The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-07-23
Neither Gorillas Nor Men.


Swift libeled humanity by degrading it
below the level of the brutes in his dread
full fiction Of the Yahoos he ever imagined
that there existed aught that approximated
toward the odious picture? Yet such is
the case. There are, undoubtedly, races
whose attributes do, in various degrees,
suggest, if they do not realize, the misau
thropic fables of the men-beasts of Houy
huhms Land The Niamuiams Of Africa,
who live between the Gulf Of Benin and
Abyssiuda are said to have tails, state
mcut confirmed by DR.. Hubsh, of Constan-
tinople, in 1851 The "hairy people"
mentioned of old by Hanno seems to have
a real existence, apart from the gorilla,
judging from Miss Birds account of the
Amos Of Japan, a strange, savage, and
little known race, supposed to be the aborl-
gines Of that country, but now only to be
found on the Island Of Yezo. They are,
she saws, Of 4 most ferocious aspect, owing
to the profusion of their thick, soft black
hair and boards, and to the singular fact
that their bodies are commonly covered
with a vigorous growth of black hair or
fur, upward of an inch in length, and in
crusted with dirt, for the Amos never
wash. Their food is a '.stew of abomina
ble things, and "thiek soup made Of
putty clay, which is boiled with the bulb
Of a white lily. They believe themselves
to be descended from dogs, but other char
acteristics of this strange people are not
u1amiable. Beyond these instances, and
presenting a far more striking resemblance
to the Yahoo type, there are the Veddas
or Weodahs of Ceylon, their duplicates in
Borneo or New Guinea, and kindred va
rieties discovered in the Philippine Islands,
Terra del Fueso, aud South America.
Only none Of these are so hateful as the
creatures Of Swift's invention. 1t needed
that fierce indignation against his kind,
which be has recorded in his epitaph, to
depict them. The Veddas and similar
races on the islands of the Asiatic archi-
pelago are described as the abOriginies of
their respective countries, who have shrunk
into the Jungle aud forest to escape from
civilization, and have lived there for up
wards Of two thousand years. They con
strucs no habitations, but lodge in caves or
trees or under oyerhanging rocks. They
are sIunted in size. seldom exceeding four
feet eight inches in stature, and but feebly
built, except as regards their arms, which
the constant use Of the bow renders very
muscular. notwithstanding their short,
are. like thumbs. With this weapon they
Kin animals for food, deyouring, besides,
snakes, reptiles, wild honey, ants, eggs,
aud carrion Of all kinds They lack both
memory aud foresight, cannot count or
discriminate between colors, are filthy IN
their habits, aud in everything save ru-
dimeutary language Of uucouth cultural
scus1s, and some dim yes,iges Of religion
aud social order, are the beasts Of the field.
Sallcst perhaps Of all, they never laugh.
Whca they die they believe they become
devils. Ye, this benighted and outcsst
race, 50 lSw in organization, habits aud
character a. scarcely to be distinguished
from the mOukcyS Of the jungle among
whsn they i've, practice by instinct yir-
tues, which are not too common IA cisili-
xation. They never lie, steal nor quarrel.
Some Of these unfortunate creatures have
HEGN A34&a t@tAtA " ~AG NAa-AttSN ~A~ - So
10 out door work, ike the Yahoos Of the
Houyhuhms When the Prince Of Wales
visited the island in 1876, certain Of the
jungle Vedias were actually caught IN
snares aud trars TO be exhibited to him;
aud one Of the number female-posi
lively died Of fright in being secured, 1t
was not ! humane transaction. The We'd
/ das arc regarded merely as animals. FL
nally. 1t may be remarked, in connection
wi,h SWifts curious anticipation, that be
placed H0ughuhms Laud near the great
island continent Of Australia. 1t APP
pears in the map Of the FIRST edition Of
aGulliver as due south Of Nuvst's Land,
in abou, thirty-eisbt degrees south latl-
tude. aud one hundred aud filty-6ve de
grees east longitude. Now, Ccylon is but
iny.fve degrees west Of this locality
though above, as New Guinea is Just be-
low, The equator. The YahOos could not
have been better accommodated. An the
Tegr Round