTANT READER.
FROM all the information that can be
gained, from those who have been there
anu others who are in constant receipt OF
letters from relatives or friends who are
now there. South Africa ia no place for q
man to go. to unless he has a considerable
sum OF money or is a master at some
trade or profession. For every opportunity
there are fifty applicants. The. streets oil
Cape Town, of Durham and Johannes.
burg are full of idle men. The cost OF
living Is very high. A letter received
from johanna sburg, about three weeks
ago, tells that butter is ons dollar PEI
pound and eggs one doller per dozen.
The writer Of the letter just alluded to
pays S56 month for single room fol
himself and wife, and this without meals.
While you would probably 70 alone and
would have no one to care for but your
sell, the above figures give you an idea
OF how high everything must be, for ii
l eggs and hnftpr so vnnoh IL
is certain that the rates at the restau-
rants must be correspondingly high. AS
for Johannesburg, it is very much up
| to-date city in all manner and sort OF
wickedDess. There are gambling bells
everywhere and grogshops by the score,
where the vilest of liquors are sold at
preposterous prices. There are hundreds
of young men in South Africa who have
gonelthere hoping to make.their fortunes.
They know no trade, and perhaps were
used only to clerical WORK. They are
starving now, or, overcome by their mis-
fortunes, have taken up with some Illicit
| traffic or other in order TO keep body ant
| soul together. The situation in South
Africa is very similar to what it was in
California in the days Of the gold fever.
Indeed it is the touch of mammon that
is to great extent responsible for the
| more or less lawless state of affairs in
South Africa.
In letter received by member of the
Gall staff about fortnight ago, from
johannesburg, there is the following:
fPNbfc nit
modern city; decidedly modern, for ten
years ago Johannesburg was non est.
Only vast, treeless veldt was to be
seen. Now 1t is a busy, active,
bustling little city, with superb climate
Here 1t is well to pause. l have reached
the limit of its attractions. The streets
are poorly paved. The dust is horrible.
In the winter they have dust storms
which simply are curse to the place.
The water supply is scanty, and wicked
ness abounds. Nevertheless, gold is here
magic word lClever people get rich fast,
but the place is thronged with the dis
appointed, who como here expecting to
/ pick up gold in the street,
In order to understand the situation of
a penniless young man in South Africa
today, it is only necessary to 60 back a
little less than hundred years in the
history of these United States. When
the Revolutionary warsw over and the
colonies had achieved their Independence,
America became the NJ coca for all unfor-
tunate young men. They came here in
droves from England, Scotland and Ire
land chiefly, but from the continent OF
Europe as well. Very many of them
were highly educated. There we're gradu-
ates of Oxford Cambridge. Dublin Uni
versity and the University of Edinburgh.
Many Of them were speedily reduced to
| starving condition, anu not a few who
had friends OF relatives at home who had
the means were compelled to send to
them to supply them with the necessary
| funds to get back homo again. Some OF
them taught school, and for yenrs the
little schools throughout Jersey had for
school masters young men OF high erudi-
tlon, but with scarcely coat to their
| backs. Scores of theie unfortunates
pinned away and worried themselves into
early graves. New York Qike Johannes
burg today was full of them. and every
garrett had TWO or three of them for Oc-
| cupants, Hundreds were unabla to get
| anything to do, and their letters home
tell the most mournful tales of suffering
and priyatioE.
But there were sturdy souls among
them, men Of really exceptional ability
men who really needed SUI h hardships TO
Develop the best that WIS in them. They
watched their opportunities and with wits
sharpened by the pRngs of hunger finally
| found way in which to make subsis
tence. But the young men who came
| here with trade Jared better, far better
| than those who had educations. so-called.
| They were skilled laborars and wsre Just
what the country wanted. They Travelled
aboct until they came to town whera
the goods they were able to make were
| not to be had. Then they steeleh down
and began work on small scale. At
first they supplied the village with their
goods by the FORK of their own hands.
but as the village grew their business
grew with it, and they soon employed an
| assistant or two. In ID little time they
found they oould by taking on more help
furnish the neighboring villages with
| their wares. In this way great ind u.s.
tries were often built up, and big bust
ness houses which are today known all
| through the country, and even to the
ends of the civilized world, first saw the
light. At the same time, huweyer, that
DETERMINATIONS for these successes were