The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-22
WORK OF THE
B0ER WOMEN
They Till 1.-THE Farms
Unaided.
UNGRUDG|NC HARD WORK
Like the Men They Believe It Is a
Holy War-A Roman
Spirit.

LONDON. May l0-With practicar,,
every able-bodied man and boy at the
'front.' the duty Of looking after the farms
mas devolved upon the women of tho
Transvaal. The Importance Of this "a
easily realized when one considers that
an army, as a famous General said. Is
like "a serpent, for IL moves on its belly.
Some light is thrown upon the splendid
manner In which these Boer women have
worked by letter written from Pretoria
by Douglas Story. Here is his descrip-
tion Of Pretoria market:
Two long rows of wagons stood axIa-
deep In the mud. with their curtains roll
eel up and their interiors showing In
each was n BOcr woman sometimes "A
couple. ana always youngster or two
but there was no man. and people re-
trained from reference TO the absentees
Gcwned in black. with her sallow, wrin-
kled face set far back in her black kap-
pie, the BOer woman sits on a bundle OF
clothing I'm the hinder part OF the wagon
eying the crowd. Before her on a wisp
OF straw are the eggs, pumpkins or DO
tatoes she has brought to market. But
there were other keen-eyed women on
the market square that morning-women
who stood guard over heaped wagons of
forage and heavy loads of potatoes In
ness. and I stood curiously by while the
aucttoneer 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 auction
ecTs quick hammer had cleared the lot.
Then they clambered. silently into the
wagon again and resumed their inter
rtIpted toilet Crowded market square or
solitary Veldt brought no blush to their
cheek. and they braided thei- hair in the
fUll presence OF the townspeOple without
"a sign OF embarrassment. 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 1
noted the prices they fetched in war time.
and other Ignorant persons had pre-
dicted "a failure In the food supply con-
sequent upon the absence of the men up
on commando. We had reckoned with
out the Boer vrouw and remarkably
rainy season. Prices are lower today
than I have ever known them in the
Transvaal. When jameson crossed the
border four years ago, forage was &c
los per hundred bundles: today II Is 25s
per hundred bundles. Potatoes have fail
EN- from As To los the bag. To It's own
astOnshment. the Transvaal has emerg-
ed from the battle smoke an agricultur-
"In war time. in the face of n possible
siege. prices In Pretoria are less than
Forage IL E3 15s in Buluwayo, but only
25s In Pretoria: Boer-meal Is sold at 55s
In Buluwayo, but fetches only 25s in Pre-
toria. ! saw bags of potatoes change
price ia Buluway is 60. Whatever else
may fail them, the food supply Is assur-
"rhe extraordinarily favorable season
which has marked this year of war has
seemed to the BOer women a direct evil
dsnCe of the hand OF God. 1hey re-
member that the year of the raid was
the blackest in the countrys history
with it's miserable tale Of drought, rlnd-
erpest, and locusts; aud they Joyously
proclaim the difference from TINS year OF
plenty. In every phase of this struggle
one must recognize the religious ferVor
OF the people, and without tull uh-
derstanding of II no one can realize the
forces at work within the republic Inc
Transvaalers believe themselves engaged
in "A holy war. and the fact ~ one which
tho statesmen who arrange the hnal set
tlcment may not neglect. A..
Every night the people meet In the
big church on the kerk square, vast
congregation of women and children,
with such OF the men as can De present
there. Wounded burghers IRON the IIoii' ii
and those on furlough sprinkle the audl-
ence They attend the service as they
would "a war council, and esteem theII ,
predikant as they would a Weh-.rIeIi
ont in great part the influences OF the
gold rush, and the people are become
simple as In their pastoral days.
Meantime there Is neither death noi
desoIation in the silent dorps and farm
houses. Boer women are carrying on
the work OF their sons and husDands, III
rrcting the Kaffir labor, and themselves
driving 10 market as goodly loads az
ever were seen there III peaSe ',,'t .,, Chairs
| A. IL quietly done. There are vacant chaiiS chi,1
and dusty, untenanted velschoen 10 SUI sun
| the needless laugh and TO set the s sau.
eyed yrouw bustling about unheCessaIy
duties when the children grow hoisy ~ -
/ thr Uottentot kitchen help shouts acrOss
".riey are not beautiful, these Boer
/ women. nor promising candidates TOT TO-
/ mantle treatment, but nav IT,, a.
I enough 20 know their practcal Nalu. -. -,
/ inc Iand ON them falls the slow sorroM
| ~ tine times The politics OF the VA
were in other hands, but tne '.'o,,,e,
| of IL rests In great part with the s ,ha
/ Had they not taken the Sn u,reTi Zine would
/ now be staring the country IN tne ia.e a.
/ Instead OF well-flled granaries anu 9,,id aOi
| age sheds While the ladies' OF .ssorts I.ns =
| have been employed ueN,Snn9 ueNs,..v, have bus-
/ led Themselves with getting IN tns ine1 Tbo
and digging up the potato v,,otI6. ttIo sarne
/ same woman's heart beats wiz, l poer
divine compassion unueI i,,n Idointiest vest
vrouws lyfje as under the
/ ment from Worth. 1,...-.ttio, No
/ "rhis ls n war Of the Cromwelhan p
| Rod The men at the front may tbe
/ generate Calvinists, may nave al I,,,renn
vices of the ccntury-end' DuSt heir faith
kopt the men In their trenches AZ Ie.'.,,.
/ so and at Spion Kop. Wheh tne tn,...,., ~
| OF this war IL written the lililuc l''eI,c 80.
l tho IOcr women VIII demahu a ". toort- -
/ cinl place. They have been single-n -neai -.
/ od in their determination 10 MAINTAIN III t
| independcnce, and have not faterSu III IL
/ giving their dearest 20 its defence. 81"