Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-02-15
THE VELDT BOER OF FACT
CHARACTER SKETCH OF THE TRANS
WALLER FROM AN ENGLISH PEN,

the Ideal Built Up By Sentimentalists
The Boer Vrouw's Ambition.
There is no ADLER war correspondent
in South Africa to-day than William
Maxwell, of the London Standard.
He sends to his paper description of
the Boer as he finds him, which is the
best, and on the whole the most i'm
partial, character sketch that has
como from an English pen. In the
course of most interesting letter,
Mr.. Maxwell says:
Between the Boer of fiction and OF
fact there is no affinity. They differ
as much as the noble redman' who
scalps his way through the pages of
Fenimore Cooper differs from his
squalid, degenerate son in the native
reserve. The Boer of fiction is a
chivalrous, though somewhat sleepy,
gentleman in corduroy-,a mountain
of beef and bone, given to solitary
musing, and to the shooting of buck
or 'redcoats,' whichever happen to
cross his path. Hunter and hermit,
patriot and philosopher, is the mix
ture out of which he is compounded.
The Boer of fact is a creature of an
other clay. He is a dull, lumpish,
lazy animal, with a capacity for igno-
rance, superstition and tyranny I'M
surpassed by any white race. His
good qualities-for he has redeeming
characteristics-appeal strongly to the
imagination. He clings with the pas
sionate fervor of Covenanter to the
simple and sublime faith of the literal
teaching of the Bible. Love of indie
pendence is deep rooted in his nature.
The history of South Africa during
two and half centuries is full of ex-
amples of his dogged and unconquer-
able spirit. But he has in overpower-
ing degree the defects of these quail
ties. His piety is apt to degenerate
into superstition and sanctimonious
Pharisaism. Love of independence
has begot in him hate of everything
that might tend to disturb his rever-
ence for the past, and suspicion of the
stranger who threatens to "tread him
TO death i'll the solitude of the veldt.
''The absolute seclusion and inde-
pendence of the pastoral life of tho
Boer farmer are accountable for his
ignorance. His education is limited
TO six months instruction by tutor,
who visits the farm on the silent veldt
as soon as the children of the family
are grown up. Few of them can read,
and still fewer are able to write. Yet
the Boer will tolerate nothing that
would dispel his ignorance or contra
dict his superstitions. He is still con-
WINGED that the sun moves round the
earth, and that the earth is fat and
solid substance resting on unseen
foundations.
Persistence in the ways of his
fathers is strong characteristic of
the Boer. Except in the Free State,
where few farmers have outraged
public opinion and flown in the face
of Providence by introducing machin-
cry, the method of cultivatlng the soil
is that of Syria and Palestine. Corn
is still trodien, and the law is Thou
shalt not muzzle the OK when he
treadeth out the corn But the OK
that presumes to think himself worthy
of his reward is beaten numerically.
ohserved Tbera ia motbin" ~ " b.
ia not oonoLlo nf do;na I'll aood
consc;onre "'N " F00N
,],-
AS ialny inah 'ne ooer repu-
t"'ion wouio 5us'iiy nlrn III becoming
oauoi.'s'o ioi 'he D'nnow rhtcn.
o"liy anu susPlcIous III manner heaVy
anu uhco"'h III us ways sny ana re-
SCI Se'' among S'ras9eis' yo" may win
nm W gun ooiui"ii'y' II you are
nuSpano any. ia'nei, anu care 10 hSeen
W 'he ue'aiis Vi lis oomestic NE.
nuV al'houSn 'ne Doei cer'a'niy cner,
isnes WIN ueep anec.ioh s MS wlie ana
onii'ieI' o' ne 'ieays 'neih accoroins 10
", Urieh'ai ra'her thah european laeas.
R lne women always s'ana tlll 'ne fuen
are seateo' aIo are not served uht''
sre satisfied am descr;h;n% @ '' tho
customs of Tho farmer who l;sos 'no np
tbo ra,dt ond hoe ~ "aanai,ts ~ ,ts on
Will Vsstorn n,annors Snap, : '.a'' "noe
is l;t+la ~ ronoarod fran, stota tn as Ian La"
barisn, ord he srrronnd;nao ono ~ ' ~