The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
HOW THE BOERS LIVE.
Their Homes, Their Manners and
Ideas Very Primitive.

Julian Ralph, in London Mail.
81 want to see the Beers said I. ct
think of going to Stellenbosch to see them
in their homes. Is that good place to
go?"
mo; you might as well go to Piccadilly
circus to see the English farmer or the
Scotch Highlander The Beers in the Cape
Colony are so different from those in the
Transvaal that we never call them Beers.
We speak of them as Afrikanders. They
are one hundred years ahead of the Trans
vaal Boer. They are refined. They have
schools and colleges. They have never
been far or long removed from civilization
and the English. You will get very wrong
ideas If you go and see the Cape Dutch
and write them up as Beers. Would you
like me to describe Transvaal Boer home
and family? Very well, I know them nearly
all. and have stopped with scores of them.
for they are kindly and hispitable. except
when their animosities are aroused. A
Boer house is a building made of brick
and rooted with zinc. IT Is divided into two
rooms, with a wing or lean-to at the back.
That wing is the kitchen. where the Kaffir
girl works. The other two rooms are the
bedroom and the eating room. The floor
of all the rooms is made of ant-hill earth
stamped down and painted over with dilut-
ed COW dung, sometimes mixed with blood.
This gives the floor glossy-green surface.
The sleeping room has as many beds as are
required-usually large one for the man
and wife and another for the children.
often you will see the childrsn's bed pushed
under that of the parents. The eating room
contains a long table and some chairs,
seated and backed with strips of leather.
There will be another smaller table COW
cred with American oil cloth on which the
frau keeps a white glass sugar dish and
perhaps a green glass spoon jar, such as
are given away with pound of tea at
home. These and some Autographs. pinned
up without frames. are the only ornaments.
and sort of settee with a seat made of
leather strips completes the furniture are
the people cleanly? Well, they are apt to
wipe the plates and the baby's face at the
same time and with the same cloth, and
after you have eaten your corn porridge
and dried beef and sweetcake the wife Will
probably eat hers off your dirty plate. Some
women will turn your plate upside down
and eat off the bottom. but that Is consid-
cred putting on side. There may be har-
monium in the corner of the room, and II
you can play any simple tunes the whole
family will dance as long as you like TO
play. For books there is certain to be a
Bible, and there will be a prayer book If
they can afford 1t. They are religious, you
know: that is, they go to churcn and are
fond of thinking themselves in Gods keep
Ing. DuI IDcN never let iCH5ioii iheci AOtc
with business. At horse trade they will
cheat the back teeth out of your head.
You have heard that they sleep in their
clothes? Well, the man takes on his coat
and waistcoat, and sleeps In the rest that
he has on The wife drops off outer
skirt, perhaps. before she gets into bed
of late extra rooms have been added TO
the houses of the better class Beers; but
in the old style, typical two-roomed house,
whoever stops overnight must sleep with
the old folks or children. When you sleep
with the old folks the husband always
takes the middle of the bed. A story
which 1 know to be true is told OF Bishop
Merrman. He was once entertained in
this way, and when he woke in the morn
ing he found that the Boer had crept out
to look after his cattle. He gave one
glance at his sleeping companion. and
dropped out of bed as quickly as If he had
been thrown out. AS to their ablutions,
you will seldom see a Boer with a clean
face. One of them has written to a Cape
Town relative that his people will not
wash until they have driven the British
into the sea- That sounds impressive. but
will not entail much hardship upon his
people.
''They tell story about Paul Kruger's
polish after he had been to London and
seen the Queen and Mr.. Gladstone. 1t is
not a true tale, but ii might easily be true
of the average Boer. The story goes that
when Kruger came home. and was about
to get into bed, his wife came in and saw
she exclaimed, what are you doing with
those English fool clothes? Take them off
and put on your trousers, and go to bed
like an honest burgher.'
''As to their intelligence, you know the
very old story of the Englishman who was
walking through the Cape Colony, and was
warned not to say he was English in any
house where he was asking for a meal
He always said he was from Yorkshire,
and was handsomely treated. don't know
whether that is true or not, but 1t is not
an exaggerated illustration. There was q
leading Transvaal Boer who said to me the
ether day that his countrymen would not
stop until they have driven the English into
Table bay. And them said he, we shall
go on and capture England How can you
do that without ships? / asked him. Oh
said he, how did Moses get the children Of
Israel across the Red sea? They did not
need any ships. Just in the same fashion
God will find way for u.s. Another Boer
who was talking of England said TO me-
L suppose you can see England from Cape
Town, can't your
Finally my friend closed his remrks by
saying that 1t was impossible TO give me a
Clear idea of the Beers In such short talk
He cautioned me to recollect that there are
the Dutch in Cape Colony who are 100
years ahead of the better class Dutch VINO
live in houses in the Transvaal. These he
said, are the ones about whom have been
speaking. But these. in turn. are far ahead
OF the Beers. who move north and south
with their cattle every year ard live at
least part OF the time in tents.
As to Fiction Writing