Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-11-20
An African Village.

Stanley, the African traveller, gives
the following account of an African
village. ItcOnsists of q number of low e,
comical grass huts. ranged around L
circular common, in the centre of
which are three or four fig trees, kept
for the purpose of supplying shade to
the community and bark cloth to the
chief. The doOrways TO the hut are
very low, being scarcely thirty inches
high. The common fenced round by
the grass hurs very plainly shows the
OcherOus color of the soil, and 1t Is so
well trOdden that not blade of grass
thrives upon il. On presenting myself
in the common attracted out of doors
the owners and ordinary inhabitants of
the huts, until / found myself the cell
tire OF quite n prOmiscuous population
of naked men. women and children.
Though l had appeared here for the
purpose of studying the people of
UhombO aud making a treaty of peace
with the chief, the villagers seemed to
think had come but to make a free eX-
hibition Of myself As some natural mon
strosity. | saw before me an hundred
beings of the most degraded and un-
presentable type it is possible to con-
ceive, and, tho 1 knew quite well that
some thousands OF years ago the begin
ming OF this now wretched type Of hu-
manity and myself were the same, 4
sneaking inclination to disbelieve il
possesses me strongly. and would now
even willingly subscribe some small
amount OF silver money for him who
could but assist me to cOniravert the
discreditable fact. But common sense
tells me not to take into undue consid-
Grafton their squalOr, their ugliness, or
nakedness, but gage their true posi-
ton among the human race by taking
n view OF the cultivated fields and gar
dens of UhOmbo. and l am compelled
10 admit that these debased specimens
of humanity only plant such vegetables
as / myself should cultivate, were |
compelled to provide for my own sns-
tenauce. | see, too. that their huts,
though they are of grass. are almost as
well made as the materials VIII permit,
and indeed. have often slept in worse.
Speak unto them in the dialect of meum
Id teum, and it will soon appear that
they are Intelligent enough on that
point. Moreover, the muscles, tissue,
and fibers of their bodies, and their or
gans of sight. hearing, smell or motion
are developed as in Us. Only in taste
and Judgment, based upon larger ex-
perience in power of expression, ir
morals. and intellectual culture are W,
superior. strive, therefore, to inter
est myself in my gross and rudely'
shaped brothers and sisters. Almost
bursting Into laugh at the absurdity
turn toward an individual whose age
marks him rs one 10 whom respect i.
due. and say to him in the usual man
ner of greeting:
My brother, sit down by me on thii
mat. and let ms be sociable." And as
say it thrust into his hand 20 cOwries
the currency of the land. One look a
his hand as he extended it made mi
suppose that | could carve a better
looking hand than his out of piece o
rhinOcerous hide.
While speaking, look at his face, al
ugly and extravagaut mask, clumsily
manufactured from some strange, dari
brown material. The lips proved thr
thickness of skin which nature had en-
dowed him with, and By the obstinac!
with which they refused to meet eacl
other the form of the mouth was bu
ill-defined, though capacious and gar
! nished with its full complement o
well-preserved teeth. His nose wa
so flat that inquired in perfectly in
nocent manner as TO the reason 70
such feature.
'Ah" said he, with sly laugh. ''i
is the fault of my mother, who, when
was young, bound me too tight to he
back.
His hair had been compelled to ODE