, 1888-01-04
LIFE IN
A COUNTRY WHICH LACKS THE
COMFORTS OF CIVILIZATION.

COMFOHIS Or
Minister Taylor Chats Entertainingly of
the Habits and Customs of the African
Republic A Dark Picture -"Bugga
Buggas" and "Driver" Ants.
hWhen the judgment comes l hope il
will begin with Liberia. If it does it will
be used up before it can go any further"
These are the words in which Charles
H. j. Taylor, the United States minister
to the African republic, summed up his
opinion of the little country on the west
coast. Mr.. Taylor has recently returned
from his station, and has resigned his
mission. AS his resignation does not take
effect until Jan. IL, and Us he Is therefore
still connected with the state department,
he is wary of expressing his opinions.
Mr.. Taylor is n colored man of marked
ability, and has been city attorney of
Kansas City. He chatted entertainingly
of tho habits and customs of Liberia.
1.-The startling disproportion," he said,
'fbetween the natives and the Immigrants
and their descendants is not generally
known. OF the 1000, 600 inhabitants of
Liberia, SSS, 900 are natives and 10, 600 i'm
migrants. There were 81, 900 immigrants
from America, but, as you see, most of
them are dead. They have been going
ONCl 1lOlh Z ~ 81 years.,
and missionaries have been at
work there for fifty years, and
these figures indicate all they have
accomplished. The civilized are to the
uncivilized as one to a hundred.
"There are never any children in the
third generation of immigrant families.
One reason is the humid dampness of the
country, which imperceptibly, but surely,
exhausts the strength of all but natives.
The temperature ranges between SO and
n degs. You ma polish your shoes at
night, INT in the morning they will be
covered with mildew. All of the natives
go nude Two of the tribes are very light
colored and pretty. The full dress of the
men is a tall hat and an umbrella. Then,
in general, all the uncivilized influences
are the stronger. Thu children of immi-
grants have never seen any civilization
but that of their parents, and they soon
learn to &c nude, like the great majority
of people about them. There are many
other evil things about Liberia of which L
cannot speak now. When I went to Lii
IBERIA 1 thought / wanted every negro in
America to pack his sachel and go to that
paradise. Now l say to them, stay away
from it. Only deluded American negroes
go there now. They are led to go by
the Colonization society. The motives of
the society are good, but they do not know
the truth about Liberia"
what arc some striking facts about
the condition of the conntry?''
"There is not n horse or n mule or n
jackass in the country. The cows are
about as big as Newfoundland dogs and
give no milk. The oxen are useless.
There is not a carriage or wagon or even
n wheelbarrow in the republic, and there
are not three plows owned in the whole
population. They have n secretary of the
navy, but not a canoe nor q rowboat. They
have a secretary of war, but not a cannon
to fire q salute. The army consists of AIT
soldiers, of whom 1888 are officers and 30
privates. The legislature meets annually
and consists of eight senators and thirteen
representatives, who stand for 1915
voters. The natives are not represented
in the government. The president is ii.
w. II. johnson, who was born there of
American parents. He wears u linen
duster In addition to his plug hat and
umbrella. He appoints all the officers,
from members of his cabinet down to
c~onstables. Nearly every voter is an Off
Ger of some kind.
"When the immigrant arrives he is met
by the musical force of the country, which
consists of one fife and one drum. Later,
he meets the bugga buggns, and the
drivers. These are ants. The bugga bug
gas believe in woman rule. They are COM
manded by u queen, who is us big as u
Iltln ) I"O InuLlDS ullu LOOKS ike II Wll1tp
piece of bacon. She and her followers will
eat anything but iron. You may build u
house one day, and the next day, if yuu
were to strike it, the whole structure
would fall.
1.-THE drivers-oh, Lord-they VIII CT
up n man. They have eaten six EaL,l,.
and the natives sometimes punish Il ee..
inal or an enemy by tying him to . t..,.
and leaving him to his fate. The e. So.
are the scavengers Of the country. ,a
march like an army, in II closely :
line, numbering myriads. Tho;
generals, coionels, captains, A,tt.t+
and privates ranking accordiug T..
The generals are half us biz ;.s
finger. They eat everything Uut...
The natives are obliged to bGthc tn
day, otherwise the drivers would ,,,.
whelm them. A boa constructor, dior
crushing u victim to death, will Ia,.Le Il
wide circuit around the body TO be sUrc
that no drivers are near. The serpent
knows that after he has swallowed Tie
body he must sleep, and if the drivers
caught him in his post prandial slumbcr
they would eat hin up. The drivers visit
a house about twice n month. Then you
ave to go away until they are gone"
"What do the people do for n living?''
81 will only say that they earn their
living in a different way from anybody in
America. cannot answer that question
with propricty yet."-New York Mail
and Express.