The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-26

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never believe that the native il not his loyal ant
devoted friend. AZ this moment, when ever
Kafir In tho land IL eager 70 murder his whit,
oppressor. the Boer imagines tina, he has only 4
say tho word, and Basu,os, Swan, Matsbelc
Zulu, and all the black tribes would fat upon
and destroy his enemies This confidence In
his destiny and consciousness Of superiority
over every created thing would be sublime were
It not ridculoura
"As family man, tho Beers reputation would
Justify him in becoming candidate for the Dun.
NOW Fitch Sury and suspicious in manner.
heavy and unoouth in his ways, shy and reserved
among strangers, you may win him TO gruff
cordially. II you arc husband and father. and
care to listen 10 the details Of his domestic life
But although tho Boer certainly cherishes with
| deep affection his wife and children. no treats
them according 10 Oriental rather than European
ideas Tho women always stand until the men
| are seated, and are not served until the wants
| OF their lords and masters are satisfied. I am
| describing the customs Of tho farmer who lives
| on the veldt and has no acquaintance with West
ern manners SUCH man Is little removed from
o state OF barbarisnn, and his surroundings arc
often as squad as those Of q Kafnr. Despite this
patriarchni rule, the vrouw has great influence
over her man. and is credited with having on
more than one occasion screwed his courage up
v
beauty. notwithstanding the care with which
she preserves her complexion from the effects Of
the sun. Her ambition. like that OF tho fsh wives
at Scheveningen. Ia 70 become fat as an or.
though, unlike the Dutch wife. ehe Is not an ex-
ample Of scrupuous cleanliness The Bocr II not
hospitable. He rcscnts the presence OF strangers,
and being too lazy TO cultivate moro than Is necos-
sary for the immediate wants OF his family. no
has nothing TO spare for uninvited guests
Il have cndeavored 10 point out some Of tho
most striking characteristics Of these people. who
have cast q malign spell, over civilization and
progress in South Africa There Is q higher
type OF Boer, who IL comparatively clean in per-
son and almost European in thought and habit
He may be as corrupt and sly-'slim' 10 the word
they use,- as his detrac,ors make out yet he Is
less Objectionable than the semi-harbarous fanatic
on the veldt His sense Of honor may not be keen,
and his disregard for the truth may indicate q
low moral standard. But his capacity tor mis-
chief Is modified by tho European environment
with which he surrounds himself. Where he is
in decided majority. his disposition Is arrogant
and Overlooking. hut no Il easily cowed by the
display OF physical force The Boer OF the farm
and tho vedt well OF the border towns In less
amenablc to reason. His phenomenal ignorance.
his monumental conceit, his uncomfortable hatred
Of the British, make him q tyrant II would
war II they could realize. from personal observa-
ton or experience the nature Of this Bocr tyranny
So subtle and far reaching arc its effects that in
many districts on British soil feilow-country-
men pass their lives in subsection. They orc
compelled to endure sights and TO swallow in
suits that would have long since driven less
patient people to civil war The Boer Is firmly |
convinced that the British are race OF cowarda |
Not oil the eloquenoe Of Mr. Gladstone could per- |
suadc him that tho color Of the British flag IL not
white or that tho independence Of the TrarsvaeI |
was not won by arms at LAngs Mex and Ma
TUBA
Many cable dispatches have come from Lady |
smith since war began but they have not been |
allowed to tell us what things were really like |
In the town. Al last tho mail brings matter
more than month old. but. unlike so many Of |
the cables dispatches, IL contains news. Writing
on Oct IL tho Chronfete's correspondent says:
'Ladysmith breathes freely to-day. but week |
ago she seemed likely 10 become another Luck.
now OF line battalions only ,he LiycrpooIs
were here, besides two batteries Of field artillery,
some Of the Eighteenth Hussars. and tho Fifth
Lancers. II Kruger or Joubert had then allowed
tho Beers enchmped on tho Free State border TO
nave 'heir own way, no ono can say what might
haVo happened Our force would have been
outnumbered al least four to one, and probably
seized an immense quantity Of military stores
In the camp and at the railway
station. What Is worse. they would have isolated
the still smaller force lately thrown forward to
Dundee. 80 as to break the strong defensive posi-.
ton OF tho Biggarsberg. which cuts of the north
Of Natal and can only be traversed by three din.
cult passes Dundee was Just as much threat
cned from the east frontier beyond the Buffalo
River where the Transvaai Beers Of the Utrecht
and Nryheid district have been mustered In strong
force for nearly fortnight now. With our two
advanced posts Tapped up uhe phrase Is a little
mus'y here, our stores lost and our reputation
among The Dutch and native populations entirely
ruined. the campaign would have begun badly.
For the Beers IL was a lne strategic opportuni,v
and they were perfectly aware Of that But the
Old Man, a. they afectonately call In. Presi.
dent had his own prudent reasons for refusing
II. Let tho enemy fire frst.' he says like the
famous Frenchman. and so far he has been able
to hold the most ardent Of the oncampcd burpbe i
In check. III no should not DO able" vo ken, |
saying. We still say II morning and evening,
but the pinch Of the danger is passed"
For additional troops came In TO wait for the
beginning oil war. What kind OF time they are
having now may be imagined from this descrip-
uoh OF Ladysmith. carly In October. Tt has an
evil reputation" says the correspondent 81 .,t
entGTiC, |
There Is little fever and good deal OF dyscnterv
even now among the regulars Tho stream bv
the camp IL condemned. and all water Is SUD-
pned IN uny rations from pumps. The main
permanent camp Is built Of corruga ted iron, prac
ucaily the sole building material in South Africa.
and quite universal for roofs 30 that the country
has few architectural features TO boast Of Tho
cavalry are quartered In tin huts, but the Liver.
pools Dcvons. Gordons and Volunteers have
pitched their own tents, and a terrible time thew
arc having OF IT, Dust Is the curse of the nlace
We remember the Long Valley as an Arcadian
dell.Veterans Of tho Soudan recall the black sand
storms with regretful sights The thin red dust
comes everywhere, and never stops. II blinds
your eyes, II stops your nose. It scorches your
throat TIL the invarable shilling for a little glass
'f any liquid seems cheap as dirt II turns The
Thitest shirt brown In half an hour IL Green's into
he works OF your watch. II lies in layer mixed
with flies on tho top OF your rations. The white
'nts eat away the flaps Of the tents, and the men
wake up covered with dust like children in A
,ayhed. Even mules die OF II In conyulsions.
: was In this land that tho ostrich deyeloped its
n 1