Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-24

OF curiosity entered the same church.
anticipating. OF course, that | should
find II crowded, from the mere fact that
the President went there. / was judg-
ing by what one would have looked for
In Washington-or London The little
Pretoria church could not have held
more than 100 or so. yet counted but
twenty-four In the congregation, and OF
these the majority were mothers with
babes In their arms. The President
took his seat In an armchair which had
been specially provided for him beneath
the pulplt-this was the only distinction
he enjoyed over the rest of his fellow
worshipers To be sure, II was a great
or distinction than any President OF the
United States would have permitted;
but then, no American President, not
even Washington, has played 50 pecu-
liar part as Kruger.
The service was very slmple-about
the sort Of thing | should have found
In most Methodist or Congregational
meeting houses In an American village.
There was a long prayer. a long SER
mon, a hymn or two a chapter from the
Book OF Books, and a benedictiOn. The
babies did what babies are apt TO do
when they tire Of one position, or
think Il is meal time, but baby voices
rufiled neither Paul Kruger, the parson.
nor any one else. There appeared moth
ing unnatural In babes receiving nour-
ishment In church as well as anywhere
else. The President sang the good old
hymns In a voice like distant thunder,
and paid close attention 10 the sermon.
The surroundings Of this poor little
church were pathetlcally meager or
tawdry, yet | can recall no more Inn
pressive service In Westminster Abbey
or ST. Paul's.
The president told me a story to Illus
trate his wlckedness an a youngster.
OF course. we know that his childhood
and youth were spent mainly in cattle
wagons. and that he did not get an Op-
portunIty for being baptized until he
was is. But. In spite OF all these elu-
catloHal handicaps, the Beers who led
this gypsy life for so many years man
aged to hold fast 70 the Bible, and give
the youngsters wholesome dose Of
good, old-fashloned Calyanlstlc doc
trlne. But Kruger was rated as n very
bad lad in his day, measured. OF course.
by the standards OF the "Dopper
Church" He told me that he was not
merely the best wrestler, the best rider
and the best shot Of his time but was
also noted for playing an sorts Of
pranks calculated to shock the good
people Of his community. l suppose he
was a bit of tom Sawyer" In his
way.
The first church for the new town was
about ready. forget the namc-per-
haps Il was Rustenburg. At any rate.
young Kruger, along with the rest Of
the people Of that community. had
worked upon the sacred edlhce. ana the
time came for some solemn function
connected with the dedication. on that
particular day. when all the people. in
solemn garb and mien. had assembled
20 do honor 10 the occasion, there was
a Psychological moment when all gazcd
up TO the roof and saw a youngster
standing on his head, clacklng his heels
together That youngster was Paul
Kruger
What happened after that has not yet
become accessible 10 the historian. |
heard that Influences were subsequently
brought 10 bear upon him which pro-
duced change OF heart, 20 say nothing
OF new skin. His father appealed TO
him IN various ways-first at one end
then at the other. Which prevailed I
know not.
Some years after this young Kruger
became subject TO melancholia. and re-
tired to the wilderness without letting
any one, not even his wife, know OF his
Whereabouts. He was several days alb.
sent, and then his neighbors went in
search They were guided 10 him by
nearing the chanting Of hymns in the
olstance-and from my experience Of
that voice they must have heard him a
days journey of. Poor Kruger had
been fasting, and was so emaclated that
ne had 10 be held on horseback as they
brought him home.
That was In 1851 when 80 years OF
age. From that time on Kruger was a
mana devout Christian ac-
cordng 20 his lights.