Carrie Chapman Catt - Diaries, Europe, South Africa, August 2 - November 15, 1911 (Box 1, Folder 1)

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it with their camera . The lion trotted off and was the only one seen during the excursion.

We have learned that Pretoria is fighting hard to keep the Capital and as a means to that end is putting up some so called Union buildings which have been artistically designed and suited to the hills which entirely surround the City. They are Roman in effect and are well under way. They are supposed to look like the followig following two views when completed. The building in the background is the creation of the imagination so nearly as I could learn.

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The few days of rest did us all good. The exceeding heat which now stretched over the nights as well plus the fatigue of our long hot journey made the rest absolutely necessary. On Monday according to program the entertainment began. There was a lunch with speeches at the hotel in private dining room, about forty being in

[57 crossed out] 64 In the evening there was a public meeting presided over by a Mayor whose wife id[is] most charming. He got a title of Sir last November which did not fit him but she pld [played] the part of Lady to perfection since the Lord made her one before the King did. We had a crowded house. The Dr. was not able to be present but will speak later. On Tuesday there was a lunch with Mrs. Botha the wife of the Prime Minister. The house, the lunch, the woman were rather ordinary but we were grateful for the recognition. On Wednesday Mrs. H. C. Hull wife of the Minister of Finance lunched us and held a drawing room meeting afterward where I spoke. This time the woman, the lunch the house were extraordinary as refinement, courage of conviction, and familiarity with society were in evidence on every hand. Mrs. Hull is pretty stylish broadminded. This is interesting and both her husband and herself have had a touch of the tar brush. In her case it is evident but if it would improve other women as much and lift them as much above the average I wish they might all get it. I must mention that luscious strawberries were a part of the Menu on the 27th day of Sept. one of the evidences of spring. On Thursday two big Motors, one belonging to Mr. Sauer, the other to Mrs. Hull came at nine o'clock for us. We four together with Miss Haynemann, Mrs Biggars, Dr. Mary Hannan, and the pretty Mayoress who is President of the Club, were loaded into them. The day was frightfully hot and the roads unspeakably dirty and rough. We first visited a Native school. We saw all the gradez, standing to [windw?] meantime. They sang for us and did very well but not so well as our Darkies. We interested to learn that most of the girls were daughters of chiefs. There were several men grown in the class of beginners and we learned that they had earned the money to come to the school. They were paying about $60 per year. The girls have a debating club and posted on the wall were some of the subjects they has discussed. They were the simple differences which doubtless seemed most obvious to their minds between civilization and uncivilized customs. For instanceN Is it better to sit down or to sit on a chairM Is it better to have a two storied house or one story. Is it better to have a decorated house or a plain one etc. We had morning tea with the Superintendent and went on our way to the Premier mine. We arrived at noon very hot and mussed, had a poor lunch at the hotel which belongs to the mine, and then under direction of the Manager we went to see the works which are quite different from Kimberley, the chief differences being that the mine is open and all the work is done from the top and the other that the stone containing the diamonds is crushed instead of lying for a a year and a half on the ground. The noise of the grinding machinery was so great we could hear little. We were shown 50,000 pounds worth of diamonds ready for the market. The people employed including 12000 Natives are kept with a walled City the wall being composed of wire well barbed. There is a school and a church and ordinary needs are supplied at co-operative stores where all who are members get a very good return. It was here the largest Diamond in the world was found named the Culinen after Sir. Thomas Culinen the chief developer of this mine.

They told us they had to pay 60 % tax to the Government whereas the DeBeers people only pay 10%. I must inquire about this.

From the mine we returned to Pretoria via the farm of Samuel Marks a multi millionaire who has spent a good deal on this farm. There was an artificial lake, fed by an artificial canal, a very extensive poultry section very much up to date, a dairy also up to date, a handsome tastefully furnished house, a very big orchard gardens and extensive flower garden. It was beautifully kept and a tremendous expense but at this time of year it was not pretty owing to dust. It showed us something of the possibilities of farming here. We arrived home at seven o'clock having ridden about 50 miles.

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On Friday I had to cancl [cancel] an appointment for tea as I was too tired. In the evening came the reception on the Town Hall of the Mayoress. Of course I spoke and the Doctor was able to speak also. It was very well arraged and I think went off well but the chief guests were too tired to know. On Saturday I rested again in the morning and in the afternoon Mrs. Hull took us in her Motor to call upon the Minister and Mrs. Smuts. He is regarded as the chief and dominating mind in the Cabinet They live on a farm as the five children are delicate and theyvare [they are] bringing them Mrs. Smuts was educated at Wellington by Americans. She was never out of South Africa and is called very clever with a great influence over her husband. We found her with unkept hair and a reform dress which made her look anything but prepossessing. She served tea but forgot the cakes which had been provided. Her brother strolled in and later left withot [without] a word. We concluded they were eccentric. However Mr. Smuts said he had no objection to woman suffrage. The house was well kept and clean In the bedroom where we laid off our wraps there was a fur robe over the bed which looked primitive and another on the couch. A rain the night before had settled the dust and made the air cooler. The afternnoon [afternoon] had therefore been very delightful. To-day Sunday I have refused all invitations in order to get my mail in order my packing done in order to leace [leave] early tomorrow morning and not to approach the work in Johannisburg in too tired a condition. The people of S Africa say they must not work so hard ad [as] other people as the altitude is too hard on the heart. WE [We] are trying to go slow too. The real difficulty is they have black folks to do the hard work.

The Manager of the Premier mine said the 75% of the S. African diamonds went to the U.S.A.

The best Zoo in S. Africa is here and it is very good inddeed [indeed]. The Musm [Museum] is also good, the chief objects of interest being S African animals of course.

Out at Sea, October 30, 1911.

It was impossible after leaving Pretoria to write up the record of or daily proceedings. I must now recall the events from memory. Our stay at Pretoria had been too hot to make it a very enjoyable one. Our hotel was fairly comfortable and we liked the people but the climate was not agreeable and the residents told us that all Pretorians felt tired all the time. So did we. As we had come from Victoria Falls quite tired out we had not rested much and we therefore went to Johannesburg with a feeling of strain upon us. Miss Cameron and Mrs. Boersma went to the Carlton Hotel, Mrs. Jacobs to Mrs. Van Gercum's and I to Dr. and Mrs. Krause's. As Mrs Wynaendts Francke of Holland with her husband were visiting the Van Gercum's just before our arrival and as she is Dr. Jacobs worst and most intolerant enemy, I think the Doctor felt the cold of an antagonistic atmosphere. At any rate she did not stay long but was soon at the Carlton. As for myseld [myself] I was very glad to be in a private house where I stayed a whole week. There were the advantages that callers could not get at me and that I had a nice clean roon [room] and good bed. The disadvantages were that the W.C. was in the back yard as the sewer had not yet come to that part of the City and that there was a place to write. I also found that I must be something of a burden as I noticed that it was planned that we should take at least one meal out. I found however that I gained much information by being in such close touch with those who knew. Dr. K. is called the best criminal lawyer in S. Africa but the reputation does not please him as he would like something higher. During the Boer war he was in England for what reason I do not know. While there he wrote a friend and said that a certain man was writing lies about the Boers for the English papers and that such a man should be suppressed legally if possible, but suspressed anyway. That friend was arrested by the British and the letter found among his possessions. Dr. K was arrested in London and put in prison where he was kept for two years. When he came out the war was over. His father was a clergyman and his house had been burned by the British including many old souvenirs from Holland which had been brought to S. Africa by his forefathers. There was also a valuable library which went up in flames. There were many interesting conversations and the chief wonder to me was that such a man apparently felt little bitterness. Yet the British would not permit him to secure the kind of legal work which paid best.

There are two clubs in Johannesburg and they think they have differences of tactics but what they have is a violent and narrowminded hatred of each other. They trid [tried] to arrange for our visit by a joint committee and altho I did not get hold of much of the details I am sure they had hard work to get on. I arrived on Monday morning and was met by Dr. and Mrs. Krause and had lunch at the house with them. That afternoon at four I met the joint executive Committee at the Carlton where we had tea. I talked with them about the proposed convention in Durban and found that one club had elected a delegate (Mrs. Krause) and the other finally consented to do so but it took a good deal of persuasion. The next day we were treated to an excursion to see the dinamite [dynamite] factory a long distance away from the City. We were taken in two motors and came to the place about noon. It is a vast space enclosed by high barb wire fences and securely guarded. After showing our permit we were allowed to enter. The superintendent, a young and canny Scotchman with a clever Irish wife live in a beautiful house, tastefully and luxuriantly furnished and surrounded by beds of plants, flowers and bushes mostly of varieties unknown to us. We has [had] lunch there and the dessert consisted of pineapples, and strawberries. After lunch we were shown over the factory. Each operation is conducted in a separate building in order to limit the