The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-05
The Black Mountainrrrs of south Africa.

That the men who do things canno,
always tell about them IL unfortunat civ
shown in Sir Godfrey Lagden's two vol
umes on The Basutos" ,AppletonsI.
Sir Godfrey knows more about thes.
people than any other European. he lived
among them as AN administrator for
nearly twenty years. for the last nine
of which he was British Resident Com
missioner. lie is entitled to the create
share Of credit for tn" improvement.
in the condition NJ the natives. for the
orderly state 81 their land and for their
loyalty To the British Crown lie has a
remarkably interesting story To tell Of
a negro ruler whom h., admlres and Of
"A people for whom he shows a sympathy
and AN understanding that are rare IN
an EnglIshman judging blacks and in
AN administrator who has had 10 deal
with them. The reader who will read
his book atienrly viii ba rewarded for
ms trouble A. tha sam" time h. " III
regret that Sir Godfrey has been unable
to shake OF Blue Book traditions that
he writes an involved and confused Eng
lish aud that he wastes tim" on small
matters. which may have had their i'm
porranCa IN tn. past hut which ar" fOrtG-
nately forgotten now The story 81 the
white mans intrusion on native territory.
" har her h.. be- Boer or British. - too com
mon TO make the account II the two sides
in particular aGgre~sions interesting. and
tbs, long story of British muddling lrnt cen
rh., Colonial OffiC.-. the Government at
Cape Town and m" officials on the spot
- very dreary II was hardly worth
while tn cntir into most of the details
ne gives or into the criticism 81 the iuvarI-
able hlundaring somewhere Of the author
ltiss that dealt for "A century with the
BaSu'oS
Rasut GLAND l. called very appropriately
the Switzerland Of South Africa II -
about the size of Switzerland and consists
~ mountain ranges that reach th" h"i ght
Of - uS feet. whns the tapl"ands on
which moss OF the p""pl. liz" ar" 5.""
to .r1 feet aboy. sea level II forms =
wedge between Cap" ColoHy, tn" Orlng"
Free State and Natal = - a very difficult
country. which accounts for it, being left
IN possession ~ the hlaC-- In" popula-
ton is mainly Rantu. Sir Godfrey believes
that Il IL made up ~ various tribes that
sought shelter IN the mountains and ne
came amalgamat"d They wer. brought
under the head chiefta inship of one man
in the early Part Of the last century and
this man MoSheah. who ruled them from
about is20 10 is7u. Is the hero of Sir God
frev's book He Established his suprem-
aCy over the other chiefs. he substituted
order and law for force. he saw that he
must count with the whit" man and called
in the mIsslona rIe- TO instruct his people
he decided that he British supremacy
would M. loss harmful for IN" Rasutos
than that OF the Beers and asked fos pro-
lection long b-fCr. the British wer. ready
TO grant II
This tale of Il BasI'o Charl.ma IN" de-
served 10 h" told by itself II ~ tangled
up with a painful story "f British iEno-
ranc" and irr-SolITion with regard To the
blacks and the Beers. When occasionally
a man in Office saw clearly what should
he done those nj Cape Town or in London
a. the case might be did not understand
or would not help. The usual difficulties
bet tween natives and whG" men were.
complicated byth" interference Of authori-
tics far away. Into all these matters,
Of purely local interest now. 81 Godfrey
enters. His Judgments ar" probably
correct and will AID tn" South African