The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-13

Several hundred persons attended the
pro-Boer rally in St. Thomas college
hall last night. II was arranged by
| Rev. r. s. Ballentine, rector of Christ
| Episcopal church. and the principal
feature of 1t was a talk by Mr.. Ballen-
tine on the Boer war, the talk being
based, to a large extent, on facts
| cleaned by the speaker during a visit
to the camps where the Beers are
| eXiled in the Bermudas. It was late
when the meeting opened, and Mr.. Bal
lentine was compelled to make his ad-
dress much shorter than was his origi-
nal intention.
After the expenses are paid, the re-
mainder of the fund created by the rail-
ly will be sent to the Beers
Rev. p. j. McManus, pastor of st.
Paul's Catholic church, Green Ridge,
was the chairman of the evening and
announced that the programme would
open with a song written by Rev. T. S.
| Ballentine. The latter stated that his
song was based on Rudyard Kipling's -
poem, "The Absent Minded Beggar''
which was set to music by G.. Sullivan.
That his version might be the better
understood, he read Kipling's poem,
and then explained that some time ago
he received a pro-Boer song. parody
on the Iliplng effort. 1t lacked rythme
and was not as strong as it might be
and he had rewritten it. In u fine.
robust voice he sang his parody to the
| music arranged by Sullivan for Kip
| ling's poem.
SPOKE. OF BOER WAR.
! AT the conclusion of his song, which
| was heartily applauded Mr.. Ballentinc
gave his talk on the Boer war. He be-
| gan by telling of his efforts to get the
| High School auditorium for the meet
| ing. After considerable effort, he was
referred to Principal w. G. Joslyn. OF
the High school. His talk with Prof
Joslyn showed him the professor was
pro- -Brtisher, he said, and he feared he
would not get the auditorium, and.
sure enough, he did not. 1T was sug-
gested that he arrange a joint debate
with Rev. James Hughes, he to take
the Boer side, and Rev. Mr..
Hughes, the pro-British. He tried to
do this. but Rev. Mr.. Hughes refused
to participate in such a joint debate,
and the matter had to be dropped.
He was amazed. the other day, when
he learned that Rev. Mr.. Hughes on
next Friday night is to deliver a talk
OH South Africa in that self-same au-
ditorium. Rev. Mr.. Hughes is a pro-
nounced pro-Britisher, the speaker
said, and he cannot understand why he
should be allowed, in public school,
to present the British side of the con-
troversy, when the speaker would not
f6 trty- tla
He is considering the advisabilty of
going there next Friday and demand
ing his right to speak for the Beers.
Mr.. Ballentine also read long letter
which he received from +. B. Bissell,
or 1909 Linden street, which went over
the cause of the Boer war from the
British point of view, and urged the
speaker to fair in his statements and
not content himself with giving the
Boer arguments.
HE PROVED THEM
Il never accepted a. statement from
a Boer without proving it from British
sources said Mr.. Ballentine, "and
what propose to say about this trouble
is drawn almost entirely fro.n British
sources"
He then read from a pamphlet, writ
ten by an Englishman named Methune.
the story of the troubles that culmin-
ated in the present war. This state
ment was true in the main, he said.
but some of the conclusions drawn and
inferenceS thrown out were not lust to
the Boer
'The British have more to contend
with in South Africa than they had in
America when the war of the revolu-
tion was being fought, and they will
be worse off when the end comes than
they We're at the end of the revolution"
was one of the strong statements the
speaker made
Il went to the Bermudas," he con-
tinued, with the idea that the South
African war was over but / changed
my mind after / had talked with the
Boer prisoners who are in exile there
The English do not understand the
Beers but the Beers understand the
English from A to ism.
1.-THE Boer plan now is to avoid a
pitched battle, but to make the war so
expensive for the English government
that the people will rise up and de-
mand that an end be put to the war"
STATEMENT DENIED.
He denied the statements that come
from British sources to the effect that
the Beers went north because they
could not hold slaves where they were
after slavery had been abolished in
South Africa by the British govern
ment in 1888. The Beers who went
north to find Il new home and escape
the tyranny of England, were pilgrims
as surely as our forefathers who landed
ut Plymouth rock. and their subse-
quent conduct was much more worthy
of commendation than that of the Ply
mouth colony, the speaker said.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Ballentinel
address, Miss Irene Kann, accom-
panied by Miss Elizabeth Harrington,
sang the national song of the Beers.
She was enthusiastically applauded.
The next feature of the evening was
the singing of Comrades in Arms" by
the Junger Maennerchor, of South
Scranton, under the leadership of Prof.
Theodore Schmidt. 1t was given In an
exceptionally fine manner. and IN re-
sponse to an encore they sang "Barde,"
a war song, This was given in Ger
man.
The concluding feature of the rally
was in the nature of stereopticon
display of views of the Bermudas and
South Africa.