Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-14
GENERAL SAMUEL PEARSON

GENERAL SAMUEL PEARSON
had an interview today. February II,
1911, with General Samuel Pearson, Of the
Boer army, short, thick-Get man, rugged
and brown in complexion, with an earnest
and emotional manner and rapidity Of ut.
terance, which reminded me much of Mr..
Roosevelt, and am sure that in tempera-
ment they are quite alike. When carried
along with rapid flow of words, and with
the bloc flowing to his head, he oc-
casionally lost control of the nerves of
speech and stammered. He was born in the
Transvaal His people. on the side of his
father. came from Denmark, and on the
side of his mother from Holland. Kruger,
to whom he says he was opposed and
who, in his opinion, was a most remark
able parsonage, sent him with a message to
Mr.. Roosevelt. at that time President OF
the United States. He took with him
letter Of introduction from ~Robert Roose-
welt. OF New York, the uncle of the Pres.
dent. The President greeted him with:
What can I do for your"
There is nothing you can do for me
personally. Mr.. Kruger has sent me to
see whether something cannot be done to
prevent the English from getting horses
In America. II they cannot get horses
here they cannot win in the war. Mr.. Nc.
Kinley issued a proclamation on neutral.
ity; this is not being neutral. 1t is aiding
one side in the war, and that side an EN-
pire against democracy"
That question has been settled" said
the President 1T was decided by the
Judge in Louisiana"
what the Judge in Louisiana decided
was that he had no right to interfere and
that II there was to be interference it
must come from the Government of the
for you"
1T is all settled" was the reply. Your
people ought to stop fighting. They ough.
to surrender
This statement angered the General, and
| he said
II did not come here to ask your advice
about military matters md / do not think
you are competent to give it. General Louis
Botha is the man to say whether or not the
cause ought to be surrendered"
IT shall not interfere" said the Presi.
dent
'I will compel you to take some action"
replied the General. who says that Mrs.
| Van Rensselaer, who wrote the history of
| New York, told him that the Roosevelts
were not Dutchmen but Jews He then
went to Louisiana with the determination
Of gathering a lot of men together and
| killing the Engishmen there buying and
| shipping horses. There were about a
suaded to the contrary by the Judge and
by the fact that he was entirely without
money to defend his cause in the Amer.
| lean courts.
"I made a great mistake" he added. "If
I had killed those Englishmen the Ameri.
can people would have been aroused and
our cause would have been won. How
ever, the Dutch have control of the Gov.
ernment in the Transvaal, and as soon as
England gets into trouble they will be in.
dependent. 1t is the greatest war in his.
tory and we ruined the prestige of Eng.
land"
Some time later he saw John Hay, who
told him that the Dutch in the Transvaal
were the vassals of the English
JAMES BRYCE.
October Is and 16. 1912, the American
| Antiquarian Society celebrated at worces.
| ter, Massachusetts,. the hundredth anniver.
| sary of its foundation and assembled many
distinguished men. including President
| Taft. Waldo Lincoln, the president of the
society," gave us luncheon in his house
and sat at little square table, which
| Charles Francis Adams. of Massachusetts,,
and james Bryce, author of the American
| Commonwealth" and tten Ambassador
from England to the United States. A
thin. little man, with bright eye and
long whiskers. he is utterly incapable OF
| dressing himself and his shirt bulged out
in hump before him, but alert. knowing
and wise
II have all the works Of Voltaire in my
library. a hundred volumes or So" said
Adams. but nobody reads voltaire any
more"
'T-could read the works of Jacob Boehm
with interest" added Bryce. "but nc. La
Henriade'"
Il have read La Henriade.'" ventured
to suggest ~
1T Is a pleasure to meet man in Amer
lea who has really read La Henriade.'" re-
piled Bryce In tone which did not quite
disclose whether It meant surprise or sar,
casm. ~
"Rabelais can no longer be read" again
suggested Adams.
TT is too coarse" said I.
1T Is stupid" added Bryce.
l ~ |..t.t
duliness." said Adams.
Take such lines as----
j There was an ancient sage philosopher
Who Ia rsad the works of A16xandp,