The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-30

| LONDON, April 2O.-Wih practically
every able bodied man and boy at tn
front, the duty Of looking after the farm
has devolved upon the women Of tn
Transvaal The importance Of this is cas-
lily realized when one considers that al
army, as a famous general said. is lik'
a serpent, for it moves on its belly. Som,
light is thrown upon the splendid manner
in which these Boer women have workel
by letter written from Pretoria by Doug
las Story. Here is his description Of Z
| Pretoria market:
/ Two long rows of wagons stood axle.
deep in the mud. with their curtains rolled
up and their interiors showing. In each
was Boer woman sometimes a couple
and always a youngster or two But there
was no man, and people Tefrained from
reference TO the absentees. Gowned in
/ black, with her sallow. wrinkled face set
/ far back in her black kappie. the Boef
woman sits on a bundle of clothing in the
/ hinder part of the wagon eying the crowd
/ Before her on wisp of straw are the
eggs, pumpkins, or potatoes she has
/ brought to market. But there were other
keen-eyed women on the market square
/ that morning-Women who stood guard
owe rheaped wagons Of forage and heavy
loads of potatoes in bags. Their imme-
date object was business. and | stood Gu
riously by while the auctioneer disposed of
their bringings.
Anxiety sat on every line Of these
women's rugged faces. They scanned the
crowd and rearranged the potatoes in the
mouth OF the bags until the auctioneer' S
quick hammer had cleared the lot. Then
they clambered silently into the wagon
again and resumed their interrupted toilet.
Crowded market square or solitary veldt
brought no blush to their cheek. and they
braided their hair in the full presence Of
the townspeople without sign Of embar-
rassment Bushes are The Injuries of the
rich and the grace of the effete dwellers in
towns. The veldt woman has no use for
such fopperies, and despises them.
Meanwhile the potatoes and mealies
were passing under the hammer. and l
noted the prices they fetched in war time.
] and other ignorant persons had predicted
a failure in the food supply consequent
upon the absence Of the men upon COM
mando. We had reckoned without the
Boer vrouw and a remarkably rainy sea-
son. Prices are lower today than | have
ever known them in the Transvaal. When
Jameson crossed the border. four years
ago. forage was sc los per hundred bun
dies; today it is 25s per hundred bundles
Potatoes have fallen from 45s to 15s the
bag. To its own establishment the Trans
vaal has emerged from the battle smoke
an agricultural country.
In war time. in the face Of a possible
siege, prices IN Pretoria are less than one
half of those current in Buluwayo Forage
Is a LIS in Buluwayo, but only 25s in
Pretoria; Boer-meal is sold at j5s in Bulu-
Wayo, but fetches only 25s in Pretoria |
saw bags Of potatoes change hands today
at lis the bag when the price in Bulu-
wayo is So. Whatever else may fail them.
the food supply is assured
The extraordinarily favorable season
which has marked this year Of war has
seemed TO the Boer women a direct evil
dence Of the hand Of God. They remember
that the year Of the raid was the blacklist
in the country's history. with its miserable
tale OF drought, rinderpest, and locusts:
and they joyously proclaim the difference
from this year Of plenty. In every phase
OF this struggle one must recognize the
feryor Of the people. and without
a fun understanding Of il no one can real
lie the forces at work within the Republic
The Transvaalers believe themselves en-
gagged in holy war. and the fact is one
which the statesmen who arrange the final
settlement may not neglect
Every night the people meet in the big |
church on the kerk Square a vast congre- !
cation Of women and children, with such of |
he men as can be present there Wound |
ed burghers from the front and these Oh |
'urlough sprinkle the audience They at |
end the service as they would a war coun- |
sci. and esteem their predikant as they
would weil-tried general. The war seems /
20 have burned out in great part the in |
iuences OF the gold rush, and the people |
are become simple as in their PASTORAL |
lays.
Meantime there is neither death nor
1esolatiOn in the silent dorps and farm /
houses. Boer women are carrying on the !
work Of their sons and husbands direct
ng the kaffr labor. and themselves driy-
ng 10 market as gOodly loads as ever were
seen there IN peace times. But Il is
quietly done. There are vacant chairs and
iusty. untenanted velschoen to still the
needless laugh, and to set the sad~eyed
rrouw bustling about unnecessary duties
when the children grow noisy or the Hot
entot kitchen help shouts across the yard ]
They are not beautiful. these Boer /
4 omen, nor promising candidates for TO-
mantle treatment but l have seen enough
o know their practical value in the land
IN them falls the slow sorrow Of the
lines. The politics Of the war were in
lther hands, but the prosecution of it -ests
n great part with the women Had they
Tot taken the direction Of the farms into
heir own hands famine would now b.,
taring the country in the face instead
4 well-filled granaries and forage sheds
While the ladies Of England have been
mployed devising comforts for the troops
he Boer women have busted themselves
With getting in the mealies and digging
y the potato crops. The same woman's
cart beats with the same divine com . ,
assion under the Boer yrouw's lyfie as |
nder the daintiest vestment from Worth .
This is a war OF the CrOmwellian ps-
iod. The men at the front may be degen-
rated Calvinists may have all the vices
the century END; but the women are
nipple in the faith, and their faith kept {
be men in their trenches at Colenso and
{ Spion Kop. When the history OF this
ar is written the influence Of the Boor ,
omen will demand very special place Z
hey have been single-hearted in their I
termination to maintain the indepeud-
nee. and have not faltered in giving their .
sarest TO its defence. ! saw one woman
I'm dry eyed from the train at Pretoria
it'll the hoarse whisper:
He's the fourth son ! have lost for
and en- Volk since Elandslaagte God
reserve the Republic" 5
with such lie the prosecution of the {
ar and the difficulty OF settlement Paul
ruger has not only the back country J.
oers to wrsstle with; he has the women b
and around Pretoria who dog his step7 | ;
Id eXhort him TO remember the sacred 70
use the people have sworn TO defend.
heir influence ennobles patriotism but IL a.
axes policy vastly more difficult"
May he Charged with Murder.
CHESTER, Pa, April 29.-District At d,
rney Josiah Smith last night took what
believes the ante-mortem statement OF