The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-31

~ =. II, NeV Years day Il the !
VvMA great Boer FESTIVAL" he said.
kNy ut 10 the time when ne lets
Nv himself out a. freely ~ ne
ever does The speaker. .
Salvation Army ofncer Of
hiRh rank has Just reached London from
the Transvaal.
II suppose" he continued. "you are
eslxine about the farm Boer, the one
that We are hearing so much about now.
You know, there are really three varieties
Of tho Boer. The first IL the Boer in
better Of his natural inclinations: and
mes Just like anybody else. The second II
the suburban Boer. who livss not far from
the towns, ana fe too, has Been improved
~ association with civilized people Tho
other variety II the one spoke Of first--
the farm Boer. New Years day finds
him AZ tne END OF NE sixty Or seventy.
ineal--heid four times year TO this
he has Travelled gypsy fashion, and. once
there. he mixes religion with seeing bit
" his brother Boer' and getting ready
fOr another three month"; Information.
ssYou see them there. IN their camp
around the sreat square. each family IN
IT. tent--formed by stretching canvas
side from the roof Of the wagons to the
Ground. They don't use horses or mules
II travelling. but bulloc1ks instead, end
these ara wandering about cropping the
erass. The scene IL quaint and the oflor
0v2rpowerfng. This Is the time when the
Boer does all his marketing. lays IN all
hfs provisions and things for use on the
farm. and it's the time, too, when his
children are christened or his son or
daughter married. He goes. primarily,
to pAftafe Of the Lords supper, but It is
. general season Of prayer and fasting,
but usually closes with great shooting
contest. That IL your Beers greatest
delight. 6ociabiiity he has little use for
nor for Teasing nor much merrymaking.
but his holiday takes the shape Of
shooting match or b great FISH contest.
That II the New Years day OF the farm
Boer.
'sThe Suburban Boer. as you might car
him. viii trek into Pretoria for New
Years day, for in the cities the nachtmaal
ID held once month, and when he has mad
enough religion to satisfy him he makes IT q
toint to 90 around to Paul Kruger's house
70 zee him ana drink his coffee. After that.
~ there's anything going on in town a CIR
0uB or entertainment Of any kind-he'n 80
10 II, whereas his farmer kinsman would
give to It the widest Sort Of a berth. A.
days that the people around him Observe
and ID pretty much like everybody else.
This Parficular New Year.
'That IL the Beers New Year as far a.
customs 60. AZ for his New Year Of 1876,
and the changes that 1t II likely to bring,
Of course it's hard to prophecy; but here
are few Of the existing conditions which,
the new government will have to wipe out
First, you must understand that the Boer
government Is rotten from beginning 70
end. suppose there is not an ofiicial or
member Of the volksraad who II not IN the
pay Of q whole regiment of people, Tho
Boer government fosters monopoly, you see,
and gets a 'rake-ofr on monopoly's gains.
"You asked me moment ago II as much
was being got out Of the Transvaal az
might be got. No. One reason for that Is
due to Lippert, the dynamite conccs-
Monaire, empowered by the Boer govern
ment alone to import dynamite into the
Transvaal The price of dynamite In be-
yond the means of most of the mine les
secs. Dynamite costs m the Transvaal
about $40 a case. 1t ought to cost 81.
Tho difference IL the profit of Lippert g.
Co., after $1.Sb has been paid to the gov
srnment The installation of pure gov
eminent will mean that dynamite will be
sold at q proper price. as it Is in Rhode
sia, and this, In turn, will mean the
opening and working OF countless new
mines.
.Another reform that must come Is in
the liquor trade. To your Beers credit be
II said he Ii not Incorporate, and he has
made strict laws regarding the sale Of in
toxicants. But here again his government
IL lax, and winks at open violation OF the
statute. The Transvaal 10 dotted with
places Of the lowest repute, dealing out IL
Quor to the blacks. One-third. of the black
portion of the population is drunk all the
year long.
"Of course the question of franchise ia
an old sore. Bribery Is almost as foul
one. Bribery begins In the officials, con-
tinues through the volksraad, and. in many
instances, reaches the voters themselves
Common workmen are bribed to vote for a
railway concession by presents Of silver
watches. Another raw wound Is the ma
tional schools. The Boer sends his children
his boys--to school; but his racial hatred
is 20 intense that he refuses to have En-
glish taught In those schools. His boy
goes through them and comes into one
Of the great towns where English IL the
language of trade You can see the result.
The Boer is booming his offspring to be
hewers of wood and carriers Of water in
perpetuitx.
The "sarp'' Must Go.
"Reform must roll up her shirt sleeves
and prepare for house-cleaning. too. In the
matter OF the Boer police. 'Sarps' they call
them, from the letters s. A. r. p. on their
caps, meaning South African Republic
Police They are cruel. unintelligent and
lazy. 1t Is not uncommon to see dozen
----------------------------------
@NI AA1El NVVAVC AAV