The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-17
THE WIFE or ooM PAUL.
Her Disrust Of Engliahmen, Her
Piety and Her Domestic Virtues.

6eE 0LA1ubJ VI 6a64AAA42A9 @AuR
Pisty and Her Domestic Virtues.
Christian Intelligencer: It is during
the Jameson raid. The frst lady Of
the land is knitting stockings for her
grandchildren. She. is sitting on the
porch Of the simple cottage which COM
stltutes the executive mansion Of the
South African republic. In the "zya-
mer" (parlor) the president confers with
his cabinet. "Tonte" (aunt) Krugers
attention seems to be entirely taken up
by her work. She is counting the
stitches. Suddenly she rases her head
and listens Someone Is speaking Eng
lish
It Is one Of the guards which have
been placed around the cottage In order
TO protect Dom Paul from any treach-
erous design on the part of the Uitland-
ers. Mrs. Kruger has an invincible
aversion TO the tongue of the British,
although she speaks 1t fairly well She
Immediately puts her knitting down and
enters the room where the cabinet Is
In session. She unceremoniously inter-
rupts the proceedings, and informs
Meet" Cousin Joubert that one OF the
guards was an "Engelsman" (English-
MANI. Through the window she points
out the man in question. Piet Joubert
laughs, and assures her that the guard
Is a loyal "Afrikander" Her husband
supports him, but the wife Is not satis-
fed. She quotes the old Dutch proverb
that caution Is the mother Of the china
closet" and insists that the guard be
replaced by a man who will speak "de
taal," (the language) when on duty. The
members OF the cabinet know from exc
perIence that there Is no galnsaying
"Tonte" Kruger in matters pertaining
to her husbands safety. and under some
pretext or other, General Joubert sends
the offending guard home. THE first
lady OF the land" returns to the porch
and quietly resumes her knitting.
A truly remarkable woman is this old
lady. in whose veins flows the blood
OF the DuplessIs family, one Of her am
ccstors having been the great Due de
Hichelieu.
When the writer's informant, Mr. Fl.
Verschum, the well known Dutch trav-
ellcr. visited President Kruger at Pre-
torla. he found Mrs, Kruger engaged
In preparing dinner. the incarnation of
a simple housekeeper; yet, when an hour
later the conversation turned on mat
tiers political. he was surprised to find
nor remarkably well informed, her hus-
band evidently having deep respect for
her judgment. Mrs Kruger reminded
Mr.. Verschum distinctly OF the Princess
Bismarck. whom he had met In Varzin
years before, and who. though never
openly mixing In politics, seemed to him
to be a very valuable counsellor to the
man Of blood and iron.
Kind-hearted as she Is, there Is a pc
cullar CLEAN In her eyes whenever the
subject of England is mentioned, and
her distrust OF all that Is British Is SO
deep that to the casual observer 1t may
seem unjust. But when she begins to
tell of the dangers and the misery of
the long tricks to which her family has
been forced by British soldiers, II Is
easily understood how deeply this aver
sion Is rooted in her heart as well as in
the breasts Of the ''Afrikanders. Gt
may be noted here that this is the name
all Beers invariably give to themselves,
they never using the word "Boer," eX-
cept as a designation for farmer).
II Is a common thing in the Transvaal
to hear mothers ring children to obedl-
ence by telling them that "Engelsman"
will catch them unless they mind their
parents.
When we take the hatred of their enc
niles into consideration, the kindness
and humanity with which the Beers
even according TO English testimony
treat the British wounded and prisoners
In the present war. becomes strong
proof Of the true Christian spirit among
the people OF the Boer republic.
A very pretty example OF this Is fur
nished when Mrs. Kruger and her hus-
band every morning gather the whole
household in the parlor, and a chapter
from the Scriptures Is read by either the
president himself or his wife.
The first lines of Mrs. Kruger's favor
lite hymn, translated from the Dutch,
read as follows:
where love doth dwell, there the Lords
blessing raineth,
There dwells the Lord, there man His
bliss obtalneth
In life and in eternity"
Though always afraid Of publicity,
Mrs. Kruger in conjunction with her
most intimate friend, the wife OF Gen
eral PIcl Joubert, put herself at the
head of the temperance movement
which was inaugurated In the Transvaai
only few years ago. Before that time
there had been little necessity for tenn
perance work In the two republics, the
Roers being a very Rbstemlous people.
but the great influx Of foreign adventure
ers and miners, especially at Johannes
burg. changed the situation, and there
was serious danger for the younger gem
Grafton OF Beers at least Mrs, Kruger
and Mrs. Joubert have from the begin
ming worked earnestly for the good
cause, and have succeeded In minimizing
the danger which threatened the peo-
pie.
And now, while the cruel war Is 60
ing on, who is there more deserving of
the sympathy OF the Christian world
than the kind old woman who has seen
seven sons go into battle, and is now
praying to God for her country and for
them?