APTER AND VERSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 98, 17 May 1900, Page 4

APTER AND VERSE.

Remarkable correspondence of PRESIDENT KUUGEIt. TELEGRAPHS BIBLE REFERENCES TO A CHICAGO MAN. (Edmonton Post.) Jonas A. Smyth of Chicago believed, that the British were fighting for the right in South Africa. In the early days of the war he concluded that, if anybody could convince him that the Boers were right, that person was Paul Kruger. Accordingly, he sent a letter to the President of the South African Republic, asking for a statement of the reason for the position taken by the Republic against England. The correspondence thus begun was carried on by telegraph and mail until a few days ago. Mr. Smyth's original letter was as follows: Chicago, U.S.A., Oct. 10,1899. His Excellency, S. J. P. Kmger, President of South African Republic, Pretoria, Transvaal, S.A. My Dear Sib: As an American, a resident of Chicago, and a lover of justice and fair play, 1 solicit from you a justification of your present attitude toward England and the Uitlanders of your nation. You must have a definite reason for your position of resistance and oppression, and if you are in • the right I would bo pleased to know it from your own pen. lam yours very sincerely, Jonas A. Smith. Room 1999, Masonic Temple.

Mr. Smytli was somewhat surprised to receive from President Kruger the following answer by cable: Pretoria, S. A., Nov. 7,1899. Mr. Jonas A. Smyth, Room 1999 Masonic Temple Chicago, 111., U.S.A.: Honobabi.E Sir : l'salm 35, verses 11 and 12, and 19 and 20. Respectfully, Kkugeb, Pres. These are the verses of the Psalm: False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither Ist them wink with the eye that hate me without cause. For they speak not peace; but they devise deceitful natters against them that are quiet in the land. Smyth cibled back: First Timothy, Verses 1 and 2. The verses are: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God, our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace, from God, our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. President Kruger came back at Smyth by cabling: " Ze.'hariah, ix., 8:" And I will encamp abjut mine house, because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returceth; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more; for now have I teen with mine eyes. To this Smyth replied by mail quoting Ezekiel xxxii., 2-6: Son of Man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, King of .Egypt, and say unto him, Thoa art like a young lion of the nations, and thoa art as a whale in the seas; and thou comest forth with thy rivers and troubleddt the waters with thy feet and -fonledst the rivers. Thus saith the Lord God; I will therefore spread out My net over thee with a company oi many people; and they shall bring thee up in My net. Then will I leave thee upon the land, 1 will cast thee forth upon the open fin'.d, and will cause all the fowls of the Heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beats of the whole earth with thee. And I wiil lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. I will also water witli thy blood the land wherein thou swimmer, even to the mountains ; and the rivers shall be full of thee. All the terrible things which Smyth, through tbe above passages, predicted would happen to tho South African, evidently hud no terrors for Kruger. He brushed them all aside by giving Smyth a little practical advice by return mail from Matthew, vi., 34 : Take, therefore, no thought for the mor- 1 row; for the morrow shall take thought for, the things of itself. Sufficent unto ti.e day is the evil thereof. Smyth cabled back " Hosca, x., 13," which is: Ye have ploughed wickedness, yc have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Up to this time Smyth and Kruger have been very considerate of each other in the matter of cable tolls, each prepaying his own messages. Now President Kruger's reply was sent to Smyth "collect." The Chicago man was referred to Jeremiah, xviii., 20-22: Shall evil lc recompensed for good? For they have digged a |jil for my soul. Kejneicbtr that 1 stood before tliee to speak good of them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. !

Therefore, deliver up their children to the {amine, and pour out their Wood by the

force of tlie sword; tad let their wives be bereaved of their children and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon (hem; for they have digged a pit to take me and liid snares for my feet. " Isaiah, li., 19," Smyth cabled: These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee ? desolation and destruction, and the famine, and the sword; by whom shall 1 comfort thee I President Kruger by cable referred the wise Chicago prophet to Job, xxxix., 1, 2: Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth! or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve 1 Oanst thou number the months that they fulfil 7 or knowest thou the time when t&ey bring forth 1 i Smyth evidently didn't catch the' point of the above. He replied from | Psalms ii., 1: j Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing] The next message from Oom Paul was Psalms Ixix., 1-3 : Save me, 0 God, for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink deep in the mire, where there is no standing, lam come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. lam weary of my crying; my throat is dried; Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

This was wasted on Smyth, No South African could get any sympathy from him, His reply was " Job, xv., Let not him who is deceived trust in vanity; for vanity shall be his recompense. Kruger's reply to the above was very philosophical. He called Smyth's attention to Ecclesiastes iii., 1-8 : • To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to breakdown, and a time to build up; A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get and a time to lose; a time to keep silence and a time to speak ; A time to love and a time to hate ; a time of war and a time of peace. When he was pushed to it Smyth could be just as philosophical as Kruger, as i.s shown by the following reply from Ecclesiastes iv., 6: Better is a handful with quietness, than both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

Oom Paul now sent another message " Collect" referring Mr. Smyth to Nahum i., 15:

Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that published peace! O, Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows ; for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Smyth didn't know just what had caused a rise in Kruger's spirits, no matter whether the Boers were winning or losing; he referred the South African potentate to Malachi, ii., 8,9 : But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye bave corrupted the convenant of Levi, saith (be Lord of Hosts. Therefore, have I also made yon contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but I have been partial in the law. This ended the correspondence.