The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-03-18
WELL-BRED GIRLS
DANGEROUS ONES GROWING UP
IN THE TRANsvAAL.
The South African Young Woman
Has not Yet Arrived but She In on
Her Way-Her Outdoor Life.

has hardly arrived yet; but when 1t
comes, says writer In the Queen,
let the Americans see to their lau-
rels, for they wln have dangerous
competitors in the field.
The Dutch women of the Trans
vaal are tall and splendidly deyei-
| opcd, and there are the two distinct
| types, the purely Dutch with golden
brown hair, gray or hazel eyes and
! creamy skin and the brunette of
! french descent with dark eyes and
hair and rich dark coloring. But
| both types are on larger scale than
their European antecedents The
sun OF South Africa is a great vital
izer, and the children OF that land
| OF vast spaces have more room to
grow and develop in, and they lead
from their infancy such an out OF
doors life that they are bound to be
an Improvement physically on their
sisters Of the northern hemisphere.
Dutch women of South Africa al
ways accompanied their husbands in
their large hooded, slow moving
wagons. their nomadic existence ex.
tended to carelessness CT habits and
OF dress, but 1t developed in them an
Infinite capacity for persevering ef-
fort, a strength of character, a stub
bornness, as well as great vitality,
all OF which excellent qualities 90 to
the making of a strong nation.
The present generation can be di-
vfdaH N t,nn
Inhabitants of the weld and those of
the towns and villages, and while
the fundamental characteristics are
the same-grit, tenacity, levelhead-
edness. ndependence-still, there Is
a wide difference between the Boer
woman OF the country and the edu-
Gated Dutch woman of the towns.
The former on reaching the age of
80 are large, fat and heavy. They
marry very young and have patriar-
chal families, and over husband and
children they WELD a great sway, an
influence very much greater than
that of the English woman.
To a stranger the Boer vrouw APP
pears stupid and silent; she shuts
her mouth determinedly and sits
stolidly through his visit; but in
reality she is taking a detailed mem
orandum OF his appearance, ways,
and manners and nothing escapes
her notice. If she is persuaded of
his friendliness and good intentions
she may relax little; but the Dutch
never by any chance tell you any
thing more than they wish you to
know.
The Boer women have always been
accustomed to good supply OF
Kaffir servants on their farms and
they are not quite the energetic
housewives one imagines but they
generally prevail on their servants
to get the work done to their salts
faction and there is one branch of
housewifery in which they excel
the making of "komfyt" or pre-
serves, whether jam-making of the
ordinary kind or more elaborate
method of preserving the delicious
fruit of the land.
Wide as the poles asunder are the
educated Dutch women of the towns
or those indeed of the country who
have been sent to Cape Colony or to
Europe to scnool. AS adaptable as
the Americans, with decided mental
ability, they are full Of common
sense.
A girl who has been to a good
school in South "~'oa and after
wards in Europe. has something most
charming and fascinating about her.
Handsome, vivacious, capable, with
clear idea 0f what she wants and
how to get 1t, she carves pleasant
and useful way for herself through
life.
Her out of doors life has made her
strong and healthy and sic sees the
advantage OF certain amount of ex-
ercise. Since the war, IL not before,
she has taken great interest in
politics as well as in the work of
her father or husband and in phil
anthropical matters she displays
strong organizing ability. She has
not yet developed the female bache-
lor" ways of Independent English
womanhood, for in South Africa in
every colony there is a large sur
plus of men and the Dutch girl in
variably marries young and rules
husband and family ever after.