The South-African crisis - pagina 14

THE SODTH-AFRICAN

10

have never proved

false

CRISIS.

and the Africanders

hav^e

always

pleaded the cause of their brothers beyond the Orange

and the Vaal.

The name "Boer" means peasant but we should be deceiv^ed in comparing the Boers with the French or even the American most part a conquering race which has established itself amongst the Hottentots and the Bantus, as the Normans in the eleventh peasants,

the English farmers,

settlers.

It

for

is

the

century planted themselves amongst the Anglo-Saxons. Abstaining from handicraft, they attend to their pro-

sometimes from two thousand to

comprising

perties

thousand hectars,

three

Bej^ond

this

great

the

and

raise horses

business

of

their

and life

cattle. is

the

chase including even deer-stalking. They are intrepid

horsemen and exercise themselves unremittingly handling

the

rehned

they

arms.

of

in

Without being cultured or

display that natural sagacity which has

always been the

gift of

pioneer nations at the begin-

ning of their historical development. Hence their thirst for

independence and their insatiable love of liberty,

They have too tough a backbone to bow the head under anybodys yoke whoever it may be. Nowhere is there a public life more developed or more widely scattered. The Boer is par excellence the They have politician and military man combined. their own journal which .they not only read but study. Their organisation is thoroughly democratic. They

social

and

political.

themselves their

they

choose

their magistrates,

and even their military officers whom Although Field Cornets and Commandants.

judges, call

their President,

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