Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1870-10-08
African civilization.

iceus Soueo'"'' ehO ioAiV"iuS oCuoioiS
remarks on the Subject of the Effects
IF African Civilization ON Civilized
Society" !.
There never was more Aagrant in
stance of the danger involved in the
mixture of two discordant civilizations
than that afforded by the infusion of
African habits into the political body
If France. It is now about forty years
since the conquest of Algiers by France.
and by it an important problem de-
volved upon the French people.
Whilst the nations of German origin
undertook to civilize the American con-
tinent and to re conquer Asia for mod
ern culture, it seemed to be the des>
tiny of France to carry into Africa the
light of European culture and Christ
ian morality. The problem was evi
dently easier than that which devolved
upon the Anglo Saxon and German
races in North America. The land
discovered by Columbus having been
Inhabited for ages by savage tribes, tbe
attempt to civilixe such a country
might have seemed o doubtful enter
prise. The northern portion of Africa.
which was conquered by France in
1929, was highly civilized in antiquity,
and the soil and the climate were evi,
IDENTIFY not opposed to the spread of a
new civilization. How have the
French succeeded, after an occupation
of upwards of forty years They did
the very reverse Of what was seascn-
ably expected, and instead of trans
planting their own civilization in AZ
rica, they brought African barbarity
into their own society. An army of
thirty thousand troops was stationed in
4AtesfSsTJ anu tuS ottuESiS uetWSEu tue
French and the barbarous tribes of
Arabs and Bedouins became the pat
tern of warfare between the French
government and revoited Frenchmen-
not less than between the French aud
foreign armies. Brute force was en-
ployed thenceforth in all the internal
difficulties between the French author
tiles and the people and the policy
which was found advantageous against
the wild African tribes was also inau.
gurated against French citizens. Af
rican generals we're ordered to Paris to
maintain order there In the same man
ner as they enforced it against the
Kabyles; and regiments of African
Zouaves and Turcos were organized in
order to terrify foreign % troops in case
of war. These Turcos and Zouaves
not only infused the French sGldiery
with their native barbarity and demon
alization, but the French government,
assuming that their wild and barbarous
habits might supply new element Of
strength, abandoned the study of tao.
tics and strategy. 1t supposed that the
Turcos on one hand and the mitraH
leuse on the other, were substitute
not only for numbers, but also for mil.
itary courage and thorough organiza.
ton. A series Of defeats of the French
army, and the overthrow of three
thrones have shown the fallacy of thin
calculation. The Turcos could neither
maintain Louis Philippe nor Napoleon
III, and their barbarous conduct to
wards wounded soldiers who fell int,
their hands, has been the only service
which they rendered to the French EN-
pire in its present struggle with Ger
many.
/ The slow increase of the coloret
race and the emigration from the oil,
country diminish danger to our civil
ization similar to that which has hat
such hurtful influence on France
The right Of suffrage, which the Radi
csl party gave to the negroes, is as poi
sonous to American society as the hab
its the French generals acquired in AT
rican service were on the state IF tn
} society of France. Almost every in
} gredient of the African character is in
compatible with our civilization, ali
the contamination Of the America
+ life by the instincts of the colored rae
> would be equivalent to the death .
science, morality and social refinement
J if the poison were sufficiently strong