The Irish standard., 1899-11-18
Descended from an old French
Huguenot Family.
MeBlLIzlNG OF TIE CITIZEN ARMY
A Far Broader-Minded Man Than
President Kruger.

"Have not you English always fol-
lowed on OUR hecls-not on us here
only but all over the world, always con-
quering. always getting more land? We
were independent when you came here.
We are independent now, and you shall
never take our independence from us
The whole people will fight. You may
shed blood over all South Africa, but
it will only be over our dead bodies that
you will seize our independence. Every
Dutchman in South Africa will fight
against you. Even the women will fight.
You may take away our lives, but our
dependence-never."
That is what Pietrus Jacobus Joubert
said to an English correspondent in
Pretoria two years ago. 1t was printed
i'll a London newspaper Nov. 80, 1897.
Jcubert is showing the world to-day
something of the fine old Dutch spirit
he talked OF in 1897. He is doing some
OF that fighting he predicted then.
1t was very much like Joubert to talk
like that to the English correspondent
and very much like him, too, to cable
condolences to Lady Symons over the
dead body of her fallen husband. He is
frankness and honesty personiied He
is man and a soldier OF the type Eng
lislmen and Americans like. Nothing
could be more courteous than his treat
ment OF his English prisoners from
Ladysnlith. Nothing could be kinder
than his care for the wounded enemy.
Ii one can judge anything from the
many paragraphs of praise that creep
into the British war correspondence
from the front during these times, Gen
eral Joubert, commander-in-chief of the
Transvaal army, is likely to be person.
ally popular in England before this war
is over.
Here is what Bennett Burleigh, CORE
spondent of the London Daily Tele-
graph, said of him in the Republic and
New York Herald, writing from Lady
smith under date of Nov. s.:
cat daybrcak I got back to the station
just as Joubert's train was steaming
away to Sandsprit By dint of audac-
ity the stationmaster was persuaded to
stop it. I boarded the generals own
special saloon carriage.
"We chatted for hours on the journey
to the big Boer camps at Sands river,
or spruit.
II noted that the general was gener-
ally popular, the Beers clustering about
the stations to shake hands with him.
He would descend when the train
stopped long enough to say few words
by way OF encouragement. There were
some feeble attempts at cheering, but
your Transvaal burgher has no lungs
for that form OF popular approval.
II asked and received permission to
snapshoot Joubert and his more imme-
diate friends. He stepped out of the
train and took up position for that
purpose. In appearance he bears strong
traces of his French origin. His quick,
dark eyes beam with shrewdness and
kindness.
"He has belief that the future and
the present are for the Boer, and de-
clares he would cut his throat sooner
than give way on the points of Trans
walls claims or doubt Gods personal
support of their cause"
Joubert is 68 years old, and, with the
addition of some polish, is a typical
Boer. He comes OF an old French
Huguenot family, long settled in South
Africa, with a strong infusion of Dutch
blood. Like President Kruger, he was
born i'll Cape Colony. He was bred on
farm and began life as farmer. But
his innate ability soon lifted him into
public life. He became state attorney
to the South African republic and alter
wards vice president He has long been
ambitious to be president, and in 1893
came within 8S1 votes OF winning this
honor from the great Kruger himself
Joubert is very popular.
In the late seventies, during the trou-
bles with England that eliminated in
the war under the memory Of which
England has smarted ever since, Joubert
became very prominent figure in
Transvaal affairs. He accompanied
Kruger on his memorable visit to Eng
land, when the demand for the inde-
pendence of the republic was formu-
lated. The demand was finally refused,
and on Dec. 80, 1880, Kruger, Joubert