The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-04
RICHMOND Tad
IN SOUTH AFRICA R:
Clever Letter From the Heart
Of the Kaffir
Land.
x MhrlnMAl9 cplplT lNs ri ENTITY
NATIONAL SPIRIT IN. PLENTY.
When Americans Get Together
Their Patriotic Celebration III
is Lively.

llSIiS Ill MIN -
is Lively.
Especial Correspondence Of Tho Times
Dispatcli)
johannesburg, South Africa,
April LIST, 1905.
Dear Blink:
when left Richmond for the Dark
Continent you told me to write TO you II j
could find time. Well. I've found it
plenty OF it--its here In big wads Ev-
erybody Is Just full OF II. I'll promise
you before the Getaway that snail
not attempt any scenic description or
word painting. I couldn't paint a word
AZ somebody would put the busli in my
hand. In writing Biff Waters not long
ago, got careless and cried to describe
Natures wonderful work in South Africa.
IL ga ia, Would that you could see the
lofty mountain peak who to the stars
98iIncrowns his majesty, making the
heaven of heavens his dwelling place.
4 And Bff wrote back 'Cut out the lofty
mountain peak and his celestial bunk,
and tell us something about the kaf-
fIrs" There's no poetry In that mans
youl / can see that's but ! think he's
y right anyway Nearly all travellers IN
foreign lands write long wcinerwurst let.
tiers home about snow capped peaks ana
fl winding streams, and never think OF tell
ing us that by our shoes chiefly do Tor
= eipners tell our nationality and that
some hotel doors have the door knobs IN
tho middle; that in England every second
word TO and from a servant is please
ana that when ar Englishn1nn says = thank
yo,,.' the word thank. is uttered In
u middle Cl and the you away up IN h'gn
q. or high X Catch? lf$not this VII
have to keep TIL / get home and wei,
70 out in the backyard GONE day ana
work It. But honestly now. Ism II the
little commonplace-the ordinary every
day things Of a foreign coun try-a.ha
" want to hear about? So I'm just solils
n toss over to you, In Chop Suey style,
q few things about South Africa th fl
have struck me as peculiar
The most peculiar thing about TINS
country is that It Is not so peculiar a.
all In many respects II ls h ech--i
A Macy with us in civilizations race, :,Eo
4 Rave felt quite at home ever since
dronpcd anchor--except every now ana
5s3 man when j receive a letter from me IN
III. s.. thirty or :hirty-nves days .atter !,
T Is posted. Something then tells me !
II am n mile or two from home.
This makes me thing tina. a reno. .. ..e,s
standg n poor show OF getting an a amer er
ican wife when he's thirty days anu ~
twelve thousand miles away from me
Ss a ,,,at rimonial ma rket. Why In these Gays
81 rush and hurry and get rich quick
LAWYERS, a woman might be married aaa
divorced two or three times before she
could get your tardy WIZ :
How They Travel.
Another thing that seperated ne tom,
ar,iv ram tina at home feeling IN
South Africa was my first rae ~ H.,
I,icRsha--a two wheeled, ruop , lileu$
conveyance Borrowed from me me ' '1pS,
Tra I'm BY big stout luiu. win IN, i ~
.nida b,e looking horns skilfully tied on
h;a head rings In his ears, ana ie "a .n n:l
"a skin. and trinkets and stun az Nv.
N h,s body. This is the CHIEF moo ' -. =.
CONVEYANCE In Durham ana some ism
other African cities. and When any e, We
~ the governors reception OF o1 ns
q l'te 81 srnctacular attraction IS pc
.r, % served YOU can see hundreds OF .l'sse
,s,,, Z,l,is between the shafts fuI UNI ~
=, a;a,.,.f direction. 1t looks funny -
X Soc a Gazabe in frock coat ana shn nc. ,.e
chasing to a pink tea IN q f. ,r'..,, Mt
would be bad form In Rle. .l'''. ,,n,,
these men down here don ,. N. sIost al
fhey 90 or how they look. ~. to 70, 80
,ha,,, yea dropping fedoras Win ute :,
4 .,,;,si ond ono night at high class Shuue-
s s1,,a1.t thc,tre saw fellow In dress
o,nti,cs In 4 private box smoking a re
md talking to n lady. caileu
friends attention to It, and after , ne ..l .nu
looked, he turned a., arouna th Dug YOU
80.
said She was smoking q p'po|-73l' - I'll
why l turned to see. "a
= sneakinp again about Rickshas ana
& .tR icksha Boys as the pullers are Sai.
cd Won soon get used to them anu t tl's,,
formidable nake-u up doesn't irl ls1 - W
8a g Ward n,ggers in The rough anyway.
III IN strong for the Ricksha ! on can ca,
Z ,.,aar,9 ~ nights accumulation OF olo
saotch more comfortably In RicHsna
~ the wav home than In any deep -seu
Going cab that ever hung arouilu 9 o,,s
dollar per, waiting for you 10 .aNs .I1 s,o 70
LAST drink. These Rickshn poys II
49,. 49, navcra wal k--and they can trot w
49,, ,nre and feel as lively next morn 1l.n
~ 49,. ~. anv seyenteenth- Street Niger ever
Az m a Saturday night. I .ntN !o''s'
{ aroceful strides give to the h!cksi H..ad
rocking. lullaby effect that IS s ui. "a
- s,rnd,,ce sweet slumber or money :.
4 t ~ pguu1 - YOU sleep too long. now,
aua, 'vou,r liable to wake UP ana Inv
t.a,r.oIy somewhere out In tho pusnes q.
~ wv odro n town. Ricksha boys 40 no'
sneak English and when YOU wan an, inst 3iuat
~ % In a certain dlrccHon w ..s,,,;,1s
poke them with your po IC,.,a 81 J. m ne no
stick and then Poln'' ti' 'S ~
lite way to do 1t.
Kaffir Language.
I'd give a good deal 20 y ~ Its also
Hneuk the |hhl11I w. @ H.,
1nrt Ting 10 hear these black fellows 3a ,'.
Herring t ing With one another and glggllns rlgn
~ wn1,r presence and you standing tnele
i II ~ n chump, not knowing what they're
saving saw They may be Kidding you-yo1 ~
can't tell. And there's ~ satls,usefom''Ht
cmssing them either, because they can an,
nndf,rs1and YOU. Nearly all South Afrl-
can hotels employ Kifflr servants; to :
chamber work, and indentured indian
coolies for the dining room, CooNas
are worse than. IIlaffirs in many respects
hui they do not get that tired tef..H.; 70
often, a kaffir- only loIlg e1'e ...,a
- save sufficient money to buy a wife.
vi or two, or three, or four; then he goes
out to tho, Kraal ana lives happily, for
ever afterward, his wives doing all me
heavy work-a well as tho light work
n "A Kaff!r girl is sold by her father tor q