The Dickinson press., 1899-10-21
The T~ransvaai.

lHicc Weeks. LIE 1tdIlSVddl shares WIN
the Philippines the attention of the
United States just now, and it is Of much
greater interest to the rest of the world.
Where and what is the Transvaal?
Who are the Beers and who is Kruger?
Where and what is johannesburg?
What has England to do with the Trans
wall and what will she do with Kruger?
These are live questions at present.
The Transvaal is the popular name of
the South African Republic, 4 name
which was substituted for the Dutch
African Republic in 1855. 1t is the rich
est section of Africa. 1t has an area of
Ilo,I3o square miles. 1t is two and a
half times the size of New York and four
teen times the size Of Massachusetts.
Only two states, California and Texas,
are larger.
The population is about 100000 or as
large as Connecticut. OF these, less than
2oo.ooo are white. or about as many as
the population of Delaware The ma
tivcs are Of small account They are
harmless and largely worthless, except
for missionary purposes or as slaves.
The white population is about half Beers
and half Uitlanders.
The Beers are descendants of the
Dutch who scattered themselves over
this country early in the century. They
control the Orange Free State. The
Transval Beers came into Zululand about
10000 strong in 1887. Each family po-
sessed himself of about 5000 acres OF
land, and thus occupied a vast territory.
They are a grazing people, wandering
Adventures. For many years they con-
formed more to the customs of the saw
ages than OF their ancestors. They1ress-
ed in skins, like the natives, they had no
house or furniture, but lived in tents or
huts made OF foliage.
, The only phase Of civilization to which
they chung was their religion. They
were orthodox in the extreme. Fanat-
ically Protestant, psalm singing is their
+ chief luxury. Four times a year they go
to church. The whole establishment,
men, women and children, drive to the
chapel, which is in a central place about
fifty miles from the general circumfer-
ence of the parish. This service is styled
the sacrament. The seniors partake Of
the communion, the betrothed are mar
i ried, the children are baptized, the men
!: swap horses, the women do their quar-
: ter's shopping, and all have a good time
generally.
These Beers are thrifty, industrious,
+ virtuous, and hardy. They are we'll arm
ed and excellent marksmen. They have
always bullied the natives. They prac-
tically own the natives as slaves, and
have the sense of aristocracy which that
: implies.
The English made their first attempt
y to enter Zululand in 1924. Chaka, sew
!" enth in line from the traditional Zulu,
d was reigning. He was an atrocious ruler.
He had the most perfect warlike people
the world has ever seen probably. Every
70 man was a warrior. All other tribes were
exterminated or had disappeared. The
whole land was a series of military camps.
But this perfection ofsystem had destroy
ed all industry, and he ruined his coun-
try by his conquests. He was ready to
l. sell his worthless seaboard country about
Port Natal to the English. He was soon
succeeded by another ruler, and the
reign of the Zulus was at an end.
Z When in 1887 about 10000 Beers from
!, the Orange Free State took possession
Is of Zululand, they did not know that it
had been purchased by the English, or,
knowing, did not care. No more did the
English care whether they went or not.
n Their presence was scarcely noticed for
a time, but in ten years they had become
so prosperous and secure in their posses
: sions, and were so we'll organized under
L their chief, Pretorious, that the English
officials offered a reward of $4,000 for
hishead. This only amusedthe Outlaw
who proceeded to organize the Beers of
. Zululand into a republic and had him
self elected president. The attempts of
the British to punish his insolence met
with signal defeat in every encounter,
and in 1852 they recognized the indie
il pendence of the Transvaal, with Pretori-
Gus as president.
1t is interesting to note that Pretoria,
the capital, is named for the outlaw
whose head the British did not get for
= $4,000. The British thought the conven-
ton that granted independence had pro-
> vided for the emancipation of the natives,
3 but in 1856 the Beers passed an appren-
d tice law, which provides for slavery in an
& indirect way, and in 1858 the, Funda-
- mental law provides that "the people
will admit of no equality of persons of
color with the white inhabitants, either
# in state or church,"
, The Beers were then left to themselves
for twenty years, and they were pros.
: porous. They were infinitely better off
without the trials or burdens of govern
ment. In these years they were thrifty
personally. They threw off the easy
going customs of the earlier times, made
G themselves homes and began a life of
= comfort. In the meantime the tribes be-
. yond began to disturb them and the
9 Beers were not happy. When, therefore,
/ in 1877 a British commissioner appeared
upon the invitation of certain petitioners
for annexation there was no opposition
: : when he issued a proclamation sup
< pressing the republic and formally an
nexing them as a British colony.
Now all might have gone we'll had the
British understood the Beers. AS it was
England did not understand them and
' made two serious mistakes: She had no
3 sooner secured Instrumentation than she
proclaimed the English as the official
language for court and school. This
: was the one thing to which the Beers
= would not consent. They at once sent a