The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-03-15
RHODES IS A MYSTERY,
READABLE CHARACTER SKETCH OF
AFRlcA'S "UNcRoWNED KING"

| He Scorns Dress-Has No Use for Mar
ried Men-A Subject Of Hero worship.
A very readable character sketch Of
Cecil Rhodes appears in Aiaslee's,
written by Allen Sangree, CORE
spoadentrecently returned from South
Africa. He says, in part:
SIN the land that bears his name,
Cecil Rhodes receives the homage of
3 monarch. He stands for the coun-
try's rise or fall. He is the source of
good aud evil praised for completing
a railroad and blamed for continued
drought. Among white men he is asub-
ject of hero worship. To black men
he represents the whole Anglo-Sazon
race. They call him Separator OF
Bul S. son Of the GreatWhite Queen,
and the man who eats a country for
his breakfast To them he is Des-
tiny itse:. -..
''The first thing .you notice about
Nh. Rhodes is an absence of affectation.
He receives alike the day laborer and
the foreign minister. In voice, man-
ner and conduct he is ever the same.
! Nothing is studied. Unlike most hu-
man beings, he is not an actor. There
is nothing mysterious about him. He
makes use of no subterfuge. but
comes straight to the point. In con-
Tevsation he meets your eye squarely
and impresses yon with his sincerity.
4 could not stand out against him.
walled BarneyBarnate when berated By
a friend Cor merging his interests with
the De Beer syndicate. He just
roped me in-roped me- in because I
knew he spoke the truth. =
l. "Ibis ingeS 1snessz disarns you
one moment, but Engages your ad-
aniration the next. 1t is instantly
forced upon you that,here is a man
who holds life too serious and brief
for masquerade, whose thoughts
are detached from petty things and
!, engrossed in vast ideas. Mr.. Rhodes
!. gives evidence of this by breaking Of
conversation when it becomes small,
and concentrating his mind on some
entirely foreign subject.
"You need not talk with Mr..
Rhodes five minutes to learn that
he is a, thinker. DR.. Jameson and
other ieutenauts, who have achieved
more or less distinction, seem
but as moths flying about an
arc light They =
weights; Rhodes il -
bothers with deta;S &Rey.Stake care
of Themselves Half the time he does
'T7aAat j szessa nave pocket money. Travel
ing on street car in Cape Town one
day, he found himself W thout the ne
cessary 'ticky' (threepence), and &C.
cepted loan.
Rhodes, exclaimed the American
conductor in writhing sarcasm,
Dusty Roads, guess Indeed, the
Colossus looked rather dusty, having
been o. a tramp along the docks. The
detail of dress, however, is one tc
which he is especially Indifferent
His favorite garb is o white flannel
shirt with a polka-dot tie, soft felt
hat and modest gray or black clothes.
He wears no diamonds. In this cos
tune saw him call upon Sir Alfred
Miner at the executive mansion. The
iunkey at the door, nevertheless,
cracked his spine in making an obeis-
ance. .-.ss
'But MI. Rhodes clothes attract you,
attention last, so .domineering, almost
oppressive, is his presence. Not that
he is unlike other men-an immune
to human passions, frailties and
Injuries. Far from it. I noticed
that he greatly enjoys good cigar,
drinks Scotch whiskey and cham.
pagne.
Cecil Rhodes is keen observer,
philosopher, shrewd Of wit, not
given to long speeches, brave, and
lavish with money when he thinks il
profitable to be so. His countenance
IS not an encouraging study for the
sentimental. In the knowledge OF
South Africans he has never shown
attention to any woman. Disappointed
in love stories about him go the rounds
at intervals, Eut are never verified.
There seems to be little room in his
makeup for that sort of thing. He
treats the gentler sex with indifer-
ence and eEen rudeness. For his
two sisters alone does he exhibit fond
ness. aud they, in turn, have the repu-
tation of Eeing 'man-haters.
Nothing aggravates MI. Rhodes
more than for one of the Chartered
company's employees to get married,
I came down from Beira on Ger
man steamer with a welded
couple who were returning to Eng
land most de. .ected. The bridegroom
! had been & trusted lieutenant in
Rhodesia and went home on a leave
of absence at his generals suggestion.
When he returned with rosy-cheeked
bride, however, Rhodes received him
coldly, and remarked shortly that the
climate in South Africa was ruinous
{ to woman's beauty. .
"While this might be construed as
1ittleness,' it is a peculiarity of the
man that falls in line with his life's
aim and work. He holds tha! the
unmarried man will take greater risks
and accomplish more for him on the
fringe Of civilization, He looks at it
in purely business way, and is will
ling to pay the highest prices for the
most efficient work.
Rhodes fac and form command
your respect. His forehead is mas
sive. the grayish light hair lies close
to the head and is inclined to curl.
The esraand nose are big, the chin
firm, prominent and double. The
brows are heavy ara overshadow
bright, keen and thoughtful gray
oroe uio poopfb in1ioo&ao covar;4-