The Florida star., 1902-08-08
FUTURE OF THE BOERS
General De Villiers Tells of the
Outlook For His People.
WILL BE FAITHFUL TO NEW RULE.


BE subdued Work ia BE Done
Quietly and Faithfully - Devotion
of the Doer women-PrOse and PO-
etic Literature of the War.
Before sailing for South Africa one
of the younger Boer leaders. J. de
Villiers, formerly attorney general of
the Orange Free State and a SCARED
fighter, who was prisoner in Bermu-
da, spoke recently ut the Union Square
hotel in New York Of the devotion OF
the Boer soldiers.
1T is the only manful thing TO ac
cept facts as we find them nOw," Gen
eraI de Villiers said 10 a reporter of
the New York Commercial Advertiser,
.'and that we have done, but it has re-
Quired almost greater courage than for
the fierceSt charge on the battlefield.
My one consolation now, and indeed
all through the weary struggle, has
been the thought that, while many
high i'm rank were found wanting i'll
the hour of need, there were many
more. even in the lowest ranks, who
were ready for any trial and unafraid.
Their devotion has been the sustaining
power through the long three years.
Never were the women of Il distressed
country more devoted, not only in the
tender sympathy and support SO natu-
raj 10 them, but III rOugher and more
active service. When the war broke
out, the Bopr women were not only
sewing and stitching, but plOwing and
tilling the farms aS we'll There is
many an instance of Il wife sending
back to the ranks her discouraged and
deserving husband Il better and Drawer
man. Others | have&nOwn who. rath-
er than let their cattle fall into the
hands of the enemy, have followed the
army for days-likr the Roman ma
tron. you say, who dispatched her
SONS To the battlefield with this fare
we'll: Return with your shields or up
on them Yes. that is quite true.
Now. OF course. we are bound for
our homes, such as they are. 10 do our
share in the advancement OF South Af-
rica, There is great land north of
the TranSvaal still to be Subdued. ami
the portion of the labor that falls 10
us Will lee quietly and faithfully done.
The term 'BOcr' itself means 'tiller OF
the soil but Olive Schreincr well dis
tin%uiSh"S between O,Ir TWO main
types, II Boer knows but Dutch,
he is a Bocr: il two languages, he is
South African There are many Of
this latter class among lis, and they
are wrll able to take up work in any
line of science or industry.
Like your fathers in the days of
1876. we had but an unframed body
of men, but in This age of telegraph
and cable and machine gun ii is still
more difficult for Il raw army To win
than in former centuries. Eut we have
fought our fight. and is it not the high
est thing i'm the world To hc 80 loyal
To a cause, whether il be right or
wruu%, that it is joy 10 give your life
for it: | am sure it is.
There may lee quite Bocr litera-
turc of this war. for there are many
men who can give able accounts of the
S,ru-"Ic. and will. one literary clergy
m;u i'm South Africa know who has
his history almost complete. W" haN"
several rhymStcrS too one in our own
body Of prisoners has written ma"y
stirring war Suu-S. The Bovr \ "a very
docilc fellow, you know. ana very
manageable II you understand him.
hut hc il very feeling man even If
not always 80 very administrative. You
have heard how my comrades received