Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-18
THE FUTURE OF AFRICA,
h Light thar 10 Breaking ON the Dark
Continent-Bright and Glorious Visions


From the New York Herald: Africa will
tempt the avarice OF every race on the
globe within the next century. Within the
next five centuries it may become one OIL
the great factors of civilization, crowded
with nationalities which may possibly
hold the balance OF political power
and dictate the policy OF the rest oil
C~hristendom. 1t is the only large
area on the globe that remains uncon.
quered. On it's Mediterranean sea coast
are a few tangled tassels OF the robe OF civ.
ilization-Morocco, Algeria, Tripoli. On
the west is the struggling Republic OF Libe.
ria, which has never received the credit it
has so hardly earned. On the south the
British have captured q few square miles
with valuable harbors, and on the east are
scattered hardy ~colonists with their herds
OF cattle. Still, Africa ia comparatively
unknown rs yet. Fifty years ago it was
the Dark Continent; but traveIers..have re-
Gently explored it's inner depths in part,
and come back with tales Of inexhaustible
resources, OF mineral wealth, of
a fertile soil capable of sup
plying breadstuffs to the people of the
whole planet. The merely tentative com.
mercial relations with Africa which now
exist have resulted so favorsbly that
pioneers are all agog with excitement, The
dream OF the future ia Q golden one and the
prospect 10 alluring. The total value OF ex.
ports and imports by the white men who
live along it's fringe Of sea,coast is estimat-
ed at nearly $400. 00O. 900 annually.
Rritioh froAo 10 w0pfh Go 00n nnA
OF this sum, while France claims
as her share something like $780,.
900, 600. The interest OF Amsri-
cans in Africa is SO insignificant that
it scarcely deserves mention. What bright
and glorious visions will soon attract the
genius of men to that last remnant OF I'M
developed territory Within the next five
hundred years that entire continent will
become the heritage OF enterprise. Great
cities, huge manufacturing ~centers, will be
found OF it's rivers, which resemble the
Amazon and the Mississippi. Wheat fields,
cotton fields, coffee plantations will befound
everywhere. It's forests OF valuable timber
will yield tv the woodsman's Ak, and saw
mills on every stream will make the music
OF wealth and progress. Gables to the
metropolis OF Europe and America will
record the discovery OF new gold mines in
the mountains and the prospects OF the
crops on the plains. The savage abor.
igines will be driven from their possessions
or absorbed by the new civilization, and
in the streets OF some prosperous city on
the Niger, the Chadda, the Congo or the
Zambesi, on fete days, will be heard the
"Marsellaise" and Hail Columbia" or
the stirring melody which informs us that
John Brownssoul is marching N. Already
a demand has been made for two trans
continental railroads. One is to have it's
western terminus at Monrovia, the capital
OF Liberia. and it's route will extend
sinia, and end on the eastern coast
at the loot OF the Red sea. The other will
begin at the mouth OF the Congo and run
through the heart of the continent, already
explored by Stanley, with In eastern ter
minus close to Zanzibar. All this reads like
Utopia. But the latter railroad project has
already been seriously considered, and it is
declared by Stanley and other experts that
it would pay q large interest ON the invest
ment from the start. To be sure, it almost
makes the brain reel to think OF the time as
near at hand when New York will hear from
Central Africa by telegraph as we do from
Dakota OF contested elections and strikes In
cities Of a million inhabitanta, and when it
will be as attractive to spend the winter in
fashionable health resort a few miles
from Victoria Nyanza as it is now to make
the tour OF Europe; but the signs OF the
times forecast these changes as likely to be
wrought before FIVE more centuries shall
have rolled into the past Of history. The
last unconauered spot on earth will sur
render to the victorious enterprise oil man.
and Africa. heretofore symbolized by ma
kedness and barbaric splendor, will be
clothed upon" with the robes OF q Chris
tian ciyilizstiap and be admitted into the
brotherhood Of nations, worthy of a place
in the councils Of human progress.