The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1903-01-14
IMPRESSIONS OF A B0ER
General Ben ViGoen Amazed at
Our Rushing Ways.
ADMIREs NEW YoRK's POLICEMEN

fused-Statue of Liberty Excited
Tears For Lost FreedOm-our Ex-
tremes In Taste Surprise Him.
General Ben Viljoen, who was the
assistant commandment general of the
Boer forces up to the close of the TRACE
dy that robbed his country Of a govern
ment, recently visited New York to
make arrangements for the colonization
of Boer families in the southwest says
the New York World
A careful student of affairs is Gener-
al Viljoen. Though born on the veldt
he has the airs and Sraces Of the gen.
tleman soldier. At times the general is
sad Il wept when l saw your statue
of Liberty on entering your magnificent
harbor." he said Il do not envy you
YOUR statue, but our statue of liberty in
Pretoria has been torn down, and the
lion and unicorn, emblematic of Eng
land, have replaced it. AS l remarked
this to an American lady who stood be-
side me on the deck she seid, oh, you
should not be Respondent Your time
may come and that mighty SOON
Il was impressed with the courtesy
Of your customs officials, the celebrity
with which | was interviewed and
Snapshotted by reporters, the speed of
the cab that ratified me to the Waldorf,
the enormous number of guests in that
hotel and the tremendous banging of
gongs and rattle of bells that | heard
above, beneath and on the ground.
your people are an age in advance
of England III the practical things that
help a country to hold the lead. You
are extraordinarily quick. Your me-
thodical way, for instance, of running
your overhead railways strikes the
quiet stranger very forcibly. l watched
the guard on on6Sof these trains snap
his gates to with a clatter the moment
a bell was rung. | watched several
men rushing to get III at that gate, but
the moment they saw it was closed
they halted and calmly proceeded to
read their newspapers. | asked why
they didn't try to go on board, as there
was quite a little time before the train
started after the gate was closed. You
don't know those fellows was the
quick answer of Il prosperous looking
gentleman. Once they close a gate it
stays closed, and that goes What he
meant, | suppose, was that there was
method in keeping the gate shut after
the signal was given. l inquired fur
Their and was told that life would be
terribly insecure if those guards took
chances in opening those gates, so |
admired the rule.
Your men are ever hurryiug along,
impatient to get rid of the matter in
hand. Those with whom | have asso-
ciated astonish one by the way they
get at a point directly instead of in the
deliberate way we of older associations
assume.
"Of course your tremendously high
buildings. with scores of floors, impress
a man from the great fat stretches of
veldt. l can hardly say, however, that
these big buildings DO much for the
harmony SO desirable even in mighty,
busting city. The manner in which |
was carried some twenty stories high
in an elevator like streak of light
ming took my breath away. Coming
down in the elevator at what thought
), was double speed made me feel for
my head, which | imagined had been
left twenty feet behind, and the ele-
vator man seemed dazed when on land
ing on terra firma | asked him what
he meant by going at such pace.
81 can't help noticing your peculiar
taste for heating every house abnor-
maIly and at the same time taking ice
in every drink. 1t is iced water day and
night You people must be very hot in
, side ana very cold outside.
II was delightfully."- impressed with
the courtesy Of your cOnStab!eS and
their willingness to assist Il stranger. l
felt rather small when l offered con-
stable half u dollar as a tip after he had
directed me to place that | was anX-
ious to find and could not, and ne re-
fused it, saying, Not necessary. sir
Why. if you offer a tip in England it
will be accepted right away as a mat
ter of fact, and if you fail TO tip you are
ut once in the bad books all along the
line
Your constables must be very well
fed, as | have never seen body OF men
in such good condition. saw your fire
brigade move along twice to fires, but
they went at such lightning speed l
could not see very much OF them.
The daily papers as run in this coun-
try are a novelty to me. The rapidly
with which news is gathered and pho
tographs or sketches published puts Eu-
ropean news vendors in the shade.
What think healthy sign is the fact
that almost every person reads the
newspapers.
1.-THE pOliteness shown toward women
in ills country gives me hope that the
nation you may have to fight some day
Will not have their women and children
a murdered or i'll treated by the Ameri-
can soldiers" .-..-..-