National Republican., 1884-06-16
A YOUTHFUL EXPLORER.
An Interesting Individual Who Has
Traversed tho Dark Continent From
End 20 End.
corr..rond,nl Telenrnm.

Correspondent telegram.
A little slip Of boy, apparently Is years
Of age, with q pleasant smile and intelligent
blue eyes, standing little more than five feet
high, and with chin taporing of TO point,
and contrasting strongly with tho broad jaw
behind-that Is Mr.. johnson, the chief
authority on the Congo, and the latest OF
African travellers. In reality he is 25, but he
talks as II he were 80. When ho started tho
other day en- route for Zanzibar and the
Kilimanjary mountain, ono Of the most rn-
markable young men Of our day betook him
sOlf to tho dark continent. Since Gordon
left England we have met fow moro interest.
ing individuals than Mr.. johnson, but no
contrast can be more strongly marked than is
presented by these two men-the governor
general OF tho Soudan and the author of
"Tho River Cougon The one Is 10 tho other
what Cromwell is 10 Darwin. In their own
way they represent the two great forces Of
religion and science. Gordon full Of intense
aud enthusiastic belief In tho unsoen, cou-
stantly regarding himself and all his fellow
mon but as passive instruments in the hands
of an Almighty Power, yot ever glowing with
q toryid philanthrOpy Johnston, cool, calm,
full OF intelligence. and though not without
some Of the enthusiasm insopHfablo from
youth, yet looking out upon the world and
all things therein as great laboratory in
which nature ruthlossly purguos those MUIR
dorOus experiments which results in tho
survival of tho fttest. "Mcrcy for tho weak, +"
he will say, looking mildly out Of his blue
eyes; mature has none; the weak must
perish. Tho progress of tho race demands
the elimination Of tho weak. Tho future
belongs to tho strong" That principle hc
carries out logically to its extreme conso.
quences.
In all his conversations and observations
about the politics and tho society OF the re-
| gions In which he has travelled 30 much, you
| feel that he is, in the true senso of the word
agn Ostic, not merely in relation to the world
in meditating on which Gordon spends hiG
| life, but also to oil conventional morality
He Is man emancipated In the nhilist
sonse of the word, sans culotte, and yot SC
mild or placid or amiablo that it is only with
an effort that you can realize the full signif-
cameo Of somo of his remarks. A fine ab.
original pagan, whose ideal of life and con-
duct is as catholic as that of nature that is
tho man whose book on the Congo is run.
ming through the second edition, and
who has now gone to climb tho highest
mountain peak in the whole of the
African continent. THE race Of tho future,
said he, will bo somewhat of an olive tint
| with moro of African blood In its vions than
at present, but it will have q white brain
| Tho old continents are overCrowod; Africf
| will yot DO peOpled with the swarminR surplut
| of Europe and Asia. The plablc organism.
which can adapt themselves to an altered
environment will survive; those that canno
| will perish. We may not want the Congo mol
| the fertile fields Of Central Africa, but 1t will
be needed for our children aud our children
children, who will need the outlet which W,
should tako care is not barred against them.