The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-27

An American Hnvsng Visited One
Tells Him Why They Are Not "a
Nice People.
From the London Mail.

Swigelaar, Esq, Boer, Farmer, Field Cor
net, of Ramdam, Orange Free State: Dear
Sir-What queer people you are TO call
yourselves farmers when you are really
a mere lot of cowboysl
Take you own farm for an example;
your farm appears to be the entire val
ley in which l found your house. A
couple of miles from your house is a barb
ed wire Enclosure given up 40 corn, figs,
mulberries and peaches-a place the size
of an ordinary vegetable garden in Finch
ley or Upper Norwood Such a patch
constitutes man a farmer" it appears,
though the rest of your valley is precisely
as God made il. and your real business,
like that of the Afridis, Turks. Servians.
Albanians and all other such people, is
cattle herding.
The more l saw of the Boer homes and
surroundings the less l liked your peo-
pie. l hope you don't mind my saying so.
The litde bunch of poplars in front of
your house made the place very invit-
ing from distance, but when we reached
your home (all the other farm houses
were precisely like yours, what did we
see? A garden, or a lawn, or flowers?
On the contrary, for a wide space all
around your houses The veldt looks like
shooting ground. Bones, discarded tins,
bottles, skulls of cattle, purifying bodies
of fowls and meer cats and rubbish of
every sort was lying about.
Those are the surroundings of the homes
of yourself and your wealthiest neigh
bors.
And close be- de, almost against your
houses, you build your kraals-the COM
pounds walled in with rocks where you
keep your cattle. That is where an Eng
llshman-or. for that matter, a Hollander
would cultivate a beautiful ard glorious
flower garden.
Then, again, your houses are extremely
primitive and rude. There must be some
essential lacking, my dear Swlgelaar, In
q people who live close to the English
and yet do not even learn how to consult
their own comfort and conven, ence. There
is a little scroilsaw work on one corner
of your house. 1t makes the house look
absurdly loTsided bui it lis the only su
perfuity -except a cato -niue-tails for
licking the black farm hands-that l saw
during two days in your country. Your
houses are nothing but boxes with holes
in them for doors and windows, and,
actually, in your house. one or two rooms
had no windows at ALL Your floors are
of pressed mud vanished with diluted
cowdung and b'ood
VIII you believe me, Swigelaar, these
things help 10 show why your republics
are Offered up for sacrifice they wallow
in the Past, with no hold on the Future.
I sat on your stoop, Swigelaar, with
pro-British Afrik ander, who endeaVored
TO explain things in a way calculated to
make me more lenient with you
He said that only twenty years ago
millions of deer of different sorts roamed
over your alleged farm You could not
keep cattle, and II you cultivated any
edible crop these blesbok, springbox, and
stenbok would eat 1t.
But you had no desire to grow anything
or keepsauy arimal except a horse. Your
kQ their flfhArE
and you were so busy killing and eating
antelope and selling the skins that in one
wear 0S72) one of five traders in near
by village sent to England $1,000 skins.
The other four did quite as well, L be-
lieve You never took up farming till
twenty years ago, and then you went in
for cattle, and had 10 keep them close to
your house on account of stray lions and
tigers and abundant wolves. That's all
very well Swiselaar but you need not
keep on for ever farming with your 1T
tie finger. 1t Is time you took two hands
20 It, now. And you do not fear any non
Except The British Lion) in these days.
therefore, you can move your kraais ana
cattle away from your bedroom and sit
ting room windows-unless you like the
aroma.
AS / sat on your stoop. Swigelaar I let
my mind turn over many Of the interest,"
ing things l have heard about what goes
on in such houses as yours all over the
two republics.
seemed TO see the very occasional Wis
itors ride or drive up, each one salutiug
YOU as "neer' (cousin) II you were about
his age, or "oom" Cuncle) II you we're old
err II your visitor lived in the state you
were certain 10 know him; II he was a
stranger you would remember for twenty
years what day he came and what he said
and did You entertained your visitors on
1f n nd
regular stones i'm the shadow OF the null
berry tree, which has pushed It's way up
through the stoop. If he carried any splr-
its you would drink with him, but you
never offered 10 guest any OF the little
gin you were apt 10 have indoors for your
own and your family's use. To all you
offered coffee, and now and then. dough-
nuts made al the moment Often these
visitors were peddlers or traders, usually
Hebrews How frequently they tricked
your neighbors and sharpened the al
ready fine cunning OF your people,
You occasionally had TO sign your name
10 necessary papers. What en- event thar
vast
"Hushr' cried your wife. Petronolla.
"Father is going 20 sign his name"
All was Sun as death, and the house
hold stood a-uptO,. nud craned its neck
10 see you painting your autograph. while
your mouth worked in concert with your
pen.
II you sold Ahasucrus some skins for 20
he offered you lOs TO sign "A receipt for 40
did he not3 You ala not hesitate, bur
grnned ar getting los 20 lightly earned,
ne wrote ont the paper. you signed IL,
ana your wife rolled her eyes al you ana
said "Oh hcrmanus, how dreadful cioy-
er you afoW
Ga months later you found that d was
promisaory not" sou had signsd-bui
ld us not dwell upon me subject. Her
WlnuF.
Th0se whom you put uD Ia your hOuss