Gogga Brown : the life story of Alfred Brown, South Africa's hermit-naturalist told from his journal / by M.R. Drennan ; with a prefatory note by J.C. Smuts.

  • Drennan, M. R. (Matthew Robertson), 1885-1965.
Date:
[between 1900 and 1999]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Gogga Brown : the life story of Alfred Brown, South Africa's hermit-naturalist told from his journal / by M.R. Drennan ; with a prefatory note by J.C. Smuts. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    entered in his Journal. Although I have tried in the preceding chapters to give an account of the contents of his folios, the few quotations I have given fail to do justice to his literary style. For that one must go to his publications, but as these are not very accessible I propose to give a few examples from his writings to complete my picture. Never was there a better example of the truth of the bon mot, ‘ le style cest Vkomme,' than in this particular instance. The following paragraphs have been extracted, with an occasional slight modification, from the manuscript of his series of articles entitled ‘ Thoughts of the Hour,’ published in the Aliwal Pioneer in the year 1860. These extracts show his earlier imposing style and give a taste of his rich ideation, too rich, in fact, for ordinary punctuation. They were also prophetic, for they were written before he had made his own magnificent contribution to the sublime story that he tells. “ The world of nature is a book wherein the most mighty and wise, as well as the most humble and unlearned, may find rich food for mental enjoyment. The clouded heavens—the falling rain—the limpid stream—the roaring torrent— the sun which shines by day—the moon which shines by night—the lion roaring for his prey^—