The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-23

When the inhabitants of little free
state like the Transvaal take up arms
the world turns with a half laugh and
almost contemptuously asks: Against
whom, pray?" When il hears that
that state has no seaboard, no fleet
and is almost entirely surrounded by
the outposts of huge empire, interest
is quickened, and when il learns that
it is indeed no less than the mighty
empire against which the stout little
nation opposes itself, the distant world
wonderingly inquiries: And what
manner of men are these?" Possibly
as it learns, ii will be reminded of long
past days when Switzerland, child
amongst strong men and little Holland
aroused generous interest in the same
way.
What Manner of Men?
You will hear divers answers as to
what kind of people the Beers are.
The more shortsighted and intelorant
among travelers-he who feels it
grievance that anyone should have diff
ferent habits and manners to those in
which he is himself steelcaged-may
say that the Beers are a dirty lot who
don't use table napkins, an illiterate
set of brutes who never heard of Kip
ling, an utterly unrefined people whose
knowledge of art is nil, in short back
ward, stupid, unprogressive, half civ
ilized set who are too thickheaded to
know they are standing in the path
Of that Juggernuat car, civilization,
and must, in the end be crushed be-
meath its wheels. But that very trav
eler, when he gets aboard the steamer
to sail to his own land of delights, is
quite likely to pick up Scotts Anne of
Geierstein, and eXclaim joyfully that
ne should ike to have lived in those
days. In the rough, open-air life of
the Geierstein family, on their noun
tain sides, one may find no faint re-
semblance TO the life of Boer house
hold on a faraway farm-only the Boer
mas no pretensions to nobility-that is
social rank above his fellows.
1t is a mistake to read of Paul Kru-
ger ard take him and his surround
ing politicians as types of the Boer.
Also it is mistake to take the dweller
in the towns as typical. To unearth
the real TranSVaalian, one must seek
the wide and solitary veldt, the hidden
valleys, the distant hills and there, on
his farm, draw HIM out and study him.
Your true Boer despises the town. He
is essentially an agriculturalist and a
hunter. Up to 1892 he never saw a
railroad in his country, and he was
bitterly opposed to its coming. He
argues that the railroad will drive
away the game, and, without anything
TO shoot at, life will not be worth liV
ing. He is extremely conservative, and
with strangers brusque and taciturn,
but if he finds you are harmless he
can be very bospitable. He does not
drink deep. He is religious with a
gloomy, stern religion which makes
him believe, as did the Covenanters, as
much in the Old Testament as in the
New. Like all people whose belief in
the Bible is of that uncompromising
kind, he is more or less superstitious.
He is moral. He does not believe in
6iN-nrca "a rr.iaC ri in life
and is convinced the highest blessing
, is an abundance of children. He is
sturdily built as q rule, thanks to his
way of life, which is the same as that
of his father, and his ancestors for
many generationS-an open air life,
with lots of beef and cabbage and milk.
He is a good hOrseman, and a remark
able marksman. He understands that
the man who can shoot straight and
without excitement makes. nowadays,
the best soldier. He fears God and loves
his country, but cannot understand the
need of a tax gathered. He is. in fact,
the backwoodsman Of last century in
the United States, come to life again
in Africa.
Daily Farm Life.
At the first hint of gray in the east
ern sky, at the first crow of the cock,
the farm household is up and stirring
coffee the Boer loves, is over by the
time the sun rises. The men are out
and about at once, looking after just
the same chores as on an American
farm in the west, save those who are
off to replenish the larder by shooting
a springbok, a hartebeeSt or some
such species of deer. The women have
plenty of work about the house. The
genuine old Boer farm furnishes itself
every necessary to its occupants. The
furniture is often made by the farmer,
or he has great, unwieldly, carved
chests and bureaus which have come
to him from his anchestors. He can
make his own shoes. His women dress
and weave his own Sleeps wool, and
make their and his clothes from it.
There is almost nothing he needs TO
buy. He does not care a rap for neck
ties or collars, or store clothes, and a
full beard is fashionable. All he really
has to buy is farming implements, and
of these he prefers the primitive sort,
though enterprisig agents here and
there have introduced such things as
moving and other machinery.
During the day he works leisurely,
content to make d living out of the
ground. He has been seen sitting in
lis wagon for hours watching an en-
terprising, hustling UitIander with
wonder. as the foreigner worked con-
tinuously, with all kinds of newfangled
machines, producing far more from
the earth than his wants required, be-
cause he wished to market the surplus
and make money. He has been seen
thus shaking his head in pity and not
unmingled with contempt at such folly,
for the Boer is not q moneymaker.
He does not want bank account So
he drives his SLOW moving OK wagon
away on the hot and dusty trek, medi-
tating on the want of faith these Uit-
landers have, who cannot trust the
future to God, and be content with to-
day.
He dimes heartily at noon and sups
heartily at evening. His day hardly
differs from that of any farmer in
any country, only, if he sings at his
work. it is likely to be a psalm that
he sings. He smokes a great deal
while he goes about-a habit derived
from his forebears in Holland. He is
fortunate in having no winter-no
frost, no snow, only the dry season
when his cattle suffer, and the rainy
season, when the rivers and ponds are
flooded.
His house and barns are low and
roomy-simply furnished. as to the
house rooms. The great feather bed
IS usually the most noticeable
feature, unless, perhaps, he glories in
a little harmonium for his daughter
to pick out hymn tunes on of a
Sunday. Just before the sun goes
down, at time which varies very little
all the year round, the Boer calls his
family together, and they have house
hold prayers and pious singing. No
lights are needed, or if one is, il is an