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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dfce261 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50567 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50567) diff --git a/old/50567-0.txt b/old/50567-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 16f5f97..0000000 --- a/old/50567-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4170 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Truth About the Congo, by Frederick Starr - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Truth About the Congo - The Chicago Tribune Articles - -Author: Frederick Starr - -Release Date: November 28, 2015 [EBook #50567] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO *** - - - - -Produced by Larry Harrison, Cindy Beyer and the online -Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net with images provided by The -Internet Archives-US - - - - - - THE TRUTH - ABOUT THE CONGO - - - - -[Illustration: CHIEF NDOMBE WITH FAMILY GROUP, IN HIS TOWN] - - - - - THE TRUTH - ABOUT THE CONGO - - THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE - ARTICLES - - BY - FREDERICK STARR - - [Illustration] - - CHICAGO - FORBES & COMPANY - 1907 - - - - - COPYRIGHT 1907 - BY - THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE - - - - - THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED - TO - MANUEL GONZALES, - MY COMPANION AND PHOTOGRAPHER - UPON MY CONGO EXPEDITION - AND TO - OUR BLACK BOYS, MANOELI AND TUMBA - - - - - PREFACE - - -WHEN I returned to America, I had decided to express no opinion upon -the public and political questions of the Congo Free State. Having found -conditions there quite different from what I had expected, it was -impossible for me to state my actual impressions without danger of -antagonizing or offending some whom I valued as friends. Hence, on -landing at New York, I refused to say anything upon those matters to -several reporters who interviewed me. A little later, the _Chicago -Tribune_ asked me to write upon these subjects, urging the importance of -the whole matter to our nation, and leaving me entire freedom in -viewpoint and mode of treatment. In response to its request, I prepared -a series of articles, which appeared in successive issues from January -20 to February 3, 1907. - -The articles were received with general interest, and many asked that -they should be reprinted in book form. I felt that they were of -momentary interest only, and as I have much other Congo matter for books -and pamphlets—more directly in the line of my professional work—I was -inclined not to reprint them. But I soon found myself the subject of -bitter attack. Malicious and untrue statements were made regarding me -and my motives. I have concluded, therefore, that it is best that my -articles should be accessible to all who are interested. What I wrote, I -am ready to defend. I am not ready to be judged from misquotations, or -condemned for what I never wrote. Hence this book. - -I am not personally responsible for the title—_The Truth about the -Congo_. Although I believe all my statements are true, I should not have -selected that title for my articles. No man can say all that is true on -any subject, and I do not arrogate to myself a monopoly in -truth-telling, either about the Congo or any other topic. But after my -announcement under that heading, I decided to let it stand. I preferred -some less assertive title, but I am content. So I use the same title for -this book. The headlines of the articles, however, I have suppressed. -They were not of my preparation and did not adequately suggest the -matter or the treatment. The articles are reprinted with no changes -except corrections in spelling, punctuation, or mistaken words. - -No man more desires the happiness and progress of the Congo natives than -do I. I know them pretty well. I am their friend; they are my friends. I -shall be glad if what I here present makes them and their cause better -known to thoughtful and sympathetic men and women, Mere emotion, however -violent, will not help them. Stubborn refusal to recognize and encourage -reforms, which have been seriously undertaken for their betterment, will -only harm them. - - - - - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO - - - - - I. - - - January 20, 1907. - -MY own interest in the Congo Free State began at the St. Louis -exposition. As is well known, that exposition made a special feature of -groups of representatives of tribes from various parts of the world. -These natives dressed in native dress, lived in native houses, and so -far as possible reproduced an accurate picture of the daily life to -which they were accustomed in their homes. - -Among the groups there brought together was one of Congo natives. This -group was commonly known as the pygmy group, though but four out of the -nine members composing it made claims to be such. The group was brought -by Mr. S. P. Verner, at one time missionary to the Congo, who was -engaged by the exposition to make a special journey into central Africa -to procure it. Four members of the group were Batua, the others were -large blacks representing the Bakuba and Baluba. - -The idea of visiting Africa was one which I had never seriously -entertained, but in the study of these Congolese it seemed to me that -there were interesting questions the solution of which would well repay -a visit. The consequence was, that I determined to visit the Congo Free -State—and specifically that part of the state from which these natives -had been brought. - -About this time I received considerable literature from the Congo Reform -Association at Boston, the reading of which had its influence in -deciding me to undertake the expedition. - -After reading this literature I started for the Congo, fully prepared to -see all kinds of horrors. I supposed that mutilations, cruelties, and -atrocities of the most frightful kinds would everywhere present -themselves. I expected to find a people everywhere suffering, mourning, -and in unhappiness. - -My errand, however, was not that of a searcher after all these dreadful -things, but purely that of a student of human races, with definite -questions for investigation. - -I may say that my opportunities for forming an opinion of conditions in -the Congo have been exceptional. Mine was no hasty journey, but a tarry -in the country extending over more than one year. - -While my original plan was to spend the greater portion of my time in -the district ruled by the Bakuba chief, Ndombe, with but a short period -in other parts of the state, I had decided before reaching the mouth of -the Congo to more evenly distribute my time, and to see far more of the -Congo proper than I at first intended. As a consequence, I went first -into the Kasai district, where I spent four months, after which, -returning to Leopoldville, I went up the main river to the head of -navigation, and even beyond, to Ponthierville, the terminus of the newly -built line of railroad. We also went up the Aruwimi, to the famous -Yambuya camp, where the navigation of that river is interrupted by -cataracts. - -I have, therefore, seen not only the lower Congo, which has been so -frequently visited in recent years, but traveled thousands of miles upon -the great river and two of its most important tributaries. - -In this extended journey I came into constant contact with -representatives of the three groups of white men who live in the Congo -Free State—state officials, missionaries, and traders. I had repeated -conversations with them all, and have heard opinions upon the Congo -State from these diverse points of view. - -My position with reference to Congo matters is peculiar, doubly so. I -may even say it is unique. My journey was made at my own expense; I was -not the representative of any institution, society, or body. I was -without instructions, and my observations were untrammeled by any -demands or conditions from outside. - -While I am under many and weighty obligations to scores of state -officials, missionaries, and traders, I am not prevented from speaking -my mind in regard to any and every matter. Both to the missionaries, -state officials, and traders I paid board and lodging at every stopping -point—with the single exception of one American mission station—a fact -which leaves me freedom. While the state facilitated my visit and my -work in many ways, I was not, at any time, in relations with it of such -a kind as to interfere with free observations or free expression. I made -this entirely clear on my first visit to the state authorities at -Brussels, and it was understood by them that I should speak freely and -frankly of everything which I should see. On their part, the state -authorities expressed the liveliest satisfaction that an independent -American traveler should visit the Congo Free State, and said that they -did not wish anything concealed or attenuated, as they felt sure that -such a visit as mine could only do them good. - -I have said that my position was doubly peculiar. I was not only -independent and untrammeled in observation and expression, but my -personal attitude to the whole question of colonization and -administration by a foreign power, of natives, is radical. Personally I -dislike the effort to elevate, civilize, remake a people. I should -prefer to leave the African as he was before white contact. It is my -belief that there is no people so weak or so degraded as to be incapable -of self-government. I believe that every people is happier and better -with self-government, no matter how unlike our own form that government -may be. I feel that no nation is good enough, or wise enough, or -sufficiently advanced to undertake the elevation and civilization of a -“lower” people. Still less do I approve the exploitation of a native -population by outsiders for their own benefit. Nor do I feel that even -the development of British trade warrants interference with native life, -customs, laws, and lands. I know, however, that these views are -unpopular and heretical. - -In the series of articles, then, which I have been asked to prepare, I -shall try to take the standpoint of the practical man, the business man, -the man of affairs, the philanthropist, the missionary. All these agree -that civilized folk have a perfect right to interfere with any native -tribe too weak to resist their encroachment. They agree that it is -perfectly right to trample under foot native customs, institutions, -ideas—to change and modify, to introduce innovations, either to develop -trade, to exploit a country, to elevate a race, or to save souls. I am -forced, then, to look at Congo matters from the point of view of these -eminently practical men. - -Of course, I saw much to criticise. It is true that there are floggings, -and chain-gangs, and prisons. I have seen them all repeatedly. But there -are floggings, chain-gangs, and prisons in the United States. -Mutilations are so rare that one must seek for them; and I had too much -else to do. There is taxation—yes, heavy taxation—a matter which I -shall discuss quite fully further on. And in connection with taxation -there is forced labor, a matter which, of course, I disapprove, but it -appears as just to all the groups of eminently practical men to whom I -have referred. There are, no doubt, hostages in numbers, but I saw less -than a dozen. And the whole matter of hostages is one which merits -careful and candid discussion. And I know that in many a large district -the population is much smaller than in former times. The causes of this -diminution in numbers are many and various, and to them I shall return. - -Flogging, chain-gang, prison, mutilation, heavy taxation, hostages, -depopulation—all these I saw, but at no time and at no place were they -so flagrant as to force themselves upon attention. And of frightful -outrages, such as I had expected to meet everywhere, I may almost say -there was nothing. It is, of course, but fair to state that I was not in -the district of the A. B. I. R. I cannot believe, however, that -conditions in that district are so appalling as the newspaper reports -would indicate. - -On the contrary, I found at many places a condition of the negro -population far happier than I had dreamed it possible. The negro of the -Congo—or Bantu, if you please—is a born trader. He is imitative to a -degree. He is acquisitive, and charmed with novelties. He is bright and -quick, remarkably intelligent. He readily acquires new languages, and it -is no uncommon thing to find a Congo Bantu who can speak six or seven -languages besides his own. In disposition variable and emotional, he -quickly forgets his sorrow. I saw hundreds of natives who were working -happily, living in good houses, dressing in good clothes of European -stuff and pattern, and saving property. That this number will rapidly -increase I have no doubt. - -And now, on my return, after having many of my preconceived ideas -completely shattered, and feeling on the whole that things in Congoland -are not so bad, and that improvement is the order of the day, I am -startled to find the greatest excitement. Pages of newspapers are filled -with stories of atrocities, many of which never happened, some of which -are ancient, and a part of which, recent in date, are true. - -I find a fierce excitement about the Belgium lobby, vigorous resolutions -presented in the senate, and the President of the United States -outrunning his most urgent supporters and advisers, ready to take some -drastic action to ameliorate the conditions of the suffering millions in -the Congo Free State. The surprise is so much the greater, as my latest -information regarding the American official attitude had been gained -from the letter written by Secretary Root some months ago. - -What can be the reason of such prodigious and sudden change? - -What has happened in the Congo since April to produce the present state -of mind? What is the motive underlying the bitter attacks upon Leopold -and the Free State which he established? Is it truly humanitarian? Or -are the laudable impulses and praiseworthy sympathies of two great -people being used for hidden and sinister ends of politics? - -I do not claim infallibility. I do claim that my having spent a year in -the Congo Free State, independently, should qualify me to express -opinions on the conditions. I have heard both sides. I have traveled -thousands of miles in Congo territory. I have visited natives of -twenty-eight different tribes. No interference has been placed in my -way. I have gone where I pleased, and when and how I pleased. No -preparations have been made with reference to my visits. I believe no -changes in practice have been produced by my presence. - -In the series of articles before us it is my intention to present in -detail what I have seen, and much of what I have heard, in the Congo -Independent State. I may make errors, but I shall tell no intentional -falsehoods. I shall criticise what deserves criticism. I shall praise -what is praiseworthy. I trust that those who are interested in forming a -true idea of Congo conditions may find something useful in my -observations. - -At this point it is necessary for us to know something of the Congo -native himself. In Dark Africa—for northern Africa is and always has -been a white man’s country—there are three negro or negroid masses. -There is little doubt that the original inhabitants of the continent -were dwarf people, ancestors of the pygmies of the high Ituri forest, -and the Batua of the upper Kasai. - -To-day the pygmies are mere fragments, scattered and separated, but -retaining with tenacity their ancient life. They are the same to-day as -they were 5,000 years ago, when they were objects of interest to the old -Egyptians. Little in stature, scrawny in form, with a face shrewd, -cunning, and sly, the pygmy is a hunter. With his bows and poisoned -arrows he kills the game of the forests and makes no pretense of doing -aught in agriculture. He is universally feared by the large blacks in -the neighborhood of whose towns he settles. He trades his game for -agricultural products with his large neighbors. - -In the Soudan and neighboring parts of western Africa live the true -negroes, notable for their thick lips, projecting lower faces, and dark -skin. - -Throughout southern Africa we find a group of populations much lighter -in color, and on the whole more attractive in appearance, than the true -negro. These tribes, plainly related in language, are no doubt of one -blood, and are called Bantu. The name is unfortunate, as the word bantu -simply means “men” in that group of languages. Practically the whole of -the Congo population are Bantu—there being almost no true negroes and -but few pygmies in the area. - -It would seem as if the Congo native should be so well known by this -time that the current description of him in the text-books would be -accurate; yet, at least in two respects, these stereotyped accounts are -wrong. The Congo Bantu are not long-headed, and it is not true that they -differ from the real negro in the absence of a characteristic and -disagreeable odor. There are scores of Bantu tribes, each with its own -language and minor peculiarities in appearance and life. It would be -untrue to say that all smell badly, but I have often wished the writers -of the books could be shut up a while in the same room with, for -example, a group of Bobangi. It is certain that no type of African -smells worse. - -It would be, however, a mistake to think that the Bantu are dirty. Far -from it. I have repeatedly observed my carriers, when we came to some -brook in the forest, set their loads aside, strip themselves when -necessary, and bathe in the fresh cool water. They are scrupulous in -attention to their teeth, and use, often several times a day, a little -stick of wood, somewhat larger than a lead-pencil, shredded at one end, -to clean their teeth. The instrument, by the way, serves its purpose far -better than our own toothbrushes. - -According to his tribe, the Bantu may be short, medium, or tall. King -Ndombe of the Bakuba measures six feet three in stature, and is -well-built, though not heavy. Among the Bakuba, Baluba, Batetela, and -Bakete, tall statures are common. It is rare, however, that the Bantu -present what we would call finely developed forms; their chest is often -flat and sunken; their shoulders not well thrown backward; and the -musculature of their back, their chest, arms, and legs, is poor. Of -course, there are exceptions, and one sometimes sees magnificently -developed specimens. In the lower Congo, where on the whole the men are -shorter, they make excellent carriers. In the old caravan days the -standard burden was sixty or seventy pounds, and a man would carry it -without difficulty all the working day. The Kasai tribes are poor -carriers and indifferent workers. The chopbox of sixty pounds weight, -which the lower Congo man shoulders easily and carries without -complaint, will be slung to a pole to be borne by two carriers among the -Baluba. - -In life the Bantu populations, so far as the Congo is concerned, present -notable general uniformity. The general pattern is the same everywhere, -though there are local and tribal differences of minor sort. Thus, -almost every tribe has its own tribal marks cut into the flesh of face -or body. - -Similarly, the members of one tribe may be distinguished by their mode -of dressing the hair. To a less degree, the form to which the teeth are -chipped and broken mark tribal differences. It may almost be said that -no two tribes in all the Congo build houses that are just alike, and -almost every tribe has its characteristic mode of arranging the houses -in a group. Thus, in one tribe the houses will be arranged in continuous -lines, one on each side of a straight road; in another the houses may be -grouped around the three sides of a square, the group belonging to a -single chieftain and being succeeded in the village by other similar -groups of buildings; in another the houses will be arranged in two -curved lines, leaving the open space in the center of the village oval -or elliptical. The chairs or stools of one tribe will differ in form and -decoration from those of another; so will the wooden spoons, the -stirring-sticks, the combs, the dress and ornaments. - -The Congo natives for the most part still lead a tribal life. A chief is -the head of a little community clustered about him. He may not be the -chief of a whole village; for example, at Bomanih, on the Aruwimi, there -are three chiefs. Each one has his own cluster of houses, and though the -three clusters are arranged continuously in two, parallel, straight -lines, every native of the village knows precisely where the domain of -the individual chief ends or begins. - -The power and authority of the chief has been greatly weakened by -contact with the whites, but he still retains great influence. At least -over the members of his own household, including, of course, his slaves, -he had the power of life and death. In large affairs, interesting a -considerable number of people, he usually acted on the advice and -opinion of his fellows as expressed in a village or tribal palaver. The -chief was, and still is, distinguished from the common people by his -dress and ornaments. He is usually a man of wealth, and has a -considerable number of people actually dependent upon him, subject to -his orders, and a force upon which he can depend in case of war or -trouble. - -When I first entered the Congo my heart sank, for it seemed as if the -native life was gone. In fact, in letters written from Matadi I doubted -whether I had not come too late for aught of interest. My spirits began -to revive, however, with the railroad journey from Matadi to -Leopoldville. Groups of natives, with scanty dress and barbaric -ornaments, replaced those who at Matadi and its neighborhood gathered at -the station to see the train pass. - -In my first walk from the mission house where I lodged at Leo, within -three minutes’ walk of the mission I found a little cluster of Bateke -houses which, with its inhabitants, much delighted me. - -Almost naked women, with abundance of beads and teeth hung at their -necks as ornaments, with hair elaborately dressed and bodies smeared -with red camwood powder, squatted on the ground, were making native -pottery in graceful forms. - -In the shade in front of the door of one of the houses was a true -barbarian, lord of the place. By rare good luck he spoke a little -English, so that we were able to carry on a conversation. When I asked -him who the women were, he replied that they were his wives. I think -there were three of them, and it was my first introduction to African -polygamy. Each of these women occupied a separate house. Each of them -had a garden patch in which she worked. All of them contributed to the -importance and support of their husband. - -Polygamy, of course, prevails throughout Dark Africa. But do not -misunderstand me. I do not use the word “dark” to characterize polygamy. -It is a settled institution which seems to work quite well. Later on I -saw the wives of Ndombe, thirty-four in number. Ndombe is a really -important chief, but compared with some whom we met or of whom we heard -in the Upper Congo, he was but scantily equipped. Sixty, seventy, a -hundred, or hundreds of wives and female slaves, which count for much -the same, are in possession of great chieftains. There is, of course, -always one favorite or principal wife. When Ndombe used to come, as he -frequently did, to my house to see the stereoscopic pictures, he -frequently brought his favorite wife with him. She was a pretty -creature—young and plump, graceful and modest. She wore good cloth and -any quantity of beads and brass arm and leg rings. - -In every case the women of a chief or rich man live in separate houses, -each having her own. Until a man is married he is but little thought of. -The greater the number of his wives, the more important he becomes. As -each one cultivates a field and does other productive labor, it will be -seen that the man with the most wives is the richest man. - -The man has his own house, but visits and lives in the houses of his -wives in turn. The child in Africa is rarely weaned before it is two or -three years old, and during the period of time when a child is unweaned -the father has no marital relations with the woman. On the whole, there -is less quarreling among the wives of a polygamic husband than one would -expect. Bantu women, however, are often termagants, as women elsewhere, -and at times the chief’s house group is lively. - -Domestic slavery still flourishes. The state, of course, has done much -to end the actual slave trade for supplying white men and Arabs. It is, -however, difficult to deal with the matter of domestic slavery, and in -fact is scarcely worth the candle. - -Every chief or man of any consequence has slaves. Calamba, my -interpreter, at Ndombe, though a young fellow, probably not more than -25, had two. It is rare that the lot of the domestic slave is unhappy. -It is usually women or children who are bought, and they are treated in -all respects as if members of the family. Little is required of them in -the way of work and service, and they must absolutely be provided for by -the master, who is also frequently responsible before the public for -their misdeeds. Formerly, of course, there was the possibility of being -killed upon a festal occasion, the accession of the chief to increased -power, or to grace his funeral. Within those districts where the state -has a firm hold and strong influence this possibility is done away with, -and the most serious disadvantage in being a slave is thus removed. -Slaves may become rich men, and not infrequently themselves hold slaves. - -Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Bantu, as of the true -negro, is his emotionality—one instant joyous, the next in tears. -Vowing vengeance for an injury to-day, he is on the happiest terms with -his injurer to-morrow. He laughs, sings, dances. Of all the -introductions of the white man, perhaps the accordion is the favorite. -Men use it, but women play it constantly. Most of them play one song -piece only, and one may hear it from one end of the state to the other -at every hour of the day and night. Of course, there are native -instruments in plenty, drums of every size and form, from the small hand -drum, made by stretching a skin across an earthen pot three or four -inches in diameter, up to the great cylindrical, horizontal drum made by -hollowing logs a yard in diameter and ten feet long. There are horns, -fifes, pipes, and whistles, and a great series of stringed instruments, -ranging from the musical bow with but one cord to lutes with ten or -twelve. Of course, the instrumental music goes with the dancing. - -The native is born to dance. Babies, two or three years old, dance with -their elders. Men dance together; women have their special forms; but in -the majority of cases the two sexes dance together. There is, however, -nothing like our waltzes or round dancing, individuals keeping -themselves separate. The dances are most frequent and lively when the -moon is growing. On moonlight nights hundreds of people—men, women, and -children—gather at dusk, and to the noise of drums dance wildly, often -till morning. It is no uncommon thing for people working on plantations -to work all day and dance almost all night, and this day after day. -While some of the dances are extremely graceful, most of them are -obscene and are followed often by frightful orgies. - -One thing greatly interested me. Had I been asked before my trip to -Africa about the cake-walk—a form of amusement which I love to see—I -should have said that it originated in America among the black folk of -our southern states. But no, the cake-walk is no American invention. In -every part of the Congo one may see it—even in regions where white -influence has seldom penetrated. The American cake-walk is an immigrant. - -The Bantu child is wonderfully precocious. This precocity displays -itself in everything. The children run about with perfect freedom, -instead of tottering along, one unsteady step after another, as our -children of the same age. They speak astonishingly soon. A babe in arms -eats solid food—notwithstanding the fact that it is not weaned until -two or three years of age—shockingly early. The little child imitates -the every action of its older friends. Children of four or five, in -shrewdness, comprehension, and intelligence, are like our ten-year-olds. -This precocity suggests the fact of early ripening. As a fact, boys of -sixteen and girls of thirteen are frequently ready for marriage. A man -of twenty-five is in the prime of life, a man of thirty aged, and on the -whole the term of life closes at thirty-five. - - - - - II. - - - January 21, 1907. - -LIFE is easy in the tropics. Wants are few. A house to live in can be -built in a few hours. Food can be gathered or produced with little -labor. Dress is needless. Where life is easy there is little impulse to -labor. - -The chief incentive to the Bantu to work is to secure the wherewithal to -buy a wife. The boy, who, through a careless, happy childhood, has done -naught but play, begins to think of settling down. But to have a wife he -must have money or its equivalent. So he goes to work. It may require a -year or more before he has the pieces of cloth which are necessary for -the purchase of his desired loved one. The same stimulus which impelled -him to labor for one wife may prod him to efforts for others. But with -the establishment of a home, and the purchase of two or three wives to -care for him and produce him wealth, his work is done. From fourteen -years to twenty-five is his working period. Before that time a child, -after that time he is a man of means. What wealth comes later comes -through the women and their labor, and through trade. - -We have already stated that the Bantu is notably acquisitive. Wealth, -apart from women and slaves, is counted mostly in cloth. One of the -chief aims in life is to accumulate cloth, not for use as clothing, but -as evidence of wealth and for the final display when the man dies and is -buried. Among the Lower Congo tribes the dead body is wrapped in piece -after piece of cloth, until the body disappears in a mass of wrappings -made of scores of pieces, each piece consisting of eight or sixteen -yards, as the case may be. Young men have cloth, and it is most -interesting to look through the boxes of the “boys.” At Basoko we were -robbed, and the authorities instituted a search. I was asked to inspect -the boxes of all the workmen on the place. Without warning, every man -and boy had to open his trunk, chest, tin box, or other store. I saw -young fellows of no more than sixteen or seventeen years who had a dozen -pieces of good cloth carefully folded away, watches, jewelry, ornaments, -knives, dishes—every kind of white man’s tradestuff that could be -imagined. When they are thirty those “boys” will be rich men, with -women, slaves, and piles of stuff. - -The government of the Free State has issued coins for native use. There -are large coppers of the value of one, two, five, and ten centimes. -There are silver coins of half-franc, franc, two franc, and five franc -value. But these coins have no circulation beyond Leopoldville. In the -Kasai district and the Upper Congo every commercial transaction is done -by barter. - -Certain things are so constantly in use as to have fixed values. For -articles of trifling value nothing is so good as salt. A standard which -varies from place to place is the brass rod, or mitaku. This is simply a -piece of brass wire of certain length. The mitaku in the Lower Congo are -short, those in the Upper Congo much longer. Beads have ever been used -in trade, but the wise traveler avoids them, as their value has -dwindled, and the taste not only varies from place to place, but from -time to time. The bead which one traveler found useful in a given -district may have lost its attractiveness before the next traveler, -loaded with a large supply, comes that way. - -At Ndombe the brass rod has no vogue. There the cowries (sea shells) are -the standard in small transactions. Cowries were once used in many parts -of Africa, but in most places have ceased to have value. Ndombe, -however, arrogates to himself and family the sole right of wearing brass -arm and leg rings. Hence mitaku are not used, and the old-fashioned -cowry remains. But the chief tradestuff, of course, is cloth. With it -you may buy chickens or goats, pigs or wives. In the Upper Kasai a piece -of cloth means eight yards—“four fathoms.” In the Upper Congo a piece -of cloth is sixteen yards, or eight fathoms. Formerly at Ndombe eight or -ten chickens were given for a piece of cloth, value five francs, or one -dollar in our currency. To-day one must pay a fathom for each fowl. - -The attempt to introduce the use of corn among the natives was -unsatisfactory alike to the people and the trader. It has, however, -taken hold strongly in the Lower Congo, and in time the use of true -money must push its way up the river. Curious is the contempt of all for -coppers. Ten centimes in Belgium would give delight to many a boy of -twelve or fifteen years. The Congo native frequently throws it away or -returns it to the person who gave it to him. Nothing less than a -half-franc piece—ten cents—is valued. - -I have seen this illustrated many, many times, the first time in my own -case. We were visiting a miserable fishing village of poor Bakongo. As I -entered the village a naked child, no more than two or three years old, -met me. I smiled at him and he at me. I extended my hand, which he -clasped and accompanied me for half an hour as I wandered from house to -house, never once relaxing his hold upon my fingers. It caused great -amusement to the adult portion of the village, as apparently the little -one rarely made such friendships. When I was about to leave I took a ten -centime piece from my pocket and gave it to him. Such a look of disgust -as came over his face would not be expected in any one short of adult -years. It was the last time that I gave a copper to a native. - -Unquestionably one of the most striking characteristics of the Congo -people is loquacity. Their tongues hang loosely, and wag incessantly. -Anything will do to talk about. Start one and he will talk until you -stop him. Quarrels, troubles, friendships, joys, plans, and -achievements, all are retailed at any hour of the day or night. When -excited, several will talk together with great vivacity, though it is -plain that no one knows what any other is saying. - -One of the chief occupations of the man is the palaver. The Portuguese -term applies to any serious consultation on any subject, pleasant or -otherwise. A palaver may be confined to chiefs or it may include -practically all the men of one or more villages. In many towns there is -a place for gathering for palavers under a tree known as the palaver -tree. Those who participate in a palaver bring their chairs or stools or -a roll of skin, which they place upon the ground to sit upon. At the -beginning there is more or less formality, and each one presents his -view decently and in order; sometimes, however, hubbub ensues, -disturbance arises, and the palaver breaks up in disorder. In these -palavers frequently speeches of great length and finished oratory are -delivered. Not only are the emotions played upon by the speaker, but -keen argument is employed, and the appeal is made to the intelligence. - -All matters of consequence—tribal, inter-tribal, and dealings with the -white man—are settled in palavers. The white man who knows the natives -is wise to conform to native customs. If he has some difficulty to -settle, some favor to ask, some business to arrange, he will do well to -have a formal palaver called in which he himself participates. - -On the occasion of my second visit to Ndombe I found the town in great -excitement. Going to the chief’s headquarters, we found a great palaver -in progress. Our coming was looked upon as a favorable omen, and with -much formality chairs were brought and placed for us in the midst of the -gathering. The remarks were translated to me as they were made. - -Ndombe’s town is really an aggregation of villages. Not one but four -different tribes are represented in the population. The central town, -walled and of Bakuba style, was Ndombe’s own. Three or four Bakete towns -were clustered near it. In another direction were several Baluba towns, -and close by them small villages of Batua. These four populations, -though living by themselves, were all subject to Ndombe, and the group -of villages taken together made a town of some pretension. - -The day before our visit, there had been a battle with the Bakete in -which several men had been wounded, though none were killed. The trouble -was taxes. The state demanded increased payments. The proud Bakuba -decided that the Bakete should pay the new tax, and so informed them. -Against this there had been a feeling of rebellion, and the Bakete -refused to pay the tax. Hence the battle. All were greatly excited. The -speeches were full of fire. The men—Bakuba—challenged each other to -show mighty deeds of valor; they belittled and derided the unfortunate -Bakete; they drew unpleasant contrasts between themselves and their -vassals. - -Many of the speeches were fine efforts, and the words were emphasized by -the most graceful and vigorous gesticulation. Finally an old woman -crowded in from one side where she had been listening to the speeches. -In impassioned language she described the heavy labors which the women -of the tribe already endured. They could stand no more. If the Bakuba -were men let them prove it now or forever after remain silent. Force the -Bakete to work. Put no more heavy tasks upon your mothers, wives, and -sisters. The old woman’s speech stirred the audience, and the meeting -broke up, the men hurrying to prepare themselves for a new battle. - -The market was among the most important institutions of the Congo -native. It retains importance to the present day. In the Lower Congo a -week consisted of four days, and market was held at each market-place -once a week. The markets were named from the day of the week on which -they were held. Thus, a Nsona market was a market held on the day of -that name. - -To these markets people came in numbers from all the country round, and -it was no uncommon thing to see thousands thus gathered. There were -special places for certain products. Thus, women who brought pottery for -sale occupied a set place; those who brought bananas would be grouped -together in their section; sellers of camwood, sweet potatoes, kwanga -(native cassava bread), palm wine, oil, salt, fowls, pigs, goats—all -occupied places well known to the frequenters of the market. In the -olden times, of course, there was a section devoted to the sale of -slaves. - -Such a market presented a scene of active life and movement. Yet order -was preserved. No crime was considered more serious than the disturbance -of a market. Such an act deserved severest punishment, and those in -whose hands the maintenance of order lay never hesitated to kill the -offender at once, and to make a public display of his punishment as a -warning to all. - -There is no question that the Congo native is cruel, and this cruelty -shows itself in many ways. The killing of slaves was extremely common. -It is true that it was never carried to the extreme in Congoland that it -reached in some true negro kingdoms, as Dahomey and Benin. It was, -however, customary to kill slaves on the occasion of the death of a man -of any consequence. The body of one of the slaves thus killed was placed -first in the grave to serve as a pillow for the dead man. It was a -common practice to preserve the skulls of victims sacrificed on such -occasions as memorials. - -Not only were slaves sacrificed to grace the funeral ceremony of chiefs, -but often one or more were killed upon occasions of festivity and joy. -King Ndombe once presented me a skull. It was that of a Batua slave who -had been killed upon the occasion of the chief’s coming into power. In -this case, apparently, judging by the condition of the skull, the victim -had been killed by simply knocking in his head. - -Until lately all through the Congo public executions were of a more -formal character than this. At Lake Mantumba we were shown the exact -mode of procedure. A sort of stool or seat was set upon the ground and -sticks were tightly driven in around it, in such a way as to limit the -motions of the victim after he was seated; in fact, to almost prevent -all movement. A sapling was then thrust in the ground. A sort of cage or -framework made of pliant branches was fixed about the head of the -victim. The sapling was then bent over in an arch and firmly fastened to -the cage, thus holding the head firmly and stretching the neck tense and -hard. The hands were tied together, as were the feet. When all was ready -the executioner with his great knife at a single blow struck off the -head. - -Enemies killed in battle were often mutilated, and fingers, nails, -bones, or the skulls were treasured as trophies. When the white men -first visited the villages of the Upper Congo there was scarce a house -without its ghastly trophy, and the houses of great chiefs displayed -baskets filled with skulls. - -It is doubtful whether the Congo native has as keen a sense of physical -suffering as ourselves. In almost every tribe men and sometimes women, -are marked with tribal marks upon the face or body; thus, among the -Bangala each member of the tribe bears a projection like a cock’s comb -running vertically across the forehead from the nose root to the hair -line. This excrescence is frequently three-quarters of an inch in -breadth and of the same elevation. Its development begins in childhood, -when a series of short but deep horizontal lines are cut in the child’s -forehead; these are irritated to produce swelling; later on they are cut -again, and again, and again, until the full development is produced. We -should certainly find such an operation painful in the extreme. I have -seen women whose entire bodies were masses of raised patterns, produced -by cutting and irritating. - -When being operated upon the subject usually squats or lies in front of -the operator, who sits cross-legged on the ground. The head or other -portion of the body which is being cut rests upon the lap or knees of -the cutter. No particular pain is shown by the subject, though the cuts -are often deep and blood flows copiously. A few minutes after the -operation, smeared with fresh oil on the wounds, the scarred person -walks about as if nothing had happened. - -The first subject that I saw treated for rheumatism was a young woman. -She was standing before her house door, while the old woman who was -treating her was squatted on the ground before her. In her hand the old -woman had a sharp, native razor, and with it she cut lines several -inches long and to good depth in the fleshy part of the leg of her -standing patient. Not once nor twice, but a dozen times the old woman -cut, and rubbed in medicine in the open wounds. The patient gave but -little signs of pain. Once or twice she winced as the knife went a -little deeper than usual; she held a long staff in her hand, and in the -most serious moments of the cutting she clutched it a little the -tighter. But there were no groans, no cries, nor tears. I have never -seen a white person who could have stood the operation with so little -evidence of suffering. - -Part of the time that we were in Ndombe’s district we had charge of an -establishment employing 140 natives, more or less. Among these natives -was one Casati. I think he was a Zappo Zap. Originally a man of -quickness and intelligence, he had become a complete physical wreck -through drink and other forms of dissipation. He boarded with a girl -named Tumba. One afternoon they presented themselves before me with a -palaver. It was some question in regard to payment and service. Like -most Bantu difficulties, its beginning seemed to extend backwards to the -world’s creation. - -I knew Tumba to be a worthy and industrious girl; Casati was a miserable -and worthless wretch. I therefore refused to decide the difficulty, -stating that the parties interested must wait until the return of the -true owner of the establishment, who would decide their question. This -was not at all to the satisfaction of Casati, who, merely to show his -dissatisfaction, took a sharp knife and cut three big gashes in his own -shoulder. It seems plain to me, from this apparent lack of pain under -scarring, medical treatment, and self-infliction, that there is a -notable difference between the Bantu and ourselves. - - - - -[Illustration: BAKUMU AT EASE: STEAMER CHAIRS AND PIPES FOR THREE] - - - - - III. - - - January 22, 1907. - -NATURALLY, in the Congo there is little need of dress. Before the -white man’s influence most native men wore nothing but a breech-clout—a -long strip of cloth passed between the legs and fastened as a belt -around the waist—or else a piece of native cloth made from palm fiber, -perhaps a yard in width and long enough to go around the body. This -latter garment, technically called a cloth, is still the dress of almost -all the workmen and workwomen on white men’s places, but European stuff -has replaced the old palm cloth. - -The women were usually much less clad than the men, but the style of -dress varied from tribe to tribe. The Bangala woman wore, and still -wears, a girdle at the waist, from which hung a fringe of grass or -vegetable fiber reaching to the knees. The women of some Aruwimi tribes -wear a simple cord, from which hangs in front a bit of grass cloth no -more than three or four inches square. On occasion, the Bakuba woman -wears nothing but one string of beads around her waist, from which hang -in front several large brass or copper rings. The Ngombe women regularly -go naked. - -Where white influence has become pronounced every one wears white man’s -cloth, and many have this cloth made up in form similar to those of the -Europeans. After a Bantu has begun to be imbued with white man’s ideas -he is unhappy until he has a jacket, trousers, and hat. In form and -material these are frequently so startling as to cause surprise to the -person really accustomed to white men’s clothes. Thus, a man may be -dressed in loose and flowing trousers made of the most brilliant -calicoes in gaudy pattern. He may have a jacket made of a strip of -handkerchiefing which never was meant to be used as material for -clothes, but to be cut or torn into kerchiefs. - -But happiness is not complete for the Bantu in transformation until he -has a white man’s umbrella. Not that he needs it for rain, because when -it rains the Bantu always goes into his house and at once falls into a -profound slumber which lasts until the rain is over. It is merely -fashion, or for protection against the sun, a thing of which the Bantu -really has no need. Two boys who were in our employ at Ndombe -accompanied us afterwards as personal servants on our long journey up -and down the Congo. When the time came to leave them at Leopoldville we -took them to the white man’s store and asked them what they wanted as a -parting gift. Their selections were eminently characteristic. My -companion’s boy at once declared his wish for an umbrella, while my own, -of a far livelier and more sportive disposition, wished an accordion. - -It is a common complaint among the white men that the native is -ungrateful. Many and many a time have we listened to such tirades. You -will hear them from everybody who has had dealings with the Bantu. The -missionary complains of it as bitterly as does the trader or the state -official. All of them unite in declaring that gratitude does not exist -in native character. This seems to us a baseless claim. The African is -the shrewdest of traders. It is true that frequently he lets things go -to white men for what seems to us a mere nothing. But he gets what he -wants in return for his goods. He enjoys bickering. His first price is -always greatly in excess of what he actually expects to receive. He will -spend hours in debating the value of his wares. - -No one need seriously fear for the outcome to the black man in open -trade with whites. The purpose of the white man in visiting him and -dealing with him is a mystery to the native mind. He can understand the -value of palm oil and ivory, for palm oil and ivory he uses himself. Why -rubber and copal should be so precious is beyond his understanding. He -but dimly grasps the purpose of the state and of the missionary. On the -whole, he lends himself to all alike, and being naturally kind, tries to -please all and do what is expected of him. Still, he knows that he is -being exploited by the foreigner, and it is but fair that he should -exploit in return—a thing at which he is an adept. Why, then, should he -be grateful for what is done for him? He naturally believes that -missionaries, government officials, and traders all gain some advantage -from their dealings with him; it is his duty to gain all he can in -return in his dealings with them. And there is no especial ground for -thanks. There is no reason for gratitude. - -I presume it is true that on one occasion—perhaps it has been true on -many—a native who had been carefully and lovingly cared for through a -long and trying sickness, when restored wished to know what the -missionary was going to give him. He had taken all the bad medicines and -all the invalid’s slops without complaint, but naturally he expected -some sort of compensation at the end. Yet the missionary would quote the -incident as an example of ingratitude. - -It is common to call black Africans dishonest. Here, again, the judgment -is undeserved and arises from miscomprehension. The African knows, as -well as we do, what constitutes truth, yet he lies, especially to white -folk. He has as clear a knowledge of mine and thine as we, and yet he -steals from his employer. The explanation lies in the same idea -precisely. He thinks we are constantly getting something from him; he in -turn must exploit us. The white man is a stranger. Throughout tribal -life the stranger is a menace; he is a being to be plundered because he -is a being who plunders. - -Among themselves, lying is not commended and truth is appreciated; but -to deceive a stranger or a white man is commendable. Native houses are -often left for days or weeks, and it would be easy for any one to enter -and rob them. Yet robbery among themselves is not common. To steal, -however, from a white employer—upon whom the native looks as a being of -unlimited and incomprehensible wealth—is no sin. It is unfair to stamp -the native either as a liar or a thief because he lies to white men and -steals from his employer. - -Among the Congo natives wealth has weight. The rich man has authority -and power and influence because he is rich. There is a servile, -cringing, element in the Bantu character which showed itself as plainly -in the old days before the white men came as it does to-day. Cringing, -toadying, scheming, marked the daily life. While a man was rich he had -respect and friends and power. If reverses came he lost them all. None -was so poor to do him reverence. Arrogance was the chief element of the -chieftain’s stock in trade; servility the chief mark of the slave and -poor man. White men who have to do with natives are forced to act -decisively. They must inspire fear and respect; kindness is weakness. To -permit discourtesy or insolence invites contempt. Perfect justice, -firmness, and consistency will give the white men who must deal with -natives a respected position which vacillation or mistaken friendliness -will never gain. - -Emotional to a high degree, the native often passes for affectionate. -Affection of a certain kind he no doubt has; many examples come to the -mind of personal servants who have almost shown devotion to white -masters. On the whole, true affection as we know it, unvarying, -consistent, which stands the test of varying circumstances, occurs but -seldom. Extremely beautiful and touching, however, is the love which -every Bantu has for his mother—a love undoubtedly encouraged and -strengthened by the polygamous life. A boy’s relation to his father is -nothing; his relation to his mother is the closest tie in human life. He -is of her blood. Her relatives are his. The nearest male connection -which he has is her brother. Toward him the boy shows particular -respect, but toward his mother true love. She is far nearer and dearer -to him than wife or slaves. Through his boyhood she is his refuge in -every kind of trouble; in young manhood she is his adviser and -confidant; in manhood he still goes to her in every trouble and with -every question. There is but one person in his whole lifetime whom he -trusts. She is ever sure to be his friend; she never betrays his -interest. - -All early white visitors to dark African populations were profoundly -impressed with the respect shown to the aged. This was genuine. The old -man or woman was the repository of wisdom. The experiences through which -they had passed made them wise counselors. Tribal affairs were decided -by the old. This trait of native character, constantly mentioned by all -the early writers, tends to disappear in all those districts where the -white man’s influence has spread. Such is ever the case. And it is -natural. - -The white man’s wisdom is a different thing from that of the native. -Contact with the white man causes contempt and despisal of the wisdom of -the ancients. It is the children who always gain this new wisdom from -the whites, and with their eating of the tree of knowledge there comes a -loss of all respect for older people. Missionaries in vain will preach -the fifth commandment to the children in their schools. The reading, -writing, and arithmetic which they learn from books, the new ways and -manners and points of view which they gain from contact with their -teachers, render all such teaching mere platitudes without vital force. -The children educated by white men, must always lose respect and -admiration for their parents and the elders of their tribes. - -Mentally, the native of the Congo is quick and bright. We have already -spoken of his ability in languages and his facility in oratory. He -delights in saws and proverbs—condensed wisdom. Hundreds and thousands -of such proverbs, often showing great keenness and shrewdness, deep -observation and insight, might be quoted. No people with a mass of -proverbial philosophy, such as the Bantu and the true negroes have, -could be considered stupid. In learning new ways and customs and in -imitation of others they are extremely quick and apt. Every white -settlement in the Congo has introduced new ways of living, and the black -boys who can cook well, do fair tailoring, good laundry work, and -personal service of other kinds are surprisingly numerous. Under -direction they frequently develop great excellence in work. - -In a few years after the establishment of the Free State, the caravan -service for transporting freight of every kind from the head of -navigation at Matadi to Leopoldville, above the rapids, was admirably -developed. The men carried their burdens willingly and uncomplainingly; -it was extremely rare that anything was lost or stolen. So, too, they -have rapidly adopted military life, and the native soldiers under -Belgian training present as great precision, promptness, and grace in -executing their maneuvers as many white troops would do. - -With both the true negroes and the Bantu, belief in witchcraft was -prevalent. Sickness, disease, and death were not natural events. That a -man should die in battle or from wounds was understood, but that -sickness should cause death was not grasped by the native mind. Sickness -and death from sickness were regularly attributed to the evil practices -of witches. If a man suffered pains in the head or body, it was because -some enemy was introducing a mysterious and harmful object into his -system. It was necessary, therefore, to adopt some method of undoing the -harm. There were men and women whose business it was to detect the -author of witchcraft and to recommend means for saving the victim from -his operations. Nothing more serious could happen to a man than to be -accused of witchcraft. No matter how rich he was; how high his station; -how many or how strong his friends—the accusation of witchcraft was -dangerous. - -A person accused of witchcraft was usually subjected to an ordeal of -poison. It was generally the drinking of a poisoned brew produced by -steeping leaves, or barks, or roots in water. If the accused vomited the -drink and suffered no serious results, his innocence was demonstrated. -If, however, the draft proved fatal, his guilt was clear. It is true -that sometimes the witch doctor played false, and, in administering the -ordeal, might be influenced by bribes. - -This whole matter of witchcraft and the ordeal has been magnified by -many writers. It is true that there was constant danger for a -progressive man, a rich man, or a great chief. Such men would naturally -arouse jealousy and envy, and no doubt accusations were frequently made -against them without cause. For my own part, however, I have long -believed that the ordeal for witchcraft was not an unmixed evil, and I -was more than pleased at hearing a missionary, who has been many years -in the Congo, state that, after all, while it was subject to occasional -abuse, it tended toward wholesome control of conditions in a community. - -It is much the custom for white men to speak of Congo natives as big -children. Whenever some custom is particularly unlike our own, they will -shrug their shoulders and say: “You see, they are only children.” I -believe as much in the theory of recapitulation as any one. I believe -that the life history of the individual repeats the life history of the -race. - -I believe that one may truly say that children among ourselves represent -the stage of savagery; that youth is barbarous; that adult age is -civilization. It is true that children among ourselves present many -interesting survivals of the savage attitude. In a certain sense savages -are children. I think, however, from the points in native character -which I here have touched, that my readers will agree with me that the -adult native of the Congo is no child. He is a man, but a man different -from ourselves. He represents the end of a development, not the -beginning. - - - - - IV. - - - January 23, 1907. - -HAVING some of the more marked characteristics of the Bantu in mind, -let us consider the conditions and circumstances of the white men in the -Congo. There are, of course, but three classes—state officials, -traders, and missionaries. Practically, the state officials and the -traders are in the same condition; the missionary is so differently -circumstanced that he must be considered independently. - -Few persons can imagine the trying climate and the serious diseases of -the Congo region. It is claimed that Nigeria is worse. It may be, but, -if so, I should wish to keep away from Nigeria. Fever, of course, -abounds in all the Lower Congo districts. If one escapes it for a time -it is so much the worse for him when finally he succumbs to the -infliction. It is only malaria, but it is malaria of the most insidious -and weakening sort. A man is up and working in the early morning; at -noonday he takes to his bed with fever; at night or next morning he may -again be at his daily work. - -It seems a trifling thing—a disease which often lasts less than a day. -But the man is left weak and nerveless. The next attack continues the -weakening process. Finally, with blood impoverished and strength -exhausted, he dies. Of course, the remedy is quinine. Careful people -going into the Congo begin to take their daily dose of this specific at -the beginning of their journey, so that they may be fortified against -attack before arrival. For the most part the English missionaries take -two, three, five, or six grains daily throughout the period of their -stay. Some foreigners prefer ten grain doses on the 1st, 11th, and 21st -of every month. Few really refuse to take it, and such usually find an -early grave. - -The disadvantage of this constant dosing with quinine is the danger of -the dreaded hæmaturic fever. This dread disease rarely attacks a person -until he has been a year in the Congo. It is commonly attributed to the -system being loaded up with quinine. The instant that its symptoms -develop, the order to cease taking quinine is promptly issued. Among the -European population of the Congo, hæmaturic fever is regularly expected -to have a fatal issue. It is more than probable that the use of wines, -beers, and liquors predisposes the system to a fatal result. Plenty of -missionaries die of hæmaturic fever also, but the appearance of the -disease among them by no means produces the panic which it does among -continentals. Perhaps one in five or six cases dies, two of the -remainder flee to Europe, the other three recover. But the disease is no -trifling matter, and must be seriously taken. - -Few persons realize the frightful effect of the tropical sun in Central -Africa. When Jameson came down the river from the ill-fated Yambuya -camp, natives on the shore sent a flight of arrows against his paddlers, -not knowing that a white man was present with them in the canoe. To show -them that such was the case and prevent further attack Jameson stood in -his canoe and waved his hat at the assailants. It is unlikely that he -had it from his head more than a minute or two, but in that time he was -stricken with the fever which a few days later caused his death. - -Glave, after spending six years in Africa at the state post of Lukolela, -returned in safety to his native land. After some years he revisited the -scene of his earlier labors, entering the continent on the east coast -and passing in safety to Matadi. While waiting for a steamer he was -making a short journey on the river in a canoe. His head was exposed for -a mere instant to the sun, and Glave was shortly a dead man. - -One who has been on three different occasions in the Congo once remarked -to me that he could see no reason for the strange and frightful modes of -suicide adopted by Europeans who wished to end their lives. All that -would be necessary is to seat oneself upon a chair or stool in the open -sunshine for a brief period. Yet the Bantu goes out every day with no -hat upon his head, and with no apparent bad results. And when he has the -fever one of his quickest means of restoration is to seat himself in the -open sunshine. Of course, the Bantu does not have the fever as -frequently or as severely as the white man. - -The Bantu suffers much, however, from sleeping-sickness. For a long time -it was believed that this strange disease was peculiar to the dark -populations of Africa. The disease formerly was local, and while -frightful in its ravages, was not a serious matter. To-day, however, it -is extending up and down the whole length of the main river and -throughout the area drained by many of its main tributaries. - -In its approach it is slow and insidious. The saddest cases are those -where the victim attacked was notably intelligent and quick. The subject -becomes at first a little moody, and from time to time has outbursts of -petulance and anger out of proportion to the exciting cause. These -outbursts become more and more common, and assume the character of true -mania, during which the person may attack those around him, even though -they are his best and dearest friends. It is frequently necessary to tie -him, in order to prevent injury to others. Presently the person is -affected with stupor, shows a tendency to sleep, even at his work; this -increases until at last he is practically sleeping, or in a comatose -condition, all the time. In this latter stage of the disease he loses -flesh with great rapidity, and presently is naught but skin and bones. -At last death takes him, after he has been useless to himself and others -for a long time. - -The sleeping-sickness is not confined to the Congo Free State, and at -the present time its ravages are felt severely in the British district -of Uganda. The disease has been investigated by learned commissions, but -no satisfactory treatment, at least for an advanced stage of the -trouble, has been yet discovered. - -There is a tendency among physicians to connect the transmission of the -sleeping-sickness with, the tsetse fly. It is, “of course,” a germ -disease—such being at the present all the fashion. A medical friend in -New York tells me that the Japanese have made recent important -investigations of the sickness, and that their line of treatment gives -greater promise of success than any other. Latterly the disease has -attacked white people, and a number of missionaries have died from it or -been furloughed home for treatment. - -Whole districts of Bantu have been depopulated. We were shown the site -of a Catholic mission until lately highly prosperous; the place has been -deserted, all the natives under the influence of the mission having died -of the sleeping-sickness. - -Malaria, hæmaturia, sun fevers, and sleeping-sickness are the most -fearful scourges which the white settler in the Congo faces. - -We could, of course, extend the list of strange and dreadful diseases, -but have said enough to show that every white man who goes into the -Congo country does so at a serious risk. No one is quite immune, and the -number who even seem to be so is small. No one is ever quite well, and -every one is chronically in a state of physical disorganization. - -The climate and the actual diseases are bad enough. They perhaps would -lose a portion of their terror if the food supply were adequate, -wholesome, and nutritious. Even the missionaries use little native food. -The state officer and trader use practically none. The chopbox is an -institution of the country. Its simplest expression is found at the -trading-post of some company where but a single agent is in residence. -Once in three months the steamer of his company brings him his chopbox -outfit. There are usually two long wooden boxes, one of which contains a -great variety of tinned meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit. I never had -the least idea until my African experience how many things were put in -tins. The second box contains flour, oil, vinegar, salt, and spices. The -quantity is held to be sufficient for the three months. In addition to -the actual food supply, there is a quota of wine in demijohns and of gin -in square bottles. - -No one who has not had the experience can imagine the frightful satiety -which comes upon one who has fed for weeks from chopboxes. - -It is true that “the boy” does his best to serve a palatable dinner. It -is true that sometimes a piece of elephant or hippopotamus, a guinea -fowl or grouse, some buffalo or antelope, or fresh fish or fowls are -brought in by the natives as gifts or trade. But even with this help the -poor company agent has the same food, meal after meal, day after day. -Frequently the tinned stuff is old and really unfit for eating; but the -quota is none too large for his three months’ period. Sometimes the -flour or macaroni is moldy, having been soaked through with water in the -hold of a leaky steamer. The food is not attractive nor substantial. The -state officer, the company agent, in Central Africa, is underfed and -badly nourished. - -Not only does the white man in the Congo suffer physical -disorganization; he also suffers mental disintegration. The memory of -white men in the Congo weakens. This is a matter of universal -observation, and my attention has been called to it repeatedly. A -disinclination to any kind of intellectual activity takes possession of -one, and only by the exercise of strong will-power can he accomplish his -daily tasks and plan for the work of the future. There is a total lack -of stimulus. - -When to the weakening effects of fever and other illness, and to the -depression caused by innutritious food, we add the influence of constant -dread of coming sickness and of native outbreaks, it is no wonder that -the white man of the Congo is a nervous and mental wreck. At home, -accustomed to wines and spirits at his meals, he finds it difficult to -discontinue their use. Beer ought to be completely avoided in the Congo; -there is no question of its injurious effect upon the liver. Wine may be -taken in the evening, and a very little spirits in the night after -dinner, without noticeable bad results. But many of these lonely men pay -no attention to wise rules of drinking, and through constant dissipation -lay themselves open to disease and death. Nor are they always satisfied -with intoxicating drinks. The use of opium in different forms is common. -Many a time have company agents or state officials come to me and asked -for some remedy from my medicine chest, for sudden and distressing -pains. In every case it has been a preparation of opium which they have -taken. - - - - - V. - - - January 24, 1907. - -WITH physical and mental disorganization there must, of course, be -moral disintegration. Even the missionaries in an enlightened country -like Japan constantly complain of the depressing influences around them. - -Such a complaint, to my mind, is preposterous when applied to Japan, but -it is easy to understand with reference to Central Africa. If there is -but one agent at the station, he rarely sees another white man. Day -after day, and all day long, his constant contact is with the black -folk. There is nothing to appeal to his better nature. He must pit -himself against the scheming and servile native. He must look out for -the interests of the company. He must scheme, browbeat, threaten. -Chances for immorality abound. - -Constant sight of cruelty begets cruelty. Alone in a population so -unlike himself, his only safety rests in his commanding at once fear, -respect, obedience. He frequently possesses governmental power. The only -white man in a large area of country, he must insist upon the -fulfillment of the requirements which are passed down to him from his -superiors. There are no white men living who could pass unscathed -through such a trial. - -The wonder is not that from time to time company agents and governmental -officials are encountered who are monsters of cruelty. The wonder is, -with the constant sapping of the physical, the mental, and the moral -nature, that any decent men are left to treat with natives. - -Of course, there are almost no white women in the Congo Free State -outside the missions. The director-general at Leopoldville, the railroad -station agent at the same point, a commandant at Coquilhatville, and two -of the officers at Stanleyville have their wives with them. It is -possible that there are some of whom I am ignorant, but it is doubtful -if there are a dozen white women of respectability in all the -Congo—except, of course, the ladies in the missions. Almost without -exception, the other state officials and traders have black women. - -These black women of the white man are to be seen wherever the white man -himself is seen. A man usually selects his black companion shortly after -reaching the Congo and supports her in his own house, where he treats -her on the whole with kindness. He considers her an inferior being, but -treats her like a doll or toy. She is dressed according to her own fancy -and frequently brilliantly and more or less expensively. She rarely -forces attention upon herself, but where he goes she goes. If he travels -on the steamer, she is there; if he makes a trip through the rubber -district, stopping night after night in native towns, she is ever one of -the caravan. She is true to him and on the whole, though there has been -no marriage, he is true to her. - -Frequently, a strong affection appears to spring up between the couple, -and the hybrid children resulting from the relation are almost always -loved and petted by their white father. Not infrequently, the little -ones are taken home to Belgium for education, and are generally received -with kindness by their father’s parents. - -On the steamer which brought us back from Congo were two Belgians, one -with a little girl, the other with a boy slightly older. The children -were well dressed, well behaved, pretty and attractive. And it was -interesting to see the affectionate greeting that was given them by -their grandparents on their landing at the dock in Antwerp. - -At one post, where we were entertained for several days, the lieutenant -had his two little daughters, 3 and 5 years respectively, at the table -with him at all meal times, together with the other two white men of the -station and his two guests. The little ones were extremely pretty and -gentle. At the table it is their custom to sing between the courses. -Their father almost worships them. While the children are thus -constantly petted in public and appear on all sorts of occasions, the -black woman rarely if ever sits with her white man at the table or -enters the room where he is laboring or receiving guests. - -We have described the condition of a single agent at a station. At many -stations there is more than one. At first sight, it would seem as if the -lot of the agent who with one or two others is at a station would be far -happier than that of the lonely man whom we have pictured. - -There are, however, two results of the environment to which we have as -yet not alluded. On my return to Brussels, after my visit to the Congo, -a state official who has never been in Africa asked me with interest and -some evidence of concern whether in my judgment it was true that those -in Africa were always a little crazy. I told him that I believed such to -be the case, and quoted to him a statement made by an old Afrikander: -“We are all a little crazy here; it is the sun. You must not mind it.” -Men on the slightest provocation will fly into the most dreadful fits of -anger. A little cause may bring about catastrophe. - -The second curious result suggested is the fact that everything appears -much larger, more important, and more serious than it really is. A -slight, neglect, or insult of the most trifling character becomes an -enormous injury. With this unsettled intellectual condition and this -constant tendency to magnify and enlarge an injury, we almost always -find where two men or more are associated in Congo stations frightful -hostilities and enmity. One would think that the common feeling of -loneliness would unite men and cement friendships. On the other hand, -every subordinate is plotting against his superior. Cabals are formed; -injuries planned and developed. - -Of course, we understand that criticism, plotting, undermining occur -wherever human beings live. But the thing develops to an extreme among -the white men of the Congo. When a man has an outside visitor ready to -listen to his complaints he will spend hours in pouring out his woes. -The most innocent actions and words on the part of his fellows will be -warped and misconstrued; imaginary insults and neglects will be -magnified, brooded over, and reiterated. - -It would be a mistake to think that the men who go to the Congo are bad. -Missionaries assert that the quality of those who come to-day is worse -than formerly, which may be true. When the Congo enterprise was first -launched, sons of good families, lured by the chance of adventure or -pining for novelty, enlisted in the service of the state. Probably the -number of such men going to the Congo is lessening. - -To-day, when all the terrors of the Congo are well known, when the -hardships of that kind of life have been repeated in the hearing of -every one, rich men’s sons find little that is attractive in the Congo -proposition. But I was constantly surprised at the relatively high grade -of people in low positions in the Congo state. Most of them are men of -fair intelligence; some, of education. Not only Belgians, but -Scandinavians, Hollanders, Swiss, and Italians, go to the Congo in -numbers. They are not by nature brutal or bad; doubtless they were poor, -and it was poverty that led them to enter the Congo service. The term -for which they regularly enter is three years. No man from any country, -could stand three years of such surrounding influence without showing -the effect. - -In passing, we may call attention to certain curious facts of -observation in connection with the strangers who come to Congo. We might -suppose that the Scandinavians would particularly suffer physically in -going from their northern latitudes into the tropics. On the contrary, -it is precisely the Scandinavians who seem most readily to adapt -themselves to their surroundings. Almost all the captains of steamers on -the Congo River are Norwegians or Swedes. - -A record astonishing and presumably unparalleled is presented by the -Finns. On one occasion, I was sitting in a mess-room where it proved -that each member of the company spoke a different language—French, -Flemish, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Dutch, German, and English were all -represented. On my expressing interest in there being a Finn present, -the gentleman of that nationality stated that he and fifty-four of his -companions came to the Congo State six years ago; that they were now -ending their second term, and that fifty-one out of the original number -were still living. I presume the statement was true, and, if so, it is -as I have stated, unparalleled. Another member of the company told me -later that the case was far more interesting and striking than I -realized, as three out of the four who died were drowned, not meeting -their death from disease. - -There is a tendency for the population of a nationality to flock into -the same line of work in the Congo State. Thus, a large proportion of -the Finns in question were engineers upon the steamers. The Italians are -largely doctors, and one meets with Italian physicians in every quarter -of the country. - -I have already stated that those who go to the Congo insist that in -Nigeria the climatic conditions are still worse for health. If they are -no worse, but just as bad, we should find the same disintegration in -physical, mental, and moral ways. It is easy to criticise the lonely -white man in Central Africa; to stamp him as brutal, cruel, and wicked. -But the Englishman occupying a similar position in Nigeria, or even in -Uganda, must present the same dreadful results of his surroundings. I -suspect that our American young men, isolated in remote parts of the -Philippines, show the same kind of decay. Any nation that insists upon -bearing the black man’s burden must pay the price. - -Belgium is the most densely populated land in Europe. It, if any -European country, needs room for expansion. Leopold II. claims that his -interest in the Congo from the first has been due to a desire to provide -an opportunity for Belgian overflow. I am loath to attribute to that -monarch so much sagacity. It is, however, true that as a colony of -Belgium, the Congo Free State will ever receive a large number of young -men who hope, by serving a term in Congo, to better their condition. -They realize the dangers and deprivations, but they expect at the end of -their three years to come home with a neat sum of money in their -possession; with this they think to establish themselves in business for -life. Unfortunately, these bright hopes are rarely realized. They start -for home in Europe with the neat little sum of money. For three years, -however, they have had no social pleasure, have spent no money. - -Arrived in the home land, old friends must be entertained. The theater, -the saloon, the dance-hall present attractions. Before he knows it, the -man has spent his little hoard in foolish pleasures, and has naught to -show for his three years of labor. He hates to return to Congo, but the -fact that he has been in Congo stands in the way of his securing steady -and normal employment in Belgium. At last, without money and without -work, after a bitter struggle, he decides that there is nothing left but -another term in Congo. If he was a state employé, he decides that he -will better himself by entering into the service of a company; or, if he -were in the employ of a company, he thinks another company or the state -will better appreciate and pay for his services. It is a fatal -assumption. The moment that he presents himself before his would-be -employers and speaks proudly of his experience in Congo as a reason for -his hiring, suspicion is at once aroused that he must have left his -earlier employment under a cloud. He is told to call again, and -inquiries are set on foot with his old employer, who, irritated at his -employé’s desertion, gives as unfavorable report as the case will -warrant. On returning at the appointed date, the applicant is either -told that his services are not wanted, or is offered wages below what he -before received. Angered at this lack of appreciation, he goes back to -his old employer and offers his services at the old price. This is -refused. And the discouraged seeker for work is compelled frequently to -accept, in spite of an experience which would make him more valuable, -lower wages than he was accustomed to. - - - - - VI. - - - January 25, 1907. - -UNDOUBTEDLY the finest houses in the Congo are those at missions. The -grade of living in these mission stations is also of the best. This has -led to strange criticism by many travelers. One of the latest to visit -the Congo State speaks with surprise, and apparently disapproval, of the -English missionaries “living like lords.” - -Yet it is certain that the missionaries, if any one, should live well. -The state official and the company’s agent go to the Congo with the -expectation of staying but a single term. The English missionary goes -there with the purpose, more or less definitely fixed, of spending the -remainder of his life in his field of labor. No matter how well he is -housed or how good his food, he must meet with plenty of inconvenience -and privation. If he is to accomplish anything for those who send him, -he should be as comfortable as the circumstances will allow. More than -that, the English missionary regularly takes with him his wife, and any -white woman is entitled to the best that can be had; it is a poor return -for what she must necessarily undergo. - -There was, of course, mission work in the kingdom of Congo more than 400 -years ago. It had an interesting history, it had its periods of -brilliant promise, and apparent great achievement. The work was spent, -its effect had almost disappeared, when recent explorations reintroduced -the Congo to the world. Stanley’s expedition aroused the interest of the -whole world. - -The missionaries were prompt to see the importance of the new field open -for their labors. In 1878 three important events in mission history took -place. In February of that year Henry Craven of the Livingstone Inland -Mission reached Banana; in the same month, the Catholic church decreed -the establishment of the Catholic mission of Central Africa, with what -is practically the Congo State as its field of operations. In the same -year Bentley, Comber, Crudington, and Hartland, representatives of the -Baptist Missionary Society, made a settlement at San Salvador, a little -south of the Congo River, which became the center from which extended -the most widely developed and influential mission work of all the -country. - -Since that time the representatives of many other missions have -undertaken work within the Congo State—which, of course, in 1878 had -not yet been established. Some of these flourished for but a brief time; -others have continued. At present there are within the Congo limits -missionaries of at least eight different Protestant -societies—representing England, America, and Sweden—and Catholic -missionaries representing five different organizations. - -By far the greatest number of the Protestant missionaries are English, -even though they may in some cases be representatives of American -boards. They naturally carry with them into their stations the English -mode of life, traditions, atmosphere. Though the currency of the Congo -Free State is reckoned in francs and centimes, they talk all business -and quote all prices in shillings and pence; in making out an account -everything is calculated in English money, and it is with a certain air -of gentle remonstrance that they will convert the total, at the request -of the debtor, into Belgian or Congo currency. Their importations all -are English; they take their afternoon tea; they look with mild but sure -superiority upon all differing methods around them. Few of them really -talk French, the official language of the country; still fewer write it -with any ease or correctness. - -It would seem as if one of the first requirements of a society sending -missionaries into a country where the official language is French and -where the vast majority of the officials, with whom the missionary must -deal and come into relation, know no English, would be that every -candidate for mission work should be a competent French scholar. -Otherwise there is danger of constant misunderstanding and difficulty -between the mission and the government. No such requirement seems to be -made. - -Unfortunately, there is a strained relation amounting at times to -bitterness between the state officials and the English-speaking -missionaries. This feeling is general, and there are curiously many -specific exceptions. Thus, there are certain missionaries who, by their -immediate neighbors among officials, are highly spoken of; for example, -the manner, the ingenuity in devising and planning work, the promptness -and energy, of Mr. Joseph Clark at Ikoko, are constant themes of -admiring conversation on the part of officers at the Irebu camp, and -Mrs. Clark’s dress, linguistic ability, and cookery are quoted as models -to be attained if possible. - -At first I thought these officials were poking fun, but soon became -convinced that they were speaking in serious earnest, and that it was -not done for effect upon myself was evident from the minute details into -which the praisers entered. I found an almost precisely similar -condition of things at Lisala camp, near the mission of Upoto, where Mr. -Forfeitt’s wisdom and knowledge of the natives and Mrs. Forfeitt’s grace -and charm were frequently referred to. At Stanleyville, also, one heard -constant praises of Mr. Millman’s scholarship and Mr. Smith’s skill in -photography. - -In all three of these stations, the officials would talk dreadfully of -British missionaries in general, but for the local missionary they -seemed to feel an actual regard. To a less degree, and tinged, of -course, with English condescension, there was frequently expressed a -feeling of reciprocal regard from the missionary’s side. While the -representative of the state on the whole was a frightful creature, -merely to be condemned, there were usually some local officers, known -personally to the missionary, who presented streaks of excellence. - -While it is true that a well-built house, and as good meals as can be -prepared within the Congo, operate to keep the missionary in better -health of mind and body and morals, yet even he feels the disintegration -due to the environment. He lives a fairly normal life. The presence of a -wife and woman of culture and refinement in the household is a great -blessing. Children, of course, are sent home for education and to escape -disease. The result is there are no little ones in the mission homes, -but, apart from this serious lack, the influence is helpful and -healthful. - -The missionaries, probably all of them, are abstainers. There is no -question that their refraining from wines and liquors is a physical and -mental advantage. In the nature of the case, they are constantly -subjected to moral restraints, which are lacking to the state official -and the company agent. For all these reasons the missionary stands the -country much better than any other group of white men. - -A white missionary is rarely if ever the sole representative at a -station. With a definite continued work, in its nature inspiring, with -congenial companions, and the encouragement of others working in the -same cause, his lot is often a happy one. But even the missionary has -fever, dies of hæmaturia, or must hasten back to England with incipient -sleeping-sickness; he, too, becomes anæmic and nerveless; he becomes -irritable and impatient; the slightest provocation upsets him, and he -magnifies every little grievance, as do his white neighbors in other -lines of work. - -On the whole, the missionary is the only white man in the country who -seriously learns the language of the natives among whom he works. He -devotes himself with eagerness to its acquisition. A newcomer in the -country, his first desire is to gain sufficient knowledge of the -language to teach and preach to the people in their own tongue. Many of -these missionaries have written extended grammars and dictionaries of -native languages, and the number of translations of portions of the -Bible and of religious teachings into these languages is large. - -It is true that the mere stranger is sometimes doubtful as to the -reality and thoroughness of the missionary’s knowledge of his people’s -language. He hears the missionary give a distinct order to the native, -and, behold, the boy does the precise opposite. This has happened too -often for one to be mistaken. The missionary shrugs his shoulders and -says in explanation that the blacks are stupid or cuffs the boy for -inattention. The fact probably is that the missionary gave a different -order from what he thought. The black is really shrewd and quick to -grasp the idea which the white man is trying to convey to him. - -Whether it is true that the white man often gains sufficient control of -the language to make himself completely understood by the natives or -not, it is absolutely certain that much of the reading of translations -into his own language by the native is pure fiction. At one mission -which we visited, it was the custom after breakfast for the houseboys of -the mission to come in to family prayers. Each was supplied with a -translation to be read in the morning’s exercise. The boys, seated on -the floor, read brief passages in turn. They might, through mistake, -skip a whole line or completely mispronounce a word, indicating a total -lack of understanding of the passage read, and yet it was done with the -same air of satisfaction that would accompany a task well done. My own -boy, Manoeli, used to cover whole sheets of paper with meaningless -scrawls in pencil, and with an air of wisdom, which he unquestionably -thought deceived me, he would at my request proceed to read line after -line, and even page after page, of stuff that had no meaning. And even -if I stopped him and turned him back to some earlier point, he would -begin and go on as if it really meant something. I was constantly -reminded by these boys at prayers of Manoeli’s pretended reading of fake -writing. - -On the Kasai River steamer many of the Baluba boys and girls had books -from the Luebo mission. These were mostly elementary reading books. -Nothing pleased them better, especially if any one seemed to be paying -attention to what they were doing, than for a group of them to gather -about one who played the teacher. With an open book before him and a -cluster of six or eight about him, looking carefully at the syllables to -which he pointed, they would call out in unison the sounds represented. -It was done with gusto, with rhythm, almost with dancing. It seemed to -show remarkable quickness in recognizing the printed syllables. - -After I had seen the thing three or four times I myself took the book in -hand and centering the attention of the group upon one syllable to which -I pointed, I would start them by pronouncing a syllable several lines -below; once started, though distinctly looking at the thing to which I -pointed, they would call out the complete list, one after another, in -proper order, but never the ones, of course, to which my finger pointed -and which they pretended to be reading. In other words, these Baluba -boys and girls knew their primer by heart and repeated it like parrots, -with no reference to the actual text. I must confess that I have little -confidence in the ability of most Congo mission boys and girls to read -understandingly the simplest of the books with which they deal. - -There are different types of Protestant missions. At Leopoldville there -would probably be no mission but for the fact that it is the terminus of -the railroad and the place from which the river steamers start. The -natives directly reached by its work live for the most part on the -mission property, in quarters much like those upon the old plantations -of the South. They receive their rations weekly and are paid a monthly -wage. Early in the morning the rising bell is sounded and morning -prayers take place. Work begins and all are kept busily employed upon -the grounds and buildings. Noon hours of rest are given, and at evening -work for the day stops. There are various religious services and classes -meeting after supper on different evenings of the week. The presence of -great numbers of workmen and soldiers of the state at Leopoldville -introduces conditions not helpful to mission labor. It is necessary, -however, to have a force at hand able to help missionaries going up or -coming down the river, transporting their baggage and freight, and doing -other service constantly called for at a point of receipt and shipping -like Leopoldville. - -The mission’s work is not confined, however, to the town, and teachers -are sent to neighboring villages to teach and conduct classes. - - - - - VII. - - - January 26, 1907. - -AT Yakusu great stress is laid upon the work of teaching. The mission -property adjoins an important Lokele village. Within easy reach are -villages of three or four other tribes. It is an area of rather dense -population. Villages in number occur all along the shores of the river -for miles downstream. Other villages of inland folk lie behind these. -Thousands of people are within easy reach. The mission maintains a -liberal force of houseboys for the four houses of missionaries; it has -also a corps of excellent workmen, who make brick, do carpentering, -build houses, and keep the grounds in order. These are not from the -local tribe, but are Basoko from down the river. Children from the -immediate village flock to the mission school, but this is only the -least significant portion of the work. More than 200 teachers are in the -employ of the mission, teaching in village schools throughout the -country around. To supply text-books, the mission press at Bolobo turns -out editions of four or five thousand copies. - -Similar in its plan of sending out native teachers to outlying villages -is the great work at Wathen, in the Lower Congo. This was once on the -main caravan route from Matadi to Leopoldville. Since the building of -the railroad it is completely off of beaten lines of travel, and only -one who specifically desires to visit it will see it. The main feature -of this work, marking it off from all the other mission work in the -Congo State, is a central boarding school for native children, where a -definite course for study, extending through several years, is -continuously carried on. Boys graduating from this school go out as -teachers. And the mission demands that the villages thus supplied shall -meet the expense of conducting their schools. This seems to me the best -educational experiment in the Congo, and scores of villages throughout -the district of the cataracts have self-supporting schools with Wathen -boys for teachers. - -In the official report of the royal commission of inquiry sent to -investigate conditions in the Congo Free State recently, there is found -this passage: - - “Often, also, in the regions where evangelical stations are - established, the native, instead of going to the magistrate, his - rightful protector, adopts the habit, when he thinks he has a - grievance against an agent or an executive officer, to confide - in the missionary. The latter listens to him, helps him - according to his means, and makes himself the echo of all the - complaints of a region. Hence, the astounding influence which - the missionaries possess in some parts of the territory. It - exercises itself not only among the natives within the purview - of their religious propaganda, but over all the villages whose - troubles they have listened to. The missionary becomes, for the - native of the region, the only representative of equity and - justice. He adds to the position resulting from his religious - zeal the influence which in the interest of the state itself - should be secured to the magistrate.”—_Translation._ - -It is true that the Congo native carries all his grievances to the -missionary. On one occasion, when we had been in Leopoldville but a day -or two and had seen but little of native life and customs, we noticed a -line of fifty people, some with staves of office showing them to be -chiefs or chiefs’ representatives, filing in a long line to the mission. -They squatted under the palaver-tree, awaiting the attention of the -missionary. Their errand was in reference to the local market. Formerly -there was a market at Leo, important alike to the people of the town and -to the producing natives of the country around. There had been disorders -and disturbances; the sellers lost their goods through theft and -seizure, and for several years it had been discontinued. - -After repeated petitions on the part of the people to the government, -Bula Matadi yielded, promised restoration of the market, assigned a -place, and put up a building. Though apparently all had been done that -they had asked, the people were not satisfied, and this delegation had -presented itself to the missionary to ask him to present their complaint -and desires. The place selected was not a good one; a different one -close by the railroad station and the English traders, was requested. -The missionary brought the matter to the attention of the local -government, which yielded to the people’s suggestion, and gave -permission for the opening of the market on the following Sunday in the -place of preference. - -We became interested in this matter, and on the following Sunday the -missionary, my companion, and myself made our way to the spot to see how -matters were progressing. A considerable number of sellers had come in -with produce, mostly kwanga and other foodstuffs. They were beginning to -display these upon the ground. Would-be purchasers were gathered in -numbers, and among them crowds of Bangala women from the workmen’s camp. -The sellers seemed suspicious lest attack might be made upon their -wares. Their suspicions were, unfortunately, well founded. For a little -time things appeared to go well but at last Bangala women, standing by, -swooped down upon the piles of stuff temptingly offered for sale, and -seizing handfuls, started to run away. One soldier-policeman, who, a few -moments before, seemed to be fully occupied with his duty of guarding -the railway station, and several idle men and boys joined in the -looting. The thing was done as quickly as if there had been -pre-concerted plotting and a given signal. - -In an instant all was turmoil. Some of the sellers were hastily packing -away in cloths what was left of their stores; others grappled with the -thieves, some of whom, however, were making good escape with their -plunder. We all three rushed in to help the robbed to stay the thieves, -and for a few minutes there was a free-for-all fight. Most of the stolen -stuff was retaken, and the angry sellers, with all that was left to them -packed away, refused to again open up their stores. The missionary -suggested that they should move nearer to the trading-post of the -English traders and ensconce themselves behind a fence, buyers being -allowed to approach only upon the other side, while we three and the -white men from the traders should guard to prevent further attack and -thieving. Finally, this scheme was put into operation. One or two -soldier-police were summoned, the stores were again opened up, though -trading had to stop every now and then to permit of the dispersal of the -crowd which thronged around awaiting the opportunity for another attack. - -Under these difficulties, in which the missionary and my Mexican -companion performed prodigies of valor, the market was conducted with a -fair degree of success. I was interested in the further history of this -market. Our missionary friend shortly wrote me that things had been -reduced to order; that the government had built a market-house and -supplied regular guards to maintain order; that the number of sellers -had increased, and that purchasers flocked to buy. - -But all this brilliant promise came to a sad end. When we again reached -Leopoldville the market-house was closed; there were no signs of -interest. It seems that Bula Matadi thought the market presented an -admirable chance for getting even. One day, when the stock of kwanga and -other foodstuffs was exceptionally large, the representatives of the law -swooped down upon the sellers, claimed that they were in arrears in -payment of their kwanga tax, and seized their stock in trade. The result -was that the market died. - -Among the laws which in their intention, perhaps, were good, but in -their application vicious, is one regarding orphan and abandoned -children. In native life, unaffected by white influence, there could be -no difficulty regarding such children. If a native child were left -without a mother it would at once be taken over by the mother’s family. -There would be no feeling that it was a burden, and it would suffer no -deprivation. - -Such a thing as an abandoned child, in strictly native condition, is -scarcely conceivable. According to state law, an orphan or abandoned -child less than 14 years of age may be turned over by the court to -missions for care and education. The mission, of course, is entitled to -the child’s services through a term of years. Advantage of this law has -never been taken by Protestant missions, but Catholic missions have at -different times had numbers of children committed to their charge and -have used their services in the development of property. A child of 14, -the limit of the law’s application, is better than a child of 12, -because capable of immediate service. A boy of 15, 16, 17, 18, would be -still better, but, of course, it is illegal to seize a young fellow of -that age and employ him at such labor. Once committed, the child remains -in the mission’s power until manhood. - -There is no question that the missions, taking advantage of this law, -many times seize boys who are beyond the age limit and many others who -are neither orphans nor abandoned. I myself have seen a young man who -could not have been less than 19 or 20 years of age, who was married and -a member of the Protestant church, who had been taken by the peres under -this law. He was brought before the state authorities and immediately -set at liberty. - -It is due to this fact, that the native goes constantly to the -missionary with his complaints—that he looks upon him as the proper -person to represent his cause before the state officials; that the -missionary, himself, feels it his duty to bring abuses to the attention -of the authorities—that the feeling already mentioned between the -missionary and the state official has arisen. There have been, -unfortunately, abundant occasions for intervention; there have been -flagrant and cruel things which the missionary has felt called upon to -report. - -I do not doubt the honesty of the missionary. I have sometimes felt, -however, that they have become so filled with a complaining spirit that -they are incapable of seeing any good. I have heard them for hours -complain of things that neither in themselves nor in their results were -really open to criticism. I have heard them carp and find fault with any -matter with which the name of the government could be connected. If -their attention is called to some apparent purpose to reform abuses, -they shake their heads and say it will come to nothing; it is a -subterfuge. If, as time passes, the thing assumes the appearance of -reality, they say there is some hidden and mysterious purpose back of -it; the state would never do so well unless it were preparing some new -iniquity. The attitude of complaint becomes habitual: the ability to see -improvement seems completely lost. - -The first time that I attended family prayers in a missionary home I -waited with some interest to hear the petition in favor of the -government. When it came, it assumed this form: “O Lord, stay the hand -of the oppressor. Pity and aid the oppressed and overburdened. Prevent -cruelty from destroying its victims. Interfere with the wicked and -designing schemes of the oppressor.” - -A dozen such expressions and petitions were uttered, but no request for -divine wisdom and enlightenment for the rulers. It can easily be -conceived that, where godly and pious men cherish such sentiments toward -representatives of the state, the feelings of state officials toward -missionaries are little likely to be completely friendly. - - - - -[Illustration: BACHOKO BRINGING IN RUBBER, DJOKO PUNDA] - - - - - VIII. - - - January 27, 1907. - -THE actors in the Congo drama are now clearly before us—the black man -and the white man, the state official, the trader, and the missionary. - -Travel in the Congo state is, naturally, for the most part by water. The -mighty river is the main member in a water system surpassed only by that -of the Amazon. The Congo itself presents a total length of almost 3,000 -miles, of which more than 2,000 is navigable. The vast network of -tributary streams, with a total length of almost 17,000 miles, gives -nearly 5,000 miles more of navigation connected with that of the main -river. - -To-day these thousands of miles of navigation are utilized by a fleet of -steamers eighty or more in number. Most of these are vessels of the -state; a smaller number belong to the great concession companies; a few -are the property of the missions. Many of them are small, but some of -the more recent steamers constructed for the state are vessels of 400 -tons burden. They are flat-bottomed steamers of small draft, because the -rivers through which they ply are often shoaled by sand banks. Even the -mighty Congo itself, at certain seasons of the year, becomes dangerous -and almost impassable, even for vessels of this light draft. By means of -these boats it is easy now for travelers not only to go over the chief -part of the main river but to enter the larger tributaries at their -mouth and travel for hundreds of miles up towards their sources. - -It can be well imagined with what surprise the natives saw the first -steamer. The pioneer vessels were brought in pieces to the head of -navigation for sea steamers, and then transported by human carriers the -weary distance from Vivi, near Matadi, around the cataracts to Stanley -Pool, where the parts were assembled and the vessels prepared for -service. Some of the earliest steamers are still in service, and, while -they have been eclipsed in size and power and speed by later vessels, -have a true historic interest. No vessel on the Congo deserves more or -has a better record than the Peace. This was the earliest of the mission -steamers, presented to the B. M. S. by Robert Arthington of Leeds, -England. It was throughout its history in charge of George Grenfell, the -intrepid missionary explorer, whose death took place during our stay in -the Congo. - -We saw the little vessel at Yakusu, and looked at it with especial -interest. In it George Grenfell explored many thousand miles of unknown -waterway. With it he made the study which enabled him to construct the -best navigation maps and charts so far published of the Congo—charts -which the state still uses on its own steamers. - -The state steamers are, of course, primarily for the service of the -state. So far as the main river is concerned, a steamer is started from -Leopoldville for the trip to Stanley Falls every ten days, taking from -twenty-four to thirty days to make the journey. The down trip requires -less time, and can be made under favorable circumstances in fourteen -days—the usual time being seventeen or more. By these steamers state -officials are taken to their posts, workmen and soldiers are transported -to their place of service, chopboxes and other supplies are taken to the -state employés, materials for construction are taken to the place where -needed, products, such as rubber, ivory, and copal, are brought to -Leopoldville for shipment. Generally they are well loaded with both -passengers and cargo. - -The company boats do for the company what state boats do for the -state—transporting from place to place, bringing in supplies, taking -out products. Similarly the mission steamers are intended solely for the -movement of the missionaries and their supplies. The state boats may -carry freight and passengers, but only when they are not loaded fully -with the materials of the state. Arrangements must be made by strangers, -and it is only when the state is favorable that they may travel or ship -goods. The company boats are not allowed to carry outside passengers or -freight without the express permission of the state, but are obliged to -carry state people and freight in cases of especial need. If a mission -steamer carries outside passengers or freight, it can do it only -gratuitously. - -In the steamers of the state the traveler who has permission to embark -upon them pays for a ticket, which entitles him merely to -transportation; he is expected to pay five francs a night additional for -his cabin; for food he pays twelve francs per day during the period of -the voyage. The steamers of every class tie up at evening, and no -traveling is done at night. In steamers of the larger class there may be -as many as four white employés—the captain, his assistant, a -commissaire, or steward, and the engineer. In smaller steamers there are -only the captain and the engineer. All the crew and employés in the -cabins, mess, and deck are blacks. In steamers with an upper deck, the -blacks are expected to stay below; only when called for special service -are they allowed on deck. - -No black man remains on board during the night. Even the personal -servants, or boys, of the white passengers must go with the crew and -other workmen on to shore to spend the night. As promptly as the ship is -fastened, the black men, women, and children, with cooking utensils, -food supplies, bedding, and beds, hasten off on to shore to pick out the -spot on the bank, or in the forest, where they will spend the night. It -is an animated and curious scene. As darkness comes on, the fires for -cooking their evening food have been kindled here and there over the -terrace or in the forest, and the groups gathered around them while the -cooking proceeds, or eating takes place, are picturesque in the extreme. -At daybreak the steamer whistles the signal for all on board, and the -whole mob come rushing—for no time is lost, and it is easy to be left -behind in the forest—pellmell on board. - -The fuel for the steamers is wood, cut from the forest. One of the most -serious problems which the state has had to face is the securing of -sufficient and continuous fuel supply. Wood-posts have been established -wherever possible; the natives at the wood-posts are required to supply, -in form of tax, for which a small compensation is, however, returned, a -certain number of yards or fathoms of wood. A space is marked out on the -ground as many yards in length as there are cutters of wood. Stakes are -placed at intervals of a yard and ropes are stretched from one to -another at a yard’s height. Each bringer of wood is expected to fill the -space indicated for him to supply. Much time is lost, even under the -best circumstances, in taking wood at these wood-posts. Whenever -possible, the night’s landing is made at a wood-post, and as large a -supply of fuel as possible is brought on board during the night. -Sometimes it happens that several steamers reach a wood-post in quick -succession before a new supply has been procured; under such -circumstances the crew frequently must cut wood for itself in the -forest, a task which they greatly dislike. - -In each crew is a capita or head man, whose business it is to oversee -the work and to assign the portions of the task. He is held responsible -for the service of his subordinates, and usually is more successful in -securing prompt, efficient service than a white man would be. He is -himself, of course, frequently watched and directed by a white officer, -but on the whole he is the one man on the vessel who comes into direct -contact with the black laborers. - -It is extremely interesting to watch the black hands on a steamer when -for any reason landing is made at villages. Many of them have bought a -stock in trade at Leopoldville. Beads, pieces of bright cloth, salt, -accordions, made-up clothes, hats, umbrellas—these are the things they -are most likely to have brought with them. A crowd of women and children -always flocks to the landing, and quickly the bartering begins. If the -steamer-boy has had experience, he makes money both coming and going. -All the product of his sales en route between Leo and Stanley Falls he -at once invests in rice when he reaches the district in which it is so -largely produced. This forms his capital upon his return to -Leopoldville, where it brings a price largely in excess of what it cost -him and enables him to stock up again for new business on his next -voyage. - -Our first long voyage on these river steamers was the journey from -Leopoldville to Wissmann Falls, on the High Kasai. We were in a steamer -of the Kasai company, and we had hard luck in wood-posts, frequently -arriving when earlier steamers had taken all the fuel. We were forced -repeatedly to tie up for the night close by the forest and to drive our -force of cutters into the dense, almost impenetrable, mass of trees, -bound together by hundreds and thousands of creeping plants and vines. -The natives not only do not enjoy the cutting of the wood; but they do -not like to be turned out into the dense forest for sleeping. -Particularly after a heavy rain, conditions are disagreeable for -sleeping. Many a time it seemed hard to force them to pass the night in -such conditions, on the wet ground, under the dripping foliage, in -haunts of mosquitos and other insects. - -While we were in the Kasai country the governor-general made his journey -of inspection throughout the upper Congo. When we reached that district -in our later journey we found that he had ordered a most excellent -reform, which had been carried out. The steamers were put under orders -to stop at wood-posts or at villages every night, tying up against the -forest only on those rare occasions, when it was unavoidable. The order -also provided for the immediate erection at all wood-posts and villages -of a great hangar for the shelter of the black people. A hangar is a -substantial roof, supported on posts, for giving shelter at night or in -rainy weather. These hangars for the shelter of the black people from -the steamers are enormous things, capable of sheltering 150 to 200 -people and giving ample opportunity for the building, by each little -group, of its own fire for cooking and for warmth. While the natural -travel in the Congo Free State is by boat upon the river, there is, of -course, land travel as well. - -There are almost no beasts of burden in the country. Horses seem to lose -all force and vigor; oxen suffer in many districts from the tsetse fly. -The State has made several interesting experiments in its effort to -secure some animal of burden. Indian elephants have been brought into -the country, partly with the view of using them as carriers and partly -in the hope that they might be used in the domestication of the African -elephant. At present, of course, the latter animal has the reputation of -being untamable, though for several hundred years in history we know -that it was tamed and used on a large scale for draft and war. The -experiments so far made toward its recent domestication have not met -with much result. Camels have been introduced as an experiment, and in -Leopoldville one sees a little cluster of them under an imported Arab -driver. - -In the district where the zebra is at home, efforts are being made now -to tame that animal and use it for practical purposes. But -notwithstanding all these interesting experiments, some of which -ultimately may be successful, it must be stated that at present there is -absolutely no beast of burden in the Congo. The result is that land -travel must be done by caravan. The outfit of the traveler, his trade -stuffs, and whatever else he may have for transportation, must be -carried on human backs. - -With the exception of a few experimental roads built with reference to -the introduction of automobiles for moving freight, there is nothing -which we would call a road in all the Congo. The native, on the march, -always go in single file. The trails leading from village to village are -only a few inches wide, though they are usually well worn, sometimes to -a depth of several inches into the soil. Most of them are in use so -constantly that there is little or no grass growing in them. For my own -part, when they are dry I could ask no better path for travel, and my -ideal of African travel is the foot journey over the native trails. - -Many white men do not like to walk, and must have their hammock. It is a -simple hammock, usually made of a strip of foreign stuff swung by ropes -to a long bamboo or palm pole. Unless the person to be carried is -extraordinarily heavy, there will be two or four carriers. When four men -are carrying a hammock, two in front and two behind shoulder the pole at -its two ends. Usually the carriers swing along at a sort of dog trot. -Frequently they strike their palms against the carrying pole to make a -noise, and indulge in an explosive snort in taking breath. They may sing -or shout or cry when carrying, and if they approach a settlement, either -native or foreign, their pace quickens, their exertion increases, they -cry and yell with great force, increasing their noise and outcry with -the importance of the person carried. When they rush up to the place -where he is expected to dismount, the whole party bursts into a loud -yell, which would appall the bravest if he never had heard it before, as -they stop suddenly. - -For my own part, I can imagine nothing more disagreeable than traveling -in a hammock. The four men rarely are on the same level, and the jolting -and movement up and down, now of one’s head and upper body, now of one’s -feet tilted high in air, are extremely disagreeable; from one’s position -he must look up constantly into the sky and see nothing of the country -through which he travels; if the sun shines, his face must be shaded, -and if one wears, as he usually must do, his cork helmet, it is -difficult to adjust it in any way other than putting it over the face. -Personally, I invariably have a half-day of fever after a hammock -journey. I would rather walk thirty miles every day than to go twenty in -a hammock. - -There are still opportunities in the Congo for making fine journeys on -foot. From Stanley Falls to the English steamer on the Lake is a foot -journey of forty days over a good road. If I had had the time, I should -have made that journey. - -There are at present two operating railroads in the Congo Free State, -besides a little line of a few miles running from Boma into the country -back. The more important of these two roads is the Congo Railroad, -running from Matadi to Leopoldville. Before its building it took freight -three weeks to go by caravan around the cataracts. The engineering -difficulties of this line were all in its early course within a few -miles of Matadi. Several years were spent in the construction of the -road, which has a total length of about 250 miles. It is a narrow-gauge -road, well-built, and fairly equipped. After a train once starts it is -entirely in the hands of black men as no white conductor or engineer is -employed in its running. - -Two classes of cars are run, one for whites, first-class, the other for -blacks. The fare for first-class passage from Matadi to Leopoldville at -the time we made the journey was 200 francs, or $40; the second-class, -jimcrow-car fare, was 40 francs, or $8. The journey requires two days -for its accomplishment. Starting from Matadi at 7 in the morning, the -train reaches Thysville at 5 or 6 in the evening, and stays there for -the night. Starting at 7 the next morning, it is expected to reach -Leopoldville at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, but usually is from half an -hour to two hours behind time. The road, during the period of its -construction, was often considered a wild speculation, but it has paid -remarkably well, and its stock sells at an advance of many hundreds per -cent upon face value. - -The second serious obstacle to Congo navigation—the Stanley Falls—is -got around in a similar way by a railroad line just finished. This line -of railroad from Stanleyville to Ponthierville, is about 75 miles in -length. It has just been finished and at the time of our visit, while it -was transporting passengers on account of the state, was not open to -general travel. We had the pleasure, however, of going the full length -of the line, a journey which required some eight hours. The whole course -of the railroad is included in dense forest, and nothing is to be seen -in all the journey except the forest. There is no question that this -little piece of tracking will have great business importance. Hundreds -of miles of navigable water lie above Ponthierville, and steamers—both -state and railroad—are already plying upon it. A country of great -resources is by it brought into near relations with that portion of the -Congo already developed. This piece of road forms but a small part of -the line planned, which is known by the name of the Great Lakes -railroad. Construction is in progress upon another section of it. - -While we made our journey from Stanleyville to Ponthierville by rail, we -made the return journey by canoe, in order to see the rapids. Of course, -the construction of the railroad had already affected this old route and -mode of travel. Until lately all passengers and freight going up the -Congo beyond Stanleyville were forced to make the journey by canoe. - -It is the district of the Congo where the canoe reaches its fullest -development and most striking expression. There are canoes cut from a -single tree-trunk which will carry tons of freight and scores of men. -Some of the great native chiefs had canoes of state in which they were -paddled from place to place by a hundred or more paddlers. While the one -in which we made our journey was by no means so pretentious, it was -certainly large enough for all practical purposes. An awning, or rather -a thatched roofing, extended over the middle third of its length to -protect us and our things from the sun. An officer of the state, an -Italian, accompanied us through half our journey to see that we met with -prompt and proper treatment. And two native soldiers were deputed to -accompany us the total distance and to take the canoe in charge when we -finally reached the landing at Stanley Falls. It was a most interesting -experience, for nothing that I had read had prepared me for so well -developed a system. - -When we came to the rapids we and our stuff were landed. The signal had -been given as we approached the beach, and by the time that we were -ready to take the trail around the rapids the women of the native -village had presented themselves with carrying straps, ready to move our -freight. In ten minutes time everything was ready and the caravan upon -its way, twenty or thirty women carrying our boxes, satchels, -provisions, and collections. Meantime, our paddlers were occupied in -passing the canoe down through the rapids, and by the time we reached -the lower beach they were there ready for re-embarkation. We took five -days for our journey, though it might have been done in half that time -or even less. - -At each village where we landed we found arrangements for the traveler. -A neat house of two or three rooms, constructed by the state, was at our -disposition. It was supplied with table, chairs, and beds. Near the -house for white travelers was a comfortable hangar for blacks, and near -it a large hangar for the storage of freight and baggage. The paddlers -who started with us at Ponthierville were dismissed after a day of -service and a new set of paddlers taken on, furnished by the village -chief. These, after a few hours of service, were again at liberty, and a -new crew supplied. Everything was done with promptitude and readiness. -The journey was one of the most interesting I ever made. - -You understand, of course, that all this service, the carrying of -freight around the rapids by the women of the village and the supplying -of male paddlers by the chief were taxes to the state, for which a -nominal return in money or trade goods is allowed. At no point did we -see the slightest evidence of difficulty in furnishing the service or of -dissatisfaction in supplying it. Everywhere the people seemed to take it -as a pleasant thing. It is entirely possible that when the caravan -service was at its height and all freighting and traveling was done upon -the river, it may have been a heavier burden. But nowhere did the people -seem to show fear, hostility, or the effects of bad treatment. If we had -made the long walking trip above referred to, from Stanleyville to the -Lake, we would have found analogous arrangements for the traveler’s -comfort. Good sleeping-houses, with necessary furniture, occur at -intervals of four or five hours throughout the entire journey, and no -one need sleep out of doors a single night, unless he chooses to do so. - -It will be seen that one to-day may go easily throughout the enormous -area of the Congo Free State without serious hardship and really with -much comfort. But, as a matter of fact, there are almost no true -travelers in the area. One can hardly call a state official, on his way -to his post, or going from place to place in the performance of his -duty, a traveler. Nor is a company agent, making his tour for the -collection of rubber, or for inspection of property, exactly one’s ideal -of a traveler. Nor is the missionary, coming back from furlough or going -home invalided, a traveler. The number of actual travelers in the Congo -at any time is small. My photographer and myself, I think, might be -called travelers. - -We spent fifty-three weeks in the Congo Free State. During the period of -time that we were there we learned that Mr. A. Henry Savage-Landor spent -a few days in the High Ubangi. He came in from the north, visited only -one station of a company, and then went out again. Mr. Harrison, who, -some little time ago, took a group of pygmies from the High Ituri forest -to London, was again in the country, though he had left his little -people behind him. - -At the same time, an English gentleman was hunting the okapi (that -curious antelope) in the same district. When we were coming out and were -delayed at Leopoldville, a Capt. Daniels of the English navy arrived at -Leopoldville, having made his way across the continent from the east -coast. At Bolengi we met a Mr. Creighton, an American clergyman, who had -made the way so far from Mombasa. Mr. Verner, bringing back his native -group from the St. Louis exposition, was in the Congo during the same -period. - -On the steamer coming down from Stanley Falls, we had for fellow -passengers, M. and Mme. Cabra. M. Cabra was a royal commissioner, having -been sent to the country by Leopold himself, to make a careful -examination of conditions throughout the whole upper region of the Ituri -and Congo rivers. M. and Mme. Cabra entered Africa at Mombasa; they had -traversed on foot the forty days of journey I have referred to, but as -the purposes of their investigation required them to zigzag back and -forth instead of following a direct path, they had occupied a much -longer period of time and covered much more distance. Eighteen months on -their long journey, they both of them reached Matadi in good health, and -Mme. Cabra is probably the first lady to have crossed the African -continent in the equatorial regions from ocean to ocean. - -Now, these were the only travelers besides one Frenchman, who was a -mystery, of whom we heard or whom we met in our fifty-three weeks in -Congo experience. It is unlikely that there were many others. The -stranger in the Congo is talked of everywhere. We were not within -hundreds of miles of Henry Savage-Landor, or Mr. Harrison, or the okapi -hunter, but we heard of their existence. Even if the given list is but -the half of Congo travelers during the year, it can be seen that the -real traveler is a rarity within the limits of the state. - - - - - IX. - - - January 28, 1907. - -IN the romantic history of African exploration and development there -is no more interesting chapter than that relating to the Congo. In 1854 -Livingstone finished a great journey into the continent; in it he had -visited a portion of the district drained by the Kasai River. In his -final journey we find him again within the district of what to-day forms -the Congo Free State; he discovered Lake Moero in 1867 and Lake Bangwelo -in 1868; he visited the southern portion of Tanganika in 1869, and -followed the course of the Congo to Nyangwe. - -At that time no one knew, few if any suspected, that the river he was -following had connection with the Congo. Livingstone himself believed -that it formed the uppermost part of the Nile, and in all the district -where he saw it, its course from south to north would naturally lead to -that opinion. It was his heart’s desire to trace the further course and -determine whether it were really the Nile or a part of some other great -river. Death prevented his answering the question. - -Backed by the New York _Herald_ and the _Daily Telegraph_, Stanley, on -November 17, 1874, struck inland from the eastern coast of Africa, with -the purpose of determining the question as to the final course of the -great river flowing northward, discovered by his missionary predecessor. -He circumnavigated Lake Victoria, discovered Lake Albert Edward, and -made the first complete examination of the shore of Tanganika. He -reached the Lualaba—Livingstone’s north-flowing stream,—and, embarking -on its waters, devoted himself to following it to its ending. - -There is no need of recalling the interesting experiences and adventures -of his journey; every one has read his narrative. Suffice it to say that -his great river presently turned westward so far north of the Congo -mouth that one would never dream of connecting the two waters, but as -unexpectedly it turned again toward the southwest and finally showed -itself to be the Congo. During the interval between Stanley’s two great -expeditions—the one in which he found Livingstone and the one in which -he demonstrated the identity of the Lualaba and the Congo—there had -been a growing interest in Europe in everything pertaining to the Dark -Continent. - -This interest, which was widely spread, was focused into definite action -by Leopold II., king of the Belgians, who invited the most notable -explorers of Africa, the presidents of the great geographical societies, -politicians, and philanthropists, who were interested in the progress -and development of Africa, to a geographic conference to be held in -Brussels. The gathering took place in September, 1876, at the king’s -palace. Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, and -Russia were represented. The thirty-seven members who made up the -conference represented the best of European thought. - -From this conference there developed the International African -Association. This Association organized a series of local national -associations, through which the different countries interested should -conduct investigations and explorations in Africa upon a uniform plan, -and with reference to the same ideas and purposes. It possessed, also, a -governing international commission, of which the king of the Belgians -was the president, and upon which were representatives of Germany, and -France, and the United States, Minister Sanford replacing a British -representative. This committee laid out a definite plan of exploration. -Its first expedition was to go in from the east coast at Zanzibar, -passing to Tanganika. The commission adopted as the flag of the -International African Association a ground of blue upon which shone a -single star of gold. - -The Association’s plan included the discovery of the best routes into -the interior of Africa; the establishment of posts where investigators -and explorers could not only make headquarters but from which they might -draw supplies needed for their journey. These advantages were to be -extended to any traveler. The expeditions themselves were national in -character, being left to the initiative of the local national committees -which had been developed by the Association. This Association existed -from 1876 to 1884. During that time six Belgian, one German, and two -French expeditions were organized, accomplishing results of importance. - -It was in November, 1877, that the result of Stanley’s expedition came -to the knowledge of the world. It wrought a revolution in the views -regarding Central Africa. In Belgium it produced at once a radical -change of plan. The idea of entering the heart of Africa from Zanzibar -was abandoned. The future operations of the A. I. A.—at least, so far -as Belgium was concerned—would extend themselves from the Congo mouth -up through the vast river system which Stanley had made known. Details -of this mode of procedure were so promptly developed that when Stanley -reached Marseilles in January, 1878, he found an urgent invitation from -the king of the Belgians to come to Brussels for the discussion of plans -of conference. - -After a full study of the matter, it was determined by the Belgian -committee that a society should be organized with the title of the -Committee of Studies of the High Congo. This, it will be understood, was -purely a Belgian enterprise. It had for its purpose the occupation and -exploitation of the whole Congo district. For this purpose prompt action -was necessary. In February, 1879, Stanley went to Zanzibar and collected -a body of workmen and carriers. With this force of helpers and a number -of white subordinates he entered the Congo with a little fleet of five -steamers, bearing the flag of the A. I. A. Arrived at Vivi, where he -established a central station, he arranged for the transportation of his -steamers in sections by human carriers to the Stanley Pool above the -rapids. - -He worked with feverish haste. France was pressing her work of -exploration, and there was danger of her seizing much of the coveted -territory. Portugal, too, was showing a renewed interest and activity, -and might prove a dangerous rival in the new plans. Native chiefs were -visited and influenced to form treaties giving up their rights of -rulership in their own territories to the Association. Lands were -secured for the erection of stations; the whole river was traversed from -Stanley Pool to Stanley Falls, for the purpose of making these treaties -and securing the best points for locating the stations. The Committee of -Studies of the High Congo now possessed at least treaty rights over a -vast area of country, and by them governmental powers over vast -multitudes of people. It had these rights, it had a flag, but it was not -yet a government, and it stood in constant danger of difficulties with -governments. About this time it changed its name from the Committee of -Studies of the High Congo to the International Association of the Congo. - -Meantime events were taking place which threatened the existence of the -Association. Portugal began to assert claims and rights which had long -been in abeyance. She proposed to organize the territory at the Congo -mouth, and which, of course, was of the greatest importance to the -Association, into a governmental district and assume its administration. -In this project she found willing assistance on the part of England. - -Never particularly enthusiastic over the scheme of Leopold II., England -had shown no interest at all during the later part of all these -movements. It is true that she was represented at the first conference -held at Brussels; it will be remembered that in the later organization -an American had replaced the English representative. No work had been -done of any consequence by a British committee. No expedition had been -sent out. By the treaty with Portugal, England would at one stroke -render the whole Congo practically worthless. The crisis had come. -France and Germany came to King Leopold’s help. The former recognized -the political activity and status of the Association and promised to -respect its doings; Germany protested vigorously against the -Anglo-Portuguese treaty, which fell through. - -Bismarck, who favored the plans of the Belgian monarch in Africa, -officially recognized, on November 3, 1884, the Association as a -sovereign power, and invited representatives of the powers to Berlin for -the purpose of establishing an international agreement upon the -following points: First, commercial freedom in the basin of the Congo -and its tributaries; second, application to the Congo and the Niger of -the principle of freedom of navigation; third, the definition of the -formalities to be observed in order that new occupations of African -shores should be considered as effective. The conference began November -15th, Bismarck himself presiding. Fifteen powers participated—Germany, -Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, United States, France, Great Britain, -Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Turkey. - -As the result of three months of deliberation, the Congo State was added -to the list of independent nations, with King Leopold II. as its ruler. -Promptly the new power was recognized by the different nations of the -world. - - - - -[Illustration: CHILDREN AT MOGANDJA, ARUWIMI RIVER] - - - - - X. - - - January 29, 1907. - -WHAT has the Congo Free State done during its twenty-two -years—almost—of existence? - -It has taken possession of a vast area of land, 800,000 square miles in -extent, and dominated it. It has most skillfully developed a mighty -waterway. We are already familiar with the simple and original method of -development which has been and is being pursued. We have already called -attention to the fact that, notwithstanding interruption to navigation -here and there in the Congo and its larger tributaries, there are long -stretches of navigable water above the obstacles. The plan of -utilization and development has been to occupy directly the natural -stretches of navigable water and to get around the cataracts by the -shortest railroad lines possible. This has been done already at two -points, and will be done at others in the near future. It is the most -economical manner of developing a way of penetration into the great area -to be developed and exploited. - -It has continuously carried on geographical explorations by which the -world’s knowledge of African geography has been profoundly increased. We -have already called attention to the fact that during the eight years -when the A. I. A. was in existence, Belgium equipped and maintained six -expeditions; during the same period France maintained but two, Germany -one, and England none. In other words, Belgium did more for geographic -science during that time than the other three great nations combined. - -It has put an end to inter-tribal wars, to execution of slaves at -funerals and festal occasions, and to cannibalism in all those districts -to which its actual authority extends. It is understood, of course, that -twenty years is a short time for the penetration of the state’s -authority into remote parts of its territory. There are still -inter-tribal wars in remote parts of the Congo Free State; executions -and the eating of human flesh are no doubt still common in districts -which have but little felt the influence of the white ruler. With the -extension of the definite power of the state into these remoter -sections, these evils will disappear as they have disappeared in the -more accessible portions of the country. - -It has developed a native army which is available in case of attack upon -the integrity of the state, and which serves as a policing party within -its territory. In the first days of the state’s history its soldiery was -drawn from the Zanzibar district, and to a less degree from the English -possessions along the western coast of Africa. It soon was realized that -from every point of view this condition was undesirable. Between the -foreign soldiery and the native people there were no bonds of common -interest. No national feeling or spirit could develop among them. From -the point of view of expense the foreign soldier was extremely costly. -For these different reasons the state early developed the idea of an -army made of Congo natives. To-day there are but few foreign soldiers in -the public force. - -If there is ever to be a real nation in the Congo district there must -develop in some way a feeling of unity of blood and interests among the -people. In tribal life each tribe is absorbed in its own -interests—petty, of course—and looks upon all other tribes as enemies. -Many of the tribes were insignificant in number and in the area which -they occupied. Nothing but an outside influence can unite into one -useful whole such a multitude of petty, distrustful, hostile groups of -men. In the public force there are soldiers from almost every tribe -within the Congo. At the great training camps men are brought together -who speak different languages, have different customs, and come from -widely separated areas. Under the military discipline, these men are -brought into close and long continued relations. They must accommodate -themselves to one another. They must respect each other’s ways of -thought and doing. At the end of his term of service the soldier goes -out necessarily broadened in his ideas, necessarily less prejudiced and -more tolerant. The army is the most important influence toward arousing -national existence. - -It has conducted many interesting experiments and researches along -scientific lines. While these had frequently practical ends, they were -in themselves worth doing, and their beneficent results are not confined -to the Congo. Thus, at Leopoldville there is a well-equipped -bacteriological institute for the study of tropical diseases. Naturally, -the most of its attention up to the present has been given to the -subject of sleeping-sickness. - -The experiments upon the utilization of the African elephant and the -zebra have general interest; if they fail, the warning may be useful; if -they succeed, their results will be by no means confined to the Congo -Free State. At Eala is a botanical garden creditably devised and well -conducted. Six hundred species of plants are there in cultivation, -something more than half of them being foreign species. There -experiments are being made upon a broad scale to discover the uses of -native plants and the possibility of cultivating them to advantage. -Forty species of African plants yield rubber; those the product of which -is of a quality to warrant experimenting, are here being cultivated with -reference to ascertaining their value in plantations. Foreign rubber -producers, coffees from different portions of the globe, medicinal -plants, dye and other useful plants are being tested to find out how -they flourish in Congo. - -Nor is the interest of the Congo Free State in scientific investigations -limited to its own enterprises. Some time ago a British commission, -consisting of three specialists in tropical medicines, visited the Congo -with the purpose of investigating the sleeping-sickness. Not only were -they given every facility for their investigation, but after they -returned to England the total expenses of their expedition were returned -with the compliments of the State government in recognition of the -general value and utility of their investigations. Individual -investigators and expeditions of a scientific character within the Congo -State always have found the government interested in furthering and -aiding their studies. - -It has developed a significant and growing section of the world’s -commerce. When Stanley came down the Congo, the value of the exports -from that region was so small that it might be neglected. To-day the -Congo furnishes the world with ivory and supplies a most significant -portion of the rubber which is used. To-day Antwerp is the greatest -market for these two products. That Liverpool should lose in relative -importance in the matter of West African trade is no doubt hard for -Englishmen. But the world gains by having several great trading centers -in place of one. - -It has checked the extension of the Arab influence with all its horrors. -To one who reads Stanley’s description this means much. With this -checking, the foreign slave trade ceased. Do not misunderstand me. There -was much admirable in the Arab culture. There is no question that the -practical men, whose views we always keep in mind, and to whom we make -our argument, would approve the substitution of it or the barbarism that -existed before. But it is certain that it stood in the way of European -influence; that it came into conflict with European ideas, and if it -were desirable that these should ultimately prevail, the Arab life and -culture must disappear. - -We might, of course, continue and extend our list of the achievements of -the Congo Free State. We have said enough, however, to show that it has -done much toward carrying out its promise to civilize and modify the -native population in the direction of our own ideals. Even the bitter -enemies of the Free State government will admit all this, and more. But -they claim that all the credit of it disappears in view of the -atrocities, the cruelties, and horrors connected with its own -administration. - -Atrocities no doubt exist; they have existed; they will exist. They are -ever present in cases where a population of natives is exploited by an -active and aggressive “higher race.” The process of elevating natives, -of making them over in new pattern, is never a happy one for the native. -The wrenching of old ties, the destruction of old ideals, the replacing -of an ancient life by one different in every detail, is a painful thing. - -I deplore atrocities, but I have often thought that, if I were a member -of a race that was being improved by outside influences, I would rather -they should kill me outright with bullet or with knife than subject me -to the suffering of years in molding me to new ideas. In other words, I -sometimes feel that flagrant outrage is less painful to the victim than -well-meant direction, teaching, and elevation to their object. - -Let us turn, however, to the whole subject of atrocities. - - - - - XI. - - - January 30, 1907. - -MUCH has been said of flogging and the chicotte. There is no question -that flogging is general throughout the Congo Free State. The English -word “flogging” is one which is generally known and understood by -officials of every nationality throughout the country; it is known, too, -by a surprising number of natives. The chicotte is known to everybody -within the state limits—its name is Portuguese. In all my journey in -the Congo, while I frequently heard the word “flogging” and constantly -heard the word “chicotte,” I never heard the French term for either. Nor -do I think the native has. It is plain that neither flogging nor the -chicotte was introduced by Belgians. These found them in the country on -their arrival, introduced by English and Portuguese. - -It is not the fact of flogging in itself that raises objections; not -only the state and traders but the missionaries find it necessary to -whip their black employés. In fact, at a missionary conference—I think -it was—one missionary referred laughingly to the boys whom another (by -the way, one of the chief witnesses against the state) “had flogged into -the kingdom of heaven.” He did not mean the boys had died as a result of -the flogging, but simply that they had found salvation through its -means. It is, then, the amount, severity, and undeservedness of the -whipping which are reprobated. - -I saw, of course, plenty of flogging. Not, indeed, with such an -instrument as has been recently shown throughout the United States by a -complaining missionary. I was conversing recently with a friend who had -been profoundly stirred in connection with Congo atrocities. He happened -to mention the chicotte, then said: “Have you ever seen a chicotte? You -know it is made of six thongs of hippopotamus skin, twisted tightly -together.” I told him that I had seen hundreds of chicottes, but that I -had never seen one such as he described. As a matter of fact, I have -seen chicottes of a single thong, and of two or three twisted together, -but I have never seen one composed of six. I do not know whether such an -instrument would cause greater suffering in punishment, but it certainly -is better suited for display to sympathetic audiences who want to be -harrowed by dreadful reports. The first flogging that I happened to see -was at a distance. I was busy measuring soldiers; hearing cries, I -looked in the direction whence they came, and saw a black man being -publicly whipped before the office of the commissaire. An officer of -proper authority was present inspecting the punishment, which I presume -was entirely legal. - -In the second flogging which I witnessed, this time at close quarters, I -was myself implicated to a degree. We were at a mission station. The -mission force and practically all the people from the place were -attending Sunday morning service. It was fruiting time for the mango -trees, which were loaded with golden fruit. Suddenly we heard an outcry, -and in a moment the mission sentry, delighted and excited, came up to -our veranda with an unfortunate prisoner, whom he had taken in the act -of stealing fruit. He insisted on leaving him with us for guarding. I -turned him over to my companion, who set him on his veranda, telling him -to stay there until the missionary should come from the service. - -The prisoner squatted down upon the veranda without a word of -discussion, laying the fruit, evidence of his guilt, upon the floor at -his side. We were so angry at him that he made no attempt at escaping, -and did not even eat the fruit which he had stolen, that we washed our -hands of the whole affair, and believed he deserved all that might be -coming. The service over, the missionary appeared, accompanied by the -triumphant sentry. When the prisoner had admitted his guilt, the -missionary asked whether he preferred to be sent to the state for -punishment or to be whipped by him, to which the prisoner replied that -he should prefer the mission flogging. - -With great formality the instrument of punishment was produced; it -consisted of two long and narrow boards, perhaps six feet in length and -two or three inches wide; between them was fixed a board of the same -width, but of half the length. At one end these were firmly screwed -together, while the other end was left open. It will be seen that when a -heavy blow was given with the instrument the free ends of the two long -sticks would strike together, producing a resounding whack which, no -doubt, produced a psychic suffering in the victim in addition to the -true physical pain. However that may be, fifteen blows, I think, were -administered, and the prisoner discharged. - -One day, upon the Kasai steamer, we witnessed a wholesale whipping, -which was typical of this mode of punishment as regularly administered. -The night before we had been forced to tie up beside the forest. The -night was dark and the cutters refused to make wood for the next day’s -journey. This was a serious act of insurrection, involving delay and -trouble. When, finally, the next morning the wood had been loaded and -the steamer was under way, ten of the rebels were marched up to the -captain. In turn each lay down upon the floor, a friend held his hands -and wrists, while the capita administered twenty blows. It is -comparatively rare that the white man himself does the flogging; usually -it is the regular capita who is in charge of the workmen, or a special -one of the working force detailed to play the part. - -It makes a notable difference in the way in which the punishment is -received whether the hands are firmly held to prevent struggling. An -English-speaking white man not in the government or company employ, who -had had more or less opportunity for observation in our Southern states, -and whose experience in the Congo extends over several years, told me -that flogging with the chicotte was a rather mild and simple punishment; -that it hurt but little, and that, for his part, he preferred to hit the -workmen on the head and kick them in the shins, those being places more -tender to the application than the part subjected to the chicotte. On -the whole, I am inclined to think that there was something in what he -said. It is certain that in most cases the suffering from a flogging is -momentary. I have even seen persons undergoing serious flogging exchange -significant glances and signals with their friends, in which the -suggestion of pain was quite absent. Many a time, also, I have seen a -man immediately after being flogged, laughing and playing with his -companions as if naught had happened. Personally, though I have seen -many cases of this form of punishment, I have never seen blood drawn, -nor the fainting of the victim. - -It is common to speak of the chain-gang with great sympathy. One sees -chain-gangs at every state post; it is the common punishment for minor -offenses to put the prisoner on the chain. Sometimes as many as twelve -or fifteen are thus joined together by chains attached to iron rings -placed about their necks. They are employed in all sorts of -work—bringing water for use about the station, sweeping roads, clearing -fields, carrying burdens. On our arrival at a state post, immediately -after we had presented our introductions to the commandant, the -chain-gang would be sent to bring our freight and baggage to the rooms -to which we were assigned. The ring around the necks of these prisoners -is a light iron ring, weighing certainly not to exceed two pounds. The -weight of chain falling upon each prisoner can hardly be more than six -or eight pounds additional. In other words, the weight which they are -forced to carry in the shape of ring and chain does not exceed, probably -does not equal, ten pounds. - -From the viewpoint of service rendered, the chain-gang has little value. -It dawdles, lags, idles, and plays; only when it is carrying burdens -does it really work. I have never seen a chain-gang composed of women, -nor have I seen women on the same gang with men. It is stated by the -missionaries that such things occur. Certainly, every one would object -to the chaining together of male and female prisoners. Apart from this, -the chain-gang does not particularly arouse my sympathy. It is a very -mild form of punishment, and one which, of course, is common in as bad a -form or worse throughout many of our Southern states. To grieve over the -weight carried in the form of chain and ring is simply ridiculous; there -are to-day thousands of women among these Congo tribes who for the sake -of decoration carry about their neck a heavy ring of brass weighing -twenty, twenty-five, or thirty pounds. It is no uncommon thing for both -men and women to have a weight of thirty, forty, or fifty pounds of -brass and iron rings and ornaments upon them. - -I cannot believe that the ordinary flogging, such as I have seen, causes -notable suffering to people who, for purposes of decoration or treatment -of rheumatism, submit without evidence of pain to such operations as I -have described in detail in an earlier article. Nor can I feel that the -mere fact of carrying chain and ring of less than ten pounds’ weight -involves terrible suffering for people who regularly carry much heavier -burdens of ornaments. - -Much has been said of late in regard to hostages. The taking of hostages -and holding them until some obligation or agreement had been performed -was a common native custom. Stanley frequently captured women and -children, or even men, of tribes in the districts through which he was -passing and held them as hostages until they should show him the trail -he should follow, or until their people supplied him with the food or -other things which he desired. At the ill-fated Yambuya camp the rear -guard frequently seized the women of the natives who had failed to bring -in food supplies in return for the trade stuffs offered. This seizure of -hostages is mentioned repeatedly in the writings of the early travelers, -and seems to have caused no outcry on the part of the sensitive -civilized world at that time. Why should it now? - -It is a common practice, though a disagreeable one to us, for one who -sells a thing to keep back a part of it in making delivery of the goods. -On one occasion we bought a musical instrument, a marimba, which -consisted, in part, of a dozen gourds as resounding bodies. Every one of -these gourds was necessary to the instrument, yet the seller, after we -had examined it with care to see that it was perfect, removed three of -the gourds, in accordance with this custom. The instrument was sent to -us by the son of the seller’s chief, old Chicoma. When we found the -instrument at home we at once noted the absence of the three gourds. Old -Chicoma’s son had a companion with him. We at once decided to hold the -chief’s son as a hostage, sending word by his companion that he would be -set free only on the appearance of the missing gourds. When we told the -youth that we had “tied him up,” that being the expression for holding a -person hostage, he looked sheepish, but made no complaint, recognizing -the justice of our action. - -This was at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. He made no attempt to escape, -although we had not in any way actually interfered with his freedom of -movement. We gave him supper when the time came and breakfast in the -morning. He found his stay tedious, however, and finally, when none was -looking, slipped away. He must have met the messenger bringing the -missing gourds before he was any distance from the house, as he appeared -with our property about half an hour after the flight. - -The only other personal experience in the matter of hostages that we had -was in the High Kasai. A white man, agent of the Kasai company, was our -guest for the night. In the early morning our friend, Chief Ndombe, -appeared, in great excitement, begging us to loan him cloth, as the -white man had seized one of his slaves and would not release him until -he had fully paid a debt which the white man claimed he owed him. The -question appeared complicated, and we let him have the cloth, after -which we went over to hear the palaver accompanying the payment. Both -sides told their story, with much gesticulation. The white man’s boy had -owned a woman, for whom he claimed to have paid six pieces of cloth; she -had run away, and he had sought in vain for her. The chief, old Chicoma, -told him that the woman was at Ndombe and in the house of the great -chief. So they seized Ndombe’s slave—a little lad about 11 years of -age, whose bright face and curious head shaving always had greatly -attracted me. This boy our visitors were holding as a hostage until -Ndombe should produce the woman or pay her value. - -Of course, the whole procedure was illegal, and I was inclined to take -up the matter vigorously. There were, however, so many elements of doubt -in the matter that I finally concluded to let it pass. Of hostages held -by company agents or by state people we saw but few, and never learned -the circumstances under which they had been taken. They were rarely in -actual confinement, and we saw no evidences of bad treatment toward -them. In native custom, the hostages are regularly well treated and fed -regularly, while held in captivity. While we have never seen -maltreatment of hostages, we can readily understand how such could -arise. Taken, as they usually are, in order to force the bringing in of -food or forest products, if their holding does not produce the desired -effect the feeling of vexation resulting may easily lead to cruelty. - - - - -[Illustration: MEN SENTENCED TO THE DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER - AND CANNIBALISM, BASOKO] - - - - - XII. - - - January 31, 1907. - -PEOPLE in this country seem to expect that every traveler in the Congo -must meet with crowds of people who have had one or both hands cut off. -We have all seen pictures of these unfortunates, and have heard most -harrowing tales in regard to them. Casement, the English consul, whose -report to the British government has caused so much agitation, and who -described many cases of mutilation, himself saw[A] but a single case; -and that case, though put forward by the missionaries as an example of -state atrocities, was finally withdrawn by them, as the subject had not -been mutilated by human assailants, but by a wild boar. Casement -traveled many miles and spent much time in securing the material for his -indictment, and yet saw[B] but this one case. We saw a single case of -mutilation. It was a boy at Ikoko, probably some twelve years old. He -had been found, a child of three or four years, by the side of his dead -mother, after a punitive expedition had visited the town. His mother’s -body had been mutilated and the child’s hand cut off. We might have seen -a second case of this sort at this place if we had searched for her. -There is a second there. - -No one, I think, would desire to excuse the barbarity of cutting off the -hands of either dead or living, but we must remember that the soldiers -in these expeditions are natives, and in the excitement and bloodthirst -roused by a military attack they relapse to ancient customs. There has, -indeed, been considerable question recently whether the cutting off of -hands is really a native custom. Sir Francis de Winton, himself an -Englishman, and Stanley’s successor in the administration of the Congo -State, says that it was. And Glave says: “In every village in this -section (Lukolela) will be found slaves of both sexes with one ear cut -off. This is a popular form of punishment in an African village. It is -not at all unusual to hear such threats as ‘I will cut your ear off,’ ‘I -will sell you,’ or ‘I will kill you,’ and often they are said in -earnest.” Where such customs were constant in native life it is not -strange that they have lasted on into the present. - -Of course, in this connection we must not forget that mutilation of dead -bodies is not by any means confined to the Congo Free State, nor to its -natives. Only a few months ago, in Southern Africa, the British force -cut off the head of a hostile chief. When the matter was investigated, -the excuse given was that it was done for purposes of identification, -and that the body was afterwards brought in and buried with it. - -The most of the difficulty with the natives of the Congo Free State, of -course, comes in connection with the demand to gather rubber. The native -hates the forest; he dislikes to gather rubber; it takes him from his -home, and comfort, and wife. We have never accompanied a party of -natives gathering rubber, but we have seen them started and have also -seen them bringing in their product. The best rubber of the Congo is -produced by vines which frequently grow to several inches in diameter. -The same vine may be tapped many times. The milky juice, which exudes -abundantly, promptly coagulates into rubber; as it hardens it is rolled -into balls between the palm and some portion of the body, such as the -chest or leg. - -The place where we have seen most of rubber production is in the High -Kasai, where the famous red rubber is produced, which sells for the -highest price of any African caoutchouc. My missionary friends have told -me that conditions in the Kasai are not bad and that they have no -special fault to find with the Kasai company. While there were things -that might be criticised, there was apparent fairness in the business. -The natives waited several days after they had gathered their balls of -rubber before bringing them in. This was for the reason that the -company’s agent had but an unattractive stock of goods in his magazine -at the moment; they preferred to wait until a new stock should come up -on the expected steamer. As soon as it appeared they sent word that they -might be expected the following day. - -The old Bachoko chief, Maiila, was brought in state, in his blue -hammock; his people came singing and dancing with the baskets full of -balls of rubber on their heads. All proceeded to the magazine, where the -great steelyards were suspended and the rubber weighed; each man looked -carefully to see that his stock balanced evenly, and one of their -number, who understood the instrument and could figure, stood by to see -that all went fair. While the rubber was a demanded tax, a regular price -of 1 franc and 25 centimes the kilo was paid. This was given in stuffs, -of course, and the native selected what he pleased from the now abundant -stock of cloths, blankets, graniteware, and so forth. It may truly be -said that they came in singing gayly and went home glad. - -At Mobandja we saw a large party setting out to the forest to gather -rubber, different from any that we had seen before in that a -considerable number of women formed a part of it. This feature I did not -like, although I presume it is an effort to meet the criticisms of the -report of the royal commission of investigation. The commission -particularly criticised the fact that the men, in going into the forest, -were deprived of the company of their women—a hardship strongly -emphasized. It is surely a mistake, however well it may be meant, to -send the women into the forest with the men to gather rubber. Such a -procedure involves the neglect of her fields and interrupts the woman’s -work. - -And here we touch upon the thing which in my opinion is the worst -feature of the whole Congo business. Anything that affects the woman’s -work necessarily brings hardship. I have seen many heart-rending -statements in regard to the loss of work time which the man suffers by -going to the forest to gather rubber. We are told that by the time he -has gone several days’ journey into the dense forest, gathered his balls -of rubber, and returned again to his village, he has no time left for -work, and his family and the whole community suffers as a consequence. -But from what work does this gathering of rubber take the man? - -We have already called attention to the fact that the support of the -family and the actual work in any village fall upon the woman. The man, -before he went into the forest to gather rubber, had no pressing duties. -His wife supported him; he spent his time in visiting, dancing, lolling -under shelters, drinking with his friends, or in palavers, sometimes of -great importance but frequently of no consequence; in other words, he -was an idler, or a man of leisure. I feel no sorrow on account of the -labors from which he is restrained. Personally, I should have no -objection to his idling. If he does not want to work and need not work, -I see no reason why he should not idle. But my readers are practical -men, who talk much of the dignity of labor and the elevation of the lazy -negro. Very good; if work is dignified and the elevation of the negro -necessary, let him collect rubber, but do not mourn over the fact that -he is deprived of opportunity to earn a living for himself and family. - -There is, indeed, one set of circumstances under which the man may -really be deprived of opportunity to aid in the work of gaining a -living. Where the men in a community are really fishermen—they are not -always so—to take them from their fishing entails a hardship. - -The thing which seems to me the worst is the kwanga tax on women and the -fish tax on men. The former is at its worst, perhaps, in Leopoldville; -the latter is bad enough at Nouvelle Anvers. Leopoldville is situated in -a district which yields much less for food than necessary. It has always -been so. Even in the days before the white man came, the people in the -native villages on Stanley Pool were obliged to buy food supplies from -outside, as they themselves, being devoted to trading, did no -cultivation. With the coming of the white man, and the establishing of a -great post at Leopoldville, with thousands of native workmen and -soldiers to be fed, the food question became serious. The state has -solved the problem by levying a food tax on the native villages for many -miles around. - -The women are required to bring a certain amount of kwanga—native -cassava bread—to Leopoldville within a stated period of time. To do -this involves almost continuous labor, and really leaves the women -little time for attending to the needs of their own people. Some of them -are forced to come many miles with the supply of bread. When they have -cared for the growing plants in their fields, prepared the required -stint of kwanga, brought it the weary distance over the trails, and -again come back to their village, they must begin to prepare for the -next installment. For this heavy burden there must certainly be found -some remedy. Personally, it seems to me that the women belonging to the -workmen and the soldiers might be utilized in cultivating extensive -fields to supply the need. The condition of the men who pay the fish tax -is analogous to that of these kwanga-taxed women. - -The question of the population of the Congo is an unsettled one. Stanley -estimated it at 29,000,000 people; Reclus, in 1888, estimated it at -something over 20,000,000; Wagner and Supan claimed 17,000,000, and -Vierkandt sets the figure at 11,000,000. The governor-general, Baron -Wahis, who has several times made the inspection of the whole river, is -inclined to think that even Stanley’s figure is below the true one. -Between these limits of 11,000,000 and 29,000,000 any one may choose -which he prefers. No one knows, or is likely for many years to know. -Those who believe that Stanley’s figure was true in its time, and that -Vierkandt’s is true at present, may well insist, as they do, that -depopulation is taking place. - -Personally, I have no doubt that depopulation is going on. Of course, -the enemies of the Free State government attribute the diminution in -population chiefly to the cruelties practiced by the state, but it is -certain that many causes combine in the result. - -The distribution of the Congo population is exceedingly irregular. From -Stanley Pool to Chumbiri there has been almost no population during the -period of our knowledge. On the other hand, from Basoko to Stanley Falls -the population is abundant and there is almost a continuous line of -native villages along the banks for miles. Practically, the state of -population is really known only along the river banks. Back from the -riverines are inland tribes, the areas of which in some cases are but -sparsely settled, while in others they swarm. They are, however, little -known, and just how the population is distributed is uncertain. The -district which we personally best know—the Kasai—is one of the most -populous of all the Congo State, and around the Sankuru, one of the main -tributaries of the Kasai, we perhaps have the densest population of the -country. If we take Stanley’s estimate as accurate, the population would -average twelve to the square kilometer. - -Among known causes for the diminution of Congo population we may mention -first the raiding expeditions of the Arabs. These were numerous and -destructive in the extreme, throughout the region of the Upper Congo and -the Lualaba. Organized for taking slaves and getting booty, they -destroyed ruthlessly the adult male population and deported the women -and children. Towns were burned and whole districts left unoccupied. -There is no question that many of the punitive expeditions of the state -have been far more severe than necessity demanded; “the people must be -shown the power of Bula Matadi.” It is said that Vankerckhoven’s -expedition destroyed whole towns needlessly in the district of Chumbiri -and Bolobo. Certainly, the population in this section was formerly -abundant. Everywhere along the shores one sees the groups of palm trees -marking the sites of former villages; probably the present population is -no more than one fourth that which existed formerly. - -Throughout the whole district, where the French Congo touches on the -river, it is a common thing for timid or disgruntled villagers to move -_en masse_ across the river into French territory. These wholesale -removals are an advantage to the natives, as that portion of the French -Congo is less well occupied by white posts and government officials than -the corresponding part of the Congo Free State. The natives who have -thus removed unquestionably have an easier time in the French colony. -This, however, can hardly be called depopulation, as it involves no loss -in persons, but merely a transfer from the Free State side to the other. -It does not at all affect the actual number of the race. - -Sleeping-sickness is carrying off its tens of thousands. - -But after we suggest these causes we are still far from a full solution -of the problem of depopulation, which is a mysterious thing. In -Polynesia we have another example of it on a prodigious scale. In -Polynesia we have neither slave raids, nor punitive expeditions, nor -sleeping-sickness. Yet, adults die and children are not born. If things -continue in the future as in the past, the time is not far distant when -the Polynesian—one of the most interesting and attractive of human -races—will be a thing completely of the past. - -The case of our own American Indians is similar. Whole tribes have -disappeared; others are dying out so rapidly that a few years will see -their complete extinction. I am familiar with the arguments which, from -time to time, are printed to demonstrate that the number of American -Indians is as great as ever. It seems, however, that it is only rich -tribes that hold their own; the reason is not far to seek, but we may -not here pursue the argument further. - ------ - -[A] I am here in error. Casement _saw_ more than one case of mutilation; -he carefully _investigated_ but one. - -[B] See footnote A. - - - - - XIII. - - - February 1, 1907. - -NOR is apparent depopulation of the Congo a matter of recent date. -Quotations might be given from many travelers. We quote three from -Bentley, because he was well acquainted with the country and because he -was an English missionary. In speaking of the town of Mputu, an hour and -a half distant from San Salvador, he describes the chief, Mbumba, a man -of energy, feared in all his district. He was strict in his demands -regarding conduct. In his presence others were required to sit -tailor-fashion. “To ease the cramped limbs, by stretching them out -before one, is a gross breach of decorum; any one who did so in Mbumba’s -presence was taken out, and was fortunate if he lost only an ear. We -have known several great chiefs who would order a man who sat carelessly -to be thus mutilated. His own people were much afraid of him on account -of his cruel, murderous ways; for a small offense he would kill them -relentlessly. He was superstitious and very ready to kill witches. -Through his evil temper, pride, and superstition, his town of several -hundred people was reduced to eighty or ninety souls.” - -Again he says: “Our next camp was at Manzi; but as we had so many -people, the natives preferred that we should camp in a wood at Matamba, -twenty minutes’ walk beyond the town. The wood marked the site of a town -deserted some years before. There were no other towns on the road from -there to Isangila, a distance of thirty miles, for the wicked people had -killed each other out over their witch palavers. This was what the -natives told us themselves. Yet they went on killing their witches, -believing that if they did not do so all the people would be -exterminated. Two wretched villages of a few huts each were to be found -a few miles off the path, but the country was practically depopulated.” - -In another place he says, in speaking of the caravan days: “All the -carriers suffered acutely from fever, and this was the case with all the -caravans on the road. This mortality was largely increased by the -improvidence of the carriers themselves. Thousands of men were engaged -in transport work at the time, but very few troubled to carry enough -food with them, or money wherewith to buy it. As a rule, the young men -staid in their towns as long as they had anything to buy food with; when -they failed, they borrowed until their debts became too great. Then they -arranged to go with some caravan to carry, and received ration money for -the road. This would be partly used up in the town, and the rest go to -those from whom they borrowed. On the road they lived largely on palm -nuts and raw cassava, and returned to their homes in a terribly -exhausted condition. With the influx of cloth gained by transportation -came hunger, for wealth made the women lazy; they preferred to buy food -rather than produce—the gardens came to an end, then hunger followed, -and sickness and death. Women staid at home to mourn, and the mischief -became worse. Sleep-sickness and smallpox spread. The population of the -cataracts district is not more than half what it was fifteen years ago. -The railway is now complete, and the country will adapt itself to its -new conditions.” - -Those who are hostile to the state, of course, will find great comfort -in this quotation; for the transport system was an introduction by the -Belgians. It will be observed, however, that the author mentions no -cruelty on the part of the new masters in this connection; it must also -be remembered that the missionaries were as much interested in the -caravan system as any, and assisted in its development. My chief object -in introducing the quotation is to show how impossible it is to affect -native conditions in one way without bringing about a connected series -of changes, not always easy to foresee. - -To me, the real wonder is that there are any of the Congo peoples left. -Think of the constant drain due to the foreign slave trade, continued -from an early date until after the middle of the last century. Think of -the continuous losses due to the barbarism of native chiefs and demands -of native customs—to wars, cannibalism, execution, and ordeal. Think of -the destruction caused by punitive expeditions—towns burned, people -killed. Think of the drafts made by the caravan system and the public -works which the state has been forced to carry out. Think of the -multitudes who have died with the diseases of the country and from -pestilence introduced by the newcomers. Yet the population really shows -signs of great vitality to-day, and the most discouraged missionary -hesitates a real prediction for the future. - -There is a most interesting and suggestive map in Morel’s new book, “Red -Rubber.” It bears the legend, “Map showing revenue division of the Congo -Free State.” Upon this map we find marked with little crosses the -localities where specific reports of atrocities have been received. The -distribution of these crosses is interesting. We find a concentration of -them along the main river from the Rubi River almost to the mouth of the -Kasai, a notable bunch of them in the region of the A. B. I. R., and in -an area worked by the Antwerp trust; also in the district of Lake -Leopold II. There are few crosses indicative of bad treatment in the -Congo above this district, and practically none in the lower Congo and -the Kasai. It is precisely in the areas where these crosses are so -frequent that the early travelers had difficulty with the natives in -first traversing the country. In other words, the districts where native -hostility has in recent years produced the acts of alleged cruelty have -always been centers of disturbance and attack against the white man. -Districts which were found occupied by peaceful and friendly tribes have -been the scenes of few outrages. This seems to me a point worthy of -serious consideration. - -For my own part, I believe that any well-behaved white man can to-day -traverse Africa in every direction without danger as long as his journey -confines itself to areas of Bantu and true negroes. Livingstone -practically had no trouble with native tribes; Schweinfurth, entering -from the Nile, penetrated to the heart of Africa with little trouble; Du -Chaillu traveled throughout the Ogowe valley without difficulty with -natives; Junker, following Schweinfurth’s trail, penetrated farther into -what is now the Congo Free State, passing through the territory of many -warlike and cannibal tribes, but never armed his men and never had a -difficulty with any native chief. It is true, however, that the tribes -of the Congo differ vastly from each other in disposition. Some are -warlike, some are peaceful to cowardice; some are genial, friendly, -open; others are surly, hostile, reserved, treacherous. While I have -always felt that Stanley looked for trouble and that he left a trail of -blood unnecessarily behind him, I recognize that the Bangala and many of -their neighbors are less agreeable, less kindly, more disposed for -trouble than many of the other tribes in the Free State. It is precisely -with these tribes that the chief difficulties of the state have been. - -Another curious point is shown on Morel’s map. From what has been said -by critics of the state we would be justified in expecting to find those -districts where the white man’s influence had penetrated most fully, and -where he himself existed in greatest number, the worst in the matter of -atrocity. But it is precisely in these districts that Morel’s map shows -no marks of reported atrocities. It is plain, then, that the officials -of the Congo Free State are not, as a body, men delighting in cruelty -and outrage. Where there are numbers of them, instead of conditions -being at their worst they are at their happiest. It is only where there -are lonely men surrounded by depressing influences and in the midst of -hostile and surly tribes that these dreadful things are found. It is -natural to expect that with fuller penetration of the white men into -these districts conditions will change hopefully. - -But why should we pick out the Congo Free State for our assault? -Atrocities occur wherever the white man, with his thirst for gold, comes -into contact with “a lower people.” He is ever there to exploit; he -believes that they were created for exploitation. If we want to find -cruelty, atrocities, all kinds of frightful maltreatment, we may find -them in almost every part of negro Africa. They exist in the French -Congo, in German Africa, in Nigeria, even in Uganda. If we insist on -finding them, we may find cruelty, dispossession, destruction of life -and property, in all these areas. The only ruthless act involving the -death of a black native that we really saw was in French territory. If -there were any object in doing so, we could write a harrowing story of -British iniquity in Africa, but it is unnecessary; every one who stops -to think and who reads at all knows the fact. - -Wherever British trade finds native custom standing in its way, we shall -find cruelty. Why was King Ja Ja deported? I have heard an interesting -incident connected with his case. One who for many years has voyaged up -and down the western coast of Africa tells me that while Ja Ja was still -at his height of power the natives of his district, paddling near the -shores in their canoes, were always happy and joyous. Ja Ja stood in the -way of the British traders gaining so much money as they wanted, and so -he was exiled and taken a prisoner to distant lands. From the day of his -departure the happiness of life was gone from all the country. Few -natives put out in their canoes, and those who did were silent; the song -and laughter of former days were hushed. Until the day when he was -brought home, a corpse, for burial, somberness and sadness settled down -upon his people, before so gay and light hearted. What was it caused the -trouble at Benin but British greed insisting on opening up a territory -which its natives desired to keep closed? The Benin massacre that -followed was dreadful, but it did not begin to compare in frightful -bloodshed with the punitive expedition which followed—a feat scarce -worthy of British arms. What was the cause of hut-tax wars? What is the -matter now in Natal? Do we know all that goes on in Nigeria? Wherein is -excellence in the expropriation of lands and products in Uganda for the -benefit of concession companies of the same kind exactly as those in -Congo? Why is it worse to cut off the hands of dead men for purposes of -tally than to cut off the heads of dead chiefs for purposes of -identification? But let it pass—we are not undertaking an assault on -Britain. - - - - - XIV. - - - February 2, 1907. - -RETURNED from the Congo country and a year and more of contact with -the dark natives, I find a curious and most disagreeable sensation has -possession of me. I had often read and heard that other peoples -regularly find the faces of white men terrifying and cruel. The Chinese, -the Japanese, other peoples of Asia, all tell the same story. - -The white man’s face is fierce and terrible. His great and prominent -nose suggests the tearing beak of some bird of prey. His fierce face -causes babes to cry, children to run in terror, grown folk to tremble. I -had always been inclined to think that this feeling was individual and -trifling; that it was solely due to strangeness and lack of contact. -To-day I know better. Contrasted with the other faces of the world, the -face of the fair white is terrible, fierce, and cruel. No doubt our -intensity of purpose, our firmness and dislike of interference, our -manner in walk and action, and in speech, all add to the effect. However -that may be, both in Europe and our own land, after my visit to the -blacks, I see the cruelty and fierceness of the white man’s face as I -never would have believed was possible. For the first time, I can -appreciate fully the feeling of the natives. The white man’s dreadful -face is a prediction; where the fair white goes he devastates, destroys, -depopulates. Witness America, Australia, and Van Diemen’s Land. - -Morel’s “Red Rubber” contains an introductory chapter by Sir Harry -Johnston. In it the ex-ruler of British Central Africa says the -following: “A few words as to the logic of my own position as a critic -of King Leopold’s rule on the Congo. I have been reminded, in some of -the publications issued by the Congo government; that I have instituted -a hut-tax in regions intrusted to my administration; that I have created -crown lands which have become the property of the government; that as an -agent of the government I have sold and leased portions of African soil -to European traders; that I have favored, or at any rate have not -condemned, the assumption by an African state of control over natural -sources of wealth; that I have advocated measures which have installed -Europeans as the master—for the time being—over the uncivilized negro -or the semicivilized Somali, Arab, or Berber.” - -It is true that Sir Harry Johnston has done all these things. They are -things which, done by Belgium, are heinous in English eyes. He proceeds -to justify them by their motive and their end. He aims to show a notable -difference between these things as Belgian and as English. He seems to -feel that the fact of a portion of the product of these acts being used -to benefit the native is an ample excuse. But so long as (a) the judge -of the value of the return made to the sufferer is the usurper, and not -the recipient, there is no difference between a well-meaning overlord -and a bloody-minded tyrant; and (b) as long as the taxed is not -consulted and his permission is not gained for taxation, there is only -injustice in its infliction, no matter for what end. Sir Harry uses the -word “logic.” A logical argument leaves him and Leopold in precisely the -same position with reference to the native. - -Sir Harry closes his introduction with a strange and interesting -statement. He says: - -“The danger in this state of affairs lies in the ferment of hatred which -is being created against the white race in general, by the agents of the -king of Belgium, in the minds of the Congo negroes. The negro has a -remarkably keen sense of justice. He recognizes in British Central -Africa, in East Africa, in Nigeria, in South Africa, in Togoland, -Dahomey, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and Senegambia that, on the -whole, though the white men ruling in those regions have made some -mistakes and committed some crimes, have been guilty of some injustice, -yet that the state of affairs they have brought into existence as -regards the black man is one infinitely superior to that which preceded -the arrival of the white man as a temporary ruler. Therefore, though -there may be a rising here or a partial tumult there, the mass of the -people increase and multiply with content and acquiesce in our tutelary -position. - -“Were it otherwise, any attempt at combination on their part would soon -overwhelm us and extinguish our rule. Why, in the majority of cases, the -soldiers with whom we keep them in subjection are of their own race. But -unless some stop can be put to the misgovernment of the Congo region, I -venture to warn those who are interested in African politics that a -movement is already begun and is spreading fast which will unite the -negroes against the white race, a movement which will prematurely stamp -out the beginnings of the new civilization we are trying to implant, and -against which movement, except so far as the actual coast line is -concerned, the resources of men and money which Europe can put into the -field will be powerless.” - -This is curious and interesting. But it is scarcely logical or candid. -Allow me to quote beside Sir Harry’s observations the following, taken -from the papers of March 4, 1906: - -“Sir Arthur Lawley, who has just been appointed governor of Madras, -after devoting many years to the administration of the Transvaal, gave -frank utterance the other day, before his departure from South Africa -for India, to his conviction that ere long a great rising of the blacks -against the whites will take place, extending all over the British -colonies from the Cape to the Zambesi. Sir Arthur, who is recognized as -an authority on all problems connected with the subject of native races, -besides being a singularly level-headed man, spoke with profound -earnestness when he explained in the course of the farewell address: -‘See to this question. For it is the greatest problem you have to face.’ -And the solemn character of his valedictory warning was rendered -additionally impressive in the knowledge that it was based upon -information beyond all question.” - -It is certain that the affairs in the Congo Free State have produced -neither restlessness nor concerted action in British Africa. Why is it -that on both sides of Southern Africa there have been recent outbreaks -of turbulence? The natives, indeed, seem ungrateful for the benefits of -English rule. Sir Arthur Lawley looks for a rising over the whole of -British Africa, from the Cape to the Zambesi. In what way can the -misgovernment of the Congo by its ruler have produced a condition so -threatening? Both these gentlemen have reason, perhaps, for their fears -of an outbreak, but as I have said, there is neither logic nor candor in -attributing the present agitation in Southern Africa to King Leopold. - -What really is the motive underlying the assault upon the Congo? What -has maintained an agitation and a propaganda with apparently such -disinterested aims? Personally, although I began my consideration of the -question with a different belief, I consider it entirely political and -selfish. Sir Harry Johnston naïvely says: “When I first visited the -western regions of the Congo it was in the days of imperialism, when -most young Britishers abroad could conceive of no better fate for an -undeveloped country than to come under the British flag. The outcome of -Stanley’s work seemed to me clear; it should be eventually the -Britannicising of much of the Congo basin, perhaps in friendly agreement -and partition of interests with France and Portugal.” - -Unquestionably this notion of the proper solution of the question took -possession of many minds in Great Britain at the same time. And England -was never satisfied with the foundation of the Congo Free State as an -independent nation. - -A little further on, Sir Harry states that the British missionaries of -that time were against such solution; they did not wish the taking over -of the district by Great Britain. And why? “They anticipated troubles -and bloodshed arising from any attempt on the part of Great Britain to -subdue the vast and unknown regions of the Congo, even then clearly -threatened by Arabs.” In other words, Britons at home would have been -glad to have absorbed the Congo; Britons on the ground feared the -trouble and bloodshed necessary. But now that the Belgians have borne -the trouble and the bloodshed and paid the bills, Britain does not -despise the plum. Indeed, Britain’s ambitions in Africa are magnificent. -Why should she not absorb the entire continent? She has -Egypt—temporarily—and shows no sign of relinquishing it; she has the -Transvaal and the Orange Free State; how she picked a quarrel and how -she seized them we all know. Now she could conveniently annex the Congo. - -The missionaries in the Congo Free State are no doubt honest in saying, -what they say on every possible occasion, that they do not wish England -to take over the country; that they would prefer to have it stay in -Belgian hands; that, however, they would have the Belgian government -itself responsible instead of a single person. I believe them honest -when they say this, but I think them self-deceived; I feel convinced -that if the question was placed directly to them, “Shall England or -Belgium govern the Congo?” and they knew that their answer would be -decisive, their vote would be exceedingly one-sided and produce a change -of masters. But the missionaries are not the British government; they do -not shape the policies of the empire; their agitation may be useful to -the scheming politician and may bring about results which they -themselves had not intended. It is always the scheme of rulers and of -parties to take advantage of the generous outbursts of sympathy and -feeling of the masses for their selfish ends. - -The missionaries and many of the prominent agitators in the propaganda -against the Free State have said they would be satisfied if Belgium -takes over the government. This statement never has seemed to me honest -or candid. The agitators will not be suited if Belgium takes the Congo; -I have said this all the time, and the incidents of the last few days -have demonstrated the justness of my opinion. Already hostility to -Belgian ownership is evident. It will increase. When the king really -turns the Congo Free State government into Belgium’s hands the agitation -will continue, complaints still will be made, and conditions will be -much as formerly. - -Great Britain never has been the friend of the Congo Free State; its -birth thwarted her plans; its continuance threatens her commerce and -interferes with expansion and with the carrying out of grand -enterprises. In the earlier edition of his little book entitled “The -Colonization of Africa,” Sir Harry Johnston spoke in high terms of the -Congo Free State and the work which it was doing. In the later editions -of the same book he retracts his words of praise; he quotes the -atrocities and maladministration of the country. My quotation is not -verbal, as for the moment I have not the book at hand, but he ends by -saying something of this sort: “Belgium should rule the Congo Free -State; it may safely be allowed to govern the greater portion of that -territory.” - -“The greater portion of the territory”—and what portion is it that -Belgium perhaps cannot well govern? Of course, that district through -which the Cape-to-Cairo Railroad would find its most convenient roadbed. -If Great Britain can get that, we shall hear no more of Congo -atrocities. There are two ways possible in which this district may be -gained. If England can enlist our sympathy, our aid, our influence, she -may bid defiance to Germany and France and seize from Leopold or from -little Belgium so much of the Congo Free State as she considers -necessary for her purpose, leaving the rest to the king or to his -country. - -If we are not to be inveigled into such assistance, she may, in time and -by good diplomacy, come to an understanding with France and Germany for -the partition of the Free State. Of course, in such event France would -take that section which adjoins her territory, Germany would take the -whole Kasai, which was first explored and visited by German travelers, -and England would take the eastern portion, touching on Uganda and -furnishing the best site for her desired railroad. - -The same steamer which took me to the Congo carried a newly appointed -British vice-consul to that country. On one occasion he detailed to a -missionary friend his instructions as laid down in his commission. I was -seated close by those in conversation, and no attempt was made on my -part to overhear or on their part toward secrecy. His statement -indicated that the prime object of his appointment was to make a careful -examination of the Aruwimi River, to see whether its valley could be -utilized for a railroad. The second of the four objects of his -appointment was to secure as large a volume as possible of complaints -from British subjects (blacks) resident in the Congo Free State. The -third was to accumulate all possible information regarding atrocities -upon the natives. These three, out of four, objects of his appointment -seem to be most interesting and suggestive. - -On a later occasion I was in company with this same gentleman. A -missionary present had expressed anxiety that the report of the -commission of inquiry and investigation should appear. It will be -remembered that a considerable time elapsed between the return of the -commission to Europe and the publishing of its report. After the -missionary had expressed his anxiety for its appearance and to know its -contents, the vice-consul remarked: “It makes no difference when the -report appears; it makes no difference if it never appears; the British -government has decided upon its course of action, and it will not be -influenced by whatever the commission’s report may contain.” Comment -upon this observation is superfluous. - -Upon the Atlantic steamer which brought us from Antwerp to New York City -there was a young Canadian returning from three years abroad. He knew -that we had been in the Congo Free State, and on several occasions -conversed with me about my journey. We had never referred to atrocities, -nor conditions, nor politics. One day, with no particular reason in the -preceding conversation for the statement, he said: “Of course, the -Belgians will lose the Congo. We have got to have it. We must build the -Cape-to-Cairo road. You know, we wanted the Transvaal. We found a way to -get it; we have it. So we will find some way to get the Congo.” - -Of course, this was the remark of a very young man. But the remarks of -young men, wild and foolish though they often sound, usually voice the -feelings and thoughts which older men cherish, but dare not speak. - - - - -[Illustration: CONSTRUCTING NEW HOUSES AT BASOKO] - - - - - XV. - - - February 3, 1907. - -OUGHT we to interfere? In this whole discussion I have looked at the -question solely from the humanitarian standpoint. I assume that -Secretary Root’s first presentation of the matter was carefully -prepared. He insisted that we had no grounds for interference, insofar -as the Berlin conference was concerned. It is only, then, from the point -of view of interest in the natives, the desire to save them from -suffering and from atrocity, that we can join with England in calling a -new conference of the world’s powers to consider Congo matters. Ought we -to pursue such a course? We ought not, and that for several reasons. - -First—We should not interfere in Congo matters from philanthropic -reasons, unless we are ready to undertake the policing of the whole of -Africa. If the atrocities in the Congo are sufficient to involve us in -difficulty with Belgium or with Belgium’s king, the atrocities and -cruelty practiced in the French Congo, throughout German Africa, in the -Portuguese possessions, and even in the English colonies, must also -attract our notice. If we really intervene to save the African black man -from white oppression, we must do this job thoroughly and on a large -scale. - -Second—We should not interfere with the conditions in Congo unless we -desire strained relations with France and Germany. No possible agitation -will bring about a second meeting of all the powers that participated in -the Berlin conference. Turkey alone, so far, has signified her -willingness to act with England. The only other nation in which there -seems to be the slightest trend toward participation is Italy. No -Scandinavian country—Sweden, Norway, Denmark—will join in the -movement. The many Scandinavians who, in one capacity or another, have -labored in the Congo Free State are, on the whole, well satisfied with -the conditions. Though there is a vigorous and aggressive Swedish -mission in the country, it is significant that its members have never -joined in the agitation. Nor is Holland, which has sent a large number -of individuals into the Congo State as employés of government and -concession companies, likely to favor an agitation. Austria, for various -reasons, stands aloof. France has a definite understanding whereby in -case of the dissolution of the Congo Free State she becomes heir to all -the district. Germany, responsible for the foundation of the Congo Free -State, has, on the whole, always favored its existence, and would -certainly oppose interference in its affairs. In case of the partition -of the Congo, Germany would be willing enough to take her share, but it -is really more to her interest both at home and abroad to maintain its -independence. All these European countries speak quite freely in regard -to England’s design. France and Germany would seriously oppose any -demonstration by England and the United States. - -Third—We ought not to interfere unless we are really willing to play -the undignified part of pulling England’s chestnuts from the fire. What -would we, nationally, gain by the partition of the Congo? Our repeated -declarations about not wishing new territory in distant regions are, of -course, looked upon as twaddle by other nations. If we really mean them, -we must avoid the very appearance of evil. What will the natives gain by -partition? They will still have their oppressors, only they will be -divided around among three instead of being exploited by one. Suppose -the redistribution did take place. Suppose France, Germany, and England -divided the Congo between them; suppose—as would be certain—that -oppression and atrocity continued in the divided territory. Would we -still continue our noble effort in behalf of the suffering black -millions? - -Fourth—We should not interfere, unless we wish to present a glaring -example of national inconsistency. Distance lends enchantment to the -view. We are solicitous about the Bantu in their home under the rule of -Leopold II.; we have 12,000,000 or more of them within our own United -States. The Bantu in the Congo we love. We suffer when he is whipped, -shudder when he is put upon a chain-gang, shriek when he is murdered. -Yet, here he may be whipped, put on the chain-gang, murdered, and if any -raise an outcry he is a sentimentalist. Our negro problem is a serious -and difficult one. We do not know how to treat it. But it is at our -door, and we can study it and strike out some mode of treatment. But the -years pass, and we do nothing. So complicated is it and so united -together and interdependent its issues and its elements, that any course -of action is dangerous, because we frequently cannot foresee the outcome -of well-meant effort. With this example constantly before us, one would -suppose that we would hesitate in meddling with the equally complicated -problem, regarding conditions of which we know little or nothing, on the -other side of the globe. - -Fifth—We ought not to interfere, unless we come with clean hands. We -have an even closer parallel to Congo conditions than our negro problem -in the South. In the Philippines we found a people to be elevated; an -inscrutable Providence—so we say—thrust the Philippine Islands, with -their millions, upon us. A few years ago we heard much of benevolent -assimilation. Benevolent assimilation is the most dreadful of all forms -of cannibalism. Our Congo reformers emphasize the fact that the Congo -State was founded with many philanthropic assertions and with -high-sounding promises of improving and elevating the native population. -The parallel is close. We took the Philippines and Filipinos for their -good. So we said. Of course, we took them just as the European nations -have taken Africa—for exploitation. Had there been no hope of mines, of -timber, of cheap land for speculation, of railroads to be built, and -other enterprises to be undertaken and financed, we should never have -had such a tender interest in the advancement of the Filipinos. And how -has our benevolent assimilation proceeded? Just exactly as it always -proceeds everywhere in tropic lands with “lower peoples.” Torture, -punitive expeditions, betrayal of confidence and friendship, -depopulation—these have been the agencies through which we have -attempted to elevate a race. - -You will tell me that what I am about to quote is ancient history and -has lost its force. It is no more ancient than the bulk of the -atrocities and cruelties within the Congo. We quote a newspaper of April -12, 1902: - -“From the Philippines authentic news is now at hand tending to confirm -the charges of barbarity on the part of American army officers, which -have hitherto been strenuously and sweepingly denied. This news comes in -Associated Press dispatches reporting the court-martial trial of Major -Waller, now in progress at Manila. This officer led an expedition last -winter into the interior of the island of Samar. After being given up -for dead, he and his party returned to camp January 28th, delirious from -privation. Major Waller was next heard of in this connection in a -dispatch of March 6th from Manila. He had been subjected to -court-martial proceedings, on charges of having, while on this ill-fated -expedition, executed natives of the island of Samar without trial. One -of the specifications alleged that in one instance the accused had -caused a native to be tied to a tree, and on one day to be shot in the -thigh, on the next in the arm, on the third in the body, and on the -fourth to be killed. Friends of Major Waller attributed his horrible -action to delirium caused by privation; but Major Waller himself refused -to make this defense, insisting that he had acted under superior -authority.” - -This sounds like an indictment of the Belgians in the Congo put forth by -the Congo Reform Association. It is revolting; it is horrible; it -probably is true. Personally, I believe that Major Waller must have -suffered from the physical, the mental, the moral disintegration which -the tropics so constantly produce in white men. It is unlikely that he -was by nature a man of exceptional cruelty. He became what he -was—either permanently or for a time—through the environment in which -he lived. He had excuse; so have the Belgians. There is another respect -in which this quotation sounds Congo-like. Major Waller insisted that he -had “acted under superior authority.” - -This phrase, he “acted under superior authority,” is constantly harped -upon by Morel and others of the Congo agitators. Much is made of it, and -we are constantly asked to trace home the order which issued from -superior authority From whom came Major Waller’s orders? In his trial, -February 8th, 1902, he disclosed the startling nature of General Smith’s -orders, as he had understood them. He swore that General Smith had said: -“I wish you to kill and burn. The more you kill, the more you will -please me. The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness. Kill -every native over ten years old.” - -When serious complaints of maladministration are brought before the -Belgian authorities of the Congo, investigation and trial are usually -ordered. The Congo agitators lay great stress upon the fact that in the -Congo these trials are farces; that the accused is rarely sentenced to -punishment; that sometimes after his acquittal he is lionized, made a -hero of, advanced in office. This is an unpardonable crime when -committed by the Belgians. Lothaire—and really Lothaire was as bad as -any—was thus treated. One would imagine from the chorus of complaint -along this line that every English or American officer accused of -cruelty, misgovernment or maladministration was promptly and severely -punished. - -Major Waller received the verdict that he had acted “in accordance with -the rules of war, the orders of his superior, and the military -exigencies of the situation.” This, again, can hardly be improved upon -in all the cases put forward joyously by the reformers. When complaint -is made it is never treated honestly. There is always whitewashing. Why -howl over Belgian failure to punish? Waller’s verdict shows that we do -precisely the same thing in the same circumstances. But look at what was -done with General Smith, the man who ordered that down to ten years of -age the natives should be killed. He, too, was ordered to undergo -court-martial. From a newspaper of May 3d, 1902, we quote: “At the -opening, Colonel Woodruff announced his willingness to simplify the -proceedings by admitting that most of the accusations were true. He said -he was willing, in behalf of General Smith, to admit that inasmuch as -the country was hostile, General Smith did not want any prisoners, and -that he had issued orders to Major Waller to kill all persons capable of -bearing arms, fixing the age limit at ten years, because many boys of -that age had borne arms against the American troops, and that he had -ordered Major Waller also to burn the homes of the people and to make -Samar a howling wilderness.” - -What was done with General Smith? His court-martial began on April 25. -Its result was, of course, a whitewash; it always is, whether the person -tried is American, French, German, or Belgian. It is curious, however, -to observe how others were affected by this case. There was one man who -knew better than any other all the facts relating to the Philippines. -His utterance, which we shall quote, was expressed, indeed, before this -trial, but it was expressed with full knowledge of similar facts. That -man, on March 5th, made the assertion: “It is not the fact that the -warfare in the Philippines has been conducted with marked severity; on -the contrary, the warfare has been conducted with marked humanity and -magnanimity on the part of the United States army.” What a pity that we -are less ready to talk of marked humanity and magnanimity of others! Can -Waller’s crime be surpassed by anything from Congo; can any order be -more cruel than General Smith’s? - -I have said that this would be called ancient history. At Leopoldville I -asked about atrocities; the response was that at present there was -nothing serious to complain of in that region beyond the kwanga tax; -when I reached Ikoko, where undoubtedly many cruel things have taken -place, they told me that at present such things did not occur there, -that to find them I must go to the A. B. I. R.; that the fish tax was -too heavy, but that of cruelties, atrocities and mutilations there had -been none for years. At Bolobo I heard precisely the same story—the -most frightful things had taken place at Lake Leopold II.—that recently -nothing serious had happened at Bolobo itself. I presume that there are -outrages and cruelties of recent date in the A. B. I. R. and the Antwerp -Concession. But here, again, the parallel between the Congo and the -Philippines is close. While the Waller and Smith incident is ancient, -there is plenty doing at the present time. We quote a paper August 18, -1906: “The Pulajanes—wild tribesmen of the Philippine island of -Leyte—continue their fighting. Five Americans, including a lieutenant -and a surgeon, were killed in a hand-to-hand encounter in the town of -Burauen on the 9th. It was reported on the 14th that Governor-General -Ide has determined to exterminate the Pulajanes, even if it should take -every American soldier on the islands to do it.” - -This sounds like depopulation. And why is depopulation worse in Africa -than in the Philippines? Why should a President who views the latter -with complacency—and I may say with commendation—feel so keenly with -reference to the former? A special message of commendation was promptly -sent to an American leader for his killing of hundreds of men, women, -and children; depopulation on a large scale and of the same kind as he -reprobates when done by Leopold’s soldiers. Our friends of the Congo -Reform Association are strangely silent in regard to such letters of -commendation; they are much grieved because Lothaire was lionized, but -they hurrah over the accumulating honors of a Funston. - -When our hands are clean and when we have given the Filipinos their -well-deserved independence and free government, and left them to work -out their own salvation, then and not till then, should we intervene in -the Congo Free State for reasons of humanity. I say when we have left -the Filipinos to work out their own salvation; we have strange ideas -regarding the kindnesses we do to other peoples. Thus Cuba is supposed -to be under an eternal debt of obligation to us for the government which -we set up in that unhappy land. We devised a model government, according -to our own ideas; to be sure, it is a government so expensive to keep up -that few, if any, portions of the United States with the population of -Cuba could possibly support it. We put in sanitary improvements, -nominally for the benefit of Cubans, but actually with a shrewd -afterthought for ourselves, which we demanded should be maintained at -any price. Of course, it is impossible for a country with the population -and resources of Cuba to maintain them. This will give us repeated -opportunities for interference in the affairs of the island, -interference which ultimately may weary the people into assent to -uniting with us. They will lose both independence and happiness, and we -will gain an added problem; and the only persons profited will be those -who are, and will be, exploiting the island for their selfish ends. - -So, in the Philippines, we will develop a government which, -theoretically, may seem perfect. The difficulty is that it must be much -less suitable for Filipinos than a less perfect government, planned and -carried out along lines of their own ideas. Lately a Filipino in this -country has said something which has the ring of truth. “We have money -enough to maintain a better and less expensive government than that -costly one which is trying to make the people what the government wants -them to be, and not to make itself what the people want and expect, -dictating laws one day which next day are canceled and changed in a -thousand places and in a thousand ways, so that justice is converted -into a mere babel. Believe me, dear sir, that even our ephemeral -government at Malolos showed no such incapacity. This is due to the fact -that he who governs the house does not belong to the house, and -everybody knows the old Spanish proverb, ‘The fool is wiser in his own -house than the wise man in his neighbor’s.’” - -If it is necessary for us as a nation to look for African adventure; if -to give a strenuous President the feeling that he is “doing something” -we must meddle in the affairs of the Dark Continent, there is a district -where we might intervene with more of reason, and consistency, and grace -than we are doing by going to the Congo. We once established on African -soil, whether wisely or not I do not intend to discuss, a free republic -for the blacks. In Liberia we have an American enterprise, pure and -simple. It has not been a great success. It is just possible—though I -doubt it—that Liberia would at several times have profited and been -advantaged by our instruction and interest. But it seems to possess -little interest for us. Just now, like the Congo, it is attracting -British attention. Whether it has large or little value, whether it -possesses great opportunities or not, it is now a center of interest to -Great Britain. She does not need our help in pulling chestnuts from the -fire there, and there has been strange silence and ignorance in this -country regarding it as a new sphere for English influence. If we assist -England in expanding her African possessions at the expense of the Congo -Free State, Liberia will be the next fraction of Africa to succumb to -English rule. England’s methods of procedure are various. It might be a -useful lesson for our statesmen and politicians to study Liberia’s -prospects with care. We are still young in the business of grabbing -other people’s lands. England could teach us many lessons. The latest -one may well be worthy our attention, since, in a certain sense, it -deals with a district where we naturally possess an interest. - - - - - PRINTED BY R. R. DONNELLEY - AND SONS COMPANY AT THE - LAKESIDE PRESS, CHICAGO, ILL. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER NOTES - - -Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. - -Inconsistencies in punctuation have been maintained. - -Some illustrations were moved to facilitate page layout. - -[The end of _The Truth About The Congo_, by Frederick Starr (Ofuda -Hakushi).] - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Truth About the Congo, by Frederick Starr - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO *** - -***** This file should be named 50567-0.txt or 50567-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/6/50567/ - -Produced by Larry Harrison, Cindy Beyer and the online -Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net with images provided by The -Internet Archives-US - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Truth About the Congo - The Chicago Tribune Articles - -Author: Frederick Starr - -Release Date: November 28, 2015 [EBook #50567] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO *** - - - - -Produced by Larry Harrison, Cindy Beyer and the online -Project Gutenberg team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net with images provided by The -Internet Archives-US - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:350px;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:6em;font-size:1.5em;'>THE TRUTH</p> -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:.5em;margin-bottom:10em;font-size:1.5em;'>ABOUT THE CONGO</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/front-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0001' style='width:400px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Chief Ndombe with Family Group, in His Town</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line' style='margin-top:1em;font-size:2em;'>THE TRUTH</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:2em;'>ABOUT THE CONGO</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;'>THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;'>ARTICLES</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.6em;'>BY</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;'>FREDERICK STARR</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/title.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0002' style='width:80px;height:auto;'/> -</div> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='margin-top:2em;'>CHICAGO</p> -<p class='line' style='margin-top:.3em;margin-bottom:.3em;'>FORBES & COMPANY</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.6em;'>1907</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style='margin-top:15em;margin-bottom:5em;'> <!-- rend=';fs:.8em;' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'><span class='sc'>Copyright 1907</span></p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>BY</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style='margin-top:10em;margin-bottom:5em;'> <!-- rend=';fs:.8em;' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>TO</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1em;'>MANUEL GONZALES,</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>MY COMPANION AND PHOTOGRAPHER</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>UPON MY CONGO EXPEDITION</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>AND TO</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>OUR BLACK BOYS, MANOELI AND TUMBA</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>PREFACE</h1></div> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>W</span></span>HEN I returned to America, I had decided -to express no opinion upon the public and -political questions of the Congo Free -State. Having found conditions there quite different -from what I had expected, it was impossible for me -to state my actual impressions without danger of -antagonizing or offending some whom I valued as -friends. Hence, on landing at New York, I refused -to say anything upon those matters to several reporters -who interviewed me. A little later, the <span class='it'>Chicago -Tribune</span> asked me to write upon these subjects, -urging the importance of the whole matter to our -nation, and leaving me entire freedom in viewpoint -and mode of treatment. In response to its request, -I prepared a series of articles, which appeared in successive -issues from January 20 to February 3, 1907.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The articles were received with general interest, -and many asked that they should be reprinted in book -form. I felt that they were of momentary interest -only, and as I have much other Congo matter for -books and pamphlets—more directly in the line of -my professional work—I was inclined not to reprint -them. But I soon found myself the subject of bitter -attack. Malicious and untrue statements were -made regarding me and my motives. I have concluded, -therefore, that it is best that my articles -should be accessible to all who are interested. What -I wrote, I am ready to defend. I am not ready to be -judged from misquotations, or condemned for what -I never wrote. Hence this book.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I am not personally responsible for the title—<span class='it'>The -Truth about the Congo</span>. Although I believe all -my statements are true, I should not have selected -that title for my articles. No man can say all that -is true on any subject, and I do not arrogate to myself -a monopoly in truth-telling, either about the -Congo or any other topic. But after my announcement -under that heading, I decided to let it stand. -I preferred some less assertive title, but I am content. -So I use the same title for this book. The headlines -of the articles, however, I have suppressed. They -were not of my preparation and did not adequately -suggest the matter or the treatment. The articles -are reprinted with no changes except corrections in -spelling, punctuation, or mistaken words.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No man more desires the happiness and progress -of the Congo natives than do I. I know them -pretty well. I am their friend; they are my friends. -I shall be glad if what I here present makes them and -their cause better known to thoughtful and sympathetic -men and women, Mere emotion, however violent, -will not help them. Stubborn refusal to recognize -and encourage reforms, which have been seriously -undertaken for their betterment, will only harm them.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:x-large;'>THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>I.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 20, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>M</span></span>Y own interest in the Congo Free State began at -the St. Louis exposition. As is well known, -that exposition made a special feature of groups -of representatives of tribes from various parts of the world. -These natives dressed in native dress, lived in native -houses, and so far as possible reproduced an accurate picture -of the daily life to which they were accustomed in -their homes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Among the groups there brought together was one of -Congo natives. This group was commonly known as the -pygmy group, though but four out of the nine members -composing it made claims to be such. The group was -brought by Mr. S. P. Verner, at one time missionary to the -Congo, who was engaged by the exposition to make a -special journey into central Africa to procure it. Four -members of the group were Batua, the others were large -blacks representing the Bakuba and Baluba.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The idea of visiting Africa was one which I had never -seriously entertained, but in the study of these Congolese -it seemed to me that there were interesting questions the -solution of which would well repay a visit. The consequence -was, that I determined to visit the Congo Free -State—and specifically that part of the state from which -these natives had been brought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>About this time I received considerable literature from -the Congo Reform Association at Boston, the reading of -which had its influence in deciding me to undertake the -expedition.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After reading this literature I started for the Congo, -fully prepared to see all kinds of horrors. I supposed that -mutilations, cruelties, and atrocities of the most frightful -kinds would everywhere present themselves. I expected -to find a people everywhere suffering, mourning, and in -unhappiness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>My errand, however, was not that of a searcher after -all these dreadful things, but purely that of a student of -human races, with definite questions for investigation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I may say that my opportunities for forming an opinion -of conditions in the Congo have been exceptional. Mine -was no hasty journey, but a tarry in the country extending -over more than one year.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>While my original plan was to spend the greater portion -of my time in the district ruled by the Bakuba chief, -Ndombe, with but a short period in other parts of the -state, I had decided before reaching the mouth of the -Congo to more evenly distribute my time, and to see far -more of the Congo proper than I at first intended. As a -consequence, I went first into the Kasai district, where I -spent four months, after which, returning to Leopoldville, -I went up the main river to the head of navigation, and -even beyond, to Ponthierville, the terminus of the newly -built line of railroad. We also went up the Aruwimi, to -the famous Yambuya camp, where the navigation of that -river is interrupted by cataracts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I have, therefore, seen not only the lower Congo, which -has been so frequently visited in recent years, but traveled -thousands of miles upon the great river and two of its most -important tributaries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In this extended journey I came into constant contact -with representatives of the three groups of white men who -live in the Congo Free State—state officials, missionaries, -and traders. I had repeated conversations with them all, -and have heard opinions upon the Congo State from these -diverse points of view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>My position with reference to Congo matters is peculiar, -doubly so. I may even say it is unique. My journey was -made at my own expense; I was not the representative of -any institution, society, or body. I was without instructions, -and my observations were untrammeled by any -demands or conditions from outside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>While I am under many and weighty obligations to -scores of state officials, missionaries, and traders, I am not -prevented from speaking my mind in regard to any and -every matter. Both to the missionaries, state officials, -and traders I paid board and lodging at every stopping -point—with the single exception of one American mission -station—a fact which leaves me freedom. While the -state facilitated my visit and my work in many ways, I was -not, at any time, in relations with it of such a kind as to -interfere with free observations or free expression. I -made this entirely clear on my first visit to the state authorities -at Brussels, and it was understood by them that I -should speak freely and frankly of everything which I -should see. On their part, the state authorities expressed -the liveliest satisfaction that an independent American -traveler should visit the Congo Free State, and said that -they did not wish anything concealed or attenuated, as -they felt sure that such a visit as mine could only do them -good.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I have said that my position was doubly peculiar. I -was not only independent and untrammeled in observation -and expression, but my personal attitude to the whole question -of colonization and administration by a foreign power, -of natives, is radical. Personally I dislike the effort to -elevate, civilize, remake a people. I should prefer to leave -the African as he was before white contact. It is my belief -that there is no people so weak or so degraded as to be -incapable of self-government. I believe that every people -is happier and better with self-government, no matter how -unlike our own form that government may be. I feel that -no nation is good enough, or wise enough, or sufficiently -advanced to undertake the elevation and civilization of a -“lower” people. Still less do I approve the exploitation -of a native population by outsiders for their own benefit. -Nor do I feel that even the development of British trade -warrants interference with native life, customs, laws, and -lands. I know, however, that these views are unpopular -and heretical.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the series of articles, then, which I have been asked -to prepare, I shall try to take the standpoint of the practical -man, the business man, the man of affairs, the philanthropist, -the missionary. All these agree that civilized folk -have a perfect right to interfere with any native tribe too -weak to resist their encroachment. They agree that it is -perfectly right to trample under foot native customs, institutions, -ideas—to change and modify, to introduce innovations, -either to develop trade, to exploit a country, to -elevate a race, or to save souls. I am forced, then, to -look at Congo matters from the point of view of these -eminently practical men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, I saw much to criticise. It is true that there -are floggings, and chain-gangs, and prisons. I have seen -them all repeatedly. But there are floggings, chain-gangs, -and prisons in the United States. Mutilations are so rare -that one must seek for them; and I had too much else to -do. There is taxation—yes, heavy taxation—a matter -which I shall discuss quite fully further on. And in connection -with taxation there is forced labor, a matter which, -of course, I disapprove, but it appears as just to all the -groups of eminently practical men to whom I have referred. -There are, no doubt, hostages in numbers, but I saw -less than a dozen. And the whole matter of hostages is one -which merits careful and candid discussion. And I know -that in many a large district the population is much smaller -than in former times. The causes of this diminution in -numbers are many and various, and to them I shall return.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Flogging, chain-gang, prison, mutilation, heavy taxation, -hostages, depopulation—all these I saw, but at no -time and at no place were they so flagrant as to force themselves -upon attention. And of frightful outrages, such as -I had expected to meet everywhere, I may almost say there -was nothing. It is, of course, but fair to state that I was -not in the district of the A. B. I. R. I cannot believe, however, -that conditions in that district are so appalling as the -newspaper reports would indicate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the contrary, I found at many places a condition -of the negro population far happier than I had dreamed -it possible. The negro of the Congo—or Bantu, if you -please—is a born trader. He is imitative to a degree. -He is acquisitive, and charmed with novelties. He is -bright and quick, remarkably intelligent. He readily -acquires new languages, and it is no uncommon thing to -find a Congo Bantu who can speak six or seven languages -besides his own. In disposition variable and emotional, -he quickly forgets his sorrow. I saw hundreds of natives -who were working happily, living in good houses, dressing -in good clothes of European stuff and pattern, and saving -property. That this number will rapidly increase I have -no doubt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And now, on my return, after having many of my preconceived -ideas completely shattered, and feeling on the -whole that things in Congoland are not so bad, and that -improvement is the order of the day, I am startled to find -the greatest excitement. Pages of newspapers are filled -with stories of atrocities, many of which never happened, -some of which are ancient, and a part of which, recent in -date, are true.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I find a fierce excitement about the Belgium lobby, -vigorous resolutions presented in the senate, and the President -of the United States outrunning his most urgent -supporters and advisers, ready to take some drastic action -to ameliorate the conditions of the suffering millions in the -Congo Free State. The surprise is so much the greater, -as my latest information regarding the American official -attitude had been gained from the letter written by Secretary -Root some months ago.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What can be the reason of such prodigious and sudden -change?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What has happened in the Congo since April to produce -the present state of mind? What is the motive underlying -the bitter attacks upon Leopold and the Free State -which he established? Is it truly humanitarian? Or -are the laudable impulses and praiseworthy sympathies -of two great people being used for hidden and sinister ends -of politics?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I do not claim infallibility. I do claim that my having -spent a year in the Congo Free State, independently, should -qualify me to express opinions on the conditions. I have -heard both sides. I have traveled thousands of miles in -Congo territory. I have visited natives of twenty-eight -different tribes. No interference has been placed in my -way. I have gone where I pleased, and when and how -I pleased. No preparations have been made with reference -to my visits. I believe no changes in practice have -been produced by my presence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the series of articles before us it is my intention to -present in detail what I have seen, and much of what I -have heard, in the Congo Independent State. I may make -errors, but I shall tell no intentional falsehoods. I shall -criticise what deserves criticism. I shall praise what is -praiseworthy. I trust that those who are interested in -forming a true idea of Congo conditions may find something -useful in my observations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this point it is necessary for us to know something -of the Congo native himself. In Dark Africa—for northern -Africa is and always has been a white man’s country—there -are three negro or negroid masses. There is little -doubt that the original inhabitants of the continent were -dwarf people, ancestors of the pygmies of the high Ituri -forest, and the Batua of the upper Kasai.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To-day the pygmies are mere fragments, scattered and -separated, but retaining with tenacity their ancient life. -They are the same to-day as they were 5,000 years ago, -when they were objects of interest to the old Egyptians. -Little in stature, scrawny in form, with a face shrewd, cunning, -and sly, the pygmy is a hunter. With his bows and -poisoned arrows he kills the game of the forests and makes -no pretense of doing aught in agriculture. He is universally -feared by the large blacks in the neighborhood of -whose towns he settles. He trades his game for agricultural -products with his large neighbors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the Soudan and neighboring parts of western Africa -live the true negroes, notable for their thick lips, projecting -lower faces, and dark skin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Throughout southern Africa we find a group of populations -much lighter in color, and on the whole more attractive -in appearance, than the true negro. These tribes, -plainly related in language, are no doubt of one blood, and -are called Bantu. The name is unfortunate, as the word -bantu simply means “men” in that group of languages. -Practically the whole of the Congo population are Bantu—there -being almost no true negroes and but few pygmies -in the area.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would seem as if the Congo native should be so well -known by this time that the current description of him in -the text-books would be accurate; yet, at least in two -respects, these stereotyped accounts are wrong. The -Congo Bantu are not long-headed, and it is not true that -they differ from the real negro in the absence of a characteristic -and disagreeable odor. There are scores of Bantu -tribes, each with its own language and minor peculiarities -in appearance and life. It would be untrue to say that all -smell badly, but I have often wished the writers of the -books could be shut up a while in the same room with, for -example, a group of Bobangi. It is certain that no type of -African smells worse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would be, however, a mistake to think that the Bantu -are dirty. Far from it. I have repeatedly observed my -carriers, when we came to some brook in the forest, set their -loads aside, strip themselves when necessary, and bathe -in the fresh cool water. They are scrupulous in attention -to their teeth, and use, often several times a day, a little -stick of wood, somewhat larger than a lead-pencil, shredded -at one end, to clean their teeth. The instrument, by -the way, serves its purpose far better than our own toothbrushes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>According to his tribe, the Bantu may be short, medium, -or tall. King Ndombe of the Bakuba measures six feet -three in stature, and is well-built, though not heavy. -Among the Bakuba, Baluba, Batetela, and Bakete, tall -statures are common. It is rare, however, that the Bantu -present what we would call finely developed forms; their -chest is often flat and sunken; their shoulders not well -thrown backward; and the musculature of their back, -their chest, arms, and legs, is poor. Of course, there are -exceptions, and one sometimes sees magnificently developed -specimens. In the lower Congo, where on the whole -the men are shorter, they make excellent carriers. In the -old caravan days the standard burden was sixty or seventy -pounds, and a man would carry it without difficulty all the -working day. The Kasai tribes are poor carriers and -indifferent workers. The chopbox of sixty pounds weight, -which the lower Congo man shoulders easily and carries -without complaint, will be slung to a pole to be borne by -two carriers among the Baluba.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In life the Bantu populations, so far as the Congo is concerned, -present notable general uniformity. The general -pattern is the same everywhere, though there are local -and tribal differences of minor sort. Thus, almost every -tribe has its own tribal marks cut into the flesh of face or -body.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Similarly, the members of one tribe may be distinguished -by their mode of dressing the hair. To a less -degree, the form to which the teeth are chipped and broken -mark tribal differences. It may almost be said that no -two tribes in all the Congo build houses that are just alike, -and almost every tribe has its characteristic mode of arranging -the houses in a group. Thus, in one tribe the -houses will be arranged in continuous lines, one on each -side of a straight road; in another the houses may be -grouped around the three sides of a square, the group -belonging to a single chieftain and being succeeded in the -village by other similar groups of buildings; in another -the houses will be arranged in two curved lines, leaving the -open space in the center of the village oval or elliptical. -The chairs or stools of one tribe will differ in form and -decoration from those of another; so will the wooden -spoons, the stirring-sticks, the combs, the dress and ornaments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Congo natives for the most part still lead a tribal -life. A chief is the head of a little community clustered -about him. He may not be the chief of a whole village; -for example, at Bomanih, on the Aruwimi, there are three -chiefs. Each one has his own cluster of houses, and though -the three clusters are arranged continuously in two, parallel, -straight lines, every native of the village knows precisely -where the domain of the individual chief ends or begins.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The power and authority of the chief has been greatly -weakened by contact with the whites, but he still retains -great influence. At least over the members of his own -household, including, of course, his slaves, he had the -power of life and death. In large affairs, interesting a -considerable number of people, he usually acted on the -advice and opinion of his fellows as expressed in a village -or tribal palaver. The chief was, and still is, distinguished -from the common people by his dress and ornaments. -He is usually a man of wealth, and has a considerable -number of people actually dependent upon him, subject -to his orders, and a force upon which he can depend in -case of war or trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When I first entered the Congo my heart sank, for it -seemed as if the native life was gone. In fact, in letters -written from Matadi I doubted whether I had not come -too late for aught of interest. My spirits began to -revive, however, with the railroad journey from Matadi -to Leopoldville. Groups of natives, with scanty dress and -barbaric ornaments, replaced those who at Matadi and its -neighborhood gathered at the station to see the train pass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In my first walk from the mission house where I lodged -at Leo, within three minutes’ walk of the mission I found -a little cluster of Bateke houses which, with its inhabitants, -much delighted me.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Almost naked women, with abundance of beads and -teeth hung at their necks as ornaments, with hair elaborately -dressed and bodies smeared with red camwood -powder, squatted on the ground, were making native -pottery in graceful forms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the shade in front of the door of one of the houses -was a true barbarian, lord of the place. By rare good -luck he spoke a little English, so that we were able to carry -on a conversation. When I asked him who the women -were, he replied that they were his wives. I think there -were three of them, and it was my first introduction to -African polygamy. Each of these women occupied a -separate house. Each of them had a garden patch in -which she worked. All of them contributed to the importance -and support of their husband.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Polygamy, of course, prevails throughout Dark -Africa. But do not misunderstand me. I do not use -the word “dark” to characterize polygamy. It is a -settled institution which seems to work quite well. Later -on I saw the wives of Ndombe, thirty-four in number. -Ndombe is a really important chief, but compared with -some whom we met or of whom we heard in the Upper -Congo, he was but scantily equipped. Sixty, seventy, a -hundred, or hundreds of wives and female slaves, which -count for much the same, are in possession of great chieftains. -There is, of course, always one favorite or principal -wife. When Ndombe used to come, as he frequently did, -to my house to see the stereoscopic pictures, he frequently -brought his favorite wife with him. She was a pretty -creature—young and plump, graceful and modest. -She wore good cloth and any quantity of beads and brass -arm and leg rings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In every case the women of a chief or rich man live in -separate houses, each having her own. Until a man is -married he is but little thought of. The greater the number -of his wives, the more important he becomes. As -each one cultivates a field and does other productive -labor, it will be seen that the man with the most wives -is the richest man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man has his own house, but visits and lives in the -houses of his wives in turn. The child in Africa is rarely -weaned before it is two or three years old, and during the -period of time when a child is unweaned the father has no -marital relations with the woman. On the whole, there is -less quarreling among the wives of a polygamic husband -than one would expect. Bantu women, however, are often -termagants, as women elsewhere, and at times the chief’s -house group is lively.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Domestic slavery still flourishes. The state, of course, -has done much to end the actual slave trade for supplying -white men and Arabs. It is, however, difficult to deal -with the matter of domestic slavery, and in fact is scarcely -worth the candle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Every chief or man of any consequence has slaves. -Calamba, my interpreter, at Ndombe, though a young -fellow, probably not more than 25, had two. It is rare -that the lot of the domestic slave is unhappy. It is usually -women or children who are bought, and they are treated -in all respects as if members of the family. Little is required -of them in the way of work and service, and they -must absolutely be provided for by the master, who is -also frequently responsible before the public for their -misdeeds. Formerly, of course, there was the possibility -of being killed upon a festal occasion, the accession of the -chief to increased power, or to grace his funeral. Within -those districts where the state has a firm hold and strong -influence this possibility is done away with, and the most -serious disadvantage in being a slave is thus removed. -Slaves may become rich men, and not infrequently themselves -hold slaves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Bantu, -as of the true negro, is his emotionality—one instant -joyous, the next in tears. Vowing vengeance for an injury -to-day, he is on the happiest terms with his injurer -to-morrow. He laughs, sings, dances. Of all the introductions -of the white man, perhaps the accordion is the -favorite. Men use it, but women play it constantly. -Most of them play one song piece only, and one may -hear it from one end of the state to the other at every -hour of the day and night. Of course, there are native -instruments in plenty, drums of every size and form, from -the small hand drum, made by stretching a skin across an -earthen pot three or four inches in diameter, up to the -great cylindrical, horizontal drum made by hollowing -logs a yard in diameter and ten feet long. There are horns, -fifes, pipes, and whistles, and a great series of stringed -instruments, ranging from the musical bow with but one -cord to lutes with ten or twelve. Of course, the instrumental -music goes with the dancing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The native is born to dance. Babies, two or three -years old, dance with their elders. Men dance together; -women have their special forms; but in the majority of -cases the two sexes dance together. There is, however, -nothing like our waltzes or round dancing, individuals -keeping themselves separate. The dances are most frequent -and lively when the moon is growing. On moonlight -nights hundreds of people—men, women, and children—gather -at dusk, and to the noise of drums dance -wildly, often till morning. It is no uncommon thing for -people working on plantations to work all day and dance -almost all night, and this day after day. While some of -the dances are extremely graceful, most of them are obscene -and are followed often by frightful orgies.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One thing greatly interested me. Had I been asked -before my trip to Africa about the cake-walk—a form of -amusement which I love to see—I should have said that -it originated in America among the black folk of our -southern states. But no, the cake-walk is no American -invention. In every part of the Congo one may see it—even -in regions where white influence has seldom penetrated. -The American cake-walk is an immigrant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Bantu child is wonderfully precocious. This -precocity displays itself in everything. The children run -about with perfect freedom, instead of tottering along, one -unsteady step after another, as our children of the same -age. They speak astonishingly soon. A babe in arms -eats solid food—notwithstanding the fact that it is not -weaned until two or three years of age—shockingly early. -The little child imitates the every action of its older -friends. Children of four or five, in shrewdness, comprehension, -and intelligence, are like our ten-year-olds. -This precocity suggests the fact of early ripening. As a -fact, boys of sixteen and girls of thirteen are frequently -ready for marriage. A man of twenty-five is in the prime -of life, a man of thirty aged, and on the whole the term -of life closes at thirty-five.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>II.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 21, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>L</span></span>IFE is easy in the tropics. Wants are few. A -house to live in can be built in a few hours. Food -can be gathered or produced with little labor. -Dress is needless. Where life is easy there is little impulse -to labor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The chief incentive to the Bantu to work is to secure -the wherewithal to buy a wife. The boy, who, through a -careless, happy childhood, has done naught but play, -begins to think of settling down. But to have a wife he -must have money or its equivalent. So he goes to work. -It may require a year or more before he has the pieces of -cloth which are necessary for the purchase of his desired -loved one. The same stimulus which impelled him to -labor for one wife may prod him to efforts for others. But -with the establishment of a home, and the purchase of two -or three wives to care for him and produce him wealth, his -work is done. From fourteen years to twenty-five is his -working period. Before that time a child, after that time -he is a man of means. What wealth comes later comes -through the women and their labor, and through trade.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We have already stated that the Bantu is notably -acquisitive. Wealth, apart from women and slaves, is -counted mostly in cloth. One of the chief aims in life is -to accumulate cloth, not for use as clothing, but as evidence -of wealth and for the final display when the man dies and -is buried. Among the Lower Congo tribes the dead body -is wrapped in piece after piece of cloth, until the body disappears -in a mass of wrappings made of scores of pieces, -each piece consisting of eight or sixteen yards, as the case -may be. Young men have cloth, and it is most interesting -to look through the boxes of the “boys.” At Basoko we -were robbed, and the authorities instituted a search. I -was asked to inspect the boxes of all the workmen on the -place. Without warning, every man and boy had to open -his trunk, chest, tin box, or other store. I saw young fellows -of no more than sixteen or seventeen years who had a -dozen pieces of good cloth carefully folded away, watches, -jewelry, ornaments, knives, dishes—every kind of white -man’s tradestuff that could be imagined. When they are -thirty those “boys” will be rich men, with women, slaves, -and piles of stuff.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The government of the Free State has issued coins for -native use. There are large coppers of the value of one, -two, five, and ten centimes. There are silver coins of half-franc, -franc, two franc, and five franc value. But these -coins have no circulation beyond Leopoldville. In the -Kasai district and the Upper Congo every commercial -transaction is done by barter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Certain things are so constantly in use as to have fixed -values. For articles of trifling value nothing is so good as -salt. A standard which varies from place to place is the -brass rod, or mitaku. This is simply a piece of brass wire -of certain length. The mitaku in the Lower Congo are -short, those in the Upper Congo much longer. Beads -have ever been used in trade, but the wise traveler avoids -them, as their value has dwindled, and the taste not only -varies from place to place, but from time to time. The -bead which one traveler found useful in a given district -may have lost its attractiveness before the next traveler, -loaded with a large supply, comes that way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At Ndombe the brass rod has no vogue. There the -cowries (sea shells) are the standard in small transactions. -Cowries were once used in many parts of Africa, but in -most places have ceased to have value. Ndombe, however, -arrogates to himself and family the sole right of wearing -brass arm and leg rings. Hence mitaku are not used, -and the old-fashioned cowry remains. But the chief -tradestuff, of course, is cloth. With it you may buy -chickens or goats, pigs or wives. In the Upper Kasai a -piece of cloth means eight yards—“four fathoms.” In -the Upper Congo a piece of cloth is sixteen yards, or eight -fathoms. Formerly at Ndombe eight or ten chickens -were given for a piece of cloth, value five francs, or one -dollar in our currency. To-day one must pay a fathom -for each fowl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The attempt to introduce the use of corn among the -natives was unsatisfactory alike to the people and the -trader. It has, however, taken hold strongly in the Lower -Congo, and in time the use of true money must push its -way up the river. Curious is the contempt of all for coppers. -Ten centimes in Belgium would give delight to many -a boy of twelve or fifteen years. The Congo native frequently -throws it away or returns it to the person who -gave it to him. Nothing less than a half-franc piece—ten -cents—is valued.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I have seen this illustrated many, many times, the first -time in my own case. We were visiting a miserable fishing -village of poor Bakongo. As I entered the village a -naked child, no more than two or three years old, met me. -I smiled at him and he at me. I extended my hand, which -he clasped and accompanied me for half an hour as I -wandered from house to house, never once relaxing his -hold upon my fingers. It caused great amusement to the -adult portion of the village, as apparently the little one -rarely made such friendships. When I was about to leave -I took a ten centime piece from my pocket and gave it to -him. Such a look of disgust as came over his face would -not be expected in any one short of adult years. It was -the last time that I gave a copper to a native.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Unquestionably one of the most striking characteristics -of the Congo people is loquacity. Their tongues hang -loosely, and wag incessantly. Anything will do to talk -about. Start one and he will talk until you stop him. -Quarrels, troubles, friendships, joys, plans, and achievements, -all are retailed at any hour of the day or night. -When excited, several will talk together with great vivacity, -though it is plain that no one knows what any other is -saying.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the chief occupations of the man is the palaver. -The Portuguese term applies to any serious consultation -on any subject, pleasant or otherwise. A palaver may be -confined to chiefs or it may include practically all the men -of one or more villages. In many towns there is a place -for gathering for palavers under a tree known as the palaver -tree. Those who participate in a palaver bring their -chairs or stools or a roll of skin, which they place upon the -ground to sit upon. At the beginning there is more or less -formality, and each one presents his view decently and in -order; sometimes, however, hubbub ensues, disturbance -arises, and the palaver breaks up in disorder. In these -palavers frequently speeches of great length and finished -oratory are delivered. Not only are the emotions played -upon by the speaker, but keen argument is employed, and -the appeal is made to the intelligence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All matters of consequence—tribal, inter-tribal, and -dealings with the white man—are settled in palavers. The -white man who knows the natives is wise to conform to -native customs. If he has some difficulty to settle, some -favor to ask, some business to arrange, he will do well to -have a formal palaver called in which he himself participates.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the occasion of my second visit to Ndombe I found -the town in great excitement. Going to the chief’s headquarters, -we found a great palaver in progress. Our coming -was looked upon as a favorable omen, and with much -formality chairs were brought and placed for us in the -midst of the gathering. The remarks were translated to -me as they were made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ndombe’s town is really an aggregation of villages. -Not one but four different tribes are represented in the -population. The central town, walled and of Bakuba -style, was Ndombe’s own. Three or four Bakete towns -were clustered near it. In another direction were several -Baluba towns, and close by them small villages of Batua. -These four populations, though living by themselves, were -all subject to Ndombe, and the group of villages taken -together made a town of some pretension.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The day before our visit, there had been a battle with -the Bakete in which several men had been wounded, -though none were killed. The trouble was taxes. The -state demanded increased payments. The proud Bakuba -decided that the Bakete should pay the new tax, and so -informed them. Against this there had been a feeling of -rebellion, and the Bakete refused to pay the tax. Hence -the battle. All were greatly excited. The speeches were -full of fire. The men—Bakuba—challenged each -other to show mighty deeds of valor; they belittled and -derided the unfortunate Bakete; they drew unpleasant -contrasts between themselves and their vassals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Many of the speeches were fine efforts, and the words -were emphasized by the most graceful and vigorous gesticulation. -Finally an old woman crowded in from one side -where she had been listening to the speeches. In impassioned -language she described the heavy labors which the -women of the tribe already endured. They could stand -no more. If the Bakuba were men let them prove it now -or forever after remain silent. Force the Bakete to work. -Put no more heavy tasks upon your mothers, wives, and -sisters. The old woman’s speech stirred the audience, and -the meeting broke up, the men hurrying to prepare themselves -for a new battle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The market was among the most important institutions -of the Congo native. It retains importance to the present -day. In the Lower Congo a week consisted of four days, -and market was held at each market-place once a week. -The markets were named from the day of the week on -which they were held. Thus, a Nsona market was a -market held on the day of that name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To these markets people came in numbers from all the -country round, and it was no uncommon thing to see -thousands thus gathered. There were special places for -certain products. Thus, women who brought pottery for -sale occupied a set place; those who brought bananas -would be grouped together in their section; sellers of camwood, -sweet potatoes, kwanga (native cassava bread), -palm wine, oil, salt, fowls, pigs, goats—all occupied -places well known to the frequenters of the market. In -the olden times, of course, there was a section devoted to -the sale of slaves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Such a market presented a scene of active life and -movement. Yet order was preserved. No crime was -considered more serious than the disturbance of a market. -Such an act deserved severest punishment, and -those in whose hands the maintenance of order lay never -hesitated to kill the offender at once, and to make a public -display of his punishment as a warning to all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is no question that the Congo native is cruel, and -this cruelty shows itself in many ways. The killing of -slaves was extremely common. It is true that it was never -carried to the extreme in Congoland that it reached in -some true negro kingdoms, as Dahomey and Benin. It -was, however, customary to kill slaves on the occasion of -the death of a man of any consequence. The body of one -of the slaves thus killed was placed first in the grave to -serve as a pillow for the dead man. It was a common -practice to preserve the skulls of victims sacrificed on -such occasions as memorials.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not only were slaves sacrificed to grace the funeral -ceremony of chiefs, but often one or more were killed upon -occasions of festivity and joy. King Ndombe once presented -me a skull. It was that of a Batua slave who had -been killed upon the occasion of the chief’s coming into -power. In this case, apparently, judging by the condition -of the skull, the victim had been killed by simply -knocking in his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Until lately all through the Congo public executions -were of a more formal character than this. At Lake -Mantumba we were shown the exact mode of procedure. -A sort of stool or seat was set upon the ground and sticks -were tightly driven in around it, in such a way as to limit -the motions of the victim after he was seated; in fact, to -almost prevent all movement. A sapling was then thrust -in the ground. A sort of cage or framework made of pliant -branches was fixed about the head of the victim. The -sapling was then bent over in an arch and firmly fastened -to the cage, thus holding the head firmly and stretching -the neck tense and hard. The hands were tied together, -as were the feet. When all was ready the executioner -with his great knife at a single blow struck off the head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Enemies killed in battle were often mutilated, and -fingers, nails, bones, or the skulls were treasured as trophies. -When the white men first visited the villages of -the Upper Congo there was scarce a house without its -ghastly trophy, and the houses of great chiefs displayed -baskets filled with skulls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is doubtful whether the Congo native has as keen -a sense of physical suffering as ourselves. In almost every -tribe men and sometimes women, are marked with tribal -marks upon the face or body; thus, among the Bangala -each member of the tribe bears a projection like a cock’s -comb running vertically across the forehead from the nose -root to the hair line. This excrescence is frequently -three-quarters of an inch in breadth and of the same elevation. -Its development begins in childhood, when a series -of short but deep horizontal lines are cut in the child’s -forehead; these are irritated to produce swelling; later -on they are cut again, and again, and again, until the -full development is produced. We should certainly find -such an operation painful in the extreme. I have seen -women whose entire bodies were masses of raised patterns, -produced by cutting and irritating.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When being operated upon the subject usually squats -or lies in front of the operator, who sits cross-legged on -the ground. The head or other portion of the body which -is being cut rests upon the lap or knees of the cutter. No -particular pain is shown by the subject, though the cuts -are often deep and blood flows copiously. A few minutes -after the operation, smeared with fresh oil on the wounds, -the scarred person walks about as if nothing had happened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first subject that I saw treated for rheumatism was -a young woman. She was standing before her house -door, while the old woman who was treating her was -squatted on the ground before her. In her hand the old -woman had a sharp, native razor, and with it she cut lines -several inches long and to good depth in the fleshy part of -the leg of her standing patient. Not once nor twice, but -a dozen times the old woman cut, and rubbed in medicine -in the open wounds. The patient gave but little signs of -pain. Once or twice she winced as the knife went a little -deeper than usual; she held a long staff in her hand, and -in the most serious moments of the cutting she clutched -it a little the tighter. But there were no groans, no cries, -nor tears. I have never seen a white person who could -have stood the operation with so little evidence of suffering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Part of the time that we were in Ndombe’s district we -had charge of an establishment employing 140 natives, -more or less. Among these natives was one Casati. I -think he was a Zappo Zap. Originally a man of quickness -and intelligence, he had become a complete physical -wreck through drink and other forms of dissipation. He -boarded with a girl named Tumba. One afternoon -they presented themselves before me with a palaver. It -was some question in regard to payment and service. -Like most Bantu difficulties, its beginning seemed to -extend backwards to the world’s creation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I knew Tumba to be a worthy and industrious girl; -Casati was a miserable and worthless wretch. I therefore -refused to decide the difficulty, stating that the parties -interested must wait until the return of the true owner of -the establishment, who would decide their question. -This was not at all to the satisfaction of Casati, who, -merely to show his dissatisfaction, took a sharp knife and -cut three big gashes in his own shoulder. It seems plain -to me, from this apparent lack of pain under scarring, -medical treatment, and self-infliction, that there is a notable -difference between the Bantu and ourselves.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/24-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0003' style='width:400px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Bakumu at Ease: Steamer Chairs and Pipes for Three</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>III.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 22, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>N</span></span>ATURALLY, in the Congo there is little need of -dress. Before the white man’s influence most -native men wore nothing but a breech-clout—a -long strip of cloth passed between the legs and fastened -as a belt around the waist—or else a piece of native -cloth made from palm fiber, perhaps a yard in width and -long enough to go around the body. This latter garment, -technically called a cloth, is still the dress of almost all the -workmen and workwomen on white men’s places, but -European stuff has replaced the old palm cloth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The women were usually much less clad than the men, -but the style of dress varied from tribe to tribe. The -Bangala woman wore, and still wears, a girdle at the waist, -from which hung a fringe of grass or vegetable fiber -reaching to the knees. The women of some Aruwimi -tribes wear a simple cord, from which hangs in front a bit -of grass cloth no more than three or four inches square. -On occasion, the Bakuba woman wears nothing but one -string of beads around her waist, from which hang in -front several large brass or copper rings. The Ngombe -women regularly go naked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Where white influence has become pronounced every -one wears white man’s cloth, and many have this cloth -made up in form similar to those of the Europeans. After -a Bantu has begun to be imbued with white man’s ideas -he is unhappy until he has a jacket, trousers, and hat. In -form and material these are frequently so startling as to -cause surprise to the person really accustomed to white -men’s clothes. Thus, a man may be dressed in loose and -flowing trousers made of the most brilliant calicoes in -gaudy pattern. He may have a jacket made of a strip of -handkerchiefing which never was meant to be used as -material for clothes, but to be cut or torn into kerchiefs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But happiness is not complete for the Bantu in transformation -until he has a white man’s umbrella. Not that -he needs it for rain, because when it rains the Bantu -always goes into his house and at once falls into a profound -slumber which lasts until the rain is over. It is merely -fashion, or for protection against the sun, a thing of which -the Bantu really has no need. Two boys who were in -our employ at Ndombe accompanied us afterwards as -personal servants on our long journey up and down the -Congo. When the time came to leave them at Leopoldville -we took them to the white man’s store and asked them -what they wanted as a parting gift. Their selections were -eminently characteristic. My companion’s boy at once -declared his wish for an umbrella, while my own, of a far -livelier and more sportive disposition, wished an accordion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is a common complaint among the white men that -the native is ungrateful. Many and many a time have we -listened to such tirades. You will hear them from everybody -who has had dealings with the Bantu. The -missionary complains of it as bitterly as does the trader -or the state official. All of them unite in declaring that -gratitude does not exist in native character. This seems to -us a baseless claim. The African is the shrewdest of -traders. It is true that frequently he lets things go to -white men for what seems to us a mere nothing. But he -gets what he wants in return for his goods. He enjoys -bickering. His first price is always greatly in excess of -what he actually expects to receive. He will spend hours -in debating the value of his wares.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one need seriously fear for the outcome to the black -man in open trade with whites. The purpose of the white -man in visiting him and dealing with him is a mystery to -the native mind. He can understand the value of palm -oil and ivory, for palm oil and ivory he uses himself. -Why rubber and copal should be so precious is beyond his -understanding. He but dimly grasps the purpose of the -state and of the missionary. On the whole, he lends -himself to all alike, and being naturally kind, tries to -please all and do what is expected of him. Still, he knows -that he is being exploited by the foreigner, and it is but -fair that he should exploit in return—a thing at which -he is an adept. Why, then, should he be grateful for -what is done for him? He naturally believes that missionaries, -government officials, and traders all gain some -advantage from their dealings with him; it is his duty to -gain all he can in return in his dealings with them. And -there is no especial ground for thanks. There is no reason -for gratitude.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I presume it is true that on one occasion—perhaps -it has been true on many—a native who had been carefully -and lovingly cared for through a long and trying -sickness, when restored wished to know what the missionary -was going to give him. He had taken all the bad -medicines and all the invalid’s slops without complaint, -but naturally he expected some sort of compensation at -the end. Yet the missionary would quote the incident as -an example of ingratitude.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is common to call black Africans dishonest. Here, -again, the judgment is undeserved and arises from miscomprehension. -The African knows, as well as we do, -what constitutes truth, yet he lies, especially to white -folk. He has as clear a knowledge of mine and thine as -we, and yet he steals from his employer. The explanation -lies in the same idea precisely. He thinks we are constantly -getting something from him; he in turn must exploit us. -The white man is a stranger. Throughout tribal life -the stranger is a menace; he is a being to be plundered -because he is a being who plunders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Among themselves, lying is not commended and -truth is appreciated; but to deceive a stranger or a white -man is commendable. Native houses are often left for -days or weeks, and it would be easy for any one to enter -and rob them. Yet robbery among themselves is not -common. To steal, however, from a white employer—upon -whom the native looks as a being of unlimited and -incomprehensible wealth—is no sin. It is unfair to -stamp the native either as a liar or a thief because he lies -to white men and steals from his employer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Among the Congo natives wealth has weight. The -rich man has authority and power and influence because -he is rich. There is a servile, cringing, element in the -Bantu character which showed itself as plainly in the old -days before the white men came as it does to-day. Cringing, -toadying, scheming, marked the daily life. While -a man was rich he had respect and friends and power. If -reverses came he lost them all. None was so poor to do -him reverence. Arrogance was the chief element of the -chieftain’s stock in trade; servility the chief mark of the -slave and poor man. White men who have to do with -natives are forced to act decisively. They must inspire -fear and respect; kindness is weakness. To permit -discourtesy or insolence invites contempt. Perfect justice, -firmness, and consistency will give the white men who -must deal with natives a respected position which vacillation -or mistaken friendliness will never gain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Emotional to a high degree, the native often passes -for affectionate. Affection of a certain kind he no doubt -has; many examples come to the mind of personal servants -who have almost shown devotion to white masters. -On the whole, true affection as we know it, unvarying, -consistent, which stands the test of varying circumstances, -occurs but seldom. Extremely beautiful and touching, -however, is the love which every Bantu has for his mother—a -love undoubtedly encouraged and strengthened by -the polygamous life. A boy’s relation to his father is -nothing; his relation to his mother is the closest tie in -human life. He is of her blood. Her relatives are his. -The nearest male connection which he has is her brother. -Toward him the boy shows particular respect, but toward -his mother true love. She is far nearer and dearer to him -than wife or slaves. Through his boyhood she is his -refuge in every kind of trouble; in young manhood she is -his adviser and confidant; in manhood he still goes to -her in every trouble and with every question. There is -but one person in his whole lifetime whom he trusts. -She is ever sure to be his friend; she never betrays his -interest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All early white visitors to dark African populations -were profoundly impressed with the respect shown to the -aged. This was genuine. The old man or woman was -the repository of wisdom. The experiences through which -they had passed made them wise counselors. Tribal -affairs were decided by the old. This trait of native character, -constantly mentioned by all the early writers, tends -to disappear in all those districts where the white man’s -influence has spread. Such is ever the case. And it is -natural.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The white man’s wisdom is a different thing from that -of the native. Contact with the white man causes contempt -and despisal of the wisdom of the ancients. It is -the children who always gain this new wisdom from the -whites, and with their eating of the tree of knowledge there -comes a loss of all respect for older people. Missionaries -in vain will preach the fifth commandment to the children -in their schools. The reading, writing, and arithmetic -which they learn from books, the new ways and manners -and points of view which they gain from contact with their -teachers, render all such teaching mere platitudes without -vital force. The children educated by white men, must -always lose respect and admiration for their parents and -the elders of their tribes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mentally, the native of the Congo is quick and bright. -We have already spoken of his ability in languages and his -facility in oratory. He delights in saws and proverbs—condensed -wisdom. Hundreds and thousands of such -proverbs, often showing great keenness and shrewdness, -deep observation and insight, might be quoted. No people -with a mass of proverbial philosophy, such as the Bantu -and the true negroes have, could be considered stupid. In -learning new ways and customs and in imitation of others -they are extremely quick and apt. Every white settlement -in the Congo has introduced new ways of living, and the -black boys who can cook well, do fair tailoring, good -laundry work, and personal service of other kinds are surprisingly -numerous. Under direction they frequently -develop great excellence in work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In a few years after the establishment of the Free State, -the caravan service for transporting freight of every kind -from the head of navigation at Matadi to Leopoldville, -above the rapids, was admirably developed. The men -carried their burdens willingly and uncomplainingly; it -was extremely rare that anything was lost or stolen. So, -too, they have rapidly adopted military life, and the native -soldiers under Belgian training present as great precision, -promptness, and grace in executing their maneuvers as -many white troops would do.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With both the true negroes and the Bantu, belief in -witchcraft was prevalent. Sickness, disease, and death -were not natural events. That a man should die in battle -or from wounds was understood, but that sickness should -cause death was not grasped by the native mind. Sickness -and death from sickness were regularly attributed to -the evil practices of witches. If a man suffered pains in -the head or body, it was because some enemy was introducing -a mysterious and harmful object into his system. -It was necessary, therefore, to adopt some method of undoing -the harm. There were men and women whose -business it was to detect the author of witchcraft and to -recommend means for saving the victim from his operations. -Nothing more serious could happen to a man than -to be accused of witchcraft. No matter how rich he was; -how high his station; how many or how strong his friends—the -accusation of witchcraft was dangerous.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A person accused of witchcraft was usually subjected -to an ordeal of poison. It was generally the drinking of a -poisoned brew produced by steeping leaves, or barks, or -roots in water. If the accused vomited the drink and suffered -no serious results, his innocence was demonstrated. -If, however, the draft proved fatal, his guilt was clear. It -is true that sometimes the witch doctor played false, -and, in administering the ordeal, might be influenced by -bribes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This whole matter of witchcraft and the ordeal has been -magnified by many writers. It is true that there was constant -danger for a progressive man, a rich man, or a great -chief. Such men would naturally arouse jealousy and -envy, and no doubt accusations were frequently made -against them without cause. For my own part, however, -I have long believed that the ordeal for witchcraft was not -an unmixed evil, and I was more than pleased at hearing -a missionary, who has been many years in the Congo, state -that, after all, while it was subject to occasional abuse, it -tended toward wholesome control of conditions in a community.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is much the custom for white men to speak of Congo -natives as big children. Whenever some custom is particularly -unlike our own, they will shrug their shoulders -and say: “You see, they are only children.” I believe as -much in the theory of recapitulation as any one. I believe -that the life history of the individual repeats the life history -of the race.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I believe that one may truly say that children among -ourselves represent the stage of savagery; that youth is -barbarous; that adult age is civilization. It is true that -children among ourselves present many interesting survivals -of the savage attitude. In a certain sense savages -are children. I think, however, from the points in native -character which I here have touched, that my readers will -agree with me that the adult native of the Congo is no -child. He is a man, but a man different from ourselves. -He represents the end of a development, not the beginning.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>IV.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 23, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>H</span></span>AVING some of the more marked characteristics -of the Bantu in mind, let us consider the conditions -and circumstances of the white men in the -Congo. There are, of course, but three classes—state -officials, traders, and missionaries. Practically, the state -officials and the traders are in the same condition; the -missionary is so differently circumstanced that he must -be considered independently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Few persons can imagine the trying climate and the -serious diseases of the Congo region. It is claimed that -Nigeria is worse. It may be, but, if so, I should wish to -keep away from Nigeria. Fever, of course, abounds in all -the Lower Congo districts. If one escapes it for a time it -is so much the worse for him when finally he succumbs to -the infliction. It is only malaria, but it is malaria of the -most insidious and weakening sort. A man is up and -working in the early morning; at noonday he takes to his -bed with fever; at night or next morning he may again be -at his daily work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It seems a trifling thing—a disease which often lasts -less than a day. But the man is left weak and nerveless. -The next attack continues the weakening process. Finally, -with blood impoverished and strength exhausted, he dies. -Of course, the remedy is quinine. Careful people going -into the Congo begin to take their daily dose of this specific -at the beginning of their journey, so that they may be -fortified against attack before arrival. For the most part -the English missionaries take two, three, five, or six grains -daily throughout the period of their stay. Some foreigners -prefer ten grain doses on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of every -month. Few really refuse to take it, and such usually find -an early grave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The disadvantage of this constant dosing with quinine -is the danger of the dreaded hæmaturic fever. This dread -disease rarely attacks a person until he has been a year in -the Congo. It is commonly attributed to the system being -loaded up with quinine. The instant that its symptoms -develop, the order to cease taking quinine is promptly -issued. Among the European population of the Congo, -hæmaturic fever is regularly expected to have a fatal issue. -It is more than probable that the use of wines, beers, and -liquors predisposes the system to a fatal result. Plenty of -missionaries die of hæmaturic fever also, but the appearance -of the disease among them by no means produces the -panic which it does among continentals. Perhaps one in -five or six cases dies, two of the remainder flee to Europe, -the other three recover. But the disease is no trifling matter, -and must be seriously taken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Few persons realize the frightful effect of the tropical -sun in Central Africa. When Jameson came down the -river from the ill-fated Yambuya camp, natives on the -shore sent a flight of arrows against his paddlers, not -knowing that a white man was present with them in the -canoe. To show them that such was the case and prevent -further attack Jameson stood in his canoe and waved -his hat at the assailants. It is unlikely that he had it -from his head more than a minute or two, but in that time -he was stricken with the fever which a few days later -caused his death.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Glave, after spending six years in Africa at the state -post of Lukolela, returned in safety to his native land. -After some years he revisited the scene of his earlier labors, -entering the continent on the east coast and passing in -safety to Matadi. While waiting for a steamer he was -making a short journey on the river in a canoe. His head -was exposed for a mere instant to the sun, and Glave was -shortly a dead man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One who has been on three different occasions in the -Congo once remarked to me that he could see no reason -for the strange and frightful modes of suicide adopted by -Europeans who wished to end their lives. All that would -be necessary is to seat oneself upon a chair or stool in the -open sunshine for a brief period. Yet the Bantu goes out -every day with no hat upon his head, and with no apparent -bad results. And when he has the fever one of his quickest -means of restoration is to seat himself in the open sunshine. -Of course, the Bantu does not have the fever as -frequently or as severely as the white man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Bantu suffers much, however, from sleeping-sickness. -For a long time it was believed that this strange disease -was peculiar to the dark populations of Africa. The -disease formerly was local, and while frightful in its ravages, -was not a serious matter. To-day, however, it is -extending up and down the whole length of the main river -and throughout the area drained by many of its main tributaries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In its approach it is slow and insidious. The saddest -cases are those where the victim attacked was notably intelligent -and quick. The subject becomes at first a little -moody, and from time to time has outbursts of petulance -and anger out of proportion to the exciting cause. These -outbursts become more and more common, and assume -the character of true mania, during which the person may -attack those around him, even though they are his best and -dearest friends. It is frequently necessary to tie him, in -order to prevent injury to others. Presently the person -is affected with stupor, shows a tendency to sleep, even -at his work; this increases until at last he is practically -sleeping, or in a comatose condition, all the time. In this -latter stage of the disease he loses flesh with great rapidity, -and presently is naught but skin and bones. At last -death takes him, after he has been useless to himself and -others for a long time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The sleeping-sickness is not confined to the Congo Free -State, and at the present time its ravages are felt severely -in the British district of Uganda. The disease has been -investigated by learned commissions, but no satisfactory -treatment, at least for an advanced stage of the trouble, has -been yet discovered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is a tendency among physicians to connect the -transmission of the sleeping-sickness with, the tsetse fly. -It is, “of course,” a germ disease—such being at the -present all the fashion. A medical friend in New York -tells me that the Japanese have made recent important -investigations of the sickness, and that their line of treatment -gives greater promise of success than any other. -Latterly the disease has attacked white people, and a number -of missionaries have died from it or been furloughed -home for treatment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whole districts of Bantu have been depopulated. We -were shown the site of a Catholic mission until lately highly -prosperous; the place has been deserted, all the natives -under the influence of the mission having died of the sleeping-sickness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Malaria, hæmaturia, sun fevers, and sleeping-sickness -are the most fearful scourges which the white settler in the -Congo faces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We could, of course, extend the list of strange and -dreadful diseases, but have said enough to show that every -white man who goes into the Congo country does so at a -serious risk. No one is quite immune, and the number -who even seem to be so is small. No one is ever quite -well, and every one is chronically in a state of physical -disorganization.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The climate and the actual diseases are bad enough. -They perhaps would lose a portion of their terror if the -food supply were adequate, wholesome, and nutritious. -Even the missionaries use little native food. The state -officer and trader use practically none. The chopbox is -an institution of the country. Its simplest expression is -found at the trading-post of some company where but a -single agent is in residence. Once in three months the -steamer of his company brings him his chopbox outfit. -There are usually two long wooden boxes, one of which -contains a great variety of tinned meats, fish, vegetables, -and fruit. I never had the least idea until my -African experience how many things were put in tins. -The second box contains flour, oil, vinegar, salt, and -spices. The quantity is held to be sufficient for the -three months. In addition to the actual food supply, -there is a quota of wine in demijohns and of gin in -square bottles.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one who has not had the experience can imagine -the frightful satiety which comes upon one who has fed -for weeks from chopboxes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is true that “the boy” does his best to serve a palatable -dinner. It is true that sometimes a piece of elephant -or hippopotamus, a guinea fowl or grouse, some buffalo -or antelope, or fresh fish or fowls are brought in by the -natives as gifts or trade. But even with this help the poor -company agent has the same food, meal after meal, day -after day. Frequently the tinned stuff is old and really -unfit for eating; but the quota is none too large for his -three months’ period. Sometimes the flour or macaroni -is moldy, having been soaked through with water in the -hold of a leaky steamer. The food is not attractive nor -substantial. The state officer, the company agent, in -Central Africa, is underfed and badly nourished.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not only does the white man in the Congo suffer physical -disorganization; he also suffers mental disintegration. -The memory of white men in the Congo weakens. This -is a matter of universal observation, and my attention has -been called to it repeatedly. A disinclination to any kind -of intellectual activity takes possession of one, and only -by the exercise of strong will-power can he accomplish his -daily tasks and plan for the work of the future. There is -a total lack of stimulus.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When to the weakening effects of fever and other illness, -and to the depression caused by innutritious food, -we add the influence of constant dread of coming sickness -and of native outbreaks, it is no wonder that the white -man of the Congo is a nervous and mental wreck. At -home, accustomed to wines and spirits at his meals, he -finds it difficult to discontinue their use. Beer ought to be -completely avoided in the Congo; there is no question of -its injurious effect upon the liver. Wine may be taken in -the evening, and a very little spirits in the night after -dinner, without noticeable bad results. But many of these -lonely men pay no attention to wise rules of drinking, and -through constant dissipation lay themselves open to disease -and death. Nor are they always satisfied with intoxicating -drinks. The use of opium in different forms is -common. Many a time have company agents or state -officials come to me and asked for some remedy from my -medicine chest, for sudden and distressing pains. In -every case it has been a preparation of opium which they -have taken.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>V.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 24, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>W</span></span>ITH physical and mental disorganization there -must, of course, be moral disintegration. -Even the missionaries in an enlightened country -like Japan constantly complain of the depressing influences -around them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Such a complaint, to my mind, is preposterous when -applied to Japan, but it is easy to understand with reference -to Central Africa. If there is but one agent at the -station, he rarely sees another white man. Day after -day, and all day long, his constant contact is with the black -folk. There is nothing to appeal to his better nature. -He must pit himself against the scheming and servile -native. He must look out for the interests of the company. -He must scheme, browbeat, threaten. Chances for -immorality abound.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Constant sight of cruelty begets cruelty. Alone in a -population so unlike himself, his only safety rests in his -commanding at once fear, respect, obedience. He frequently -possesses governmental power. The only white -man in a large area of country, he must insist upon the -fulfillment of the requirements which are passed down to -him from his superiors. There are no white men living -who could pass unscathed through such a trial.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The wonder is not that from time to time company -agents and governmental officials are encountered who -are monsters of cruelty. The wonder is, with the constant -sapping of the physical, the mental, and the moral nature, -that any decent men are left to treat with natives.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, there are almost no white women in the -Congo Free State outside the missions. The director-general -at Leopoldville, the railroad station agent at the -same point, a commandant at Coquilhatville, and two of -the officers at Stanleyville have their wives with them. -It is possible that there are some of whom I am ignorant, -but it is doubtful if there are a dozen white women of -respectability in all the Congo—except, of course, the -ladies in the missions. Almost without exception, the -other state officials and traders have black women.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These black women of the white man are to be seen -wherever the white man himself is seen. A man usually -selects his black companion shortly after reaching the -Congo and supports her in his own house, where he treats -her on the whole with kindness. He considers her an -inferior being, but treats her like a doll or toy. She is -dressed according to her own fancy and frequently -brilliantly and more or less expensively. She rarely -forces attention upon herself, but where he goes she goes. -If he travels on the steamer, she is there; if he makes a -trip through the rubber district, stopping night after -night in native towns, she is ever one of the caravan. -She is true to him and on the whole, though there has been -no marriage, he is true to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Frequently, a strong affection appears to spring up -between the couple, and the hybrid children resulting -from the relation are almost always loved and petted by -their white father. Not infrequently, the little ones are -taken home to Belgium for education, and are generally -received with kindness by their father’s parents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the steamer which brought us back from Congo -were two Belgians, one with a little girl, the other with a -boy slightly older. The children were well dressed, well -behaved, pretty and attractive. And it was interesting -to see the affectionate greeting that was given them by -their grandparents on their landing at the dock in Antwerp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At one post, where we were entertained for several -days, the lieutenant had his two little daughters, 3 and 5 -years respectively, at the table with him at all meal times, -together with the other two white men of the station and -his two guests. The little ones were extremely pretty -and gentle. At the table it is their custom to sing between -the courses. Their father almost worships them. While -the children are thus constantly petted in public and -appear on all sorts of occasions, the black woman rarely -if ever sits with her white man at the table or enters the -room where he is laboring or receiving guests.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We have described the condition of a single agent at a -station. At many stations there is more than one. At -first sight, it would seem as if the lot of the agent who with -one or two others is at a station would be far happier than -that of the lonely man whom we have pictured.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are, however, two results of the environment -to which we have as yet not alluded. On my return to -Brussels, after my visit to the Congo, a state official who -has never been in Africa asked me with interest and some -evidence of concern whether in my judgment it was true -that those in Africa were always a little crazy. I told -him that I believed such to be the case, and quoted to -him a statement made by an old Afrikander: “We are -all a little crazy here; it is the sun. You must not mind -it.” Men on the slightest provocation will fly into the -most dreadful fits of anger. A little cause may bring -about catastrophe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The second curious result suggested is the fact that -everything appears much larger, more important, and -more serious than it really is. A slight, neglect, or insult -of the most trifling character becomes an enormous injury. -With this unsettled intellectual condition and this constant -tendency to magnify and enlarge an injury, we almost -always find where two men or more are associated in -Congo stations frightful hostilities and enmity. One -would think that the common feeling of loneliness would -unite men and cement friendships. On the other hand, -every subordinate is plotting against his superior. Cabals -are formed; injuries planned and developed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, we understand that criticism, plotting, undermining -occur wherever human beings live. But the -thing develops to an extreme among the white men of the -Congo. When a man has an outside visitor ready to -listen to his complaints he will spend hours in pouring -out his woes. The most innocent actions and words on -the part of his fellows will be warped and misconstrued; -imaginary insults and neglects will be magnified, brooded -over, and reiterated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would be a mistake to think that the men who go -to the Congo are bad. Missionaries assert that the quality -of those who come to-day is worse than formerly, which -may be true. When the Congo enterprise was first -launched, sons of good families, lured by the chance of -adventure or pining for novelty, enlisted in the service -of the state. Probably the number of such men going -to the Congo is lessening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To-day, when all the terrors of the Congo are well -known, when the hardships of that kind of life have been -repeated in the hearing of every one, rich men’s sons find -little that is attractive in the Congo proposition. But I -was constantly surprised at the relatively high grade of -people in low positions in the Congo state. Most of them -are men of fair intelligence; some, of education. Not -only Belgians, but Scandinavians, Hollanders, Swiss, and -Italians, go to the Congo in numbers. They are not by -nature brutal or bad; doubtless they were poor, and it was -poverty that led them to enter the Congo service. The -term for which they regularly enter is three years. No -man from any country, could stand three years of such -surrounding influence without showing the effect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In passing, we may call attention to certain curious -facts of observation in connection with the strangers who -come to Congo. We might suppose that the Scandinavians -would particularly suffer physically in going from -their northern latitudes into the tropics. On the contrary, -it is precisely the Scandinavians who seem most readily -to adapt themselves to their surroundings. Almost all -the captains of steamers on the Congo River are Norwegians -or Swedes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A record astonishing and presumably unparalleled is -presented by the Finns. On one occasion, I was sitting in -a mess-room where it proved that each member of the -company spoke a different language—French, Flemish, -Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Dutch, German, and English -were all represented. On my expressing interest in -there being a Finn present, the gentleman of that nationality -stated that he and fifty-four of his companions came -to the Congo State six years ago; that they were now -ending their second term, and that fifty-one out of the -original number were still living. I presume the statement -was true, and, if so, it is as I have stated, unparalleled. -Another member of the company told me later that the -case was far more interesting and striking than I realized, -as three out of the four who died were drowned, not -meeting their death from disease.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is a tendency for the population of a nationality -to flock into the same line of work in the Congo State. -Thus, a large proportion of the Finns in question were -engineers upon the steamers. The Italians are largely -doctors, and one meets with Italian physicians in every -quarter of the country.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I have already stated that those who go to the Congo -insist that in Nigeria the climatic conditions are still worse -for health. If they are no worse, but just as bad, we -should find the same disintegration in physical, mental, and -moral ways. It is easy to criticise the lonely white man in -Central Africa; to stamp him as brutal, cruel, and wicked. -But the Englishman occupying a similar position in Nigeria, -or even in Uganda, must present the same dreadful -results of his surroundings. I suspect that our American -young men, isolated in remote parts of the Philippines, -show the same kind of decay. Any nation that insists -upon bearing the black man’s burden must pay the price.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Belgium is the most densely populated land in Europe. -It, if any European country, needs room for expansion. -Leopold II. claims that his interest in the Congo from the -first has been due to a desire to provide an opportunity for -Belgian overflow. I am loath to attribute to that monarch -so much sagacity. It is, however, true that as a -colony of Belgium, the Congo Free State will ever receive -a large number of young men who hope, by serving a term -in Congo, to better their condition. They realize the dangers -and deprivations, but they expect at the end of their -three years to come home with a neat sum of money in -their possession; with this they think to establish themselves -in business for life. Unfortunately, these bright -hopes are rarely realized. They start for home in Europe -with the neat little sum of money. For three years, however, -they have had no social pleasure, have spent no money.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Arrived in the home land, old friends must be entertained. -The theater, the saloon, the dance-hall present -attractions. Before he knows it, the man has spent his little -hoard in foolish pleasures, and has naught to show for his -three years of labor. He hates to return to Congo, but -the fact that he has been in Congo stands in the way of his -securing steady and normal employment in Belgium. At -last, without money and without work, after a bitter struggle, -he decides that there is nothing left but another term -in Congo. If he was a state employé, he decides that he -will better himself by entering into the service of a company; -or, if he were in the employ of a company, he thinks -another company or the state will better appreciate and -pay for his services. It is a fatal assumption. The -moment that he presents himself before his would-be -employers and speaks proudly of his experience in Congo -as a reason for his hiring, suspicion is at once aroused that -he must have left his earlier employment under a cloud. -He is told to call again, and inquiries are set on foot with -his old employer, who, irritated at his employé’s desertion, -gives as unfavorable report as the case will warrant. On -returning at the appointed date, the applicant is either -told that his services are not wanted, or is offered wages -below what he before received. Angered at this lack of -appreciation, he goes back to his old employer and offers -his services at the old price. This is refused. And the -discouraged seeker for work is compelled frequently to -accept, in spite of an experience which would make him -more valuable, lower wages than he was accustomed to.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>VI.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 25, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>U</span></span>NDOUBTEDLY the finest houses in the Congo -are those at missions. The grade of living in -these mission stations is also of the best. This -has led to strange criticism by many travelers. One of -the latest to visit the Congo State speaks with surprise, and -apparently disapproval, of the English missionaries “living -like lords.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Yet it is certain that the missionaries, if any one, -should live well. The state official and the company’s -agent go to the Congo with the expectation of staying but -a single term. The English missionary goes there with -the purpose, more or less definitely fixed, of spending the -remainder of his life in his field of labor. No matter how -well he is housed or how good his food, he must meet with -plenty of inconvenience and privation. If he is to accomplish -anything for those who send him, he should be as -comfortable as the circumstances will allow. More than -that, the English missionary regularly takes with him his -wife, and any white woman is entitled to the best that can -be had; it is a poor return for what she must necessarily -undergo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was, of course, mission work in the kingdom of -Congo more than 400 years ago. It had an interesting -history, it had its periods of brilliant promise, and apparent -great achievement. The work was spent, its effect -had almost disappeared, when recent explorations reintroduced -the Congo to the world. Stanley’s expedition -aroused the interest of the whole world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The missionaries were prompt to see the importance of -the new field open for their labors. In 1878 three important -events in mission history took place. In February -of that year Henry Craven of the Livingstone Inland Mission -reached Banana; in the same month, the Catholic -church decreed the establishment of the Catholic mission -of Central Africa, with what is practically the Congo State -as its field of operations. In the same year Bentley, Comber, -Crudington, and Hartland, representatives of the Baptist -Missionary Society, made a settlement at San Salvador, -a little south of the Congo River, which became the center -from which extended the most widely developed and influential -mission work of all the country.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Since that time the representatives of many other missions -have undertaken work within the Congo State—which, -of course, in 1878 had not yet been established. -Some of these flourished for but a brief time; others have -continued. At present there are within the Congo limits -missionaries of at least eight different Protestant societies—representing -England, America, and Sweden—and -Catholic missionaries representing five different organizations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By far the greatest number of the Protestant missionaries -are English, even though they may in some cases be -representatives of American boards. They naturally -carry with them into their stations the English mode of -life, traditions, atmosphere. Though the currency of the -Congo Free State is reckoned in francs and centimes, they -talk all business and quote all prices in shillings and pence; -in making out an account everything is calculated in English -money, and it is with a certain air of gentle remonstrance -that they will convert the total, at the request of -the debtor, into Belgian or Congo currency. Their importations -all are English; they take their afternoon tea; -they look with mild but sure superiority upon all differing -methods around them. Few of them really talk French, -the official language of the country; still fewer write it -with any ease or correctness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would seem as if one of the first requirements of a -society sending missionaries into a country where the official -language is French and where the vast majority of the -officials, with whom the missionary must deal and come -into relation, know no English, would be that every candidate -for mission work should be a competent French -scholar. Otherwise there is danger of constant misunderstanding -and difficulty between the mission and the government. -No such requirement seems to be made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Unfortunately, there is a strained relation amounting -at times to bitterness between the state officials and the -English-speaking missionaries. This feeling is general, -and there are curiously many specific exceptions. Thus, -there are certain missionaries who, by their immediate -neighbors among officials, are highly spoken of; for -example, the manner, the ingenuity in devising and planning -work, the promptness and energy, of Mr. Joseph -Clark at Ikoko, are constant themes of admiring conversation -on the part of officers at the Irebu camp, and -Mrs. Clark’s dress, linguistic ability, and cookery are -quoted as models to be attained if possible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At first I thought these officials were poking fun, but -soon became convinced that they were speaking in serious -earnest, and that it was not done for effect upon myself -was evident from the minute details into which the praisers -entered. I found an almost precisely similar condition -of things at Lisala camp, near the mission of Upoto, where -Mr. Forfeitt’s wisdom and knowledge of the natives and -Mrs. Forfeitt’s grace and charm were frequently referred -to. At Stanleyville, also, one heard constant praises of -Mr. Millman’s scholarship and Mr. Smith’s skill in photography.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In all three of these stations, the officials would talk -dreadfully of British missionaries in general, but for the -local missionary they seemed to feel an actual regard. To -a less degree, and tinged, of course, with English condescension, -there was frequently expressed a feeling of reciprocal -regard from the missionary’s side. While the representative -of the state on the whole was a frightful creature, -merely to be condemned, there were usually some local -officers, known personally to the missionary, who presented -streaks of excellence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>While it is true that a well-built house, and as good -meals as can be prepared within the Congo, operate to -keep the missionary in better health of mind and body -and morals, yet even he feels the disintegration due to the -environment. He lives a fairly normal life. The presence -of a wife and woman of culture and refinement in -the household is a great blessing. Children, of course, -are sent home for education and to escape disease. The -result is there are no little ones in the mission homes, but, -apart from this serious lack, the influence is helpful and -healthful.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The missionaries, probably all of them, are abstainers. -There is no question that their refraining from wines and -liquors is a physical and mental advantage. In the -nature of the case, they are constantly subjected to moral -restraints, which are lacking to the state official and the -company agent. For all these reasons the missionary -stands the country much better than any other group of -white men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A white missionary is rarely if ever the sole representative -at a station. With a definite continued work, in its -nature inspiring, with congenial companions, and the -encouragement of others working in the same cause, his -lot is often a happy one. But even the missionary has -fever, dies of hæmaturia, or must hasten back to England -with incipient sleeping-sickness; he, too, becomes anæmic -and nerveless; he becomes irritable and impatient; the -slightest provocation upsets him, and he magnifies every -little grievance, as do his white neighbors in other lines -of work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the whole, the missionary is the only white man in -the country who seriously learns the language of the -natives among whom he works. He devotes himself with -eagerness to its acquisition. A newcomer in the country, -his first desire is to gain sufficient knowledge of the language -to teach and preach to the people in their own -tongue. Many of these missionaries have written extended -grammars and dictionaries of native languages, and the -number of translations of portions of the Bible and of -religious teachings into these languages is large.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is true that the mere stranger is sometimes doubtful as -to the reality and thoroughness of the missionary’s -knowledge of his people’s language. He hears the missionary -give a distinct order to the native, and, behold, -the boy does the precise opposite. This has happened -too often for one to be mistaken. The missionary shrugs -his shoulders and says in explanation that the blacks are -stupid or cuffs the boy for inattention. The fact probably -is that the missionary gave a different order from -what he thought. The black is really shrewd and quick -to grasp the idea which the white man is trying to convey -to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whether it is true that the white man often gains sufficient -control of the language to make himself completely -understood by the natives or not, it is absolutely certain -that much of the reading of translations into his own language -by the native is pure fiction. At one mission which -we visited, it was the custom after breakfast for the houseboys -of the mission to come in to family prayers. Each -was supplied with a translation to be read in the morning’s -exercise. The boys, seated on the floor, read brief passages -in turn. They might, through mistake, skip a -whole line or completely mispronounce a word, indicating -a total lack of understanding of the passage read, and -yet it was done with the same air of satisfaction that would -accompany a task well done. My own boy, Manoeli, -used to cover whole sheets of paper with meaningless -scrawls in pencil, and with an air of wisdom, which he -unquestionably thought deceived me, he would at my -request proceed to read line after line, and even page after -page, of stuff that had no meaning. And even if I stopped -him and turned him back to some earlier point, he would -begin and go on as if it really meant something. I was -constantly reminded by these boys at prayers of Manoeli’s -pretended reading of fake writing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the Kasai River steamer many of the Baluba boys -and girls had books from the Luebo mission. These were -mostly elementary reading books. Nothing pleased them -better, especially if any one seemed to be paying attention -to what they were doing, than for a group of them to gather -about one who played the teacher. With an open book -before him and a cluster of six or eight about him, looking -carefully at the syllables to which he pointed, they would -call out in unison the sounds represented. It was done -with gusto, with rhythm, almost with dancing. It seemed -to show remarkable quickness in recognizing the printed -syllables.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After I had seen the thing three or four times I myself -took the book in hand and centering the attention of the -group upon one syllable to which I pointed, I would start -them by pronouncing a syllable several lines below; once -started, though distinctly looking at the thing to which I -pointed, they would call out the complete list, one after -another, in proper order, but never the ones, of course, to -which my finger pointed and which they pretended to be -reading. In other words, these Baluba boys and girls -knew their primer by heart and repeated it like parrots, -with no reference to the actual text. I must confess that -I have little confidence in the ability of most Congo mission -boys and girls to read understandingly the simplest of the -books with which they deal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are different types of Protestant missions. At -Leopoldville there would probably be no mission but for -the fact that it is the terminus of the railroad and the place -from which the river steamers start. The natives directly -reached by its work live for the most part on the mission -property, in quarters much like those upon the old plantations -of the South. They receive their rations weekly and -are paid a monthly wage. Early in the morning the rising -bell is sounded and morning prayers take place. Work -begins and all are kept busily employed upon the grounds -and buildings. Noon hours of rest are given, and at -evening work for the day stops. There are various -religious services and classes meeting after supper on -different evenings of the week. The presence of great -numbers of workmen and soldiers of the state at Leopoldville -introduces conditions not helpful to mission labor. -It is necessary, however, to have a force at hand able to -help missionaries going up or coming down the river, transporting -their baggage and freight, and doing other service -constantly called for at a point of receipt and shipping like -Leopoldville.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The mission’s work is not confined, however, to the -town, and teachers are sent to neighboring villages to -teach and conduct classes.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>VII.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 26, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>A</span></span>T Yakusu great stress is laid upon the work of -teaching. The mission property adjoins an important -Lokele village. Within easy reach are -villages of three or four other tribes. It is an area of rather -dense population. Villages in number occur all along -the shores of the river for miles downstream. Other -villages of inland folk lie behind these. Thousands of -people are within easy reach. The mission maintains a -liberal force of houseboys for the four houses of missionaries; -it has also a corps of excellent workmen, who make -brick, do carpentering, build houses, and keep the grounds -in order. These are not from the local tribe, but are -Basoko from down the river. Children from the immediate -village flock to the mission school, but this is -only the least significant portion of the work. More -than 200 teachers are in the employ of the mission, teaching -in village schools throughout the country around. -To supply text-books, the mission press at Bolobo turns -out editions of four or five thousand copies.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Similar in its plan of sending out native teachers to -outlying villages is the great work at Wathen, in the Lower -Congo. This was once on the main caravan route from -Matadi to Leopoldville. Since the building of the railroad -it is completely off of beaten lines of travel, and only -one who specifically desires to visit it will see it. The -main feature of this work, marking it off from all the other -mission work in the Congo State, is a central boarding -school for native children, where a definite course for -study, extending through several years, is continuously -carried on. Boys graduating from this school go out as -teachers. And the mission demands that the villages thus -supplied shall meet the expense of conducting their schools. -This seems to me the best educational experiment in the -Congo, and scores of villages throughout the district of -the cataracts have self-supporting schools with Wathen -boys for teachers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the official report of the royal commission of inquiry -sent to investigate conditions in the Congo Free State -recently, there is found this passage:</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Often, also, in the regions where evangelical stations are established, -the native, instead of going to the magistrate, his rightful -protector, adopts the habit, when he thinks he has a grievance against -an agent or an executive officer, to confide in the missionary. The -latter listens to him, helps him according to his means, and makes -himself the echo of all the complaints of a region. Hence, the -astounding influence which the missionaries possess in some parts -of the territory. It exercises itself not only among the natives within -the purview of their religious propaganda, but over all the villages -whose troubles they have listened to. The missionary becomes, for -the native of the region, the only representative of equity and justice. -He adds to the position resulting from his religious zeal the influence -which in the interest of the state itself should be secured to the -magistrate.”—<span class='it'>Translation.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>It is true that the Congo native carries all his grievances -to the missionary. On one occasion, when we had been -in Leopoldville but a day or two and had seen but little of -native life and customs, we noticed a line of fifty people, -some with staves of office showing them to be chiefs or -chiefs’ representatives, filing in a long line to the mission. -They squatted under the palaver-tree, awaiting the attention -of the missionary. Their errand was in reference to -the local market. Formerly there was a market at Leo, -important alike to the people of the town and to the producing -natives of the country around. There had been -disorders and disturbances; the sellers lost their goods -through theft and seizure, and for several years it had -been discontinued.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After repeated petitions on the part of the people to the -government, Bula Matadi yielded, promised restoration -of the market, assigned a place, and put up a building. -Though apparently all had been done that they had asked, -the people were not satisfied, and this delegation had presented -itself to the missionary to ask him to present their -complaint and desires. The place selected was not a -good one; a different one close by the railroad station and -the English traders, was requested. The missionary -brought the matter to the attention of the local government, -which yielded to the people’s suggestion, and gave -permission for the opening of the market on the following -Sunday in the place of preference.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We became interested in this matter, and on the following -Sunday the missionary, my companion, and myself -made our way to the spot to see how matters were progressing. -A considerable number of sellers had come in -with produce, mostly kwanga and other foodstuffs. They -were beginning to display these upon the ground. Would-be -purchasers were gathered in numbers, and among them -crowds of Bangala women from the workmen’s camp. -The sellers seemed suspicious lest attack might be made -upon their wares. Their suspicions were, unfortunately, -well founded. For a little time things appeared to go -well but at last Bangala women, standing by, swooped -down upon the piles of stuff temptingly offered for sale, -and seizing handfuls, started to run away. One soldier-policeman, -who, a few moments before, seemed to be -fully occupied with his duty of guarding the railway -station, and several idle men and boys joined in the looting. -The thing was done as quickly as if there had been pre-concerted -plotting and a given signal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In an instant all was turmoil. Some of the sellers were -hastily packing away in cloths what was left of their stores; -others grappled with the thieves, some of whom, however, -were making good escape with their plunder. We -all three rushed in to help the robbed to stay the thieves, -and for a few minutes there was a free-for-all fight. Most -of the stolen stuff was retaken, and the angry sellers, with -all that was left to them packed away, refused to again -open up their stores. The missionary suggested that they -should move nearer to the trading-post of the English -traders and ensconce themselves behind a fence, buyers -being allowed to approach only upon the other side, -while we three and the white men from the traders should -guard to prevent further attack and thieving. Finally, -this scheme was put into operation. One or two soldier-police -were summoned, the stores were again opened up, -though trading had to stop every now and then to permit -of the dispersal of the crowd which thronged around -awaiting the opportunity for another attack.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Under these difficulties, in which the missionary and -my Mexican companion performed prodigies of valor, the -market was conducted with a fair degree of success. I -was interested in the further history of this market. Our -missionary friend shortly wrote me that things had been -reduced to order; that the government had built a market-house -and supplied regular guards to maintain order; that -the number of sellers had increased, and that purchasers -flocked to buy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But all this brilliant promise came to a sad end. When -we again reached Leopoldville the market-house was -closed; there were no signs of interest. It seems that Bula -Matadi thought the market presented an admirable chance -for getting even. One day, when the stock of kwanga and -other foodstuffs was exceptionally large, the representatives -of the law swooped down upon the sellers, claimed -that they were in arrears in payment of their kwanga tax, -and seized their stock in trade. The result was that the -market died.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Among the laws which in their intention, perhaps, were -good, but in their application vicious, is one regarding -orphan and abandoned children. In native life, unaffected -by white influence, there could be no difficulty regarding -such children. If a native child were left without a -mother it would at once be taken over by the mother’s -family. There would be no feeling that it was a burden, -and it would suffer no deprivation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Such a thing as an abandoned child, in strictly native -condition, is scarcely conceivable. According to state -law, an orphan or abandoned child less than 14 years of -age may be turned over by the court to missions for care -and education. The mission, of course, is entitled to the -child’s services through a term of years. Advantage of -this law has never been taken by Protestant missions, but -Catholic missions have at different times had numbers of -children committed to their charge and have used their -services in the development of property. A child of 14, -the limit of the law’s application, is better than a child of -12, because capable of immediate service. A boy of 15, -16, 17, 18, would be still better, but, of course, it is illegal -to seize a young fellow of that age and employ him at such -labor. Once committed, the child remains in the mission’s -power until manhood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is no question that the missions, taking advantage -of this law, many times seize boys who are beyond -the age limit and many others who are neither orphans -nor abandoned. I myself have seen a young man who -could not have been less than 19 or 20 years of age, who -was married and a member of the Protestant church, who -had been taken by the peres under this law. He was -brought before the state authorities and immediately set -at liberty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is due to this fact, that the native goes constantly to -the missionary with his complaints—that he looks upon -him as the proper person to represent his cause before the -state officials; that the missionary, himself, feels it his duty -to bring abuses to the attention of the authorities—that -the feeling already mentioned between the missionary and -the state official has arisen. There have been, unfortunately, -abundant occasions for intervention; there have -been flagrant and cruel things which the missionary has -felt called upon to report.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I do not doubt the honesty of the missionary. I have -sometimes felt, however, that they have become so filled -with a complaining spirit that they are incapable of seeing -any good. I have heard them for hours complain of -things that neither in themselves nor in their results were -really open to criticism. I have heard them carp and find -fault with any matter with which the name of the government -could be connected. If their attention is called to -some apparent purpose to reform abuses, they shake their -heads and say it will come to nothing; it is a subterfuge. -If, as time passes, the thing assumes the appearance of -reality, they say there is some hidden and mysterious purpose -back of it; the state would never do so well unless it -were preparing some new iniquity. The attitude of complaint -becomes habitual: the ability to see improvement -seems completely lost.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first time that I attended family prayers in a missionary -home I waited with some interest to hear the petition -in favor of the government. When it came, it assumed -this form: “O Lord, stay the hand of the oppressor. -Pity and aid the oppressed and overburdened. Prevent -cruelty from destroying its victims. Interfere with the -wicked and designing schemes of the oppressor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A dozen such expressions and petitions were uttered, -but no request for divine wisdom and enlightenment for -the rulers. It can easily be conceived that, where godly -and pious men cherish such sentiments toward representatives -of the state, the feelings of state officials toward -missionaries are little likely to be completely friendly.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/56-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0004' style='width:600px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Bachoko Bringing in Rubber, Djoko Punda</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>VIII.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 27, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>T</span></span>HE actors in the Congo drama are now clearly -before us—the black man and the white man, the -state official, the trader, and the missionary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Travel in the Congo state is, naturally, for the most part -by water. The mighty river is the main member in a water -system surpassed only by that of the Amazon. The Congo -itself presents a total length of almost 3,000 miles, of which -more than 2,000 is navigable. The vast network of tributary -streams, with a total length of almost 17,000 miles, -gives nearly 5,000 miles more of navigation connected with -that of the main river.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To-day these thousands of miles of navigation are utilized -by a fleet of steamers eighty or more in number. Most -of these are vessels of the state; a smaller number belong -to the great concession companies; a few are the property -of the missions. Many of them are small, but some of the -more recent steamers constructed for the state are vessels -of 400 tons burden. They are flat-bottomed steamers of -small draft, because the rivers through which they ply are -often shoaled by sand banks. Even the mighty Congo -itself, at certain seasons of the year, becomes dangerous -and almost impassable, even for vessels of this light draft. -By means of these boats it is easy now for travelers not only -to go over the chief part of the main river but to enter the -larger tributaries at their mouth and travel for hundreds -of miles up towards their sources.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It can be well imagined with what surprise the natives -saw the first steamer. The pioneer vessels were brought -in pieces to the head of navigation for sea steamers, and -then transported by human carriers the weary distance -from Vivi, near Matadi, around the cataracts to Stanley -Pool, where the parts were assembled and the vessels prepared -for service. Some of the earliest steamers are still -in service, and, while they have been eclipsed in size and -power and speed by later vessels, have a true historic -interest. No vessel on the Congo deserves more or has -a better record than the Peace. This was the earliest of -the mission steamers, presented to the B. M. S. by Robert -Arthington of Leeds, England. It was throughout its -history in charge of George Grenfell, the intrepid missionary -explorer, whose death took place during our stay in -the Congo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We saw the little vessel at Yakusu, and looked at it with -especial interest. In it George Grenfell explored many -thousand miles of unknown waterway. With it he made -the study which enabled him to construct the best navigation -maps and charts so far published of the Congo—charts -which the state still uses on its own steamers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The state steamers are, of course, primarily for the -service of the state. So far as the main river is concerned, -a steamer is started from Leopoldville for the trip to Stanley -Falls every ten days, taking from twenty-four to thirty days -to make the journey. The down trip requires less time, -and can be made under favorable circumstances in fourteen -days—the usual time being seventeen or more. By -these steamers state officials are taken to their posts, workmen -and soldiers are transported to their place of service, -chopboxes and other supplies are taken to the state employés, -materials for construction are taken to the place -where needed, products, such as rubber, ivory, and copal, -are brought to Leopoldville for shipment. Generally they -are well loaded with both passengers and cargo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The company boats do for the company what state -boats do for the state—transporting from place to place, -bringing in supplies, taking out products. Similarly the -mission steamers are intended solely for the movement of -the missionaries and their supplies. The state boats may -carry freight and passengers, but only when they are not -loaded fully with the materials of the state. Arrangements -must be made by strangers, and it is only when the state -is favorable that they may travel or ship goods. The company -boats are not allowed to carry outside passengers or -freight without the express permission of the state, but are -obliged to carry state people and freight in cases of especial -need. If a mission steamer carries outside passengers or -freight, it can do it only gratuitously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the steamers of the state the traveler who has permission -to embark upon them pays for a ticket, which -entitles him merely to transportation; he is expected to pay -five francs a night additional for his cabin; for food he pays -twelve francs per day during the period of the voyage. -The steamers of every class tie up at evening, and no traveling -is done at night. In steamers of the larger class -there may be as many as four white employés—the captain, -his assistant, a commissaire, or steward, and the -engineer. In smaller steamers there are only the captain -and the engineer. All the crew and employés in the cabins, -mess, and deck are blacks. In steamers with an upper -deck, the blacks are expected to stay below; only when -called for special service are they allowed on deck.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No black man remains on board during the night. Even -the personal servants, or boys, of the white passengers must -go with the crew and other workmen on to shore to spend -the night. As promptly as the ship is fastened, the black -men, women, and children, with cooking utensils, food -supplies, bedding, and beds, hasten off on to shore to pick -out the spot on the bank, or in the forest, where they will -spend the night. It is an animated and curious scene. As -darkness comes on, the fires for cooking their evening food -have been kindled here and there over the terrace or in the -forest, and the groups gathered around them while the -cooking proceeds, or eating takes place, are picturesque in -the extreme. At daybreak the steamer whistles the signal -for all on board, and the whole mob come rushing—for no -time is lost, and it is easy to be left behind in the forest—pellmell -on board.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The fuel for the steamers is wood, cut from the forest. -One of the most serious problems which the state has had -to face is the securing of sufficient and continuous fuel supply. -Wood-posts have been established wherever possible; -the natives at the wood-posts are required to supply, in -form of tax, for which a small compensation is, however, -returned, a certain number of yards or fathoms of wood. -A space is marked out on the ground as many yards in -length as there are cutters of wood. Stakes are placed at -intervals of a yard and ropes are stretched from one to -another at a yard’s height. Each bringer of wood is -expected to fill the space indicated for him to supply. -Much time is lost, even under the best circumstances, in -taking wood at these wood-posts. Whenever possible, the -night’s landing is made at a wood-post, and as large a -supply of fuel as possible is brought on board during the -night. Sometimes it happens that several steamers reach -a wood-post in quick succession before a new supply has -been procured; under such circumstances the crew frequently -must cut wood for itself in the forest, a task which -they greatly dislike.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In each crew is a capita or head man, whose business -it is to oversee the work and to assign the portions of the -task. He is held responsible for the service of his subordinates, -and usually is more successful in securing prompt, -efficient service than a white man would be. He is himself, -of course, frequently watched and directed by a white -officer, but on the whole he is the one man on the vessel -who comes into direct contact with the black laborers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is extremely interesting to watch the black hands on -a steamer when for any reason landing is made at villages. -Many of them have bought a stock in trade at Leopoldville. -Beads, pieces of bright cloth, salt, accordions, made-up -clothes, hats, umbrellas—these are the things they are -most likely to have brought with them. A crowd of women -and children always flocks to the landing, and quickly the -bartering begins. If the steamer-boy has had experience, -he makes money both coming and going. All the product -of his sales en route between Leo and Stanley Falls he at -once invests in rice when he reaches the district in which -it is so largely produced. This forms his capital upon his -return to Leopoldville, where it brings a price largely in -excess of what it cost him and enables him to stock up -again for new business on his next voyage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Our first long voyage on these river steamers was the -journey from Leopoldville to Wissmann Falls, on the High -Kasai. We were in a steamer of the Kasai company, -and we had hard luck in wood-posts, frequently arriving -when earlier steamers had taken all the fuel. We were -forced repeatedly to tie up for the night close by the forest -and to drive our force of cutters into the dense, almost -impenetrable, mass of trees, bound together by hundreds -and thousands of creeping plants and vines. The natives -not only do not enjoy the cutting of the wood; but they do -not like to be turned out into the dense forest for sleeping. -Particularly after a heavy rain, conditions are disagreeable -for sleeping. Many a time it seemed hard to force them -to pass the night in such conditions, on the wet ground, -under the dripping foliage, in haunts of mosquitos and -other insects.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>While we were in the Kasai country the governor-general -made his journey of inspection throughout the upper -Congo. When we reached that district in our later journey -we found that he had ordered a most excellent reform, -which had been carried out. The steamers were put under -orders to stop at wood-posts or at villages every night, -tying up against the forest only on those rare occasions, -when it was unavoidable. The order also provided for -the immediate erection at all wood-posts and villages of -a great hangar for the shelter of the black people. A -hangar is a substantial roof, supported on posts, for giving -shelter at night or in rainy weather. These hangars for -the shelter of the black people from the steamers are -enormous things, capable of sheltering 150 to 200 people -and giving ample opportunity for the building, by each -little group, of its own fire for cooking and for warmth. -While the natural travel in the Congo Free State is by -boat upon the river, there is, of course, land travel as well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are almost no beasts of burden in the country. -Horses seem to lose all force and vigor; oxen suffer in -many districts from the tsetse fly. The State has made -several interesting experiments in its effort to secure some -animal of burden. Indian elephants have been brought -into the country, partly with the view of using them as -carriers and partly in the hope that they might be used in -the domestication of the African elephant. At present, -of course, the latter animal has the reputation of being -untamable, though for several hundred years in history -we know that it was tamed and used on a large scale for -draft and war. The experiments so far made toward -its recent domestication have not met with much result. -Camels have been introduced as an experiment, and in -Leopoldville one sees a little cluster of them under an -imported Arab driver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the district where the zebra is at home, efforts are -being made now to tame that animal and use it for practical -purposes. But notwithstanding all these interesting -experiments, some of which ultimately may be successful, -it must be stated that at present there is absolutely no beast -of burden in the Congo. The result is that land travel -must be done by caravan. The outfit of the traveler, his -trade stuffs, and whatever else he may have for transportation, -must be carried on human backs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With the exception of a few experimental roads built -with reference to the introduction of automobiles for -moving freight, there is nothing which we would call a -road in all the Congo. The native, on the march, always -go in single file. The trails leading from village to village -are only a few inches wide, though they are usually -well worn, sometimes to a depth of several inches into the -soil. Most of them are in use so constantly that there is -little or no grass growing in them. For my own part, when -they are dry I could ask no better path for travel, and my -ideal of African travel is the foot journey over the native -trails.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Many white men do not like to walk, and must have -their hammock. It is a simple hammock, usually made -of a strip of foreign stuff swung by ropes to a long bamboo -or palm pole. Unless the person to be carried is extraordinarily -heavy, there will be two or four carriers. When -four men are carrying a hammock, two in front and two -behind shoulder the pole at its two ends. Usually the carriers -swing along at a sort of dog trot. Frequently they -strike their palms against the carrying pole to make a noise, -and indulge in an explosive snort in taking breath. They -may sing or shout or cry when carrying, and if they -approach a settlement, either native or foreign, their pace -quickens, their exertion increases, they cry and yell with -great force, increasing their noise and outcry with the -importance of the person carried. When they rush up to -the place where he is expected to dismount, the whole -party bursts into a loud yell, which would appall the -bravest if he never had heard it before, as they stop suddenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For my own part, I can imagine nothing more disagreeable -than traveling in a hammock. The four men -rarely are on the same level, and the jolting and movement -up and down, now of one’s head and upper body, -now of one’s feet tilted high in air, are extremely disagreeable; -from one’s position he must look up constantly into -the sky and see nothing of the country through which he -travels; if the sun shines, his face must be shaded, and if -one wears, as he usually must do, his cork helmet, it is -difficult to adjust it in any way other than putting it over -the face. Personally, I invariably have a half-day of -fever after a hammock journey. I would rather walk -thirty miles every day than to go twenty in a hammock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are still opportunities in the Congo for making -fine journeys on foot. From Stanley Falls to the English -steamer on the Lake is a foot journey of forty days over -a good road. If I had had the time, I should have made -that journey.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are at present two operating railroads in the -Congo Free State, besides a little line of a few miles running -from Boma into the country back. The more important -of these two roads is the Congo Railroad, running -from Matadi to Leopoldville. Before its building it took -freight three weeks to go by caravan around the cataracts. -The engineering difficulties of this line were all in its -early course within a few miles of Matadi. Several years -were spent in the construction of the road, which has a -total length of about 250 miles. It is a narrow-gauge -road, well-built, and fairly equipped. After a train once -starts it is entirely in the hands of black men as no white -conductor or engineer is employed in its running.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two classes of cars are run, one for whites, first-class, -the other for blacks. The fare for first-class passage -from Matadi to Leopoldville at the time we made the -journey was 200 francs, or $40; the second-class, jimcrow-car -fare, was 40 francs, or $8. The journey requires two -days for its accomplishment. Starting from Matadi at -7 in the morning, the train reaches Thysville at 5 or 6 in -the evening, and stays there for the night. Starting at 7 -the next morning, it is expected to reach Leopoldville at 2 -o’clock in the afternoon, but usually is from half an hour -to two hours behind time. The road, during the period -of its construction, was often considered a wild speculation, -but it has paid remarkably well, and its stock sells at an -advance of many hundreds per cent upon face value.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The second serious obstacle to Congo navigation—the -Stanley Falls—is got around in a similar way by a -railroad line just finished. This line of railroad from -Stanleyville to Ponthierville, is about 75 miles in length. -It has just been finished and at the time of our visit, while -it was transporting passengers on account of the state, -was not open to general travel. We had the pleasure, -however, of going the full length of the line, a journey -which required some eight hours. The whole course of -the railroad is included in dense forest, and nothing is to -be seen in all the journey except the forest. There is no -question that this little piece of tracking will have great -business importance. Hundreds of miles of navigable -water lie above Ponthierville, and steamers—both state -and railroad—are already plying upon it. A country -of great resources is by it brought into near relations with -that portion of the Congo already developed. This piece -of road forms but a small part of the line planned, which -is known by the name of the Great Lakes railroad. Construction -is in progress upon another section of it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>While we made our journey from Stanleyville to Ponthierville -by rail, we made the return journey by canoe, -in order to see the rapids. Of course, the construction of -the railroad had already affected this old route and mode -of travel. Until lately all passengers and freight going -up the Congo beyond Stanleyville were forced to make -the journey by canoe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is the district of the Congo where the canoe reaches -its fullest development and most striking expression. -There are canoes cut from a single tree-trunk which will -carry tons of freight and scores of men. Some of the -great native chiefs had canoes of state in which they were -paddled from place to place by a hundred or more paddlers. -While the one in which we made our journey was by no -means so pretentious, it was certainly large enough for -all practical purposes. An awning, or rather a thatched -roofing, extended over the middle third of its length to -protect us and our things from the sun. An officer of the -state, an Italian, accompanied us through half our journey -to see that we met with prompt and proper treatment. -And two native soldiers were deputed to accompany us -the total distance and to take the canoe in charge when -we finally reached the landing at Stanley Falls. It was -a most interesting experience, for nothing that I had read -had prepared me for so well developed a system.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When we came to the rapids we and our stuff were -landed. The signal had been given as we approached -the beach, and by the time that we were ready to take the -trail around the rapids the women of the native village -had presented themselves with carrying straps, ready to -move our freight. In ten minutes time everything was -ready and the caravan upon its way, twenty or thirty -women carrying our boxes, satchels, provisions, and collections. -Meantime, our paddlers were occupied in -passing the canoe down through the rapids, and by the -time we reached the lower beach they were there ready -for re-embarkation. We took five days for our journey, -though it might have been done in half that time or even -less.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At each village where we landed we found arrangements -for the traveler. A neat house of two or three -rooms, constructed by the state, was at our disposition. -It was supplied with table, chairs, and beds. Near the -house for white travelers was a comfortable hangar for -blacks, and near it a large hangar for the storage of freight -and baggage. The paddlers who started with us at -Ponthierville were dismissed after a day of service and a -new set of paddlers taken on, furnished by the village -chief. These, after a few hours of service, were again at -liberty, and a new crew supplied. Everything was done -with promptitude and readiness. The journey was one -of the most interesting I ever made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>You understand, of course, that all this service, the -carrying of freight around the rapids by the women of the -village and the supplying of male paddlers by the chief -were taxes to the state, for which a nominal return in -money or trade goods is allowed. At no point did we -see the slightest evidence of difficulty in furnishing the -service or of dissatisfaction in supplying it. Everywhere -the people seemed to take it as a pleasant thing. It is -entirely possible that when the caravan service was at its -height and all freighting and traveling was done upon the -river, it may have been a heavier burden. But nowhere -did the people seem to show fear, hostility, or the effects -of bad treatment. If we had made the long walking trip -above referred to, from Stanleyville to the Lake, we would -have found analogous arrangements for the traveler’s -comfort. Good sleeping-houses, with necessary furniture, -occur at intervals of four or five hours throughout the -entire journey, and no one need sleep out of doors a single -night, unless he chooses to do so.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It will be seen that one to-day may go easily throughout -the enormous area of the Congo Free State without -serious hardship and really with much comfort. But, -as a matter of fact, there are almost no true travelers -in the area. One can hardly call a state official, on his -way to his post, or going from place to place in the performance -of his duty, a traveler. Nor is a company agent, -making his tour for the collection of rubber, or for inspection -of property, exactly one’s ideal of a traveler. Nor is -the missionary, coming back from furlough or going home -invalided, a traveler. The number of actual travelers -in the Congo at any time is small. My photographer and -myself, I think, might be called travelers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We spent fifty-three weeks in the Congo Free State. -During the period of time that we were there we learned -that Mr. A. Henry Savage-Landor spent a few days in the -High Ubangi. He came in from the north, visited only one -station of a company, and then went out again. Mr. Harrison, -who, some little time ago, took a group of pygmies -from the High Ituri forest to London, was again in the -country, though he had left his little people behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the same time, an English gentleman was hunting -the okapi (that curious antelope) in the same district. -When we were coming out and were delayed at Leopoldville, -a Capt. Daniels of the English navy arrived at Leopoldville, -having made his way across the continent from -the east coast. At Bolengi we met a Mr. Creighton, an -American clergyman, who had made the way so far from -Mombasa. Mr. Verner, bringing back his native group -from the St. Louis exposition, was in the Congo during -the same period.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the steamer coming down from Stanley Falls, -we had for fellow passengers, M. and Mme. Cabra. M. -Cabra was a royal commissioner, having been sent to the -country by Leopold himself, to make a careful examination -of conditions throughout the whole upper region -of the Ituri and Congo rivers. M. and Mme. Cabra -entered Africa at Mombasa; they had traversed on foot -the forty days of journey I have referred to, but as the -purposes of their investigation required them to zigzag -back and forth instead of following a direct path, they had -occupied a much longer period of time and covered much -more distance. Eighteen months on their long journey, they -both of them reached Matadi in good health, and Mme. -Cabra is probably the first lady to have crossed the African -continent in the equatorial regions from ocean to ocean.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now, these were the only travelers besides one Frenchman, -who was a mystery, of whom we heard or whom -we met in our fifty-three weeks in Congo experience. It -is unlikely that there were many others. The stranger -in the Congo is talked of everywhere. We were not within -hundreds of miles of Henry Savage-Landor, or Mr. -Harrison, or the okapi hunter, but we heard of their -existence. Even if the given list is but the half of Congo -travelers during the year, it can be seen that the real traveler -is a rarity within the limits of the state.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>IX.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 28, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>I</span></span>N the romantic history of African exploration and -development there is no more interesting chapter -than that relating to the Congo. In 1854 Livingstone -finished a great journey into the continent; in it he -had visited a portion of the district drained by the Kasai -River. In his final journey we find him again within -the district of what to-day forms the Congo Free State; -he discovered Lake Moero in 1867 and Lake Bangwelo -in 1868; he visited the southern portion of Tanganika in -1869, and followed the course of the Congo to Nyangwe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At that time no one knew, few if any suspected, that -the river he was following had connection with the Congo. -Livingstone himself believed that it formed the uppermost -part of the Nile, and in all the district where he saw it, -its course from south to north would naturally lead to -that opinion. It was his heart’s desire to trace the further -course and determine whether it were really the Nile or a -part of some other great river. Death prevented his -answering the question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Backed by the New York <span class='it'>Herald</span> and the <span class='it'>Daily Telegraph</span>, -Stanley, on November 17, 1874, struck inland from -the eastern coast of Africa, with the purpose of determining -the question as to the final course of the great river flowing -northward, discovered by his missionary predecessor. -He circumnavigated Lake Victoria, discovered Lake -Albert Edward, and made the first complete examination -of the shore of Tanganika. He reached the Lualaba—Livingstone’s -north-flowing stream,—and, embarking on -its waters, devoted himself to following it to its ending.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is no need of recalling the interesting experiences -and adventures of his journey; every one has read his -narrative. Suffice it to say that his great river presently -turned westward so far north of the Congo mouth that one -would never dream of connecting the two waters, but as -unexpectedly it turned again toward the southwest and -finally showed itself to be the Congo. During the interval -between Stanley’s two great expeditions—the one in -which he found Livingstone and the one in which he demonstrated -the identity of the Lualaba and the Congo—there -had been a growing interest in Europe in everything -pertaining to the Dark Continent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This interest, which was widely spread, was focused -into definite action by Leopold II., king of the Belgians, -who invited the most notable explorers of Africa, the presidents -of the great geographical societies, politicians, and -philanthropists, who were interested in the progress and -development of Africa, to a geographic conference to be -held in Brussels. The gathering took place in September, -1876, at the king’s palace. Germany, Austria, Belgium, -France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia were represented. -The thirty-seven members who made up the conference -represented the best of European thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From this conference there developed the International -African Association. This Association organized a series -of local national associations, through which the different -countries interested should conduct investigations and -explorations in Africa upon a uniform plan, and with -reference to the same ideas and purposes. It possessed, -also, a governing international commission, of which the -king of the Belgians was the president, and upon which -were representatives of Germany, and France, and the -United States, Minister Sanford replacing a British representative. -This committee laid out a definite plan of -exploration. Its first expedition was to go in from the -east coast at Zanzibar, passing to Tanganika. The commission -adopted as the flag of the International African -Association a ground of blue upon which shone a single -star of gold.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Association’s plan included the discovery of the -best routes into the interior of Africa; the establishment -of posts where investigators and explorers could not only -make headquarters but from which they might draw supplies -needed for their journey. These advantages were -to be extended to any traveler. The expeditions themselves -were national in character, being left to the initiative -of the local national committees which had been developed -by the Association. This Association existed from -1876 to 1884. During that time six Belgian, one German, -and two French expeditions were organized, accomplishing -results of importance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was in November, 1877, that the result of Stanley’s -expedition came to the knowledge of the world. It -wrought a revolution in the views regarding Central Africa. -In Belgium it produced at once a radical change of plan. -The idea of entering the heart of Africa from Zanzibar -was abandoned. The future operations of the A. I. A.—at -least, so far as Belgium was concerned—would -extend themselves from the Congo mouth up through -the vast river system which Stanley had made known. -Details of this mode of procedure were so promptly -developed that when Stanley reached Marseilles in January, -1878, he found an urgent invitation from the king -of the Belgians to come to Brussels for the discussion of -plans of conference.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a full study of the matter, it was determined by -the Belgian committee that a society should be organized -with the title of the Committee of Studies of the High -Congo. This, it will be understood, was purely a Belgian -enterprise. It had for its purpose the occupation and -exploitation of the whole Congo district. For this purpose -prompt action was necessary. In February, 1879, -Stanley went to Zanzibar and collected a body of workmen -and carriers. With this force of helpers and a number -of white subordinates he entered the Congo with a -little fleet of five steamers, bearing the flag of the A. I. A. -Arrived at Vivi, where he established a central station, he -arranged for the transportation of his steamers in sections -by human carriers to the Stanley Pool above the rapids.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He worked with feverish haste. France was pressing -her work of exploration, and there was danger of her -seizing much of the coveted territory. Portugal, too, was -showing a renewed interest and activity, and might prove -a dangerous rival in the new plans. Native chiefs were -visited and influenced to form treaties giving up their -rights of rulership in their own territories to the Association. -Lands were secured for the erection of stations; -the whole river was traversed from Stanley Pool to Stanley -Falls, for the purpose of making these treaties and securing -the best points for locating the stations. The Committee -of Studies of the High Congo now possessed at least -treaty rights over a vast area of country, and by them governmental -powers over vast multitudes of people. It had -these rights, it had a flag, but it was not yet a government, -and it stood in constant danger of difficulties with governments. -About this time it changed its name from the -Committee of Studies of the High Congo to the International -Association of the Congo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meantime events were taking place which threatened -the existence of the Association. Portugal began to assert -claims and rights which had long been in abeyance. She -proposed to organize the territory at the Congo mouth, -and which, of course, was of the greatest importance to -the Association, into a governmental district and assume -its administration. In this project she found willing -assistance on the part of England.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Never particularly enthusiastic over the scheme of -Leopold II., England had shown no interest at all during -the later part of all these movements. It is true that she -was represented at the first conference held at Brussels; -it will be remembered that in the later organization an -American had replaced the English representative. No -work had been done of any consequence by a British committee. -No expedition had been sent out. By the treaty -with Portugal, England would at one stroke render the -whole Congo practically worthless. The crisis had come. -France and Germany came to King Leopold’s help. The -former recognized the political activity and status of the -Association and promised to respect its doings; Germany -protested vigorously against the Anglo-Portuguese treaty, -which fell through.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bismarck, who favored the plans of the Belgian monarch -in Africa, officially recognized, on November 3, 1884, -the Association as a sovereign power, and invited representatives -of the powers to Berlin for the purpose of establishing -an international agreement upon the following -points: First, commercial freedom in the basin of the Congo -and its tributaries; second, application to the Congo -and the Niger of the principle of freedom of navigation; -third, the definition of the formalities to be observed in -order that new occupations of African shores should be -considered as effective. The conference began November -15th, Bismarck himself presiding. Fifteen powers participated—Germany, -Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, -United States, France, Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, -Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Turkey.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the result of three months of deliberation, the Congo -State was added to the list of independent nations, with -King Leopold II. as its ruler. Promptly the new power -was recognized by the different nations of the world.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/80-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0005' style='width:400px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Children at Mogandja, Aruwimi River</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>X.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 29, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>W</span></span>HAT has the Congo Free State done during -its twenty-two years—almost—of existence?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has taken possession of a vast area of -land, 800,000 square miles in extent, and dominated it. -It has most skillfully developed a mighty waterway. We -are already familiar with the simple and original method -of development which has been and is being pursued. We -have already called attention to the fact that, notwithstanding -interruption to navigation here and there in -the Congo and its larger tributaries, there are long stretches -of navigable water above the obstacles. The plan of utilization -and development has been to occupy directly the -natural stretches of navigable water and to get around -the cataracts by the shortest railroad lines possible. This -has been done already at two points, and will be done at -others in the near future. It is the most economical manner -of developing a way of penetration into the great area -to be developed and exploited.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has continuously carried on geographical explorations -by which the world’s knowledge of African geography -has been profoundly increased. We have already -called attention to the fact that during the eight years when -the A. I. A. was in existence, Belgium equipped and maintained -six expeditions; during the same period France -maintained but two, Germany one, and England none. -In other words, Belgium did more for geographic science -during that time than the other three great nations combined.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has put an end to inter-tribal wars, to execution of -slaves at funerals and festal occasions, and to cannibalism -in all those districts to which its actual authority -extends. It is understood, of course, that twenty years -is a short time for the penetration of the state’s authority -into remote parts of its territory. There are still inter-tribal -wars in remote parts of the Congo Free State; executions -and the eating of human flesh are no doubt still -common in districts which have but little felt the influence -of the white ruler. With the extension of the definite -power of the state into these remoter sections, these -evils will disappear as they have disappeared in the more -accessible portions of the country.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has developed a native army which is available in -case of attack upon the integrity of the state, and which -serves as a policing party within its territory. In the first -days of the state’s history its soldiery was drawn from the -Zanzibar district, and to a less degree from the English -possessions along the western coast of Africa. It soon -was realized that from every point of view this condition -was undesirable. Between the foreign soldiery and the -native people there were no bonds of common interest. -No national feeling or spirit could develop among them. -From the point of view of expense the foreign soldier was -extremely costly. For these different reasons the state -early developed the idea of an army made of Congo -natives. To-day there are but few foreign soldiers in the -public force.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If there is ever to be a real nation in the Congo district -there must develop in some way a feeling of unity of -blood and interests among the people. In tribal life each -tribe is absorbed in its own interests—petty, of course—and -looks upon all other tribes as enemies. Many of the -tribes were insignificant in number and in the area which -they occupied. Nothing but an outside influence can -unite into one useful whole such a multitude of petty, distrustful, -hostile groups of men. In the public force there -are soldiers from almost every tribe within the Congo. -At the great training camps men are brought together who -speak different languages, have different customs, and -come from widely separated areas. Under the military -discipline, these men are brought into close and long continued -relations. They must accommodate themselves -to one another. They must respect each other’s ways -of thought and doing. At the end of his term of service -the soldier goes out necessarily broadened in his ideas, -necessarily less prejudiced and more tolerant. The army -is the most important influence toward arousing national -existence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has conducted many interesting experiments and -researches along scientific lines. While these had frequently -practical ends, they were in themselves worth -doing, and their beneficent results are not confined to the -Congo. Thus, at Leopoldville there is a well-equipped -bacteriological institute for the study of tropical diseases. -Naturally, the most of its attention up to the present has -been given to the subject of sleeping-sickness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The experiments upon the utilization of the African -elephant and the zebra have general interest; if they fail, -the warning may be useful; if they succeed, their results -will be by no means confined to the Congo Free State. -At Eala is a botanical garden creditably devised and well -conducted. Six hundred species of plants are there in -cultivation, something more than half of them being -foreign species. There experiments are being made upon -a broad scale to discover the uses of native plants and the -possibility of cultivating them to advantage. Forty species -of African plants yield rubber; those the product of which -is of a quality to warrant experimenting, are here being -cultivated with reference to ascertaining their value in -plantations. Foreign rubber producers, coffees from -different portions of the globe, medicinal plants, dye and -other useful plants are being tested to find out how they -flourish in Congo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nor is the interest of the Congo Free State in scientific -investigations limited to its own enterprises. Some -time ago a British commission, consisting of three specialists -in tropical medicines, visited the Congo with the purpose -of investigating the sleeping-sickness. Not only -were they given every facility for their investigation, but -after they returned to England the total expenses of their -expedition were returned with the compliments of the -State government in recognition of the general value and -utility of their investigations. Individual investigators -and expeditions of a scientific character within the Congo -State always have found the government interested in -furthering and aiding their studies.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has developed a significant and growing section of -the world’s commerce. When Stanley came down the -Congo, the value of the exports from that region was so -small that it might be neglected. To-day the Congo -furnishes the world with ivory and supplies a most significant -portion of the rubber which is used. To-day -Antwerp is the greatest market for these two products. -That Liverpool should lose in relative importance in the -matter of West African trade is no doubt hard for Englishmen. -But the world gains by having several great -trading centers in place of one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It has checked the extension of the Arab influence -with all its horrors. To one who reads Stanley’s description -this means much. With this checking, the foreign -slave trade ceased. Do not misunderstand me. There -was much admirable in the Arab culture. There is no -question that the practical men, whose views we always -keep in mind, and to whom we make our argument, -would approve the substitution of it or the barbarism -that existed before. But it is certain that it stood in -the way of European influence; that it came into conflict -with European ideas, and if it were desirable that these -should ultimately prevail, the Arab life and culture must -disappear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We might, of course, continue and extend our list of -the achievements of the Congo Free State. We have -said enough, however, to show that it has done much -toward carrying out its promise to civilize and modify the -native population in the direction of our own ideals. Even -the bitter enemies of the Free State government will admit -all this, and more. But they claim that all the credit of -it disappears in view of the atrocities, the cruelties, and -horrors connected with its own administration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Atrocities no doubt exist; they have existed; they will -exist. They are ever present in cases where a population -of natives is exploited by an active and aggressive -“higher race.” The process of elevating natives, of making -them over in new pattern, is never a happy one for -the native. The wrenching of old ties, the destruction -of old ideals, the replacing of an ancient life by one different -in every detail, is a painful thing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I deplore atrocities, but I have often thought that, if -I were a member of a race that was being improved by -outside influences, I would rather they should kill me outright -with bullet or with knife than subject me to the -suffering of years in molding me to new ideas. In other -words, I sometimes feel that flagrant outrage is less painful -to the victim than well-meant direction, teaching, and -elevation to their object.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Let us turn, however, to the whole subject of atrocities.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>XI.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 30, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>M</span></span>UCH has been said of flogging and the chicotte. -There is no question that flogging is general -throughout the Congo Free State. The English -word “flogging” is one which is generally known and -understood by officials of every nationality throughout the -country; it is known, too, by a surprising number of -natives. The chicotte is known to everybody within the -state limits—its name is Portuguese. In all my journey -in the Congo, while I frequently heard the word “flogging” -and constantly heard the word “chicotte,” I never heard -the French term for either. Nor do I think the native has. -It is plain that neither flogging nor the chicotte was -introduced by Belgians. These found them in the country -on their arrival, introduced by English and Portuguese.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is not the fact of flogging in itself that raises objections; -not only the state and traders but the missionaries -find it necessary to whip their black employés. In fact, -at a missionary conference—I think it was—one missionary -referred laughingly to the boys whom another -(by the way, one of the chief witnesses against the state) -“had flogged into the kingdom of heaven.” He did not -mean the boys had died as a result of the flogging, but -simply that they had found salvation through its means. -It is, then, the amount, severity, and undeservedness of -the whipping which are reprobated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I saw, of course, plenty of flogging. Not, indeed, with -such an instrument as has been recently shown throughout -the United States by a complaining missionary. I was -conversing recently with a friend who had been profoundly -stirred in connection with Congo atrocities. He happened -to mention the chicotte, then said: “Have you ever seen -a chicotte? You know it is made of six thongs of hippopotamus -skin, twisted tightly together.” I told him -that I had seen hundreds of chicottes, but that I had never -seen one such as he described. As a matter of fact, I -have seen chicottes of a single thong, and of two or three -twisted together, but I have never seen one composed of -six. I do not know whether such an instrument would -cause greater suffering in punishment, but it certainly is -better suited for display to sympathetic audiences who -want to be harrowed by dreadful reports. The first -flogging that I happened to see was at a distance. I was -busy measuring soldiers; hearing cries, I looked in the -direction whence they came, and saw a black man being -publicly whipped before the office of the commissaire. -An officer of proper authority was present inspecting the -punishment, which I presume was entirely legal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the second flogging which I witnessed, this time at -close quarters, I was myself implicated to a degree. We -were at a mission station. The mission force and practically -all the people from the place were attending Sunday -morning service. It was fruiting time for the mango -trees, which were loaded with golden fruit. Suddenly -we heard an outcry, and in a moment the mission sentry, -delighted and excited, came up to our veranda with an -unfortunate prisoner, whom he had taken in the act of -stealing fruit. He insisted on leaving him with us for -guarding. I turned him over to my companion, who set -him on his veranda, telling him to stay there until the -missionary should come from the service.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoner squatted down upon the veranda without -a word of discussion, laying the fruit, evidence of his -guilt, upon the floor at his side. We were so angry at -him that he made no attempt at escaping, and did not even -eat the fruit which he had stolen, that we washed our -hands of the whole affair, and believed he deserved all -that might be coming. The service over, the missionary -appeared, accompanied by the triumphant sentry. When -the prisoner had admitted his guilt, the missionary asked -whether he preferred to be sent to the state for punishment -or to be whipped by him, to which the prisoner replied -that he should prefer the mission flogging.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With great formality the instrument of punishment was -produced; it consisted of two long and narrow boards, -perhaps six feet in length and two or three inches wide; -between them was fixed a board of the same width, -but of half the length. At one end these were firmly -screwed together, while the other end was left open. It -will be seen that when a heavy blow was given with the -instrument the free ends of the two long sticks would strike -together, producing a resounding whack which, no doubt, -produced a psychic suffering in the victim in addition to the -true physical pain. However that may be, fifteen blows, -I think, were administered, and the prisoner discharged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One day, upon the Kasai steamer, we witnessed a -wholesale whipping, which was typical of this mode of -punishment as regularly administered. The night before -we had been forced to tie up beside the forest. The -night was dark and the cutters refused to make wood for -the next day’s journey. This was a serious act of insurrection, -involving delay and trouble. When, finally, the -next morning the wood had been loaded and the steamer -was under way, ten of the rebels were marched up to the -captain. In turn each lay down upon the floor, a friend -held his hands and wrists, while the capita administered -twenty blows. It is comparatively rare that the white -man himself does the flogging; usually it is the regular -capita who is in charge of the workmen, or a special one -of the working force detailed to play the part.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It makes a notable difference in the way in which the -punishment is received whether the hands are firmly -held to prevent struggling. An English-speaking white -man not in the government or company employ, who had -had more or less opportunity for observation in our -Southern states, and whose experience in the Congo -extends over several years, told me that flogging with the -chicotte was a rather mild and simple punishment; that -it hurt but little, and that, for his part, he preferred to hit -the workmen on the head and kick them in the shins, -those being places more tender to the application than the -part subjected to the chicotte. On the whole, I am inclined -to think that there was something in what he said. -It is certain that in most cases the suffering from a flogging -is momentary. I have even seen persons undergoing -serious flogging exchange significant glances and signals -with their friends, in which the suggestion of pain was -quite absent. Many a time, also, I have seen a man -immediately after being flogged, laughing and playing with -his companions as if naught had happened. Personally, -though I have seen many cases of this form of punishment, -I have never seen blood drawn, nor the fainting of the -victim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is common to speak of the chain-gang with great -sympathy. One sees chain-gangs at every state post; -it is the common punishment for minor offenses to put -the prisoner on the chain. Sometimes as many as twelve -or fifteen are thus joined together by chains attached to -iron rings placed about their necks. They are employed -in all sorts of work—bringing water for use about the -station, sweeping roads, clearing fields, carrying burdens. -On our arrival at a state post, immediately after we had -presented our introductions to the commandant, the chain-gang -would be sent to bring our freight and baggage to -the rooms to which we were assigned. The ring around -the necks of these prisoners is a light iron ring, weighing -certainly not to exceed two pounds. The weight of chain -falling upon each prisoner can hardly be more than six -or eight pounds additional. In other words, the weight -which they are forced to carry in the shape of ring and -chain does not exceed, probably does not equal, ten pounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the viewpoint of service rendered, the chain-gang -has little value. It dawdles, lags, idles, and plays; -only when it is carrying burdens does it really work. I -have never seen a chain-gang composed of women, nor -have I seen women on the same gang with men. It is -stated by the missionaries that such things occur. Certainly, -every one would object to the chaining together of -male and female prisoners. Apart from this, the chain-gang -does not particularly arouse my sympathy. It is -a very mild form of punishment, and one which, of course, -is common in as bad a form or worse throughout many of -our Southern states. To grieve over the weight carried -in the form of chain and ring is simply ridiculous; there -are to-day thousands of women among these Congo tribes -who for the sake of decoration carry about their neck a -heavy ring of brass weighing twenty, twenty-five, or thirty -pounds. It is no uncommon thing for both men and women -to have a weight of thirty, forty, or fifty pounds of brass -and iron rings and ornaments upon them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I cannot believe that the ordinary flogging, such as I -have seen, causes notable suffering to people who, for -purposes of decoration or treatment of rheumatism, submit -without evidence of pain to such operations as I have -described in detail in an earlier article. Nor can I feel -that the mere fact of carrying chain and ring of less than -ten pounds’ weight involves terrible suffering for people -who regularly carry much heavier burdens of ornaments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Much has been said of late in regard to hostages. The -taking of hostages and holding them until some obligation -or agreement had been performed was a common -native custom. Stanley frequently captured women -and children, or even men, of tribes in the districts through -which he was passing and held them as hostages until they -should show him the trail he should follow, or until their -people supplied him with the food or other things which -he desired. At the ill-fated Yambuya camp the rear -guard frequently seized the women of the natives who -had failed to bring in food supplies in return for the trade -stuffs offered. This seizure of hostages is mentioned -repeatedly in the writings of the early travelers, and seems -to have caused no outcry on the part of the sensitive -civilized world at that time. Why should it now?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is a common practice, though a disagreeable one to -us, for one who sells a thing to keep back a part of it in -making delivery of the goods. On one occasion we bought -a musical instrument, a marimba, which consisted, in -part, of a dozen gourds as resounding bodies. Every one -of these gourds was necessary to the instrument, yet the -seller, after we had examined it with care to see that it -was perfect, removed three of the gourds, in accordance -with this custom. The instrument was sent to us by the -son of the seller’s chief, old Chicoma. When we found -the instrument at home we at once noted the absence of -the three gourds. Old Chicoma’s son had a companion -with him. We at once decided to hold the chief’s son as -a hostage, sending word by his companion that he would -be set free only on the appearance of the missing gourds. -When we told the youth that we had “tied him up,” that -being the expression for holding a person hostage, he -looked sheepish, but made no complaint, recognizing the -justice of our action.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This was at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. He made no -attempt to escape, although we had not in any way actually -interfered with his freedom of movement. We gave him -supper when the time came and breakfast in the morning. -He found his stay tedious, however, and finally, when none -was looking, slipped away. He must have met the messenger -bringing the missing gourds before he was any -distance from the house, as he appeared with our property -about half an hour after the flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The only other personal experience in the matter of -hostages that we had was in the High Kasai. A white -man, agent of the Kasai company, was our guest for the -night. In the early morning our friend, Chief Ndombe, -appeared, in great excitement, begging us to loan him -cloth, as the white man had seized one of his slaves and -would not release him until he had fully paid a debt which -the white man claimed he owed him. The question -appeared complicated, and we let him have the cloth, -after which we went over to hear the palaver accompanying -the payment. Both sides told their story, with much -gesticulation. The white man’s boy had owned a woman, -for whom he claimed to have paid six pieces of cloth; she -had run away, and he had sought in vain for her. The -chief, old Chicoma, told him that the woman was at -Ndombe and in the house of the great chief. So they -seized Ndombe’s slave—a little lad about 11 years of age, -whose bright face and curious head shaving always had -greatly attracted me. This boy our visitors were holding -as a hostage until Ndombe should produce the woman or -pay her value.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, the whole procedure was illegal, and I was -inclined to take up the matter vigorously. There were, -however, so many elements of doubt in the matter that -I finally concluded to let it pass. Of hostages held by -company agents or by state people we saw but few, and -never learned the circumstances under which they had -been taken. They were rarely in actual confinement, and -we saw no evidences of bad treatment toward them. In -native custom, the hostages are regularly well treated and -fed regularly, while held in captivity. While we have -never seen maltreatment of hostages, we can readily -understand how such could arise. Taken, as they usually -are, in order to force the bringing in of food or forest -products, if their holding does not produce the desired -effect the feeling of vexation resulting may easily lead -to cruelty.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/96-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0006' style='width:400px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Men Sentenced to the Death Penalty for Murder<br/> and Cannibalism, Basoko</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>XII.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>January 31, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>P</span></span>EOPLE in this country seem to expect that every -traveler in the Congo must meet with crowds of -people who have had one or both hands cut off. -We have all seen pictures of these unfortunates, and have -heard most harrowing tales in regard to them. Casement, -the English consul, whose report to the British government -has caused so much agitation, and who described many -cases of mutilation, himself saw<a id='rA'/><a href='#fA' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[A]</span></sup></a> but a single case; and that -case, though put forward by the missionaries as an example -of state atrocities, was finally withdrawn by them, as the -subject had not been mutilated by human assailants, but -by a wild boar. Casement traveled many miles and spent -much time in securing the material for his indictment, and -yet saw<a id='rB'/><a href='#fB' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[B]</span></sup></a> but this one case. We saw a single case of mutilation. -It was a boy at Ikoko, probably some twelve years -old. He had been found, a child of three or four years, by -the side of his dead mother, after a punitive expedition had -visited the town. His mother’s body had been mutilated -and the child’s hand cut off. We might have seen a second -case of this sort at this place if we had searched for her. -There is a second there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No one, I think, would desire to excuse the barbarity -of cutting off the hands of either dead or living, but we -must remember that the soldiers in these expeditions are -natives, and in the excitement and bloodthirst roused by a -military attack they relapse to ancient customs. There -has, indeed, been considerable question recently whether -the cutting off of hands is really a native custom. Sir -Francis de Winton, himself an Englishman, and Stanley’s -successor in the administration of the Congo State, says -that it was. And Glave says: “In every village in this -section (Lukolela) will be found slaves of both sexes with -one ear cut off. This is a popular form of punishment in -an African village. It is not at all unusual to hear such -threats as ‘I will cut your ear off,’ ‘I will sell you,’ or ‘I -will kill you,’ and often they are said in earnest.” Where -such customs were constant in native life it is not strange -that they have lasted on into the present.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, in this connection we must not forget that -mutilation of dead bodies is not by any means confined to -the Congo Free State, nor to its natives. Only a few -months ago, in Southern Africa, the British force cut off -the head of a hostile chief. When the matter was investigated, -the excuse given was that it was done for purposes -of identification, and that the body was afterwards brought -in and buried with it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The most of the difficulty with the natives of the Congo -Free State, of course, comes in connection with the demand -to gather rubber. The native hates the forest; he dislikes -to gather rubber; it takes him from his home, and comfort, -and wife. We have never accompanied a party of -natives gathering rubber, but we have seen them started -and have also seen them bringing in their product. The -best rubber of the Congo is produced by vines which frequently -grow to several inches in diameter. The same -vine may be tapped many times. The milky juice, which -exudes abundantly, promptly coagulates into rubber; as -it hardens it is rolled into balls between the palm and some -portion of the body, such as the chest or leg.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The place where we have seen most of rubber production -is in the High Kasai, where the famous red rubber is -produced, which sells for the highest price of any African -caoutchouc. My missionary friends have told me that -conditions in the Kasai are not bad and that they have no -special fault to find with the Kasai company. While there -were things that might be criticised, there was apparent -fairness in the business. The natives waited several days -after they had gathered their balls of rubber before bringing -them in. This was for the reason that the company’s -agent had but an unattractive stock of goods in his magazine -at the moment; they preferred to wait until a new -stock should come up on the expected steamer. As soon -as it appeared they sent word that they might be expected -the following day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old Bachoko chief, Maiila, was brought in state, in -his blue hammock; his people came singing and dancing -with the baskets full of balls of rubber on their heads. All -proceeded to the magazine, where the great steelyards were -suspended and the rubber weighed; each man looked carefully -to see that his stock balanced evenly, and one of their -number, who understood the instrument and could figure, -stood by to see that all went fair. While the rubber was -a demanded tax, a regular price of 1 franc and 25 centimes -the kilo was paid. This was given in stuffs, of course, and -the native selected what he pleased from the now abundant -stock of cloths, blankets, graniteware, and so forth. It -may truly be said that they came in singing gayly and -went home glad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At Mobandja we saw a large party setting out to the -forest to gather rubber, different from any that we had seen -before in that a considerable number of women formed a -part of it. This feature I did not like, although I presume -it is an effort to meet the criticisms of the report of the royal -commission of investigation. The commission particularly -criticised the fact that the men, in going into the forest, -were deprived of the company of their women—a -hardship strongly emphasized. It is surely a mistake, -however well it may be meant, to send the women into the -forest with the men to gather rubber. Such a procedure -involves the neglect of her fields and interrupts the woman’s -work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And here we touch upon the thing which in my opinion -is the worst feature of the whole Congo business. Anything -that affects the woman’s work necessarily brings -hardship. I have seen many heart-rending statements in -regard to the loss of work time which the man suffers by -going to the forest to gather rubber. We are told that by -the time he has gone several days’ journey into the dense -forest, gathered his balls of rubber, and returned again -to his village, he has no time left for work, and his -family and the whole community suffers as a consequence. -But from what work does this gathering of rubber take -the man?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We have already called attention to the fact that the -support of the family and the actual work in any village -fall upon the woman. The man, before he went into the -forest to gather rubber, had no pressing duties. His wife -supported him; he spent his time in visiting, dancing, -lolling under shelters, drinking with his friends, or in palavers, -sometimes of great importance but frequently of no -consequence; in other words, he was an idler, or a man -of leisure. I feel no sorrow on account of the labors from -which he is restrained. Personally, I should have no -objection to his idling. If he does not want to work and -need not work, I see no reason why he should not idle. -But my readers are practical men, who talk much of the -dignity of labor and the elevation of the lazy negro. Very -good; if work is dignified and the elevation of the negro -necessary, let him collect rubber, but do not mourn over -the fact that he is deprived of opportunity to earn a living -for himself and family.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is, indeed, one set of circumstances under which -the man may really be deprived of opportunity to aid in -the work of gaining a living. Where the men in a community -are really fishermen—they are not always so—to -take them from their fishing entails a hardship.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The thing which seems to me the worst is the kwanga -tax on women and the fish tax on men. The former is at -its worst, perhaps, in Leopoldville; the latter is bad enough -at Nouvelle Anvers. Leopoldville is situated in a district -which yields much less for food than necessary. -It has always been so. Even in the days before the white -man came, the people in the native villages on Stanley -Pool were obliged to buy food supplies from outside, as they -themselves, being devoted to trading, did no cultivation. -With the coming of the white man, and the establishing -of a great post at Leopoldville, with thousands of native -workmen and soldiers to be fed, the food question became -serious. The state has solved the problem by levying a -food tax on the native villages for many miles around.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The women are required to bring a certain amount of -kwanga—native cassava bread—to Leopoldville within -a stated period of time. To do this involves almost continuous -labor, and really leaves the women little time for -attending to the needs of their own people. Some of -them are forced to come many miles with the supply of -bread. When they have cared for the growing plants in -their fields, prepared the required stint of kwanga, brought -it the weary distance over the trails, and again come back -to their village, they must begin to prepare for the next -installment. For this heavy burden there must certainly -be found some remedy. Personally, it seems to me that -the women belonging to the workmen and the soldiers -might be utilized in cultivating extensive fields to supply -the need. The condition of the men who pay the fish -tax is analogous to that of these kwanga-taxed women.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The question of the population of the Congo is an -unsettled one. Stanley estimated it at 29,000,000 people; -Reclus, in 1888, estimated it at something over 20,000,000; -Wagner and Supan claimed 17,000,000, and Vierkandt sets -the figure at 11,000,000. The governor-general, Baron -Wahis, who has several times made the inspection of the -whole river, is inclined to think that even Stanley’s figure -is below the true one. Between these limits of 11,000,000 -and 29,000,000 any one may choose which he prefers. -No one knows, or is likely for many years to know. Those -who believe that Stanley’s figure was true in its time, and -that Vierkandt’s is true at present, may well insist, as they -do, that depopulation is taking place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Personally, I have no doubt that depopulation is going -on. Of course, the enemies of the Free State government -attribute the diminution in population chiefly to the cruelties -practiced by the state, but it is certain that many -causes combine in the result.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The distribution of the Congo population is exceedingly -irregular. From Stanley Pool to Chumbiri there has -been almost no population during the period of our knowledge. -On the other hand, from Basoko to Stanley Falls -the population is abundant and there is almost a continuous -line of native villages along the banks for miles. -Practically, the state of population is really known only -along the river banks. Back from the riverines are inland -tribes, the areas of which in some cases are but sparsely -settled, while in others they swarm. They are, however, -little known, and just how the population is distributed -is uncertain. The district which we personally best know—the -Kasai—is one of the most populous of all the -Congo State, and around the Sankuru, one of the main -tributaries of the Kasai, we perhaps have the densest -population of the country. If we take Stanley’s estimate -as accurate, the population would average twelve to the -square kilometer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Among known causes for the diminution of Congo -population we may mention first the raiding expeditions -of the Arabs. These were numerous and destructive in -the extreme, throughout the region of the Upper Congo -and the Lualaba. Organized for taking slaves and -getting booty, they destroyed ruthlessly the adult male -population and deported the women and children. Towns -were burned and whole districts left unoccupied. There -is no question that many of the punitive expeditions of the -state have been far more severe than necessity demanded; -“the people must be shown the power of Bula Matadi.” -It is said that Vankerckhoven’s expedition destroyed -whole towns needlessly in the district of Chumbiri and -Bolobo. Certainly, the population in this section was formerly -abundant. Everywhere along the shores one sees -the groups of palm trees marking the sites of former -villages; probably the present population is no more than -one fourth that which existed formerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Throughout the whole district, where the French -Congo touches on the river, it is a common thing for timid -or disgruntled villagers to move <span class='it'>en masse</span> across the river -into French territory. These wholesale removals are an -advantage to the natives, as that portion of the French -Congo is less well occupied by white posts and government -officials than the corresponding part of the Congo -Free State. The natives who have thus removed unquestionably -have an easier time in the French colony. -This, however, can hardly be called depopulation, as it -involves no loss in persons, but merely a transfer from the -Free State side to the other. It does not at all affect the -actual number of the race.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sleeping-sickness is carrying off its tens of thousands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But after we suggest these causes we are still far from -a full solution of the problem of depopulation, which is a -mysterious thing. In Polynesia we have another example -of it on a prodigious scale. In Polynesia we have neither -slave raids, nor punitive expeditions, nor sleeping-sickness. -Yet, adults die and children are not born. If things continue -in the future as in the past, the time is not far distant -when the Polynesian—one of the most interesting -and attractive of human races—will be a thing completely -of the past.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The case of our own American Indians is similar. -Whole tribes have disappeared; others are dying out so -rapidly that a few years will see their complete extinction. -I am familiar with the arguments which, from time to -time, are printed to demonstrate that the number of -American Indians is as great as ever. It seems, however, -that it is only rich tribes that hold their own; the -reason is not far to seek, but we may not here pursue -the argument further.</p> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_A'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 3em;'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div id='fA'><a href='#rA'>[A]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>I am here in error. Casement <span class='it'>saw</span> more than one case of mutilation; -he carefully <span class='it'>investigated</span> but one.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_B'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 3em;'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div id='fB'><a href='#rB'>[B]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>See footnote A.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>XIII.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>February 1, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>N</span></span>OR is apparent depopulation of the Congo a matter -of recent date. Quotations might be given -from many travelers. We quote three from -Bentley, because he was well acquainted with the country -and because he was an English missionary. In speaking -of the town of Mputu, an hour and a half distant from San -Salvador, he describes the chief, Mbumba, a man of -energy, feared in all his district. He was strict in his -demands regarding conduct. In his presence others were -required to sit tailor-fashion. “To ease the cramped -limbs, by stretching them out before one, is a gross breach -of decorum; any one who did so in Mbumba’s presence -was taken out, and was fortunate if he lost only an ear. We -have known several great chiefs who would order a man -who sat carelessly to be thus mutilated. His own people -were much afraid of him on account of his cruel, murderous -ways; for a small offense he would kill them -relentlessly. He was superstitious and very ready to kill -witches. Through his evil temper, pride, and superstition, -his town of several hundred people was reduced to eighty -or ninety souls.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again he says: “Our next camp was at Manzi; but as we -had so many people, the natives preferred that we should -camp in a wood at Matamba, twenty minutes’ walk beyond -the town. The wood marked the site of a town deserted -some years before. There were no other towns on the road -from there to Isangila, a distance of thirty miles, for the -wicked people had killed each other out over their witch -palavers. This was what the natives told us themselves. -Yet they went on killing their witches, believing that if -they did not do so all the people would be exterminated. -Two wretched villages of a few huts each were to be found -a few miles off the path, but the country was practically -depopulated.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In another place he says, in speaking of the caravan -days: “All the carriers suffered acutely from fever, and -this was the case with all the caravans on the road. This -mortality was largely increased by the improvidence of the -carriers themselves. Thousands of men were engaged -in transport work at the time, but very few troubled to -carry enough food with them, or money wherewith to buy -it. As a rule, the young men staid in their towns as long -as they had anything to buy food with; when they failed, -they borrowed until their debts became too great. Then -they arranged to go with some caravan to carry, and -received ration money for the road. This would be partly -used up in the town, and the rest go to those from whom -they borrowed. On the road they lived largely on palm -nuts and raw cassava, and returned to their homes in a -terribly exhausted condition. With the influx of cloth -gained by transportation came hunger, for wealth made -the women lazy; they preferred to buy food rather than -produce—the gardens came to an end, then hunger followed, -and sickness and death. Women staid at home -to mourn, and the mischief became worse. Sleep-sickness -and smallpox spread. The population of the cataracts -district is not more than half what it was fifteen -years ago. The railway is now complete, and the country -will adapt itself to its new conditions.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Those who are hostile to the state, of course, will find -great comfort in this quotation; for the transport system -was an introduction by the Belgians. It will be observed, -however, that the author mentions no cruelty on the part -of the new masters in this connection; it must also be -remembered that the missionaries were as much interested -in the caravan system as any, and assisted in its development. -My chief object in introducing the quotation is -to show how impossible it is to affect native conditions in -one way without bringing about a connected series of -changes, not always easy to foresee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To me, the real wonder is that there are any of the Congo -peoples left. Think of the constant drain due to the foreign -slave trade, continued from an early date until after -the middle of the last century. Think of the continuous -losses due to the barbarism of native chiefs and demands -of native customs—to wars, cannibalism, execution, and -ordeal. Think of the destruction caused by punitive -expeditions—towns burned, people killed. Think of -the drafts made by the caravan system and the public -works which the state has been forced to carry out. Think -of the multitudes who have died with the diseases of the -country and from pestilence introduced by the newcomers. -Yet the population really shows signs of great vitality -to-day, and the most discouraged missionary hesitates -a real prediction for the future.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There is a most interesting and suggestive map in -Morel’s new book, “Red Rubber.” It bears the legend, -“Map showing revenue division of the Congo Free State.” -Upon this map we find marked with little crosses the localities -where specific reports of atrocities have been received. -The distribution of these crosses is interesting. We find a -concentration of them along the main river from the Rubi -River almost to the mouth of the Kasai, a notable bunch -of them in the region of the A. B. I. R., and in an area -worked by the Antwerp trust; also in the district of Lake -Leopold II. There are few crosses indicative of bad treatment -in the Congo above this district, and practically none -in the lower Congo and the Kasai. It is precisely in the -areas where these crosses are so frequent that the early -travelers had difficulty with the natives in first traversing -the country. In other words, the districts where native -hostility has in recent years produced the acts of alleged -cruelty have always been centers of disturbance and -attack against the white man. Districts which were -found occupied by peaceful and friendly tribes have been -the scenes of few outrages. This seems to me a point -worthy of serious consideration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For my own part, I believe that any well-behaved white -man can to-day traverse Africa in every direction without -danger as long as his journey confines itself to areas of -Bantu and true negroes. Livingstone practically had no -trouble with native tribes; Schweinfurth, entering from -the Nile, penetrated to the heart of Africa with little -trouble; Du Chaillu traveled throughout the Ogowe -valley without difficulty with natives; Junker, following -Schweinfurth’s trail, penetrated farther into -what is now the Congo Free State, passing through -the territory of many warlike and cannibal tribes, but -never armed his men and never had a difficulty with any -native chief. It is true, however, that the tribes of the -Congo differ vastly from each other in disposition. Some -are warlike, some are peaceful to cowardice; some are -genial, friendly, open; others are surly, hostile, reserved, -treacherous. While I have always felt that Stanley looked -for trouble and that he left a trail of blood unnecessarily -behind him, I recognize that the Bangala and many of -their neighbors are less agreeable, less kindly, more disposed -for trouble than many of the other tribes in the Free -State. It is precisely with these tribes that the chief difficulties -of the state have been.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another curious point is shown on Morel’s map. -From what has been said by critics of the state we would -be justified in expecting to find those districts where the -white man’s influence had penetrated most fully, and -where he himself existed in greatest number, the worst in -the matter of atrocity. But it is precisely in these districts -that Morel’s map shows no marks of reported atrocities. -It is plain, then, that the officials of the Congo Free -State are not, as a body, men delighting in cruelty and -outrage. Where there are numbers of them, instead of -conditions being at their worst they are at their happiest. -It is only where there are lonely men surrounded -by depressing influences and in the midst of hostile -and surly tribes that these dreadful things are found. -It is natural to expect that with fuller penetration of the -white men into these districts conditions will change -hopefully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But why should we pick out the Congo Free State for -our assault? Atrocities occur wherever the white man, -with his thirst for gold, comes into contact with “a lower -people.” He is ever there to exploit; he believes that -they were created for exploitation. If we want to find -cruelty, atrocities, all kinds of frightful maltreatment, we -may find them in almost every part of negro Africa. They -exist in the French Congo, in German Africa, in Nigeria, -even in Uganda. If we insist on finding them, we may -find cruelty, dispossession, destruction of life and property, -in all these areas. The only ruthless act involving the -death of a black native that we really saw was in French -territory. If there were any object in doing so, we could -write a harrowing story of British iniquity in Africa, but -it is unnecessary; every one who stops to think and who -reads at all knows the fact.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wherever British trade finds native custom standing -in its way, we shall find cruelty. Why was King Ja Ja -deported? I have heard an interesting incident connected -with his case. One who for many years has voyaged up -and down the western coast of Africa tells me that while -Ja Ja was still at his height of power the natives of his -district, paddling near the shores in their canoes, were -always happy and joyous. Ja Ja stood in the way of the -British traders gaining so much money as they wanted, -and so he was exiled and taken a prisoner to distant lands. -From the day of his departure the happiness of life was -gone from all the country. Few natives put out in their -canoes, and those who did were silent; the song and -laughter of former days were hushed. Until the day when -he was brought home, a corpse, for burial, somberness -and sadness settled down upon his people, before so gay -and light hearted. What was it caused the trouble at -Benin but British greed insisting on opening up a territory -which its natives desired to keep closed? The -Benin massacre that followed was dreadful, but it did not -begin to compare in frightful bloodshed with the punitive -expedition which followed—a feat scarce worthy of -British arms. What was the cause of hut-tax wars? What -is the matter now in Natal? Do we know all that -goes on in Nigeria? Wherein is excellence in the expropriation -of lands and products in Uganda for the -benefit of concession companies of the same kind exactly -as those in Congo? Why is it worse to cut off the -hands of dead men for purposes of tally than to cut -off the heads of dead chiefs for purposes of identification? -But let it pass—we are not undertaking an assault -on Britain.</p> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>XIV.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>February 2, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>R</span></span>ETURNED from the Congo country and a year -and more of contact with the dark natives, I find -a curious and most disagreeable sensation has -possession of me. I had often read and heard that other -peoples regularly find the faces of white men terrifying -and cruel. The Chinese, the Japanese, other peoples of -Asia, all tell the same story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The white man’s face is fierce and terrible. His -great and prominent nose suggests the tearing beak of -some bird of prey. His fierce face causes babes to cry, -children to run in terror, grown folk to tremble. I had -always been inclined to think that this feeling was individual -and trifling; that it was solely due to strangeness -and lack of contact. To-day I know better. Contrasted -with the other faces of the world, the face of the fair white -is terrible, fierce, and cruel. No doubt our intensity of -purpose, our firmness and dislike of interference, our -manner in walk and action, and in speech, all add to the -effect. However that may be, both in Europe and our -own land, after my visit to the blacks, I see the cruelty -and fierceness of the white man’s face as I never would -have believed was possible. For the first time, I can appreciate -fully the feeling of the natives. The white man’s -dreadful face is a prediction; where the fair white goes -he devastates, destroys, depopulates. Witness America, -Australia, and Van Diemen’s Land.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Morel’s “Red Rubber” contains an introductory chapter -by Sir Harry Johnston. In it the ex-ruler of British Central -Africa says the following: “A few words as to the -logic of my own position as a critic of King Leopold’s -rule on the Congo. I have been reminded, in some of -the publications issued by the Congo government; that -I have instituted a hut-tax in regions intrusted to my -administration; that I have created crown lands which -have become the property of the government; that as an -agent of the government I have sold and leased portions -of African soil to European traders; that I have favored, -or at any rate have not condemned, the assumption by -an African state of control over natural sources of wealth; -that I have advocated measures which have installed -Europeans as the master—for the time being—over the -uncivilized negro or the semicivilized Somali, Arab, or -Berber.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is true that Sir Harry Johnston has done all these -things. They are things which, done by Belgium, are -heinous in English eyes. He proceeds to justify them -by their motive and their end. He aims to show a notable -difference between these things as Belgian and as English. -He seems to feel that the fact of a portion of the -product of these acts being used to benefit the native is -an ample excuse. But so long as (a) the judge of the -value of the return made to the sufferer is the usurper, -and not the recipient, there is no difference between a -well-meaning overlord and a bloody-minded tyrant; and -(b) as long as the taxed is not consulted and his permission -is not gained for taxation, there is only injustice in its -infliction, no matter for what end. Sir Harry uses the -word “logic.” A logical argument leaves him and Leopold -in precisely the same position with reference to the -native.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sir Harry closes his introduction with a strange and -interesting statement. He says:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The danger in this state of affairs lies in the ferment -of hatred which is being created against the white race -in general, by the agents of the king of Belgium, in the -minds of the Congo negroes. The negro has a remarkably -keen sense of justice. He recognizes in British Central -Africa, in East Africa, in Nigeria, in South Africa, in -Togoland, Dahomey, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and -Senegambia that, on the whole, though the white men -ruling in those regions have made some mistakes and committed -some crimes, have been guilty of some injustice, yet -that the state of affairs they have brought into existence -as regards the black man is one infinitely superior to that -which preceded the arrival of the white man as a temporary -ruler. Therefore, though there may be a rising here -or a partial tumult there, the mass of the people increase -and multiply with content and acquiesce in our tutelary -position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Were it otherwise, any attempt at combination on -their part would soon overwhelm us and extinguish our -rule. Why, in the majority of cases, the soldiers with -whom we keep them in subjection are of their own race. -But unless some stop can be put to the misgovernment of -the Congo region, I venture to warn those who are interested -in African politics that a movement is already begun -and is spreading fast which will unite the negroes against -the white race, a movement which will prematurely stamp -out the beginnings of the new civilization we are trying -to implant, and against which movement, except so far -as the actual coast line is concerned, the resources of men -and money which Europe can put into the field will be -powerless.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This is curious and interesting. But it is scarcely -logical or candid. Allow me to quote beside Sir Harry’s -observations the following, taken from the papers of -March 4, 1906:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sir Arthur Lawley, who has just been appointed -governor of Madras, after devoting many years to the -administration of the Transvaal, gave frank utterance -the other day, before his departure from South Africa for -India, to his conviction that ere long a great rising of the -blacks against the whites will take place, extending all -over the British colonies from the Cape to the Zambesi. -Sir Arthur, who is recognized as an authority on all problems -connected with the subject of native races, besides -being a singularly level-headed man, spoke with profound -earnestness when he explained in the course of the farewell -address: ‘See to this question. For it is the greatest -problem you have to face.’ And the solemn character -of his valedictory warning was rendered additionally -impressive in the knowledge that it was based upon -information beyond all question.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is certain that the affairs in the Congo Free State -have produced neither restlessness nor concerted action -in British Africa. Why is it that on both sides of Southern -Africa there have been recent outbreaks of turbulence? -The natives, indeed, seem ungrateful for the benefits of -English rule. Sir Arthur Lawley looks for a rising over -the whole of British Africa, from the Cape to the Zambesi. -In what way can the misgovernment of the Congo by its -ruler have produced a condition so threatening? Both -these gentlemen have reason, perhaps, for their fears of -an outbreak, but as I have said, there is neither logic nor -candor in attributing the present agitation in Southern -Africa to King Leopold.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What really is the motive underlying the assault upon -the Congo? What has maintained an agitation and a -propaganda with apparently such disinterested aims? -Personally, although I began my consideration of the -question with a different belief, I consider it entirely -political and selfish. Sir Harry Johnston naïvely says: -“When I first visited the western regions of the Congo -it was in the days of imperialism, when most young Britishers -abroad could conceive of no better fate for an -undeveloped country than to come under the British -flag. The outcome of Stanley’s work seemed to me clear; -it should be eventually the Britannicising of much of the -Congo basin, perhaps in friendly agreement and partition -of interests with France and Portugal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Unquestionably this notion of the proper solution of -the question took possession of many minds in Great -Britain at the same time. And England was never satisfied -with the foundation of the Congo Free State as an -independent nation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little further on, Sir Harry states that the British -missionaries of that time were against such solution; they -did not wish the taking over of the district by Great Britain. -And why? “They anticipated troubles and bloodshed -arising from any attempt on the part of Great Britain -to subdue the vast and unknown regions of the Congo, -even then clearly threatened by Arabs.” In other words, -Britons at home would have been glad to have absorbed -the Congo; Britons on the ground feared the trouble and -bloodshed necessary. But now that the Belgians have -borne the trouble and the bloodshed and paid the bills, -Britain does not despise the plum. Indeed, Britain’s -ambitions in Africa are magnificent. Why should she -not absorb the entire continent? She has Egypt—temporarily—and -shows no sign of relinquishing it; she has -the Transvaal and the Orange Free State; how she picked -a quarrel and how she seized them we all know. Now -she could conveniently annex the Congo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The missionaries in the Congo Free State are no doubt -honest in saying, what they say on every possible occasion, -that they do not wish England to take over the -country; that they would prefer to have it stay in Belgian -hands; that, however, they would have the Belgian government -itself responsible instead of a single person. I -believe them honest when they say this, but I think them -self-deceived; I feel convinced that if the question was -placed directly to them, “Shall England or Belgium -govern the Congo?” and they knew that their answer -would be decisive, their vote would be exceedingly one-sided -and produce a change of masters. But the missionaries -are not the British government; they do not -shape the policies of the empire; their agitation may be -useful to the scheming politician and may bring about -results which they themselves had not intended. It is -always the scheme of rulers and of parties to take advantage -of the generous outbursts of sympathy and feeling -of the masses for their selfish ends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The missionaries and many of the prominent agitators -in the propaganda against the Free State have said -they would be satisfied if Belgium takes over the government. -This statement never has seemed to me honest -or candid. The agitators will not be suited if Belgium -takes the Congo; I have said this all the time, and the -incidents of the last few days have demonstrated the justness -of my opinion. Already hostility to Belgian ownership -is evident. It will increase. When the king really -turns the Congo Free State government into Belgium’s -hands the agitation will continue, complaints still will be -made, and conditions will be much as formerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Great Britain never has been the friend of the Congo -Free State; its birth thwarted her plans; its continuance -threatens her commerce and interferes with expansion -and with the carrying out of grand enterprises. In the -earlier edition of his little book entitled “The Colonization -of Africa,” Sir Harry Johnston spoke in high -terms of the Congo Free State and the work which it was -doing. In the later editions of the same book he retracts -his words of praise; he quotes the atrocities and maladministration -of the country. My quotation is not verbal, -as for the moment I have not the book at hand, but he -ends by saying something of this sort: “Belgium should -rule the Congo Free State; it may safely be allowed to -govern the greater portion of that territory.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The greater portion of the territory”—and what portion -is it that Belgium perhaps cannot well govern? Of -course, that district through which the Cape-to-Cairo Railroad -would find its most convenient roadbed. If Great -Britain can get that, we shall hear no more of Congo -atrocities. There are two ways possible in which this -district may be gained. If England can enlist our sympathy, -our aid, our influence, she may bid defiance to -Germany and France and seize from Leopold or from -little Belgium so much of the Congo Free State as she -considers necessary for her purpose, leaving the rest to -the king or to his country.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If we are not to be inveigled into such assistance, she -may, in time and by good diplomacy, come to an understanding -with France and Germany for the partition of -the Free State. Of course, in such event France would -take that section which adjoins her territory, Germany -would take the whole Kasai, which was first explored and -visited by German travelers, and England would take -the eastern portion, touching on Uganda and furnishing -the best site for her desired railroad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The same steamer which took me to the Congo carried -a newly appointed British vice-consul to that country. -On one occasion he detailed to a missionary friend his -instructions as laid down in his commission. I was -seated close by those in conversation, and no attempt -was made on my part to overhear or on their part toward -secrecy. His statement indicated that the prime object -of his appointment was to make a careful examination -of the Aruwimi River, to see whether its valley could be -utilized for a railroad. The second of the four objects -of his appointment was to secure as large a volume as -possible of complaints from British subjects (blacks) -resident in the Congo Free State. The third was to -accumulate all possible information regarding atrocities -upon the natives. These three, out of four, objects -of his appointment seem to be most interesting and -suggestive.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On a later occasion I was in company with this same -gentleman. A missionary present had expressed anxiety -that the report of the commission of inquiry and -investigation should appear. It will be remembered -that a considerable time elapsed between the return of -the commission to Europe and the publishing of its report. -After the missionary had expressed his anxiety for its -appearance and to know its contents, the vice-consul -remarked: “It makes no difference when the report -appears; it makes no difference if it never appears; the -British government has decided upon its course of action, -and it will not be influenced by whatever the commission’s -report may contain.” Comment upon this observation -is superfluous.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Upon the Atlantic steamer which brought us from -Antwerp to New York City there was a young Canadian -returning from three years abroad. He knew that we -had been in the Congo Free State, and on several occasions -conversed with me about my journey. We had -never referred to atrocities, nor conditions, nor politics. -One day, with no particular reason in the preceding conversation -for the statement, he said: “Of course, the -Belgians will lose the Congo. We have got to have -it. We must build the Cape-to-Cairo road. You know, -we wanted the Transvaal. We found a way to get -it; we have it. So we will find some way to get the -Congo.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, this was the remark of a very young man. -But the remarks of young men, wild and foolish though -they often sound, usually voice the feelings and thoughts -which older men cherish, but dare not speak.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/112-illo.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0007' style='width:400px;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Constructing New Houses at Basoko</span></span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>XV.</h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;font-size:.8em;font-weight:bold;'>February 3, 1907.</p> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'><span style='font-size:larger'>O</span></span>UGHT we to interfere? In this whole discussion -I have looked at the question solely from the -humanitarian standpoint. I assume that Secretary -Root’s first presentation of the matter was carefully prepared. -He insisted that we had no grounds for interference, -insofar as the Berlin conference was concerned. It is -only, then, from the point of view of interest in the natives, -the desire to save them from suffering and from atrocity, -that we can join with England in calling a new conference -of the world’s powers to consider Congo matters. -Ought we to pursue such a course? We ought not, and -that for several reasons.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>First—We should not interfere in Congo matters from -philanthropic reasons, unless we are ready to undertake -the policing of the whole of Africa. If the atrocities in -the Congo are sufficient to involve us in difficulty with -Belgium or with Belgium’s king, the atrocities and cruelty -practiced in the French Congo, throughout German -Africa, in the Portuguese possessions, and even in the -English colonies, must also attract our notice. If we really -intervene to save the African black man from white -oppression, we must do this job thoroughly and on a large -scale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Second—We should not interfere with the conditions -in Congo unless we desire strained relations with France -and Germany. No possible agitation will bring about a -second meeting of all the powers that participated in the -Berlin conference. Turkey alone, so far, has signified her -willingness to act with England. The only other nation -in which there seems to be the slightest trend toward participation -is Italy. No Scandinavian country—Sweden, -Norway, Denmark—will join in the movement. The -many Scandinavians who, in one capacity or another, -have labored in the Congo Free State are, on the whole, -well satisfied with the conditions. Though there is a -vigorous and aggressive Swedish mission in the country, -it is significant that its members have never joined in the -agitation. Nor is Holland, which has sent a large number -of individuals into the Congo State as employés of government -and concession companies, likely to favor an -agitation. Austria, for various reasons, stands aloof. -France has a definite understanding whereby in case of -the dissolution of the Congo Free State she becomes heir -to all the district. Germany, responsible for the foundation -of the Congo Free State, has, on the whole, always -favored its existence, and would certainly oppose interference -in its affairs. In case of the partition of the -Congo, Germany would be willing enough to take her -share, but it is really more to her interest both at home -and abroad to maintain its independence. All these -European countries speak quite freely in regard to England’s -design. France and Germany would seriously oppose -any demonstration by England and the United States.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Third—We ought not to interfere unless we are really -willing to play the undignified part of pulling England’s -chestnuts from the fire. What would we, nationally, -gain by the partition of the Congo? Our repeated -declarations about not wishing new territory in distant -regions are, of course, looked upon as twaddle by other -nations. If we really mean them, we must avoid the very -appearance of evil. What will the natives gain by partition? -They will still have their oppressors, only they -will be divided around among three instead of being -exploited by one. Suppose the redistribution did take -place. Suppose France, Germany, and England divided -the Congo between them; suppose—as would be certain—that -oppression and atrocity continued in the divided -territory. Would we still continue our noble effort in -behalf of the suffering black millions?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fourth—We should not interfere, unless we wish to -present a glaring example of national inconsistency. Distance -lends enchantment to the view. We are solicitous -about the Bantu in their home under the rule of Leopold -II.; we have 12,000,000 or more of them within our own -United States. The Bantu in the Congo we love. We -suffer when he is whipped, shudder when he is put upon -a chain-gang, shriek when he is murdered. Yet, here he -may be whipped, put on the chain-gang, murdered, and -if any raise an outcry he is a sentimentalist. Our negro -problem is a serious and difficult one. We do not know -how to treat it. But it is at our door, and we can study it -and strike out some mode of treatment. But the years -pass, and we do nothing. So complicated is it and so -united together and interdependent its issues and its elements, -that any course of action is dangerous, because we -frequently cannot foresee the outcome of well-meant -effort. With this example constantly before us, one -would suppose that we would hesitate in meddling with -the equally complicated problem, regarding conditions -of which we know little or nothing, on the other side of -the globe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fifth—We ought not to interfere, unless we come with -clean hands. We have an even closer parallel to Congo -conditions than our negro problem in the South. In the -Philippines we found a people to be elevated; an inscrutable -Providence—so we say—thrust the Philippine -Islands, with their millions, upon us. A few years ago -we heard much of benevolent assimilation. Benevolent -assimilation is the most dreadful of all forms of cannibalism. -Our Congo reformers emphasize the fact that -the Congo State was founded with many philanthropic -assertions and with high-sounding promises of improving -and elevating the native population. The parallel -is close. We took the Philippines and Filipinos for their -good. So we said. Of course, we took them just as -the European nations have taken Africa—for exploitation. -Had there been no hope of mines, of timber, of -cheap land for speculation, of railroads to be built, and -other enterprises to be undertaken and financed, we -should never have had such a tender interest in the -advancement of the Filipinos. And how has our benevolent -assimilation proceeded? Just exactly as it always -proceeds everywhere in tropic lands with “lower peoples.” -Torture, punitive expeditions, betrayal of confidence -and friendship, depopulation—these have been the agencies -through which we have attempted to elevate a race.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>You will tell me that what I am about to quote is -ancient history and has lost its force. It is no more -ancient than the bulk of the atrocities and cruelties -within the Congo. We quote a newspaper of April 12, -1902:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From the Philippines authentic news is now at hand -tending to confirm the charges of barbarity on the part of -American army officers, which have hitherto been strenuously -and sweepingly denied. This news comes in Associated -Press dispatches reporting the court-martial trial of -Major Waller, now in progress at Manila. This officer led -an expedition last winter into the interior of the island of -Samar. After being given up for dead, he and his party -returned to camp January 28th, delirious from privation. -Major Waller was next heard of in this connection in a dispatch -of March 6th from Manila. He had been subjected -to court-martial proceedings, on charges of having, while -on this ill-fated expedition, executed natives of the island -of Samar without trial. One of the specifications alleged -that in one instance the accused had caused a native to -be tied to a tree, and on one day to be shot in the thigh, on -the next in the arm, on the third in the body, and on the -fourth to be killed. Friends of Major Waller attributed -his horrible action to delirium caused by privation; but -Major Waller himself refused to make this defense, insisting -that he had acted under superior authority.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This sounds like an indictment of the Belgians in -the Congo put forth by the Congo Reform Association. -It is revolting; it is horrible; it probably is true. -Personally, I believe that Major Waller must have suffered -from the physical, the mental, the moral disintegration -which the tropics so constantly produce in white men. -It is unlikely that he was by nature a man of exceptional -cruelty. He became what he was—either permanently or -for a time—through the environment in which he lived. -He had excuse; so have the Belgians. There is another -respect in which this quotation sounds Congo-like. Major -Waller insisted that he had “acted under superior -authority.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This phrase, he “acted under superior authority,” -is constantly harped upon by Morel and others of the -Congo agitators. Much is made of it, and we are constantly -asked to trace home the order which issued from -superior authority From whom came Major Waller’s -orders? In his trial, February 8th, 1902, he disclosed -the startling nature of General Smith’s orders, as he had -understood them. He swore that General Smith had -said: “I wish you to kill and burn. The more you -kill, the more you will please me. The interior of Samar -must be made a howling wilderness. Kill every native -over ten years old.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When serious complaints of maladministration are -brought before the Belgian authorities of the Congo, investigation -and trial are usually ordered. The Congo agitators -lay great stress upon the fact that in the Congo these -trials are farces; that the accused is rarely sentenced to punishment; -that sometimes after his acquittal he is lionized, -made a hero of, advanced in office. This is an unpardonable -crime when committed by the Belgians. Lothaire—and -really Lothaire was as bad as any—was thus treated. -One would imagine from the chorus of complaint along this -line that every English or American officer accused of -cruelty, misgovernment or maladministration was promptly -and severely punished.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Major Waller received the verdict that he had acted “in -accordance with the rules of war, the orders of his superior, -and the military exigencies of the situation.” This, again, -can hardly be improved upon in all the cases put forward -joyously by the reformers. When complaint is made it is -never treated honestly. There is always whitewashing. -Why howl over Belgian failure to punish? Waller’s verdict -shows that we do precisely the same thing in the same -circumstances. But look at what was done with General -Smith, the man who ordered that down to ten years of age -the natives should be killed. He, too, was ordered to -undergo court-martial. From a newspaper of May 3d, -1902, we quote: “At the opening, Colonel Woodruff -announced his willingness to simplify the proceedings by -admitting that most of the accusations were true. He said -he was willing, in behalf of General Smith, to admit that -inasmuch as the country was hostile, General Smith -did not want any prisoners, and that he had issued -orders to Major Waller to kill all persons capable of bearing -arms, fixing the age limit at ten years, because many -boys of that age had borne arms against the American -troops, and that he had ordered Major Waller also to burn -the homes of the people and to make Samar a howling -wilderness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What was done with General Smith? His court-martial -began on April 25. Its result was, of course, a whitewash; -it always is, whether the person tried is American, French, -German, or Belgian. It is curious, however, to observe -how others were affected by this case. There was one -man who knew better than any other all the facts relating -to the Philippines. His utterance, which we shall quote, -was expressed, indeed, before this trial, but it was expressed -with full knowledge of similar facts. That man, on -March 5th, made the assertion: “It is not the fact that -the warfare in the Philippines has been conducted with -marked severity; on the contrary, the warfare has been -conducted with marked humanity and magnanimity on -the part of the United States army.” What a pity that we -are less ready to talk of marked humanity and magnanimity -of others! Can Waller’s crime be surpassed by -anything from Congo; can any order be more cruel than -General Smith’s?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I have said that this would be called ancient history. At -Leopoldville I asked about atrocities; the response was that -at present there was nothing serious to complain of in that -region beyond the kwanga tax; when I reached Ikoko, -where undoubtedly many cruel things have taken place, -they told me that at present such things did not occur there, -that to find them I must go to the A. B. I. R.; that the fish -tax was too heavy, but that of cruelties, atrocities and mutilations -there had been none for years. At Bolobo I heard -precisely the same story—the most frightful things had -taken place at Lake Leopold II.—that recently nothing -serious had happened at Bolobo itself. I presume that -there are outrages and cruelties of recent date in the A. B. -I. R. and the Antwerp Concession. But here, again, the -parallel between the Congo and the Philippines is close. -While the Waller and Smith incident is ancient, there is -plenty doing at the present time. We quote a paper -August 18, 1906: “The Pulajanes—wild tribesmen of the -Philippine island of Leyte—continue their fighting. Five -Americans, including a lieutenant and a surgeon, were killed -in a hand-to-hand encounter in the town of Burauen on the -9th. It was reported on the 14th that Governor-General -Ide has determined to exterminate the Pulajanes, even if it -should take every American soldier on the islands to do it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This sounds like depopulation. And why is depopulation -worse in Africa than in the Philippines? Why should -a President who views the latter with complacency—and -I may say with commendation—feel so keenly with reference -to the former? A special message of commendation -was promptly sent to an American leader for his killing of -hundreds of men, women, and children; depopulation on a -large scale and of the same kind as he reprobates when done -by Leopold’s soldiers. Our friends of the Congo Reform -Association are strangely silent in regard to such letters of -commendation; they are much grieved because Lothaire -was lionized, but they hurrah over the accumulating honors -of a Funston.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When our hands are clean and when we have given the -Filipinos their well-deserved independence and free government, -and left them to work out their own salvation, then -and not till then, should we intervene in the Congo Free -State for reasons of humanity. I say when we have left -the Filipinos to work out their own salvation; we have -strange ideas regarding the kindnesses we do to other -peoples. Thus Cuba is supposed to be under an eternal -debt of obligation to us for the government which we set up -in that unhappy land. We devised a model government, -according to our own ideas; to be sure, it is a government so -expensive to keep up that few, if any, portions of the -United States with the population of Cuba could possibly -support it. We put in sanitary improvements, nominally -for the benefit of Cubans, but actually with a shrewd -afterthought for ourselves, which we demanded should be -maintained at any price. Of course, it is impossible for a -country with the population and resources of Cuba to maintain -them. This will give us repeated opportunities for -interference in the affairs of the island, interference which -ultimately may weary the people into assent to uniting with -us. They will lose both independence and happiness, and -we will gain an added problem; and the only persons -profited will be those who are, and will be, exploiting the -island for their selfish ends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So, in the Philippines, we will develop a government -which, theoretically, may seem perfect. The difficulty is -that it must be much less suitable for Filipinos than a less -perfect government, planned and carried out along lines of -their own ideas. Lately a Filipino in this country has said -something which has the ring of truth. “We have money -enough to maintain a better and less expensive government -than that costly one which is trying to make the people -what the government wants them to be, and not to make -itself what the people want and expect, dictating laws one -day which next day are canceled and changed in a thousand -places and in a thousand ways, so that justice is converted -into a mere babel. Believe me, dear sir, that even -our ephemeral government at Malolos showed no such incapacity. -This is due to the fact that he who governs the -house does not belong to the house, and everybody knows -the old Spanish proverb, ‘The fool is wiser in his own -house than the wise man in his neighbor’s.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If it is necessary for us as a nation to look for African -adventure; if to give a strenuous President the feeling that -he is “doing something” we must meddle in the affairs of -the Dark Continent, there is a district where we might intervene -with more of reason, and consistency, and grace than -we are doing by going to the Congo. We once established -on African soil, whether wisely or not I do not intend to -discuss, a free republic for the blacks. In Liberia we have -an American enterprise, pure and simple. It has not been -a great success. It is just possible—though I doubt it—that -Liberia would at several times have profited and been -advantaged by our instruction and interest. But it seems -to possess little interest for us. Just now, like the Congo, -it is attracting British attention. Whether it has large or -little value, whether it possesses great opportunities or not, -it is now a center of interest to Great Britain. She does not -need our help in pulling chestnuts from the fire there, and -there has been strange silence and ignorance in this country -regarding it as a new sphere for English influence. If -we assist England in expanding her African possessions at -the expense of the Congo Free State, Liberia will be the -next fraction of Africa to succumb to English rule. England’s -methods of procedure are various. It might be a -useful lesson for our statesmen and politicians to study -Liberia’s prospects with care. We are still young in the -business of grabbing other people’s lands. England could -teach us many lessons. The latest one may well be worthy -our attention, since, in a certain sense, it deals with a district -where we naturally possess an interest.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='literal-container' style='margin-top:10em;margin-bottom:10em;'><div class='literal'> <!-- rend=';fs:.8em;' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>PRINTED BY R. R. DONNELLEY</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>AND SONS COMPANY AT THE</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>LAKESIDE PRESS, CHICAGO, ILL.</p> -</div></div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>TRANSCRIBER NOTES</h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Inconsistencies in punctuation have been maintained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Some illustrations were moved to facilitate page layout.</p> - -<p class='line'> </p> - -<p class='noindent'>[The end of <span class='it'>The Truth About The Congo</span>, -by Frederick Starr (Ofuda Hakushi).]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Truth About the Congo, by Frederick Starr - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONGO *** - -***** This file should be named 50567-h.htm or 50567-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/6/50567/ - -Produced by Larry Harrison, Cindy Beyer and the online -Project Gutenberg team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net with images provided by The -Internet Archives-US - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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