THE I OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, ' SUNDAY CORNING. AUGUST ; 4, 1907-
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Blacks of Africa
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fTHHEY do not play, nor smile, nor sin.
I No toys, dolls, or building blocks,
no pretty little dishes, no go-carls,
cHrums or guns bring joy to their young lives
irthese pitiable children of darkest Africa.
; Born in the dark depths of the forest or
, jpn the sun-scorched plain, the juveniles of the
' jungle know nothing of childhood's joys.
tThey grow up, poor little solemn-faced pick
aninnies, in the fear of strange and horrible
''gods. ,
In parts of Africa parents take their chil-
' tTdren before the shrines of weird and terrible
)deities and lash their backs with whips. If
he tortured ones wince or cry out, it is in-
Xterpreted as a sign of disloyalty to the god,
iffnd the children are, in many instances, hor-
ribly mutilated.
j' Should they become sick and all chil-
Mren at times get sick it's not castor oil or
jcough medicine for those little fellows. A
atvitch doctor comes along and makes a foul,
tiauseating compound, and performs terrify-
f'ing rites with strange incantations.
r Is there wonder that such children grow
up to become savages? Is there wonder that
Christian missionaries have trouble in convert
ng them when the children are ill-treated,
frightened and taught that theft is an honest
profession f Not only is childhood joyless, but
it is brief the little ones are made to labor
Yt!most as soon as they can walk.
R'
ECENTLY a missionary, the Rev. Karl W. Kumm.
visited America. Before hundreds of people In
all parts of the country he told of the unbeliev
able conditions existing in the Soudan.
' " He told how children were killed to appease the
, tvngry heathen sods, of little ones put to hard labor
In the fields, of children sold Into slavery or captured
.. yy Mohammedan Arabs.
1 j By no means has the light of Christianity flooded
: i Inmost Africa; cannibalism by no means has dlsap-
. sheared. Every year thousands of blacks are sold into
. slavery, among them many children. '
Girls are married, or sold Into marriage, at the
we of 3 years, and when 10 or 12 are claimed by their
,: . masters.
There are no childhood games, no toys, no mirth,
i Rather, the children are regarded as cattle, of so much
i value In beads and shells. They are taught a terrible
belief In the terrible gods. To remain In favor of the
Hetties there must be sacrifice, and children are often
Sacrificed.
j.;'.. Have you ever read of childhood In the jungle? Of
fcow the toddling darkles In Africa are reared? No?
NO HALO OF ROMANCE
1 Perhaps the reason that the story of childhood has
.never been written Is because of the lack of childish
"romance. Undoubtedly we pleasure-loving people of
, , an educated country like to read of happy children; we
-like to hear childish laughter; we are prone to close
vur eyes upon all that Is not colored with the rosy
fcalo of the fairy tale.
But let us take a trip to Africa.
' ' A baby has been born. Inside the low, smoky hut
I mud and bamboo poles there is heard a plaint Then
"there is a cry and a jabber of tongues like to nothing
Hit the caucus of monkeys in cocoanut trees.
-r Grandmothers, uncles and aunts fill the hut. They
2.1 aml clamor In putturals. Tho old grandmother
I the newly arrived babe officiates. H.r dark, with-
i I j 11 " 83 puny ana as withered as an
ffJi apil ",mk,'s horrible Krimaces as she takes the
' Child and looks Into its serewed-up tiny black face.
- v. .;a" .k otn1,,1rs "hut and shake their hands,
v25 fir"i,raothcIuBU',dcnIy H'ungra the child into a tub
' Of cold water. There Is a wall-it seems as If the tiny
J? mAdft.IU 1UlgB- h,v'" and writhing H
ii uk?n.fr nl the water and doused with powder of
t?aof.C,they skin d isTt TI"" J an trlnKentPand con
.'h;h mJf-.K1' " ;ondor tne "ab "creams?
M the rods Amw. V"'pan ?ut': the appeasing
eiK... .h. "... out an
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rot
Attends TAem
nail parings, or perhaps a drop of blood of the In
fant, and cast a dire spell, who Is the witch? The
doctor offers to perform incantation to cure the child
and to find the witch, also for a consideration.
And here Is where the blacks often revenge them
selves on enemies. The mother of the sick child Is,
perhaps envious of another wife of her master. She
whispers to the witch doctor her belief that the
woman has bewitched the child, and the witch doctor
coincides with her for a consideration. Then comes
the trial. The alleged witch is brought before the
chiefs and accused.
There are the usual ceremonies the lighting of
fires, the beating of drums and the "smelling out" of
he witch doctor. It does not matter whether he has
received a certain sum in shells to accuse the woman
for the custom of "bribing" the doctors Is quite com
monbut the natives delight to see an unfortunate
woman take the poison cup.
AlmoBt every natural death among the tribes of
central Africa is believed to be caused by "witching,"
and every year, it Is said, many thousands of alleged
witches are burned or compelled to take the fatal
potion. '
From tho time the children of the blacks can be
made to understand they are Impressed with the
thought of the terrible "Dodo." He is a god who tests
tho fidelity and faith of the boys when they are Initi
ated into the secret society, and who also chastises
women.
From childhood the savage girl Is taught to keep
away from the Ju-Ju House, where is supposed to
dwell the awful and vengeful deity. Girls are con
tinually frightened with this spirit He Is said to
be an old man, and his favorite way of punishing the
disobedient Is to mutilate the unfortunate ones.
Among most of the African tribes the men of the
village belong to a secret society, which forms the
government. The members elect the king or chief.
Women slaves and little children are denied the se
crets. The god of the society, known as "Dodo" in the
Soudan and as "Ukuko" In other parts of the black
continent. Is supposed to Issue the mandates. At the
midnight meetings of the members the god speaks.
While the members bow In worship about a big fire
they hear his voice. And no one dares say the god Is a
man. This one would surely die.
At the age of 13 years the boys are usually initi
ated Into the society.
It is night, and the Initiates, naked save for beads
and amulets, are led Into the forest. During their
childhood they have heard of the' malignant spirit;
they have been warned of him. Now they are to meet
him. Tnelr legs nearly fall to carry them through the
thick Jungle.
They are mere children, yet they are put through
one of the most severe Initiatory services Imaginable.
Through the darkness comes a cry, the shrill, omi
nous call of a night-bird. There are murmurings
among the trees, mysterious and terrifying sounds to
the lads.
Finally they reach the spot where wood has been
piled, where a great Are is lighted. Then begin the
Incantations. The tribesmen dance as the boys kneel
about the fire, their timid hearts sinking for sheer
terror.
The priests howl, shout and beat their hideous
drums. The discord reaches Its height, and then as
the lads kneel some one something passes by them,
and a stinging lash falls across their backs. They
are beaten until welts rise, until the skin is cut and
the blood pours out.
But they must neither wince nor cry. Woe to the
boy that falters or faints under the terrible ordeal.
The god Is testing their strength. Those that can
not stand the test must die. They know this, and
they bear up bravely. But alas! One moans and falls.
Another cries. The body of another quivers.
how solemn they seem as they dance, slap each other's)
arms and stamp their feet
The lives of the boys in some plaoes are compara
tively easy; they go fishing or hunting In the woods,
or Idle away their time. As soon as the girls can get
around they are put to work in some form. It Is not
wncomroon to see girls 6 and 6 years of age working
on the plantations.
Considering the fact that they are betrothed at
the age of 2 and S practically sold for so many horses
and cattle and that they are taken by their husbands
In marriage at the age of 13, It ought not be surpris
ing that they are taught to prepare eggs, oornmeal.
yam, plantain and other vegetables at an age when,
girls play with dollbables In other countries. It Is
the custom that they be taught early to do all hard
work, and It Is quite the proper thing for a woman
to build a mud and bamboo hut for herself and hsr
husband before her marriage.
IN DANGER FROM SLAVE RAIDS
WEAKLINGS ARE MURDERED
The walling and screaming of the priests ceases,
and those who have murmured are seized. They are
carried Into the Jungle. In the morning their bodies
are brought Into the village. The priests tell the
people the god has destroyed them.
Those who stand the test are declared fit to be
trained Into the secrets of the cult and Into the arts
of the warrior. The father teaches hi son to use the
arrow. The boy follows the men Into the forest; he
sets traps for wild animals, and learns to hew canoes,
build huts, and at last to carry a gun. Thus he grows
to be a man. And he begins to build a hut for him
self In anticipation of marriage.
Missionaries have declared that on their travels
through Africa they never once saw a toy of any kind
except v.-hat they took there. And when they gave the
little Africans dolls and playthings, the children re
garded them in amazement; their first impression was
of fright.
The savages of Africa do not live in scattered
huts in the Jungle, but In communities. In the even
ings It Is customary for the people to meet In the
market-place, where the children dance to the ' beating
of drums. This practically Is their only play. And
Another terror of the children Is the raid for
slaves. Parties of Arabs scour the most remote parts
of Africa and carry off the children. According to
Dr. Kumm, the horrors of which Livingstone wrote
years ago are repeated today.
T. J. Tonkin, late medical officer and naturalist to
the Hansa Association's Central Mission, In the Sou
dan, recently wrote the following to a missionary In
this country:
"One of the chief causes of the enormous develop
ment of the trade Is that slaves are the most con
venlent currency. Cowrie shells, the ordinary medium
of exchange, are useless for large transactions.
"To carry a hundred pounds' worth of cowries a
hundred yards would need 300 men, and the cost of
portage of such a sum a hundred miles would eat
up the whole money. For this reason slaves are used
as currency.
"I knew an emir who, finding himself a little short
when making up the yearly tribute for the emperor,
sent a detachment of soldiers to a village in his own
territory, not ten miles from the city gates, and one,
moreover, that paid him regular tribute, with orders
to bring In all the young women and girls at work
on the farms; and it was done sixteen were picked
out, and the rest sent back.
"I have known nearly 6000 square miles of terrl
tory absolutely depopulated by the ruling emir. I
crossed the raided territory myself and saw with my
own eyes huge walled towns entirely deserted, thou
sands of ceres of farm land relapsing Into Jungle and
an entire population absorbed. And this sort of thing
is not done once or twice In a century, but Is abso
lutely being done somewhere or other every day.
"During the above raids the old men and women
are kicked out of the way, or knocked on the head,
as may please the inclination of the Individual raider.
The young men are shackled, the boys tied together,
the girls and young women roped neck to neck. A
guard Is told off to look after the men; If any resist,
a blade gleams In the firelight, drips, and Is dried.
The babies are collected together and bundled into
skips and bags.
"I spoke to one of the men who were with the
raiders and said: 'Surely they cannot take these
slave children Into Tripoli? The consuls would not
allow It.' He smiled, 'What do the consuls know
about it.' 'But what do you do with these children?'
I persisted.
" 'We take them to the gardens, to the houses of the
rich Arabs. Then at evening time, they are put on
board a Turkish vessel and sent to Asia Minor and
to Constantinople to the harems of the rich Turks
to a life of misery In a far-off country." "
Even the mother
! about the baby's neck. FeUchoi are tied ahonr ,h
pToins. And outside what a dVn- CouTd any spirit how!
I ever eil, withstand such a noise? spirit, now-
There Is wild dancing of the trlhe -rc.
illon. contortions of black bodies FIrei hi V'ta"
tome and drums are beaten, there are re5i?,
deafening explosions. This i. to Scar? athe evil
Those evil spirits hush, they are SDnttn ,
. IB whispers-want tho life of the UttVSnS ZL "
, always around, wishing to do evil. The child mav lit
llel It may die. or the evil one may enter th LSt1
, But when the amulets are bleisJd a
tstpirlt enters them, and the child will be protected for
t j But, the tribesmen ask. is It a boy or girl?
If girl, there are murmurs of savage dismay an
; the twisting of savage faces. Perhaps quietly will
. rass the news that twins have been born. There are
howls of terror. An evil omen. The gods send a wara-
log- What have the done to merit such disaster
( They Jiold council. Gravely the black men deride
(&at one child must die, , There Is do parleying about
carrying the decision Into ei cct.
does not protest.
But of the child that remain wnat hopes are built
on It? It becomes the idol oi tho tribe. It will be
come a chief; it will posses are brilliancy In shoot
ing the arrow and great strength of body like an ox.
What was evil was taken av.ar in the sacrifice of the
one. Now the gods smile.
But, perhaps, the boy lias Iten born lame, or blind,
or deformed. There is a co.isultaUon of the priests
and wise men. All deformed children are ruthlessly
killed.
A baby Is taken from Its mother for three days.
Naturally both suffer, but this is a foreordained cus
tom. When the baby is about 10 to 15 days old it is
strapped to the mother's back and taken out in the
plantation.
The African savage may loll idly at home while his
wife cultivates plantains, guinea corn, Indian corn,
sweet potatoes or other plantation produce. And while
the mother bends und hoes or digs the ground, tho
baby, protesting or weakened by continued protest,
falls asleep, the torrid sun falling on its face.
The majority of the babies born in a "kraal" die.
Every man has several w1vjs. usually as many as he
can afford, yet his family is comparatively small be
cause of the rigorous lives of the children.
Perhaps the child gets sick. Whoever heard of a
baby that didn't get stomach ache, cholera Infantum
and other diseases of which the blacks know nothing
by their Latin names.
Now comes the witch doctor. He is the despot of
the village. He possesses power to drive away evil
spirits and to cure bodily diseases. All the children
fear him, yet are afraid to disobev him.
Disease Is believed to be the indication of an evil
spirit. Bo Mr. Evil Spirit must be dispossessed Now
what does the witch doctor do?
While the women moan the grizzled old man makes
weird and mystic signs In tho air. He sings divers in
cantations. He groans and shrieks and adjures the evil
one to depart.
GIVES WEIRD CONCOCTIONS
Cent Mealp n? $25 Rpaur&ntlP
MILLIONAIRES
often dine on
50-c e n t
lunches, too.
And they take these
meals at the very res
taurants and hotels
where, in the evening,
they think nothing of
paying $25 for dinners
perhaps $50.
There is practical
ly no limit to the
amount of money one
can easily spend in the
palatial hostelries and
eating houses of the
bijg cities. But the man
of limited means can
live there economically, too, if he knows how to
order.
What can a person get for a quarter or half
a dollar in th - places where most of the dishes run
above uollar mark?
Then he gives the "medicine." These "medicines"
are appalling concoctions, and are made of the remains
of dead bodies, of the brains of dead men, of the car
cusses of animals and of minerals and ashes.
If the brain from some renowned person or an ances
tor can be found. It Is mixed with chalk and given the
infant. Great things are then expected, for this medi
cine, besides driving out evil spirits. Is said to give
wisdom.
Another choice and potent remedy is made from
the eyeballs of enemleB or white people. These are
often chopped up to fine particles and administered.
Sometimes the remedies do not work. Ah, he says
with a sagacious scratch of his head, some direction
of his was not followed. So he will have to invoke the
aid of a greater spirit for a consideration.
In almost every act of life and almost every day
the witch doctor enters into the life of child and man.
( Quite often a black baby exhibits strange symptoms,
"f w,tcn -doctor is called. He gravely regards the
Child, and his decision causes terror In the kraal.
Bewitched! Some one has gotten a piece of hair
OU would be surprised to know the number
of rich men millionaires who come here
for luncheon, and who pick out the cheapest
things they can get," declared the head
waiter in a big hotel recently.
"Certainly, it's economy. I don't suppose It could
be anything else. I have seen men who could write
their check for a million come In here, scrutinize the
menu card and pick out the dishes that cost little.
"They will get a cup of coffee or a sandwich; per
haps insist on getting half an order of meat, fish or
vegetables, and many often come In pairs, buying only
one order and dividing the food.
"What strikes me as singular Is that some of these
men take no account of the money they spend at din
ner.. They buy the choicest foods they can get, they
seem to pick out the most expensive dishes and-they'll
drink -wines and let the money flow.
"Of course, dinner is more of a social event; it Is,
perhaps, the chief pleasure of the day, and then a man
usually brings friends or members of his family."
"Then a person could really live cheaply In a place
like Sherry's. In, New York: the Bellevue-Stratford. in
Philadelphia, or the Auditorium, In Chicago?"
"Assuredly.. They do It," was the reply.
This Is encouraging. How often have many of us, '
in passing these places, longed to. enter and eat our
fill! As we saw the sparkle of the cut glass, the gleam
of silver and the rare and toothsome dishes served by
the silent waiters, did we not envy the contented-looking
men and women who sat and leisurely ate the food
and drank the sparkling wine? We thought, no doubt,
of the variety of things we could eat, and how we
could gratify every little whim and caprice of our
palate.
But, more than all. the place allured. Coming
from a 5-and-10-cent lunch house, steaming with the
odor of food, we felt a yearning to dine in the spa
clous rooms, amid palms, where electric fans Create
breezes that cpol and where the odor of flowers fill
the air.
Why not do It?
Why not go and get your lunch at these "swell"
places, and pay your 28, 60 or 75 cents? There are
many men who pay at least 50 cents for lunch the
majority pay, perhaps, 25. Well, why not take a trip
over to the electrically cooled and palmy rooms of
the hostelry?
You may sit face to face with Mr. Multi-Millionaire,
and you'll be able to see what sort of food this
Olympian partakes of. You'll be treated courteously
by the bowing waiter. You may wish to tip him
however, that doesn't count The question is. What
can you get to eat?
"Many of the men who come here for lunch," said
the waiter quoted above, "take a bowl of soup and a
cup of chocolate or coffee. Now, for luncheon, we
serve half portions of soup for 15 cents. A man can
get a plate of soup, which includes bread and butter,
and a cup of chocolate or coffee, which costs 10 cents,
and feel pretty well satisfied. There's, no reason why
a business man should eat more for luncheon. And
here's an Interesting thing:
"I've been here a good many years, and I've
watched people. Do you- know the most successful
business men are those who take light lunches? It's
true. The fellows who buy crabs, roast turkey and
chicken, steaks and vegetables and put away big
meals become sluggish. They get fat physically and
mentally.
SMALL EATERS ARE ALERT
"But the little old man who takes a plate of soup,
his coffee or beer, his sandwich or little portion of
fish, will keep young and alert and outdistance the
big eater who is one-third his age. I tel you I've
seen it
"Suppose you are actually hungry at lunch; you
think you need a little meat. Well, you may feel like
spending 60 cents. Now, In most places you can get
a nice small tenderloin steak for 45 cents. You
would, of course, want something to drink, and as
drinks cost 10 cents, whether milk, coffee or beer,
you'd probably run over your limit.
"If you're going to get soup or broth, you'll pass
over bisque of lobster or green turtle. But you can
get chicken broth, vegetable soup, cream of sago, or
something of that kind for 26 cents, or a half order
for IS cents.
"A great many men don't eat meat for
during the summer. And I think It s a wlaS7Qiing.
Vegetables are much better, and I believe more nutri
tious. What can you get?
"Well, lima beans are very nourishing, and satisfy
one's hunger. You can get a plate of lima beans for
15 cents. For 10 or 15 cents you can get potatoes,
done In many ways. It strikes me as very peoullar
that the people in America seem to think you can got
potatoes only mashed or fried,
"Few people, comparatively, eat rice. A 10-cent
plate of rice ought to make a lunch for a man who is
not a gourmand. We'll pass over mushrooms, aspara
gus and new vegetables, which are always expensive
in the early season. But buttered beets, potato cro
quets, at 15 cents each, are also palatable.
"Why not the club sandwich. Here you have a
nice lunch. You can get a club sandwich In any of
the big restaurants at from 30 to 60 cents.
SOME SATISFIED WITH SANDWICHES
"Many men are satisfied with a chicken and let
tuce sandwich, which you can get for a quarter. An
other sandwich, which is most delicious, and which
costs 30 cents, la of chicken, lettuce and minced green
pepper.
"If you are not ravenously hungry, why not take
a cup of tea, 10 cents, and buttered toast, for 15
cents? Here you have a nice light luncheon. Or, you
can get an order of milk toast for 20 cents or a quar
ter, i Know men wno almost invariably take milk
toast for their lunch.
"A man willing to spend 50 cents for lunch can
get quite a variety of dishes In the finest restaurants.
He can get some fish und here many men go wrong.
Instead of ordering the fish that are in season and
getting fresher and cbeaper food, he will order those
that are imported or preserved, paying more and get
ting a less palatable article. Almost any time you
can get good fish, for 40 cents.
"You might wish a small order of stewed chicken
pn the special list, or ribs of beef. With the beef
you'll get browned potatoes. And you'll have quite
a hearty lunch before you.
"For 40 cents you can get many cold dishes
spiced pigs' feet with Jelly, which Is delicious with a
glass of beer; crab meat, chicken broth In Jelly, or
sliced meats.
"Maybe you'll be satisfied with some dessert for
lunch. Why not get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee,
or ice cream and milk If it Is summer, at fruit in
season with toast or rolls? You can geL a nice plate
of fruit for 26 or 30 cents, or pie for 25 cents. It's
better If you don't eat too much In the middle of the
aay. uet your big meal at night."
So, if you have a hankering for dining In"
gilded and softly carpeted dlnlnor rooms of the
hotels and restaurants, all you will have to do will ba
to scan the menus. Of course, the prices differ lit
various cities and various hotels. But if you're care
ful, and don't. eat too much, you needn't go broke on
60 cents. And you ought to get a pretty good "bite1
for a quarter.