---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 12
number: 8
published: 1909-06
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Queer Truths," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 8 (June 1909): 635.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1208unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera1208unse
start_page: 635
end_page: 635
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-06)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1208unse
  publication_year: 1909
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Queer Truths

<!-- page:635 -->

—

                   NATIVE RACES OF SOUTH AFRICA.                               635

Boers handle the natives better than the English, because they are
strict with them,       and as it is the nature of a native to serve, he
likes a Boer.

           Some natives are comparatively well educated, and all of the
converted ones would spend their last penny on fancy dress.                  They
like bright       colors,   and to use an old expression, "they dress to
kill."        Education does seem to rain them in many ways, for they
only learn (or only practice) the bad.              They are quite apt at fol-
lowing the white people's bad ways.                When a native has spent a
few years at school, living in the misery of civilization, he returns
to his kraal, strips off his clothing, goes back to his former man-
ners,       catches cold and brings consumption into the camp.               That
disease kills hundreds, but the natives are naturally so prolific that
they are ever increasing, and it is feared that there will yet be a
great race war for supremacy in South Africa.                  Cape Colony has
already granted the franchise, and other colonies may, but resi-
dents are predicting trouble.
           In conclusion,   I    shall say   that I have been so brief that I
have just started on my subject, and have treated it more in head-
lines      than anything        else.   Our missionaries do very little work
among the colored people, as we consider that our message is more
important to the whites at present.   Although we do little or no
work among them, we see so many that it will seem good some day
to again be in a country where they are seen only on Pullman cars
or in restaurants.

Port Elizabeth, C. C, Africa.

                                  QUEER TRUTHS.

       "The man we respect today we laughed at yesterday."
       '
        'Many a woman who has married for a living has starved for love."
       "Our beautiful cities would still be in the forests and mines but for dream
ers.
       "Nothing misfortunate matters much, if so be you can smile about it."
Success.