The times., 1898-10-23
Opefu and the Laager.


ening horror that we learned, yester-
day of the outbreak of war between
the Boer Republic and Chief Opefu.
both parties at present residing in
South Africa. In brief, the sad story is
that the colored potentate with the
euphonious name, who, hitherto, has
bsen upon terms of peace and occa-
sional beads and whisky with his great
and good friend. loom Paul." has
been touched in the tenderest spot of
his honor and has. thereupon, pro-
ceeded to eXtremities with twenty
thousand men and four pieces of ord
nance.
His case and grievances are deserv-
ing of attention, and certainly of the
sympathy of France, Austria, and the
Vatican, because he has acted much in
the way that Spain did before the 'un-
holy war" which Mr.. Mckinley. and the
Spanish bondholders. SO much deplored.
and which excited the commiseration
and ardent moral support Of the Euro
pean influences hereinbefore referred
to. Chief Opefu did not do a thing to
| Kruger but merely murder an edible
Lutheran missionary, his tender wife,
and their succulent infants. What was
| this to him? 1t was strictly in accord
ance with the usages of Opefulic law
and tradition from the medieval days
of the native Torquemada, whatever
his name may have been. The acS itself
! did not in any way affect the price of
raw hides. nor tend to depress the
market for tail feathers. No treaty was
violated by il. and if neighboring ma
! tions are not to be allowed TO butcher
/ missionaries or other innocent persons,
| including helpless women and children,
! for what has the world been toierating
Spain for centuries? But we digress.
At this distance there is some diff
Guilty in understanding all the merits
of the controversy. but from what has
| been reported, we deduce that. not con-
tent with his evangelical amusements.
Chief Opefu has been Opefulish enough
| to take his two score thousand warriors
and his four sacred Maxims. and de-
| liver an audacious attack upon the
Lager, belonging and appertaining to
| the Transvaal State. Here is where a
serious division of sympathy must of
| necessity occur. The red-nosed and
riotous nations Of Europe will at once
desert the cause of the natives, whom
otherwise they might favor, and trans
| fer their emotional stock and good will
to the sturdy Dutchmen who are assail-
ed in their most vulnerable spot. which
we may easily conceive to be their
| Lager, because it is so in this coun-
| try. On the other hand, the tears and
| prayers of our own hysterico-phiian-
| thropic elements. which normally would
be on the side of the Beers. will at once
go over to the side of the colored enemy,
and howl and dance with Opefu.
The reason is not far to seek. Opefu
| IS evidently bitter and unrelenting foe
| of the Lager he is attacking. If he
can he will demolish its frowning forti-
| fications of stein and it's environment
| of shining glass, and he will likewise
make short work of its naval branch.
| in the shape of schooners. In this
moral enterprise II is easy to think tnat
the missionary will be forgotten. and
| that all truly good and abstemious peo-
pie will rally around Opefu, the aveng-
ing Nemesis of Lager. But for our
neutrality laws, we are not sure that
he might not enlist splendid army OF
| Jonadabs and Good Templars In the
United States, to help him in the war;
while the w. C. T. U. might go along
to hand around soft drinks to the
wounded
Then success to Opefu and may he
capture the Lager!