The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-05-18
FRENCH
civilization OF Northern Africa by the
GauI-THae Sahara go be Crossed by -
@ =@ FsakIHORG.
Lake Trihnne.l

| GaAa-EEes 9hEzAEts EO DS STOSSc0 Ny ss
fsafITDaG.
[Salt Lake Tribune,l
The French IS a people do not take kindly
to colonization. t is not for want Of daring
or energy no nations possess these attributes
more than the French but for a Frenchman
to leave France and French customs means
to him exile. The Englishman goes bruising
and growing the world around. After be
has been in America for twenty years and
| expects to die here; after he has become SO
thoroughly Americanized that he would
sooner die than go back TO England to live,
| still he holds himself aloof from becoming an
| American citizen on the Queens birthday
he gets full Of beer or champagne, as may
be; if he cannot get friends to drink with
him be goes off BY himself and drinks, stand
| ing and in silence to the health Of her Ma
| jesty he will always be found with a heavy,
turgid, English newspaper in his pocket,
even ii he does not read 1t, and from the
| thousand years Of civilization OF the old Isle
| he always affects to look down upon amush-
room nation only a century old, and doe
tlltCs EIOs "ASAd COp AoNA IA oAo $1,000 ~
likes American and American ways infinitely
more than be does the stilted ways Of his
own country. But it is not SO with the French
man. He does not complain or groWl; he
never finds fault with things here, he is ever
| genial and courteous, but It you come TO
know him well and happen In q moment
| when he is off his guard to reach the right
| chord, he will tell you with tears il his eyes
and @ sob in his voice that he has been ten or
fifteen or twenty years away from Paris, and
YOU will know that in his estimation that
means ten or fifteen or twenty years lost from
| lie. But now there is a project on foot
| which threatens to make of the French real
| c~olonists. & company has been formed IN
Paris, the object Of which is to build . rail
road across the desert Of Sahara, 100 miles,
to Soudan. The project seems a bold one.
All American boys remember the pictures OF
sand storms il their biographies how the
c4mels were kneeling and the camel drivers
with nauffied faces were waiting on their
knees for the coming terror, and not many
| will forget the accompanying statement that
stwhole caravans have been overwhelmed
| sometimes in sand storms" Then too most
people will remember the other story Of the
Simeon, that poisonedsSouth wind, which,
blowing clear across the Mediterranean,
| causes faintness and sickness in Southern
Europe. But when the first circus Of boy
hood came along-by the way, did any grown
mortal ever enjoy as much ecstasy as does
the small boy during the week preceding the
coming Of the first circus-We learned that if
camels were sometimes overwhelmed it could
not possibly be because any sand spirit had
become envious Of their beauty, and later
some of us have met real sand storms on the
deserts, between these mountains, with re-
suits much more disagreeable than serious.
So we can believe that it is possible for the
French to construct this railroad. Why the
same sand story was used to try to defeat the
Suez Canal scheme. There is q novelty and
spice Of danger in the contemplated enter
prise; then it leads into 9 land where there is
splendid tiger hunting and all this has q charm
terminus Of the road will be only two and a
half DAYS sail from the French coast and the
road will really be but a continuation of
France. Then there are but 600 miles Of
absolute desert. The other 600 miles goes
through a country which has q population of
5000, 600 and produces salt, sugar, coffee,
tobacco, ivory, ostrich feathers, gold and oc-
casionally a diamond. Then too the desert
wind sometimes blows the sand awayaand re-
yeals the trunk Of a dead tree which shows
that there was q time when the great desert
was nor all q desert. AS the road progresses
wells will be sunk and trees planted. It is
possible that very much Of the whole region
may be reclaimed. But the real point Of in
interest is the region where the southern ter
minus of the road is to be. 1t is the middle
African fertile belt where the climate IS good,
where every plant that sprins from the soil
grows with lavish profusion anu where there
are SO, 000, 600 of people waiting to be taught
to work. No wonder the possibilities Of
such a country aWakens enthusiasm. 1t is
to be the seat of q future mighty empire
Why not commence its regeneration now?
But think Of the brakeman's call, sAll aboard
for Timbuctoo,' or sChange cars for the
Niger Valley" There will be no mysteries
for the boys Of the next generation, no more
The old world is about taken in,
what remote places still remain will soon
be opened by ''ciyilization's modern evangel,"
The locomotive.
It is feared that the new treaty between
Russia and China will enable Russia to make
descent on Corea. She has now a large ma
val force in Chinese waters and has need Of
/ Pacific port not closed with ice like Vladi-
Corea can expect no sympathy.
she has received all European visitors
Nth shots. and refused every shipWrecked
7essel assistance. Japan and England would
lot like to see Russia establish herself there,
44 @R E&ZY @A s@ IZ