The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-25
VIRTUES OF THE BOERs.

The British soldiers went to South Africa
with a feeling of contempt for the Beers.
They regarded them as coarse and illit-
crate and lacking in courage to face
thoroughly organized and disciplined
troops. The British officers looked on a
campaign in South Africa as a sort OF
picnic, and they believed Gen. Buffers
prediction, namely. that the British army
would be in Pretoria by Christmas.
The British soldiers have changed their
views respecting the Beers. and they say
they have changed them. They are manly
enough to confess that they were mis-
taken. They frankly admit now that the
Beers are a brave people. that on the
battle field. they show skill and courage
Of the highest order, and that in dealing
with the wounded of the enemy and the
prisoners they take they are as hui
NAME kind and considerable as they are
brave
The English correspondents have not
hesitated 10 speak of their virtues, and to
describe the impressions they received
while prisoners among them. One OF
them, Mr.. A c. Hales, speaks of them
,n the London Daily News as follows:
Vt saw some of these old gray heads
shattered by our shells, dying grimy, with
knitted brows and fiercely clenched Jaws;
saw some of their beardless boys sobbing
their souls out as the lifeblood dyed the
African heath. l saw some passing over
the border line which divides life and
death, with a ring of stern browed COM
rades round them, leaning upon their
rifles, while a brother or a father knelt
and pressed the hand of him whose feet
were on the very threshold of the land
beyond the shadows. 1 saw others smil-
| ing up into the faces of women-the poor,
pain drawn faces of the dying looking
| less haggard and worn than the anguish
stricken features of their womanhood who
| knelt to comfort them in that last awful
hour-in the hour which divides time from
| eternity, the sunlight of lusty life from
| the shadows of unsearchable death.
Those things l have seen. and in the
ears of English men and women let me say
as one who knows and fain would speak
! the plain ungilded truth concerning friend
| and foe, that not alone beneath the Brit
| ish flags are heroes found. Not alone at
the breasts of British matrons are brave
| men sucked; for, as my soul liveth.
| whe Their their cause be just or unjust,
whether the right or the wrong of this
war be with them, whether the blood of
| the hundreds that have fallen since the
| first rifle spoke defiance shall speak for or
against them at the Day of judgment.
they OF least know how TO die; and when
q man has given his life for the cause he
believes in, he is proven worthy even OF
his worst enemy's respect.
| And II seems TO me that the British ma
ton. with it's long roll OF heroic deeds.
wrought the world over from Africa to
Ireland. can well anord to honor the splens
did bravery and self-sacriice of these
rude. untutored toilers OF the soil.
Il have seen them die"
The correspondents gather their impress
sions from the soldiers about them as well
as from what they see themselves. IL Is
evident that though tho Beers may be rude
and untutored. they have won The respect
OF their foes