The photo on the right shows the sensational "Skuldmonument" ("Debt Monument") outside the Dutch Reformed Church in Nieuwoudtville, about 400km/250mi north of Cape Town. In 1909, the congregation had saved a massive £11,300 to pay the builder -- of which £8,000 mysteriously disappeared. Suspicion fell on the Church treasurer. The congregation raised the required sum again, in three years. The monument states (in Dutch): "To the High God alone all honour. In memory of the unforgettable years 1911-1913, in which this congregation wrestled down its debt of £11,000, incurred largely through misfortune." The names of the elders and deacons of that time follow. In a handout to visitors, the Church states rather cryptically: "It was said that [the treasurer] was buried in Nieuwoudtville, but somebody spotted him in [Namibia]. In his coffin they found a dead pig." OBSERVATION: You may click on the photo to enlarge to 180k.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Historical Misfortune
The photo on the right shows the sensational "Skuldmonument" ("Debt Monument") outside the Dutch Reformed Church in Nieuwoudtville, about 400km/250mi north of Cape Town. In 1909, the congregation had saved a massive £11,300 to pay the builder -- of which £8,000 mysteriously disappeared. Suspicion fell on the Church treasurer. The congregation raised the required sum again, in three years. The monument states (in Dutch): "To the High God alone all honour. In memory of the unforgettable years 1911-1913, in which this congregation wrestled down its debt of £11,000, incurred largely through misfortune." The names of the elders and deacons of that time follow. In a handout to visitors, the Church states rather cryptically: "It was said that [the treasurer] was buried in Nieuwoudtville, but somebody spotted him in [Namibia]. In his coffin they found a dead pig." OBSERVATION: You may click on the photo to enlarge to 180k.
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