The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-04-19
KAFFIRs AS SERVANTS.
Picture of Domestic Conditions in
South Africa.
New York Tribunel

New York Tribune)
vivid picture of domestic conditions
in South Africa was given yesterday to
| a Tribune representative by Mrs. A. A.
BLOW. She was the originator OF the
idea of the hospital ship Maine. the gift
of Americans in England to the Brit
| lsh troops in South Africa Her hus-
band was manager of Il mine in South
Africa, and Mrs. Blow lived there for
several years. In recalling the domes-
tic problem as it exists in that region,
she said:
Most of the work is done by KAT
mrs, who, like the southern negroes in
slavery times are called boys no
matter what their age may be. When
the kaffir boys come from the kraals
no one ever uses their native names
As soon as they are brought in contact
with the whites they take a white
name. This produces results which are
not lacking in elements of humor.
Among the house boys Knife. Fork
and Spoon We're common names. Ia
BILE, Chair Carriage. Watch and
Matchbox were other names that |
had in the house at various times. My
butler rejoiced in the stately appella-
ton of New One 1t was when the
slang phrase, That's new one on me-
was prevailing.
One of my house boys took the utii
itarian name of Ham an Eggs The
kaffirs are very fond of rice, when
they learn to at it among the whites.
and our stable boy thought he had
found the incest name in the world in
Rice But the Kaffirs have the same
difficulty as the Chinese in pronounC-
ing the letter r. and so poor Rice al
ways called himself Lice Down at
the mine they would take Pick and
Shovel, and all such expressions in
common use. One day the wife of one
OF the carpenters sent down to the
compound for boy to do her kitchen
work. The boy heard one expression
in frequent use at the mine. 1t had
struck him as euphonious and pleas
ing, and so, when she asked him his
name, he calmly replied Dam Fool
Why, l can't call you that said
she, Mortified. I will call you Joseph
The boy flew into a rage. He said
Dam Fool was 'moochlie gum Ga
nice name, and that if he could not
have that name he would not work
for her. He was so stubborn about it
that she either had to use the name or
send him back to the compound.
Eventually she kept him. and she told
me that it was a relief to her feelings
sometimes to have a kitchen boy an
swering to just that name.
We had ten Kaffirs in the house.
but never could quite bring myself to
eat Kaffir cooking. 1t was apt to be
weird. We had an English housekeep-
er who did the cooking. But one time
/ took her down to Johannesburg for
weeks vacation, and Candle, who was
her chief assistant, took charge of the
cuisine in her absence. All the boys
We're fond of Mr.. Blow, and Candle was
very anxious to serve him properly.
One night he brought in a baked GUS
tard for dessert. He had seen the cook
prepare ii, and had followed the exam
pie with anxious care. When Mr.. Blow
tasted it he thought for a moment he
was in the clutches of nightmare.
Just to see what the boy could have
done to it, he followed the subject up,
and it transpired that Candle had fla
vored the custard with Worcestershire
sauce instead of vanilla. They were of |
the same color, and the simple child |
Poor Candle was quite |
;restfallen.
The prices of ordinary necessities |
we're frightfuI,' went on the speaker. |
We had to pay from S1.25 to $1,75 a
lozen for eggs. / kept a hundred hens /
myself, which helped to solve that
problem. and many others did the
same. More than half the eggs in the
country are brought from the Madeira
Stands. The boats used to come from |
here just laden with them. Milk is al
ways sold by the bottle. One never
speaks in that country of buying
luart of milk. 1t is always, Go get a
bottle of milk, and it is usually deliv-
red in an old claret bottle. 1t cost
rom IS to % cents quart. and it
wasn't very good when you got it.
Most of our butter came from Hol-
and in tins, and cost 80 cents for =
pound tin. In Johannesburg no one
very thought of drinking any but bot
led water. We bought soda water
hundred bottles at a time. But up at
he mine we did drink a little natural
water after it had been boiled, filtered
md cooled -